Roy H. Crosby School Council Minutes of Meeting, October 5, 2004 Present: Debra Bullock, Lori Danyshyn-McBrien, Mona Fong, Pippa Gingras, Robyn Gourley, Norine Graham-Robinson, Meagan Heaphy-Orr, Brad Ing, Sara Larson, Flora MacDonald, Vivian Magi-Thomson, John Martin, Bianca Mason, Donna Massel, Susan Mayhue, Rona McKey, Tricia Middleton, Piia Zelsman, Feas Suleiman, Shelley Chislett, Julie Morrow, Jennifer Orchanian, Megan Zeni, Arman Stover, Diane Dyer, Vicky To, B. Kaur, Corey Trute, Chris Rosenquist, Lee Carwana 1. Welcome, introductions John Martin began the meeting by welcoming everyone and introducing himself, as the council chairperson. Other executive council members introduced themselves: Norine Graham-Robinson, Vice Chair, Pippa Gingras, volunteer coordinator and “pizza lady” and Laurie Fraser, Secretary. Ramona Lee was unable to attend the meeting but has agreed to stay on as treasurer for this year. 2. Treasurer’s Report: In Ramona’s absence, John provided an informal update on our financial status. Since last month, we have collected more funds through our pizza lunch. A small deficit remains, however, we are stable and everything heading in the right direction. Ramona will provide more details at the next council meeting. 3. Review of Parent Council Structure: Vacancies remaining on the executive council are community representative and fundraising coordinator. Action: Inform John Martin, asap, if you are willing and able to fill either of these roles. John distributed a discussion document entitled “Roy H. Crosby School Council Structure”. The paper suggests that much of the ongoing work of council be within a framework of standing committees organized by topics. The circulated standard 8 item agenda lists committee reports as the time when committees report to the larger council the results of their work. Council meetings will become more of a time for information sharing and decision making. Discussion will commence after all of the committee reports. The parent forum will be the time when parents can bring any hot issues to the council on an ad hoc basis. In a general discussion following John’s circulation of the paper and presention of it’s content, the following points were raised and a number of decisions were made.
The work of the council needs to be integrated with the school plan with input into continuous improvement and policy formation Decision: Rename the proposed constitution committee to governance committee which will include policy and C. I. issues. Needs to be an emphasis on communication Decision: to form a communications committee Consider the teacher website model for a council web site How can be involve students in some of our work Parents need to know that they can contribute by being specific committees even if they do not want to be part of the council per se Urgency around the formation of the fundraising committee Fundraising plan should be developed with goals, commitments and targets in mind Staff requests need to go to Corey Trute and then be communicated to fundraising committee for consideration There are purchasing controls by board of education; procurement should align with school plan for student achievement. Decision: To have a small group within the fundraising committee immediately take on the specific task of procuring teacher purchases. Fundraising committee to consider how to address this spending aspect….eg. sub-committee or a different committee Action: Donna Massel, Sarah Larson agreed to carry out the logistics of obtaining the staff requests. Rona McKey agreed to be their resource person and to share with them past practices. Specific suggestions for fundraising included field trips, funding needy families Should we have a spending committee separate from fundraising? Review past practices of teacher purchases for opportunities for continuous improvement Sign up sheets passed around for each committee at the meeting
Committees formed with the following persons signing up as volunteers. Communication: Norine Graham-Robinson Laurie Fraser Flora MacDonald Fundraising Tricia Middleton Megan Heaphy-Orr Robyn Gourley Vicky To Sara Larson
Pippa Gingras Teacher Procurement Coordinators: Donna Massel Diane Dyer Community Outreach Bianca Mason Lori McBrien B. Kaur Robyn Gouley Norine Graham-Robinson Pippa Gingras Donna Massel Environment Tricia Middleton Pippa Gingras Governance Brad Ing John Martin Mona Feng Deborah Bullock Pippa Gingras Flora MacDonald Donna Massel
(volunteered to chair)
Health and Safety Norine Graham-Robinson Sara Larson Laurie Fraser (resource person only)
Action: Expectations of the Committees: 1. 2. 3. 4. John Martin will set up the initial meetings of the committees so that they meet within the next month. The committees will each prepare a proposal for their activities over the year The committees (pick a presenter) will present their proposal at the next council meeting for discussion and decisions. The executive committee will prepare draft generic terms of reference for use by the committees. Each committee will review the TOR for direct relevance to them and be prepared to speak to them, suggest revisions, etc. 4. Principal’s Report:
Corey Trute distributed a copy of the school’s budget so that we can better understand where the funds are spent as well as the significance of the funds that our council raises. Council discussed some of the opportunities for enhancement by our funds. Corey distributed a copy of a fact sheet from the Stephen Lewis Foundation and York Region District School Board about the current campaign to raise both funds and awareness about the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa. The council will seriously consider this board wide initiative in their fundraising plans. There is a school council orientation session planned for October 19th at Pierre Trudeau school. There are four spots available. Tentatively, the representatives will be Corey Trute, John Martin, Ramona Lee (if she accepts) and Norine GrahamRobinson. Corey asked for feedback from the council members about the open house. Generally, it was very positive. A hot issue which has been identified is the holiday concert. There is a plan in place to have 3 evenings of concerts for K-2, 3 – 4, (and Mr Stover’s grade 5 class) and 56 on December 14, 15, and 16th respectively. On December 17th, there will be a community breakfast for parents from 7:45 to 8:30 pm. This is the same day as the good news assembly. Unicef boxes will be distributed with permission forms signed by parents. There is a Literacy collaborative project that school representatives will be attending 1.5 days per month. The goal of the project is to increase learning at the primary division. 5. Other Business: Paper is still required for use at the school. There was a discussion about potential compatibility issues with the photocopier. Norine Graham-Robinson had been the forgotten lunches volunteer last year. Norine explained the purpose of the program and showed the council a sample lunch. Norine has prepared the first couple of dozen lunches which will be kept in the teacher’s lunch room. We need a volunteer to take this program on for this academic year. Action: We need a volunteer for the forgotten lunches program. Please tell John Martin if you are interested in this.
Meeting adjourned at 9:00pm.
