In first term, it is common that most schools around Australia will be having their AGM for their school /parent committee. How many new people are you expecting at your meeting?
This is a list of myths that you can copy and make changes to fit in with your school – depending on if you have a P&C, a PTO, a P&T or a G&T (that last one was a joke to see if you were paying attention).
Don’t forget to add your school logo to the top and your specific committee details (email address, dates and location of meetings) to the bottom. Email me at fundraisingmumsblog@gmail.com if you want a Word document that you can easily edit.
Myth 1: Joining the committee is just for mums
Busted: The school committee is definitely not just for mums, but we welcome and encourage dads, step-parents, grand-parents, teachers and school staff and community members who may no longer have kids at the school but who live in the area and are interested in what happens at the school. You don’t even need to join the committee – you can just come alone to one or two meetings to see what happens.
The committee is for anyone who has an interest in what happens at the school.
Myth 2: I work full time so I can’t help at school events
Busted: Joining the committee can actually be a good way to maintain links to the school even when you are unable to do school drop off or pickup, and find it difficult to attend after school events. Many of the major school events take place on weekends and evenings, but even if you work shifts there are always things you can do at home or online that will help.
Remember all members of the committee have family plus work and other commitments, so we definitely appreciate that your time is precious.
Myth 3: The committee is full of cliques who all know each other
Busted: We are lucky that we have a group of parents who return to the committee year after year, but the membership is constantly changing as kids graduate and families move. We have new members joining all the time, and people often work in different groups for different events so are constantly meeting new people and getting to know each other. We have parents on the committee who have been in the school for more than five years as well as families who are in their first year.
You are always welcome to join with a friend.
Myth 4: I don’t have any ideas so I can’t contribute
Busted: While we always need new ideas for fun new events and activities, we also need people who are just happy to pull their sleeves up and offer their help. Some events are well established and we have guides to follow, other times we are making it up as we go along.
Whether you are a think-outside-the-box person or prefer to be methodical and follow guidelines, we need people like you.
Myth 5: If I join I will be hounded to help at lots of events
Busted: The P&C is not a one-way ticket to endless drudgery. You can choose to help at one event, all events or no events.
We respect each other’s limits.
Fill in your school details below:
Name of school:
Meeting dates and times:
Meeting location:
Contact details:
Busting myths about getting involved in your school committee. Feel free to copy and edit to suit your school.
