Parents and Friends

One of the points of difference between St Mark's and other schools over many years is the ongoing positive support of the Parents and Friends' Association in the development of the School and in building a strong sense of community. In the early years, this support took the form of parents doing manual work and raising funds to support key initiatives. More recently, the focus has evolved into the Association hosting community events and activities which continue the tradition of community building.

The aim of the St Mark's Parents and Friends’ Association is to provide the School community with social, financial and physical support. Parents of students from Pre-Primary through to Year 12 are automatically members of the Association and are welcome to attend any of the meetings throughout the year. General meetings are held once a term. The P&F facilitates and encourages interaction between students and parents within the School and wider community. Regular P&F fundraising activities include the annual St Mark's Art Exhibition and biennial Fete.

Each year, the P&F provides a generous financial contribution to the School for the upgrade and implementation of services and facilities for the students. In addition, the P&F funds a Student Insurance Policy for all students.

Upcoming Events

There are a number of significant events planned for this year, and we encourage you to get involved. Regular updates and news will appear in the weekly Sub-School Bulletins and on the School's social media.

There will be plenty of opportunities for the community to get involved. For more information on how you can get involved, please contact the relevant P&F Committee member (see list below), or read the weekly newsletter. Volunteer opportunities are also listed here.

• P&F Annual General Meeting - 26 March 2024
• Community Fete - TBC
  
• P&F General Meetings in Terms 2, 3 and 4. Dates and guest speakers will be confirmed closer to the time.

Annual General Meeting

A date for the P&F Annual General Meeting will be advised soon. Please keep an eye out in newsletters for new information once it is finalised.

At a P&F Annual General Meeting, members will have the opportunity to:

• find out about the P&F’s operations and finances
• ask questions about the operations and finances of the P&F
• speak about any items on the agenda
• vote on any resolutions proposed.
  

At the meeting, members will be asked to vote to:

• accept the minutes of the last annual general meeting
• accept the annual report
• accept the auditor’s report
• accept the annual financial statements
• appoint and pay an auditor
• elect directors
  

The minutes of the AGM can be found in the Documents portal in SEQTA.

The P&F Committee

Parents will, on accepting an offer of enrolment for their child, take on a shared responsibility to assist the School in achieving its spiritual and educational goals. The School aims to provide an environment where parents and friends have opportunities to contribute to the life of the School.

Active involvement in the life of the School is both a precondition and a continuing condition of enrolment, and all families are required to provide a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer service per year, through supporting community activities or by providing practical help to the School. Each family is responsible for logging their own hours, using the link provided on the School website. The Parent Commitment Hours program is administered by the P&F, but the program is a policy of the School. If the 10 hours commitment is not completed, a fee of $330 (GST does not apply) will be levied by the School and donated in full to the P&F as a contribution toward financing community aspects of the School.