School Council's purpose is, through the active participation of parents, to improve student achievement and enhance the accountability of the education system by making recommendations to the Principal and the Board. Why? Because parent involvement has been shown to improve student success!

Parents can play many diverse roles in a school:
  • We can advocate for the best possible educational environment for our kids.
  • We can support the teachers and administration in their initiatives.
  • We can help our kids by showing them how much we value the school.

We do not fundraise, we rely entirely on your voluntary, one-time contribution at the beginning of the year. We provide a huge variety of supports and activities - visit the School Council Funding page to see what we do. Interested in joining School Council? Let us know!

School Council meetings are doors open, everyone is welcome. Meetings include reports from the chairs and committees, Council business, and the Principal's update. Items and questions for discussion can be sent to nss.school.council@gmail.com. Votes, as required, are taken by the elected and appointed members. For this year's dates please visit the Meetings & Minutes page. 

School Council 

School Council's voting members include parent (15), student (1), teacher (1), staff (1) and community (1) members. The principal participates in an advisory role. Each year, all positions on school council are open!

The 2023-24 council is:
  • Principal: Adam Marshall
  • Co-Chairs: John Bakous & Omar Becerril
  • Co-Treasurers: Jen Ankenmann & Gaya Sathiyamoorthy
  • Co-Secretary:  Jessica Miklos & Kristina Turner
  • Teacher Rep: Susan Woodward
  • Student Rep: TBA
  • Community Rep: Diana Goldie, Tania Osmond & Melissa Rosen
  • Parent Reps: Andy Anderson, Jen Ankenmann, John Bakous, Omar Becerril, , Elena Comelli, Abby Dwosh, Giovanni Grasselli, Jessica Miklos, Ana Rodrigues, Anna Rutledge, Natasha Sachs-Pepe, Gaya Sathiyamoorthy, Kristina Turner  

Important Documents

  • School Council's Constitution describes how the Council operates, its purpose, objective, governing principles and how stakeholders can participate. ​
  • School Statement of Needs (SSON). Every fall, all school councils give their superintendent a summary of their school/community’s priorities in the event the school will be having a change of principal. 

Positions on School Council

There are 6 leadership positions within our School Council. There are no term limits but all positions are for one year only, running from October-October. The positions are elected by and from within the new School Council at the first meeting of the year. We encourage new parents to consider applying for these positions in order to provide continuity from year to year as parents "graduate". There are also 15 general parent member positions.
Co-Chair ​(2 positions)
​The co-chairs of the council are elected by the council members and must be a parent/guardian. The co-chairs are voting members who, in addition to performing the same duties as other council members, arrange for meetings; prepare agendas; chair council meetings; ensure that minutes of council meetings are recorded and maintained; facilitate the resolution of conflict; participate as ex-officio members of all committees established by the school council; communicate with the school principal on behalf of the council; being a co-signer on the council's bank account.
Co-Treasurer ​(2 positions)
​The co-treasurers of the council are elected by the council members and must be a parent/guardian. The co-treasurers are voting members who, in addition to performing the same duties as other council members, are responsible for the financial recording and reporting required by the Board; preparing the draft and final budgets for approval by the council; preparing and presenting updated financial information at all meetings; being a co-signer on the council's bank account.
Co-Secretary ​(2 positions) 
​The co-secretaries of the council are elected by the council members and must be a parent/guardian. The co-secretaries are voting members who, in addition to performing the same duties as other council members, are responsible for preparing draft and final minutes of all Council meetings; ensuring that these and all other documentation under consideration by the School Council are uploaded onto this website;  preparing and presenting draft minutes at all meetings; being a co-signer on the council's bank account.

​Members of Northern School Council

How Many*+
Type
Chosen by...
​Voting
Notes
1*
Principal
By being Principal
No
Must attend all meetings of School Council (VP may attend in lieu) and has broad responsibilities summarized in section 5.6 of the Guide for School Councils.
15
Parent Members
Elected by parents at beginning of school year
Yes (15)
​Parent representatives are voting members who: participate on any committees established by the school council; contribute to the discussions of the school council; solicit the views of other parents and members of the community to share with the school council; observe the council’s code of ethics and established bylaws.
1+
​Student Representative
Elected by students
Yes (1)
​The student representative is a voting member who: contributes to the discussions of the school council; solicits the views of other students to share with the school council; may participate on any committees established by the school council; communicates information from the council to other students; observes the council’s code of ethics and established bylaws.
1*
Teacher Representative
Elected by teachers
Yes (1)
Teacher representatives are voting members who: contribute to the discussions of the school council; solicit views from teachers to share with the school council; may participate on any committees established by the school council; communicate information back to teachers; observe the council’s code of ethics and established bylaws.
1*
Non-teaching Representative
Elected by non-teaching staff
Yes (1)
School staff representatives are voting members who: contribute to the discussions of the school council; solicit views from non-teaching staff to share with the school council; may participate on any committees established by the school council; communicate information back to non-teaching staff; observe the council’s code of ethics and established bylaws.
1*
Community Member
Appointed by School Council ​
Yes (1)
The community representative is a voting member who: contributes to the discussions of the school council; represents the community’s perspective; may participate on any committees established by the school council; helps build partnerships and links between the school and the community; observes the council’s code of ethics and established bylaws.
* required by regulation    + can be amended by Bylaws

Did you know?

School Councils are required and their purpose is mandated by Ontario Regulation 612/00:

  • The purpose of school councils is, through the active participation of parents, to improve pupil achievement and to enhance the accountability of the education system to parents. ​
  • A school council’s primary means of achieving its purpose is by making recommendations in accordance with this Regulation to the principal of the school and the board that established the council.

How can I participate?