The School Forum is the major parent body of our school. St Joseph’s Primary encourages all parents at the beginning of each year to become a member of one of the many committees in the School Forum.

Essentially, the Forum co-ordinates collaboration and action among parents, staff, children and community with a view to supporting and being involved in the life and development of the school. The members of the Forum are representative of the school and parish. A primary function of the Forum is to assist school action committees to move plans from vision to reality. Action committees are involved with all levels of school life which are chosen at the beginning of each school year and may change when the need arises. 

2008 Committees are:

Fundraising/Social , Office Flowers, Bookclub, Uniforms, Library, Pastoral Care, Sports, Grounds and Maintenance.

Executive Committee Members:

Fr Michael Brady – Parish Priest, Tony Boyle – Principal , Chris Mulherin – Assistant Principal

Existing Members 2007/ 2008:  Narelle Chapman, Kendall Thomas, Jenelle Condon                   

Teacher Representative for 2008 - Maree McCarron

New Members for 2008 - Ann Rogers Riddell – Kinder Representative, Heidi McDermott, Katherine North.

Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month. The agenda is sent out to all executive members  the week before each meeting.

The School Forum is inclusive of anyone who has an interest in the life and development of the school. It has two formal levels of involvement:

·         School based Committees charged with a variety of special interest areas.

·         The Executive Panel- a coordinating group, which serves a broader role across the School. The Executive is comprised of the following ten members:

Parish Priest, Principal, Assistant Principal, Staff Member (changes every year) and six parents  who are nominated and selected from the parent body. Every year there is one Kindergarten parent representative who is selected after Kinder orientation. The parent members are on the panel for two years. Three parents are replaced every year.

The Executive Panel seeks to:

  • Develop and strengthen the partnership between the family, school, the parish and the community.
  • Encourage an inclusive, open and united school where all opinions are valued.
  • Be sensitive to the changing needs of the children.
  • Foster the unique nature of the school.

The Executive Panel hopes to achieve this by:

  • Facilitating effective two-way communication amongst parents, staff community and Parish.
  • Coordinating and providing support and direction for all Committees.
  • Being responsive to the needs of the school community.
  • Making decisions on school policies.
  • Promoting and organising opportunities for quality learning for both children and adults at the school.

The School Forum was involved with the planning and implementation of the ‘Investing in  our Schools Program’ initiated by the NSW Government. In consultation with the parents the school The School Forum had a very successful year both financially and socially. They helped raise funds to buy many things for the school. Smart boardsThe School Forum goals for next year will continue to promote active participation of all parents and to initiate and monitor the ‘Investing in our School Project’.