Parents & Community
Parents and Community
Caulfield South Primary School prides itself on open communication between home and school, thus building strong partnerships with parents. We believe that when parents express confidence in the school and are involved with it in some way, their children are likely to be happier, more confident and perform better in their learning and relationships. Encouraging supportive links between home and school results in:
- Greater understanding by parents of their children’s schooling
- Greater understanding by teachers of students’ individual needs
- Goodwill between parents and teachers
There are many ways to become involved in the school; some of these include-
- Parents Association
- Classroom Helpers
- Class Representatives
- Family Support Network
- School Council
Outside School Hours Care
School Council
Each Government school in Victoria is governed by a school council. The council is a legal body which is responsible for setting the key direction of the school. Some of the roles include-
- Setting the key direction of the school
- Developing a strategic plan
- Approving the annual budget and monitoring expenditure
- Maintaining grounds and facilities
- Reviewing and updating school policies, including curriculum policies
- Community Relations
- Fundraising
The school Council does not……
- Manage the school
- Employ ongoing teaching staff
- Determine class allocations
- Discuss individual issues between parents and students and/or parents
Student welfare, classroom management and curriculum programs are the responsibility of the Principal and teaching staff – not the School Council.
On the current School Council there are 15 members, made up of 5 teaching staff and 9 parents and 1 community member. A full list of members is published in the School News after the elections are completed in February/March of each year.
Meetings are held twice a term. Visitors or observers may be present at a council meeting with the agreement of the principal and a decision of council. However, there may be times when, for the purpose of confidentiality or other reasons, a council meeting needs to be closed.
School Council elections are held in February/March and members are elected for a two year period.
Should you wish to contact the School Council, please feel free to contact any Council member whom you may know. You may also write to or e-mail the school office, marked to the attention of the Principal or the School Council President.
Further information about the role of school council can be found at:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/governance/Pages/schoolcouncil.aspx
Parents’ Association
Caulfield South Primary School prides itself on open communication between home and school and building strong partnerships with parents. The PA plays a vital role in supporting the interests of the school by bringing parents, students and staff into close cooperation.
The CSPS Parents Association is an association of which every Caulfield South parent and legal guardian is a member. The association has a president and a committee which meets throughout the year to plan events and activities that give parents the opportunity to develop friendships within the school community and to contribute to school life. The committee is always happy to hear from a parent who would like to help at its events, and new members of the committee are welcomed at the beginning of each year.
The Parents’ Association together with the Fundraising Committee works for the benefit of the school and raises funds to assist with the ongoing need to improve school resources and facilities. Throughout the year there is a number of activities held for both parents and students such as:
- Trivia Nights
- Theatre nights
- Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls
- Annual school disco
Elections for PA office bearers are held annually and all parents are invited to attend.
In addition to the Parents’ Association, the school has a network of Class Representatives which helps to ensure that new parents feel welcome at Caulfield South Primary School. These class representatives organise class social activities and support the school’s communication with parents.
Parent Payments
Caulfield South Primary School Council encourages all families to contribute towards improving our teaching and learning environment through the Parent Payment Contributions.
CSPS Family Support Network
What is the CSPS Family Support Network?
The Family Support Network aims to help families within the CSPS community during particularly difficult or challenging periods in their lives.
What kind of support is available?
Small gestures can make a large difference to people in need:
- Pre-cooked meals that simply need to be heated and served
- School lunches made and ready for the school bag
- The facilitation of stronger social support among parents in grades
How to access the Family Support Network
Parents may contact:
Class teacher, Principal or Assistant Principal -Confidentiality is ensured when requested. This means that a family can remain anonymous to the Family Support Coordinator and to the family/ies providing the support. Prepared meals and school lunches are simply delivered to the office for collection in such circumstances.
Class Reps -Class Reps can contact the Family Support Coordinator on behalf of a family in their class. The Family Support Coordinator then calls to discuss the needs of the family.
Family Support Coordinator directly -Parents may simply ring the school office who will contact the Family Support Coordinator to call to discuss the help that may assist the family in need.
Sometimes a parent may ask another parent to contact the Family Support Coordinator on their behalf. The Family Support Coordinator will only contact families who have agreed to be contacted.
It is important to note that to provide support parents are asked to sign a Confidentiality Agreement.
CSPS Business Directory
Community Partnerships
Caulfield South Primary School has developed partnerships to help support sustainability in our community. We work together with the City of Glen Eira through the Sustainability Education Officer as well as working with the CERES ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic Facilitator. CERES is a not for profit educational organisation which supports sustainable ways of living.
When we were fortunate to be able to purchase new student furniture for our Senior Learning Centre, we were able to donate our surplus furniture to a new school being built by Rotary in Popondetta, Papua New Guinea through Chadstone/East Malvern Rotary Club. The club was most appreciative of our school’s donation. We were then able to follow up by donating stationery items that had not been required during the school year.
Our school also enjoys support from the Caulfield Park Branch of the Bendigo Bank and the School Focused Youth Services for the City of Glen Eira.
Traffic Safety
PARKING
In the interests of children’s safety, parents are strongly encouraged to observe the following points:
- A drop off zone is available at the front of the school. Please note: This is NOT for parking. Drop Off Zone rules apply (ie. Drivers are not permitted to vacate their vehicle).City of Glen Eira Council bye-laws officers are vigilant in patrolling this area
- Care when parking, dropping off children, or when collecting children from school to ensure compliance with parking restrictions
- Be aware of the dangers of turning and pulling out from the kerb when children are outside the school grounds
- Cars may NOT be driven onto the school grounds
It is unlikely that parking will be available immediately outside the school every time children are collected or delivered. Parents and carers should be prepared to park where it is safe and legal, and walk a short distance to ensure the safety of our children.
Please observe the parking regulations on all streets adjacent to the school property.
Drivers who double park or park across the marked crossings are endangering their own and other children. Parking officers frequently patrol the area as a safety measure; often at the request of the school administration or parents.
Lunch Order Forms
Useful Links for Parents
Resilience:
https://www.parentingideas.com.au/Parents/resilience
Anti-bullying and eSmart:
https://www.amf.org.au/FactSheets/
Cyber safety:
https://www.cybersmart.gov.au/
Our Supporters
Caulfield South Primary School is grateful for the wonderful support of our sponsors who contribute significantly to resourcing the learning environment for our students.
