ST MICHAEL’S PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 26th January 2010
 

Present:  Mr. Richard de Figueiredo (Headmaster), Mr. Simon Vivian (Chairman), Mrs. Rachel Atherton (Secretary), Mrs. Valerie Stone (Nursery), Mrs. Sue Ward (Pre Prep A). Mrs. Catherine Bale (Pre Prep C), Mrs. Fiona Naef Fritschi (Form 1), Mrs. Yvette Jones (Form 2), Mrs. Suzy Vivian (Form 3), Mrs. Melanie Drummond (Form 4), Mrs. Sue Beaumont (Form 5), Mrs. Barb Spurling (Form 6).
Apologies:  Apologies were received from Mrs. Catherine Mawby (Pre Prep B).

Minutes of the Meeting held on 29th September 2009

Mr. Simon Vivian asked for any comments on the last committee meeting minutes.  Mrs. Barb Spurling wanted to follow up on email communication and establish how far the process had progressed.  The Headmaster believed collecting email addresses was almost complete and emailing school information would start soon.  Further to the meeting it was confirmed that all but 28 addresses had been collected and emailing had commenced. Those parents requiring hard copies can collect these from the office and notices will be displayed around school that information has been sent by email as a ‘safety net’.  The minutes were unanimously approved.

Matters Arising

There were no matters arising noted.

Matters for Discussion

i.      Raincoat and Wellington Boots

It was noted that some parents felt the current raincoat used by Nursery to Form 2 was too thick and a lighter version like a Kagoul would be useful, and it would be helpful to have wellingtons at school for rainy, muddy days.  After discussion it was agreed that the current coat is the most practical option, and it would be made clearer that it is not necessary to wear both the blazer and school coat although the blazer should always be at school.  The Headmaster felt that it would be very difficult to implement the wearing of wellingtons and storage of them when not in use would be a problem.  He also said that the previously muddy area around the tree in the playground has now been roped off and the children are aware they should not play there.

ii.      Break Time Procedure re Coats.

It was noted that some children have been seen outside during break time without coats and sometimes even without jumpers.  The Headmaster noted that if any member of staff sees children without coats they are asked to put them on. He will remind them to continue with this policy.

iii.      Mrs. Green’s (PPCG) Maternity Leave Cover  

The Headmaster confirmed that cover for Mrs Green whilst she is on maternity leave will be announced at half term.

a replacement had been appointed and an announcement would be made at half term.

iv.     Cleanliness of Toilets and Hand Washing

It was felt by some children that the toilets across from Misrs. Medroa’s room were not clean and a bit smelly.  The Headmaster advised that the toilet areas were cleaned twice a day at lunchtime and during the evening.  He was aware that the toilets in the Jubilee Block smell a little, and noted that this area will be refurbished and a fan installed soon.

With respect to hand washing, the Headmaster will see that some new signs are installed to remind children to wash their hands but it was noted by all that this is also a practice to be confirmed at home.

v.     Information About After School Clubs and Music Lessons

Some parents in the infant part of the school felt that they were not aware of the clubs on offer or the availability of music tuition.  The Headmaster said that information re clubs after school is displayed on the notice board outside the C’s area. Music lessons are generally offered to pupils at the end of the C’s /Form 1 as starting prior to this is counter productive.  It was suggested that this information, along with details of the clubs, could usefully be included on the school’s website.  The Headmaster agreed to see if this could be included.

vi.       Working During Break Time and Snacks. 

Parents had noted that sometimes children stayed in the classrooms during break time to finish work and were concerned that there was no opportunity for them to eat their snacks and also that they were unaware their child needed more time to complete work.  The Headmaster said that it was rare a child needed to work during break time and staff would always ensure that there was an opportunity to eat their snack.  The Chairman and Headmaster felt that this meeting was not the forum to address issues about children’s performance and individual parents should raise these queries with the relevant teachers.

vii.      Video use During Break Time

A parent felt that the videos used during wet break times should be more educational.  After discussion it was agreed that this was unnecessary as children need time to relax and wet break is not a regular occurrence.

viii.      Annual Printed School Calendar

All agreed that the 60th anniversary school calendar was a great success and much appreciated by parents.  Parents had suggested that the school produce a similar calendar every year, and all at the meeting agreed that if a cost were involved with this they would be happy to pay for the calendars.  The Headmaster agreed to follow this idea up and that .plans had already been set in place for production of another calendar to mark the end of the school’s 60th Anniversary at the end of the year.

ix.      Snow Closure

The Headmaster said that delaying the opening time for the school until 10am on the initial snow day had worked well and all agreed.  The decision about opening the school is taken after talking to the Director of Education, and assessing public transport. All felt the phone diary had been very useful during the snow and appreciated the school’s flexibility re starting and finishing during the snow.

x.      Website

The Headmaster asked all present to look at the school website as a great deal of work had been done by the office staff to improve it.  The school would like a 360◦ photograph but it was proving difficult to source this, Mrs. Fiona Naef Fritschi might know someone who could help.

xi.      Golden Circle

The school had decided to raise funds for Haiti by creating a golden circle around the grassed circle at the front of the school.  All the children will bring £1 coins to school and lay them around the grass circle, which will be photographed by the Jersey Evening Post.

Any Other Business 

i.      Retired Committee Members

The Chairman formally thanked the retiring secretary and parent reps for their time on the committee.

ii.      Summer Ball

The Headmaster reiterated that the Summer Ball was on Saturday 26thJune 2010 and would take place at the Jersey Potteries, organization is well under way and the organization team would be sending out further details.

iii.      Child Safety

The Headmaster noted that rules relating to child protection had changed and as a result it would now be necessary for parents hosting children visiting from Port Regis to have a police check. It would only affect a small number of families and all present felt that parents would agree to this procedure. 

Date of next committee meeting: Tuesday 18th May 2010 at 8.00pm

The meeting closed at 8.55pm

__________________________
Chairman