Councils give parents the 'in' on their kids' schools

(Thanks to Jaime for sending this article in.  Our AGM is coming up soon on September 27th.  Come out and get involved in your childrens' school!)

Source: Shannon Sutherland, Calgary Herald

When Janis Giroux comes cruising down the corridor at her 16-year-old daughter's school, she doesn't necessarily expect a shout-out and a great-to-see-ya.

After all, teenagers often tend to tolerate parents at home, but at school, parents are just plain embarrassing. But the dedicated mom volunteers as a school council member at the schools of both her teenager and her seven-year-old -- like it or not, she says with a laugh.

"If you want to know what is going on your kids' schools, that is definitely the place to go," says Giroux.

"And gett ing involved in a parent council gives you a chance to be 'they.' Instead of saying why don't 'they' do that or why don't 'they' do this, you can do it yourself."

She says sometimes people misunderstand the role of a school council and use it as a forum to voice concerns about staffing or other issues, but she says it is a place for parents to partner with the school.

Giroux says an effort to att end meetings and a willingness to help out is all that is required.

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