School Council

Welcome to Rickson Ridge School Council

Good schools become better schools when parents and educators partner together. Research has shown that children improve in school performance when their parents/guardians are involved in their education. You can make a difference by being a part of your child’s school community. The volunteer efforts of School Council help to build relationships that strengthen our school and build our school community.

We know that every family is busy. Whether you can spare time once, weekly or monthly, there is a role for you at Rickson Ridge School Council. We need you and we value your time and ideas.

Following in the footsteps of the Upper Grand District School Board, we support Rickson Ridge in the following goals:

Inspiring a Lifelong Love of Learning
Championing Health and Wellbeing
Ensuring Equity of Access and Outcomes
Leading through Sustainability

School Council Logistics:

How to Get Involved with School Council:

If you’d like to get involved in School Council:

Email [email protected] to volunteer or be added to the Council email list to stay up to date.
Attend any of the meetings. You can join at any part of the year.
Submit the self-nomination form for an executive position to the Principal before the first meeting in September.

Rickson Ridge Public School Council Nomination Form

Council Meetings & Important Dates:

School Council meetings are usually held 6 times a year, for the 2023/2024 school year we are alternating Mondays/Tuesdays starting at 6pm.

Meetings may be held online via Google Meet or in person at the school library.

Our meetings for the 2023/2024 year are on:

Mon. Sept. 11 – online
Tues. Oct. 10 – in person/school library
Mon. Jan. 15 – online
Tues. Feb. 6 – in person/school library
Mon. Apr. 15 – online
Tues. Jun. 11 – in person/school library

Our next meeting is:

meet.google.com/roo-xzoz-nci

Monday April 15th – online

This link changes each month. On occasion, we meet in person at the school.

When this happens, that information will be provided here instead of the link.

Who Attends School Council Meetings:

Parents, Guardians, or other adult family members.
Members of the Executive School Council Team
Community representatives when invited.
Teacher
Vice-Principal
Principal

The Executive School Council Team is elected at the first Council meeting each Fall and includes: Chair/Co-Chairs, Treasurer and Secretary.

Contact Us:

School Council Email:

[email protected]

Executive Team:

Co-Chairs: Jill Carlyle, Jenny Fender
Secretary: Stephanie Andovski, Deb Bush
Treasurer: Christine Plateo

What Happens at School Council?

The UGDSB states that School Councils act in an advisory capacity to the school’s Principal, make recommendations to the Principal, and where appropriate, to the board. The Ministry of Education states that the purpose of a school council is, through the active participation of parents, to improve student achievement and increase accountability of the education system to parents.
School Council allows parents to contribute their thoughts and ideas. Working together with the school, School Council supports the goal of improving our school environment and culture.
School Council provides the opportunity to build relationships with other engaged parents/guardians, community members and school staff. Many newcomers find it a great way to build connections with other families.
School Council consults with the Principal and school staff members on a variety of matters that affect student learning and to discuss resource allocation.
School Council identifies initiatives it can run and/or support, and forms subcommittees that bring those ideas into reality.

School Council Records:

Previous Meeting Minutes

Council Documents:

Focus of School Council:

Equity:

Our focus on equity within our school and community is weaved throughout all of our work in fundraising and family engagement. Our goal is to plan and execute initiatives that are accessible to all and respectful of our diverse population.
Within our Equity framework we have: spearheaded the Rickson Equity Fund, the Family Welcoming Strategy, and have developed the Rickson Council Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Checklist.
The Rickson Equity Fund was established because we recognize some of our students and families face obstacles in participating fully in their school experience. Families may choose to make a monetary donation through School Cash Online to help other Rickson students/families through the Rickson Equity Fund. At the discretion of the Principal and other school staff, these funds may go towards the purchase of outdoor wear, meals/groceries, interpreters for family meetings, and field trips. If you require support through the Rickson Equity Fund, you are encouraged to contact the school Principal and/or vice Principal.
The Rickson Council Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Checklist is a tool used by Council representatives to ensure our events/initiatives are supportive to our community. It is completed during the planning stage and is reviewed by Council prior to the event being held. EDI Checklist
In recognizing the questions and uncertainties that can come with moving to a new country, a new neighbourhood, and attending a new school, the Family Welcoming Strategy was developed. This strategy is comprised of a collection of parents/guardians who have volunteered to be contacted should someone have questions. The Welcoming Strategy document indicates the contact information of those volunteers, as well as the grade cohorts of their child(ren), their cultural self-identification, and any languages they may speak. With this information, and as an ever-growing group, it is hoped that newcomers will be able to build connections within their new community. Welcome Strategy for New Families

Family Engagement:

We hold events that encourage the school community to come together, with the goal of collaboration and building community amongst students, their families, and school staff.
Some events we’ve had are: Carnival/Family Fun Night, Movie Nights, Cuddle Up & Read, Math Night, and Guest Speakers. These events are organized and run by Rickson family volunteers and are possible due to your support of school fundraisers throughout the year. They may include individuals and/or companies that have been hired to run activities for all family members, or for parents. Council Initiatives Glossary

In School Experiences:

There are so many ways our students learn. Some of the most effective learning strategies are through active engagement, primary investigation, hands-on learning and real world connections.
We champion school initiatives that promote diverse learning styles and opportunities. We also provide resources to support the school in these initiatives. Examples we have supported include: Scientists in School, Musical Instruments, Forest of Reading – Silver Birch Program, Outdoor Environment (eg. tree planting, backyard classroom), Keep Cozy Winter Hat & Mitts Drive, and Guelph Food Bank Charity Drive. Council Initiatives Glossary

Fundraising:

School Council hosts events and works together with school staff and families on fundraising efforts that improve the financial resources of our school.
The fundraising initiatives we undertake directly contribute to the betterment of Rickson Ridge and the experiences of our students.
A portion of our fundraising goes towards the Rickson Equity Fund, which supports students/families who may otherwise face obstacles in participating fully in their school experience.
Some of our fundraisers have included: Terra Cotta Cookie Dough, Spirit Wear, Danceathon, Snack/Lunch Programs, Mabel’s Labels.
Through fundraising, School Council has provided for:
- School Needs: Chromebooks, TVs in classrooms, library resources, instruments, gym equipment
- Student Experiences: Forest of Reading – Silver Birch Program, Scientists in School, Danceathon, Playground and Outdoor Space Improvement (e.g. basketball nets, kindergarten play structures, game painting on blacktop/asphalt), Graduation.

Volunteering:

We are a small group of parents/guardians who always appreciate others offering to help. With over 500 students at Rickson, we believe that if we each do a little, we can accomplish a lot!
You do not require a police check in order to volunteer at events run by school council.
Ways to Volunteer:
- One time: Monitoring an activity/booth at carnival, selling items at the danceathon, helping to sort/organize cookie dough or spirit wear deliveries.
- Periodically: Distributing lunch/snack programs, investigating new potential events/vendors, leading or being part of a working group planning for a specific event.
- Monthly: Attending School Council as a Parent/Guardian Member, participating in a subcommittee (Food Program, Equity, Fundraising).
- Acting as a member of the Executive Team on School Council (Chair/Co-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer).

School Council Events:

On March 27th, Rickson parents and guardians came together for an evening of thoughtful reflection and discussion about how our experiences shape our understanding of the world and each other. This work was facilitated by Abhi Ahluwalia and Samaer Gill, of Unlearn. Unlearn is a social change organization that has worked with various schools and boards across the country. The discussions they evoke center around poster images that can have many different interpretations.

Many attendees wanted the session to continue, as there was so much to share. One parent beautifully captured their experience:

“I want to express my gratitude to you and the school board for organizing the Unlearn workshop, which I found to be a very thoughtful initiative. I thoroughly enjoyed learning from others’ experiences and understanding their thought processes. As someone who works alone from home, it was refreshing to engage with a diverse group of people in person. I believe it would be even more enjoyable and interactive if this workshop could be held biweekly or monthly. Personally, I felt that we were just beginning to get to know each other and explore the presentations when the time ran out.
As an immigrant who arrived in Canada few years ago, I found the workshop to be a beautiful platform for learning about other cultures as well. Additionally, as my daughter is the first in our family to pursue Canadian education, and my husband and I are only familiar with the Indian education system, I understand the significance of learning about diverse cultures. It’s essential to teach our children about respecting and including everyone in their friend circle, regardless of cultural backgrounds.”

We are hopeful that, through our school equity initiatives with students, staff, and school council, these opportunities will continue in the future and allow us to further strengthen our Rickson community.

If you would like to receive more information about Unlearn products, please explore the following links:
– educational resources: https://shop.unlearn.com/collections/resources
– e-courses http://unlearn.com/learn
– murals / framed posters unlearn. Murals Brochure

This event was orchestrated by our School Council and made possible due to the support of PRO Grant funding from the UGDSB Parent Involvement Committee.

UnL1 UnL3

School Council Administration Documents

Code Of Ethics School Council

Best Practices for Effective School Councils

Rickson School Council By-Laws

Rickson Ridge Public School Council Nomination Form

UGDSB School Councils and the Parent Involvement Committee Policy 201

Responsibilities of Executive School Council Team