PFA News

Dear RMPS families,

Here is the latest news from your PFA …

Thank you

Foundation Transition Program Morning Tea, Wednesday 16 November – This week was the last of the morning/afternoon teas for the 2023 Foundation Transition Program, where we greeted parents/carers of the new Foundation children. We can’t wait to see the children and their families at Robbie Mac next year. There was lots of chatter accompanied by refreshments; and we were also joined by some existing parents and Peter Watson. All of this was a great help in making new families feel welcome. Thanks to Carolyn Steart and Tamarra Darby for putting the morning tea on for the PFA and to Nicole Perazzo for helping too. As always, it is great to have your help.

False start

School Colour Fun Run, new date Wednesday 14 December – Well, what can we say? What a disappointment! We were all set for a fantastic day enjoying the School Colour Fun Run,

“THE BIG SHOW + COLOUR DAY”, but unfortunately the weather had other plans and it could not go ahead.

Luckily, we have been able to reschedule the fun run to Wednesday 14 December. We have our fingers and toes crossed that it will go ahead without a hitch and that we will even get some sunshine.

In the meantime, fundraising and prize ordering have now ended. We had 230 out of 360 (64%) children create profiles, 185 (51%) raise funds to go towards the school’s indigenous garden playground and putting on the event, and 539 donations received. While the figure is still to be finalised, it looks like we raised about $10,000 … way to go everyone, that’s double our event target and we are at 38% of our total playground target! Woo hoo!!!

Charity donations – During prize ordering, students had the option to donate some or all their prize money to select charities with the following support being received from Robbie Mac students:

Daniel Morcombe Foundation 11 students donated some or all their prize money and the foundation will receive $124.19.

GreenFleet 5 Students gave some or all their prize money and the organisation will receive $36.

Volunteers – What a fantastic response we had to the volunteer call out with 88 spots out of 96 being filled within approximately one week. We really appreciate your willingness to help put on a wonderful event for the children. With the date change though, we now need to ask for volunteers again and so, have put together a new SignUp form for people to register their help.

Help on the Day – Are you available for 30 minutes or more on Wednesday 14 Decemeber? We are seeking volunteers at various times using SignUp to help with activities like spraying children with water, throwing coloured powder at them, using bubble wands, helping on the course, being Chase the mascot, setting up and packing up. Please pick your slots and sign up as a volunteer following these 3 easy steps:

Click this link to go to our SignUp page: https://signup.com/go/HJnoXXk
Enter your email address (You do NOT need to register an account on SignUp)
Sign up! Choose your spots – SignUp will send you an automated confirmation. Easy! Tip: You can check the ‘Hide Full Spots’ checkbox to see the ones that still need filling.

Note: SignUp does not share your name, mobile number or email address with anyone other than the organisers. If you prefer not to sign up online though, please contact the PFA via rmps.pfa@gmail.com and we can sign you up manually. You can still use the online form to see what spots need filling.

Important: This is an event that is working with children and therefore, requires a current Working with Children Check (WWCC). Please show your WWCC to the school office for their records or refer to the article on applying for a FREE volunteer’s WWCC if you do not already have one; and, see the links to the associated school policies.

If you have any queries, please email the PFA via rmps.pfa@gmail.com.

Only a few days away

State Election Day Sausage Sizzle, Saturday 26 November – Don’t forget to come and

get some (democracy) sausages on Election Day, even if you don’t vote at the school. The team is looking forward to seeing you there and cooking you a snag, but we do still need some volunteers to help on the day:

Role and Quantity Needed	Timeslot
Serve and handle money x 2	11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Serve and handle money x 1	12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Cook on the BBQ x 1	12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

If you can assist for an hour or two between 11:00 and 1pm, please SignUp. (You do not need a Working with Children’s Check for this one.)

Please pick your slots and sign up as a volunteer following these 3 easy steps:

Click this link to go to our SignUp page: https://signup.com/go/HZCLwSU
Enter your email address (You will NOT need to register an account on SignUp)
Sign up! Choose your spots – SignUp will send you an automated confirmation. Easy! Tip: You can check the ‘Hide Full Spots’ checkbox to see the ones that still need to be filled.

Note: SignUp does not share your name, mobile number or email address with anyone other than the organisers. If you prefer not to sign up online though, please contact the PFA via rmps.pfa@gmail.com and we can sign you up manually. You can still use the online form to see what spots need filling.

PFA

The PFA is a group of volunteer parents and carers who help organise events and fundraising activities for RMPS, welcome families and bring people together from within the community. This helps us all connect more closely with our school and to raise vital funds for school improvements. Without volunteers, there would be no PFA.

