ESA Management / AMPA meeting – Monday 27 March 2023 at 15.30 -18.00 Meeting room S118 

ESA: Giancarlo Marcheggiano (GM, director); Jose Luis Hernandez (JLH, Deputy Director of Secondary cycle); Katre Mehine (KM, Deputy Director of Primary cycle); Benito Lopez (BL, Deputy Director of the Finance and Administration); Tiago Pita (TP, assistant to DDS); Evelin Olivier (EO, assistant to DDNP) 

AMPA: Reet Escribano (RE, president); Sara Portela (SP, vice president). 

1. Adoption of the agenda
   Points proposed by ESA:

2.  School trips 

   AMPA questions: compensation for P5 parents? Outcome of directors’ – OSG meeting. Ukrainian pupils’ trips and outings costs? Insurance – accidents insurance included in the school’s insurance, who will pay in advance during a school trip?
   

    GM informs about InterParents letter sent to BoG and SG; GM has received the letter from AMPA President and shared the letter with all other directors. All Directors have called necessary attention of the SG and OSG Accountancy HOU. Meeting called by HoU Accountancy on the framework contract with Denatravel (DT): 2 directors (BRU2 and ALI), Interparents’ Representatives (Ms Valentine and Ms Escribano), ISTC Representative will be organised after the holidays (May 4th). RE: InterParents representatives will also be present at this meeting. Directors collecting evidence on issues with Denatravel. ALI & VAR are using the most the framework contract with DT. For sure the worst experience P5 in ALI; more positive interim feedback from the secondary trips. Survey for parents, pupils, teachers is being organised by the school. School will feedback DT the same way as for P5 trips. 

   1st answer from DT to schools’ email about P5 trip was denying all the complaints. School has sent a new email fingerpointing all problems again. 

   For the future P3&P4 trips, early June, to finalise the number of participants, meeting with parents and DT planned; for P4 the school requested an alternative quote. Quality of the 

   prices received from DT for P3 and P4 obligatory school trips was better than for the previous trips organized by DT in our school. 

   P3 & P4 coming trips: how do you assure that what is promised will be offered? 

   EO visited the site today with DT representative for a P3 trip. Hostel, 1,5h bus ride. Very secure, nice surroundings, although the house is old, checklist sent to DT, will wait for the answers. The whole site will be only for pupils from our school, 10 rooms, max 8 persons per room, all with the view to the riverside. Teachers are in the same level. 

   AMPA can inform parents about the installment facility for trips payments, for those trips unfortunately rather expensive, this year (P5, S4 and S6). 

   GM: Invoice to the parents is an obligation from FR. Independently from the negotiations, our FR imposes us to go on with billing the parents. No legal actions will be started against the parents who will not pay, before the end of the school year. Contract does not foresee anything about right to reimbursement: only negotiation with DT. 

   In case the School would achieve receiving a reduction of prices, the School will have to follow the decision of the BoG: when more than 50 EUR will be given back to parents. Otherwise funds will be kept in a “kitty”. 

   Accounts should be closed by the end of the school year. 

   About the secondary trip. DT did not send the offers in time. 16/11 last trip was communicated to DT, last quote received on 11/01/23, with deadline for responses from the parents 12/01/23. 

   No info in writing about the number of pupils in the rooms. Same for picknicks/lunches. 

   AMPA asks what kind of other actions does the school have in mind if DT does not submit the information (number of pupils per room, info about meals, etc.) to be able to check the compliance with the tender specifications? 

   The school will keep AMPA regularly informed on the status of negotiations with DT on the follow up of P5 snow trip. 

   AMPA’s representatives are still waiting for a meeting with DT and school. 

3. AMPA reply to the Annual Activity Report 
   

   AMPA clarified to the school management that the updated version of AAR circulated on 09/02 did not reach AMPA president and AMPA’S comments were based on the first version of the report on which AMPA worked to comment on 03/02. Therefore, some comments on the lack of detailed indicators are withdrawn. Director will send the clarification email to all AB members. 

   The school would welcome receiving an updated version of AMPA comments on the updated version of the AAR, for internal reference. 

   AMPA insists on receiving documents within the established time frame in order to avoid these kinds of situations in the future. AMPA members are volunteers with many other professional and personal obligations and need time to coordinate positions. 

4. Procurements for services (Canteen, Transport, Extra-school activities) and ESA-AMPA agreement.
   RE explains that AMPA cannot take the sole responsibility to sign any of the contracts without the school’s participation.
   

   CANTEEN: Director proposes that the school outsources the canteen and signs the contract (option 3 of the BoG decision). AMPA will only remain part of the Joint Committee. With the new organization, the “presidency” of this committee will have to move from AMPA to school. Members’ participation will be balanced. Tender docs (for concession contract) will be prepared by the school, shared with AMPA and published on the school website. The election of the company will be done by an ad hoc Selection Committee, involving AMPA and ESA staff representatives.

   PRIMARY EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: could be organised the same way as canteen, school outsources, but not with concession contract. AMPA will remain part of the Joint Supervising Committee. 

   TRANSPORT: ES Convention clearly states that Transport should be organized by parents. If the school does not find a formula to continue under the same conditions as right now and AMPA would not be willing to organise it, transport could then be organised directly by these parents who are interested in its use. 

5. 20th Anniversary Celebrations (destination of benefits, if any; any other business) 

   School proposed that parents would decide about destination of benefits. AMPA’s idea is to organise a survey. The school still needs to clarify what will have to be funded from their benefits. Volunteer parents willing to organise eating activities should have clear that all costs incurred to organise it (food, tableware, napkins…) have to be borne by them: there will be no reimbursement. 

