FIRST Parent Council meeting of the year

Please join us Wednesday 23 September 2020 at 7:00 pm for the first Parent Council meeting of the 2020/2021 school year. 

Topics on the Agenda include: 

• outdoor learning, 
• keeping our kids safe and 
• how you can help. 
• Election of this year’s Council Chair (or co-chairs), secretary & treasurer.  

Full agenda to follow. Please help us and the Administration better understand your concerns by adding your thoughts here. See below for some background on the Council and explore the blog for examples of past activities.

Join Zoom Meeting (Meeting ID: 810 2354 5944)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81023545944

Thank you for all your effort as we prepared for this most unique start to school. There is much work still to be done and many ways we can continue to come together as a community. 

We hope you are staying well during these strange and distant times, and hope you can join us on Wednesday!

Sincerely, 

The 2019/2020 Council Exec 

(Erin, David, Laura, Cindy, Taralyn, Alice, Michelle and Samantha)

BACKGROUND on the Howard Home & School Parent Council

The Basics

• The Council is made up of a small Executive Committee, a number of initiative-specific committees and other Howard parents 
• All Howard parents are welcome to attend meetings where they have a vote on any motion being put forward
• The Council meets once a month from September to May (excluding December and March) and shares minutes via our blog
• It’s a forum where parents, members of the school community, the school administration, and a teacher representative discuss school issues and ways to improve the school. 
• We discuss issues such as how to help our children succeed at school, what our children are learning, the school budget, the school’s safety, renovations, extracurriculars and more. 
• Meetings typically last from 7-8:30 pm with the October meeting sometimes going longer as it is our budget meeting. 
• At the start of each meeting, the Principal or Vice-Principal reports on the state of the school and answers questions. 

Who are Council Members?

• Each September, the parents who attend the first School Council Meeting elect the Council Executive: a chair or co-chairs, as well as a secretary and treasurer. Other Executive positions are optional. 
• Any parent can run for Executive positions. For more information on these roles, please ask at the meeting. 
• The Council oversees several committees, established by parent volunteers according to the needs of the year. Past committees include: Arts, STEM, Tech, Mental Health and Well-being, Environment, Equity, School Yard Revitalization and Sports. This year, we already have an Outdoor Education Committee!
• Any parent can propose a new committee or resurrect an old one!  

Where does the $ come from and how is it spent?

• In the past, Council has been funded through events such as the Fall Fete, a dance-a-thon, a Spring Social for parents, Pizza Fridays and others. Parents and local businesses have been very generous, creating a wealth of opportunities for our school 
• This year will be different. We cannot rely on events to generate funds for our students. We will have to be creative!
• Fundraising provides Council with a budget to fund field trips, science initiatives, arts programming, new technology, new sports equipment and other projects. 
• The needs this year are different. We are already looking to buy tents and clipboards to support outdoor learning…

Stay in The Know!

• Parent volunteers run a School council website howardpublicschool.com where school announcements appear on the blog (which goes out in email form, and parents can sign up for on the homepage), extra-curricular announcements and other reminders are placed.
• We encourage all parents to sign up for the blog to help stay informed.