Stittsville Public School Council
Tuesday May 16, 2017
ATTENDANCE
CO-CHAIR: Shannon Helleman / Sabrina Kemp absent
Treasurer: Absent
Secretary: George Ingraham
Fundraising: Kristin Harcoff & Donna Edwards
Food Coord Lorrie Hayes
Volunteer: Cathy Coote
OCASC: Absent
COMM & Webb Admin Absent
SCSC Rep: Absent
Principal: Catherine Donnelly
Vice Principal: Absent
Faculty Reps: Maura Caufii & Virginia Hallerman
Megan Baker, Michelle Legault, Julie Smith, Jacquie Baillie, Debbie Goodleff,
1. Introduction
Welcome and Intro (Shannon Helleman)
1. Opiod Use - Public Health is reporting an increase in hospital visits related to opiod use. It is important for parents to know the facts about opiods and to discuss these issues with your children. Learn more here.
Free Webinar - Strategies to Support the Success of Students with LDs on Exams and Standardized Tests - May 25
Thursday, May 25 from 3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
2. Online Webinar
Exams and standardized tests can be stressful for students and staff in general, and in particular, for students with learning disabilities (LDs). This webinar will focus on how educators can prepare students with LDs to write exams or standardized tests and assist educators in creating exams with content and formatting that is "necessary for some, and good for all". Click here for more information and to register for this webinar.
3. Summer Language Programs and Camps - Fun with Languages!
Give your child the opportunity to have an enriching and fun language learning experience this summer! The OCDSB offers various International Language classes over the summer. These language classes are free for students currently enrolled in Ontario schools. Classes run from July 24-28th in the mornings (9:30 a.m. to 12 noon). Please call 613-239-2703 or check here for details on both of these programs.
4. Finance Report by Ryan Dawe to be submitted at a later date.
5. Minutes - Moved by Donna Edwards, 2nd by Shannon
6. GMAIL - created to be able to pass on corporate knowledge via electronic files
7. Chair - Shannon indicated that Sabrina has confirmed her term is ending.
8. Policy when teachers retire.
2. New Business
3. Executive Reports
4. Principals Report - Catherine Donnally
Cake walk– a huge success – thank you to Lorrie and her team.
Dates for next year’s calendar – school council meeting dates
Education Week Dates for 2018 is May 7 - 11
Meet the Teacher date Sep 14
Code of Conduct: We will be making only minor changes in wording to our school code of conduct. Staff also reviewed the dress code and didn’t suggest any additional changes to the ones school council suggested.
Change in recess time: One of the strategies that can reduce peer conflict and ready students for another block of learning is for students to go out for recess first, followed by a nutrition break. Many schools currently use this model with great success. We will be trying this out for the month of June with an anticipated implementation in the fall.
First Day of School: We have incorporated the suggestions from parent volunteers from last September and will use the same system of drop off at the front door and grade 1s going to the kindergarten yard and grade 2 to 6 going to the gym.
Library as Learning Commons:
We are looking for ways to maximize our school space and offer flexible places that students, staff and parents can gather and learn together. One area we are looking at is the library. It currently stands empty on Monday’s and Friday’s and is a space that would be ideal for learning as well as storing books. The concept of a learning commons would provide a framework to develop the library space so that it can be used for a multitude of
purposes.
A learning commons is an inclusive, flexible, learner-centered space for collaboration, inquiry, imagination and play to expand and deepen learning. The library as a learning commons functions as the hub of a school, where teachers and students collaborate and inquiry based learning is promoted, while fostering a thriving reading culture.
With the concept of a learning commons as our framework we will be going through our collection of teacher resources, keeping the current materials and relocating a good portion of the resources to other spaces in the building. This will allow us to maintain shelving for the student collections and remove some shelving to allow for more space that we can use for a variety of things. Another feature of a learning commons, ideally, is the addition of technology, for example a mounted projector and screen as well as a bin of chrome books that can be used for research and other projects.
Safe and Caring Committee: Many thanks to the safe and caring team who met several times this year to plan in support of student well-being and safety. At our last meeting for this school year we celebrated the fact that everything that was included in this year’s plan was implemented! Most recently our students and staff heard an encouraging message from local rap musician Peter Joynt about persistence, resilience and anti-bullying.
A Message from our incoming Vice-Principal: Mr. Kondric is pleased to be coming to Stittsville Public School and looks forward to meeting School Council at the September school council meeting.
School Learning Plan: We celebrated our school learning plan successes during education week with a display of “Math in Art”. If you haven’t had a chance to see the displays, take a look at the front foyer to see a sampling of “Math is Everywhere”.
A year of firsts…... I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year at SPS getting to know the students, staff and parents of Stittsville Public School. The first year as principal in a school is a wonderful opportunity to experience and enjoy the many things that make a school a vibrant, welcoming and unique. Thank you to everyone who has made it such a great year.
Thank you too to Sabrina and Shannon for leading our school council, to the executive and members and teacher reps. It has been a pleasure to work with such an engaged and productive council. I look forward to another great year next year.
5. Teachers Report (Maura Cuffari / Virginia O’Halloran)
In our grade one Class!
We are estimating, pouring, measuring and getting a little wet with our math experiments!
Such fun to see your Grade one children experimenting with different containers and waterto understand capacity and to develop ideas about the mass of various objects. Thank-you to school council for providing funds to us, to again find 'extras' for our classrooms to deliver curriculum!!!
