Education System Experience

She joined the school council at Mount Hope Elementary in September 2013 becoming Chair in September 2015 until present day.  As part of this role, Amanda joined the HWDSB Rural School Committee, a committee dedicated by HWDSB to hearing from the parents of students in the schools outlined by the Ministry of Education as rural schools within HWDSB.  In 2015 Amanda joined the HWDSB Parent Involvement Committee, a Ministry of Education legislated committee to ensure the voice of parents across the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board are consulted on important education matters, as well as providing a more in depth view into the workings of a school board.  Amanda became Vice-Chair of the Parent Involvement Committee in 2017 and followed this up with being elected as Chair in the 2018-19 school year, a role that she held for the maximum two-two year terms.  Her successful leadership of this committee will end with start of the 2022-23 school year in September.

During her time as the Chair of the Parent Involvement Committee she helped create the HWDSB School Council Manual along with school board principals and staff.  This manual has helped to standardize processes and involvement across all HWDSB School (Parent) Councils.  An opportunity to engage parents and principals together through an annual School Council training night arose from this, Amanda was one of the key presenters on School Council training, helping to bring an understanding on how a successful School Council can work.

One of the biggest initiatives Amanda undertook while involved with the Parent Involvement Committee was School Council/Principal relationship building through meetings with any school requesting support from both a council or principal request.  Building strong healthy relationships between parents and principals is key to ensuring students are given every opportunity in their journey to becoming successful individuals.

In the 2019-20 school year Amanda began the process of applying for a Parent Reaching Out Grant, provided by the Ministry of Education to engage parents in meaningful ways, to hold a school board wide parent engagement evening on Resiliency in Children.  Unfortunately as plans were being finalized for an in person event to be held in a High School auditorium the COVID pandemic hit us and put a pause to this event.   Through the 2020-21 school year Amanda worked closely with school board staff and PIC members to move on with this event virtually.   In June of 2021 a very successful "Virtual Evening with Karl Subban" as the guest speaker on everyone's part in raising resilient children took place. 

In the 2021-22 school year Amanda worked closely with school board staff to create "Parent Engagement" information evenings open to any parent or caregiver in HWDSB.  Topics included the Safe Schools Review.