Briar Hill Junior School
Council Meeting Minutes – January 7, 2010
Attendance:
Mary Whittaker, Principal
Paul Dover, Treasurer
Julie McFayden, Secretary
Lynn Cover, Education Assistant Support Staff
Tyler Steel
Dorothy Steel
Bernadette Ryan-Phillips
Welcome - meeting started with a report from Lynn Cover.
Lynn and Trina sat in on the ARC break out group with the West Prep parents.She was very encouraged by their attitude. They talked openly and are in support of keeping Briar Hill open. They see it making more sense to close Fairbank. Closing our school has more impact on our community. Suggest making us k-6 and Fairbank Memo K-8. A contact address of a parent was passed on to us by Lynn. Most were parents and there was one teacher from West Prep.Mary talked about development of programs in collaboration with Fairbank Seniors Centre.
• Minutes from the previous meeting were reviewed and approved.
• Treasurer’s report – Paul apologized for not having a report this evening. He had problems generating the report. He will forward the numbers via email to Julie.
• Principal’s report – Mary has a meeting next week with Don MacKenzie re photographs for next year. He currently does Fairbank Memo, John Wanless and a number of other schools. He will bring a package.She also spoke with Life Touch who have done our pictures in the past. Mary circulated a package for parents to browse through. They provide an option to change the background in photos. She can suggest they come to our next meeting to present to parents. They do not have a birthday bookmark like what Edge Imaging now provides. We get a 10% rebate on all sales.Parents agreed to the presentation. We also discussed setting the photo shoot earlier in the school year, however Mary expressed a concern about the monetary burden that may be placed on parents so early in the school year. Mary will follow up re the banner from Edge Imaging.
• Mary was in touch with Dwight – the DJ for the Dance-a-thon. It will be $150, fun fair will cost $300. Bernadette advised that we should have a credit with him. Mary tentatively booked him for June 3th. Mary says she will ensure he will provide age appropriate songs. Dance-a-thon is booked for February 19th. Parents agreed to use him for both events.
• Business from the Minutes – Mary asked Paul to provide the cheque for $2,000 for the snack program.
• Uniform shirts – long sleeved order is still outstanding. Mary has not been able to connect with Leslie to determine status. Mary will continue to follow up.
• There is a ward meeting next Tuesday at John Wanless School if anyone is interested. A reminder will be sent home for parents.
• Next pizza day – January 18th. Mary indicated she will most likely need volunteers since Leslie has not been available. February 22nd would be the next pizza lunch.
• Next meeting – Tuesday February 23rd.Fun Fair – Bernadette reminded us that we need to start sending out the letters from now. Mary has identified a couple of parents who she feels would be willing to assist with the arrangements.
Mission
At Briar Hill we provide an inclusive, nurturing learning environment where students will strive to succeed to the best of their ability. We provide an enriching, well balanced academic program with a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy. We actively promote and practise healthy lifestyle choices to enable our students to achieve positive physical and emotional well being. We value a respectful and equitable partnership with our diverse community. Together we endeavour to build a strong foundation for our student’s life long learning.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Council Minutes - 18/11/09
Briar hill Junior Public School
Council Meeting Minutes – November 18, 2009
Attendance:
Mary Whittaker, Principal
Nicolas Amores
Paul Dover, Treasurer
Nicolina Amores
Julie McFayden, Secretary
Tyler SteelAleksandar Cvetcovic
1. Welcome
2. Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
3. Treasurer’s Report – Paul reported a balance of $ 4,083.70. This will increase as there is QSP money and pizza money to deposit.
4. Principal’s report:
- Multicultural Night was reported in the last minutes. The event went very well.
- Picture retake day is November 23rd for those photos that did not turn out well.
- The Remembrance Day assembly went well. We were not able to have a veteran visit the school this year. Mary says she tries to focus on peacekeeping in her assembly address. Guides and Brownies participated in the ceremony.
- The nutrition program is up and running and doing well. We still need help with the snack assembly. Most teachers give the snack at recess. Mary will continue to ask for support in the newsletters.
- ARC – Accommodation Review Committee has identified 10 areas where schools are below capacity and Briar Hill is one of them. Fairbank and West Prep are also under review. The Board is looking at switching to a JK – grade 8 model and are looking at schools that can accommodate. Jeff Hainbach, our superintendent of education met with the staff at lunch today. He advised that it is not a done deal that Briar Hill will close. That is why public meetings are being held. Julie and Paul will be Briar Hill’s parent representatives on the ARC committee. There are four public meetings that all parents can attend. The first one is on December 8th a Fairbank Middle School. The ARC provides recommendations, however it is the trustee that makes the final decision. Our trustee is Howard Goodman. Howard.goodman@tdsb.on.ca.
