Manotick Public School

Parent Council Start-Up Information

Dear MPS Parents, The purpose of our School Council is to enrich student life at school and enhance the accountability of the education system to parents/guardians. At MPS there are a number of Council-backed programs and events that couldn’t be offered by the school alone. Our Council is also a forum through which parents and other members of the school community can improve student achievement and performance. Whether in-school during the day or after-work hours, you can get involved. It is not just the school that benefits. Research shows that parental involvement in schools help increase the level of student achievement. So have a look at what we do! This package is distributed at the beginning of the school year to kick-start Council activities and to identify volunteers who can help make them happen. We appreciate the time you take to complete this form as your time, energy and support will make a difference to your child’s school experience this year. Thank you!

Voluntary Student Activity Fee Fundraising is a part of every school’s activities and events outside the classroom. Without it students cannot enjoy arts and cultural programming, field trips, play/gym equipment and many other educational experiences learned away from textbooks. MPS endeavors to raise funds through optional and mutually beneficial programs that raise money for these purposes. Examples of these last year included Movie Nights, Alternate Lunch and Milk programs, the Holiday Bazaar, Spring Fair and other events that help enhance student life at the school. Students also get involved with their own fundraising activities such as the Read-a-thon to help fund the continuation of the programs they enjoy (MPS Book Club). With all this fundraising the need for a student levy doesn’t seem obvious, but in fact many schools are forced to fundraise much, much more to enjoy the same kinds of activities in their school. In lieu of additional fundraising such as door-todoor sales or chocolate bar campaigns, our parents have told us they prefer to pay a lump sum at the beginning of the school year. This is the voluntary activity fee. Funds collected from the levy go directly to school initiatives. They do not support charities in the school such as Jump Rope for Heart (Heart & Stroke) or the Terry Fox Run (Cancer Society). They purchase: • • • •

Play Structures AV Screen for the Gym Numeracy (Math) Resources Phys. Ed. Equipment (Badminton/Volleyball Nets)

• • •

Extracurricular Dance Workshops Literacy (Language) Resources Buses For Field Trips

These are actual purchases made by school Council in recent school years. If you would like to see similar resources in our school this year, please pay your student levy. To simplify school payments, parents will not pay separately for student agendas. A portion of the levy amount will be used to cover the cost of student agendas. For kindergarten students, a similar portion of the levy will purchase note totes (instead of agendas). These durable totes can be used by our students throughout their years at MPS. Agendas and note totes will be distributed to all students regardless of levy contribution. Please note Council does not track who pays the levy, but as we heavily rely on these funds we are interested to know what might encourage more families to contribute. If you care to, let us know any reason you decided not pay your levy this year. Also note the levy is a voluntary contribution but if you’d like to contribute and it presents a financial hardship in any way, please contact the school principal.

Council Leadership Any parent/guardian can be part of school Council but there are several elected positions that come with specific responsibilities throughout the year. Council meets once a month in the evenings. Please review the Council leadership positions on the attached form if you are interested in being nominated or would care to nominate someone else. Elected Council positions are determined at the first Council meeting of the year. Not sure you want to commit?? Come on out and see how a meeting goes! Detailed descriptions for each of these roles are best reviewed on the Council web site in our By Laws document: http://manotickschoolcouncil.wordpress.com

Parent Volunteers in School To help make our school a better place for our kids to learn, we rely on parents and guardians to volunteer their time and energy in various ways. Please see on the attached form a list of other ‘jobs’ currently required in the school. They come with various time commitments and frequencies; perhaps one of them would suit you! We encourage you to have a look at the volunteer role descriptions and consider joining in the fun! We want to make Manotick Public School a successful community of staff, students and parents. If your time is limited and you still want to pitch in, please make a note on the form. We have many different kinds of roles to fill, and even a little time is better than none. This is our children’s school – help make it what YOU want it to be for them.

Milk Program Council supports a school-wide milk program for our students allowing them to have a nutritious drink freshly delivered to their classrooms during the first nutrition break. White and chocolate milk cartons are available to purchase. Order forms for our milk program will be sent home with your child shortly. Proceeds from the milk program go directly to support Council initiatives. If you would like to participate in the milk program but it presents a financial hardship in any way, please contact the school principal.

MPS T-Shirt Sales MPS T-shirts can be ordered on a separate form this year, enclosed in your start-up packages. These durable, highquality shirts come with an embroidered MPS crest and are available in many colours and sizes. MPS T-shirts are commonly used during Spirit Days, assemblies and other school-wide events. If you would like to order as a new student, or just want to upgrade a size, have a look at the special MPS T-shirt order form enclosed. Adult sizes available too! Show your blue and gold!!

Alternate Lunch Program Alternate lunches provide students (and parents!) a change in the normal lunch routine by providing tasty, kid-friendly snacks during the first nutrition break. These lunch supplements (the second break is not covered) follow the nutrition guidelines mandated by the School Board. You may choose an alternate lunch for only certain weeks – or cover them all! If your child has food allergies or sensitivities, please inform our lunch program coordinators. We will attempt to accommodate. Order forms for these lunches will be sent home with your child to begin lunch delivery sometime in October. The forms will also be made available on the Council web site. (http://manotickschoolcouncil.wordpress.com). This program has been very successful in our school and again the proceeds allow Council to continue funding valuable resources and programs for our students.

