Elementary Committees

Membership is welcomed in any of the appropriate committees.

elementary students holding onto rope waiting for tug of war to start

Principal’s Advisory Council (PAC)

Purpose

Principal's Advisory Council (PAC) is to work in conjunction with the principal in developing and/or addressing additions or modifications to the school's programs or policies. The PAC will serve in an advisory function to provide recommendations. The PAC will also keep parents informed about the events at school and maintain an ongoing dialogue between parents and the administration of Gouverneur Elementary.

Responsibilities include:

To assist the principal in the establishment of program priorities to meet the educational needs of all students;
To facilitate intra-school and inter-community communication;
To promote commitment to common school goals;
To respond to student, faculty and parent concerns;
To assist in finding solutions to management challenges;
To make recommendations to the principal by identifying educational concerns having school-wide implications.

The PAC will strive to achieve a membership consisting of:

One parent from each grade level
School counselor
A grade level representative from PK, K, 1, 2, 3, 4
One Special Education representative
Two support staff representatives
One special areas representative
Principals
Other members may be added at the council’s discretion

Agenda Items

The PAC chairperson and the principals will establish agenda items. There will be time at each meeting for any member of the PAC to speak about issues related to the school. Parents are encouraged to contact their grade-level representative to communicate ideas and concerns. Minutes will be recorded and posted for all stakeholders.

Meetings

The PAC group will meet monthly on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:30 a.m. in the Gouverneur Elementary Library or as scheduled.

elementary students in snow gear playing in the snow

Building Shared-Decision Making Team (BSDM)

Purpose

The Building Shared Decision Making Team is a cooperative team of teachers, parents and administrators who will be engaged in identifying educational issues, defining goals, formulating policy, and implementing and assessing activities to help students reach standards of excellence. The purpose of the team will be to create/sustain a productive dialogue about teaching and learning. This ongoing inquiry and discussion will enable us to have common goals, take collective actions and study the effects on student learning. Specifically, the team will:

Seek, examine, implement, assess ways to improve student success, performance, and well-being
Encourage innovation, collegiality and meaningful professional development
Address building goals and objectives
Foster a team approach to problem-solving
Broaden ownership and accountability for decisions
Communicate with the District Shared Decision-Making Committee and share relevant information

Meetings

The Shared Decision Making Team will meet monthly on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:30a.m. in the Gouverneur Elementary Library or as scheduled.

student on spiral pole at the playground

Sunshine Committee

Members of this committee find ways to help spread happiness to the staff throughout the year through different ideas, activities or energizers. Staff appreciate and enjoy the little ways this committee tries to boost morale in our school. The Sunshine Committee is just a little way to help teachers stay happy and positive throughout the year. This committee might plan socials, organize treat days, and give little appreciation gifts throughout the school year.

Meetings

To be determined by Chairperson and committee

a male student reading to his classmates thta are sitting in a circle on the carpet

PARP Committee

Parents as Reading Partners is a PK-4 program that encourages reading and literacy-based activities for students and their families sponsored by the PTO. Special reading events are organized and planned by this committee with support garnered through the PTO. Other PARP related events, including talks with visiting authors, help bring out the fun in reading and educate our community on the importance of literacy. Read Across America in March centers around a special month of reading activities and themed events as designed by this committee. There is a direct connection between this committee back to the BearClub reading and incentives. A chairperson facilitates the organization of these activities and events ensuring administration awareness and support with final approval from the PTO group.

Meetings

To be determined by Chairperson and committee

male elementary students in stalls touching a horse on the nose

FACE

Family & Community Engagement Committee is dedicated to strengthening family and community participation in the improvement of student achievement at the school and district levels. This committee creates opportunities for families and community members to engage in our school activities through various planned activities or events. This committee may consider having curriculum nights to bring families in for new learning opportunities. Another role this committee is tasked with would be to explore ways to connect community members back to the school to support student achievement.

Meetings

To be determined by Chairperson and committee

Spirit Committee

This committee is a collaboration of students and staff who are committed to the celebration of school spirit at Gouverneur Elementary. Through the development of intentional programs, fun events and awareness building, this committee is devoted to enhancing the overall experience of our students and staff while exploring to understand what it means to be a Wildcat. This committee will also be tasked with organizing the Character Education Programming for our students in collaboration with our school counselors.

Meetings

To be determined by Chairperson and committee