Parent participation

Stop, stay and play! You're invited to participate.

There is no greater joy than to pull up a chair, cushion or piece of grass and stay for a while. Parents are always welcome to spend part of the day - or the whole day - in the classroom with your children. Many schools do not offer the openness that Kinma shares with its parents.

At Kinma there are many ways in which parents may participate and contribute to Kinma: -

• Help in the Preschool or Primary classrooms
• Attend parent education events
• Help out with community activities
• Nominate for the Kinma Board, or one of the many committees of the School

However you're able to help, we welcome and appreciate your contribution. Here are some of the different community activities we invite you to get involved with:

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Helping in the classroom

Taking part in the day’s activities is greatly encouraged. It is the aim of all Kinma Staff that parents enjoy the Kinma experience as much as the child. Within a classroom we invite you to be part of the children’s world. To be part of a day unfolding in a class is the greatest insight into your child’s learning.

There are no pre-requisites for helping the teachers in any group. The staff are more than willing to explain what they would like done and it takes time to find your place and build your confidence. All support is greatly appreciated.

At Kinma we aim to keep the class sizes small to enable the diversity of teaching that is offered. Small group work is vital for the children to fully understand and have their needs met. With parents in the classroom to support the teachers we are able to do this more successfully.

During the day you may wish to solve or fix a problem for one of the students. Offer suggestions and encouragement but allow the children to make the discovery for themselves.

Primary parents may also like to help out by;

• helping with reading or maths programmes
• participating in Friendship Seed activities
• volunteering to be a class rep
• volunteering to be a buddy parent for new families

Preshool parents may also like to help out by;

• adding your name to the odd jobs roster
• assisting with organisational tasks, eg. clean blocks, sort out ‘ junk’ areas
• completing tasks at home, eg. sew cushions, cover books, wash dress ups
• collaborating with staff on policy development and share the decision making process
• assisting by coming on excursions, eg bush walks
• volunteering to help out with Playgroup

If you would like to find out more you can talk to your child’s class teacher, any of the preschool staff, Felicity or Sandra.

Sharing a special skill or interest

Whether you are a Preschool or Primary parent, at Kinma our school program is growing richer with the inclusion of a parent’s skill or passion.

Discuss things that you love to do with staff (eg sewing, art, craft, cooking, music, dance, drama etc), and when the opportunity arises, such as with our Tinkering - what a great experience for the children to share. Teachers will always support you in the classroom environment.

Excursions

From sports days to kite flying days, Science in the City to Sculpture by the Sea, we love to take the kids out to experience a wide variety of offerings - but due to the small size of the school, many excursions are reliant on parents to help drive and support the teachers.

When attending an excursion please be aware of the importance of your role and discuss the details of all excursions with staff before the event. Please remember there is no departure from the days planned itinerary.

Please speak to your class reps to find out when the next excursion is on and what is needed.

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Parent education

Parents/Guardians and other family members are encouraged to attend the our parent education events.

Learning forums

Held each term, these informative sessions, run by Juli Gassner, take the form of discussion nights on a variety of topics of interest (for example, how teaching and learning in the Kinma classroom takes place).

They offer parents, staff and other interested people an opportunity to come together in an informal social setting and listen to a guest speaker, be involved in a learning and discussion workshop run by staff or just sit and chat about topical issues.

These evenings are essential to understanding the Kinma philosophy in general, as well as the everyday happenings at Kinma. It is highly recommended that at least one parent from each family attend these evenings.

Please check our calendar for the next Learning forum.

Parent information sessions

Parent information sessions are held at the beginning of each term (usually in week 2 or 3.) This is when you can find out what is going to be happening in your child’s class for the coming term. It is an opportunity for you to ask any questions, chat to the teacher and other parents and offer help of course!!

We alternate these sessions between straight after school and evenings to try to accommodate for working parents. If you are unable to come, see your child’s teacher for a written overview or check that week’s newsletter for the information.

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Community activities

Snack Attack

Snack Attack is a weekly canteen held on a Wednesday where parents and children cook simple nourishing meals to be purchased. Each term, we ask for volunteers from the parent community to join our roster. This is a great way for preschool parents to get a feel for the primary and meet some primary children and parents. Snack Attack is prepared each week by a team of 3 parents, so you will never be on your own.

Working Bees

Working Bees are an essential part of the maintenance program at the school and are held once per term. As a small school that relies on parents to maintain and look after the school, we ask that all families attend the working bees. Working bees are often fun and very social in nature, providing a great opportunity to socialise with other Kinma families. There is always so much that can be done and our working bees are appreciated by all!

Please check the calendar to see when the next working bee is on. If you are unable to make it on the day, please let the staff know. If you would prefer not to attend, you may opt to pay a $150 maintenance and upkeep contribution fee instead.

Social events

During the year, we hold a variety of celebrations and social functions including our whole school camp, morning teas, Annual Auction night, Poetry Festival, Progressive Lunch and Bush Dance. At the end of the school year, we hold a gratitude festival to celebrate Christmas and our Year 6 Farewell to celebrate our pre-highs as they make the move to high school.

Supporting the school is very much appreciated; social events are our way of saying thanks for all the hard work and contributions made by our wonderful community members.

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