Launceston Grammar Parent Grade Representative Programme Handbook

Parent Grade Representative Handbook

Contents Introduction...............................................................3 Parent Grade Representative Positions Parent Grade Representative Coordinator........................5 Parent Grade Representative.............................................6 Selection Process Parent Grade Representative Coordinator........................8 Parent Grade Representative.............................................9 Parent Grade Representative Guidelines...................10 Parent Grade Representative workflow and tasks....12 Parent Grade Representative Code of Conduct........15 Volunteering Opportunities.......................................16 Agreement, Contact List and Templates Parent Grade Representative Agreement..........................18 Parent Grade Representative Contact List........................19 Request for Contact Details...............................................20 Parent Grade Representative Introductory Letter..............22

Community Engagement Team contacts Events Officer Zoё Vandervelde +61 03 6336 6060 zvandervelde@lcgs.tas.edu.au Communications Officer Tamara Clark +61 03 6336 6054 tclark@lcgs.tas.edu.au Director of Community Engagement Brigid Rawlings +61 03 6336 6016 brawlings@lcgs.tas.edu.au

The Parent Grade Representative serves a primary role in maintaining good communication between parents, while also being a valuable resource to the teacher and the Grade. The Parent Grade Representatives also facilitate social interaction among families in the school community.

Introduction The purpose of the Launceston Church Grammar School Parent Grade Representative Programme is to facilitate a constructive culture and strengthen belonging and involvement across the School community and beyond..

The Community Engagement Team is responsible for coordinating the Programme and will provide direction and support to the Parent Grade Representatives. The Parent Grade Representatives provide an additional platform for uniting the Launceston Grammar community and enhancing the quality of relationships and channels of communication between staff, parents and children.

The key objectives of the Parent Grade Representative Programme include: • To encourage engagement and participation in the School community by parents; • To facilitate more effective communication within the School community, including the School leadership and parents and between teachers and parents; and • To support staff with communication amongst parents and other general support as requested.

Parent Grade Representatives engage parents and build social networks within the School.

This is an important role at each Grade level and is particularly useful for new parents to feel welcome and part of Launceston Grammar’s vibrant community.

Parent Grade Representatives are appreciated and respected members of Launceston Grammar and we value their commitment to our School community.

The purpose of this handbook is to inform parents as to the Parent Grade Representative role and key responsibilities; the selection process; and to act as a resource for appointed Representatives as they engage with current and new parents.

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Parent Grade Representative Positions Parent Grade Representative Coordinator Position Description Summary The Parent Grade Representative Coordinator role is a voluntary position and liaises with the Director of Community Engagement and the appropriate Head of Campus.

The Community Engagement Team will provide administrative support and assistance to the Coordinator.

The Coordinator plays an integral role in leading the Parent Grade Representative programme and providing ongoing support to participating parents. The Coordinator is the focal point of contact for the Parent Grade Representatives and the School.

Tenure The term of the Parent Grade Representative Coordinator role is one school year.

The selection criteria and application process is detailed on page 8.

Responsibilities The Parent Grade Representative Coordinator role will be responsible for the following activities: • Identify and approach parents to register their interest for the Parent Grade Representative roles; • Communicate and promote the Parent Grade Representative programme to the community; • Assist with the orientation of new Parent Grade Representatives at the commencement of the school year; • Liaise with Parent Grade Representatives at the commencement of the school year to confirm dates for a social activity to be held in Term 1; • Serve as the main contact for the Parent Grade Representatives; • Provide assistance and guidance to the Parent Grade Representatives throughout the school year; • Attend a Parent Grade Representative meeting hosted by the Community Engagement Team each term; • Discuss with each Parent Grade Representatives their identified key priorities and responsibilities;

• Ensure all parent social activities and events are approved by the School (via Director of Community Engagement and Head of Campus); • Ensure all formal correspondence is approved by the School (via Director of Community Engagement and Head of Campus); • Serve as a member of the School Fair Committee. The Fair will be managed by the Community Engagement Team. The membership can be in conjunction with one or two other parents. The purpose is to be a conduit of information to families and provide key parent contacts for their respective grades.

