About Us


Mission
Through the active participation of parents and community members, the Forest Hill
Collegiate Institute School Council will work towards improving student achievement
and enjoyment of the high school experience.
Forest Hill CI School Council 2016 - 2017

Chair:
Beth Rossen



Members 
Jennifer Bensky
Doris Chan
Andrea Aldor
Necdet Kaybaki
Francine Chanel
Linnette Diseko
Arnold Rossen
Cheryl Ray-Wagner




Forest Hill Collegiate Institute School Council Constitution
Revised - May 2009
Article 1 – Name
The organization shall be known as Forest Hill Collegiate Institute – School Council (FHCI-SC.)
Article 2 – Mission
Through the active participation of parents and community members, the School Council will work towards improving student achievement and enjoyment of the high school experience.
Article 3 – Non-Profit Organization
The FHCI-SC, is a non-profit, un-incorporated, organization that abides by this “School Council Constitution” in accordance with the Education Act and Ontario Regulation 612.00.
a. Any fund raising activities will be conducted in strict accordance with applicable polices established by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), utilizing, when required, the resources of the school administration. All funds generated are to be directed towards enhancing the school experience.
Article 4 – Objectives
The objectives of the FHCI-SC are to improve the school’s learning environment by;
a. Enhancing the lines of communication among parents/guardians, administrators, teachers and students within the school community.
b. Soliciting input and comment from the parent/guardian body.
c. Providing a forum for input into educational matters for members of the school community.
d. Raising funds through a variety of activities, to be spent on behalf of the student
community.
e. Communicating with the TDSB and its committees, all School Council ideas, concerns and recommendations.
f. Advising the principal on issues and concerns of the parent body.
g. Supporting school improvement initiatives.
Article 5 – Membership
Each member of the FHCI-SC will abide by the TDSB Code of Ethics. The FHCISC will be comprised of the following;
• A minimum of 6 and a maximum of 15 parents/guardians of all students enrolled at Forest Hill Collegiate.
• FHCI School Principal or designate (Vice Principal.)
• One teacher currently employed by the school (selected by the teachers at the school.)
• One student representative from the Student Council
• One representative from the local community (but not part of the School nor a parent/guardian)
Article 6 – Elections
Elections for parent membership onto Council will follow the guidelines established in the document “FHCI-SC Council Member Nomination and Election Procedures”:
a. School Council elections will be held within the first 30 days of the school year.
b. The term served by Council members shall not exceed one year; however, a Council member may serve more than one term if nominated and re-elected in following years, provided she/he meets the guidelines for participation on the Council.
Article 7 – Council Vacancies
If any school council positions become vacant because of resignation, inability of a member to fulfill his or her roles and responsibilities, or other cause, the remaining members shall still constitute the School Council, unless the parent/guardian majority is not maintained.
a. The FHCI-SC will fill Council vacancies by appointing members from the non-elected candidates from the previous election.
b. If none of the previous candidates remain interested in becoming a Council Member, the Council may request that interested parents/guardians from the school community submit their names for consideration. The Council shall then appoint one of those who indicates an interest.
c. The term of a new Council member who has filled a vacancy created through the year will expire at the time of the next election.
Article 8 – Executive Committee
An Executive Committee will be made up exclusively of parents/guardians currently sitting on the FHCI-SC and will be elected by the membership of the FHCI-SC in attendance at the general meeting at the beginning of the school year. No parent employed by the TDSB may serve as Chair or Co-Chair. The Executive Committee will be comprised of;
• Chair
• Vice Chair (or Co-Chair)
• Past Chair
• Secretary (Co-Secretary)
• Treasurer
• Fund Raising Co-ordinator
• Ward Representative
Article 9 – Committees
The FHCI-SC may establish committees to make recommendations to the Council at large:
a. Any committee may include both members of the FHCI-SC as well as parents/guardians who are not members of the School Council.
b. Chair or Co-Chairs of the FHCI-SC may join these committees as ‘ex-officio’, non-voting members.
Article 10 – Meetings
While Government guidelines call for a minimum of four School council meetings per year, the FHCI-SC will strive to hold one meeting every month during the course of the school year.
a. The agenda of the general meeting will be created by the Chair or Co-Chair and distributed electronically before each meeting.
b. The School Principal will distribute information about all Council meetings to all parents/guardians of children enrolled at FHCI prior to the meetings.
c. Efforts will be made to circulate in advance information on issues that will be brought to a vote at Council.
d. The number required for quorum shall be a majority of the total number of parent members on the FHCI-SC.
e. The Principal (or designate) shall attend each meeting and present a report on school developments.
f. All Council meetings shall be open to the public.
Article 11 - Quorum
A majority of parent/guardian Council Members must be present to have a duly constituted meeting of the FHCI-SC. Should a quorum for a general meeting not be reached, the meeting shall proceed; however, the voting on matters will not take place but will be deferred to a subsequent meeting where quorum is established.
Article 12 – Voting
a. Each member of the School Council is entitled to one vote in votes taken by the Council.
b. All parent/guardian members of a committee, including those who are not members of the School Council, are entitled to one vote taken by the committee.
c. Votes taken at meetings with quorum will be passed with a majority vote.
d. Any member of the School Council or of any of its committees who has a conflict of interest in any matter shall identify him/herself to be in conflict of interest on that matter. They shall also excuse themselves from any vote where there is a conflict of interest.
e. The Principal (or designate) is not entitled to vote in votes taken by the FHCI-SC or by a committee of the School Council.
Article 13 - Conflict Resolution
While the FHCI-SC will conduct its affairs in an open manner that demonstrates
respect for the diversity of opinion, there may arise occasions when conflicts arise that
cannot be resolved through normal discourse.
a. It is the role of the Chair to ensure that the Council functions in a manner that is
open and expressive of the diversity of opinion.
b. The Chair has the authority to ensure in an appropriate and measured manner that
proper decorum is maintained at Council meetings.
c. If all reasonable attempts at resolving the conflict have been exhausted without
success, the Chair may request the intervention of the TDSB Superintendent or
other senior administrator to facilitate a resolution to the conflict.
Article 14 - Amendments
Any proposed change or addition to the Constitution must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the FHCI-SC at least two weeks prior to a general meeting and placed on the agenda. The change must be presented in motion form and passed by a majority vote at a general meeting with at least 80% of the parent members of the FHCI-SC present.
Article 15 - General
a. The FHCI-SC will keep minutes of meetings and records of financial transactions, to be made available for examination at the School office at all times.
b. The FHCI-SC will produce an annual written report of council activities to be presented to the Principal and TDSB at the end of the school year



