From the DSM Desk

It was amazing to see so many of our ADF families volunteering as part of the swimming carnival! For our new families this provides an amazing opportunity to network with other parents and meet your child’s new friends. It is also a tremendous help on the day! We look forward to seeing many, many more families at sporting and school community events to come.

As we fly past the halfway point of Term 1, we start to talk about learning journey visits as well as parent teacher interviews. This is a fantastic time for our new families to check in with teachers to ensure that there are no gaps in learning for students after interstate relocation. Defence Community Organisation (DCO) provide an Education Assistance program to help families address education concerns after a Defence required relocation. You can read more about the program, how to apply and eligibility requirements here. For those who may have accessed the tutoring reimbursement before, there have been a few recent changes to the application process. This includes a requirement for additional documentation including a copy of the most recent report card from the previous school as well as a report OR letter supporting the application from the new school. As reports are not due until mid-year, please either contact myself on Karyn.heitmann@ed.act.edu.au or your teacher directly should you be proceeding with an application.  We can assist by providing a letter of support.

To find out more about support available from DCO you can follow them on facebook or check out their website https://www.defence.gov.au/dco/.

As always I am available if you have any questions or concerns regarding support for ADF families here in Canberra. I am always happy to help!

Karyn Penney