Guardian Angel’s School Council AGM October 6th, 2015 Author: Heather Driscoll (School Council Chair)

2014/2015 in Review School council had a very active and successful year. Highlights: presented each teacher with $200 to spend on classroom resources organized informative and entertaining speakers for parents and kids: Paul Davis on Internet Safety Kyle Dines on Allergy Awareness Family Math Night with Professor Suurtamm at Sacred Heart

2014/2015 in Review Highlights (cont’d): first Family Fun Dance in February – great turnout! a number of successful fundraising initiatives (Carnival,, McDonalds and Popcorn Days, on-line fundraisers and food programs) arranged for Music and Beyond to perform for each grade assisted our sister school, St. Rose of Lima with purchase of agendas and field-trip.

Looking Ahead – Priorities and Challenges Our school is growing – need to engage returning and new parents. Families are busy, but want to feel more involved in their children’s education and school community – need to provide opportunities for different types and levels of involvement. Communication preferences are changing (move to on-line).

Looking Ahead – Priorities and Challenges Continued need to enhance school budgets (i.e. in areas of music, technology, extra- curricular activities etc.) to provide well- rounded education for our children. We are fortunate to have very generous fundraising base – need to make sure invest funds efficiently and based on priorities of school and parent community.

School Priority List Includes… At last year’s AGM, we asked parents how they would like to see their fundraising dollars used: Music and the arts Science Field trips More physical activities/gym Clubs (lego, art, writing, etc.) More guest speakers Outdoor play structure and many more…. Last year, Council did contribute resources to many of these areas but we can do more. Soon after the AGM, we will send out an on-line parent survey to confirm priorities.

Council Roles 2015/2016 The Roles up for Election Today are: Vice-Chair Secretary Parent Representatives (2) Fundraising Representative Parish Representative CSPA Representative Note: the Chair (Heather Driscoll) and Treasurer (Emily Parent) roles were already voted on last year.

Council Roles – Responsibilities Vice-Chair: Back-up to Chair, shares duties of Chair and of the CSPA alternate. Automatically Chair following year. Secretary: Records and maintains records of Council meetings. Assists with meeting logistics and Council communications. Parent Representatives (2): Provides feedback and advice on behalf of parents. Participates in communication and outreach plans, and helps recruit and coordinate parent volunteers for special events etc.

Council Roles - Responsibilities Fundraising Coordinator: Develops fundraising plan, manages sub-committees to carry-out fundraising activities, and works with Treasurer to ensure reporting of funds raised. Parish Representative: Provides liaison between the school and the Parish. CSPA Representative: Represents the school at the Catholic School Parent Association and reports back on board-wide activities.

Council Committees Council has always made use of groups/committees (i.e. for Carnival, food programs), but this year moving to adopt a more formal committee approach because: a number of new initiatives for Council this year (i.e. adoption of more on-line, integrated communications plan, potential new food program, potential capital expenditure). not every parent can or wants to attend monthly Council meetings but would still like to be involved lots to do - we need to divide and conquer!

Proposed Council Committees Communications Budget & Planning Special Events/Fundraising: (with sub-committees for Carnival and other big events like the Dance etc.) Food Programs

Proposed Council Committees Communications: Membership: At minimum, Chair or Vice-Chair, and one of the Parent Representatives. Mandate: Plan and execute Council’s communications plan including updating and monitoring variety of communications vehicles including newsletter, Blog (new), Facebook, Twitter, email, Council mailbox etc.

Proposed Council Committees Budget and Planning: Membership: At minimum, Chair and Treasurer (with consultation with Principal and/or Vice-Principal). Mandate: Analyze school/parent priorities and make recommendations to Council on how to direct expenditures and Council resources. Provide recommendations on all financial matters including use of on-line banking and investments.

Proposed Council Committees Special Events/Fundraising: Membership: At minimum, Fundraising Coordinator and one of the Parent Representatives. Mandate: Provide recommendations to Council on annual fundraising and special events activities. Plan, coordinate and implement these activities. Report to Council on funds raised. Note: For larger events (i.e. Carnival, Family Fun Dance)) additional sub-committees will be established.

Proposed Council Committees Food Programs: Membership: Reports to Council through the Fundraising Coordinator. Includes all volunteers who run current and new school food/drink programs. Mandate: Recommend and run the various food/drink programs. Recruit volunteers, adopt on-line ordering and work with Treasurer to ensure payment and reporting.

Council Committees Guidelines Each committee should set up own way of working based on preferences and availability of members (i.e. face-to-face vs. online, occasional vs. regular meetings). Not every committee member needs to attend monthly Council meeting as long as one member is present if discussing issue of concern to the committee. Committee membership can be fluid, and each one may have more or less members throughout the year. You do not need to be a Council member to join a committee and people can join as many as they want.

Let’s Vote!

Key Next Steps Recruiting leads and members for Council committees. Providing orientation for new Council and committee members. Developing and administering parent survey to determine key priorities and focus for Council. Deciding on key activities and programs for this school year.