Governing Board
Tuesday, January 13th, 2015
APPROVED
Present: Principal, Debbie Picard, Commissioner, Pierre Dionne, James Nelson, Samira Shadvar, Lynn Visentin, Sue Gagnon, Donna Gleason, Lynn Barwin,
Zack Seguin-Forest, & Crystal Gleason
Absent with regrets: Bill Boudreau
Sue Gagnon welcomed all and opened the meeting at 6:05p.m.
1. Adoption of Agenda
15-01-10 It was moved by Samira Shadvar and seconded by James Nelson THAT the Agenda be adopted. CARRIED
2. Approval of minutes of November 2nd, 2014 meeting
15-01-11 It was moved by Lynn Barwin and seconded by Zack Seguin-Forest THAT the minutes of the November 2nd, 2014 meeting be approved. CARRIED
3. Principal’s Report
Ø Ms. Picard informs the board that staff ran the first Lockdown with students. She had attended a workshop with Mr. Eldon Keon as leader and this really helped. A script was written and the principal walked the students through the process calmly and slowly. It went very well and senior students had several very good questions afterwards. i.e., If we are on break, where do we go? (First available room with a locking door.) If we are outside, where do we go? (The Heritage Hall is designated as the off school ground site in emergencies.) We will discuss this again before the next practice at which time the Surete will be coming from Maniwaki to evaluate and give us feedback on our progress with this safety activity.
Ø The Christmas Dinner at the Heritage Hall was a huge success. This is a very special event and it would not be possible without our generous parents donating time and food. We also received incredible support from our local stores including Metro in Gracefield, O’Connor Store, Brennan’s Hill Store, The Wakefield General Store and the IGA in Farm Point. It was very well received and it was a perfect way to spend the last day of school before the holidays.
Ø The exam schedules have been handed out to students and will begin tomorrow with in class exams in French and English. Staff reports that students seem to be prepared and don’t appear to be too anxious. This is a busy 2 week schedule and sleep and nutrition are very important at this time. Special exam conditions are being set up at school and include quiet rooms as well as special programs on laptops to assist those who require extra help.
Ø Four senior students are writing their final MELS French exam this month and are doing very well. When they acquire their French credits they will assist the French teacher through a leadership program for the remainder of the year.
Ø It was a great Ski Day at Monte Ste. Marie on December 16th. There were only a few hills open but the students really enjoyed themselves. Afterwards, the Drama class, under the direction of Ms. McLaughlin, performed a Scrooge Christmas play which everyone enjoyed very much.
Ø The school had sent letters requesting financial assistance to the 10 municipalities served by St. Michael’s for our Wednesday After School Program. To date, Lac Ste. Marie has sent a cheque while both Gracefield and Cantley expressed their regrets. The Low Council has added the request to their next agenda. We will keep the board updated.
Ø St. Michael’s Open House will take place on Thursday, February 12th from 6:30 to 8:00p.m. Ms. Picard would like this to be more interactive and will have our students presenting a video while Student Council will be approached to speak to new parents. We have also approached two alumnae who may speak about their experience. This will be more powerful and parents will be more receptive to students and how they feel St. Michael’s has helped them in their educational journey.
Ø We have a new Grade 9 (Secondary 3) student which brings that class to a total of 21 students.
Ø Our Secondary 3 students have been invited to an Arts Festival in Lac Ste. Marie on March 19th, 2015. There will be many performances including Hip Hop and various musical groups. The MRC will provide the cost of admission and we have also requested funds for busses in order to attend. They will be looking into sources of funding for us.
15-01-12 It was moved by Samira Shadvar and seconded by Donna Gleason THAT our secondary 3 students be allowed to attend the Lac Ste. Marie Festival on March 19th, 2015. CARRIED
Ø On January 15th, 2015, St. Michael’s will host (by video conference) a workshop presented by a WQSB teacher at Symmes, Dan Curley, called, “Digital Citizenship”. Ms. Picard has learned a great deal about technology from Mr. Curley as well as how this can be used to help and motivate students. He has provided ideas on how to use it in the classroom and how it can be used properly by students. He is very in tune with teenagers and has a great connection with his students. All parents are welcome!
4. Budget Report
Ms. Picard went through the budget report. Photocopies are costing a lot and teachers have limits on amounts they can perform. Staff tries to brainstorm to come up with ideas for teaching that doesn’t require paper copies. Our computer budget amount will get us through the year but we will look closely at the computer leases to ensure we are getting the best product for our money. We will purchase new laptops for the teachers once the existing lease expires. The computer lab also costs a lot of money and we will start purchasing some of the stand-alone computers for the lab if the amount requested is reasonable. We have approximately $12,000.00 per year for technology and we can’t afford to use all of this on leases in future. We will have to continue leasing for the computer lab until we can make purchases. We will be trying to address this issue in the next couple of years as the computers in the lab are not upgraded and there is no service for them. IBM seems to be asking astronomical amounts for these older units and we may buy new computers when the lease expires. We also need a library or a virtual library and we simply can’t spend tis entire budget on computers.
5. Website update
Soren Van Den Berg and Mr. Tremblay are doing a great job on our website and it is very current. The poster for the Digital Citizenship video conference has been posted as well as all meetings that are taking place at the school. One parent reported that after checking many school websites, ours was definitely the most current. DeShawn Sincennes and Mackenzie Palmer are preparing a video for the front page with live interviews to promote the school. Great job!
