School Council Minutes March 9, 2009
C.H.Bray School Council 9 March 2009
Meeting attendees: Lisa McHarg, Charmaine Graham, Gail Arruda, Jen Lumsden (teacher), Judy VanBoven (teacher), Martha Creton, Candice Baxter, Debbie Morrow, Vanessa Seto, Sunila Melanson, Sharon Coleman, Leslie Masse, Patsi Hunter, Tracy Carnegie, Kelly Russell, Sarah Wallace, Stacey Sparling, Sarah Thake, Leigh Vyn, Sheri Norton, Bhavisha Morphet, Doug Dunford (principal), Tracy McMurter, Sylvia Henry,Tracy McMurter, Lori Grgory
Call to order 7.00 PM by Leigh Vyn
Motion to pass February meeting minutes – Gail Arruda
13 in favour, 0 abstained, 0 opposed.
Treasurer’s Report
Approximately $12,000 in account (does not include hot dog deposit)
Estimated balance is $5,300 once air conditioner unit, school lunches,
and Blue Spruce/Silver Birch subsidy is considered
A binder containing all financial records of this year’s council is available upon request.
Fundraising Report
Food Surveys – Bhavisha Morphet
Based on feedback received about lunch days and ensuring existing
food/treat days were meeting the needs of Bray parents and students,
a survey asking about lunch/treat day participation, pricing, interest
in different options, and whether parents are willing to pay for ‘healthier’
options was distributed
Surveys were distributed March 4th and asked to be returned by March
9th
Families were asked to complete a single survey (not one per child)
As of today, 90+ Bray families have responded, providing a solid sample
size for data review
Parents who requested being contacted for additional discussion will
be called over the next few weeks
Data will be summarized and reviewed, and a summary report will be
prepared
Anyone interested in learning more can contact Bhavisha Morphet at
bhavishamorphet@hotmail.com
Action: Bhavisha to provide Mr. Dunford with verbiage to post on the
web site, thanking parents for their participation
Pizza Days – Candice Baxter
Leftover pizza used to be provided to teachers at no charge; due to
changing and different economic circumstances and perceptions, teachers
are being asked to consider donating $1/slice.
Silent Auction – May 7th, 2009– Lori Gregory
Some great prizes have been received.
Raffle items include an iPod and lottery tree, and more items are
welcome.
Action: Mrs. Lumsden will forward a letter for teachers to distribute
to students/parents
Teachers are hoping baskets can be provided before Easter weekend,
and there is a request for bigger baskets with handles, for easy of
carrying.
A request for volunteers to assist with auction planning, preparation,
and day of was put in the March BobCat News. There have been some responses
and additional volunteers are welcome and should contact Lori Gregory
at 905-304-5290.
Volunteers are especially required the week before/during the auction
to wrap baskets
This year the contents of each basket will be listed and a monetary
value estimated, based on parent feedback from last year
School Picnic – June 11th, 2009 – Tracy Carnegie
Heavy volunteer requirement for this event – a request for volunteers
was included in the March BobCat News – anyone interested in joining
the planning committee or assisting day of should contact Tracy at 905-304-8654
or Kelly Russell at 905-304-6798
Action: Tracy/Kelly to provide number of volunteers required so this
can be communicated to the Bray parent community, hopefully encouraging
more parents to volunteer
Mrs. Mann-DaSilva has volunteered to be an additional face painter
as this is a very popular activity and line ups are often long
Committee will decide number and type of games
No ‘pop the balloon’ since although very popular among children, this
is a very time consuming activity which requires a significant number
of volunteers.
Will likely utilize a punch card system similar to last year – children
participate in games, get a certain number of ‘punches’ on a card and
redeem for a treat: if anyone has additional ideas then the committee
is open to exploring other options
Committee is considering asking for a $10 donation from all parents/families
to purchase game prizes, but final decision has not been made.
