P & C News

The first P&C Meeting for 2026 will be the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday 23rd February at 7pm in the Gumbuya Centre. 

The P & C are a wonderful, approachable group of parents who work alongside the school. The P&C raise funds for facilities and equipment, are responsible for uniform choices and the meetings are a great place to hear about what's happening in the school. All our new families are warmly invited to join us.

PEAKHURST PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENTS AND CITIZENS ASSOCIATION

MINUTES OF MEETING

DATE: Monday 17 November 2025

MEETING OPENED:                    7:00pm

ATTENDEES:                                   Pravina K, Kristy Bentley, Sarah M, Mrs Schafer, Mrs O’Donnell, Mrs Wilson, Karen G, Siobhan B, Nicole L, Emma T, Kylie C, Hayaat C

APOLOGIES:                                   Nil          

PREVIOUS MINUTES:                Accepted by the meeting. 

CORRESPONDENCE:               Nil.

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT:              

I would like to preface this report by sharing with the P&C, today the executive and counsellors have been responding to extremely sad news within our community.  It has been an emotional day for the executive and I, who have been well supported by our Director and Team Around the School. While I am unable to share this sad news with you tonight, it will be shared with the community when all supports are in place. My report will be addressing two matters only, and as an executive we will do our best to provide responses to the agenda items in General Business.

Community concerns with behaviour management responses

All NSW public school students have a right to an inclusive learning environment and to feel happy and safe at school.

Our school is committed to explicitly teaching and modelling positive behaviour and to supporting all students to be engaged with their learning underpinned by positive behaviour support, trauma-informed and inclusive practices and social and emotional learning. The school implements the Care Continuum which has entails four levels of support.

1. Preventative – Whole school
2. Early Intervention – Whole school, cohorts and individuals
3. Targeted Intervention – Cohorts and individuals

4. Individual Intervention – Individuals

    

It is acknowledged some students require more assistance in regulating their emotions and behaviour, as other students require more assistance with their reading or mathematics. As with all students who require additional assistance, these conversations are confidential and held with individual students and their families.

As a principal I am being asked by parents and carers to share what consequences have been put in place for other students. This information is communicated with the parents or carers of the individual student.

As a school, our response to inappropriate behaviour is outlined in our PBL Flow Chart. The PBL Flow Chart outlines minor behaviours managed by classroom teachers and major behaviours managed by school executive.

All consequences for minor inappropriate behaviours are logical to the behaviour being addressed, for example, if a student is dysregulated in class they will be redirected to the Zen Den to regulate or if they are consistently interrupting the teaching and learning they will be sent to a buddy class to reflect. Parents and carers may be contacted by the classroom teacher to discuss concerns or strategies to support positive choices. 

Students who demonstrate persistent inappropriate behaviours or engage in major behaviours will be referred to a school executive. School executive will implement a Time Out to debrief with the student. During the debrief restorative practices are engaged, and discussion of consequences such as restricted playgrounds, behaviour monitoring charts or placed on Reflection may be implemented. Parents and carers are informed by the school executive or classroom teacher, at times resulting in a parent/carer meeting.

Reflection is generally held with the principal during lunch breaks. Students who engage in inappropriate behaviours, attend one or more reflection sessions. During this time, students participate in a restorative practice session where they reflect on the incident, affected people, how to make things right and future behaviour. Parents/Carers are notified in writing of the reflection, the breach of the Behaviour Code for Students, a summary of the discussion and future actions. 

Students who require individualised support in social and emotional regulation may be referred to the Learning and Support Team (LST) and Team Around a School to develop targeted and individual supports. Parents/Carers are informed a referral for the LST is being submitted.

Negative behaviour, consequences, parent/carer consultations and interventions are recorded and tracked using Sentral software.

Suspensions may be implemented when there has been a critical incident. A formal caution of suspension is provided in writing to the parent/carer and a meeting with the parent/carer, student and staff supporting the student is held. A suspension is issued when a student may need to be removed from the school for a period of time, allowing the school to develop and implement appropriate supports during the student’s absence to address the complexities.

Our School Behaviour Support and Management Plan (SBSMP) outlines in detail the programs, initiatives and practices the school implements at each level of the Care Continuum, linked to evidence-based practices. In addition, the document was informed by staff, student and community consultation during 2024. Community consultation was carried out during Terms 3 & 4 in 2024 at P&C meetings, the Tell Them From Me Survey and a school developed survey. As with all new school policies and procedures, a review is to be scheduled.

One parent has approached me to request a forum to review the School Behaviour Support and Management Plan, and I reported I would speak to the P&C President. Unfortunately, I have not been able to fulfil that, which is why I am addressing the P&C tonight. The school consults and seeks feedback through P&C meetings, and for those community members who are unable to attend, surveys are developed. Community members are also able to raise concerns through the complaints procedures to review school systems, data and practices.

School response to reports of bullying

In speaking with the school executive, there has been a rise in reports of bullying related to name calling, body shaming, and threats of harm. Research indicates preventative strategies are effective in reducing bullying behaviours in the classroom. 

Over the next three weeks the classroom teachers will be engaging all classes in explicit teaching and learning addressing anti-bullying content. The school executive will be sharing with the community the content descriptors for these lessons to assist in facilitating conversations in the home.

Responsive strategies are implemented when required and may consist of verbal reprimands, meetings with parents/carers, temporary removal from class, withdrawal of privileges, Time Out or Reflection. 

This year the school has also engaged the services of the Police Youth Liaison Officer for targeted cohorts aligned to intimidation and ySafe for cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying resources remain available for the community through the newsletter. 

Parents and carers are strongly urged to reach out to the classroom teacher with any concern related to bullying.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT:                            

NIL

GENERAL BUSINESS:                                

• Discussion about behaviour concerns – Sarah  M explained that she has been approached by parents who are concerned about a wider pattern of behaviour issues and not feeling that this has been resolved by meeting with executive. They had been referred back to the PBL, which they felt they understood, but did not feel this explained what steps were being taken. Mrs Bentley explained that student privacy means the school cannot disclose steps for another student. Sarah explained the parents were requesting an open forum to discuss the issue. Mrs Bentley explained that the P&C meetings are the forum for parents to raise concerns like these. 

• Disco - Sarah M gave an update on preparations for the disco. Confirmed preparations are going well, all on track. 

   

• Mindfulness – Kylie C questioned whether the 10 mins of mindfulness was more beneficial than their 10mins of lunchtime. From the school's perspective, it has been successful with students more settled and an opportunity to speak with the teacher about any problems from play time. Kylie also flagged that a lot of the classes weren’t actually doing mindfulness  so suggested reframing it . Kristy said the teachers were going to be trained in more mindfulness activities . Also looking into a mindfulness app.

• Messages to students during the day – Kylie C queried the process for parents to get messages to their children during the day. Messages were given to the office about change of plans for pick up same day, but were not passed on to the children. Mrs Bentley confirmed there is a procedure in place and that she would remind staff. 

• Treasurer/financial report – Siobhan requested that a treasurer/financial report be published at each meeting. All present agreed that this should happen going forward. 

UPCOMING MEETINGS:           

The next P&C meeting and AGM date is 23 February 2026. 

MEETING CLOSED:    7:45pm