• Utilise Administrator rights to each Grade’s parent Facebook group; and • Participate in the annual review of the Parent Grade Representative programme to implement improvements based on feedback from the community and the School.

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Parent Grade Representative Position Description Summary The Parent Grade Representative role is a voluntary position and reports directly to the Parent Class Representative Coordinator. It is expected that the successful applicant agrees to abide by the Code of Conduct.

The Community Engagement Team will provide administrative support and assistance to the Parent Grade Representatives.

It is anticipated that two Representatives will be appointed for each Grade.

Tenure The term of the Parent Grade Representative role is one school year.

The selection criteria and application process is detailed on page 9.

Responsibilities The Parent Grade Representative will be responsible for the following activities: • Collate and distribute a class/Grade contact list; • Welcome new families to the Grade and coordinate appropriate introductions with other parents and the Parent Grade Representative Coordinator; • Make parents feel part of the School community;

• Provide opportunities for parents to feel they are valued members of our community and welcome to be involved in any way they are able to engage e.g., informal social gatherings; • Administer and moderate Grade’s parent Facebook group, including inviting new parents to join and participate in the group;

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• Encourage parents to be involved in School life; • Meet with staff as required to discuss any upcoming assistance needed; • Meet with the fellow Parent Grade Representative to establish an overall plan for the year. It is anticipated that the plan will identify the allocation of responsibilities in order to share the workload; • Coordinate at least one social activity for the class/Grade (Term 1 preferred); • Attend a Parent Grade Representative meeting hosted by the Community Engagement Team each term; • Assist with reminders regarding class and whole School/Campus activities and events (e.g., concerts, athletics carnivals, excursions, co-curricular and extracurricular activities) as required by staff; • Member of the School Fair Committee.

The Fair will be managed by the Community Engagement Team. The membership can be inconjunction with one or two other parents. The purpose is to be a conduit of information to families and provide key parent contacts for their respective grades.

• Seek and coordinate volunteer support and participation, including roster/s, for the annual School Fair; • Seek and coordinate donations to the School as required; • Share information and encourage participation and support with School fundraising activities and initiatives; • Coordinate general support for the class teacher as requested; • Answer general questions parents or families may have; • Redirect queries to the appropriate School staff/resources; • Contact point for parents to facilitate feedback/ideas/discussion to the School as appropriate; • Assist in coordination, as requested, and dissemination of information regarding any community and school meetings/ workshops/forums; • Liaise with peer Parent Grade Representatives; and • Establish and maintain positive links with the broader community.

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Selection Process Parent Grade Representative Coordinator The School will undertake the following process in appointing the Parent Grade Representative Coordinator: • A notification alerting all parents will be distributed via email, an article in the fortnightly eNewsletter and posted to the School’s social media platforms at the end of the School year. Parents will be asked to register their interest via a link to an online form; • A follow-up notification will be sent at the commencement of the school year if parents have not registered their interest for the role; • The Director of Community Engagement will collate and distribute the registrations to the School Executive; • The School Executive will make the final decision on the appointment of the Parent Grade Representative Coordinator; • The successful Parent Grade Representative Coordinator will be notified by the end of January and will be sent the information package; • A meeting will be scheduled to discuss the role, expectations and key responsibilities for the proceeding school year; • Facilitate completion of the Child Safe Training and acquisition of a Working with Vulnerable Children’s Check; • The Parent Grade Representative Coordinator will automatically become a member of the School Fair Committee; • The Parent Grade Representative Coordinator will be given Administrator rights to each Grade’s parent Facebook groups; and • The Parent Grade Representative Coordinator will participate in the annual review of the Parent Grade Representative programme to implement improvements based on feedback from the community and the School

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Parent Grade Representative The School will undertake the following process in appointing the Parent Grade Representatives: • A notification alerting all parents will be distributed via email, an article in the fortnightly eNewsletter and posted to the School’s social media platforms at the end of the school year. Parents will be asked to register their interest via a link to an online form; • A follow-up notification will be sent at the commencement of the school year for classes/ grades that have not received interested parent registrations; • The Director of Community Engagement will collate and distribute the registrations to the School Executive; • The School Executive will make the final decision on the appointment of the Parent Grade Representatives; • The successful Parent Grade Representatives will be notified by early February and will be sent the information package; • Facilitate completion of the Child Safe Training and acquisition of a Working with Vulnerable Children’s Check for each Parent Grade Representative; and • A meeting will be scheduled to discuss the role and provide an opportunity for the Parent Grade Representatives to meet.

