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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