Roy H. Crosby School Council Final Minutes of Meeting, Nov. 2nd, 2005 Members Present: Debra Bullock, Lee Carwana, Joana Caverly, Diane Dyer, Lori Danyshyn-McBrien, Laurie Fraser, Carol Heck, Pippa Gingras, Robyn Gourley, Megan Heaphy-Orr, Brad Ing, Nalin Khosla, Sara Larson, Ramona Lee, Flora MacDonald, John Martin, Bianca Mason, Donna Massel, Rona McKey, Barb Morrison, Jean Monro, Lynn Nowicki, Roula Politis,Arman Stover B. Kaur, Vicky To, Ruth Westcott, Debbie Wong, Piia Zelsman, Staff and Visitors Present: Shelley Chislett . Milt Gazen, Susan Mayhue, Jennifer Orchanian, Feras Suleiman, Corey Trute, 6. Welcome, introductions: John Martin December meeting will be Dec 8, not the first Tuesday of December – this is a change from our original schedule. John circulated a thank you note from Ms. Stevenato’s class; for the listening tapes purchased by council. The draft minutes, which were circulated of the last meeting, were approved with one minor change… that of substituting the term “spending portion of the committee” to “ teacher procurement coordinators” on page 3, under fundraising committee members. 7. Principal’s report: Corey Trute Cannot share EQAO results but they are good, especially for the grade 6’s. Corey handed out an action plan for planned EQAO strategies/supports in the school. Month End Review: Magazine sales have ended. Corey enjoyed “Lunch on the roof” as a result of the magazine challenge. Corey’s principal chair is circulating to highest sellers for them to take their turns. Cross Country Tournament Results: The school won 5 pennants Council Comment: It would be nice to see the names published of the athletes. Action: Names to be published in a future newsletter. VIP program: “Values Influences Peers”, a grade 6 program delivered by police officer; the grade five’s will be participating in part of the program as well.
8. Presentation on Hardware Proposal : Sue Mayhue Sue made a presentation for purchasing a laptop and projector, explaining the cost sharing arrangements. $4,188.59 is the total amount, after taxes that is requested.
Questions and discussions ensued about compatibilities, security, portability, Cable locks. 9. Treasurer’s Report Ramona gave the treasurer’s report. Inflated bottom line because the expenses incurred from the magazine are not yet reflected. We have made approximately $12,000 on the sales. The real balance is closer to $11,000. (after commitments) Extra funding is available per teacher request because we have one less class than anticipated. This will still keep us under the $5,100.00 committed to last year. Lynn Nowicki is going to take over the responsibilities of treasurer and she asked for clarification around the taxation and auditing requirements. Donna Massell will try to help her.
10. Committee Reports: a. Communication: Flora MacDonald The communication committee will provide a monthly newsletter, to be issued sometime between issues of Crosby Chronicles…. It will depend on news and information from other committees that needs to be shared. Council newsletters will be printed on yellow paper, to be recognizable. The committee would also like to develop a new parent’s orientation handbook on the school, and the council The committee recommended that we adopt the teacher website at a nominal fee of approximately $33.00/year. There will be a work notes page of the council web site for member’s use. Also we will set up a yahoo user group with members’ email addresses to make it easier to email to each other. Approximately ½ way through the school year, the committee will ask parents for feedback on our strategies for communication to reveal possibilities for continuous improvements. b. Governance: John Martin The governance committee will make it’s priority a clarification of the Constitution and have a draft in time for the December meeting. November 16th at 7:15 pm is the meeting time for this committee. c. Environment: Pippa Gingras The committee met and discussed a number of interests and initatives about which they will have follow up conversations with Corey Trute. A partial list follows: i. composting in the classroom
ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii.
clean up garbage on grounds, Mrs Morrow’s group gardening by grade 6’s recycling battery disposal and education litterless lunches 2 sided photocopying (communications committee, make note)
d. Health and Safety: Sara Larson Will be meeting on November 18th at 7:30 pm, location to be determined. Transportation is one of the topics this committee will address. e. Fund Raising: Pippa Gingras The committee had a brainstorming session prior to the council meeting. They do not anticipate the need for a major fundraising event until the spring when it is hoped that 6-8 thousand$ can be raised. In January/February, they may entertain some type of social evening eg. Bingo. Discussed a variety of fundraising ideas including: Milk program, milkshake days Lunch ladies to provide hot lunches Collecting Canadian tire $ f. Community Outreach: Bianca Mason Bianca gave a brief history of the community outreach program as it was developed and implemented last year. The committee would like to see students educated as part of the character matters initiative. A group of teachers have taken a similar approach and it is anticipated that the community outreach committee will to take an advisory, supportive role to the teachers’s committee. 11. Discussion/Decisions around Sub-Committee Reports: Refer to the old calendar developed over many years as the communications committee develops their handbook. Sense that governance needs to seek a lot of input from parents. Chairs of the committees need to let John know ahead of time, how much time they will need at the council meetings for input into the agenda. Reached concensus on the use of the teacher website and the required spending. Also reached concensus on the request to purchase the laptop and LCD projector to be travel from room to room. 12. Parent Forum- Hot Topics Student led conferencing was an item of discussion and one of the changes this year is that only two students will be presenting at the same time. This should reduce any problems relating to insufficient availability of the teacher.
Process question about the hot topics item on the agenda. If the issue is not straightforward and requires further discussion than possible at the council meeting, than it will be referred to one of the committees for addressing. Administrative point: Laurie urged everyone who wants to be a voting member to complete a council application form. It is the secretary’s responsibility to maintain the list of eligible voters. Also, the application form provides Laurie with all of the relevant information eg. Your child’s name, your email address, mailing address and phone number. Laurie has attempted to contact each of the council members by telephone for the purpose of verifying application information, committee membership etc. Please call her at tel # (905) 472 -5222 if you have not yet talked to her. 13. Review Accomplishments/Recommendations We agreed to purchase teacher web for the council for a year. We agreed to purchase the laptop and LCD projector. 14. Adjournment at 9:00 pm.
Secretary’s note: Don’t forget your upcoming committee meetings and also that we do not meet again as a council until Dec 08th/04!
