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.

Council Minutes - 17/09/09

Briar Hill Parent Advisory Meeting
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.

Multicultural Dinner

If you came out to the Multicultural Dinner on April 24th, I'm sure you weren't disappointed. A special thanks go to all the parents who shared their cultural dishes with everyone. Most will agree that the food was delicious. Thanks also to the teachers and students who contributed to the success of the event. It was nice to see MPP Joe Volpe in attendance for the second time in April. He also came out to support the Brushamania program.

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.

ATTENTION TDSB Parents

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Council Minutes - 18/03/08

Present:
Mary Whittaker – Principal
Carol Lunansky
Trina Byrne
Bernadette Ryan-Phillips
Karen Yellan – Chair
Julie McFayden - Secretary

1.Welcome

2.Minutes of the previous meeting – A correction was made to the minutes. The first item on the Principal’s report was changed from ‘Let’s Dance Workshop’ to ‘Dance-a-thon’. ‘Wake-Up Wednesday’s’ was amended to read - Karen was concerned, as apparently the Grade 5’s were not doing any DPA.

3.Treasurer’s Report – Karen gave the treasurer’s report in his absence. The current bank balance is $7,209. $369 was collected for the pizza lunch. Expenses totalled $176.

4.Principal’s Report:
• Report Cards – Teachers are currently working on report cards. They will go home on April 1st.
• Gym – The repairs are almost completed. It will be ready by next week. Mary also reported that the gym needed new lighting, which Fred Doyle agreed to provide from his budget. The lighting costs were $3,000. The gym curtains are old therefore she will be checking out the cost to clean as well as replace them.

5.Chair’s Report:• 2 Fruit Tuesdays – Trina reported that the school will be participating in two initiatives this year as part of the Healthy and Active Schools program.
•Reading Recovery – The school Board is paying for Trina to attend the National Conference. Mary added that she will also be attending the Toronto School Administrators Association’s conference on April 21-23.

6.Principal’s Profile – Parents in attendance discussed and completed the Principal’s profile that Mary is required to submit at the end of March.

7.Fun Fair – Karen confirmed the cotton candy machine and the Mad Science presentation.

8.Bake Sale – Flyers will be going home this week advising parents.

9.Other Business – Mary went through the projected enrollment for next year. Class grades are as follows:
• 1 – Grade 1
• 1 – Grade 1/2
• 1 – Grade 2/3
• 1 – Grade 4
• 1 – Grade 5
• 2 – Special needs
• 3 – Kindergarten
Mary also advised that the following teachers would be coming back from leave; Mrs. Segal, Sonia Brankovic (January); and Eva (Nov or Jan).

10.Other Business – One parent made a complaint about a supply teacher (Mr. Walsh). He was not acknowledging students who put their hands up in class. Mary advised that she will speak with him.

11.Next Meeting – April 10, 2008.

FREE Immunization Clinics for Toronto Children

Toronto Public Health will be holding free immunization (vaccination) clinics for children/youth at various locations and times throughout the month of April. You do not need a health card. Please click here for more information.