CAFE (Connecting & Achieving though Family Engagement)

​Through family enrolment at our college, every family is automatically a member of St Eugene's Parents and Friends Association (The St Eugene College CAFE ) .  The St Eugene College CAFE provides a social asp​ect to college life which offers support and friendship to all families involved in our college. We also provide funding for necessary extra resourcing for students such as representational funding, extra equipment needed for student engagement (eg. Musical instruments, representative uniforms). From time to time the CAFE works in collaboration with the College to support fundraising for essential infrastructure or events.

For our events and decision making to be as effective and representational of the St Eugene College Community as possible, we rely on the volunteer involvement of EVERY family at the college.

Every member of the executive are volunteers and family members of St Eugene College students:

​The St Eugene College CAFE Executive:
PresidentBrooke Peterson
Vice-President/Family Engagement Officer
Melissa Southam
SecretarySamantha Robson
TreasurerCarly Oakes
PR & Media OfficerSamantha Robson
Hon AuditorMark Halpin


Aims of the CAFE:

  • To provide and foster open communication between the college and parent community.
  • To provide financial support and assistance towards new resources that benefit all students.
  • To achieve active parental involvement while providing a social aspect to college life.
  • To actively engage parents in supporting student learning and progress in ways that align with teacher planning and implementation of the curriculum.

Meetings
As members of our college community, meeting attendance is encouraged and welcomed. 

Meetings take place on the second Tuesday of the month, during school terms, at 6:30pm. Please keep an eye out for the CAFE Facebook page posts.  Meetings are held in the Tempier Building, ground floor meeting room, adjacent to the staff lunchroom with an option to join on ZOOM or as advised on ZOOM only, where necessary.

Meetings are attended by our Leadership Team, (College Principal, Head of Secondary and Head of Primary) and provide parents with an opportunity to get involved in current College issues and to hear firsthand about events and activities that students are participating in.  The more parents making funding decisions, the more the wider college community is represented.

Please come along and get involved in your child's educational community.

Should you wish to add an item to the agenda, please email your request to:  cafesecretary@steugene.com.au by the Thursday before the Tuesday meeting. Alternatively, you may contact the president by email cafepresident@steugene.com.au.

Communication
All events, meeting information and upcoming decisions required on funding issues, can be found on the CAFE Facebook page. Please take the opportunity if you are on Facebook to 'LIKE' our page to stay up to date.  Meeting agendas and minutes are posted to the Parent Portal under CAFE News and can be found on the BCE app.

Class/PC Parent Liaison Officers
Each class/grade level will have a parent liaison officer/s, whose role is to assist with communication between the college and parent community and will liaise with our Family Engagement Officer.

Duties include:

  • Implement effective communication channels for their class/grade level through Facebook, email and SMS
  • Co-ordinate and organise informal opportunities for class/grade levels to socially get together outside of school time
  • Effectively communicate needs or concerns of class/grade level to the Family Engagement Officer to relay to the CAFE (illness/death in families, emergency needs)
  • Establish within the class/grade an emergency 'buddy' to contact in times when other family cannot assist or are not present to help


How can you get involved?
Please keep a watch on all CAFE Facebook and Principal weekly update for requests for help.  There are sub-committees for grants, help needed for events, breakfasts, stalls and discos.  Class/Parent Liaison Officer nominations coordinated by our Family Engagement Officer.  If you want to be involved and are unsure how, please contact the president via cafepresident@steugene.com.au or cafefamilyeng@steugene.com.au.  All help is encouraged and very welcome (no matter how big or small).

The St Eugene College CAFE Levy
As per the fundraising policy of the St Eugene College Board, a St Eugene College CAFE Levy is charged annually per family.  This revenue is to meet the costs of the St Eugene College CAFE Federation Levy and to provide extra funds as needed by the college.​