Our first School Council meeting of the 2026–27 school year brought together 33 parents, guardians, students, staff and community members - our largest turnout yet!

But the number is only part of the story.

People joined because they wanted to get more involved, learn how the School Council works, meet our new principal, raise questions about transportation, or find ways to make Henry Wise Wood an even better place for students.

That's what we hope Wisewood Families can create: a place where people come together, share ideas and find ways to contribute.

🧑‍🎓Student voices at the table

We were excited to welcome our new student representatives, Isadora S. (Grade 11) and Katie D. (Grade 10) to School Council. Student representatives bring a direct student perspective to Council and can share questions, ideas and issues from the student community. We also want to recognise and encourage the many ways students contribute to the school community, whether or not they hold a representative role

At this meeting, Lily M. (Grade 11) presented the Land Acknowledgement and Selina M. (Grade 12) voiced concerns about transit. These contributions are an important part of bringing student perspectives and experiences into our conversations. 

But we don't want student engagement to stop at the Council table.

Throughout the year, we'll be creating a range of opportunities for students to get involved with Wisewood Families and School Council - from attending meetings, helping at school events such as Passport to Success and Meet the Teacher, to taking on defined volunteer roles supporting Council work, such as administrative support or social media coordination.

We're looking forward to finding more ways to support students to contribute and help shape their school community.

👋 Meet our new principal

We were also pleased to welcome Principal Michelle Hornby, who introduced herself to families and shared some of her background and first few weeks at Henry Wise Wood.

Michelle spoke about the strength of the school community and the importance of parent engagement and communication with teachers. She also shared information about our diverse student population and current staffing. We will share these slides on our website.

🚌 Let's talk transportation

Transportation was our first Council Conversation - and it generated plenty of discussion.

Families and students shared experiences with:

• overcrowded buses

• long commute times and multiple transfers

• delays and unreliable service

• limited after-school transportation

• changes to direct routes from some southwest communities

Rather than trying to solve everything in one meeting, the Council agreed that the first step is understanding the issue better.

The next step is to explore ways to gather information from students and families about affected communities and routes.

Transit Survey: Has transportation been a challenge for your family?

Please take a few minutes to tell us about your experience. We'd love to hear from you. HWW Transit Survey

💡 From ideas to action

The Wise Wood Wish List

A new process will make it easier to submit funding requests to the School Council and Parents & Alumni Association, and track them over time  including the request, funding decision and impact on students.

If there is something your classroom, club or team needs, please speak with your teacher or staff support person first to help avoid duplicate requests. Anyone can also submit a request directly through the Wish List online form

We may not be able to fund every request, but the Wish List will help us better understand needs across the school and plan our fundraising and funding priorities accordingly. 

At this meeting, funding was approved for:

$500 - December Staff Appreciation
$750 - January Fuel Your Brain
$340.60 - Chris McMaken memorial books
$1,335.03 - GATE breakout room wobble chairs

🙌 Get involved - wherever you are

This year, we're focused on meeting families where they are.

There are lots of ways to connect with Wisewood Families - sign up for our newsletter, follow us on Instagram and/ or Facebook, say hello at school events, join a School Council meeting, or volunteer when you're ready.

Every level of involvement helps build our community.

Wherever you start, we're glad you're here!

📅 What's next?

September 28 (online)  School Council Bylaw Review Meeting 

October 26 • 6:00 p.m. (in person) Special Meeting — proposed bylaw amendments

October 26 • 6:30 p.m. (in person) Annual General Meeting

📍In person at Henry Wise Wood High School

The October meetings are an opportunity to learn more, participate in the governance of School Council and help shape the year ahead. We encourage families to attend in person, as having enough members at the table is important to moving forward with the bylaw amendments and the work the Council has been developing over the past few months. 

💙 Thank you for showing up.

Whether you came to ask a question, listen, represent students, volunteer or simply learn more — you helped make this a record-breaking start to the year.

We're looking forward to seeing where the conversation goes next.

See you at the next one!