From the Ottawa CSPA newsletter
School Council Update: September 10, 2020 |
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Virtual Academy School Councils |
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We know a number of School Councils have been asking about what their school councils might look like this year with the new Virtual Academy coming online. At this time school councils will remain the same, open to all Parents/Guardians, regardless of whether their child is in class or at home. This may change as we progress throughout the year and board administration has more time to breath and assess. We encourage school councils to reach out to all families in the school community throughout the year. |
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Hosting Online School Council Meeting & Virtual Voting Procedures |
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Online school council meetings are recommended at this time, as you are aware, school councils are not permitted to meet in person in the schools. We know this will bring some new challenges, but this also has many benefits for possible increased participation and community engagement. We would recommend using Google Meet since this is the virtual platform already being used across the Board and the Principal can easily set-up and provide a Google Meet link for each of your meetings.
What will voting in a new school council look like? We encourage you to go the direction of using a self nomination form this year for your upcoming vote. Here are some notes to get you started:
- Create a self nomination form for your school council. Here is an ‘example self nomination form’ for you to download and modify to suit your needs. Using Google Forms is also a great option. Be sure to provide a link in your form to the descriptions of your elected positions.
- A week prior to your scheduled school council meeting, send out an e-mail that includes a link to your self nomination form, agenda and Google Meet link for the meeting. Please speak to your Principal to provide you with a Google Meet link for your school council meetings.
- Be sure to indicate in your e-mail the due date for self nomination form submission. We would suggest the day before your first school council meeting.
- Reminder that all current school council members must fill out the self nomination form, indicating their intentions to return and what position they would like to take on this year.
- When reviewing the submitted self nomination forms, positions with only one nomination are acclaimed. Should more than one person be interested, then you would require a confidential vote.
- Confidential voting can be done using Google Forms. We would suggest having this ready in advance of your meeting so you can easily provide a link to the form in your Google Meet chat box. Here is an ‘example confidential vote text’ to create your Google Form, it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Following the self nomination process will also ensure that you know everyone’s intentions regardless of whether they are able to attend the school council meeting that evening or in the event they are experiencing technical difficulties.
We understand many school councils are having their first school council meetings next week. However remember you are only required to hold your vote within the first 30 days of the first day of school, you have until October 3rd. Take your time, let families concentrate on settling in these first weeks. |
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Getting Organized with Google |
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Now is great time to get your school council established on Google and set-up a generic e-mail account. This way your school community always has the same e-mail address to use, which eliminates confusion or lost communications. A great benefit to using Google e-mail is access to a Google Drive, allowing for the creation and retention of documents pertaining to online votes, meeting minutes, financials and more. This will be very important this year with our new normal of hosting online meetings, fundraisers and events. |
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Fundraising efforts can continue. Remember it is more important than ever that school councils are fundraising for specific requirements, which should be outlined prior to commencing your fundraiser. Fundraise for a purpose! The following are some notes to keep in mind:
- All fundraisers requiring school or school council physical involvement, such as receiving or making deliveries, accepting paper order forms and cash or cheque donations are not permitted.
- Exceptions would be 'no contact' type fundraising such as 'receipt type' and online gift card programs (ie: Restaurant Earnback Programs, FundScrip or FlipGive online Gift Card Programs, etc).
- There is to be no physical transfer of funds by cheque or cash and no physical distribution of items by staff or parent volunteers.
- Personal e-mails and/or personal bank accounts should never be used when collecting funds. This goes against Board policies and places individuals at risk of accusations.
We know that this year will be very different and many are looking for fundraising & event ideas. We will be hosting a brainstorming session at our upcoming ‘Virtual Tip Night’ scheduled for November 3rd. Stay tuned for more details!
In the meantime, we have created a ‘virtual fundraising & event ideas’ document where we will continue to add your feedback throughout the year. Check back often! Have a great idea or ideas to share? Let us know by filling out our 'survey', we will then add your idea to the list for everyone to share.
Why not host your own brainstorming session. This is a great way to bring your community together and create fundraisers & events that meet the needs of your specific community. Use Google Forms and survey your school community for ideas, interests and more.
Remember, many families may be struggling financially or are feeling overwhelmed with the new normal. Use this opportunity to reach out and keep your school community involved & engaged. |
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As you are aware, lunch programs are not permitted at this time as per Ottawa Public Health guidelines. We will provide further information when and if this changes, as it becomes available. |
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Information and forms for your end of year financial reports will be forthcoming. Mark your calendars as they will be due October 9th to your Principal. |
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Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) Update |
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Information on 2020-2021 funding will be sent out after the first PIC meeting scheduled for October 20th. |
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Our parent volunteers continue to be available for your questions. Thank you for your patience as we all settle in to our new normal. |
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Stay healthy! Stay happy!
CSPA Communications |
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Ottawa Catholic School Parents' Association (CSPA)
STAY CONNECTED |
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