Clairlea's 2009-10 EQAO results

Clairlea's EQAO results (at left) compared to the TDSB and province

Many of you already know about Clairlea's past performance on the province of Ontario's Education Quality and Accountability (EQAO) exams. If you were here last year, you'll be familiar with the interventions and learning pathways that formed part of the school's improvement plan.

All that hard work paid off. Clairlea's results in 2009-10 are something to be very proud of. The students and teachers worked very hard to make this happen and I believe that the interventions of last year will pay dividends for years to come. Clairlea showed that good leadership, creative thinking, sharing ideas, celebrating success, hard work and (perhaps most importantly) believing in yourself can make all the difference!

These are some screen shots from Clairlea's full EQAO report, which is available on the TDSB web site. (You can also find 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 reports for comparison.) It's great that we surpassed both the Toronto board and the province, but my favourite graph is the one that shows Clairlea's consistent improvement over time. What I like best about this school is that the staff are still talking about improvement, still working at getting better.
No resting on laurels at this school.

Clairlea's Grade 3 results over time

Clairlea's Grade 6 results over time

Summary of Sept school council meeting

Last week was the first School Council meeting of this school year. Congratulations to the 2010-11 executive: chair Ginnie Zaromitidis, vice-chair Bev Way, secretary Christina Mark and treasurer Ann Silver.

These are not the official minutes, just my recollection of the meeting...

13 people signed on to be voting members of School Council. All other Clairlea families are welcome and encouraged to attend Council meetings any time. I gather that 13 members is a larger-than-average school council, but there's always room for new voices, great ideas and smart questions, and I believe our involvement makes a true difference in the school and in our children's education.

We were sorry to hear that vice-principal Mr. Frenette is away on temporary sick leave. Ms. Persaud assures us that he will return as soon as he is able. Freddy, we miss you and hope you will be better soon! 

Our teacher representative this month was the school's forthright and energetic art teacher Mme. Demeter, who reported that the school is in full swing already, and informed us that math program planning, school assessments and extra-curricular activities like flag football and a primary soccer tournament are already underway. It was great to hear her describe Clairlea as "a productive, active school where all the students are finding a good place to be." 

We also learned: 

• The lice squad is mobilizing under its leader, Hope, who welcomes volunteers
• The safety committee continues to direct traffic in the bus loop, in an effort to help drivers learn to use it properly. Bev seeks volunteers who can assist periodically with this morning task. 
• Under Laura's leadership, the tulip fundraiser sold approximately 40 dozen tulips, for a net profit to the school of about $160. Special thanks to the families who donated their tulips back to the school! 
• Pizza lunch is Sept 30 and by now, all orders should have been sent in. For those who didn't participate in September due to field trips or for other reasons, October will offer another chance to pre-order for the remainder of the year. 
• The grade 8 trip will likely not be to Quebec City this year due to the cost. The school is exploring other options.
• Literacy night will be October 7. 
• The Council is required annually to review its principal and vice-principal profile, essentially a list of qualities we feel are important in our administration. A draft document was presented and feedback sought; a revised document will be presented for approval in October. Let me know if you have ideas on this.
• Ginnie circulated a number of documents from the parents advocacy group People for Education. 
• Peggy will run a Campbell's Soup Labels fundraiser this year. Details to follow. 

Council approved a baseline spending plan for 2010-11 that included the following items; additional spending will be determined at our October meeting based on spending requests from Clairlea staff and council members. The baseline plan includes the following items, which are consistent each year: 

• Refreshments for school events such as literacy night, math and science night etc.  $500
• T-shirts for student leadership team (SLT) $300
• Gardens $200
• Grade 8 yearbooks $1200
• Grade 8 graduation $2000
• Lice squad $200

Maria asked about SK graduation and was informed that this is not a formal "graduation" and that teachers decide class-by-class how to celebrate their students' final year of kindergarten. 

The treasurer, Ann Silver, reported that we have about $10,500 in the bank, of which about $5,000 is committed. Request forms are being collected from teachers so that we can prioritize a spending plan at our October meeting. 

