École St. Catherine’s School Advisory Council
3299 Connolly Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3L 3P7
Letter of Agreement
This Letter of Agreement between École St. Catherine’s School, the Halifax
Regional School Board and the Department of Education will establish the terms
and conditions required to operate a School Advisory Council at the School level.
The parties agree to the following:
Duration of the Agreement
The Agreement begins effective with the date it is signed and it will be reviewed
annually by the members before May 31st of each year. Mutually agreed revisions
will be made in writing and will become part of this Agreement.
Structure of the Council
1. The membership of the School Advisory Council will include:
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School Principal
2 – 6 elected Parents or Guardians
2 – 6 elected Staff Members
Up to 6 Community Members
MEMBER
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
Parent
Parent
Parent
Parent
Parent
Community
Community
Community
NAME
Meghan Merrick
Andrea MacDonald
Jeannie Miller
Melissa Paschal
Carolyn Leblanc
Jennifer Berry
Jean Pierre Fortier
Karla Sonnichsen
Manice Farmer
Sam Mirishi/
John Murphy
Miro Rak
Tina Roberts-Jeffers
TERM END DATE
2018
2016
2017
2015
2018
2017
2018
2017
2016
2016
2016
2015
2106
Community
Gina Jones
2016
School Advisory Council membership will include one, two and three year terms
for members. Efforts will be made to include individuals who reflect the diversity
of our community, including Aboriginals, African Canadians, racially visible
persons and persons with disabilities.
2. École St. Catherine’s School Advisory Council will make decisions in the
following manner:
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All topics and issues will be discussed prior to decision-making
All decisions will be made by consensus
If consensus cannot be reached, a vote will be taken and a two-thirds
majority will prevail so long as there is a quorum present as stipulated in
the by-laws
All decisions will be recorded and communicated to school and
community partners
School Council Commitments
École St. Catherine’s School Advisory Council shall:
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Make children our priority
Support and promote school programs and curriculum initiatives
Oversee the implementation and ongoing review of the Continual School
Improvement Plan
Prepare an annual accountability report as defined by the Education Act
that describes school improvement activities undertaken during the year,
specific achievements and factors that influenced the results
Work with the Principal and staff of the school to assist in the
development of policies, programs and activities that provide students
with a positive learning environment
Participate in the selection of the principal of the school by representation
on the School Board’s selection committee
Establish a discipline committee in accordance with the Education Act and
Board policies
Deal with student suspensions in accordance with the provincial and
School Board policies and guidelines
Advise the School Board on policy development, fund raising, student
support services, programs, curriculum, communication strategies and
similar matters
School Board Commitments
The Halifax Regional School Board will make a commitment to support the École
St. Catherine’s Elementary School Advisory Council by:
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Providing an orientation session for Advisory Council members and
occasional workshops on special topics
Providing a facilitator to assist the School Advisory Council as required
Ensuring that updates to School Board Policies and Procedures are
communicated to the designated member of the SAC at the same time they
are circulated to the school
Convening a general assembly of Advisory councils for the purpose of
providing communications between each independent Advisory Council
and subsequently to provide advice to the Board on matters of policy
development, curriculum and programs, student support services,
funding, communications strategies and similar matters
Recognizing the appended by-laws
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD)
Commitments
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) will
support the École St. Catherine’s School Advisory Council by committing to:
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Developing and supplying materials to support the School Advisory
Council
Providing professional development sessions, conferences, training and
support for the School Advisory Council members
Recognizing the appended by-laws
Letter of Agreement
Parties to the Agreement
We clearly understand and agree to follow through on the commitments made in
this Letter of Agreement:
Chairperson, École St. Catherine’s School Advisory Council
Principal, École St. Catherine’s School
Halifax Regional School Board
Department of Education
École St. Catherine’s School Advisory Council
3299 Connolly Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3L 3p7
By-Laws
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of these by-laws is to establish and guide the structure and operation
of the council.
Guiding Principals
Students' needs must be the first consideration for all decision making.
People at the school level are in the best position to make decisions that truly
meet the needs of students.
Code of Ethics
All members have equal status on the council.
Council members will show respect for one another and respect the
confidentiality of information provided in closed meetings.
No person will act on behalf of the council without delegated authority.
Council members agree to publicly support issues that are agreed to through
consensus.
Membership
The membership of the School Advisory Council will include:
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School Principal (permanent member)
2 – 6 elected Parents/Guardians
2 – 6 elected Staff Members
Up to 6 Community Members
Length of Term
The term for any position will be no longer than three years. In order to facilitate
continuity, terms for elected or appointed members will be staggered so that
approximately 50% of the representatives are retained from one year to the next.
Election of Members
Parent representatives will be elected at an annual public meeting.
Community members will be invited to serve on the council.
Staff will elect their representatives each year.
Efforts will be made to include individuals who reflect the diversity of our
community, including Aboriginals, African Canadians, racially visible persons
and persons with disabilities.
Conflicts
Conflict which cannot be resolved at the school level will be referred to the School
Board. The Department of Education will resolve any dispute that the Board
cannot resolve.
Executive
The Executive of the council will be elected annually from among the members.
The Executive shall consist of Chairperson and Secretary.
Vacated Positions
Vacated positions will be filled by holding a special election for that position or by
appointing a person for a term deemed appropriate by the council.
Decision Making
Decisions will be made as outlined in the Letter of Agreement. For the purposes
of a vote, a quorum shall be defined as at 50% of the Council membership and at
least one representative from each representative group.
Meetings
Meetings will be held monthly with a minimum of 6 meetings per year. All
regular council meetings are open to the public, as observers only. An
opportunity will be given at each regular meeting for questions from the floor.
Discipline committee meetings will be held in-camera. An Annual Meeting will
be held in May or June.
Agenda/Minutes
The Executive of the council will develop meeting agendas in consultation with
principal. Minutes for each meeting will be recorded and available to the public
on the school website.
Reports
Annual reports will be prepared for the School Board and the Department of
Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) and will be available to the
public on the school website.
Adoption/Amendment of by-laws
Suggested by-law changes will be recommended by a consensus decision of
council members and approved at the Annual General Meeting.