Members Present: Laurie Fraser, Pippa Gingras. Norine Graham-Robinson, Megan Heaphy-Orr, Carol Heck, Brad Ing, Ramona Lee, John Martin, Bianca Mason, Tricia Middleton, Lynn Nowicki, Monica O’Donnell, Arman Stover, Gail Tsang, Vicky To, Debbie Wong, Staff and Visitors Present: Corey Trute 1. Welcome/Approval of Minutes/Agenda: John Martin Draft November minutes approved with minor spelling corrections. 2. Principal’s Report, Month in review: Corey Trute Staff Changes: Charlene Laite (new grad) will be taking Mrs. Boag’s class. Miss Zeni’s replacement, Elisa Krinsky, has been present almost daily and will be taking over responsibilities in the New Year. The Student Council will begin in the New Year. Students on the council will be responsible students, acting as positive role models and must have good marks. The students may or may not be chosen by election depending on the teachers. The council will be comprised of one student per class grades four and up. Corey distributed copy of letter to parents of kindergarten students which addresses: lunch period – total 1 ½ hour; 12:15 to 1:25 Will be changing process with gym coverage and recess time With focus on literacy – k to grade 2 very important to focus on these skills
Roy H. Crosby Public School Parent Council Meeting Minutes FINAL December 8, 2004
EQAO results: York Region 2nd highest in Ontario Nominated for Fraser Institute’s Award for Academic Excellence in Ontario – based on EQAO performance over the past 5 years. Corey asked to accept award should it be granted and must respond with an explanation of how the results have been received. Corey stressed that it is a snapshot of learning. Teachers work
very hard at this school and clearly make this school shine. $3000 awarded to school but $1000 to each of two runner-ups. Decision March 3, 2005. Reading score decreased this year over past. Other results were fairly consistent. Contributing factors may include the small sample size and a larger ESL population. Snowball policy notice sent home – focus is on safety Holiday concert: Have adjusted numbers so that grade 5’s are now altogether. Extra tickets have been requested – no additional space is available unfortunately. Dress rehearsals – 10:35 am and these are open to parents who would like to attend. Community breakfast: December 17, 7:45 – 8:30 am Attendance: concern that it might be too large? Coffee and pastry - continental – is what we are offering. Teachers will ask how many parents are expected to come. Food will be peanut-free. Trees in the Milne area: (recall student killed by tree) Connie has marked trees with holes in them and called the city who came out and cut down a few of them School Plan: Review of the schematic distributed by Corey. Each school has a school plan. There are three areas of focus with the following committees formed with action to review and draft up materials. Curriculum improvement and Student Learning Priority – Sue Parental and Community involvement – Milt Effective Schools Priority - Arman The document will be brought to the council for review. Council Spending Requests: Asking for $1,1 45.00 to cover three carpets for kindergarten and primary grades. The school would like to have more in the future. A discussion tool place re; what board pays for – they covered the costs of the flooring. These carpets are over and above budget, they are area carpets. The hope is to get the library carpet replaced this summer. 2. Treasurer’s Report:
Summary of Treasurer’s report: $15,184.29 cash balance $ 6,76.52 total commitments: $ 8,407.77 funds available The services of a tax specialist will be used as needed. To set up as a registered charity requires one simple form. A suggestion was made that a finance committee be established. Decision: The finance committee will consist of Ramona Lee Vicky To Pippa Gingras Lynn Nowicki. Treasurer, Principal and chair will be the signing authorities – any two of these signatures is sufficient. Carpet request was discussed. Point was made that expenditures may be balanced towards the junior students at another time. Decision: Consensus was reached to fund the costs of the carpets; cost of $1,445.00.
4. Committee Reports: Community outreach: Bianca Mason submitted the following report: Character Education Committee Meeting Date: Wednesday, November 10th. Committee Members: A. Stover, S. Chislett, L. MacLean, B. Hunt-Wells, J. Morrow, F. Suleiman, L. Robinson-Briggs, M. Zeni, B. West Outlined the planned traits to be addressed this year: September Perseverance Cancer Research – Terry Fox October Empathy Food Bank November Optimism Veterans Assoc. – Poppies December Courage Raising the Roof – Toques January Initiative Coin for Every Country – Stephen Lewis February Respect TBA March Fairness TBA April Honesty TBA May Responsibility TBA June Integrity TBA “Outreach” programs will be chosen from the local, national, and international communities. Communication: I addressed the need to communicate the committee’s goals and plans for the year with the parent community, as many are unaware of the program and its intentions. It was suggested the letter should indicate that participation in the “outreach” portion of the program is voluntary and at the discretion of each family. It was indicated that the primary focus of the program was the monthly traits and the “outreach” portion was a vehicle to enhance the trait. Mr. Stover and Mrs. HuntWells will be drafting a letter in this regard. Ms Morrow will be organizing students to write a monthly reflection of the program, which will be included in the school newsletter. Coin for Every Country – Stephen Lewis Foundation:
The York Region District School Board has joined with The York Region Committee in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation to increase public awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and raise funds to relieve suffering among African children. In support of this, A Coin for Every Country is being planned for January 13th, (tentative date). More info. on the foundation can be obtained from the website, www.stephenlewisfoundation.org The committee has asked for our support of this effort either be helping on the day of the program or by providing materials on Stephen Lewis (ie., video coverage, articles, etc.). There was some thought that he was listed as one of the top Canadians being honoured right now. If anyone is able to help out in this way, you could let me know and I’ll pass it on. The committee also asked, if anyone comes across literature, articles, etc., that reflect any of the upcoming traits, to pass it on as it can be used in their classroom discussions and/or programming. They thanked us for all our support of their efforts. Bianca Mason Chair, Council’s Community Outreach Committee Governance Committee Report: John Martin John took the present constitution and edited it line by line as a result of the last meeting. He feels that they have cleared up all the issues around election. It will be posted on the website, as well as sent to council members. Readers will be able to view it in tracking mode so you will know what has changed and what has not. Communication Issue: Revised constitution to be posted on website. Information: Jan 11th at 7:00 pm is the next meeting of the governance committee. Will be communicated on the newsletter .
