Newtown High School of the Performing Arts

The NHSPA Parents and Citizens group continues to play a very active role supporting the school. P&C meetings are held at 6pm on the second Tuesday of each month except when this day falls during school holidays. The venue is the staff common room which is immediately to the left after exiting the office foyer.

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Proposed modification to designated intake area for NHSPA

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P&C President’s 2012 Annual Report

Newtown High School of the Performing Arts Parents and Citizens Association plays a significant role at the school providing an active community of support for students and teachers. The contribution of parents is essential to students’ learning and enjoyment of their high school years.

The P&C’s Voluntary Fundraising Contribution, now in its fourth year, continues to raise significant funds. More than $60,000 was contributed in 2012, similar to that raised in 2011. These funds have enabled substantial work to be undertaken to refurbish the Studio Theatre foyer and entrances including: the installation of a formal box office, poster display box, external painting, storage enhancements, and lighting improvements. This project has involved a substantial commitment of parental time and expertise and, following the extensive earlier refitting of the patron, technical and performance spaces within the Studio Theatre, is aimed at ensuring the school’s principal venue for showcasing student achievement in the performing arts, demonstrates the high value placed on the performing arts at NHSPA.

2012 also marked the first year for our school patron, Lynne Williams, the CEO and Director of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) who agreed in 2011 to the invitation of the Principal and P&C Executive to be NHSPA’s inaugural patron. The partnership with Lynne fulfils a long-held ambition of the P&C and has already raised opportunities for technology interaction and guest program sharing, as well as raising the horizons for practical connections with the performing and visual arts industries. Lynne has already been a source of wise advice and inspirational support to NHSPA’s students and faculty at a time when the Federal Government is exploring and documenting the value of the arts in the Australian community through the National Cultural Policy and National Curriculum for the Arts.

Other highlights in 2012 included:

• Extensive commitment and involvement by various members of the P&C committee and the wider NHSPA parent community involving more than 30 occasions where a roster of three or more parents provided Front of House refreshments at Showcase, auditions, and orientations, as well as for other events such as the new families’ welcome BBQ, and the annual Earth Festival, a significant contribution by families to the school’s workings.

• Working with the School and the Department of Education and Communities on boundary changes to the school’s catchment area.

• The P&C Performing and Visual Arts Sub-Committee (PVASC) provision of essential support to the Music, Drama, Dance and Visual Arts faculties as well as to the Technical Company.

• Financial contributions to the Dance Faculty Master Classes led by visiting US choreographer Garfield Lemonius; the NHSPA students who travelled to London as part of State Drama Company tour; the NHSPA students representing NSW at the national finals of Tournament of the Minds held in Western Australia; and to the installation of a water filling station in partnership with the SRC.

• The Building Sub-Committee’s development of plans, detailed drawings and project management for the Studio Theatre Foyer refurbishment.

• The Environment Sub-Committee’s planning and delivery of two successful working bees involving more than 40 parents, teachers and students which saw extensive weeding, planting, mulching, fence painting, paving repairs, and rubbish removal.

• The Faculty Support Sub-Committee’s co-ordination of the P&C’s assistance of the English, Maths, Science, HSIE, PDH/PE, Languages, and TAS faculties.

Monthly P&C meetings are held during school terms as well as various sub-committee meetings, and regular meetings between the P&C Executive and the School Executive. The NHSPA P&C program in 2013 includes: completion of the Studio Theatre refurbishment, including new furniture and wall hanging arrangements, planning upgrade of the photography dark room, greening the administration block ellipse space and designing a portable performance structure for the area, and commencing a program of evenings with creative arts industry guest speakers. It will clearly be another active and successful year.

Darren Mitchell

P&C President

12 March 2013