Parent Groups

There are several different organisations run by parents within the School and all are very enthusiastic to involve as many parents as possible.

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An Invitation to Newcastle Grammar School Parents - 2009

There are several different organisations run by parents within the School and all are very enthusiastic to involve as many parents as possible.

The Friends

The Friends Committee is an organisation that has been flexible and has changed over the years. In 1996 there were 2 groups, a P&C and a Ladies Aux, which then united to form the Friends of NGS. This group met monthly in Term time and had a committee made up of a President, Secretary, Treasurer, Spring Fair Co-ordinator, Social Secretary (main role Founders Day dinner organiser), and Clothing Pool Co-ordinator. The committee is elected at an AGM held in November each year.

The School also has a Board who are responsible for the ‘big picture’ direction, ethos and viability of the School not the day to day running decisions.

In 2008, the School took over the Canteen accounts which had become a big job for the volunteer Treasurer with two canteens in operation. No committee job is very onerous.

So… The Committee plays a vital role in raising funds for the School, organising social events and provides a link between the Parents and the management of the School.

The Headmaster reports to this group most meeting and answers any queries. Money is raised from the Canteen, Spring Fair, Entertainment Books etc and this is the forum where decisions are made as to where it is spent. It is also a good informative forum for any educational issues and a chance for parents to socialise at the end of the meeting.

This group meets on the first Monday each month during term time usually in the Holland Staff Common Room at Hill Campus at 7.00pm (prior notice will be given in the School Newsletter). The next Friends meeting will be held Monday, 1 June at 7.30pm

Minutes

 Minutes - Monday, 4 May 2009

Spring Fair Committee

This enthusiastic group works hard for the biggest fundraising event of the year. It has some great ideas and needs some parents to bring it about on the day. The committee meets during the early part of the year to plan. 2008 was a very successful year. We hope the success will continue in 2009. For Spring Fair meetings, it is requested that all Year Parents attend to help with organisation of individual stalls. The next Spring Fair meeting will be held Tuesday, 19 May at 7.30pm (prior notice will be given in the School Newsletter for upcoming meetings).

Year Parents

This is a group of parents who offer to be a particular Year contact for other parents in the same year. New parents will be contacted by these parents to help introduce them to others within the Year. They are also responsible for helping in the organising of one or two functions during the year – eg supper at a Musical or Variety Night. Some of these parents like to organise social functions outside the school – a year cocktail party, picnic on the foreshore etc. The Year Parents would love to hear from you if you would like to be involved. Please contact the Registrar for further details.



ArtsLink is a group of parents who meet to facilitate the Arts at NGS, in the areas of Music, Art and Drama. Some of the annual functions we help to organise are the very successful Sonnet Stroll, “Jazz by the Lake ”, and Art Exhibitions. The commitment is not an onerous one, and responsibilities are shared between the committee members.

We invite parents who are interested in the Visual Arts and Drama as well as Music parents to join ArtsLink. We have our annual student exhibition and plan other activities for both parents and students throughout the year.

Nexus

Nexus is an annual exhibition of prominent Newcastle artists run by a committee. The exhibitors are all professional artists, some who lecture and make artworks while others are full time artists. We would welcome anyone who has interest or expertise in the area or who would just like to be part of an exciting event. Extra hands are always welcome particularly on opening night which is a big event of the Newcastle community. Tonia Martin would like to invite any interested parents to join the committee. Please contact Tonia Martin for further information.

Friends of the NGS Rowing Supporters

This is a fund raising and social group. The big fund raising activity is the Rowers Supporters Race Day which is held on Saturday, 23 May - a fun day for all.

Your support would be very gratefully received and you will find the whole group very friendly and sociable – whether you’re a rowing family or not.

Click here for more detailed information about Rowing as a Sport and Rowing Notices

John Waring Talks

The Friends’ Groups sponsor the John Waring talks for Parents. Prior notice will be given in the School Newsletter.

John Waring is a widely experienced clinical psychologist who specialises in working with children, young people and thier family. With his down to earth and practial approach, John is highly regarded in his field and becameNewcastle grammar School's part time psychologist in 2003.

For the past eight years, John has published a fornightly column in the Newcastle herald relating to child and family issues and can also be heard discussing parenting issues with Lindy Burns on 2NC 1233 radio on Wednesday afternoons at 5.30pm. If at anytime you have any queries regarding any of the above, or if you are unsure as to whom to direct any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Senior House Patron, Mrs Lois Simpson on 4929 5811.