Welcome to those families joining St. Luke Catholic School this year. As a parent of St. Luke, you are automatically a member of our School Council. It is my pleasure as the current Chair of the St. Luke School Council and Parent Association to welcome you and your family to our school community.
The Alberta School Councils’ Association describes a council as “… structured groups of parents, principals, teachers, secondary students and community representatives who work together to effectively support and enhance student learning. They provide a means for members of the school community to consult with and provide advice to the principal and the school board. School councils were legislated in 1995 under Alberta’s Education Act and are mandatory for all schools in the public education system, including charter schools. The Government of Alberta recognizes the value of parents and the community to be engaged in the education of children. It is through school council that parents, community members and school staff have a means of participating in decisions that impact student learning success.”
As with any council, ours includes executive positions to be filled each year to help in our success. Those positions include the Chair, Vice-Chair/Communications Officer, Secretary and Treasurer. For more informaiton reach out to stlukeparentcouncileics@gmail.com
Chairperson - Erin Crawley
The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings, keeping order and facilitating procedure in order to ensure positive results and motions and he/she is responsible for the general conduct of the councils’ business. The chairperson shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. He/she shall, when present, preside at all meetings of the council. The chairperson shall coordinate the formation, reporting and dissolution of all committees. In his/her absence the Vice-Chair shall preside at any such meeting and in the absence of both, a chair may be elected by those present at the meeting to preside thereat.
The Chair shall also prepare and provide an annual report to the board on or before June 15 including:
-setting out the activities of the school council in the year
-a financial statement relating to the money handled by the council in the year
-a copy of the minutes for each meeting of the council held in the year
-all projected unfinished business to the current school year end
The Chair of a meeting may not make a motion or take part in a debate while in the chair. If he/she does wish to express an opinion, he/she may call on another to replace him/her as chair and then speak from the floor as any other. After speaking to that issue, he/she may resume the chair.
Vice-Chairperson/
In the absence of the chair he/she will act on the chair’s behalf and have all the authority and responsibilities generally designated to the chair. The Vice-Chairperson will assume any duties delegated by the chair.
Secretary - Meghan Ferguson
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to attend all the meetings of the council and to keep accurate minutes of the same. In case of the absence of the Secretary, his/her duties will be discharged by such officer as may be appointed by the council. The Secretary shall keep a record of all members of the council and executive and send notices of all meetings as required, shall assume responsibility for all correspondence and communication and shall assume responsibility for maintaining the Minute Book within the school.
Treasurer - Melissa Orr-Langner
The Treasurer shall receive all money paid to the Council and deposit same in whatever financial institution the council may order, properly account for the funds of the Council using acceptable bookkeeping methods and shall present a full detailed account of receipts and disbursements to the Council whenever requested and shall prepare for submission to the Annual General Meeting and the School Board and submit a copy of the same to the Secretary for the records of the Council.
Each of these positions becomes available at our Annual General Meeting. Please consider joining the executive team and aiding in moving our Council forward this year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Members of the School Council can be reached at: stlukeparentcouncileics@gmail.
Because School Councils are not permitted to fundraise, the creation of the St. Luke Parent Association was a necessity. Historically, our fundraising has been accomplished with both community events (such as a Halloween dance) as well as the purchase of items to be sent home (such as The Mixing Spoon and poinsettias). Fundraising this year is going to look a little different. If you have any ideas or suggestions please send them to stlukeparentassociation@gmail.
