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Parent Involvement Committee
“As their children’s first and most influential teachers parents must be engaged in the education process.” – The Parent Institute
NOVEMBER IS PARENTING STRATEGIES MONTH
November is Parenting month for the UGDSB Parent Involvement Committee. It will focus its workshops on Parenting strategies.
On Wednesday, November 25, PIC will have a presence at the Education, Career and Resource Fair (6-8 pm). [ View Poster ] PIC will be sponsoring a "Homework Help @Your School Library"-online resources available at school and home to help with homework at its booth. Dr. Jean Clinton, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, McMaster University, will present "Inside the Teeage Brain: How boys learn, How girls learn.
On Wednesday, November 18 and Thursday, November 26, Tribes Workshop: Effectiveness of Tribes program in School and at Home. Tribes schools and classrooms are seeing the positive impact Tribes Learning Communities bring to our students, teachers and schools. Ms Connie Bender, UGDSB Tribes Trainer will be leading this interactive workshop. She will introduce parents to the Tribes program, demonstrate its effectiveness in the classroom and show how parents can support the program at home. See the poster (PDF) for more detail.
UGDSB Parent Involvement Committee is committed to engaging parents to be involved in their students' education.
Research shows over and over that a student will be more successful in school if that student has the support of an involved parent.
How can I be involved?
There are many exciting ways to be involved in your child’s education; from good parenting, helping with homework, serving on school councils, communicating and meeting with teachers, to volunteering in the classroom. For ideas and suggestions on how to get involved check out this booklet: Your Child's Education - Be a Partner! (PDF)
What is PIC?
On December 1, 2005, the Minister of Education released the Ontario Parent Involvement Policy. This policy recognizes the value of parental involvement and mandates that each school board establish a Parent Involvement Committee. This committee will provide parent advice and support parent engagement at a school board level. [ Terms of Reference ]
Chaired by a parent, PIC is made up of parents, trustees and board staff who work together to facilitate ways of involving parents more fully.
The mandate of the PIC is:
- To provide parent advice and to support parent engagement at the school board level
- To increase communications with parents and the broader community
- To facilitate ways of involving parents more fully
- To be a resource and support in the Parent’s reaching Out Grant application process
Members
Parent Members:
Anna Spiteri (Chair)
Kay Elford (Parent Liaison)
Neta Gear
Cheryl Hincks
Janet Holmes
Joyce Hopkins-Kirkup
Peter McAlpine
Iris Rendon
Giselle Scanlon
Claudia Vsetula |
UGDSB Members:
Mark Bailey
Bob Borden
Eric Lunn
Dr. Martha Rogers
Jerry Diamond
Erin Kelly
Tamara Reso
David Gohn
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Meetings
The committee will meet approximately 6 times per year. The meetings are usually held at J.D. Hogarth School in Fergus [ map ]. The next scheduled meeting is May 11, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., at J.D. Hogarth. These meetings are open, so please feel free to join us!
Parents Reaching Out events
- May 14 2009 - Island Lake Public School, Bullying Presentation
Success stories
Ideas in action
- Sir Isaac Brock engaged parents and students with the creation of a First Lanuage lending library, in support of the school's culturally diverse population.
- Brant Ave. held a "Salad Day" in December. to encourage students to learn more about healthy eating. Working together with parents and community groups the school is helping families realize the benefits of Nutritious Eating.
- Westwood is attempting to reach and engage more parents through a monthly newsletter.
Practical strategies
- Attend parent information and social events at your school.
- School concerts or sports events are great places to meet school staff and other parents.
- Learn more about your school by attending School Council meetings.
- If you have a first language other than English or French, ask about translation services or offer to help.
- Offer to help as a volunteer. Assist students with reading, help in a classroom, help organize an event or outing.
- Your special skills in music, sports, art or dance may be highly appreciated by teachers and students.
- Check school bulletin board, newsletter and website to learn more about the school and opportunities for involvement.
- Offer to assist on field trips.
- Hold a summer reading exchange. Invite parents and students to swap both children's and adult books prior to the summer break. Include materials from the school library if they are no longer being used.
- Begin the school year with a celebration of families. Consider converting the traditional September "Meet the Teacher" evening, into an event where the whole family is invited. Include an activity that helps parents understand the importance of the family relationship with the school. Make sure to have a sign up booth for parents interested in volunteering. You might also use this gathering to determine if there is an interest in establishing support groups for families with specific interests. For example, you could initiate groups for children with special needs, families learning English, families new to the community etc.
- Prepare a Welcome Package to distribute to new families. Attending a new school can be very stressful for some families. Help ease the transition by providing a package that makes them feel welcome. Include local business promotions, maps of the school and surrounding community, a magnet with the school name, logo and contact information. A sample newsletter, names of the the Parent Council members and information on how families can be involved may also be helpful.
Online resources for parents
- www.ontario.ca/abc123 – A new website for the parents of elementary school children. This site provides parents with practical ideas and tips that can be used to help children develop reading, writing and math skills.
- www.tvoparents.com – An online resource centre. An interactive site answers parents questions and concerns with the aim of helping parents get more involved in supporting their child’s education.
- www.library.guelph.on.ca – live homework help.
- www.edu.gov.on.ca – Learn more about the latest government initiatives, as well as useful tip sheets such as "Preparing for a Successful School Year".
- peopleforeducation.com – People for Education is a provincial organization working to preserve publicly funded education in Ontario. Find discussions on the hot topics in education, school tracking surveys, parent tip sheets and much more!
- www.youcanbereal.com – A website sponsored by the Guelph Police Services. It has many tips and links for information about many things including: internet safety, drugs and bullying.
- www.dpsn.ca – Dufferin Parent Support Network focuses on supporting and educating parents of school aged children.
Looking for more information? Interested in attending an event?
Please contact the committee at pic.info@ugdsb.on.ca
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