Council Minutes -11/11/07

Briar Hill Junior School
Council Meeting – November 11, 2007

Present:
Mary Whittaker – Principal
Daniel and Sue Hill
Trina Byrne
Amanda Abad
Karen Yellan – Chair
Carol Lunansky
Julie McFayden - Secretary

Welcome.

Minutes of the previous meeting – An amendment was made to the minutes of the previous meeting. The next pizza lunch is on November 23rd not 30th.

Treasurer’s Report – The Treasurer was absent and therefore no report was provided.

Principal’s Report:

Missions Statement and School Improvement – Briar Hill teachers came up with a mission statement for the school which incorporates the following principles: A safe and caring environment that is consistent with the mission of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB); a challenging academic program that encourages students to perform; model active living.
· Gym Ceiling – The repairs are currently being priced by Design and Construction. Mary indicated the repairs could take as long as 3 months to complete. She suggested that parents could speak with the Superintendent about speeding up the process if they wanted to help. Julie McFayden volunteered to make the call.
· Playground update – Mary advised that the playground would be priced by November 19th therefore we can add this item to December’s agenda.
· Halloween update – Mary reported that one of the special needs children pulled the fire alarm during the dance. The fire department was quickly advised of the false alarm however the same student also made off with the keys for the school resulting in a bit of a situation. They were eventually found.
· Teacher update – A teacher has been identified to replace Mrs. Traculia. Menitia Patel is enthusiastic and energetic. Her approach to literacy is on par with Briar Hill’s and she is very strong in classroom management. Mary is very pleased and believes she will fit into the Briar Hill culture very nicely. On another note, Eva gave birth to a baby boy, 6 lbs 7 ounces.
· Mary’s Dog Murphy – Mary brought in her dog for a day. The dog spent time with the special needs class. The visit went very well.
· QSP – Mary received a message asking when Briar Hill would like to participate in another magazine campaign fundraiser. Parents indicated that the timing was not right at the moment. There are too many other things going on, namely the coupon book campaign.

Chairperson’s Report:

· Reading Recovery – Trina reported that there are currently 4 students in the program (3 – Grade 1, 1 - Grade 2,). The Grade 2 will be discontinued next week and the selection process will start again. Four to 6 students will be picked.
· Toronto Schools on the Move (TSM) – 4 students were selected for playground leader workshops. The students learned different playground activities to lead other students during recess. A schedule will be set up where each student will pick 1 activity to do over a 2 week period. Other Grade 4 & 5 students will be trained to take over as the program is rolled out.
· Pep Rally – The launch of TSM is scheduled for November 16th at 1 p.m. Cheerleaders will perform outside on mats. It will also be blue and yellow spirit day. The banner will be unveiled and there will be a number of prizes and draws as well as goodie bags which include health pamphlets.

Fundraising – Parents vocalized their disappointment with how the coupon book fundraiser was positioned. They had not agreed to apply the money raised to the basketball nets as the letter to parents stated. While they initially agreed to indoor basketball nets, when the Board price came in at almost 3 x the initial amount quoted parents were outraged. Mary apologized for the misunderstanding and advised that she would send out a note to parents to clear things up. She also explained that the permission note had to be sent out to parents based on the Board’s liability requirements. Parents felt that if that is the case, the Board needs to be consistent with all fundraising efforts as QSP requires no such permission note.

Date for next pizza day – December 14, 2007
Dance-a-thon – scheduled for February 14, 2007
Other Business:

· Julie advised that the blog site is active and has current info on it. The address is briarhilljps.blogspot.com. She asked Mary to ensure that all parents are advised of the address and encouraged to log on to check for current info. The site will be a way to engage parents in what’s happening at the school in the event they cannot make it out to council meetings.
· Fridge – Karen was not able to source a new fridge for under $750. Parents were in agreement that she should go ahead and purchase it.

Date for next meeting – December 6, 2007.