Council Minutes - 21/02/08

Present:
Mary Whittaker – Principal
Eric Yerlen
Karen Yellan – Chair
Carol Lunansky
Paul Dover – Treasurer
Manisha Patel – Long-term occasional teacher (Grade 4)

1. Welcome

2. Minutes of the previous meeting – the minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

3. Treasurer’s Report – Paul reported that net profit to date from the January pizza lunch was $195.59, giving us a current bank balance of $7,016.62.

4. Principal’s Report:
• Dance-a-thon– this was a great success raising a little over $700 for the cause. Congratulations everyone! Karen showed us an envelope specifically made for donations right on the envelope; a copy was taken, and we’ll research where we can get them.
• Wake-Up Wednesdays – many activities took place in the hallways. Karen was concerned, as apparently the Grade 5’s were not doing any DPA. Mary will have this corrected.
• Police Presentations – a police constable will visit the school next Tuesday & Wednesday, to give a talk on class-appropriate issues (traffic safety, etc.).

Parking Problem – Howard Moscoe’s visit – Howard Moscoe met with Briar Hill School on Jan. 22 to discuss the problems re parking, student drop-offs, etc. in front of the school. In attendance was Howard Moscoe , Jack Sinopoli (Supervisor, Traffic Operations), Bob Cott, and Howard Goodman (trustee) from the City, and Trina Byrne, Tony Minchella, Mr. Pagano (parent) and Mary Whittaker. A number of possible solutions were brought forward and discussed during the meeting; the proposed solution - making the area on both sides of the street in front of the school a No Stopping zone, patrolled on a daily basis by police (or Parking Authority); a very small 15 minute parking area to the west of the bus loading zone; moving the present sidewalk north and create a boulevard between the sidewalk and the road. (During the winter, the boulevard would be used to collect snow ploughed from the road.) This would also involve moving the current fence surrounding school property from city land to school land.

Howard Goodman suggested identifying parents who are contributing to the parking problems in order to have individual conversations with them. He also suggested identifying those parents who had expressed concern for student safety due to parking to enlist their support.

• Kindergarten Registration – occurs next week, potential students must be 4 years old.
• School Daycare – daycare for Briar Hill School has not been successful, as we were not able to come up with personnel or programs that were up to our standards.
• ABA Training – for autistic children; there was a session last month, ensuring that all involved are interacting the same with the children. The second session is scheduled for March 26 – we have 12 signed up so far.
• STOPP (Students Triumph Over Peer Pressure) – this is a group of mostly African-Canadian children, who do performances & workshops throughout the country. This shows our cultural diversity, and addresses major issues (resist peer pressure, stop the violence, etc.). Mary proposed to have them perform at the school (cost = $500); as well, in conjunction with STOPP, there is an afternoon with the First Nation dancers and drummers from Kitkatla, who also do an exciting show (cost for both = $800). After some discussion, it was agreed to have both performing groups put on their shows for the school.
• School Organization 2008/2009 – Mary handed out the projected enrolment for 2008/2009, asking that we put together a class structure, based on the numbers given.

5. Fun Fair – Sue has contacted all her suppliers; most say call again in April. It was mentioned that Julie will call her contacts next week. Karen hopes to get some prizes, raffles at a discount (or free) this year, instead of simply buying prizes at full price. Mary will contact Karen’s boss to solicit ‘bargains’ on science booths, presentations, etc. for the fair.

6. Bake Sale – scheduled for March 28. Mary will make a Bake Sale schedule, and determine the layout for this year’s sale. The Grade 5’s will look after raffle sales.

7. Other – Manisha put forth a proposal for a field trip for the Grade 4’s; as they are currently studying castles, she thought a trip to Casa Loma would be appropriate. The entrance cost is $8 per student. A special program where the students are bused there and back would cost $145 ($25/student). To fund this, Manisha suggested a hot dog sale; she has a fairly large grill, and volunteers could cook and administer the whole thing. This would be open to the entire school. After some discussion, it was agreed, as these sales are always successful at Briar Hill. Manisha wants her students to learn responsibility, run this fundraiser themselves, for their field trip – this will encourage participation, cohesiveness, etc.

8. Date for next meeting – Tuesday, March 18th, 2008.