Environment Committee: Pippa Gingras Recycling bins placed outside the classrooms. We will ask teachers to encourage students to use them. Battery disposal containers also placed in the school. Printer cartridges are also received and will be recycled and the school benefits financially. Gardening: No mulching of all the trees took place due to the late start. Will provide mulch to the new tree planted for Bonnie. Grad sixes will do some gardening instead of gym class in the spring. Litterless lunches; also an interest of the environmental club….one day per month. There will be posters and communication about this. Council suggestion was to set date asap. Plan to focus on disparate issues. For example, Water conservation. One month of talking about the importance of water. Use the council newsletter to illustrate a concept.. Health and safety committee: Rona, Sara, and Norine Washroom safety: Will be investigating related issues. School bus Safety: Will also be working on. School visitors and volunteers: There was discussion on identification of visitors. This seems particularly pertinent around lunchtime, with lunch monitors, students in office, etc. Current policies and procedures on anaphylaxis is a topic of concern. Committee members will review federal guidelines as a reference point. 5. Discussion/Decisions around Committee Reports: All Funding Requests: The council discussed the benefits of having a longer term strategy. Currently we consider requests on an ad hoc basis. Corey will approach the staff to come up with planned requests with an attempt to align topics with the School Plan for Continuous Improvement.
Community Outreach: Viewpoints were shared about the value of Character Matters and the emphasis of character traits, leveraging with community outreach. Some of the points presented were: Deemphasizing the monetary and reward aspects of initiatives (example – toques for raising the roof ) Emphasizing other aspects, such as the giving of time, book and clothing drives. Limiting fundraising to 2 – 3 events per year Need for better definition of the framework and parameters of program No clear decisions were made at this time but the discussion was useful as feedback to the community outreach committee. Arman Stover reviewed the coin for every country initiative and noted that a letter would be coming out for families to describe it. 6. Parent Forum – Hot Topics: None at this point. 7. Review Accomplishments/Recommendations: Decisions, communications and information were reviewed and are all bolded in the minutes. 8. Adjournment of Meeting:
Secretary’s Notes: Next Meeting will be held on January 18th. And A Workshop on Cyber bullying will be conducted at R. H. Crosby, by Corey Trute on January 25th, 7:00pm
FINAL MINUTES (late additional revision March 8/05) ROY H. CROSBY SCHOOL COUNCIL January 18, 2004 7:15 pm to 9:00pm Members Present: Deborah Bullock, Lori Danyshyn-McBrien, Diane Dyer, Laurie Fraser, Pippa Gingras, Norine Graham-Robinson, Megan Heaphy-Orr, Carol Heck, Brad Ing, Sara Larson, Ramona Lee, Flora MacDonald, Vivian Magi-Thompson, John Martin, Bianca Mason, Rona McKey, Tricia Middleton. Lynn Nowicki, Monica O’Donnell, Gail Tsang, Gail Tsang Staff and Visitors Present: Sue Mayhue, Corey Trute, 1. Welcome/Approval of Minutes/Agenda: December’s minutes did not reach everyone. Agenda approved Action: John Martin will send draft minutes of both December and January meetings. Members should also check the council website for recent minutes. 2. Principal’s Report, Month in Review: Corey Trute Corey has been asked for estimate student numbers for next year – 356 students, (333 Full time equivalents) At the moment, 2 grade 4 gifted classes are projected. Pam Mandich, school assistant slipped on the ice in the playground and broke her foot. The school council is sending her books (thanks to John Martin) and a card. Bob Sandiford’s father died recently, and the school and council sent a donation in his memory. The administration has a request for $375 to be used to supplement ski day participation by children of families who might not otherwise be able to participate. There is a new teacher, Randy Gasner, to fill in for Barb West, who is off on medical leave until after March break. Due to the Tsunami incident, the “coin for every country” campaign has been delayed until the March good news assembly. Sympathy cards will be sent from the school to 50 families. February community outreach will be a non-monetary event. There is a change in the assignment of superintendents so that Vicki Bismilla is moving to another part of the region and our new superintendent will be Ruth Lambert.
Kindergarden registration is on now. There will be in introductory evening on May 11th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. On Monday and Tuesday, April 18th and 19th, there will be an open house for parents of incoming gifted students. John will be there for part of the time to represent council. 3. Treasurer’s Report: A few expenses have come through since last month’s report. Rona reviewed the Teacher’s request related expenditures which were all distributed by December. These expenditures were actually $408.62 under spent so that amount was put back into the pot. Important Note: Lynn Nowicki announced that she has taken over the role of treasurer from Ramona Lee who has stepped down. Lynn has been assisting Ramona over the past few months. Huge thanks goes to Rona McKey, Diane Dyer and husband, Vivian Magi Thompson, Ramona Lee and Donna Massel for all their hard work with fulfilling the teacher requests. 4. Committee Reports a) Communications Committee: Flora MacDonald Flora reported that traffic on the council web site is speeding up . There have been 525 hits to date. A Bravo section has been added where the council can acknowledge accomplishments eg. Running club success in the fall. Suggestions for content of this section is welcome. The treasurer’s report will be forwarded by Lynn Nowicki and Flora will post on the website. Action: It is suggested that all council members make a shortcut to the council website and post it on their desktop, to make frequent visits to the web site easier. The monthly newsletters will continue. Our use of school owned yellow paper and photocopying for the newsletters will be tracked so that if this resource expenditure becomes a burden (which it is not currently) we can consider alternatives. The council bulletin board continues to be updated. Parent Handbook: We are beginning to work on our new parent handbook; please submit any suggestions for content. b) Fundraising Committee: Pippa Gingras Pippa reported on the progress of the Fiesta of Fun dance-a-thon scheduled for Friday, Feb 18th. She urged us all to find sponsors and donations for this event and a letter of request is available – hardcopies were handed out. Also, the
document is available on the council website. The Spring fundraiser is hoped to rise between 8 to10 thousand $. Mystery bags with prizes, will be provided to the winner of a draw, names for the draw will be submitted for each $10.00 raised. There will also be a silent auction for items and services donated. A used book sale will be held, and a café to serve food. Lots of volunteers will be needed throughout the evening for set up, etc. Council members are also invited to loan any decorations they have that are beach and summer related. Other items needed are grass skirts, and a portable coat hanger and racks. Pippa requested a cash advance to comprise an operating budget - $250.00 for the DJ, and another $600.00 available to pay for items if required. Action: A fiesta of fun page will be set up on the council website so that folks can see how plans are shaping up, what donations have been provided, what is still needed, etc. Please visit it often.
