A few notes from last week's School Council meeting

Here are a few of the things we learned at last week's School Council meeting:

• Report cards will go home February 9 (except grade 6's who will be at Kearney that week)
• Parent-teacher interviews are by request or according to need only, and will take place throughout the week of Feb 9 and into the following week. No interviews on the PA Day Feb 12. 
• Winter Activity Day is Feb 11 for grades 4-8. The options are skiing, snowboarding or indoor inline skating. 
• The Spring Concert will be in early May and will focus on music and dance from around the world. Date TBD.
• Spirit Wear will be on sale in early February. New items include a black toque and sweatpants. Water bottles, hoodies and t-shirts also for sale. Fittings are recommended. 
• We will be having a Fun Fair in June. Date TBD.

A concern was raised about class sizes in the primary grades. Although class sizes are supposedly capped at 20-23 students in grades 1-3, some of Clairlea's primary classes are currently as high as 27. This is because of new students moving into the area after "count day" at the end of September, as well as students who switch from French to English and are not asked to return to their home schools. After "count day," anything goes and there is not much that the principal can do. Parents who find this situation troubling can write to our school's superintendent Mr. Audley Salmon or your elected representative to the TDSB, Ward 18 trustee Mr. Parthi Kandavel.

A request was made to remind teachers about the TDSB's homework policy, which prohibits homework during school holidays (section 3.9). 

Finally, there was another discussion about the broken bridge in the play structure in the back schoolyard. The bridge would cost close to $5,000 to repair and has instead been boarded up. Parents are concerned about safety as children often climb over the boards. Despite the administration's best efforts, the TDSB cannot be prevailed upon to repair it. 

Feb 5 is Winter Walk to School Day

Wednesday February 5 is Winter Walk to School Day, organized by the organization Active and Safe Routes to School. 

Enjoy!

Volunteers needed

The school needs a couple of parent volunteers to join a lice check team throughout the school year. If you are willing to take this on, please contact Mary Lou Kumagawa in the office (416-396-6165).

This job is not as awful as it sounds, and you will have our undying appreciation.

Active, Healthy Kids - a toolkit

Active Healthy Kids Canada has released a report card on the activity levels of Ontario kids. They gave Ontario's children and youth a D- for physical activity and a D for active play.

In sharing these results, People for Education has released a new toolkit - a step by step guide to creating a healthier school. Download it here.

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.

Low-cost dental care

Mr Frenette kindly shared this information about free / low-cost dental care at the last School Council meeting. My apologies for neglecting to get it posted sooner.

At the Ward meeting tonight, parents were introduced to this free online family security resource from Norton. 

This program lets you monitor what your children are seeing online, what they are saying on MSN, and how much time they are spending on the computer. 

From the web site: "Like most parents, you're concerned about what your children are doing on the Internet. OnlineFamily.Norton gives you the tools to manage where they go, how long they are online, who they talk to, and what information they're sharing with others. Best of all, it helps you open up a positive dialogue with your children about good online habits."

If anyone tries it out, please let us know what you think!

Drug Proof Your Home (April 13, RH King)

For parents and youth aged 11+: an important presentation about drugs and preventative approaches that can help protect your children. April 13 at RH King.

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!

H1N1 Influenza (swine flu) at Clairlea

A notice was sent home with students today informing parents that there is a confirmed case of H1N1 influenza ("swine flu") at Clairlea. According to School Council Chair Ginnie Zaromitidis, the school was closed at 4:30pm today and a disinfection process took place. Details are posted at the TDSB website. Some exerpts from their notice (emphasis added):

Toronto Public Health is advising that the school should continue to operate as usual. This recommendation is consistent with guidelines issued by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The TDSB is committed to protecting the health and well being of all our students and staff. The Board has a response plan in place and its system response team is in regular contact with public health officials to monitor the situation. The TDSB would like to remind the public that proactive hygiene practices such as frequent, proper hand washing are the most effective way to reduce the spread of viruses.

More information about this virus is available at the Toronto Public Health website and the Ontario Ministry of Health website. The TDSB's Pandemic Response Update Hotline: (416) 397-2400.

Information about the swine flu

A message from the Toronto District School Board's director of education regarding the TDSB and Swine Flu can be read here. (Thanks to Mr. Knierim for the link.) Bottom line: wash your hands frequently, do the sleeve sneeze, and stay home when you're sick. TDSB: http://www.tdsb.on.ca/ Toronto Public Health: www.toronto.ca/health/