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School Constitution
Mission Statement
The mission of the Grimsby Secondary School Council is to build and maintain a partnership among the school, family and community to enhance the education of our students.
Purpose and Goal
Communicate information which will promote and advance
family/school/community interaction and partnership and to support initiatives
that will increase and encourage parental involvement and accountability.
Pursue the betterment of education through responsible decision-making.
Duties of the School Council
As an advisory body, provide advice, ideas and recommendations
to the school principal and, where appropriate, to the Board, which
reflect the views of the school community.
Work with school administration and staff to make Grimsby Secondary
School a pleasant and inviting place to study and work.
Provide a Council Constitution which is in line with Board policies
and procedures.
Develop and maintain school/family/community communication strategies.
Report to and seek advice from parents with regard to matters being
addressed by the Council.
Promote the best interests of the school community.
Organize, and participate in, information and training sessions to enable
members of the Council to develop their skills as Council members and
to gain an understanding of school policies and operated practices,
and the Education system.
Membership
Parents/guardians will form the majority of the Council Trustees
and teachers who are parents of Grimsby Secondary School students may
be elected as parent members of the Council.
It is recommended that membership on the Council shall not exceed a
maximum of 21 persons with voting privileges.
Membership shall include:
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Thirteen (13) parents/guardians to be elected by parents and guardians of students enrolled in the school.
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The Principal, a designated member who will serve throughout his/her term at Grimsby Secondary School.
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Two (2) teacher representatives elected by the teaching staff.
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One non-teaching staff representative elected by the non-teaching staff.
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Two (2) Students Council representatives
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Two (2) community representatives appointed by the School Council
Terms of Office
Parents representatives will serve a two-year term, providing
they have attended at least two-thirds of the meetings in the first
year of their term. Terms should be progressive to ensure continuity
of membership on the Council.
A parent failing to attend the minimum number of meetings per year will
forfeit the second year of his/her term.
A parent representative’s term will also cease after one year
if his/her child graduates or otherwise leaves Grimsby Secondary School.
Any member who is unable to fulfill his/her commitment will notify the
Council with a letter of resignation to the Chair. The vacant seat may
be filled. If the vacated position is an elected one, the person with
the next highest number of votes in the previous election will assume
the seat. If the elected seat was filled by acclamation, ad new member
may be appointed by the Council. If the vacated position is an appointed
one (community representative), the Council will attempt to find a replacement.
Both elected and appointed members may seek additional terms of office,
to a maximum of two consecutive terms.
The term of office for the student council representatives shall be
one year.
Executive positions and appointed positions (community representative)
shall be for one year.
Elections
Elections will be held annually in May. Parents of students
who have submitted an intention sheet to attend Grimsby Secondary School
are eligible.
If nominations do not exceed the stated number of candidates required,
the slate of candidates for the School Council shall be acclaimed.
If parents nominations exceed the number of candidates required, and
election will be held.
A ballot shall be drawn listing candidates in alphabetical order.
A fact sheet listing qualifications and goals of each candidate may
be distributed.
Elections for School Council shall be conducted by secret ballot.
Voters must vote in person.
Executive
The executive of the Council will consist of Chair, Vice-Chair,
Secretary and Treasurer. A Council member running for executive office
must have served a minimum of one year on the Council. The executive
will be elected by the Council for a term of one year, effective June
of that year. The chair and the vice-chair positions must be held by
parents representatives.
The teacher, support staff, and student representatives will be elected
annually by their peers. The terms of the communtiy representatives
will be reviewed annually by the Council.
Duties and Responsibilities of School Council Members
School Council Members:
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Attend and participate in Council meetings.
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Act in the overall interests of the school and students.
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Maintain a school-wide perspective on issues.
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Act as a link between the school and the community.
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Encourage participation of parents from all groups and of other people within the community.
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Paricipate in information and training programs, if and when available.
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Seek to reach consensus in the decision-making process of the Council.
Chair and Vice-Chair::
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Call and chair Council meeting sand prepare an agenda for each meeting.
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Maintain regular communication within the school community.
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Ensure regular communication with the school principal.
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Consult with Board trustees and senior Board staff as required by Council.
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Facilitate consensus decision-making by members of the Council where appropriate.
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Prepare and submit an annual report of the activities of the Council to the Board.
Secretary:
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Ensure that minues of the meetings are recorded, maintained and made available to parents through the principal’s office.
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Perform correspondence duties on behalf of the Council at the request of the Chair.
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Maintain an updated list of Council members, including addresses and telephone numbers and distribute same to all members whenever revisions are made.
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Provide a copy of this constitution to a parent of a Grimsby Secondary School student upon request.
Treasurer:
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Keep a financial record of all transactions conducted by the Council and give a financial report to the Council at year end.
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Pay for all purchases of the Council.
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Perform all banking requirements.
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Present the books for audit upon request.
Principal:
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Support and promote the Council’s activities.
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Seek input from the Council in areas for which it has been assigned advisory responsibilities.
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Act as a resource on laws, regulations, board policies, and collective agreements.
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Obtain and provide information required by the Council to enable it to make informed decisions.
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Communicate with the Chair, as required.
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Ensure that copies of the minutes of the Council’s meetings are kept at the school.
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Assist the Council in communicating with the school community.
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Encourage the paricipation of parents from all groups and of other people within the school community.
Meetings
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Meetings will be held monthly (except for July and August)
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Notice of meetings shall be provided at least 7 days in advance.
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Agenda items will be supmitted to the principal or the chair at least 5 calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting unless special circumstances exist.
Decision-Making
The preferred method of the decision-making process consensus. Where consensus on an issue is not able to be reached through discussion, the Council will vote by a show of hands, after a motion has been put forth. All members of the Council are eligible to vote. The principal may abstain from voting if he/she is the recipient of the decision/advice.
Quorum
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A majority vote of parent representatives will prevail, providing a quorum (50% plus one of members) is present.
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A motion must receive the support of at least 51% or the voting members to be binding.
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If there is not a quorum present, the issue will be tabled and presented for a vote at a future meeting.
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All meetings shall be open to the community.
Constitutional Review
The Constitution shall be reviewed annually and may be
amended when necessary.
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This Week at GSS
WEDNESDAY, Sept 8th
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