6. AMPA subvention to projects 

   AMPA explaines to School management team the essence of the AMPA DREAMS fund and suggests to carefully read all the relevant documents sent a week ago. 

   The school welcomes the initiative but regrets that a specific communication with the school management could not be organised, before making the initiative public. 

7. Canteen fund 

   AMPA informs about refurbishing project which can partially be financed from the 3% canteen fund. School would welcome receiving the info on available funds. School informs that the money designated to canteen soundproofing back in 2017-2019 has been designated to other projects. 

8. Children of volunteer families during school meetings (Email Ms. Prestigiacomo) 

   El Faro is a service organised under the umbrella of the Agreement signed with EUIPO. Children not entitled cannot have access to it, for evident reasons. School suggests AMPA to organize the childcare during meetings for their volunteers. The school would make available necessary spaces.

   Points raised by the AMPA:

9. CAAP
   P. Jones is coordinator for ESA, CAAP foreseen for after exams. Collaboration with Alicante Gastronomica y Cruz Roja is being studied. 

   SP, as InterParents representative at CAAP Steering Committee – Sub-WG Pedagogical Reform Group meeting shares the information about meeting under the Irish Presidency. InterParents will raise awareness for more participation. Irish Presidency will prepare a communication to share with the school community. Meeting in May for lessons learned, to go to the second phase. Relation between CAAP and ped reform subgroup, CAAP is one of the matters debated at OSGE Pedagogical Reform Sub-WG. Participating students from S6, in some schools S5. Students receive a certification.
   

   Follow-up from previous meetings 

10. Data sharing with AMPA (student mobility; new enrolments at school). AMPA reminds that on 09/12 it was requested to add on enrolment form parents’ consent to share the data with AMPA. The school confirms that for new enrolments at school – tick has been put to Enrolment form. 

    For Mobility students the tick must be agreed for the whole system from OSG. Hopefully for the next school year. School warns that Interparents should raise the request to the DSG and it might well already be late. 

11. Project week 
    AMPA has few ideas: Red Cross, Cooking classes, AMPA fund can help in acquisition of materials or invitation of “teacher’ specialist. 

    The school informs that the former “project weeks” have essentially been organized on volunteer teachers. Previous project week organisers have presented a report highlighting all difficulties encountered to involve teachers, who are already busy with the organization of the oral exams. After the Easter holidays a meeting will be called, in order to check the feasibility of a project week, again this school year. 

12. New insurance policy (families who cannot afford paying in advance)
    School has asked Sant Joan Hospital for direct billing with the insurance company; SJH would be open to the idea; now the school is waiting for the response from the insurance company. In case there is no other possibility, in emergency situations, the school could decide to advance the payment of costs and then bill the parents/legal representatives (for example, when parents cannot be reached during school trips and the intervention cannot be postponed; the school underlines that parents/legal representatives should always be (easily) reachable, particularly when their children are on an activity outside the school). 

13. Sustainability WG state of play 
    AMPA thanks primary management for taking the water day project to the program of European Hours. Last minute proposals are not good practice, though. A general coordination around “sustainability” actions/projects would be needed. The school has produced an inventory of initiatives conducted by individual teachers. Regretfully they have not yet converged in a school project, because of lack of volunteer teachers for an overarching coordination. 

14. School eco garden 
    Primary school teachers would be happy to participate in the school eco garden project. KM will follow-up with Eliana. In the future AMPA is invited to communicate this kind of information also to Deputy Directors. Early involvement of school Management in activities/projects to be conducted inside the school premises is paramount. 

    AMPA underlines that information about this project was sent to ALL school directors. AMPA clarifies that the aim of that communication was to inform and verify existing interest in the project amongst teachers. AMPA hopes that information and communications sent to management would receive more detailed attention and follow up. 

15. Evacuation drills
    AMPA believes that as part of the school community, AMPA MC members should receive the evacuation instructions and also can be invited as observers without any specific legal framework, but in goodwill. GM indicates that the instructions can be shared and agrees to invite parent representatives to participate in the next announced drill in 2023/2024. One unannounced drill is still to be organised this spring. 

16. Bus stop and parking / kiss and go arrangements
    School confirms that there is no news from Town Hall. All agree that a new letter would better be sent after the elections. 

17. Toilets cleanliness.
    AMPA reports that toilets are still quite often dirty. School promises to look into the matter and talk to the cleaning company. Their contract is expiring and the room for negotiation within the present contract is limited. Also, the status of hygienic products provision to be checked with pupils representatives. 

18. FR LRT / seconded teachers’ situation and teachers’ situation for the next school year in general.
    1 seconded teacher confirmed for FR from Lux for Maths and Physics, France secondment: 1 for Integrated Sciencies and 1 History and Geography.
    EN L2& L3 seconded teacher from BRU1. 

19. AOB
    AMPA asks about the status of Mobile phones policy. JLH explains that students and teachers’ representatives have expressed reservations on parents’ proposal inside the Educational Council, where the proposal was discussed. 

    RE refers to the document submitted to last year’s secondary EC, parents survey results and to EEB1 policy, where it seems to work well. No direct banning but setting clear rules. 

    GM: We are not aware of EEB1 Policy and how it works. Anyway, collaboration between school and parents is paramount. Finally, parents are providing their children with the devices. Sure, it would be wrong to introduce rules that then the school could not enforce, due to lack of the necessary human resources.