School Council Operating Procedures
The LSL School Council
Our mission
Louis St. Laurent School Council undertakes discussions and activities to support and foster the School’s mission; “one school…one team”.
Louis St. Laurent is a community of learners committed to nurturing and celebrating each other’s giftedness in the spirit of the Gospel. We are unique and worthy persons and that God calls each of us to work together in love, hope, respect and courage in our school community. Our primary goal is maximizing student learning. We embrace our internationalism which promotes global awareness and understanding. All that we do is centered on the best interests of our students. We believe that by striving for understanding we provide for an environment that stimulates growth and accepts differences. We maintain forgiveness as a basic belief of our Catholic faith that is lived in our school, community and home. We believe that showing respect for ourselves, each other and our environment provides for harmony and personal growth.
Our purpose
The LSL School Council is a structured group of parents and guardians, principals, teachers, students and community representatives. We come together to represent the perspective of parents and guardians in our school community by providing advice to and consulting with the Principal and the School Board on matters relating to the school such as:
- LSL’s school philosophy, mission and vision
- policies
- improvement plans, programs and directions, and
- budget allocations to meet student needs
We foster a positive and collaborative environment with a variety of opportunities for meaningful engagement for all members of the school community.
What we do
We work together with the school to support and enhance student learning by providing a vehicle to support meaningful parental involvement in decisions that affect the school and its operations.
The school council is a legislated structure that derives its authority to participate in the education of our students through Alberta Provincial Legislation (Education Act, Section 55). We are a forum for parents and community members to be engaged and participate as advisors in the school’s decision-making which the principal is responsible for.
Some of the more common topics for discussion include:
- school’s overall mission, philosophy, policies, rules and goals
- school’s improvement planning, including three-year plans
- school division policies (e.g. school fees, school council policies)
- school budget
- school volunteers
- provincial achievement test results and diploma exam results
- guidelines and principles for the school resource allocations
- fundraising
- training and/or information needs of school council members
- school policy on use of facilities by the larger community
- facility renovations
- ways of reporting student achievement results to parents and public
- methods of communicating with parents and the public
- promotion of the school in the community
- programs offered in the school
- extracurricular activities offered in the school
- student attendance procedures, standards of student conduct and bullying issues
- services for students to improve learning, such as assistance from reading specialists and guidance counsellors
- school calendar and adjustments in school hours
- graduation and other school celebrations
We also plan and coordinate opportunities for parent and guardians personal growth as caregivers, actively strive to build a strong caregiver community by hosting back to school BBQs and other events, and expressing our appreciation to school staff by hosting a staff appreciation luncheon at the end of each year.
Meetings
The LSL School Council meets 5 times each year. Our meetings are held in the evenings and parents can chose to attend virtually or in-person. Meeting times and dates are set in June for the following school year. These dates are communicated to parents via the School calendar.
Our Annual General Meeting is held in September each year. At this meeting we elect the School Council Executive Members.
Getting involved
All parents and guardians are invited to take part in the LSL School Council. There are many ways to be involved. Such as:
attending meetings
volunteering for events (BBQ, Staff Appreciation)
volunteering to support Fundraising Association activities
Educators recognize the crucial role that school councils, parents and community members have in enhancing student learning. Studies identify the benefits of parental involvement in education, which include:
- higher student achievement
- better student attendance
- more positive student attitudes and behaviours
- higher student graduation rates1
Operating procedures School Council Operating Procedures