Minutes of the 43Rd Meeting of the Parent Council Held On

Parent Council of St Mary’s Primary School, Haddington

Minutes of the 43rd Meeting of the Parent Council held on

Thursday, 17th March, 2016

Present Phil Larkman (Chair)

Eimear Brownen

Lynn Soulsby

In Attendance Claire Graham (Head Teacher)

Liz Syme (Clerk)

1.  Welcome and Apologies

Phil Larkman welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies from Dervilla Bray and Barbara Hippe.

2.  Minutes of 42nd Meeting - Review/Approval

The meeting was non-quorate, so Minutes of the 42nd meeting could not be approved. These will be carried forward to the next meeting on 26th May.

Phil Larkman spoke about how to engage with the Parent Forum and encourage parents and carers to attend Parent Council meetings. Information needs to be given detailing the role of the Parent Council. Meeting dates can be posted on the school website and letters sent home. If necessary, daytime meetings can be arranged for those who are not available during the evening.

Review

Parent Council Church Representative

Phil Larkman contacted the Gillis Centre regarding Michael McHugh being approved Church Representative of the Parent Council, but has not received a reply. He will follow this up.

3.  Head Teacher Report

Communication

Claire Graham said the school is trying to improve communication with parents and carers through the improved school website. Current information, topics and events can be found and Google Calendar lists dates of events to the end of the school year. Some parents have already signed up to receive emails, and it is hoped that more will follow. The school has signed up for SMS texting.

Groupcall

Lynn Soulsby spoke about the Groupcall messaging system which is going live on 1st April in the school. Group or individual texts, emails and voice messages can be sent out to parents and carers via mobile phones. These messages can be translated in to any language and can be accessed anywhere where internet is available. Parents can send messages to the school through this system, but there are limitations as these cannot always be monitored. A letter is to be sent out next week to parents and carers giving details.

Staffing

Claire Graham spoke about staffing. The post for temporary cover for P6/7 class teacher from August is being advertised.

School Roll

Confirmation of the P1 intake should be available before the Easter break.

Car Park

The bollards in the school car park are not working. A note has been put in the newsletter reminding parents and carers not to use the car park and to respect staff and visitors to the school. Inconsiderate driving and parking is putting pedestrians, including pupils, at risk. It was suggested that the school could take advice from the community police on how to prevent unsafe parking while the bollards are out of use.

P7 Transition

P7 Maths Transition at Knox Academy will be after the Easter break.

4.  Chairperson’s Report

Phil Larkman confirmed that the ‘AOCB’ Agenda item has been removed. All matters need to be brought to the attention of the Chair in advance of meetings.

5.  Future Meeting Date

Thursday, 26th May 2016

ACTION POINTS: / To be actioned by:
Minutes of AGM, 41st and 42nd meetings to be agreed at next meeting on 26th May. / All members
Contact Gillis Centre re confirmation of Church Representative / Phil Larkman