OCASC UPDATE

Nancy Dean

OCASC Fall 2022 Update 

Welcome Back!  As we return to a more regular school year, we hope that you remain hopeful and optimistic as we return to our school council activities.   

We are looking forward to our gatherings again and taking some time to discuss and share what is important and relevant this school year.  

At OCASC, we hope to remain a place where you and your council can gather with other council members across the District.   We want to prioritize connecting and sharing this year even more than before.   

OCASC Meeting Schedule  

Mark your calendars, here is the year’s schedule of meeting which remain every 3rd Thursday of the month.   Please register in advance for virtual meetings: 

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMocOmsqTItH9Ff2x6RtKer92hoxOOgXXW5

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

Sept. 29, 2022 and AGM (Virtual) 

Oct. 20th, 2022 – in-person at Fisher Park School  

Nov. 17, 2022 – Virtual 

No Meeting December 

Jan. 19, 2023 TBD 

Feb. 16, 2023 – Virtual 

Mar. 23, 2023 * week after March Break TDB 

Apr. 20, 2023 – Virtual 

May 18, 2023 – TBD 

No Meeting in June 

OCASC 2022-2023 Memberships 

Please take a moment to complete our membership form once your elections are complete and you know who will take on executive roles and who will be the OCASC Rep.   

OCASC 2022-2023 Membership Form 

You do not need to be a member to attend OCASC meetings, as we are always open to anyone who would like to attend.  Membership does however entitle your council to the following: 

Membership Includes 

  • Voting rights 
  • In person meeting snacks 
  • Copy of the membership contact list  
  • Helps keep our website up and running 

We are returning with our Annual Membership Fee of $35/year.  Please feel free to request to have the membership fee’s waived at anytime.   Payment options are given on the form.  

MUNICIPAL and TRUSTEE ELECTIONS – October 24th,2022 

This is an election year, which is great opportunity for councils to voice their concerns and priorities to the incoming Trustees.  This year there are only 5 zones have returning trustees running.  This means there will be a very different Board sitting at the OCDSB than the last 4 four years.     

WHAT CAN YOU AND YOUR COUNCIL DO DURING THIS ELECTION TIME? 

  • Check out our website for resources on elections 
  • Share information with your school community 
  • Host an informal meet and greet with all the Trustee candidates in your zone 
  • Host a more formal debate/forum 

ROLE OF TRUSTEE 

The responsibilities of school boards are set out in Ontario’s?Education Act?which states that every school board shall: 

  • promote student achievement and well-being, a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting of all pupils, and prevention of bullying; 
  • ensure effective stewardship of the board’s resources; 
  • deliver effective and appropriate education programs to its pupils; 
  • develop and maintain policies and organizational structures that, 
  • monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of policies developed by the board in achieving the board’s goals and the efficiency of the implementation of those policies; 
  • develop a multi-year plan aimed at achieving the boards’ goals; 
  • annually review the multi-year plan with the board’s Director of Education or the supervisory officer acting as the board’s Director of Education; and 
  • monitor and evaluate the performance of the board’s Director of Education, or the supervisory officer acting as the board’s Director of Education, in?meeting, 

WHO is running in your ward and zone  

Here is a great link: https://elections.ottawa.ca/UI/CandidateList/CandidateList 

Parent Involvement Committee

Parent Conference – Sat, Nov 5th.  

Excerpt from  “A Message from PIC: Welcome to Parent Involvement Committee, Sept. 6th “ 

Join us on Saturday, November 5th, 2022!?? 

OCDSB is committed to families and community engagement as an essential element in our shared efforts to improve outcomes for children throughout their lives. Our role is to help build capacity by successfully engaging parents and caregivers, strengthening home-school partnerships, and aligning our collective efforts. 

The Parents Conference 2022 provides an opportunity to highlight innovation and high-impact strategies for partnering, collaborating, and nurturing families’ partnerships and alliances. 

Supporting School Councils: News and Updates 

Keep updated by checking the OCDSB website for updates.  There was note from PIC that was posted Sept. 6th.  

https://ocdsb.ca/our_schools/school_council/supporting_school_councils

We are looking forward to meeting again, sharing experiences, resources and supporting each other.  

We will be sending meeting reminder and agenda Monday before the meeting 

See you then!