A School Board election will take place in March to elect a parent representative to the Nedlands Primary School Board.  Prior to calling for nominations please find some general information regarding the role of the School Board parent representative and the responsibilities of the Board.

The Board has many responsibilities including:

• Contributing to the School Delivery and Performance Agreement and the Business Plan.
• Reviewing and endorsing school policies, finances and the Annual Report.
• Reviewing the school's performance.
• Monitoring and reviewing parent/staff and student satisfaction.
• Assisting with selecting a new Principal if a vacancy arises.
• Facilitating the Independent School Board Review.
• Conducting a parent information evening.

Parent representatives:

• Are elected for a two year term.
• Board meetings are held 2/3 times a term, generally from 1-3pm in the afternoon.  
• The Board consists of the Principal, 2 elected staff members, 3 elected parent representatives, a P&C representative and 2 community members.
• The time commitment varies but can be substantial at times.

Further information:

• Can be accessed on the Department of Education's website at http://www.det.wa.edu.au/independentpublicschools/detcms/navigation/information-for-parents-and-communities/?oid=MultiPartArticle-id-10224225 
• Minutes of past meetings can be found on the school website
• If you have any further questions regarding the role of the parent representative please contact Holly Birch at hollybirch@iinet.net.au or on 0422397537

HAVE YOU RECEIVED THE SCHOOLKIDS BONUS?

Do you know about the Schoolkids Bonus?  It is a new cash payment to help eligible families and students with the costs of primary and secondary school studies. Around 1.2 million families have already benefitted from the first wave of payments in January 2013 - have you?

If you receive a family or income support payment, including Family Tax Benefit Part A, you could be eligible to receive $410 a year for each primary student and $820 a year for each secondary student, with half paid in January and half paid in July.

The Schoolkids Bonus replaces the Education Tax Refund (ETR) and is a much simpler system. You no longer need to collect receipts and payments are made automatically so you don't have to wait months to make a claim via your tax return.  Unlike the ETR you can choose how you use the payment to best support your children's education - whether it be school books, stationery, uniforms, school fees, or excursions.

Check your eligibility by visiting australia.gov.au/schoolkidsbonus and if you think you might have missed out on the January payment, contact Centrelink - either in person at a Centrelink-Medicare Office or by calling 132 468. Hard copies of the brochure and factsheet are also available (free of charge) and can be ordered by contacting us at schoolkidsbonus@fahcsia.gov.au or website: www.fahcsia.gov.au/our-responsibilities/families-and-children/benefits-payments/schoolkids-bonus

Nut Products

As a result of discussions with the Department of Health and parents we ask that parents of all students avoid all nuts and the use of nut based spreads in the provision of snacks and lunches to students at the school. This means avoiding peanut paste, hazelnut spread and bags of nuts. It does not include muesli bars.