Parents have a big role to play. They need to voice their opinions if they don’t want the school to close. Our school is old and we are under enrolled which are two factors working against us.
One parent asked if the school was being used for community events. She advised that the ScoutsAbout program is running at the school, however that is all.
Mary also established that we are at about 48% enrolment when asked.
- The Kindness Program is returning on Dec 8 & 9. This is where a lady brings her dog cleo in to teach certain principles to students.
- holiday concert – December 9. Preparations are underway.
A suggestion was made to use the concert as an opportunity to address parents about the school review. All parents were in agreement. Julie agreed to put something together for review at the next council meeting.
7. Uniforms – quite a lot of students have ordered long sleeved shirts.
9. Translation list – Ms. Lynette Aschar Sobbi is putting together a list so that notes to parents whose first language is not English can be prepared in their language. The note would be attached to important notices going home for parents. It would request that they ensure they have it translated.
10. Other business – Jeff Hainbach visited the school today. He says this is a wonderfully literacy rich school. Hi only suggestion was that more student work could be displayed.
11. The next meeting was scheduled for December 9, 2009.
Council Meeting Minutes – November 18, 2009
Attendance:
Mary Whittaker, Principal
Nicolas Amores
Paul Dover, Treasurer
Nicolina Amores
Julie McFayden, Secretary
Tyler SteelAleksandar Cvetcovic
1. Welcome
2. Minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
3. Treasurer’s Report – Paul reported a balance of $ 4,083.70. This will increase as there is QSP money and pizza money to deposit.
4. Principal’s report:
- Multicultural Night was reported in the last minutes. The event went very well.
- Picture retake day is November 23rd for those photos that did not turn out well.
- The Remembrance Day assembly went well. We were not able to have a veteran visit the school this year. Mary says she tries to focus on peacekeeping in her assembly address. Guides and Brownies participated in the ceremony.
- The nutrition program is up and running and doing well. We still need help with the snack assembly. Most teachers give the snack at recess. Mary will continue to ask for support in the newsletters.
- ARC – Accommodation Review Committee has identified 10 areas where schools are below capacity and Briar Hill is one of them. Fairbank and West Prep are also under review. The Board is looking at switching to a JK – grade 8 model and are looking at schools that can accommodate. Jeff Hainbach, our superintendent of education met with the staff at lunch today. He advised that it is not a done deal that Briar Hill will close. That is why public meetings are being held. Julie and Paul will be Briar Hill’s parent representatives on the ARC committee. There are four public meetings that all parents can attend. The first one is on December 8th a Fairbank Middle School. The ARC provides recommendations, however it is the trustee that makes the final decision. Our trustee is Howard Goodman. Howard.goodman@tdsb.on.ca.
Parents have a big role to play. They need to voice their opinions if they don’t want the school to close. Our school is old and we are under enrolled which are two factors working against us.
One parent asked if the school was being used for community events. She advised that the ScoutsAbout program is running at the school, however that is all.
Mary also established that we are at about 48% enrolment when asked.
- The Kindness Program is returning on Dec 8 & 9. This is where a lady brings her dog cleo in to teach certain principles to students.
- holiday concert – December 9. Preparations are underway.
A suggestion was made to use the concert as an opportunity to address parents about the school review. All parents were in agreement. Julie agreed to put something together for review at the next council meeting.
7. Uniforms – quite a lot of students have ordered long sleeved shirts.
9. Translation list – Ms. Lynette Aschar Sobbi is putting together a list so that notes to parents whose first language is not English can be prepared in their language. The note would be attached to important notices going home for parents. It would request that they ensure they have it translated.
10. Other business – Jeff Hainbach visited the school today. He says this is a wonderfully literacy rich school. Hi only suggestion was that more student work could be displayed.
11. The next meeting was scheduled for December 9, 2009.
Council Minutes - 22/10/09
Briar HillCouncil Meeting Minutes – October 22, 2009
Attendance:
Mary Whittaker, Principal
Paul Dover, Treasurer
Julie McFayden, Secretary
Seelochanee Rooraj
Victor Amahagwu
Sonya Amahagwu
Dereje Tedeneke
Dorothy Steel
Bernadette Ryan-Phillips
Welcome
Treasurer’s report – Paul advised that our current balance is $4,619.58. This includes about $1,000 for uniform money and $500 for the garden grant.
Principal’s report - Mary advised the following:
1. Partnership with St. Alban’s boys and girls club could not go forward. The Ministry wanted a school north of Lawrence Ave.
2. Fairbank Seniors Centre is still waiting to hear about a grant for a partnership arrangement with Briarhill. Our students would learn to play bocce ball with seniors and seniors would come to Briarhill for Yoga instruction with students.