c) Governance Committee: John Martin There has been a lot of work accomplished on drafting changes to the new constitution. Debra will be creating one document which will show readers the original and the proposed changes and it will be posted on the website for everyone to comment on. The parent community at large will also be asked to comment. The plan is to have a final document ready for council to vote on at the March meeting. Action: Stay tuned for the final proposed document with tracked changes, which will be posted on the website. Following are the highlights of the proposed changes: Size of the council: If you show up at the first meeting or complete a membership form, you will be considered a council member. The number of members determines the size of the council for the purposes of determining quorum. Members can join later as well. Size of the Executive council: Decrease the number to the following four positions: chair, vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. All other current executive members become chairs of standing committees. (A question arose regarding volunteer coordinator position). Positions in the executive will be held by the same person for a maximum of 2 terms. Committees: The committee structure in use this year is incorporated into the bylaws. d) Environment Committee: Tricia Middleton The Environment committee has not yet met in 2005, and there are no significant changes to report. Initiatives are continuing:
Recycling bins are showing increased usage Litterless lunches coming hopefully in February. Discussion ensued about recognition mechanisms eg. Stickers. Committee is working closely with the Environment club. e) Health and Safety Committee: Norine Graham-Robinson There is a separate log book now available for visitors, including volunteers. Volunteer tags are available. Norine is conducting a comparison of the anaphylaxis policy in use with industry standards. Lunch time coverage in the office has been a topic under discussion. All staff monitor lunch time coverage, not just the students. f) Community Outreach: Bianca Mason There was a general discussion about initiatives which were reported by Corey Trute under the character matters program. This is not a committee of the school. Several suggestions were discussed such as clothing drive for the homeless, book drive for another school, the possibility of twinning with another school. After the used book sale as part of the fiesta of fun, any left over books will be donated. Follow-up on the charitable # question is that we do not have one because we are a public organization. Any donation over $25.00 however, is eligible for a tax receipt from the school board. Decisions arising from committee reports: The council granted two fiscal expenditures; the amount of $375 to supplement families for ski day fees, and an operating budget of $600.00 for fiesta of fund costs.
5.
Parent Forum: HOT TOPICS Playground: Concerns raised about the age and safety of the playground equipment. Results of the most recent inspection deemed the structure safe. Megan Heaphy-Orr will be doing some basic research (after Feb 18th) re: playground maintenance and replacement issues, funding available, etc. Grade sixes: All dates have not yet been set for orientation visits to Robinson and Berzy schools. Council and all parents will be informed as soon as the dates are set. As per boxed information
7. Review of Accomplishments/Decisions: in minutes 8. Adjournment:
Secretary’s Last Word: Next meetings of Council are February 8th and March 1st. Draft meeting minutes will be emailed to you but also, check the website for the posted draft minutes as well.
Final (Approved) Minutes ROY H. CROSBY SCHOOL COUNCIL February 8, 2005
Members Present: Deborah Bullock, Laurie Fraser, Pippa Gingras, Norine Grahm-Robinson, Megan Heaphy-Orr, Sara Larson, Flora MacDonald, John Martin, Bianca Mason, Donna Massel, Tricia Middleton, Lynn Nowicki, B. Kaur, Ruth Westcott Staff and Visitors Present: Corey Trute, Sue Mahue, Milt Gazen 1. Welcome/Approval of Minutes/Agenda: December and January minutes were approved with a few changes as noted. John briefly referred to a new policy # 676 from the Board of Education which has fundraising implications, with requirements for accounting, reviewing books and oversight. ACTION: The governance committee will meet to review implications of this policy vis a vis the draft bylaws. The current plan is to release hard copy of bylaws to council members who will have 1 week for commenting back to the committee prior to March 1st meeting when we will vote on the bylaw acceptance 2. Principal’s Report – Month in Review Today’s ski day was cancelled today due to poor weather. Feb. 22 is the new date with a later leave and pick up time due to availability of bussing. Student’s council met with Corey; they were well prepared. The list of wants include the following: Milk program; issues with space, refrigeration, Want more charity fundraising e.g. Bake sales More spirit days Bus bullying Better playground Hooks on inside of the stall doors Wet floors in the bathroom More garbage cans Better locks in the washroom stalls Class room pets Instruments for the school band Air fresheners in the washrooms Bullying undercover monitors More variety of sports equipment
Drama period Freezie day Hot lunches
Valentines day; Corey to buy cinnamon hearts in bulk , want to sell, to order for others as well, candy grams Garfield Weston Award nominated Roy H Crosby as one of the finalists for the award for overall academic excellence. Corey handed out the list of participating schools. There will be an awards event on March 3rd., at the Royal York. John and Bianca are invited, and all staff who wanted to attend can. Upcoming dates; June 27th farewell for grade sixes; 6:00 pm June 24th Awards assemblies: Primary and Junior April 7th; Parent information night for gifted children April 18 and 19th: Open House for Gifted program: May 11th: Kindergarden registration: information night April 29th: Jump Rope for heart May 26th: Junior, track and field day with a rain date of May 27 3. Treasurer’s Report Discussion around allotment of GIC – to be further discussed
4. Committee Reports 4.a Communications: Flora MacDonald Newsletter Jan 28 Next will be Feb 28 ; require information/report from everyone; will be report on success of Fiesta of Fun! Committee exists to support workings of the rest of the council – questionnaire circulated to determine how committee can do an even better job. Flora has recently started to send email notification of new info posted to website. Flora also updates board b) Fundraising Committee: Pippa Gingras
