[soontobegran]

I did for every year our kids were at school.
I worked shift work so was able to spend some time of most days I worked at the school.
I was on School Council, P&C, Publicity and Marketing convenor, I did reading recovery, I worked in the canteen, the uniform shop and I was the 'nit nurse' (a dubious honour) and revised and formulated a new health program and kept the sick bay and first aid kits up to date.
I went on most sports days, excursions and school camps as the school nurse/first aider.

[Tyrone Finkelmey...]

I am on the executive committee of my school's P&C and probably the biggest problem we face is gettting volunteers for the Tuckshop. There always seems to be parents willing to do reading groups, but Tuckshop gets completely ignored (despite the fact that it is so popular!) If parents don't help in the tuckshop, then who's going to feed your kids!

Maybe some of the people that don't help out with canteen don't see it as important. We've been associated with our current primary school for over 4 years and my kids have never had food from the canteen for lunch, not even once. Not that I have any objection to other people using it, but we just don't need it.

I do very little at the school. I always find it interesting when people say they are able to take flexi time and annual leave etc to help out at school, I always wonder how they get so much flexi time. My employers are pretty good, but I use up every skerrick of my annual leave and flexi time/ time off in lieu covering the school holidays and the numerous early finishes/ pupil free days/ sick child etc. I don't have any spare for helping with reading. It perplexes me how other working parents seem to have so much extra free time from work.

[jofisk]

I work 3-4 days a week school hours. I am planning to help out in DD2 primary school helping making resources that EAs normally do each fortnight next term. The primary school have asked that VIPs (Very important parents) do this so the EAs can spend more time in the classroom.

I have done the Reading thing and found it isn't for me, as I have to do so much extra work supporting DD1 homework etc. But making resources I don't mind doing this as I do this sometimes in my current job as a school officer.

The hasn't asked for help in the canteen, but do have an incentive program to get parents to help at school. You can earn $1 per hour of assistance in the school in a passport. This can go towards, uniforms, canteen, some excursions like swimming lessons.

[MummaDiva]

You can earn $1 per hour of assistance in the school in a passport. This can go towards, uniforms, canteen, some excursions like swimming lessons.

Can I just ask how this program works? Who runs it? How does the school monitor how many hours each parent volunteer does?
I think this is one way that might get some of our lazier parents off their bottoms.

[roses7]

I work from home and my hours are flexible. I work in the school canteen once a month and from next term I will do reading for an hour per week.

I would be happy to offer my professional skills (copywriting) and will probably do so when my youngest starts next year.

[jofisk]

Can I just ask how this program works? Who runs it? How does the school monitor how many hours each parent volunteer does?
I think this is one way that might get some of our lazier parents off their bottoms.

The program is run by the school, with funding from an organisation (don't know which one). Parents need to get a Passport from the school office and it gets stamped each time you go into to volunteer, attend meetings, assemblies. The Parent Liason officer also helps manage the volunteers and the office staff gets to know which families are involved in the school. Parents get the stamps changed into money vouchers to used in the school by the end of the school year, so they don't roll over.

I should mention that DD2 school is an Independent Public School in Perth. The school is one of the first 34 schools to go IPS about 2-3 years ago. I don't know how long the passport system has been available at the school, but I know that it has been around at least 3 years.

[MummaDiva]

Thanks jofisk. I will start crafting an approximation for our school, pitch it to the principal and see if we can't get something similar started. I'd be willing to put up a few hundred bucks if it meant that it wasn't the same group of 3-4 (working, mind you) mothers doing everything around the school!

[KristyMum-]

MummaDiva we are at an Idependent (but not public as in Govt run) school as well.

We have a FCS (Family Committment Scheme) where each family has to volunteer 20 hours over the year. If you don't do the hours, you are invoiced for them. You can do half the hours and pay the other half etc. Most of the time families go well over the 20 hours.

We used to be a full-time volunteer/parent based school (office, garden, cleaning etc) but now have some paid positions (maintenance, office, cleaner etc). There's always plenty to do though and you can meet your FCS hours by doing things at the school or at home for the school iykwim. The activities you do have to fit within certain categories and this year, whichever staff member has to 'sign off' on the activity you've recorded to say yep, you've done it and it was a school related thing.

At the end of the term/year, you hand in your sheet with the recorded hours/activities/dates and it's tallied up.

Last year you were invoiced at the end of the cycle. This year you're invoiced up-front and then credited as you do the hours.

There is always provision made for those families who truly can't do the hours AND cannot spare the money due to hardship etc.

This post has been edited by KristyMum-: 05/04/2012, 11:44 PM

[wabbitsw]

I don't contribute always because Ican't. My DD knows I can not take time off as time off is looking after her when she is sick. Why do schools assume parents can attend events during the day? Do they know how bad a child feels when their parent can't attend a half day mother's day/ father's day/ grandparents & special frends day etc event ? Not all of us can be heavily involved. My husband and I go to weekend and after work events but we can't always be there during work hours. THis kind ofparental involvement is OK for those who can and choose to stay at home, but I seem to think that parental involvement at schools has escalated since I was a child. It's taking helicopter parenting to an all new high (no pun intended!).

[-al-]

I help with P&C events outside of school hours and 'flex' my work hours to attend events at school.
I also take annual leave days to attend excursions etc.