Community
22 October, 2024
Mount Isa families brought together by school cafe
St Kieran’s began operating its Class Cafe to encourage more interaction.
A small classroom fundraiser is providing more opportunities for parents to interact after school, which has led to increased attendance at Family and Community Engagement (FACE) meetings.
St Kieran’s Catholic School began operating its Class Cafe fundraiser as a means to encourage more interaction between parents and families after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, while also raising some money for the classrooms.
The Class Cafe opens for business a few times each school term and is operated out of the tuck shop as the end of day bell chimes, with parents of the hosting class asked to contribute a plate of food items, which is then sold to hungry students and families.
St Kieran’s acting principal Evon Downie said the fundraiser focused on encouraging parents to re-engage with the school community after the pandemic’s restrictions had forced them to remain off the grounds.
Ms Downie said the cafe had helped build relationships, which saw more parents attend FACE meetings, which had replaced the traditional Parents and Friends (P&F) committee.
“We asked the parents what would bring them back to the school community – and they said there used to be a similar café years ago,” she said.
“The parents said they enjoyed it because it gave them a reason to come into the school and talk to the other parents – so we decided to bring it back this year.
“It is proving really successful – they (parents) are on the school grounds a lot more and we have seen relationships grow between parents – and we are seeing more attend parent connect groups.”
When North West Weekly attended St Kieran’s for the final cafe of the year, the school’s undercover area was a hive of chatting parents and bustling kids, who were tucking into cupcakes, jelly cups and ice cream spiders.
The money raised, which usually totals a few hundred dollars, is used by the teachers to purchase classroom materials, such as library books, stationery and art supplies, or as a contribution to reduce the cost burden on families for school excursions.