All RMPS parents and carers are welcome to register as PFA members, enabling them to receive copies of meeting minutes, vote on items/actions and executive roles, and be elected to PFA executive roles. If you would like to register as a member, please contact us for a copy of the registration form. Note that you do not have to be a member to help on events or attend meetings.

Next meeting: Wednesday 30 November @ 2:15pm – 3:15pm

PFA President – Vacant Position

The PFA has been a vital part of hosting events for the school and raising funds that ultimately help our children and the community. The president is a critical role that leads the operation of the PFA. Please get in touch if you'd like more information on the role, a copy of the position description or to express your interest in taking it on – rmps.pfa@gmail.com.

That’s it for now,

Elizabeth (Secretary) and Bård (Treasurer)

The PFA Team

FREE Working with Children Check (WWCC)

Ever thought about volunteering at a school (e.g., excursion, swimming, classroom) or PFA (e.g., disco, colour run) activity or event, or even at your child’s sports or dance club, but haven’t been able to because you don’t have a Working with Children Check (WWCC)? Well, you can get a volunteer WWCC for FREE! Applying for one takes about 15-20 minutes and you can do it online via https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/individuals/applicants/how-to-apply-1. Once you have completed the online application you will receive an application receipt, followed by a card after the check is completed.

What you'll need to do

Prove your identity with documents using your phone. The online application shows you which ones.
Fill out the online application form – it is recommended to do this using your mobile phone.
Consent to Service Victoria passing your info on to the Working with Children Check (WWCC) Unit Victoria (Department of Justice and Community Safety) to process your WWCC application. (Services Victoria does not keep your information, they just pass it on.)

Your Working with Children check

The Working with Children Check Victoria screening process looks at:

Your criminal record in all Australian states and territories, including any charges, regardless of the outcome
Your professional conduct as determined by these groups, and
Whether you're required to report under sex offender legislation

If you have applied for a WWCC but are unsure whether your card will arrive before you want to volunteer at an event, please speak to the school office about possible options. A check may take between 3-12 weeks to be processed or may even be completed on the same day. Copies of WWCC cards are kept on file by the school for compliance and a Working with Children Check is required for doing child-related work which includes volunteering.

If you would like to get a WWCC card but are not confident doing this yourself, please contact the school office for assistance by calling 9890 2372.

For RMPS related volunteering, please also read the school’s:

Visitors Policy
https://robmacps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Visitors-policy.docx
Volunteers Policy
https://robmacps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Volunteers-policy.docx

Robbie Mac Fair - March 2023

We’re excited to share that the famously fun-filled Robbie Mac Fair is making a come-back in March 2023! It’s a wonderful opportunity for us all to come together and celebrate our incredibly diverse, welcoming and supportive community.

As the committee starts to shape the event, we invite you all to get involved in whatever way you can to help make this event one to remember!

Sponsors

It takes a village to put on a fair and we’re looking for local businesses to join the fun through scaled sponsorship opportunities. We’ll have opportunities to highlight your businesses & brands, along with your support. Whether you can donate financially, or through gifts, products or services, please reach out to us at robbiemacfair@gmail.com and we can talk through the options.

Volunteers

We understand that everyone’s lives are already full and busy, but if you can spare time or expertise to help us build the event, please connect with us. Whether it’s through the planning the event or helping on the day itself, more hands make light work and any assistance is gratefully received. In particular we’re looking for help in engaging and scheduling entertainment for the day. Volunteers are at the heart of what makes our community so special. You’ll find the committee is fun and open to ideas, big or small. (And just quietly, our meetings have been known to include some delicious treats and an escape from the evening bedtime routine!) Reach out to us at robbiemacfair@gmail.com if you can help in any way.

Entertainment

We know that our community holds a multitude of unique and wide-ranging talents, be it music, dancing, sport or even magic! If you have a group that would like the opportunity to share their talents, please let us know so we can start to build out a schedule of marvels for the community to celebrate. It’s a great opportunity to introduce & engage a wider audience and encourage future participation.

The Fair has always been a wonderful event for family and friends to come together for good times. There’ll be rides, stalls, food, and much much more! (Not to mention our wonderful Art Show) We can’t wait to bring it back for old and new friends on 18 March 2023!

We look forward to hearing from you all soon.

From the small but mighty RMPS Community Fair Committee!

Art Fair - Volunteers Needed

The Art Show Committee is looking for new volunteers to join us to help plan and organise for the 2023 show. If you would like more information about what is involved or are interested in joining please contact Kathryn Anderson via rmpsartshow@gmail.com

Perfect Partners