School Council Representative Information Guide

The School Council Representative at Brown Junior Public School has a pivotal role by acting as a communication pathway between teachers, parents, and the School Council. While their function is at the class level, they facilitate the engagement of all parents in the school. This is an important role at every level and particularly useful for new parents to the school.

This document explains the value of and vision for School Council Representatives at Brown School. It provides guidelines for the role, explains how to become a School Council Representative, and provides materials to support Volunteers’ success throughout the school year. 

In the guide, the term “parent” refers to either a child’s parent or guardian. For simplicity, the term “parent” is used to embrace both.

The guide was produced in collaboration with the school administration and its intended audience is parents and teachers. 

The Role of School Council Representatives at Brown School

How School Council Representatives Support Teachers

• School Council Representatives help facilitate communication to and among class parents, a process that hinges on having accurate contact information that individuals have consented to share. At the start of the school year, Parent Council will ask parents in a letter and/or online to:
  1. Consent to receiving Parent Council communications; and
  2. Provide their contact information. This will be used for Parent Council emails. It will also be shared with their child’s School Council Representative who will create and manage a class contact list for the purposes of sending information to parents related to classroom, school, and Parent Council-related matters.

• School Council Representatives solicit feedback from the classroom teacher regarding Parent Council-related events or initiatives (eg. literacy workshops).
• At the request of the teacher, School Council Representatives may also provide general in-class support which may include, but is not limited to: 
  • • Sending reminders to parents about important events, or notices about changes in-class activities (eg. pool closures).
    • Organizing support from parents for in-class initiatives (eg. Halloween party). 
    • Arranging opportunities for other parents to lead the organization of class-related activities (eg. coordinating the Holiday Hamper).
    • Encouraging parents to support/participate in school events (eg. Garden Fête).
    • Accompanying the class to events. 

• Researching parents’ expertise to welcome in-class guest speakers, for example, people with skills like speaking a foreign language, interesting jobs, etc. 

How School Council Representatives Support Parents

School Council Representatives help to build and enrich the Brown School community. Acting as liaisons, they help to facilitate communication between parents, the classroom teacher and Parent Council, as well as communication amongst parents who might not otherwise have opportunities to connect to one another.

• Preparing the class list is instrumental to giving parents direct contact information for each other, as well as introducing them to the names of students in the class. It serves as a helpful reference when creating birthday party invitations, or labelling tags for Valentine’s Day cards, for example. 
• School Council Representatives may also support parents by:
  • Informing and sending reminders to parents about class-related activities.
  • Highlighting different opportunities for parents to become involved in school-related initiatives as needed.
  • Being accessible online to answer questions about classroom or school-related activities and events (eg. pajama days, Fall Fling, Movie Night, school concerts, guest speaker events).
  • Collecting ideas or requests from parents to be forwarded to the classroom teacher.
  • Coordinating teacher appreciation gifts on behalf of the class, including determining if gifts will be divided among all the teachers who instruct the class, and how the breakdown will be allocated.

How School Council Representatives Support Parent Council

School Council Representatives support Parent Council by:

• Acting as a messenger between Parent Council and classroom parents.
• Soliciting feedback from classroom parents for Parent Council-related issues, events or initiatives.
• Soliciting participation in different activities managed by Parent Council (eg.  class Holiday Hamper).
• Projecting a positive, inclusive image of Parent Council to convey the fact that parents’ feedback is always welcome by them.  

Protocols of the School Council Representatives 

Paramount to the role of the School Council Representatives is the understanding of confidentiality of the parents, students and teachers within the school community. This role requires mutual trust, communication and a willingness to promote a harmonious environment for all.

Primarily, the class teacher is responsible for the children in their care. The School Council Representative is to support the class teacher and therefore adhere to the teacher’s directions. 

A School Council Representative does not circumvent the parent-teacher relationship. If a parent has any concerns regarding their child’s education, the School Council Representative must advise the concerned parent to speak with the teacher or school administrator directly.

What is the Time Commitment for This Role? 

Parent Council and teachers understand how much effort and time it takes to raise a family and to balance this with work in many cases, and we thank you for sharing some of your valuable time volunteering at Brown School. We hope it’s a role you enjoy! 

The time commitment involved in the role varies, depending on the initiative. Email communication may take less than an hour a week. Supporting projects would take more time, depending on the scope of help needed, and the amount of help available from other in-class parents.

The role of School Council Representatives can also be assumed by more than one parent, so parents can team up if preferred. This will take some coordination but may lighten the load.

Sample Letter – School Council Representative Introduction Letter to Parents

Below is a template of what should be sent at the start of the school year. I would suggest making a class contact list in Google Sheets as it is easy to share. School Council Representatives are very welcome to personalize it!

Dear Parents of Students in <teacher’s name> Class,

My name is <your name>, parent of <your child’s name>, and I’ll be your School Council Representative this year. I hope to meet you and your child soon!

My role as School Council Representative is to act as a liaison, helping to facilitate communication between parents, the classroom teacher, and Parent Council. I also help parents to connect with each other, starting here with sharing the <Room number> Class Contact List. Updates will be provided as they become available; please advise of any errors or omissions.

At the request of <teacher’s name>, I will provide general in-class support by communicating information to parents; organizing parent support or participation in activities (eg. Fall Fling, Movie Night, school concerts, guest speaker events); sending reminders about important events or notices about changes in-class activities (eg. pool closures); and highlighting different opportunities for parents to become involved in school-related initiatives.

Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments you have about classroom, school, or Parent Council-related activities, and I’ll help find the answers.

If you see me, I’d love you to introduce yourself. 

Warm regards,

<Insert name>

<Contact details>

Attach Completed Class Contact List