About Us

Do you want to learn more about what's happening at our school? Do you want to feel involved in our school's community? What about contributing in a meaningful way to the long and short term success of Henry Larsen? Do all that and more when you join Henry Larsen's Elementary School Council! 

What is the School Council? All schools in Ontario have a school council. They are important advisory bodies to the schools and school board. The purpose of a school council is, through the active participation of parents, to improve student achievement and increase accountability of the education system to parents. As a school council member, you can help your council learn about ways to contribute to the education of students in your school. Through your involvement in the council, you are part of a team working to support a high-quality education system for the children of Ontario. Your participation can make a difference.

What are School Council meetings like? Our Council meets once a month in the evenings in the school library for about an hour. School councils are led by parents and most of our members are parents. Each year, a chair, treasurer, and secretary are elected to fulfil these roles over the course of the year. Our school's principal and vice principal attend all meetings and provide updates on what's going on at the school and school board. There are also teacher representatives who provide monthly updates from the classrooms. Staff are there to answer questions, listen to parent concerns (big or small), or hear suggestions on how we can make our school even better. At our meetings, we also discuss and plan upcoming events to ensure their success. 

What does Henry Larsen's School Council do?Our parents and volunteers organize fun, educational, and inclusive events throughout the year for our kids and the community. School council organizes yearly events such as the Monster Mash, Holiday Market, Chocolate Bar Bingo, and movie nights. Our fundraising supports things like new library books for the school and special activities for the kids. We are actively fundraising to build a new play structure in the sandpit where our old kinder play yard was. Given the very (very) high costs to build this, we need new ideas to keep up momentum in our fundraising efforts.  

What kind of commitment is involved?The short answer is - none! We're parents too and we understand that life gets busy. School council members do not have to attend every meeting, they come when they can. This flexibility extends to your participation as a member: bring your ideas, help with planning, volunteer your time, or just listen. There are lots of different ways to contribute and you can be as involved as you'd like! 

How can I get involved? Participate as a school council member, parent volunteer, or both! We would love to see you at our next school council meeting on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. This meeting will have two parts: the election of parent members at 6:30 and the general meeting at 7:00. Elections will be held in person for the following three roles and their respective responsibilities:

Chair

·      Arrange for meetings, prepare agendas, and chair meetings

·      Participate as ex-officio member on Council committees

·      Communicate with the school principal on behalf of Council

·      Maintain the constitution and ensure a regular review by the Council

·      Communicate with the school community on a regular basis and ensure that parents/guardians of all students are consulted on matters under consideration

·      Facilitate the resolution of conflicts

·      Consult with senior board staff and trustees as required

Secretary

·      Ensure that meeting minutes are recorded and kept in a safe place for five years, plus the current school year

·      Attend each meeting and record minutes from the meeting

·      Post the minutes and agenda online on a monthly basis

Treasurer

·      Prepare an annual report and ensure the treasurer prepares financial statements to be submitted to the principal for distribution to the school community and the OCDSB

·      Attend monthly meetings, and update an excel workbook with expenditures and income

·      Process cheque requests and deposit earnings into the bank.  (A secondary person will always count the earnings before the money is given to the Treasurer for deposit.)

·      Provide a float for each event (this entails getting funds from the bank.)

·      Provide a financial report at year’s end to the Chair for submission to the school board

 

Anyone present at the 6:30 meeting will be invited to seek one of these roles and/or vote. Whatever your participation, we hope you’ll join us on Tuesday, September 17, 2024.

2024 - 2025 School Council

Chairs –

Secretary – 

Treasurer – 

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