3. The Nutrition Program is up and running. We are still ironing out the wrinkles but it seems to be a big hit. We may need to do a fundraiser however as parent contributions still do not cover the full cost of the program. A lot depends on teacher participation. There are parent volunteers assisting Valentina. Mary welcomes any snack suggestions. They can be submitted by email to her address.
4. ScoutsAbout is up and running. There are about 20 registrants. The program is going well.
5. You Got Dance was cancelled due to lack of enrolment.
6. QSP – tallying still needs to be done. Not many forms have been returned yet.
7. The National Ballet visit went well. The grade 4s and 5s enjoyed it.
8. Staff will be attending literacy, numeracy and safe and caring schools meetings throughout the year.
9. The Fire Department was here teaching Fire Safety in the home. It was well received.
10. Multicultural night went well. The overflow lunchroom was left a mess however. Next time Mary will have to ask parents to do their part to clear the mess.
11. DIBELS – is a way of assessing kids to find out what they know about language and letters. All teachers have been working on it. It’s mainly for primary students. It helps teachers group children to know what they need to focus on.
12. Jeff Hainbuch is coming in on Nov 18th. He will visit every classroom. He wants to see the literacy blocks and guided reading.
5. School Budget – a tentative budget is set. Mary circulated her draft budget outlining how she would be spending $37,521 for the year.
6. Parents reaching out grant. Julie explained the challenges in applying for the grant this year. We will apply next year instead to ensure ample time is given to putting together a well thought out proposal. Dorothy mentioned that a parent handbook is necessary to know what opportunities are available for parents to volunteer for. Speaking as a new parent to the school, she does not know where to go, who to ask...etc. Paul and Julie agreed. They will work to put a list of opportunities together. Mary suggested inserting these opportunities in the next newsletter.
7. Next Pizza Day – November 17th.
8. Next School Council Meeting – November 19th.
9. Other business – question re playground assignments. Grade 4s and 5s has limited time on the playground. Mary says she will look into it.
Attendance:
Mary Whittaker, Principal
Paul Dover, Treasurer
Julie McFayden, Secretary
Seelochanee Rooraj
Victor Amahagwu
Sonya Amahagwu
Dereje Tedeneke
Dorothy Steel
Bernadette Ryan-Phillips
Welcome
Treasurer’s report – Paul advised that our current balance is $4,619.58. This includes about $1,000 for uniform money and $500 for the garden grant.
Principal’s report - Mary advised the following:
1. Partnership with St. Alban’s boys and girls club could not go forward. The Ministry wanted a school north of Lawrence Ave.
2. Fairbank Seniors Centre is still waiting to hear about a grant for a partnership arrangement with Briarhill. Our students would learn to play bocce ball with seniors and seniors would come to Briarhill for Yoga instruction with students.
3. The Nutrition Program is up and running. We are still ironing out the wrinkles but it seems to be a big hit. We may need to do a fundraiser however as parent contributions still do not cover the full cost of the program. A lot depends on teacher participation. There are parent volunteers assisting Valentina. Mary welcomes any snack suggestions. They can be submitted by email to her address.
4. ScoutsAbout is up and running. There are about 20 registrants. The program is going well.
5. You Got Dance was cancelled due to lack of enrolment.
6. QSP – tallying still needs to be done. Not many forms have been returned yet.
7. The National Ballet visit went well. The grade 4s and 5s enjoyed it.
8. Staff will be attending literacy, numeracy and safe and caring schools meetings throughout the year.
9. The Fire Department was here teaching Fire Safety in the home. It was well received.
10. Multicultural night went well. The overflow lunchroom was left a mess however. Next time Mary will have to ask parents to do their part to clear the mess.
11. DIBELS – is a way of assessing kids to find out what they know about language and letters. All teachers have been working on it. It’s mainly for primary students. It helps teachers group children to know what they need to focus on.
12. Jeff Hainbuch is coming in on Nov 18th. He will visit every classroom. He wants to see the literacy blocks and guided reading.
5. School Budget – a tentative budget is set. Mary circulated her draft budget outlining how she would be spending $37,521 for the year.
6. Parents reaching out grant. Julie explained the challenges in applying for the grant this year. We will apply next year instead to ensure ample time is given to putting together a well thought out proposal. Dorothy mentioned that a parent handbook is necessary to know what opportunities are available for parents to volunteer for. Speaking as a new parent to the school, she does not know where to go, who to ask...etc. Paul and Julie agreed. They will work to put a list of opportunities together. Mary suggested inserting these opportunities in the next newsletter.
7. Next Pizza Day – November 17th.
8. Next School Council Meeting – November 19th.
9. Other business – question re playground assignments. Grade 4s and 5s has limited time on the playground. Mary says she will look into it.