FOREST HILL COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE ELECTION BYLAWS
1.   Elections shall occur within the first 30 days of the start of each school year.
2.   Each parent/guardian seeking election:
• must be nominated or self-nominated in writing;
• must have a child registered at the School;
• and must declare if he or she is employed by the Toronto District School Board and currently working at the School.
3.   Each parent/guardian of a student enrolled in the School shall be entitled to one vote for each vacant parent/guardian membership position on the Council. In the event of a tie for the final position, the successful candidate will be determined by lot.
4.   An Election Committee shall be struck no later than May to help plan the election process, the gathering of nominations, and the running of the election. It is preferable but not essential that the members of this committee be of outgoing School Council parents/guardians. The Principal must be on the Election Committee.
5.   The Election Committee shall:
• provide nomination forms;
• ensure that the school community is notified of election procedures and election dates at least fourteen (14) days in advance of the election;
• request a profile from all candidates and make these available to the electorate;
• conduct the elections by secret ballot;
• count the ballots;
• help the Principal notify all candidates of the results;
• keep all results and related information confidential.
6.   Only the names of the successful candidates shall be made public. A list of candidates and the vote results will be kept on file by the Council for use in the event that a vacancy on the Council occurs.
7.   All individuals standing for election shall be notified of the results before the results are publicized to the School community.
8.   The School Council shall help the Principal ensure that the names of new members are publicized to the school community within thirty days of the election.
9.   The appointment of the Community Representative to the School Council is to be made by majority vote at a meeting of the School Council.
10.  At the first meeting of the new School Council at the beginning of the school year, the Council shall set dates, times, and locations for its meetings throughout the year.