When we look back at 2023, it might be considered the year that we “forgot” about COVID-19 and we returned to many of our pre-pandemic activities. The PA was able to run many of its usual events and we noticed that people became less cautious about social gatherings as the year progressed.

The PA met monthly throughout the year, starting with face-to-face meetings in the BER and then moving to WebEx meetings in the dark Winter months. It is a privilege to be able to have regular face-to-face meetings again, and they are always full of lively and productive discussions.

I would like to thank all the committee, PA Taskforce volunteers, teachers, and staff who gave their time and support to the PA in 2023. Your dedication to the school does not go unnoticed or unappreciated by the school community, as I know from the many thanks we receive when we run an event.

This year, we must say goodbye to a couple of long-standing committee members. Firstly, Hye Jung Lee has been an excellent secretary for us, and I’ve never known anyone to produce minutes so efficiently. Secondly, our longest standing committee member and font of all knowledge, Kate Edwards-Davis, is moving on after many years as Treasurer. Kate could always be counted on to know how an event worked, who held the keys or who organised the food. I am hoping she will still be available to answer emails in times of desperation and/or confusion.

The PA ran many events throughout the year, and we started off with a “Welcome Morning Tea” for all parents in the TeamKids room. This provided an opportunity for parents to chat with PA members over a cup of tea and coffee. It was a great way to welcome parents in an informal setting, and we had an excellent turnout. The PA will add this to our annual event calendar.

There are certain events throughout the year where the PA members feel particularly popular: the athletics where we hand out icy poles, the cross country run where we hand out fruit, and Footy Day where we hand out hotdogs (there seems to be a theme here). Thank you to everyone who gave up their time to help on these days. I know it’s not easy to get away from work, but the smiles on the students’ faces make it worth the effort.

Our Easter Raffle was a very successful money-raiser, and I think our volunteers loved putting the hampers together after school. There were so many donations of eggs and chocolate that we were able to create nearly 40 prizes, which just goes to show the generosity of Syndal South families.

The PA would not function without the help of Michelle Huppe, “organiser extraordinaire”. Michelle looks after the Footy Tipping competition, but also organises the gifts for the Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls. The office staff at Syndal South are always so organised and knowledgeable and just a pleasure to work with.

Our biggest fundraiser this year was the Referendum Cake Stall and BBQ. What an amazing array of cakes! It was a great effort from the entire Syndal community.

Elaine Wong ran our second-hand uniform shop throughout the year with the help of several volunteers. It is a service that our parents need and appreciate because school uniforms are a significant expense in these times. I don’t think we will ever have enough yellow shirts to meet our needs though!

Rebecca Stonehouse-Melke oversees our Helping Hands program, which works quietly away in the background to assist families in times of need. Thank you for all the support that you give our families.

With the new building underway, the school staff have not had a proper staffroom all year. For their breaks, they are split between the BER and the TeamKids room. Spoil the Staff Day was the first real opportunity for them all to get together for both morning tea and lunch in 2023. Thank you to everyone who helped at the event, particularly Melanie, Michelle and Karthi. At the event, we were very pleased to present the school with 8 popular booksets for the library. These were all requested by our students and Inger Robinson, our librarian, and we think they will fly off the new library shelves.

Syndal South families would love the new library to be beautiful and well-stocked with books for all ages, so we have organised a book-buying registry where families can purchase a book for the school. This service is provided through the PaperBird Bookstore and is being offered to our graduating Year 6 students in 2023. We thought they may wish to buy a book as a lasting gift to the school, and we will put their name on the nameplate at the front of their book. This registry will be opened to all parents in Term 1 2024, in time for the new library to open in May.

The PA is not foremost a fundraising body. We exist to support the school and to foster communication between the school and families. However, we do raise money throughout the year through our events and the committee will use the last meeting of 2023 to decide how to spend it.

I will finish off by offering my heartfelt thanks to everyone on the PA committee. We are all so busy that it can be hard to find the time to volunteer, and your dedication to the school is a credit to you. A big thank you must also go to our Principal, Helen Freeman, for her tireless passion for education and for our school. We look forward to another excellent year at Syndal South in 2024.

Julie Jago-Kerr

PA President 2023

Syndal South Primary School

SSPS Afterschool Programs in 2024 Term 1