Council Minutes - 17/09/09
Briar Hill Parent Advisory Meeting
September 17, 2009
September 17, 2009
Attendance:
Mary Whittaker – Principal
Christine RasukhdeoPaul Dover – Treasurer
Nardia Buchanan
Julie McFayden – Secretary
Irina Sytcheva
Leslie Thompson
Niasha Browne
Sivarathy Pararajasmgaon
Mustafa Cetiner
Dorothy Steel
Osborne John
Kay Mitchell
1. Welcome - Mary welcomed parents and thanked everyone for coming out. She stressed the importance of attending council meetings and said that children perform better when parents are involved in their child’s education. Parents don’t need to take on a role on the council. Council has been successful in raising money to purchase items for the benefit of students. E.g., Council subsidized half the cost of the first uniform shirt for all parents. She was pleased to report that over ½ of student body have purchased shirts. When it gets to 80%, a note will be sent home to parents to vote on making uniforms mandatory. She said that uniforms are good for safety, levels the playing field among all students and creates equity in the school.
2. No minutes for previous meeting were available
3. Treasurer’s report – Paul reported that we had a very good year last year. The current balance is $2,215.85. He indicated that uniform costs ate up a lot of our previous balance, however Leslie pointed out that $1,835 was collected for shirts and was ready for deposit. Some parents had asked about a long sleeve option. Long sleeves will be more expensive at $19 however we are able to order 48 at a time. Short sleeve shirts will still be available for purchase throughout the year. The shirt supplier, Beatties made an error which they are trying to rectify.
4. Council elections: Mary advised that the chair, secretary and treasurer positions were open. Julie and Paul agreed to continue as secretary and treasurer respectively. No chair was elected.
5. Support for fundraising – The QSP fundraiser is scheduled for October 7th. It is the major fundraiser of the year that brings in the most revenue. Leslie explained that QSP is mainly magazine subscription sales. Support is needed to help administrate (e.g., pack bags, fill out paperwork).
6. Fundraising opportunities - The fun fair is another fundraiser, however it doesn’t make as much money. The fun fair is more for student enjoyment.
7. Pizza day – new provider: One of our parents owns the Oakwood/Eglinton Pizza Pizza franchise. Pricing looks better than previous years. Parent volunteers are needed for pizza lunches.
8. School photographer – Edge Imaging apologized for the errors in our orders last year and has offered us a free banner, which we can use to advertise the fun fair. Mary showed the banner sample. They are offering bookmarks this year to recognize birthdays. There is also another supplier trying to get our business. Both vendors offer similar packages. Mary passed around the packages to see examine quality. Parents agreed we would go with Edge Imaging again.
9. Uniforms – reported above
10. Parent involvement grant – we can apply for a grant to help get parents involved. Paul went through some of the successful applicants. Nothing was decided however we would explore this further.
11. Pizza Day – The first pizza lunch will be on October 20th. We usually make around $220.
Principal’s report
- School reorganizations: 168 children registered this year
- We had to make some changes. 1- developmentally challenged class with 9 children. Intensive support program – 11 kids. Dolly Bammy is in the ISP class. Jackie George and Olive Carter also joined as assistants. Reorganization resulted in 1- grade 1, 1- grade 1/2 and 1- grade 2/3 to meet ministry guidelines.
- School renovations – the ceiling in the hallway is being repaired. No more DPA will be done on the second floor as a result. No asbestos is in the ceiling. No timeline was given for the repair.
- Nutrition program – is new this year. A grant from the Student Success Program was provided to Briar Hill to accommodate students who may come to school without a proper breakfast. The grant money does not fully cover the food so Mary is parents to pay $5 p/month p/child. This works out to 80 cents per child per day. She would like it to be open to every child regardless of background. A commercial fridge, freezer and preparation table were installed at no cost.
- Terry Fox walk – is next Friday. All children take part. A community police officer comes and stops traffic on Castlefield for us. Parents are being asked to send in a toonie for Terry.
- After school program – may potentially be funded through the Ministry of Health and Promotion. It would run from 3:35 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. The program would be free to parents. Mary will keep us advised on the outcome.
- EQAO – results came out. Mary was pleased to report that 75% of students reached or exceeded the provincial targets in reading and over 80% reached or exceeded the provincial target in both math and writing. Out of 23 grade 3 students 17 actually wrote.
- We have a specialized music and a special education teacher as well as an artist who integrates skills into visual arts program.
- A school the size of Briar hill does not qualify for a vice principal. A teacher normally assumes the role of chairperson to support Mary however this year she does not have anyone to fill that role
12. Next meeting date – October 23rd.
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