With sincere appreciation, Mrs. Kerwin - Grade One Math
Eco Club:
It is not official yet (Mme Kupo will know for sure in June) but it looks like we have reached the Silver level for the Ontario Eco School certification. Since we don't have a June meeting we are sharing this now, but we are not officially publishing this until it is official. We will work really hard to stay Silver next year with a BIG push for boomerang/litterless lunches. The Eco team is getting 10 white spruce trees in May which we will cherish and nurture. We will be planting the surviving ones in the Fall. The spot is to be determined.
A message from Mme Kupo and Mme Reed:
Would you please extend our appreciation and thanks to Parent Council for subsidizing our Scientist in the School workshop this year. The Grade 4 EFI classes had our Sound is Music to our Ears quot; workshopon Friday. The students thoroughly enjoyed the experiments and learned a lot about Sound at same time. The quacking duck quot; experiment was a hit!! (Our apologies to the parents!)
JDRF Results: Our numbers are not firm as of yet, but we know with in school and online donations we did raise over $1000.00 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Mrs Kerwin will let parents know in our next newsletter what our final number was! Thank-you, parents for supporting JDRF, especially since we have many children with family members that suffer from diabetes, as well as one of our students. We are one of few schools who participates in such a worthwhile cause. Many thanks to our parent volunteers and teachers who also supported our walk!
Basketball: The Junior Boy's Basketball team won their regional tournament. Girls competed well and represented SPS with pride
The Stittsville Showcase (aka Talent Show):
- Try-outs are done
- 24 acts have been selected
- There was a great range of talent: singing, dancing, gymnastics, music, comedy, magic and martial arts.
- There is a mix of solos and groups.
- The acts are equally distributed among grades 4, 5 and 6
- Students who did not make the cut have been given other opportunities to participate in the show:
- MCs, stage hands, greeters, etc.
- Students are to practice on their own time: at home or on the yard during recess
- Dress rehearsal isJune 5th, during recess
- The show isJune 8th(parentsare invited to either the morning or afternoon shows:9am and 1:45pm)
Peter Joynt's presentation: Thank you very much to Council! We had a wonderful presentation from Peter Joynt about anti-bullying, perseverance, determination, confidence and being kind to others. He performed some musical raps about his life and the power of being positive and yourself. He talked about putting positive vibes out in the world and the good things that come from it (ex: He won a car with the Roll up the Rim to Win competition and attributes it to doing well!)
The French Immersion classes in grades 4-6 are this year participating in the Bingo Franco competition. Students each receive a “Bingo” card and are encouraged to complete the activities in each space. Students who complete a line will get extra DPA time. Students who complete the whole card will be entered into a draw for a small prize.
Free the Children/Pay it Forward: Pay it Forward Fundraising Day on May 3 rd raised $260 for the various groups that sold goods
Free the Children raised $192 during the Mother’s Day Art Sale
We will be doing a Father’s Day art sale in June
The Pay it Forward Fair - will take place in the gym on June 21 st around noon-ish.
6. Treasurers Report - (Ryan Dawe)
School Agendas - by council buying it helps the school use its resources in otehr areas. Shannon Helleman motioned that $3k or under be allocated for next year. Seconded by Cathy Cootes 2nd
Generally Grade 6 and much younger grades do not use the agenda.
Teacher allocations have been submitted.
7. Fundraising Report (Kristin Harcoff and Donna Edwards)
Mtg on 02 May - one new parent "Sally" from NZ
Basic Plan - community events to be the focus. But generally the committee is reducing its events. The hope being that the strong quality events will make the same or more money. Attracting volunteers to assist si always a challenge. Running many events with small results has / is burning volunteers out.
Activity Summary for 2017-2018
September
- 1 spirit event (pink shirt)
- Meet the teacher night
- food trucks to be organized.
- Book fair ?
- Movie Night
October
- Halloween dance
November
- Trivia night
- McDonalds
December
- Movie Night
- Pie Fundraiser - Orders in Oct - delivery 08 Dec
January
- Movie Night
February
- SPS - Sen's Night
- McDonalds - Michelle Legault
March
- Little Ceasars ?
April
- Movie night
May
- McDonalds
- Cake Walk in Education Week
- Too much in education week. Money every day of the week.
What are the options to reduce this burden?
June
- Fun Fair
Ideas for consideration
- Dance-athon - during school hours - Idea from a parent - run by a company.
- International food festival
George Ingraham briefed council on the following issues associated with FUN FAIR:
· communicated with Maura Calfari to engage student council to encourage student participation and awareness of Fun Fair and will judge posters.
· volunteer site up
8. Food Program Report (Lorrie Hayes)
Shannon Hallmen is taking over next year.
Popcorn coord - simply - popa-jacks - Kristin Harcoff volunteered
Julie - get rid of the wraps
9. Safe and Caring Schools Update
(Cathy Coote and Angela Viktora)
Laurie - cake walk went very well. $4,400.00 dollars. After expenses $4,300.00 was the profit.
Delivery of cakes to class rooms was a very good idea.
Review of Peter Joynt presentation discussed.
Artists Kate
Mixed media art - Grant for $1,500.00 - Kristin - why does it go to 5-6 grades. Why not other grades?
- Could council pay the balance - of $4,500.00
- Half day program for each class.
- art show later
- Next years council needs to discuss.
Dress Code - will be published in news letters
- gender equity issues
- mid thy shorts
'appropriate" attire - by age
Play ground conflict -
Out Door class room - what will be its impact?
10. Volunteer Report (Cathy Coote)
Fun Fair volunteer positions published today.
11. OCASC Report (Stephanie Pulleyblank) absent
12. Conclusion
At 8:25 motion to Adjourn made by Shannon Helleman made motion and seconded.
End of Year party - Sabrina offered to host but council decided The Glenn would offered flexibility and suggested the 1st or 2nd week of June
Next meeting: September 19, 2017