1. WELCOME!! Northern Secondary School Council How to Get Involved nsscouncil.com Bettina Hoar & Scott deVeber Co-Chairs, NSSCouncil 2015-16

2. You matter! Parent involvement = student achievement Parent involvement = –Being interested –Volunteering –Committees –School Council –Advocacy All information on our new website NSSCOUNCIL.COM

3. Be an interested parent Show your interest –Support your child at home –Attend an event at School (i.e. tonight! Parent teacher conferences, sport or art event, etc.) –Ask questions! How School Council supports: – Surveys – Parent information evenings – Volunteer and financial support for school sponsored teams, events, etc.

4. Volunteer –In the classroom –At school or community sponsored events –With projects that enhance the school community –From home! How School Council supports: – Volunteer Committee – Matching parent skills with school / community requests – Training and support – Subsidies for police checks

5. Ideas for volunteering Serving as a speaker or expert/consultant on topics related to your club, team, or classroom. Accompanying students, arranging for carpools, or driving to field trips or events Coaching/assisting with extra curricular activities (sports teams, school plays or concerts, special exhibits or events) Arranging, cataloging, repairing, cleaning resources (classroom or library materials, sports equipment, theatre sets, etc.) Being available on call for one-off needs (i.e. setting up an exhibit or an event) Serving as skilled mentor/tutor to students who need extra help or enrichment Providing/making food for school event or extra-curricular events (PT conferences, info evenings, rehearsals/practices) Researching, collecting community materials for club, classroom or school project Helping with School Council website Helping with set up / tear down of school or School Council events Practicing foreign language / hosting exchange students Admin help (photocopying, stapling, sorting, etc.) School plays, concerts, shows, displays: building sets, finding/making costumes, hair & makeup, lifting, toting, hauling, delivering/picking up things, etc.

6. Committees –Are the life-blood of School Council –For parents who have a passion, skill, idea, time, energy, etc. –Some are ongoing –Some are ad-hoc –Meeting time/place up to each committee How School Council supports: – Setting up Committees – Providing time for committee reports at each council meeting – Suggesting committees – Encouraging parents to join committees

7. Committees for 2016/17?? Sign up today! @ nsscouncil.com

8. What is School Council? The School Council is the official school community organization bringing together the interests of students, parents, staff and community. There are 24 Members of School Council, elections are held in October. Meetings generally include reports from members (Principal, Teacher, Student, Committees, etc.) and discussions relating to matters at hand. The responsibility for deciding the business of council and voting lies with the elected Members of School Council.

9. School Council There are many ways to participate in Northern's School Council: –Stay informed - meeting agenda's, minutes, and other information being considered by School Council are available on the website. –Keep us informed - email sc.northernsecondaryschool@tdsb.on.ca any time with input, comments, questions. We will also send out or post questionnaires throughout the year to get your input - please respond!sc.northernsecondaryschool@ –Attend a meeting - all School Council meetings are doors open and all are welcome to attend! –Attend an event organized by School Council - notice of these will be added to our calendar. –Apply to become a member of School Council. Members of School Council are defined by our School Council Constitution. There are 19 Parent Members who vote on issues under consideration by School Council, along with a Student Member, a Teacher Member, a non-Teaching Staff Member, a Community Member and the Principal.

10. School Council Elections Becoming an elected Parent Member is ideal for parents who have time to commit and a strong desire to represent, organize and/or lead matters of School Council. Information on elections of Parent Members will be provided in Principal Felsen’s weekly email and on nsscouncil.com website in next few days There are 19 spots for parents – new parents encouraged to apply! There are 6 leadership positions on council: 2xChair, 2xTreasurer, 2xSecretary that are elected from within the new elected council. You don’t have to be a Parent Member in order to attend or participate in School Council.

11. Advocacy Parent input into our school system is critical. For those that have interest in learning about or advocating at the broader policy or board level, you might consider attending and/or joining one or more of the many Community Advisory Committees, including PIAC (Parent Involvement Advisory Committee) and SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee), or our Ward Council. Parents can also attend and participate in Public Consultations and/or attend the yearly TDSB Conference. There are also many private and not for profit groups that provide advocacy including People for Education, The Association of Bright Children, Fix Our Schools, etc.

12. Get Involved! Parent involvement = student achievement Parent involvement = –Being interested –Volunteering –Committees –School Council –Advocacy All information on our new website NSSCOUNCIL.COM