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Parent Grade Representative Guidelines Contact List and Parent Communication

The Parent Grade Representative will distribute a letter/form (template to be provided) for parents to complete to opt-in to have their details compiled in the Grade list and distributed to parents in the Grade.

The Parent Grade Representative is to establish an email group to communicate with parents.

There will be an option for parents to be included anonymously (BCC’d) in the email group; only the Parent Grade Representative will have access to these email addresses.

The email list is not to be used for any unsolicited emails or spam. If any parent uses this list for purposes outside of the programme’s scope, the Parent Grade Representative is required to immediately refer the matter to the Parent Grade Representative Coordinator.

At the commencement of the school year the School will distribute the Request for Contact Details correspondence for parents to complete and return to their School teacher or tutor (please refer to page 20).

Following the receipt of the parent contact details, the Parent Grade Representative will introduce themselves to the class/grade families. This can be achieved through the ‘Parent Grade Introduction Letter’ (please refer to page 22) All formal correspondence with parents needs to be sighted and approved by the Community Engagement Team prior to distribution.

The Parent Grade Representative will hold an Administrator role in the School’s individual Grade Facebook group. The Representative will invite the Grade parents to be members of the group. The Representative will utilise the platform to post/disseminate relevant School and Grade information and field any questions that parents may have. No other parents are to be allocated administrator or editor rights.

Parent Grade Representatives are encouraged to submit articles for the fortnightly eNewsletter regarding upcoming social activities and events. These details are submitted via community@lcgs.tas.edu.au by Wednesday of the eNewsletter publication week.

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Social Activities and Events

It is expected that at least one social activity will be held each year, with preference for this to be hosted in Term 1. Examples of social activities include morning/afternoon teas and dinner for parents; last day of term/holidays catch ups; family picnics; play group catch ups; weekend family barbecues, drinks/after work catch ups for parents; ten bin bowling; or bare foot bowls.

Assisting Class Teacher (Junior Campus Parents)

Each class teacher has individual requirements and requests for parent helpers and communication preferences. This is to be respected by parents at all times.

Any and all support and assistance must be at the direction of the class teacher.

Conflict Resolution

In the event that there is a disagreement between a Parent Grade Representative and other parents or the classroom teacher or tutor that cannot be resolved in a reasonable and respectful manner, the matter should be referred immediately to the Director of Community Engagement.

If the Parent Grade Representative fails to adhere to the Code of Conduct (please refer to page 15), the Director of Community Engagement will discuss this with them and assist in understanding their responsibility.

If the conflict or issue remains unresolved, the Parent Grade Representative may need to be dismissed from their role. In this event, the School Executive will make this decision based on the performance of the Parent Grade Representative in accordance with the Position Description and Code of Conduct.

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Parent Grade Representative workflow and tasks Support to CET examples • Spring Fair committee member

Community Engagement Team

• Coordinate volunteer support and rosters for Fair • Coordinate donations to School • Annual review of Programme

Support to CET examples • Spring Fair committee member • Coordinate approval of proposed social activity dates provided by Grade Representatives • Assist in orientation of new Representatives at commencement of each year • Participate in annual review of Programme

Parent Grade Representative Coordinator

Support to Rep’s • Main contact for Grade Representatives

Head of Campus

• Administer Grade Facebook groups

Support to Rep’s Support to Head of Campus.

