Nettie Baccus Elementary School
Student Council Constitution
Article One (Name)
The name of this organization shall be the Nettie Baccus Elementary School Student Council, hereinafter called the Council.
Article Two (Purpose)
The purpose of the Council shall be to:
1. Strive for good citizenship.
2. Respect all individuals in the school and community.
3. Involve all students in sharing ideas to make our school the best it can be.
4. Promote school spirit.
5. Give all students practice in democracy in action.
6. Provide service to groups in our school and community.
Article Three (Membership)
Section 1: All students in Grade 5 shall have the opportunity to make application to and serve in the Student Council, to vote, to offer ideas for Student Council action, and to be nominated for office.
Section 2: All members of each year’s fifth grade class are eligible to become a student council member. An application and membership agreement must be completed and signed by parents/guardians. Two members of each fifth grade class section will be selected to represent their class in Student Council.
Section 3: Two students from each section of First through Fourth grade shall be eligible to serve as “at large” members of Student Council. At Large members can vote and participate in all Council activities, but shall not be allowed to serve on the leadership team.
Section 4: The Student Council shall have an elected leadership team. The leadership team shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer who are elected by the Student Council members by ballot.
Section 5: The principal of Nettie Baccus Elementary School shall be the final authority over all actions of the Student Council.
Article Four (Eligibility for Member in Good Standing)
Section 1: (Qualifications) A student who wishes to be in for the Student Council shall:
1. Be a good citizen in the classrooms, on the playground, in the lunchroom, and when representing Baccus in the community on campus or away.
2. Be a hard-working and diligent student.
3. Relate well to other students and adults.
4. Be interested in being a Student Council member in good standing.
Section 2: (Nominations & Election of Officers)
Each section in Grade 5 shall nominate one student from the Fifth grade representatives to be candidates for election of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Elections shall take place in a grade level assembly by secret ballot no later than the last week of September of each school year. The student receiving the majority of votes shall be declared the winner. The election of officers will be completed prior to October 30th.
Section 3: (Elections)
Membership applications shall be completed and submitted by interested students the last week full week of September each year. (New students to the campus will be provided Student Council information and application at enrollment.) The application will request students to prioritize their committee service interests. Upon selection, student members will be assigned one of the committees to serve on for the year.
Section 4: (Powers and Duties)
Each Student Council member shall be responsible for
performing the duties of membership including: attend leadership and committee meetings, be an active voice for students in the school, complete committee service responsibilities, set a good example for others, and show school spirit.
Article Five (Officers and Sponsors)
Section 1: The officers shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2: (Nominations) Two or more candidates for each office shall be nominated by 5th grade students. Teachers will review desirable leadership qualities for officers with the class prior to accepting nominations. Nominees must agree to write a one page essay describing skills they possess that would make them an ideal candidate to represent others before being considered an “official” nominee. Essays must be turned in by the announced deadline to their teacher prior to classroom selection of nominees. All candidates must have the approval of the principal.
Section 3: (Elections) The election of officers shall take place no later than October 30h of each school year and shall follow procedures approved by the Principal. There will be no cost associated with holding an office in the University Park Elementary Student Council.
Section 4: (Duties and Powers) The officers shall have the powers and duties listed for
each office in the Student Council Guidebook. All elected Student Council officers will attend an orientation to school leadership at no cost.
Section 5: (Term of Office) The term of office for all officers shall be one calendar year, from the completion of the elections to the last day of school.
Section 6: (Sponsors) The Sponsors shall be members of the school staff who shall be
responsible for fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of a sponsor. Sponsors shall file a
calendar of activities by the 1st of November.
Article Six (Removal from office)
Any officer or representative may be removed from office at the recommendation of the Sponsors and principal, for poor attendance at Council meetings, failure to perform
required/requested duties, unsatisfactory academic performance, or failure to follow school rules or class rules. A meeting will be help with the student and parent/guardian prior to removal to review reasons for the removal.
Article Seven (Committees)
Section 1: Section 5: ( Standing Committees)
Baccus Elementary shall have the following four school committees: Baccus Spirits Soar (Promoting School- Wide Pride), School Service Committee (Service to Others, School Service Projects), Baccus Buddies(Mentors, New Panther Welcome), and Baccus CARES (Showing care for others in our community).
