The purpose of school councils in Ontario is to improve student achievement and enhance the accountability of the education system to parents.
One of the ways the Gledhill School Council strives to achieve this is to organize events and fund programs at the school. We are able to offer a variety of these enrichment opportunities to our children because we have a large group of parents who have each chosen a small commitment that fits in their schedule and area of interest. Many hands make light work!
For info on any of the below opportunities to get involved, contact our volunteer coordinator at thegledhillguardian@gmail.com
What suits you? Here are ways parents get involved:
Once A Year:
Skate Day: One day, usually in early March, the council rents an arena and students Grades 1-6 skate for either the AM or PM of the school day. Parents walk over to the arena with classes, help tie skates and may skate too if they’d like.
Dance-a-thon: A one day fundraising event during school hours where students obtain pledges and then dance with their classmates in the gym. A few parents are needed per class to chaperone their dance shifts.
Bike Rally: One day in late spring, Officer Jon brings his pylons and sets up stations in the schoolyard, during school hours, to teach our kids bike safety. Parents help to guide students through the stations.
Scholastic Book Fair: Once or twice a year our librarian hosts a book sale during the school day in the library. Spread over a week or so, the fair produces proceeds that help the library purchase new books and resources. Parents help run the check out table in 45 min shifts.
Family Fest: One of the council’s main fundraisers, Family Fest is a tonne of fun! One of the last Fridays in June, from 3:30 – 7:00pm, the schoolyard is transformed into a sea of bouncy castles, food and games. Parents are on deck to do things like sell cotton candy, popcorn and flip burgers at the BBQ.
Every Month or Two:
Pizza lunch: About 6 Fridays throughout the year, students Grades 1-6, pre order pizza and milk for their lunch. Parents are on hand to distribute the pizza from 11:15 – 12:00.
Movie Night: About 5 times a year our gym is converted to a movie theatre on a Friday night. Parents help to sell tickets, popcorn and pizza.
Scientist in the School: The school council funds Scientist in the School. Teachers choose half day sessions with a visiting scientist that coincide with the curriculum and recruit a couple of parents to come into the class to help out.
Weekly:
Breakfast Club: Every morning 40-50 kids are served up a nutritious breakfast in the lunchroom regardless of their ability to contribute financially. The program depends on a team of parents who do short, 30-40 min shifts between 7:30 and 9:20am. School age kids are welcome to come with parent helpers! Contact coordinator Catherine McAllister at gledhill.breakfastclub@gmail.com if you are interested in helping out.
Tree Watering: Our schoolyard has many trees of various ages that need watering, particularly in the hot summer months. Each year a team of “tree watering families” are recruited to take care of our trees during the summer.
Behind the Scenes:
Grant Writing: There are a large number of grants available to school communities. The council strives to take advantage of these opportunities to reduce the overall fundraising required.
Event Organizers: All of our events need leads to do the prep to make them happen. Many parents choose to shadow an organizer for a year or two to make sure there is a smooth transition from year to year. Each year we have parents whose children graduate out of Gledhill and their shoes need filling.
Communication: The Gledhill Guardian blog is updated daily with the morning announcements by a parent who takes a pic of the announcements in the office and posts them. The blog is also always looking for content about cool things that are happening at our school.
Elected Council Roles: Each fall, elections take place to fill executive positions of Chair (or co-chairs), Secretary, Treasurer and chairs of various committees. For more detail on these positions see HERE.
Committees: The council has quite a number of committees that can be joined at any point in the year. They include: Grants, Fundraising, Eco, Healthy Kids and Communications. For more detail on these committees see HERE.
See something you’d like to do? For more info on any of these opportunities to get involved, contact our volunteer coordinator via thegledhillguardian@gmail.com
The Gledhill Guardian 