With many new families beginning their journey at Unley Primary School next year, the Education and Wellbeing Committee would appreciate hearing from current parents who are willing to support new families to our school by being part of the UPS Family Connect initiative.

New parents often have questions about how things work at our school and may appreciate some support to settle comfortably into our wonderful school community. We are sure many of us can remember how it feels to find our feet at UPS. The idea of Family Connect is to put each new family in touch with established UPS parents/carers who are willing to be a friendly source of support and information on all things related to school life. From questions about what to pack for school lunch to queries about the ins and outs of Sports Day or Celebration Night, reassurance from a parent who has been through it all before could be invaluable.

Buddies/mentors and their new parent/carer could meet for a cup of coffee once, or they may never meet face to face and only communicate over messages when the new parent has questions. Volunteers should be able to commit to at least one face-to-face meeting should it be required, then be available via mobile for approximately the first term of a family settling into our school. After this time, we hope that new parents will have all the tools they need to feel supported. It is important to note that Family Connect is designed to give new parents to UPS a springboard to the school but any class-related queries should be directed to individual teachers.

We are confident that Family Connect will go a long way to help ease unnecessary stress at the start of some families’ educational journey at UPS and that it will further enrich our school community. If you are interested in being part of Family Connect, please register via this link.