• Contribute to annual plan

• Coordinate approval of formal parent correspondence

• Liaise with fellow Representatives and Coordinator

• Redirect any parent queries to appropriate staff / resources

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Support to Teaching staff examples • Source and disseminate information / reminders to parents as requested • Coordinate general support as requested by staff • Redirect queries to appropriate staff / resources

Class Teacher Parent Grade Representatives Early Learning Grade 6

Head of House

Parent Grade Representatives Grade 7 Grade 12

Support to Parents examples • Distribute class / grade contact list • Welcome new families • Administer Grade parent Facebook group • Encourage parents to be involved and volunteer, including annual Spring Fair

Parents

• Coordinate a social activity • Answer questions

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Parent Grade Representative Code of Conduct It is expected that the Parent Grade Representatives will uphold and encourage the Launceston Grammar virtues of wisdom, gentleness, love, sincerity, justice, forgiveness, humility, thankfulness, patience, hope, joy, perseverance, service, compassion and kindness.

In addition, the Representatives will: • Respect the privacy and maintain confidentiality of any information received regarding parents, students and School staff; • Respect that the priority for School staff is the welfare and education of all students, and always be understanding, patient and kind to staff.

All members of the School community will: • Conduct themselves in a respectful and courteous manner and in compliance with legislation; • Use courteous and acceptable written and spoken language in all communications. No profane, insulting, harassing, aggressive or otherwise offensive language will be tolerated.

• Act in the best interests and welfare of students, their families and staff members.

Representatives are not permitted to engage in malicious or judgemental gossip and will ensure that anything they say about others is fair and truthful.

• Respect points of view that are different from their own. All members of our community must refrain from actions and behaviour that constitutes harassment, discrimination or vilification.

• Comply with all School safety and emergency procedures and in the event of an emergency, while on School grounds, will follow the instructions given by any School staff.

• May not discipline a child who is not their own or speak to a child about their behaviour who is not their own. This is the role of the teaching staff. Parents should raise any behavioural, bullying or peer group issues with a member of the teaching staff. Common sense would apply in an emergency where a child is at risk of harm or where a parent is supervising a small group of students on an excursion.

• May not interrupt or distract a teacher while classroom instruction or learning activities are underway.

• When attending any School event (e.g., assembly, public meeting, forum, workshop), parents will listen respectfully, in the same manner required of students and staff and will refrain from creating any noise or disturbance during performances or speeches by students, staff or visitors.

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Volunteering Opportunities Launceston Grammar has a range of parent volunteer opportunities: In Your Child’s Class • Listen to children read – individually or in Guided Reading Groups • Put up displays of student work • Act as a Parent Grade Representative • Assist in lessons e.g., craft, hands-on mathematics, cooking, presentations/ guest speaking on appropriate content Around the School – Inside

Around the School – Outside • Coach a sports team • Work in the School garden/s • Assist at working bees • Assist at School carnivals • Attend excursions and incursions • Assist with barbecues and other School catering • Assist with set/pack up for carnivals and School events

• School canteen - Café 1846 • Assist with School Clubs • Donation of goods and volunteer to School events (e.g., Spring Fair, Fun and Food Fest, fundraising events, School performances and productions)

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Agreement, Contact List and Templates ÎÎ Parent Grade Representative Agreement ÎÎ Parent Grade Representative Contact List ÎÎ Template 1: Request for Contact Details ÎÎ Template 2: Introduction Letter

Parent Grade Representative Agreement

Parent Grade Representative Agreement By signing this document I, ____________________________________________, agree on this day, ____________________________________ 2020, that I have read and understood the expectations and purpose of the Launceston Church Grammar School Parent Grade Representative programme.

• I agree to abide by the expectations and virtues of Launceston Grammar; • I agree to use any personal information that I receive in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and for the sole purpose of fulfilling my obligations as a Parent Grade Representative.

