Philosophy and Policy

The Philosophy and Policy Committee works to define and document the HPAS philosophy and supporting policies, including defining areas for which policy is required and determining/implementing the policy. This committee also supports the teachers by providing activities and support as requested by the teachers to enhance the curriculum to support the philosophy and also ensures that the school’s philosophy and policy is well understood and realized by the student and parent body. The committee is made up of any interested parents and also a teacher representative. The Philosophy and Policy Committee Chair, or designate, is a member of the Parent Executive Committee.

Chair:

Committee Plan for HPAS 2010/2011

DATE Completed/Updated: November 2010

TEAM NAME: Philosophy and Policy Committee

Committee Mandate: The Philosophy and Policy Committee works to define, document and support the activation of the HPAS philosophy and policies, including defining areas for which policy is required and determining/ implementing the policy. This committee also supports the teachers by providing activities and other facilitation as requested by the teachers to enhance the curriculum’s actualization of HPAS philosophy and also ensure that the school’s philosophy and policy is well understood and realized by the student and parent body. The committee is made up of any interested parents and also a teacher representative. The Philosophy and Policy Committee Chair, or designate, is a member of the Parent Executive Committee.

Committee Lead, members and roles (if appropriate)

Name of Committee Lead:  Vacant

Name of Committee Team Members: ****potential not confirmed

• Teacher representatives:
• Other potential members at large:

Approximate Meeting Schedule for the year:

• Date and time of First Meeting of the year:  January 2011 exact date to be determined
• Approximate time of the following meetings: 2-3 meeting TBD

How do you communicate with the HPAS parent body?  On an as need basis via email and web posting

High Level Objectives for the year (1 to 3):

1. Animate, actualize and ‘play’ with our current values
2. Determine the ‘limits’ of how we might actualize our values; limits both institutional (e.g., the TDSB mandate puts parameters on what we can do) and normative (e.g., the HPAS community does not have consensus/endorse certain activations of our values)
3. Engage more of the HPAS community – especially our kids in the animation of our values

Key Actions for the year:

1. Draft and animate/educate effective and respectful social networking media use
2. Update our handbook and conduct a year end survey to determine what was important to the HPAs community this year (with support from the executive committee
3. Support equity in articulating a HPAS equity and diversity policy and in actualizing this through such activities as First Nations engagement (i.e., through the sacred mounds of High Park
4. Support equity in advocating for a full time OA, a .5 vice principal and a guidance counsellor
5. Support Environmental and Social Justice Committee in actualizing our values through activities such as education on environmental and social determinants of health (e.g. through recycling of pharmaceuticals)
6. Support teachers in the TOWN activity so that it activates and actualizes our values
7. Work with HPAS community, particularly teachers, to see how our ‘small school culture’ can be maintained