Mount Beauty Primary School believes parents, carers, and the school are partners in their child’s education, working together towards a shared goal of nurturing happy, balanced, inquiring students.  The contribution of parents, families and community members is highly valued and recognised as a vital and significant part of our students’ school experience.

Community participation in school activities by parents, carers and community members, creates a positive, vibrant environment where children feel safe, supported and valued.  Promoting our students’ mental health and wellbeing through a sense of social connectedness helps them to become more successful at school.

We welcome all members in our school community to get involved.  It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and support each other and the children. If you are interested in contributing to day-to-day school life, there is a range of opportunities for participation in school activities and collaborative decision-making.

Classroom

Teachers welcome expertise, help and information sharing in many different guises in the classroom.  This may be supporting children learning to read, guiding small groups through a learning activity, or showcasing your knowledge.  Your help in classrooms is invaluable.

If you wish to support teachers as a classroom helper or have ideas about ways community members might contribute, please contact your child’s classroom teacher, or look out for parent helper requests.

Camps and Excursions

Camps and excursions are an excellent opportunity for parents and carers to be involved in children’s learning.  Often teachers organising a camp or excursion will request the help of parent or carer volunteers in the supervision of children.

A Working With Children Check is necessary; please see below for information on how to apply for one of these.

Please also let us know if you have a bus licence and may be willing to drive students to camp or excursion locations.

Please contact your child’s classroom teacher for more information about volunteering help on camps or excursions.

Fundraising and Events

Fundraising to enhance school programs and support students and families is essential for our school.  School Council’s Fundraising Committee and school staff, make enormous efforts to organise fundraising projects and events throughout the school year. These activities demand generous amounts of time and talent of parents, students and teachers.  Of course, the benefits for supporting new school initiatives and projects, and generating monetary support for families by reducing costs of excursions are obvious.  Perhaps more important is a fantastic opportunity to create new social contacts in the community and build an enthusiastic and strong network of individuals supporting the school.

Involvement in our fundraising activities can vary from being a member of an organising committee to assisting on the day.

Please contact School Council’s Fundraising Committee or the Principal if you would like to contribute your ideas and expertise to our fundraising projects.

Edible Garden

Our beautiful and growing Edible Garden and spacious school grounds are ongoing projects that are generously supported by parents and community members.  The maintenance and care for our gardens by volunteers sustains the development of these projects that might otherwise be outsourced at a great cost to the school.  You can contribute by assisting teachers and working with children in our gardening and cooking program, help with watering, weeding and planting, or organising working bees for general maintenance or major improvements to our school grounds.

Please contact School Council’s Buildings and Grounds Committee or the Principal if you’d like to be involved with these projects.

Sports and Wellbeing Programs

Our physical education, health and wellbeing programs are enhanced by parent contributions to learning experiences and volunteers assisting at carnivals and other sporting activities.  Activities often in need of volunteers are athletics and swimming carnivals, health education projects, Year 5/6 ski programs, junior sports days, cross country meets, inter-school carnivals and sports days and swimming programs.

Please contact your child’s classroom teacher to be involved.

School Council and Sub-Committees

School Council is a governing body constituted under the Education Act and is responsible for setting the overall direction of the school.  Its members are comprised of parents, carers, staff representatives, principal and up to two co-opted members (nominated by School Council).  Becoming a School Council member is a great way to be involved in collaborative decision-making in relation to your child’s schooling and to be part of the organisation and strategic direction of school activities.  School Council elections are held in March each year.

Joining a School Council Sub-Committee is another meaningful way to make a contribution.  You need not be a member of the governing School Council and can focus your contribution in one area of the school’s development.

Please visit the School Council page for more information.  If you have any queries please contact the Principal, School Council President or a parent representative.

Working With Children Check

To volunteer in areas with student contact, the Victorian Government may require that you have a Working With Children Check.  This is FREE for volunteers.  Mount Beauty Primary School recommends all parents, carers and community members wishing to be involved in the school community as volunteers obtain a Working With Children Check.  Although not essential for some volunteer projects, it is highly valuable by ensuring you can participate in a range of activities over the course of your child’s schooling, including involvement in out-of-school community groups such as children’s sporting teams.  To avoid missing out, apply for a Working With Children Check now.

You can apply online or at Australia Post.  There is no fee for volunteers.

Please go to the Victorian Working With Children Check website for more information.  If you have any queries please contact the School Office.