The Niagara Catholic District School Board continues to involve parents in ways that benefit students. On October 23, 2008 the Niagara Catholic Regional School Council hosted an evening for Catholic School Councils Chairs and School Councils members. The annual Chairs meeting has been hosted by the Regional School Council for the past 8 years. The guest speaker for the evening was the newly appointed Director of Education, John Crocco who talked about the partnerships between the Niagara Catholic District School Board and parents.
Parents lead three break out sessions.
A panel discussion lead by members of the three pilot schools who are currently working with the Student Learning a Parent Focus program. Parent Involvement Committees described their success and challenges in engaging parents as wells as offering advice for the next cohort of pilot schools.
The second session was designed for newly elected Catholic School Council Chairs and it was lead by a team of experienced Catholic School Council Chairs.. The parent facilitators guided the discussion around the role of a Catholic School Council Chair and School Councils. Each school was provided a Chair’s Handbook, filled with ideas to guide school principals and school councils in fulfilling their roles as supports for student achievement.
The Third session was targeted as Catholic School Council Chairs for Secondary School. The issues are considerably different for parents with children in the high school setting.
