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.