Section 1A: The Executive Committee shall be the Officers, the Sponsor, and the Principal. No meeting of the Executive Committee shall take place without either the Sponsor or the Principal in attendance. The Executive Committee shall approve the activity plans of each committee and set the Student Council Calendar of meetings and projects for the year.
Section 1B: The Elections Committee shall consist of the sponsors and the principal. It shall be responsible for making arrangements for general elections, including notifying homeroom teachers when homeroom elections are to take place, and conducting the general election.
Section 1C: The Baccus Buddies Committee. It shall be responsible for serving as friendly hosts and hostesses to new students and to visitors, and mentors to new students to Nettie Baccus Elementary School.
Section 1D: The Baccus Spirits Soar Committee. It shall be responsible for promoting
Baccus Pride School-Wide. The Baccus Spirits Soar Committee shall determine four special dress days during each school year—two in the fall and two in the spring and communicating these days to all students on the campus with posters.
Section IE: Baccus CARES. It shall be responsible for showing care for teachers and staff members at Baccus on their birthdays. It shall make cards for Baccus students that are hospitalized. It shall provide support as needed for students and staff in special circumstances. It shall recognize Baccus student star quality performances.
Section IF: The School Service Committee. It shall be responsible for determining the service projects of the Baccus Student Council and the plan for the ways and means to accomplish the goals set in the plan. Service projects shall be selected to benefit the community at large. One service project shall be designated to provide a benefit to the families of Baccus.
Article Eight (Meetings)
Section 1: Student Council meetings shall take place at least once a month to conduct the business of the council. During each meeting, students will be taught a “Lesson in Leadership.” The Student Council membership will decide each year the appropriate meeting dates and times. The meeting dates and times will be placed on the calendar of activities. For example: first Thursday of the month at 7:30 a.m. An agenda shall be prepared and handed out to each member of the Student Council at least one day before each meeting. Student Council members may initiate agenda items. All items for agenda must be submitted to the sponsor or principal two days before a meeting. Additional agenda items may be added at the beginning of each Student Council meeting by a majority vote of Council members. If a quorum (half of Council members
plus one) is not present for a meeting, no Council action may be voted upon.
Section 2: Committee meetings shall be scheduled to complete the work plan of each committee.
Article Nine (Voting Procedures and Rules)
Section 1: Each member shall have one vote.
Section 2: All motions require a second; all motions require (for passage) a majority vote of the Council members.
Section 3: Roberts Rules of Order, Revised Edition shall be the authority on any questions of parliamentary procedure
.
Section 4: Any and all actions of the Student Council are not official until approved by the Principal.
Article Ten (Amendments)
This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Student Council members.
Student Council Campaign Rules and Election Proceedings
The Election Proceedings for Student Council Officers shall be completed in a two week
window each September. The timeline will be communicated to students in a general
assembly of the fifth grade students.
STUDENT CAMPAIGN GUIDELINES:
Campaign:
Nominees for the school-wide offices will be permitted to make 10 flyers (81/2 x 11) to advertise their candidacy. The posters should be student made using markers,
crayons, photos, or computer lettering, etc. Once approved by the sponsors, these posters may be affixed to the walls in the main building, pillars in the cafeteria, or walls in the gym with tape. All flyers shall be approved by the Student Council Sponsors before posting. Approved posters will have the initials of the approving staff member in the bottom right corner.
Students ARE NOT permitted to make any false promises or make bribes on their
campaign posters or speeches (candy, pencils, buttons, balloons, money, changing school rules, e.g., extending recess periods) in order to get votes.
Students are not permitted to use the telephone after school hours to seek votes.
Students may not campaign door to door to secure votes.
NOTHING may be exchanged for a VOTE.
Students making false promises or violating these rules will be disqualified from
election.
Election Day:
Nominees for the school-wide Student Council Offices will prepare a 2-3 minute speech that will be given to fifth grade classes in an assembly. The speech must be reviewed and approved by the homeroom teacher of the candidate. Students are encouraged to practice their speech to make sure it fits the time requirements. (A sponsor shall be designated to time each speech and provide a 30 second warning to the candidate using a cue card from a seat in the audience.)
Ballots:
Election ballots for Student Council Office will be distributed in the assembly. Students will bring a pencil for marking ballots after each series of campaign speeches. Results will be tabulated and an announcement of Student Council Officers for the year will be made.
Results:
Student Council Officers are announced by the principal or designee and introduced to the school on the intercom.
Sponsors for 2009-10:
Mrs. Betty White,