1. Supporting School Community Council Members

2. School Community Council members are: Dedicated volunteers providing advice for educational planning and decision-making at the school level; Interested in working with others; Willing to be guided by the ‘principles’ that support good School Community Council practice; and, Able to provide a two-year commitment to the work of the Council.

3. School Community Councils at a Glance Membership includes: Representative Members: 5 – 9 parent and community members First Nations representative(s) 1 or 2 high school students Permanent Members: Principal or designate Teacher Appointed Members

4. Your role as a Council member is to: Build shared responsibility among parents, the community and school for student learning and well-being; Lead parent and community involvement in school planning and improvement.

5. Stages in Team Development Forming Storming Norming Performing

6. Communication Skills Stop talking, learn to listen Examine the other person’s viewpoint Look, act and be interested Observe non-verbal behaviour Don’t interrupt Ensure understanding – rephrase, paraphrase Speak clearly Focus on the issue being discussed

7. Resolving Conflict Build a collaborative culture Be prepared Identify the problem Define the problem Brainstorm, evaluate options and solutions Create an action plan

8. SCC Members might expect to.. Attend monthly meetings Create a community profile Jointly develop the Learning Improvement Plan (LIP) with the staff of the school Provide advice to the school, Board of Education and other community organizations and agencies Approve school fundraising activities, school fees and the student code of conduct Take action on Council initiatives Report to parents and community on Council progress

9. Effective Committees Are clear on their role and tasks Aim for broad representation Use committees as leadership training ground Establish reporting procedures Set realistic objectives and tasks

10. Barriers Lack of understanding of the roles/responsibilities of the Council Cultural differences Time Tokenism Assumptions