Sept 23 School Council meeting

Please forgive the length of this post, but there is lots to share... The first School Council meeting of the school year took place on Wednesday night. About 20 people were in attendance, with the first order of business being the election of a new Council executive (chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer). Congratulations and thanks to Ginnie Zaromitidis, Tami Oudendijk, Christina Mark and Ann Silver for filling those roles again this year. Some parents expressed their wish to become voting members of School Council, signalling their commitment to attend all or most meetings, while others preferred to attend meetings as non-voting members. Whether voting or non-voting members, all Clairlea parents and guardians are welcome at all School Council meetings and everyone's voice will be heard. Please contact the Chair to add an item to the agenda. Principal Persaud presented her report, which touched on the creation of a Safe and Caring School Action Committee (parent representatives are welcome). This committee will supervise fire drills, lockdown procedures and equipment safety and will also take on the task of ensuring that the school is a welcoming and inclusive environment and forestalling any sense of division that may come from being a dual-track (French and English) school. Ms. Persaud mentioned that school staff, service providers, volunteers and visitors must wear ID cards at all times. Parents are reminded to check in at the office before going anywhere else in the school. If you see anyone on site who is not wearing ID, please inform a staff member or escort the person to the office. Ms. Persaud reported that the former Design and Tech room has been converted to a new Visual Arts classroom under the supervision of Mme Demeter, who now teaches art to all grades in both French and English. Other site improvements are also being considered, including a possible Robotics program for intermediate grades. Funding for this proposed program has yet to be secured. A question was asked about whether there is a list of additional programs that could be considered for Clairlea. Ms. Persaud indicated that although no comprehensive list exists, she would see if she could direct us to a source for such information. In addition, Ms. Persaud will be introducing the Roots of Empathy program to Clairlea. This program seeks to build students' social and emotional competence by introducing them to a newborn baby, who will visit the classroom every three weeks throughout the school year. In observing the baby's development and feelings, students learn to "identify and reflect on their own feelings and the feelings of others." Mme. Dungo's grade 2 class will the the first class to participate in the program. More information is available here. Vice Principal Frenette reported on classroom placements. Some adjustments have been made in the French Immersion stream to accommodate class sizes, which are capped at 20 in primary grades (K-3) and at 35 in junior grades. The adjustments have resulted in an additional split class, but have reduced certain class sizes considerably. A number of university students and co-op high school students will be assisting in the classrooms over the course of the year. Mr. Frenette also reported that a student nurse will be in the school two days a week, working with primary grades on good eating habits, handwashing, infection control and other healthy habits. Remember, proper handwashing is the best way to stay healthy! There was a discussion at the Council meeting about engaging families of diverse backgrounds, and various opinions were expressed as to how best to do that. Anyone who wishes to lead a Diversity Committee, share ideas, or be otherwise involved in this effort is encouraged to contact Ginnie Zaromitidis or Ms. Persaud, or attend the next Council meeting. Mme. Speed, who teaches grade 1 French immersion, was the teacher representative at yesterday's Council meeting. We thank her for giving up her evening to be with us. She brought the teachers' thanks for the lanyards, t-shirts and welcome breakfast provided to the teachers on the first day of school. She also expressed the teachers' enthusiastic support for their new principal and vice principal, who she said are already making a positive impact on the school. The following funding requests were approved: - $240 for one-size-fits-all aprons for the teaching of art - $80 for the purchase of roti for the Diwali lunch, which will be presented by two parent volunteers - $140 for t-shirts for the Student Leadership Team, which helps and supports School Council in many ways, including the serving of snacks at tonight's Curriculum Night - $875 to run a cable to bring a television signal to the gymnasium. This will allow students to watch coverage of world events such as the Olympics. A question was asked about whether there was a big-picture spending plan for money raised by Council, and it was agreed that this would be addressed at a future meeting. Thanks to everyone for their participation. I hope you all enjoyed Curriculum Night too!