Council agreed that 50% of the revenue from the Halloween Howl fundraiser will be divided equally among teachers, to be spent on their classes or classroom needs according to each teacher's discretion. 

In her principal's report, Ms. Persaud reported that due to teachers' and staff's hard work and advance planning back in June, the 2010-11 school year is off to a running start. Teachers have already been meeting in grade teams to discuss how to continue to improve student achievement. One element of this is a math planning session, which has already taken place. 

Clairlea will continue to focus on professional development this year. As part of this strategy, Ms. Persaud will again invite faculty of education students and one faculty of nursing student to the school. 

Clairlea is committed to openness and transparency. Ms. Persaud welcomes all concerns and accolades, but asks that concerns are raised first with your child's teacher in keeping with the school's parent concern protocol. 

Together with the Safe and Caring Schools committee, the school asks everyone to follow the rules of the bus loop and parking lot. Emergency procedures are being rehearsed and there will be several fire drills throughout the year. 

Ms. Persaud reminded us of the four priorities for our family of schools (I am paraphrasing): Literacy; 

Numeracy; Creating pathways for student learning; and Communication with parents.

And saving the best for last: Clairlea's EQAO results are out, and thanks to the hard work of everyone at Clairlea (staff and students alike), they were greatly improved! We surpassed the Board average. A detailed report is posted on the TDSB web site.

Split-grade classes

Is your child in a split-grade class? One of mine is. By my count, Clairlea has 15 of these "combined classrooms," including every French-immersion class higher than grade 1.

Many parents wonder how combined classrooms work, how the class assignments are made, and how the teachers can possibly teach both curricula simultaneously.

In answer to these and other questions about split grades, the marvellous Mme. Dungo found this Ministry of Education pamphlet on combined classrooms and posted the link on her blog. I found it quite reassuring. Although split-grade classes must surely be more challenging for teachers, they seem to present some real opportunities for the students. Perhaps combined classrooms even offer greater scope for differentiated learning, which is a key element of the Toronto District School Board's "Vision of Hope."

Pizza lunch orders due Thurs Sept 23

Please don't forget to send in your pizza lunch orders. They are due Thurs Sept 23.

(Students in Ms. Lowen's and Ms. Hawkins' class would not have received them as they have a field trip on the same day as the September pizza lunch.)

This year, we're trying something different: you have the option to pay for the whole year now, or go month-by-month. The price is the same either way. We're going to try to stay organized enough that we don't send order forms again to the kids who have pre-ordered. Each month, students will have the option of ordering just that month or the remaining x lunches. The only thing we ask is that you please not change your order mid-year. As in the past, there are no refunds if students are absent the day of the lunch. This is because pizzas are pre-ordered and pre-paid.

Pizza lunch is one of the many fundraising efforts of School Council. The money we raise supports student learning and development, extra-curricular activities and classroom projects. For a voice in how these funds are allocated, please join School Council! The more members we have, the more effective we will be. Our first meeting is Wednesday Sept 22, 7:00pm at the school. Childcare is provided.

We also hope pizza lunch is fun for the kids and offers a break for parents from making lunches. Please let us know what you think!

School Council meets Wed Sept 22

The School Council meets on Wed. Sept 22 at 7:00pm at the school. All welcome. Babysitting provided. On the agenda for this meeting: 

Time	Agenda	Responsibility
7-7:20pm	Welcome and Intro to Council	Ginnie Zaromitidis
7:20-7:40pm	Vote for Executive	Nadira Persaud
7:40-7:55pm	Council T’s and I’s	Ginnie Zaromitidis
7:55- 8:05pm	Treasurer’s Report	Ann Silver
8:05-8:20pm	·       Principal’s Report ·       Teacher’s report	Nadira Persaud
8:20-8:30pm	New Business	open

Tulip fundraiser

The orders from the 'Toronto' tulip bulb fundraiser have been sent off to Vesey's to fill.  35 dozen Toronto Tulip packages will be delivered to us at the end of September (or beginning of October), just in time for fall planting. Here are some images of what they look like! 