I will take all reasonable steps to ensure that personal information held by me is protected from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, unauthorised modification or unauthorised disclosure and will notify the School immediately upon becoming aware of any personal information which is misused, lost, or accessed, modified or disclosed without authorisation; • I accept Launceston Grammar’s identity statement; • I accept that at all times I will respect the confidentiality of staff, students and parents and will not be the bearer of negative conversations; • I accept at all times I will respect the teacher as the professional in respect to the delivery of curriculum and behaviour learning; • I confirm that I have read the Parent Grade Representative Code of Conduct; • I understand that the Parent Grade Representative’s privileges may be revoked should I choose not to abide by this agreement or the Code of Conduct; • I understand that it is a privilege to be a Parent Grade Representative; • I understand that the Headmaster’s approval must be granted prior to taking on the Parent Grade Representative role; • I acknowledge and agree that as a Parent Grade Representative, I am not an employee contractor or agent, but rather a volunteer of the Launceston Church Grammar School; • I understand that I must complete Child Safe Training; and • I understand that I must acquire a Working with Vulnerable Children’s Check prior to commencement in the role.

Launceston Church Grammar School Parent_Grade_Rep_Agreement.docx

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Page 1 of 2 27 May 2020

Parent Grade Representative’s Name: ____________________________________________ Parent Grade Representative’s Signature: _________________________________________ Contact Phone Numbers – Home: _____________________ Mobile: ____________________ Email Address: _______________________________________________________________ Date: _________________________________

Head of Campus’s Name: ______________________________________________________ Head of Campus’s Signature: ___________________________________________________ Date: _________________________________

Launceston Church Grammar School Parent_Grade_Rep_Agreement.docx

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Page 2 of 2 27 May 2020

Parent Grade Representative Contact List Grade

Class Teacher

Student

Parent

Student

Early Learning Prep

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

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Parent

Template 1 Request for Contact Details

OUR REF:

1 January 2020

Dear Parents / Carers Re: Request for Contact Details for Parent Grade Representatives As part of Launceston Grammar’s focus to promote community and communication and to assist new families joining our School community, we have a Parent Grade Representative assigned to each Grade. In order to develop the lines of communication between teachers and parents / carers, the Parent Grade Representatives would like to obtain the contact details for each family in their Grade.

Due to the Privacy Act, schools are not permitted to provide family details unless approval is provided by that family. To assist the Parent Grade Representatives to communicate with you, please complete the details below and return to your teacher or tutor as soon as possible. Please only provide details that you are willing to provide to the Parent Grade Representative for your Grade.

Yours sincerely

Brigid Rawlings Director – Community Engagement cc:

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1.

I, ___________________________, give permission for the School to provide the Parent Grade Representative with my name, my child’s name and contact details already held by Launceston Grammar.

Or 2.

I, ____________________________, am happy to provide the following details to the Parent Grade Representative for my Grade (please fill in as much information as you wish to be shared): Child’s Name:_____________________________________________________________ Parent / Carer’s Name: _____________________________________________________ Suburb: _________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number (mobile preferred): ___________________________ Mobile: ___________________________ Email Address: ____________________________________________________________ 3.

I, ____________________________, opt for no personal information to be provided to the Parent Grade Representative.

4. For students who are over 15 years of age: I, ____________________________, give / do not give permission (please circle applicable word/ing) for my personal information to be provided to the Parent Grade Representative.

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2

Template 2 Parent Grade Representative Introductory Letter

OUR REF:

1 January 2020

Dear Grade 6 Parents / Carers Re: Parent Grade Representative Introductory Letter I wish to introduce myself and extend a warm welcome to you and your family. As the Parent Grade Representative for your child’s grade, I help to facilitate communication with the School, and to assist in fostering a sense of community at Launceston Grammar. Examples of this include seeking volunteers or donations for the School’s events and fundraising initiatives, seeking parent support for the class (if requested by the class teacher) and details of any upcoming social activities.

The Parent Grade Representative programme is another opportunity to unite the School community and enhance the quality of relationships within the School between staff, parents/carers and the students.

Please feel free to contact me if you wish to volunteer in the classroom or other volunteering opportunities during the year.

I look forward to meeting you at our first social function during Term 1.

Yours sincerely

Sender’s Name Grade 6 Parent Grade Representative cc:

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Button Street, Mowbray 7248 Tasmania Australia P: 03 6336 6000 E: senior@lcgs.tas.edu.au www.lcgs.tas.edu.au

CRICOS: 00650K