School Council 101

This post is a quick and dirty summary of your council, a primer for your reference and for those who may be brand new to the idea. It's also a bit of an expansion of this earlier post.


What it is:
The Haultain Memorial School Council is an elected group of parents who volunteer their time to represent all the parents of the school. We sit with admin staff (the principal, the assistant principal, and at least one teacher) each month to discuss issues related to the school and our kids.

Members:
The elected list of parents includes; Steve - vice chair, Cheryl - secretary, Nick - Key Communicator, Monika - Volunteer Coordinator, Judith - Community Representative, and myself as Chair. All of these positions are held for a minimum of two years and then another election is called.

Meetings:
The format for the meetings is considered 'Town Hall' which means there are rules of order but it isn't exactly the court of law, there is lee-way expected and usually given but we can always fall back on proper 'order' if things get bogged down or out of control. We have a set of by-laws that govern our conduct - ask for them if you'd like to see the details.

We always have an update from Mr. Barkley regarding what he feels is important for us to know from his perspective and we have an opportunity to ask questions about anything that is going on at the school or the CBE in general.

We always have an update from me that usually concerns official correspondence, outbound and inbound, as well as news of the council.

After that we usually have reports from one or more of our members on their activities for the month.

We always have a new business part of the meetings that is meant to be an advisory opportunity for parents who can bring up questions, concerns, advice, new ideas and directions they feel are important for the principal to hear in a formal setting. This is the 'meat and bones' of our purpose. We are meant to be an advisory body that can help the administration to shape our school and its environment in a way that reflects our community. The more input here the better.

Attendance:
Ever since I have been involved with the Council, the most popular excuse reason I have heard from people for not attending is the meeting's length. With that in mind, we have started a new program with the intention of cutting down significantly on the length of the meetings. We have an electronic timer! People who have asked for a spot on the agenda are given a certain length of time and the timer is king. We have had great success with this method and have been able to 'hit the pub' much earlier than in previous 'un-timed' meetings.

Participation:
We are your representatives. We are speaking each month with you in mind. Its not always easy and we have to fill in the blanks as best we can but the bottom line is that 8-12 parents make important decisions each month regarding our school.

The very best way for you to make your voice heard and be informed about Haultain is to come to the meetings. But... I know that's not always possible. In today's age, time has become a currency that most people are very careful spending. With that in mind, there are other ways to participate. This blog is one of them - leave comments, visit often. Send me an email or give me a call to discuss whatever is on your mind. I will directly represent you at a meeting if you can't make it.

That is all for now, stay tuned for a similar post: "Parent Association - 101".

Shane