The "Toronto" tulip

We ordered a couple of extra dozen that will be available for sale when they arrive to anyone who just couldn't decide before the cut-off date: first come, first served, on the day that they arrive.  A feast for the eyes instead of the belly.  Phew! Aren't you gladiola that it wasn't another chocolate fundraiser?  

Cheers, Laura laura.higgins@sympatico.ca  

Curriculum night tomorrow, Sept 16

Curriculum night starts at 6:30pm tomorrow night (Sept 16). If you have time to come a bit early, please visit the School Council table where we'll have yummy treats starting at 6:00pm.

Starting school: a resource for parents

Starting school can be overwhelming for the little 4 and 5-year-olds starting JK and SK and children transitioning to Grade 1. It can also be a little daunting for their parents... I, for one, wasn't always quite sure what my role should be, whether I was welcome in the classroom, how to get engaged with the school (especially while working full-time) or how to support my children's learning.

People For Education, an independent parents' group, put together this resource for parents of children starting school. Most of the information here rings true for me and I hope it will be useful to you. (Thanks, Ginnie, for passing it along.) 

For all parents with kids in all grades, it's incredibly important to come out to Curriculum Night (this Thursday Sept 16 at Clairlea!) to meet your children's teachers, see the classroom, and hear what you can expect and what's expected of your children. 

I believe it's also important to participate in School Council. Everyone is welcome, whether you decide to become a voting member or not. (Voting members are needed for quorum and therefore expected to attend every meeting, whereas non-voting members can pick and choose which meetings they attend. Everyone is welcome and childcare is provided in the gym.) School Council is your chance to ask your questions, air your concerns, propose solutions, and contribute to the ongoing effort to ensure Clairlea is a wonderful place to learn. It's also an opportunity to hear directly from the principal, vice-principal and one teacher each month about what's happening in the school, what they're working on, and what their priorities and goals are. An incidental benefit for me personally has been learning from parents of kids in the older grades about what's coming, what their concerns and issues and successes have been. It helps me understand what's coming and how I can help and prepare my kids for their future at school. 

I hope to see you at Curriculum Night on Thurs. Sept 16 and School Council on Wed. Sept 22!

Welcome back!

So, how was the first day of school? My kids had a great time... both very excited about their new teachers and classmates.

In the packages that were sent home today, there's a letter from School Council Chair, Ginnie Zaromitidis. People who are on the School Council email list would also have received an email from her last week. In case you didn't receive it, I've pasted a copy below. If you'd like to be on the email list, fill out the form that came home today, and/or send an email to clairleacouncil@gmail.com.

And please consider joining School Council! I try to convey the highlights of each meeting via this blog, but there's nothing like being there in the room, hearing directly from the principal and vice-principal and a teacher each month, and asking questions of the staff and other parents. I have found it a very valuable experience and I think others would too.

And now, here's the email from Ginnie:

Welcome to a new year at Cairlea!!


I am so excited that September is upon us and we are about to start a new year!


A few administration details, school will be starting at 8:40 this year! Let's do the office staff a favour and make sure our children are there on time! As well it is important to know, school will now get at at 3:15pm for everyone!!! Please make sure to remind everyone you talk to.


Curriculum night will be Thursday, September 16th. Please watch your children's backpacks for more information.


First council meeting will be Wednesday, September 22nd. In your children's backpacks you will find information on joining council and the forms to apply. We hope you will come out, we have many activitites we need help with!

The first pizza lunch will be September 30th. We are trying something new this year and giving you the option to pay for the whole year. We hope this will work out as many of you have been requesting this over the years!


Last but not least, the Halloween Howl. Friday, October 29th. Please join us for a family fun event. We are in need of old halloween decorations, as well as people willing to take on a room or give a few hours. This promises to be a fabulous night that our kids will truly enjoy!


I look forward to seeing you all in the upcoming weeks!


Take care,
Ginnie Zaromitidis