About Us - By-Laws

ARTICLE V: Committees

5.1 The President of STAO is an ex officio member of all committees.

5.2 AD HOC COMMITTEES

5.2.1 Ad hoc Committees shall be struck and their terms of reference set by the Board of Directors as they are needed and reviewed on a regular basis.

5.2.2 Members of Ad-hoc Committees are subject to the direction of the Board of Directors and shall hold office at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

5.2.3 The first meeting of an Ad hoc Committee is at the call of the President.

5.3 STANDING COMMITTEES

5.3.1 The Membership Committee. It shall be the duty of the Membership Committee to:

5.3.1.1 promote membership in STAO/APSO;

5.3.1.2 monitor the handling of data by the Membership Office;

5.3.1.3 review the membership fee structure annually;

5.3.1.4 recommend initiatives to the Board of Directors that will increase the number of memberships in STAO/APSO;

5.3.1.5 provide liaison with current corporate members and solicit articles from them for the Crucible

5.3.3.3 carry out other duties as outlined in the Policy and Procedures.

5.3.2 The STAOCom Committee. It shall be the duty of the STAOCom Committee to:

5.3.2.1 review and approve all articles for Crucible;

5.3.2.2 establish a publication schedule for each year;

5.3.2.3 establish the advertising cost per page and part thereof;

5.3.2.4 establish and monitor a target for advertising revenue;

5.3.2.5 provide direction and assistance to the Editor and Production Manager of Crucible

5.3.2.6 carry out other duties as outlined in the Policy and Procedures.

5.3.3 The Elementary Curriculum Committee. It shall be the duty of the Elementary Curriculum Committee to:

5.3.3.1 be a resource to the Board of Directors on policy related to science education from Kindergarten to Grade 8,

5.3.3.2 be a resource to STAO members through workshops, publications and articles in Crucible.

5.3.3.3 promote the teaching of science in Elementary Schools.

5.3.3.4 respond to ministry initiatives that deal with elementary curriculum,

5.3.3.5 vet STAO resources that deal with elementary education

5.3.3.6 create curriculum resources that relate to elementary curriculum

5.3.3.7 write and solicit articles for Crucible

5.3.3.8 review and recommend elementary curriculum initiatives

5.3.3.9 promote STAO to elementary educators

5.3.3.10 carry out other duties as outlined in the Policy and Procedures.

5.3.4 The Secondary Curriculum Committee. It shall be the duty of the Secondary Curriculum Committee to:

5.3.4.1 be a resource to the Board of Directors on policy related to science curriculum from Grade 9 to Grade 12

5.3.4.2 be a resource to STAO/APSO members through workshops and publications and articles in Crucible;

5.3.4.3 support the teaching of science in secondary schools

5.3.4.4 respond to ministry initiatives that deal with secondary education

5.3.4.5 vet STAO resources that deal with secondary education

5.3.4.6 create curriculum resources that relate to secondary curriculum

5.3.4.7 write and solicit articles for Crucible

5.3.4.8 review and recommend secondary curriculum initiatives

5.3.4.9 promote STAO to secondary educators.

5.3.2.5 carry out other duties as outlined in the Policy and Procedures.

5.3.5 The Safety Committee. It shall be the duty of the Safety Committee to:

5.3.5.1 be a resource to the Board of Directors on policy in safety in science education,

5.3.5.2 be a resource to STAO members through workshops, publications and articles in Crucible,

5.3.5.3 monitor the safety concerns of experiments determined by the Ministry of Education to be mandatory or highly recommended

5.3.5.4 carry out other duties as outlined in the Policy and Procedures.

5.3.6 The Internal Relations Committee. It shall be the duty of the Internal Relations Committee to

5.3.6.1 monitor the operation of the STAO Resource Centre and provide assistance when necessary;

5.3.6.2 assist the Treasurer in the financial planning of the association;

5.3.6.3 plan the involvement of the Board of Directors at the STAO Annual Conference;

5.3.6.4 develop procedures that ensure effective and efficient communication amongst members of the Board of Directors and the membership of STAO;

5.3.6.5 maintain and update the Board of Director's Handbook, as needed;

5.3.6.6 develop and maintain a human resource list of "experts".

5.3.6.7 carry out other duties as outlined in the Policy and Procedures.

5.3.7 The External Relations Committee. It shall be the duty of the External Relations Committee to:

5.3.7.1 provide liaison with organizations having interest in science education, including, but not limited to MOET, TVO, Teacher Federations and science-based businesses and industry;

5.3.7.2 pursue potential sources of funding and grants and corporate sponsorship and membership:

5.3.7.3 coordinate STAO/APSO activities with those of other subject associations;

5.3.7.4 monitor the news media for science education issues and bring these to the attention of appropriate groups within the association;

5.3.7.5 assist the Board of Directors to develop position statements on issues dealing with science education;

5.3.7.6 act as a resource to the Board of Directors

5.3.7.7 carry out other duties as outlined in the Policy and Procedures.

5.3.8 The Conference Committee(s). It shall be the duty of the Conference Committee(s) to:

5.3.8.1 plan and carry out a conference consisting of high quality workshops and presentations to further STAO/APSO’s mission following procedures outlined in the Conference Manual.

5.4 REGIONAL COMMITTEES
It shall be the duty of Regional Committees to:

5.4.1 promote STAO/APSO within their regions by organizing events such as workshops and mini-conferences;

5.4.2 monitor and promote membership in STAO;

5.4.3 solicit articles for STAO publications from individuals within their region ;

5.4.4 develop an effective communication network within their region

5.4.5 carry out other duties as outlined in the Policy and Procedures.