First School Council Meeting

Our first School Council meeting was interesting and informative. We had approximately 21 people in attendance. We hope that over the coming months more parents will be able to attend these meetings. School Councils are run by and for parents. They are an opportunity to be a part of your child's educational journey. We would like School Council to be a collaborative process and a voice for all parents. 

Our first meeting focused on beginning to understand the current educational practices at our school. Mr.MacNeill spoke about how schools are changing to meet the learning needs of students today. He shared with us a very thought-provoking video clip on the education system. It is definitely worth taking a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&feature=player_embedded

Among many informative ideas, I was very interested in what Mr. MacNeill referred to as the,

Foundation Statements for Royal Oak School (as taken from the meeting minutes):

• Royal Oak School is committed to treating everyone with respect and dignity that increases self worth and confidence. Mastery, independence, belonging, generosity complete the Circle of Courage.
• Working toward a practice of inquiry that develops the students' minds and makes them think.
•  Embrace “Universal Design for Learning” so all students can have access to the learning available.
•  High level use of technology and digital media.
•  Formative assessment practices - change from pure evaluation to learning/support model with constant adjustment based on students’ learning needs and level
•  Staff and students learn best in the company of others.

As we only had a short amount of time, he touched briefly on each of these concepts. Many parents have requested that School Council host more in depth workshops on several of these topics. Please let us know what topics would be of interest to you. 

Towards the end of the meeting we requested that parents share what issues are of importance to them and initiatives they would like to see School Council take on. Some of the ideas shared were: Traffic Safety, Workshops for Parents(Inquiry-based learning, How can I support my child's learning at home?, Technology in the Classroom...), Cultural Days, Lobbying for a Middle School, Music & Art programs. All of the ideas shared will be presented at the next School Council meeting and we can decide which areas we would like to pursue first.     

We have an exciting opportunity as parents to help shape the identity and culture of our school. We are fortunate to have a dedicated staff whose first interest is the learning of our children. As with any new adventure there are going to be questions and challenges which make the journey that much more rewarding.

Parent Council Meeting

Our first Royal Oak School Parent Council meeting will take place on Monday November 8th at 7pm at the school. All parents of students at Royal Oak school are members of the council and we hope to see many of you at this meeting.


Agenda items will include:

• Approval of Royal Oak School Council By-laws (please take a moment to review the proposed by-laws which are posted on a separate page)
• Principal's Administration Report
• Grade Team Report
• Playground Committee Presentation

At the conclusion of the School Council meeting (approximately 8pm) there will be a meeting for the establishment of a Fundraising Society for Royal Oak School. Although School Councils and School Fundraising Societies work together they are separate committees. The following article from the Alberta Association of School Councils outlines the differences between the two.  

Making the Distinction

School councils and fundraising societies provide two separate and distinct

contexts for parent and community involvement in the school. Identifying the

functions that fall under each group - school council or fundraising society - can

help make your existing organization more effective.

School councils provide a means for parents and community to work together

with administration, staff and high school students to promote the well-being and overall effectiveness of the school community. Its main role is advisory.

Fundraising societies provide a means for parents and community members to

provide additional financial resources and support to the school. Its main role is fundraising.

RO School Council Establishment Meeting

From the School Council Co-Chairs: 

On Tuesday, October 5th 2010 a meeting was held to establish the Royal Oak School Council. Parents, teachers and our administration were in attendance and together under the direction of the Alberta School Councils' Association representatives, formed our first Royal Oak School Council. At this meeting we decided on the size of the School Council, its model of governance, term of office, and the size of the executive. Following that we proceeded to elect people to the executive positions.

The purpose of School Council is to enhance student performance and participate in school improvement planning. A School Council is a group of people who work together to advise the principal and the board respecting matters relating to the school. It is a means for parents and community members to work together with the school to support and enhance student learning.

Every parent and /or guardian of a child attending our school is a member of the Royal Oak School Council and is welcome to attend our monthly meetings where they are entitled to give input on matters raised at our School Council Meetings.

There are many opportunities for involvement, in addition to attending the regular School Council meetings, such as: sitting on a short-term committee, volunteering for special events, or offering to share your skills with the group. We welcome your participation in any way that works for you. Your support is important to the education of the children with our school community and we hope that you will find this experience rewarding.

There were many parents who also voiced an interest at forming a Fundraising Society in order to support our school community. The fundraising society would be separate from the School Council although both groups would need to work together.

Please feel free to contact us to discuss any question you may have. We look forward to working with you this year.

RO School Council

ROSchoolCouncil@gmail.com