6. Teacher’s Report
Ø Mr. Nelson reports that the Hockey Tournament in Maniwaki on December 10th, 2014 went very well and the students really enjoyed it! We have several female students on the team again this year.
Ø Students attended a play at the National Arts Centre called, “Alice Through the Looking Glass” on December 17th which was very interactive (performers throwing jelly beans into the audience) and they loved it! Many thanks to Ms. McLaughlin for arranging this event.
Ø Waterloo University will be presenting information about math, science and engineering to our students in Grades 9, 10 & 11 on February 11th, 2015.
Ø Next week, some of our students will be attending am activity sponsored by the Western Quebec School Board “Destination Imagination” at Symmes Junior High school. Ms. Shadvar has been working with volunteers from Grades 7 & 8 building a creature that can do three different things. Senior students are working with Mr. Boudreau through Destination Leadership in assisting with this event on January 22nd and 23, 2015. Many thanks to our wonderful teachers!
7. Student Council Report
Ø Zack Seguin-Forest informs the board that Leadership class is preparing a presentation on Anti-Bullying with videos and other activities which will be presented on the next Day 8.
Ø Zack Seguin-Forest, Crystal Gleason and Sam Kennelly have finished the Dodge Ball intramurals and they will be starting ball hockey next. Dungeons and Dragons is going very well and some students are still joining. They are planning either volleyball or flag football when ball hockey is finished. Ms. Picard explains to the board that these three senior students are taking the lead on intramurals which engages students during the lunch hour and prevents boredom or students getting into trouble. Ms. Picard is very happy with the participation and many spectators are enjoying it as well. Our students are doing a fantastic job!!!
8. Parent Committee Report
Ø Sue Gagnon informs the board that on December 15th, 2014, they had a presentation on Drop-Out rates. One of the problems experienced by our school board is that if a child dies or moves to an Ontario school, they are considered Drop –Outs. Our board is working on resolving this problem. The WQSB has a goal of an 80% graduation rate by 2020.
Ø On March 30th, 2015, there will be a presentation by the WQSB on Individual Education Plans (I.E.P.)
Ø The Parent Committee had a discussion about our national anthem and they are encouraging schools to play it each day.
Ø Bill 10 will have a negative impact on social workers and health care workers in schools. The WQSB is against this bill and are asking Governing Boards to support their opposition with a letter to the provincial government. Some schools are in support of this bill and some are against it.
9. CLC Report
-Christmas Baskets for the Less Fortunate – We helped 12 families with 35 children this past December with a great deal of support from area businesses, church and seniors associations and the St. Michael’s staff and parents!!!
-Montreal Conference on CLC’s – Mr. Boudreau will be presenting our Community Based Service Learning activities which include “Food to Go”
-Yoga in the gym on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00p.m. with Destini Broom
-Municipal request for support of After School Activities – See Principal report
10. Commissioner report
Ø Mr. Dion has had one council meeting and one training workshop so far this month. The training was very good for the 4 new commissioners. The atmosphere is very positive and new committees are being formed. Mr. Dion is on the Audit, Communications and Ethics & Governance committees. There is not a lot of direction for some of these committees and the first step is to determine where they want to go.
Ø Bill 10 – The government said they are open to change on this bill but have indicated they would like to have it in effect by July 1st, 2015. They will be merging school boards and our English boards would go from 9 to 7 school boards. The WQSB would lose one village – students would be going to Lachute instead of Namur. This is not a great change for our board but three large boards in Montreal will be greatly impacted. There will be a transitional phase with new taxation formulas for education. School boards have evolved and changed and in Mr. Dion’s opinion, this is a good thing. Our English school boards are very well organized.
11. Olweus Committee Report
Ø Anti-Bullying – See Student Council Report
Ø Ms. Picard is applying for a grant for a motivational speaker who will come on and speak to students and staff. She will have an answer by February 6th, 2015. We are looking for volunteer parents who will investigate prices and availability for school clothing with our logo. Lynn Barwin volunteered for this and our secretary will send an electronic version of our hawk. Mr. Dion said he will look for a sponsor – perhaps the Red Blacks as these are our school colours.
12.. People for the Future of St. Michael’s
Ø Our committee will be meeting on Thursday, February 15th at 7:00p.m. the purpose of the meeting is to set clear steps for the future and we will address building a new school building or a building with just a gym and a library. We may work with the municipality to share space and have CLSC offices in one building. This would be available to the community on weekends and evenings. We are expecting the Mayor of Low, the Prefet of our MRC, Stephanie Vallee’s representative, the WQSB director of buildings, Mr. Dion, our principal and president, Nancy Hall. According to Mr. Dion, funding will be the biggest challenge.
12. Parent for Governing Board
Ø Liz Rumball has had to step down from St. Michael’s Governing Board and we need a new parent to take her place. There was some discussion regarding possible parents who might be interested. We will be approaching parents to see if they would be interested.
Motion to adjourn
15-01-13 It was moved by James Nelson and seconded by Lynn Barwin THAT this meeting be adjourned at 7:35p.m. CARRIED