The following 2-page form asks for parent input related to Council activities. All information will be kept confidential and will only be used for Council or school purposes. Please complete the following 2 pages and return them to the school. Note only one form per family should be submitted. Thanks for your support!

Manotick Public School Advisory Council!

New School Year Start-up Package Please fill in the following 2 pages of this form and return it to the school. Only submit one form per family (not per child!) Parent/Guardian Name(s): Home Phone Number(s): E-mail Address(es): Your Child(ren)’s Name(s)

Teacher(s)


Please use these e-mail addresses as a means for the school and/or Council to communicate to us electronically about school business (i.e. newsletters, reminders, important announcements) and to reduce paper and photocopying costs.

Voluntary Student Activity Fee
I will pay my student fee this year ($20/child, $10 for the third and each additional child). This will cover the cost of student agendas or totes.
(Optional) reason we choose not to pay: ___________________________________________________________________. Number of children: _______

Levy Total: $_________

Please make all cheques payable to MPS Council.

Council Leadership Please place an “X” beside any committee leadership role you are interested in. You may choose more than one. Please attend Council Elections at the first Council meeting in September. Your (non-lead) work on any of these committees is welcome too! See the next page for “Parent Helpers”. Council Executive

Coordinators


Chair


Yard Transformation

Organizes yard maintenance and improvements with a small team


Milk Program

Runs the milk delivery program for the school


Vice Chair


Volunteer

Coordinates volunteers for school/council projects


Fundraising

Creates fundraising opportunities, assigns volunteers, reports progress


Secretary


Newsletter

Collects input for monthly newsletter


Literacy

Organizes literacy related activities for the school with a team

Determines lunch menus, coordinates orders & deliveries


Spirit Day

Helps staff organize monthly Spirit Days and records event


Special Events

Organizes special annual events like Family BBQs, staff lunches, movie nights


Web Site

Maintains school web site and takes update requests


Community and

Liaises with local businesses and media to create partnerships and promote MPS


OCASC Rep

Attends monthly meetings and informs Council on OCASC proceedings


Treasurer


Alternate Lunches

Public Relations

Is this a self-nomination?


Yes
No

Initiatives

(Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils)

I would like to nominate ____________________________ for the above position(s).

(Page 2)

Parent Helpers in School If you can help at school (in-school and after-school hours) indicate your interest in being contacted for the following: (please check all that apply) (Note that teachers will organize their classroom volunteers separately.)

Please repeat your contact info:

_________________________________

_____________________

___________________________

Name

Telephone

E-mail


Activity Break Leader

Run an existing lunchtime club or come up with your own! Approx 1/2 hour once a week. 6 week blocks.


Milk Program

Help a team organize milk orders and liaise with milk supplier. Collect money and order milk weekly. Schedule Gr. 5 milk monitors.


Art Attack

Display children's art work done at home or in school, rotate depending on supply.


Movie Nights

Help with set up and take down, drink & popcorn purchases, popcorn & ticket sales. Approx 4 evenings a year.


Choir - Junior

Choose & teach music to choir. Concert once a year. Approx 1/2 hour weekly.


Nutrition Break Reader

Read to children during their nutrition breaks. Approx 1/2 hour weekly. Can work in 6 week rotations.

Assist in the teaching of songs. Concert once a year. Approx 1/2 hour weekly.


Scholastic Book Fair

Assist Librarian in promotion of 2 book fairs (spring/fall). Helps set up and take money.


Community Relations

Liaise with media to promote or highlight events at school.


School T-Shirt Sales

Maintain shirt inventory, order and sell school t-shirts. Ongoing (school events).


Fundraising

Join a team to brainstorm ideas to raise money for school. Find volunteers to lead.


Spring Fair

Help organize, get sponsors for and run the events and booths at the Fair. Jan-May timeframe.


Health Committee

Team with staff to help school achieve nutrition/physical activity goals. Meet requirements Ottawa Public Health's Active School Initiative. Ongoing.


Special Events

Help a team organize social events like Meet the Teacher evening, Movie Nights and the Staff Appreciation Luncheon.


Holiday Bazaar

Assist students with shopping, work cash, wrap gifts, organize and price donations. 2 weeks in December. Days or evenings.


Spirit Day Assistance

Help once a month set up PA system at school assembly take and display photos.


Lunch Program

Help a team organize and plan alternate lunches. Orders and distributes lunches. Once a week.


Yard Transformation

Help a team rake fall leaves and with winter & spring preparation & plant care.


Literacy Initiatives

Supervise book exchanges; give book talks during annual read-a-thon. Help execute reading incentives.


“As Required” Events

Either classroom-based or larger school event.

(Grades 3-5)


Choir - Primary (Grades 1-2)

Finally, do you have a skill, interest or expertise that you could share with our school? Or is there a topic you’d like to come in and speak about? Tell us more! ______________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other notes about your availability: ____________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please return this completed form (both pages) with your student activity fee cheques (made to MPS Council). Thanks!