Notes from School Council (CORRECTED)

In addition to what Irit shared recently, here are some things we learned at the School Council meeting earlier this week.

Ward 18 Forum

Trustee Parthi Kandavel will host a meeting for all Ward 18 parents on the evening of December 8. Guest speaker Trevor Brown will share information about helping students learn mathematics.  CORRECTION: this is actually December 10 - details here

Report Cards and IEPs will be sent home by Dec 11. Parent-teacher interviews, if needed, have already been requested by the teachers (usually only in cases where there is a concern). The next round of parent-teacher interviews will be in February after the Feb report cards. 

Trips and Extracurriculars are back on track now that the work-to-rule campaign has ended. Teachers have also started updating their blogs. (see list at right) Earlier this year, the School Council offered to contribute $100 to each of Clairlea's 27 classrooms; this money is to help defray the costs of an experiential learning activity for the kids (either a field trip or an in-class activity such as Scientists in Schools). 

Facilities

- The kindergarten sandpit, which was problematic, has been replaced with mulch and a slide. 

- All portables are now fully wireless (meaning that every part of the school where students learn is now connected to WiFi)

- The new portable (P3) now has a paved path, which will ensure the necessary snow removal in winter

- The broken bridge on the play structure at the back playground area is unfortunately not scheduled for repair. It would be ridiculously expensive to fix. It has been boarded up to protect children from falling. 

Clubs now underway (see school blog or contact the office for details)

- Gr 7 & 8 homework club meets Tuesdays and Thursdays after school

- Primary art club (Gr 1-3), led by older students

- Jewellery making club (Gr 4-6?) led by Ms Avdylaj

- Primary soccer

- Jr & Sr volleyball

- Student Leadership Team (Gr 7&8)

Events

- Book fair a huge success, raised $3000 worth of books for Clairlea library

- Nov 27 Spirit Day (wacky hat day) and Panther Assembly

- Dec ? - festive outfit day

- There will be a kindergarten holiday concert - during the schoolday, date TBD

The Howl was extremely successful, with 370 students in attendance. Proceeds of $3,600 will be put toward kindergarten play equipment; technology; and arts programming. 

Does anyone have photos from The Howl? Please send to clairleacouncil@gmail.com. 

Spending

In addition to the 10 Chromebooks that the School Council agreed to pay for in September, this week we agreed to pay for another 10 at an incremental cost of $3000. The school currently has 60 Chromebooks and seeks to bring that number to 90 by the end of the year. A third charging cart is needed but the hope is that a used one will be donated. 

The School Council also continues to support the snack program. 

Last month, we contributed to the cost of bringing an incubator to the school, so the kids can observe eggs hatching into chicks. 

Clairlea's fundraising programs have been tremendously successful this year, and great thanks are due to the volunteers who coordinate these programs as well as the many families who participate in things like The Howl, pizza lunch, the book fair and the Norcard catalogue. Thank you. Stay tuned for a possible Fun Fair when the weather gets warm!