Going fabulously, blown away with donations; $25. and under donations will be given as spot prizes. Met last week. Everything ordered for café; order forms due back this Friday. Need décor – parasols, beach balls, buckets, umbrellas, Mexican/tropical décor, silk plants --- bring in 17th or 18th ; will be decorating 2:15 on 18th; also inviting Berczy and Robinson alumni students; need more help through the evening activities; ½ hour from everyone would make it work; Mystery bags -- candy cigars are inappropriate. Discussion over whether should name families that have made individual donations: Names will be listed on program at night and on auction sheets; general recognition of sponsorship will be given to all parents/family members who have donated. Security – plans are in place c) Environment Committee: Tricia Middleton Brief meeting; recycling bins – increase in amount of recycling due in part to “golden garbage can campaign” (Miss Morrow); schedule set up to reline recycle bins ; some items that need to be removed from bins before putting them into larger recycling bins; suggest send out reminder to separate these Battery and printer cartridges – good numbers; continue to encourage this through newsletters; pat kids on back for participating in these recycling campaigns Litterless lunches – valentine “love the planet” --- bring a litterless lunch – parents are packing the lunch – must not penalize the kid the litter packed by parent ---- spot checks with Miss Morrow’s club attendants, ---- sticker – for two reusable containers in lunchbox --Environment website will be updated School ground – want to get mulch from the board ; Miss Morrow is organizing a cleanup of the school yard group – club would help with mulching , etc. Environment club wants to have additional garbage cans as well. Need to have garbage cans that won’t attract wasps – usually limited time that it is a problem. d) Health & Safety Committee: Monica; Lynn, Norine, Sara Raised a concern with respect to no signage for cars going east & west; Action: Norine will communicate concerns over plowing/clearing areas to the town Buses are traveling too quickly on Valleyfield; Action: Corey will write letters to bus company
e) Community Outreach Committee: Coin for Every Country - kickoff March 3, assembly March 23; nothing has been decided for April, May, June; looking for suggestions – April is Jump Rope for Heart; Action: Corey suggested and will carry out:: that request be taken to Student Council for May topic March 8 – International Women’s Day; March 21st – International Day for Elimination of Racism; d) Governance Committee: John Martin John reported at beginning of meeting; need to add mechanism for finances at to Constitution --- group will meet next week; major issue that was raised was the topic of executive ; volunteer coordinator and fundraising coordinator had been eliminated from the executive; Pippa questioned whether the fundraising coordinator should be member of the executive; John’s vision is that executive is tight body that can deal with in-between meeting concerns; Committee meeting Feb 22 for executive to discuss roles/responsibilities of the executive members. Council feedback was sought. Statements were made of the importance of involving as many people as possible; executive committee is really a role of facilitating; Will table this discussion until we send out the constitution to the school community for input; will have explanation of what role of each of council executive’s role – send comments to John or other governance committee member; Refer to previous direction on Governance Committee. 5. Parent Forum: HOT TOPICS Donna inquired about tether balls. John – Council must remain absolute neutrality in the event of a strike. Strike vote today. Unions want more prep time (10 mins/day); strike vote at this time to send message to unions and government that across province; this gives negotiating team the power to negotiate. Province-wide initiative at this point. Next step would be work to rule….. 6. Review of Accomplishments/Decisions: 7. Adjournment:
Final Minutes ROY H. CROSBY SCHOOL COUNCIL March 8, 2005
Members Present: Deborah Bullock, Lee Carwana, Laurie Fraser, Pippa Gingras, Carol Heck, Megan Heaphy-Orr, Brad Ing, Sara Larson, Flora MacDonald, John Martin, Bianca Mason, Donna Massel, Tricia Middleton, Lynn Nowicki, Monica O’Donnel, Arman Stover, Gail Tsang, Debbie Wong Staff and Visitors Present: Corey Trute, Leeanne Arbour, Milt Gazen 2. Welcome/Approval of Minutes/Agenda: Both the February minutes and the meeting agenda were approved. Meeting began at 7.15 pm. John Martin welcomed everyone. The goal of this meeting is to get the constitution amended and passed. Kudos to fundraising for putting on such an amazing event - the Fiesta was a great event. Kudos to all staff and parents for the Fraser Inst. award for excellence in education. 2. Principal’s Report – Month in Review Great evening had by all at the Fraser Institute awards dinner. Photo's on display for all to see. We were one of 3 finalists for overall academic achievement. - EQAO results over the past 5 years are used to award this award. The web site has lots of photo's and write up on the event. - Kudos to Flora for keeping it so up to date. We were 2nd place, the school was given a plaque and $1000.00. Kennedy P.S. won 1st place. The award is a testament to all parents, staff and students. Staffing complement plans for next year were reviewed as follows: We have a small increase in staffing resources and Corey explained a few logistical details. Regular JK-6 7.0 Regular Prep 0.77 Comm. Sp. Ed. (Gifted) 7.0 Sp.Ed. Prep (Gifted) 0.77 Sert. (includes .25 literacy) 1.25 Reading Recovery 0.25 E.S.L. 0.25 Library/Guidance 0.50 Total Allocation from Area Up from this year: +.25 (literacy) +.25 (e.s.l.) + Milne 1.0 (Regional Allocation) 17.79
Corey started to develop a wish list with the teachers input as per the council’s request in order to do more advanced planning for expenditures. He, along with Pippa Gingras and Sara Larson will prioritize the list in order to align with the school’s continuous improvement plan.
Action: Next meeting Corey, Pippa and Sara will bring a proposal to the council of expenditures so that we can start making purchasing commitments. Deb Bullock noted that the Town of Markham has, in the past, offered joint funding with schools for environment focuses initiatives and gave an example from Reesor school with their woodlot. Action: Deb Bullock will research this municipal funding program and report back to council about opportunities which may be available to the school and council. Corey has asked the Board for a school security system,with the rationale that there is plenty of traffic in and out of the school due to visitors to the Milne centre. Corey will be sending out a survey just after March break, to parents about their perceived value of the Milk program.
3. Treasurer’s Report Treasurers report was presented and will be posted on the website shortly. 5. Committee Reports a) Communications: Flora MacDonald There was a newsletter on Feb 22 and we will wait until mid April for the next newsletter, and it will combine any news from two council meetings. The committee has begun work on the parent handbook and Flora had a copy of the outline available for viewing. Tricia made a suggestion of content related to environment; a section that had not been originally planned for the hand book. Action: Tricia to assist the committee by developing an environment section for the handbook. b) Fundraising Committee: Pippa Gingras The total amount of funds raised from fiesta of fun is $9,006.48 . Some people wanted a charitable receipt for their donations which will be generated by the school, on behalf of the fundraising committee. The committee met again on March 2 nd. One suggestion of the committee is to invite a staff member to be a liason with the committee to provide staff input for future events planning. Thank you letters have been sent to corporate sponsors and unsold books were donated.
c) Environment Committee: Tricia Middleton Battery collection seems down in numbers, so they will put out a reminder from the committee and the environment club. There will be a litterless lunch day in late march or april, since the one originally planned for February did not occur. Garbage cans are not yet in the school yard and there has been some reports of garbage in the area. Action: Corey will ask Mr Staite to place the garbage cans outside. Communication information: Flora to include a reminder note in the council newsletter about battery collection d) Health & Safety Committee: Sarah Larson The committee has nothing to report at this time. f) Community Outreach Committee: Bianca Mason. This kick off of the “Coin for Every Country” campaign was very successful. There is a full day event plant for March 23rd when volunteers will be needed from the parent community. Contact Bianca if you are available. Supplies which are still needed at this time include a coat rack or “pocket rack” for clothing, hangers, and African Drums. “Fairness” is the character trait that coincides for this month. d) Governance Committee: John Martin A brief discussion of bylaw related issues took place. Highlights are posted on the website A vote was conducted where the revised bylaws were unanimously approved by the council! Kudos to the governance committee for all the great work in getting these new and improved bylaws ready! 6. Parent Forum: HOT TOPICS Kiss’n Ride in front the school in the morning for drop off has become a problem when parents stop their cars, leave them to walk with their child to the school. This results in cars stuck in a waiting position. It is a safety issue because of the heavy pedestrian traffic so cars can’t or shouldn’t be backing up. It also causes significant delays. Action: Corey and John to sign a letter co-issued from the school and the council to parents about the need to keep traffic moving in the morning and asking them to not stop and exit their cars when dropping off their children.
6. Review of Accomplishments/Decisions: 7. Adjournment:
Missed this meeting.
Final Minutes ROY H. CROSBY SCHOOL COUNCIL April 12, 2005
Members Present: Lori Danyshyun-McBrien, Laurie Fraser, Pippa Gingras, Robyn Gourley, Norine Graham-Robinson, Flora MacDonald, John Martin, Bianca Mason, Barb Morrison, Tricia Middleton, Lynn Nowicki, Monica O’Donnel, Arman Stover, Gail Tsang, Vicki To, Ruth Westcott, Debbie Wong Staff and Visitors Present: Milt Gazen, Susan Mayhue, Corey Trute, Leeanne Arbour, 3. Welcome/Approval of Minutes/Agenda: The March meeting minutes were approved with a one word tense change and the meeting agenda was also approved with the addition of an item on teacher appreciation luncheon. The Meeting began at 7.15 pm with a welcome from John Martin. 2. Principal’s Report – Month in Review The Coin for Every Country event raised $2,324.67 and the check wil be given to Denise Belchez at the Good News Assembly on April 27 th. The milk program parent survey was completed with a large response rate. Of the 179 surveys returned, 173 were favourable (6 were neutral) to the idea of a milk program. Parents will be sent home a sign up form for the program. The evening event for parents of gifted students went very well with about 100 parent present. There was been 61 students identified as gifted for next year and the expectation (based on past trends) is that about 50 will enroll. Upcoming events include April 18, Open House for Gifted program April 22nd, Earth day April 29th Jump rope for Heart Many events related to intramural programs Commendation: From council for the staff who are continuing to support the intramural programs. Thank you! Community Safety Villiage will be attended by grades 1 – 4 students in May. There are some staff changes anticipated next year and a tentative organization will be shared at the next meeting.
3. Treasurer’s Report : Last month the amount of funds that we have was over-reported and the amount has been corrected on the website. The correct amount, as of May 31,05 is $19,787.58 with commitments totaling 5,538.50.
7. Committee Reports a) Communications: Flora MacDonald Keep reading the web site which has been updated with media links and a bravo for Colin for Every Country. The calendar has been updated to the end of the year. A newsletter will be sent out next week; contact Flora with your materials for inclusion e) Fundraising Committee: Pippa Gingras Discussion on spending decisions was deferred until after the other committee reports were provided. f) Environment Committee: Tricia Middleton The recycling program has expanded – cell phones are also collected now. Litterless lunch spot check were conducted this month with April 20th scheduled for the next one. The school will also participate in the 20 minute makeover for GTA when litter will be picked up from the school yard. Some supplies are sponsored by the beer store and the town of Markham (bags and gloves). In May, the committee has some gardening goals. Information on the availability of mulch is being sought. Garbage cans are now outside. g) Health & Safety Committee: Norine Graham-Robinson. Norine reviewed the anaphylaxis policy of the School board and compared it with recommendations of the Canadian Anaphylaxis Society. On the positive side, the current policy does a good job of student identification, has consistent content and is thorough. The opportunities for improvement are in the areas of knowledge transfer, and it’s communication, and the plan for emergencies. A discussion was had re: value of adding epi-pens to the fanny packs of the lunch monitors. Action: Corey to check with the Board about leeway with the policy to add epipens to the fanny packs.
g) Community Outreach Committee: Bianca Mason. Bianca and the council want to acknowledge and thank the parent volunteers who helped with a successful “coin for every country” event. On March 23rd. Thanks to the following parent volunteers:
B. Kaur, Robyn Gourley, Flora MacDonald, Sara Larson, Laurel Martin, Pippa Gingras, Jane Philpott, and Bianca Mason. In April, we have Jump Rope for Heart. In May, the student council was asked for a topic suggestion. The end of school picnic will be held on June 14th. Again, sub sandwich meals will be offered at $5.00 per person. A subcommittee of volunteers is needed to organize the Teacher Appreciation luncheon which will be held on Monday June 6th. A sign up sheet was circulated. Fundraising Resources Expenditures: We reviewed the list of items requested from teachers as presented by Corey. Costs were approximated only. Action: We approved in principle, an expenditure of approximately 11,500 for items on the list. The final list of items, with exact costs will be published in the minutes of the next meeting. The reserve fund of $10,000 remains intact. 8. Parent Forum: HOT TOPICS Clarification of the dress code: No tank tops allowed. Negotiations update: Board is continuing to talk with the teachers union. Letters have gone home re: work to rule Administrative procedures have been affected mostly at this point. Currently, relationships with union steward and staff have remained positive. 6. Review of Accomplishments/Decisions: A verbal confirmation of the meeting’s accomplishments and decisions was presented. 7. Adjournment:
Final Minutes ROY H. CROSBY SCHOOL COUNCIL May 3, 2005
Members Present: Deborah Bullock, Diane Dyer, Mona Feng, Laurie Fraser, Pippa Gingras, Megan Heaphy-Orr, Carol Heck, Brad Ing, Norine Graham-Robinson, Sara Larson, Flora MacDonald, John Martin, Rona McKey, Tricia Middleton, Lynn Nowicki, Arman Stover, Gail Tsang, Debbie Wong Staff and Visitors Present: Corey Trute, Leeanne Arbour, 4. Welcome/Approval of Minutes/Agenda: The April meeting minutes were not yet available for approval so at the June meeting, both April and May meeting minutes will be reviewed. The Meeting began at 7.15 pm with a welcome from John Martin. 5. Principal’s Report – Month in Review In the May newsletter (to come out the end of may), the tentative organization will be shared. 40 minute periods will commence next year. This will accommodate the teachers’ 160 minute preparation time as negotiated recently. Corey distributed a flyer advertising a program called “Preparing for Success” from a for profit company for a summer home study program for the next academic year. The school receives part of the profit – but it is communicated to parents as purely optional, with no pressure to participate. The milk program begins in June. A fridge has been donated to the school by Mrs. Reifenstein. Corey distributed a form to collect feedback from the teachers and the parents on a review of the year. The EQAO testing will be conducted this year on May 17, 18, 19. To date, our school has raised $10,000 for Jump Rope for Heart. Corey distributed results of a recent study which correlated socio-economic class with EQAO results. May 11th is the date of the Board’s school council forum (one of 2 yearly)
6. Fundraising and Spending Processes and Priorities: John introduced this topic in the context of a high level discussion of strategies and guidelines for spending funds. Two fundamental questions are: For what purpose do we raise funds? And From where do we get the funds?
Related issues include the term deposit and guidelines for its’ use, and whether we would recommend the development of a legacy project fund. We reviewed the past spending practices and commitments, timing of payments, decision making. We spent over an hour with the discussion and at the end of it the following strategy was agreed upon. Strategy and Actions: 1. Define the amount to which we have already committed. 2. Develop a survey to solicit parents opinions about spending priorities which will help us determine guiding principles for spending next year. Distribute the survey before end of school year to returning families and new families. Action Flora, Corey, John, Norinne, and Arman will bring preliminary results to the next meeting. 3. The council recommends that future councils publish the spending purpose before conducting fundraising activities. 7. Treasurer’s Report : Lynn Nowicki presented the report (see school council website). With the exception of the GIC term deposit, what we started with this year and what we made is almost the same. This takes into account our commitments we made at the last meeting. We had a discussion about the way that we can more clearly communicate our financial information within the council and came up with the following action item. Action: John Martin develop a different format for communicating financial commitments, expenditures, and income so that we can better understand our fundraising needs. This draft format will be reviewed by the treasurer and presented at the first meeting in September. 8. Wrap up of Spending Priorities for the School Year: Corey presented a list of the school council expenditures with final amounts determined since the last meeting. The total school council commitments come to $10, 239.71. Action: From the earlier discussion on spending priorities, the following decisions were made: That this year’s council would not commit, but would make a recommendation for future commitments. And
We recommend that next years council continue to fund the performances during the year. (scientist in the school- $2,200, Performances - $2,000 and teacher requests $300 per class) 9. Abbreviated Committee Reports: Not covered due to time constraints. 10. Parent Forum: HOT TOPICS Not covered due to time constraints. 6. Review of Accomplishments/Decisions: as per minutes. 7. Adjournment:
Approved Minutes
Roy H. Crosby School Council June 7, 2005
Members Present:
Laurie Fraser, Pippa Gingras, Brad Ing, Norine Graham-Robinson,Sara Larson, Flora MacDonald, John Martin, Rona McKey, Lynn Nowicki, Gail Tsang, Vicki To,
Staff and Visitors Present: Leeanne Arbour, Milt Gazen, Susan Mayhue, Corey Trute 1. Welcome and Approval of Minutes/Agenda:
The April minutes were approved and the May minutes were approved with two minor changes, and the agenda was approved. John welcomed attendees and stated that this meeting was anticipated to be brief. Letters of thanks which were received were read. 2. Principal’s Report - A month in Review, Corey Trute: Corey thanked the council for the staff appreciation lunch and passed on a thank-you from Ms. Ruth Lambert (Superintendent) for the invitation. Results of the parent survey administered by the school is posted on the school website and Corey reported some of the highlights. There was a 35% response rate and overall, the feedback was positive. Some areas for improvement were noted as well. Parents are encouraged to view the results on the web; additionally, the results will be published in the last newsletter of the academic year. Corey distributed the new timetable which will be implemented next year. It represents one of the eight choices that were provided, given the new teacher preparation time as per the collective agreement. Periods of 40 minutes make up the school day with the exception of the last period of the day which will be 20 minutes. 3. Treasurer’s Report – Lynn Nowicki: Lynn provided the treasurers report which will be posted on the website. We have raised and spent approximately equal amounts of funds. A few “left over” amounts will be returned to the council for reallocation. A final year end report will be produced in September, and Lynn will send it to John, since the school board also needs it. 4. Abbreviated Committee Reports: a) Communications: Flora presented highlights from the school council survey, to the extent that the responses have been returned. In September the survey will be administered to the new families and when all the responses have been received, the summary will be posted on the School council website. Tentative schedule for council meetings for 2005/06 is the second Tuesday of every month. The following schedule will be discussed and finalized by next year’s council: Sept. 13 Oct 11 Nov 8 Dec 13 Feb 07 Mar 07
April 11 May 09 June 13 The family handbook will be drafted further over the summer and be ready for review in September. b) Environment: The final newsletter will report on water conservation tips over the summer. c) Health and Safety Committee: Norine attended the Allergy Exposition recently and will share with the school, some resources for teaching about anaphylaxis. Bill 3, now in second reading, if promulgated, will require schools to have a formalized allergy plan. The first staff meeting in the fall will address this. Students will be provided with stickers with their bus number at the beginning of the year that they will stick on their backpacks…this will help to ensure that students will get on the correct bus. Administration of the school bussing organization is asking for more student information. Information gathering will continued at the beginning of the school year. Roy H. Crosby is revamping the dismissal procedures and communications around dismissal. Wrap up of the council year: Norinne thanked the council and the staff for the support provided throughout the year. Meeting was adjourned.