Council Minutes- 10/04/08

Present:
Mary Whittaker – Principal
Carol Lunansky
Manisha Patel
Paul Dover - Treasurer
Karen Yellan – Chair
Julie McFayden - Secretary
Sue Hill

1. Welcome

2. Minutes of the previous meeting – A spelling correction was made to Mrs. Segal’s name.

3. Treasurer’s Report – Paul reported an opening balance of $6,906. A new fridge was purchased for $600.20 and a deposit was made for $358.40 from the last pizza lunch. The new balance is $6,929.75.

There was a discrepancy between the balance reported at the last meeting and the current balance. The amount reported last time was $7,209. Paul also referenced a deposit which he was unclear about. The discrepancy will be resolved by the next meeting.

Paul reported on the accounting seminar he attended for the Board of Education. He advised of the Board’s request for year-end parent advisory budgets to be supplied in Quicken. Karen outlined the challenge in doing so – we would need to purchase a new license each year - and indicated that they have accepted our budgets in Excel in previous years. Mary will follow up with the Board contact to see how we should proceed.

4. Principal’s Report:
• Brush-a-mania – Dr. Dick Ito will be visiting the school this month to deliver a 15 minute presentation to all students. Every child will receive a toothbrush and a diary where they will be required to keep track of their brushing habits for the chance to win prizes. Joe Volpe plans to stop by in support of the program.
• Playground meeting – A meeting is scheduled for April 16th to discuss the start-up of the playground project. Mary invited parents to attend. The meeting would take place outside in the playground.
• Engineering Week Award – Two Grade 4 students won second place in the Engineering Week competition. The students were asked to design an eco-friendly transportation alternative.
• Walkway – Mary outlined the need for a walkway between the two gates at the front of the school. Increased foot traffic is wearing the grass down. One parent suggested she approach the playground crew about putting something in place. She will do so and report back.
• Sign – Mary got estimates from two companies. The estimate she preferred quoted the sign at $4,753. We would need to add $1,000 - $1,200 on top of this as the cost for the School Board to dig, pour cement and post holes for the sign. No decision was made on how/if we would be proceeding.
• Jump Rope for Heart – This is currently going on now.
• Parking Letter - A concerned parent wrote to Mary about the no stopping signs that the City plans to install as a result of the parking problem in front of the school. While the signs will make the conditions safer for children, parents will be further inconvenienced. He suggested convening a meeting with parents and community members in order to work out a viable solution. He also offered assistance in recruiting parent volunteers to act as crossing guards. Mary will follow up on what would be required for parents to volunteer. She will also draft a letter to hand deliver to specific parents who may be able to assist.
• Lockdown – A lockdown is scheduled for April 15th.
• Community Clean-up – This event is scheduled for April 18th. Students who do not have permission to leave the school premises will clean-up the school yard while other students will clean up the park by Dufferin/Castlefield.
• Multi-Cultural Dinner – This event is scheduled for April 24th.
• STOPP and ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) Training – Scheduled for April 29th.

5. Fun Fair – Updates are as follows: Chubby’s said no, Beaumanville Zoo is providing passes, mystery bag flyers went out today, and we need shoe boxes for ticket collection, Canadian Tire money is coming in. A short list was also made of other organizations we can approach. These included, Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe’s, Sobey’s, Future Shop and Tim Horton’s.

6. Fundraising QSP – Parents agreed that we are not prepared to undertake this right now. We will commit to doing it in the fall if our contact agrees to complete all the paperwork for us. We will need her commitment in writing if so.

7. Pizza Lunch – The next lunch is scheduled for May 2nd.

8. Ms. Patel – Hot Dog Days – Manisha went over her plans and all agreed that hot dog lunches would be spread over the week of May 12th to accommodate all grades with ease. Rice Krispie squares will also be available. This is a fundraising opportunity to raise funds for the Grade 4 class field trip.

9. Next Meeting – May 8th.