The Many Ways Your School Council is Involved in a Student's Pathway Through High School
The Many Ways Your School Council is Involved in a Student's Pathway Through High School
The Executive Committee of the WCHS School Council (the "Executive") is a committee made up of parents/guardians who have a student attending Western Canada High School and who are elected or volunteer for leadership roles on School Council. Every parent/guardian who has a student at the school is automatically a member of the WCHS School Council ("School Council"), but it is the Executive who acts on behalf of all members of School Council.
The Executive meets monthly with school administration on a variety of topics.
The Executive also holds meetings with the entire School Council throughout the school year and coordinates and operates two annual staff appreciation events for the 100+ teachers and administration at WCHS who work tirelessly for our students.
Under the Education Act, School Council is a collective association designed to advise the principal and the CBE Board of Trustees on matters related to the school. School councils have a legislated advisory role only. They are different from Parent Societies & Associations, whose main function is to raise funds for the school.
The Executive meets in person monthly on the first Monday of every school month from 12:45 - 2:15PM at Western Canada High School.
The Executive also holds quarterly School Council meetings with the entire WCHS parent/guardian community, which typically last no longer than two hours. Executive members are encouraged but not required to attend.
Each Executive role requires a certain amount of time to execute on its responsibilities. Connect with us and we will gladly share specific details with you. Read more details about all the Executive Roles & Responsibilities below.
In addition to the responsibilities associated with their respective roles, the Executive hosts two staff appreciation functions per year in Christmas and in late June. Volunteers help with set-up and clean-up. Executive members are encouraged but not required to volunteer for these events.
The Executive has elected positions, non-elected positions and Members-at-Large.
Elected Positions
Chairperson - Responsible for chairing all meetings and executing on the plans of School Council. To learn more about this role, click here.
Vice Chairperson - The vice-chair assists the chair and is either a past Chair or is preparing to become the school council chair in the future. To learn more about this role, click here.
Treasurer - primary responsibility is to maintain the School Council operating budget and bank account. The Treasurer manages a limited number of monthly transactions and provides the School Council and Executive with budget reports and financial statements. To learn more about this role, click here.
Secretary - records minutes at all Executive and School Council meetings. The Secretary also prepares and circulates meeting agendas and meeting minutes prior to each meeting. To learn more about this role, click here.
Non-Elected Positions
Volunteer Coordinator
Staff Appreciation Coordinator
Special Speaker Coordinator
Digital Communication Coordinator
Key Communicator
Grant Writer
IB Sub-Committee Coordinator
To learn more about these roles, click here.
Members at Large
Members at Large do not have specific roles at the Executive but attend monthly meetings and volunteer based on their availability. To learn more about Members-at-Large, click here.
There are additional volunteer opportunities for parents/guardians of students who are attending WCHS. To volunteer for these roles it is not required for you to be part of the Executive. These include:
Field Trip Volunteer
Staff & Teacher Appreciation Events (twice per school year)
General School Events
Celebrate Western Fundraiser
Casino (biennial event at WCHS)
The Executive can arrange for you to volunteer at any of those events that interest you. Complete the below questionnaire and we will contact you regarding the other volunteer opportunities you have indicated interest in.
“It takes a village to raise a child” is a proverb that expresses the idea that a child’s upbringing is a collective responsibility of the community. The proverb originates from an African culture and implies that a child needs a safe, healthy, and supportive environment to grow and thrive. The proverb also suggests that a child can benefit from the wisdom, guidance, and care of different people and groups, such as parents, teachers, neighbors, and grandparents.
The Executive is a volunteer-based group of parents with students attending WCHS. It looks to better each and every student's pathway through the high school journey. The Executive does this with active engagement with WCHS administration, Calgary Board of Education, our locally elected School Trustee, our locally elected Member of Legislative Assembly, other school councils, and the Alberta Provincial government.
Join the Executive and help make a difference in your own student's pathway through high school and that of every other student at WCHS.
As a first step, take a few minutes and complete the below questionnaire to let us know what roles interest you and what form of communication you prefer.
Read through the various open roles on the WCHS School Council Executive by clicking here.
We welcome you at any one of our Executive monthly meetings starting in September to ask additional questions and to meet the Executive.
If both sides feel that we are a good fit, we may ask you to run for an elected role on the Executive, or to volunteer for a non-elected role.
Get Started - Complete Our 2-Minute Questionnaire
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