Council Minutes - 6/12/07

Briar Hill Junior School
Council Meeting – December 6, 2007

Present:
Mary Whittaker – Principal
Trina Byrne
Karen Yellan – Chair
Julie McFayden – Secretary
Paul Dover - Treasurer
Carol Lunansky

1. Welcome

2. Minutes of the previous meeting – The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and approved.

3. Treasurer’s Report – A deposit was made for $1771.50 bringing the current balance to $6,428.13. Deposit money was for entertainment books sold from the fundraiser. Total profits from the fundraiser were $847 making it a worthwhile effort.

4. Principal’s Report:

Superintendent – Jeff Hainbuch came for a visit to Briar Hill on November 27th and commented on the great atmosphere in the school. He says the school has a very nice feeling when you walk through it.
• Gym Ceiling – The repairs are scheduled to start on December 21st. Tony, the Caretaker has agreed to open up the school each day to facilitate the repairs. Unfortunately the ceiling will not be repaired in time for the holiday concert. Mary also advised that there are some loose floor tiles which she will advise Design and Construction about.
• Daycare – Mary is still exploring the possibility of a daycare at Briar Hill despite the fact there are no subsidized spots available. She indicated there may be some logistical challenges with equipping the school for a daycare as washroom facilities are currently not sufficient.
• Playground update – There was nothing new to report. Mary will continue to follow up.
• Choir – Mary advised that the choir engagement for Yorkdale had been cancelled by HBC. She called around to other establishments to see if an alternative performance could be arranged to avoid disappointing the children. Fairbank Community Centre for seniors was delighted to host them although notice was very short. Students will walk to the community centre accordingly.
• Parking –Mary advised of the increasingly dangerous parking situation during drop-offs and pick-ups and the fact that parents are disregarding the designated bus zone. The frustrating parking conditions were made worse by the snow banks. One parent suggested placing pylons in the bus zone however the logistics of this would need to be fleshed out. Mary advised that she would be calling the parking authority to try to get the situation under control. On a positive note, she reported that the Board had provided the school with a garden tractor and snow plow.

5. Chairperson’s Report:

• Pep Rally – The pep rally was a huge success. The students went wild when the cheerleaders came out and were thrilled to learn their own Briar Hill cheer. Trina was delighted at the level of school spirit exhibited by students. The rally launched the Toronto Schools on the Move program.
• 2 Fruit Tuesdays – Trina reported on the success of this initiative, which promotes healthy eating. The program will run until the end of December at which time there will be two draws for prizes. She advised that vegetables also qualify.
• Health Matters – Dec 14 – A group will come in to put on a FREE health fair. There will be different stations set up in the gym dealing with a range of health issues (e.g. hand washing techniques, pharmacist, etc.). The fair will be open to all grade levels.
• Reading Recovery – The student that was given their final assessment passed with flying colours. This means he no longer has to be part of the program. Five new students were also assessed for entry into the program. One will be chosen. Ms. Byrne and Ms. Ciesielka attended a workshop in order to determine what they can improve on.

6. Character Development in Action – Parents in attendance at the meeting were shown a short video highlighting some of the character attributes the Toronto District School Board is considering adding to the school curriculum. Each school is required to provide their top 12 picks based on input from teachers and parents. Each parent was therefore provided with 12 stickers and asked to select from a list of 24 character attributes. Some of these included: respect, initiative, responsibility, honesty, inclusiveness, resilience, optimism, self-discipline, self-respect, empathy, sympathy, courage and optimism. Ten character attributes will be selected by the Board.

7. Date for next pizza day – January 25, 2008 (notice to go out on January 14, 2008).

8. Date for next meeting – January 17, 2008.