The Junior School Lunch Program has been running for ten years now (and from 2004 included Year 7 parents as well). Despite the success of the program there are various misconceptions, which are discussed extensively throughout the pick-up zone, which I hope to dispel. Below are what I perceive to be some of those myths along with some of the comments from parents who have recently attended lunches.
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| The lunches are hard-sell, money-asking affairs | ‘The lunch is not a fund-raising activity and no ask is made for money at all.’ |
| Parents who attend feel threatened by the occasion | ‘Guy Mason, Astrida Cooper and Alan Watkinson made us feel relaxed, comfortable and welcome.’ |
| The lunches keep repeating the same message : GIVE | ‘The lunch was informative and enjoyable. Alan outlined the current situation of the School and indicated future plans and developments.’ |
| The School is only interested in rich parents. Ordinary parents are not really welcome. | ‘We had a mixture of families at our lunch. Everyone was made to feel welcome and we all were able to talk and express our views during the lunch.’ |
| The lunches are just another Scotch event to endure. | ‘The food was good and so was the wine. It was just right for a 90-minute lunch engagement. There was no pressure and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.’ |
| The lunches are all about the Senior School. | There was a strong focus on the Junior School and possible developments there, but also it helped us to see how our boys will benefit from work which will occur in the Senior School in the future. |
The Junior School lunch program exists for the following reasons:
The lunches are not fundraisers, but parents are asked to accept a phone call following the lunch to see if the Director of Development may come to talk to them about ways in which they may be able to support the School at some stage of their involvement at Scotch College.
We attempt to invite all families to a lunch at some time during their time in the Junior School. Some families are keen to attend more than one lunch.
There is such a thing as a free lunch on this occasion!
The program is continuing throughout the rest of this year, and we hope to be able to meet you for lunch on one of the upcoming occasions.
DR ALAN WATKINSON
Executive Director of the Scotch College Foundation
Scotch College: ABN 86 852 826 445 ACN 005 650 395 CRICOS 00624A (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students)