An active partnership with parents and communities in the education of children is vital to the success of students in today’s society. All schools in the Avon Maitland School District have active school councils working to help student learning.
Councils are involved at the school level in such activities as:
- Code of conduct
- Dress codes
- School and system calendar
- Curriculum and program goals and priorities
- School report cards
- School budget priorities
- School to community communication strategies
- Extra-curricular activities
- School based services related to social, health, recreational and nutrition programs
- Community use of school facilities
The mandate of school councils is to promote the best interests of the school community while encouraging a positive and co-operative school environment. The Ministry of Education provides support and resources for school councils as parents play a vital role in the development and education of their children and in the success of schools.
Parents Reaching Out Grants
Through the Parent Engagement Office (PEO), the Ministry of Education has a number of other initiatives to support parent engagement across the province. Specifically, this year’s Parents Reaching Out (PRO) grant process has been announced and an online application is now available. PRO grants are provided to select applicants who develop projects, events or training in support of parent engagement. Not all projects can be funded, so interested applicants are invited to apply to one of the following:
PRO School Council Grants
Open to school councils working alone or in partnership with another school/school council, parent group, or community organization. Information is available online at: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/schools.html
PRO Regional/Provincial Grant
Open to parent organizations, school boards, post-secondary or other non-profit organizations working in partnership with parent organizations. Proposed projects must fall under at least one of the following headings: ‘Parents as Partners;’ ‘Welcoming School Board and School Environments for Parents;” or ‘Parent Training and Skill-Building.’ Information is available online at: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/regional.html.
All PRO grant applications will be completed and submitted online. The maximum amount for the PRO School Council Grant is $1,000. The maximum possible amount for the PRO Regional Provincial Grant is $30,000. Detailed requirements and answers to questions are available online at: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/reaching.html
The Ministry of Education website is an excellent resource for parents to find out about the PRO grants as well as providing additional information on being engaged parents such as on-line parent resources and tips to help school councils engage parents. The parents section of the website can be accessed at: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents.