Larkspur Pubic School Parent Council Meeting Minutes

November6, 2017

Teachers’ Staff Room

Staff Attendees: Greg Harris, JenniferChallinor, JanetGiugovaz, Susete Bloom, Ms. Lane, Ms.Naidu

Parents: Kuldeep Kanda, Mangla deep (YMCA), Sharon Niemeyer, Nadine Jacobi, + 25 additional parents

Agenda

Kuldeep opened the meeting and welcomed all the new faces

  • Reviewed what the council does:
  • Get more parents involved & engaged
  • Parent Workshops (received a grant)
  • Information booths
  • Fundraising:
  • Move-a-thon
  • Used funds for
  • Apple TV in each class
  • IPads
  • Introduced the council
  • Asked how they heard about the meeting
  • Email and Phone drove higher attendance

Special Visit from Green Club Chair Ms. Lane

  • Currently have a no mow zone area in the school yard
  • Looking for help and assistance with creating an outdoor learning space
  • Multi year project
  • Looking to have a U-shaped area surround with native shrubs and no-mow area
  • Looking to have large rocks/boulders for the kids to sit on
  • Bin for clipboards, art materials, tarps
  • Possible Truth & Reconciliation Garden
  • Looking for Fundraising assistance and well as looking a grants
  • Looking for someone to take this on
  • Need to be professionally installed and need to have proper permits
  • Working on Budget but will need to cover
  • Woodchips to cover space
  • Boulders
  • Project looking to be at least $5k

Principal’s Report

  • Outdoor sign
  • 1 Part still on backorder
  • Software training
  • About 1-2 weeks away from having full function
  • Soccer Field
  • Fence has been removed
  • Field is open for use
  • Waiting on soccer posts
  • Renewal Fund
  • Receiving money from board to repaint part of the 1st floor & second floor
  • Fund for schools 7 years or older
  • The front lobby mural to remain
  • Keeping the butterfly memorial
  • Looking at getting new bulletin boards & bottle filling stations
  • Work will likely be done over the Christmas/Holiday break
  • Parking Issue/Parking Enforcement
  • Larkspur is 1 of the 10 schools that has the highest # of parking tickets
  • Parking ticket is $150
  • There is only enough parking onsite for staff
  • There was an accident recently in front of the school
  • Walk to school initiative
  • Phone call sent to parents about the parking
  • Also mentioned in the Newsletter
  • Suggests people park a block or two away and walk

New School Character Incentive Program

  • Ms. Naidu came by to explain the program
  • Explained to the students at the Character assembly
  • It is now an anytime anywhere recognition
  • Students spotted doing something positive is given a slip & slip is put in for a draw
  • Drawn name will win a prize
  • Possibly a pizza slice
  • $5 Indigo gift card
  • Grade 5 students did a video
  • Seems to be going well
  • Box designed for the slips is too small
  • Kindergartens version needs a little tweeking

Date for Move-a-thon announce to be April 20, 2018

  • Largest fundraiser
  • Looking for parent volunteers
  • Week of to hand out glow products
  • Going cashless again

Cashless System

  • School is now 98% registered to use the system
  • Remind parents to check on a weekly basis
  • Permission forms are now on the online systems

Volunteering

  • Nadine reminded those in attendance that to volunteer you need a criminal record check done.
  • Criminal record check is currently free but will have a charge of $33 in January 2018
  • Pick up from Front office. Need to see Ms. Bloom to have her sign off.
  • Take completed form to Police Station
  • The location at Hurontario Street just south of Steeles will do it while you wait
  • Return Criminal Record Check to the school and they will send it to the school board. Please make sure to indicate which school you would like to volunteer at.
  • Some Volunteering Opportunities
  • In the classroom
  • Planting in the garden
  • School trips
  • Parent Council
  • Move-a-thon

Parenting Workshop

  • Healthy eating workshops
  • Healthy Cooking & Baking
  • Working on nailing down the dates
  • Parents will need to register as space will be limited as they will actually be making the items
  • Been approved (PRO Grant)
  • 2-4 different workshops covering different foods from different cultures

Healthy Schools Initiative

  • Phy. Ed. Department working on Healthy School Certification
  • Had first meeting
  • Looking for volunteers
  • They are having a fundraising Basketball game with Peel Police
  • Nov. 29th is Family Fitness Night
  • They are looking for funds to have Healthy Food Baskets for students to be able to access throughout the day
  • Baskets to be located where the students can access on their own but still be controlled
  • Made sure that they know it is not just for kids that can’t afford or forgot their lunch but for all kids (spilt lunches, forgot, running late, not enough in their lunch, kid packed)
  • Working with the Health Nurse
  • Nadine has a contact at Fortinos

Assisting with a family in Need that the school adopted over the holidays. Is the school doing that again? If so would like to propose that school council be involved again.

  • It was brought up.
  • Mr. Harris was working on it for the staff
  • Need to find out if we can assist.

School Council Account – Janet Giugovaz

  • Was discussed briefly
  • Balance is $2,155.92

Next Meetings:

  • January 8th
  • February 5th
  • April 9th
  • May 7th