Casino Update!

CALLING ALL PARENTS AND VOLUNTEERS: The SWC Parent Association is pleased to be able to assist in enhancing the total learning environment at the school as we are now able to host a casino fund raising event. Our first casino will be held on Dec 20th and 21st, 2012 at Casino Calgary. No experience is necessary! Advisors instruct all volunteers on their duties for the evening. Please help us with this event as the expected proceeds to the school for the two day event will be in the $70,000 range! As approved at our last Council and Association meeting, all funds raised will target a wide range of needs across a variety of programs within the entire school.

We require 50 volunteers for this event. Shifts required both days are: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm, 6:00 pm - 2:00 am and 10:00 pm - 3:00 am (countroom) Please contact Sandra Wigg at swigg@telus.net to volunteer for a shift. Thank you for supporting education at SWC

 

What is the School Council?

The Sir Winston Churchill School Council is the parent organization associated with the school - all parents of students in the school are members of the school council. The role of the school council is to provide an avenue for parents to communicate with the school administration regarding education issues and to provide opportunities for parents to become informed about topics related to SWC and education in general.

Format

Generally, the school council meets monthly, usually the first Wednesday evening of each month, at 7:00pm, in the school library. A small executive (chair, secretary and treasurer) draws up the monthly agenda, as well as plans for the year in terms of monthly presentations. Other important volunteer positions for the school council include key communicator and volunteer coordinator. All positions are open to any parent in the school, and elections are held at the AGM in May for open positions. The meetings are basically an information sharing evening, with reports from the administration, a teacher representative, the key communicator and the band parents association and usually a presentation of interest to parents. All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend the meetings.

Past Involvement/rojects

Presentations at the school council meeting have, in the past, included topics such as safety and security at SWC, scholarships, exam preparation, athletics at SWC, graduation, curriculum specific talks, careers, preparing for university and technology. Guest presenters have included representatives from various levels of the CBE, and government representatives.
The school council has also supported some parent-driven initiatives with concerns about specific issues such as changes to the diploma exam schedules and the elimination of the general school fee.

Finances

The school council operates with a fairly small budget; a $5.00 donation is requested from all parents at the beginning of the year, and this nets about $2000.00 for the year. These funds are used in support of student clubs and other ventures as well as school council sponsored events like staff appreciation events. A small amount of money is also set aside to aid students who couldn’t otherwise participate in events (for example, grad banquet tickets).

A Brief History of the School Council

In 1990, the SWC Parent Advisory Council was established as the parent organization for the school, with an official constitution and by-laws adopted in February 1992. In 1996, the PAC was disbanded and the SWC School Council was officially established, again with a formal constitution and by-laws adopted by the parents of the school. The change in the form of the parent organization was prompted by the Alberta government’s initiative to establish School Councils in all the schools in the province. The new School Council followed very similar mission and guidelines as the PAC. The School Council has continued providing a venue for parents to participate within the school community, providing input to the administration about educational matters, attending presentations, fundraising to provide support for student ventures and volunteering in the school.