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Parent Partnerships

Objectives

Community is at the core of St Finbarr’s success as a school. It is what defines and differentiates it as a leading and progressive educator of primary age children.

The Parent Collective’s mission is to embrace the building of community through every aspect of its operation. Expanding St Finbarr’s community and encouraging inclusiveness is the core strategy of the PC

The PC wants to also embrace innovation to build community and execute the traditional role of a parent-teacher organisation.

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Strategy Overview

THREE KEY OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED:

  • The connection between the school’s professional staff and parents.
  • Build community through communication and events.
  • Financially support school infrastructure projects that are central to building community.

STRATEGY: The Parent-Teacher Conduit

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    OPEN PC FORUMS

All PC meetings (monthly) should be open forums and held in the hall for all parents to attend. An agenda should be developed to encourage greater participation from a wider group of parents. There is no longer a committee: it is now a movement. 

All issues school issues can be discussed. Tasks are delegated at each forum, and working groups are set up as required. WhatsApp is used to communicate.

These forums are key to community building and should have a social aspect.

  1. SOCIAL MEDIA KEY TO COMMUNICATION
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An Instagram and Facebook page are already established. They should be used with greater effect, including:

  • Establishing a PC feed, i.e., different backgrounds.
  • Major channel for all PC information.
  • Encourage direct messaging of suggestions, complaints & feedback.
  • Lots of surveys to gauge community response to planning.

STRATEGY: Building Community

Events should be created through the school year managed by the PC that is purely focused on building community and helping the school. They don’t always have to have a fundraising element. The PC Forum should be used to generate ideas and confirm an agenda for the rest of the year.

Suggestions include:

  • the parents take over an assembly;
  • Mothers and Father Day breakfasts;
  • Parents vs Kids Sports Day; and
  • PC Working Bees (Garden, Adventure Play, and so on).

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STRATEGY: Financial Support

Fundraising

  • Permanent donation fund established
  • Series of major events (two x year)
  • Ongoing activities (Farmers Market)

Projects

  • St Finnbarr’s is well funded, but the PC can be responsible for some inspiring additions. Infrastructure projects that are focused on building community. 
  • A strategy should be implemented that targets a project for each level of the school over time.
  • These projects should be aligned to the master school development plan.
  • All projects should be confirmed on the value they add to building community within the school, i.e., an initiative that involves many and not only a selected few.
  • Ideas include group play areas, additional learning spaces to the master plan, initiatives that involve staff, parents and children.