About School Council
Our Mission
The mission of the School Council is to enrich the student experience by fostering a strong, inclusive, and collaborative partnership among the parents/caregivers, educators, and wider community of Bowmore Road Junior and Senior Public School. This group of volunteers aims to achieve this by funding and delivering fun and engaging initiatives to the students to support a positive and nurturing school environment.
We aim to:
Engage and empower parents and caregivers to be active participants in their children's education.
Facilitate open communication and collaboration between families, school staff, and the wider community.
Advocate for resources, programs, and initiatives that enhance the academic, social, and emotional development of our students.
Celebrate the diversity of our community and promote respect, understanding, and inclusivity.
Organize and support events, activities, and fundraising efforts that enrich the school experience and strengthen our school community.
Together, we are committed to creating a supportive network that champions the success and growth of every student at Bowmore Road Junior and Senior Public School.
Our Structure
Council is made up of elected members and volunteer committee/initiative leads.
Our committees provide specialized programming and initiatives for our school and student body. Committees are set either in June of the prior year or early in September for each school year based on our ability to find volunteers to spearhead. We are always looking for interested and motivated people to jump start initiatives for Bowmore students. Feel free to reach out if you don’t see an idea represented that you want to take on - or if one of the vacant roles is something you could assist with.
For more information on our formal structure, review our by-laws here.
There are many different ways you can get involved with Council.
Put your name forward as an elected Executive member - executive positions are as outlined in the by-laws and help run the machine of Council itself. Information on those positions and who currently holds them is available below.
Put your name forward as an elected non-executive voting member of Council. In addition to the executive positions, there are (maximum 24 total) elected Council Members. These voting members can approve the Council budget or vote on other matters as required by the by-laws. For more information on our 24 elected members for 2025-2026 click here.
Participate in Committees - you do not need to be on the executive or be an elected member to help with any Council initiatives - including Committees. Take a look at the options below and feel free to reach out and get involved in any initiative that speaks to you.
Join as an “at-large participating member” - these are people who don’t want to be elected voting members, but do want to participate in Council’s organizational business in addition to any of the public meetings. Reach out to us via email if you’d like to be an “at-large participating member” of Council
Come to the meetings! You don’t need to do any of the above to be included. All caregivers and stakeholders of the Bowmore community are welcome at our public School Council meetings. Dates will be posted on our website and in the school bulletin - please come!!
2025/2026 Elected Members and Committees
2025/2026 elected Executive Members
Co-Chairs: Leah Anderson Vojdani & Jenn Engels
works with the Principal and Vice-Principals on School Council related matters; oversees School Council initiatives and provides guidance and support to sub-committees; develops agenda and chairs School Council Meetings
Secretary: Andrea Pettie
attends and takes minutes at each School Council meeting; prepares these minutes for draft review prior to subsequent meetings; prepares the Council Updates for the weekly Bowmore Bulletin
Communications Coordinator: Emily Harris
updates website and online presence and assists Secretary as needed with all external communication requirements
Treasurer - Erik Switzer
responsible for all financial transactions of School Council (ie writing cheques, depositing money and keeping a record of all money movements); works closely with Chairs and Principal to draft and present budget for spending; prepares and submits interim and final bank reconciliation documents to the TDSB
Elections Lead - Vacant (currently taken on by the Chair)
facilitates the School Council election by collecting nomination forms and works with nominees to fill the electable positions
Bowmore Carnival Committee - Lisa Perelman & Jess Dexter in fall 2025 [will be looking for new chairs for the September 2026 event]
Pizza Lunch - Sarah Dales and Julie Moncrieff
Grade 8 Graduation - Andrea Maugham and Lisa Perelman
Bowmore Spiritwear - Andrea Maugham
School Dance-a-thon - Katerina Sherif
Bowmore Rocks (parent social) - vacant
Teacher Appreciation lunch - Leah Anderson Vojdani & Lisa Perelman
DPA Drive - Veronica Logu
Make-it Fair - vacant
Movie Night Coordinator - vacant
School BBQ - vacant
2025/2026 Committee Leads and Opportunities
3. Community and School Engagement Committees
Formed to coordinate and work with school led initiatives. These are parent-led initiatives that we do our best to support. Please contact us for more information on any of the below and we can put you in touch with the parents leading the charge.
Literacy Committee - Claire DeVeale
Accessibility Committee - Kristen Millar
4. Support for School Programs and School-Led Initiatives
The roles and committees below are those the plug directly into School led committees, programs and initiatives. School Council members and volunteers act as caregiver representatives in some instances, and augment the offerings provided by the school in other instances. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Structural Committees
These are Council Committees formed to assist with the workings of Council. Some are mandated by the TDSB to ensure the smooth operation of Council
Budget Committee - [To be formed in April]
By-Law Committee - Leah Anderson Vojdani & Emily Harris
Communication, Engagement and Diversity Committee - manages stakeholder communication (including school-wide emails, council email account, website, and social media)
Prior members: Leah Anderson Vojdani, Tanya Mustachi, Ashley Jane Lewis, Imelda Chan, Lisa Perelman, Erin Church, Anne Jamieson [feel free to volunteer]
Volunteer Coordinator - maintain and update volunteer contact lists. Encourage participation from parents, students and staff. [vacant]
Grant Writer Lead – develop grant submissions on behalf of Bowmore School Council. Opportunities may be researched or suggested by members of the Bowmore Community. [vacant]
2. Fundraising and Event Organizing Committees
Council fundraising is co-ordinated across initiatives by the Fundraising Committee (Katie Worndl, Erin Worndl, Emily Harris).
Individual fundraising initiatives each have their own chair(s) who coordinate and implement a fundraising event plan with input from School Council. Funds raised in these roles are key to student enrichment activities at Bowmore.
Caring & Safe Schools Lead - work with, and support, school administration to meet their commitment to creating an environment that is caring, safe, peaceful, nurturing, positive, respectful and that enables all students to reach their full potential.
Leah Anderson Vojdani, Tanya Mustachi amongst others
School Snack Program - Lisa Kvapil
Lice Checks - vacant
Health & Wellness Lead – work with, and support, Bowmore School to implement initiatives that support good mental and physical health. [vacant]
Diversity & Inclusion Lead – work with Council, Students and Administration to encourage social justice and equity within the Bowmore community. Develop, plan and implement at least one Community Engagement event with a focus on diversity and inclusion with input from School Council. [vacant]
Eco Lead - work closely with the school administration and student ECO team to implement “green” initiatives. Update school council on green team activities, identify potential grant opportunities and develop content for the monthly school newsletter. [vacant]
5. Government and Stakeholder Outreach
Government Advocacy - works with other councils and stakeholders to represent Bowmore student needs in areas of government advocacy [vacant]
Ward 16 Representative - attends Ward 16 Trustee meetings and reports key learnings at School Council meetings. [vacant]
Ward 32 Liaison - coordinates resources between the school and the Fairmount Park Community Centre by exploring ways to get more programming such as after school activities scheduled in the School and CC. Establish contacts with Ward officials to explore new ideas. [vacant]
See something you can assist with?