Based on food line ups and feedback from parents, committee is exploring
various food options: subs (potential storage issue); Licks (higher
cost); Jack Astor’s (need more information, but will bring their own
staff, and Bray receives portion of proceeds which may help offset costs,
is comparable in cost to Harvey’s who has been the food vendor in previous
years)
Considering bagging cotton candy this year
Considering including cookie decorating and will approach Carrington
Place as they bake them for us every year
May leave out popcorn this year (requires a lot of volunteers)
Will request parents to bring blankets/chairs to make it more of a
picnic feel
Will put together a budget in April to present to Council
Suggestion provided to committee – have recycle bins placed outside
for pop cans and water bottles
Cards Fundraiser – Lisa McHarg
Forms have been sent home and are due back to teachers by March 12th
Students are working on artwork during class time – thank you to teachers
for their support in this fundraiser
Cards will be printed March 23rd and back to Lisa by the beginning
of April
Reorders forms will be provided for anyone interested in ordering
more cards when orders are sent home
Mabel’s Labels – Charmaine Underwood-Graham
New to Bray this year and in support of a local, Canadian company,
we are selling Mabel’s Labels this spring
In time for summer camp season and based on positive feedback from
parents already familiar with their products, order forms will be sent
to parents during the first week of April and are due back in mid-April
Product delivery is end of April
Profit depends on volume ordered and ranges between 22%-30%
For those not familiar with their product line, they provide a range
of durable labels for use on containers, clothes, backpacks, etc.
More information is available at www. mabelslabels.ca
Chairperson Report – Leigh Vyn
Air Quality Report
The board report in response to Rick Esse’s report arrived February
9th
Both the board report and Rick’s informal response to the Feb 9th
report were distributed to parents
Sunila Melanson, a parent at the school, having an educational and
professional background in environmental engineering, health and safety,
and consulting provided her perspective on the reports to date, The
intention was to provide parents with additional information prior to
making a decision as to how we should move forward, (if at all) and
in what capacity. The educational qualifications and credentials required
to work within a board health and safety group make it such that it
is not in the board’s best interests to make comments without validation
(due to liability and credibility issues); legally, the board is not
required to use Hepa vacuums to remove/dispose of mould clean up; there
is no formal mould regulation in Ontario; however, there are standards
and best practices that the board adheres to; regardless of what the
substance is (i.e.. mould, dust) – the removal procedures are the same;
in terms of what next steps should be taken in response to the board’s
latest report; may want to consider asking the board if protocol is
being followed in clean up procedures.
It was agreed that the air quality is within standard guidelines and
as such is not a threat to the children. This was confirmed by the board’s
December review; Rick’s response (Dec 2009); and the board’s response
to Rick’s report (Feb 9th).
The key focus should be on comfort and ensuring a clean environment
for students and staff.
Mr. Dunford explained that monthly and visual inspections of the school
are done; this is done on behalf of teachers and administration and
includes a specific check list of items to look for
Action: Mr. Dunford to confirm the school vacuum is in good working
order
Action: Mr. Dunford to follow up with board to see if water pooling
is still occurring in areas where this has been a problem previously;
and to see if the spots have been rechecked by the board
Action: Mr. Dunford to follow up with our site leader to see if daily
cleaning/maintenance is being done and if a log is maintained
Action: Mr. Dunford to follow up with the board to ensure clean up
is being done off school hours, and what happens if the worker’s shift
ends and not all clean up is completed; is there a document listing
work completed each time? Whose responsibility is it to report any work
not done or incomplete?
Concern raised about Bradley (sink) in girls’ bathroom – water pressure
is so low that younger children are unable to reach, and thus not able
to properly wash their hands
Action: Mr. Dunford has already communicated this issue to the board
but will follow up and ask ‘can the sinks be repaired to a satisfactory
condition or replaced. Concern raised about soap dispensers in poor
working order and ensuring paper towels are in supply
Action: Mr. Dunford to ask if Purell sanitizer can be installed (potentially
a fire hazard due to alcohol ingredients), and if not then what other
options exist
Council By-Laws Update
A standard board wide School Council set of bylaws exists; as well
as school specific bylaws for the Bray School Council
The Bray School Council bylaws were written in 1999 and will be updated
over the next few months by the current executive, and presented to
the Council
The goal is to have an approved set of revised bylaws for the new
school year
Peer Mediation Program
At the last meeting, Mr. Subonovich presented the Peer Mediation program,
it’s goals and mandate
It was agreed that these students are a key contributor to ensuring
Bray is a safe learning environment for all students and their efforts
are appreciated by parents and students
On behalf of parents, it was suggested that Council contribute funds
to thank and/or reward peer mediators
A motion to provide $200 to Mr. Subonovich to spend on a pizza lunch,
hot chocolate, thank you items for these students was presented
Motion put forth by Tracy Carnegie
Seconded by Patsi Hunter
13 in favour, 0 abstained, 0 opposed
Teacher Appreciation Lunch
Will be held April 23rd
This is an annual event coordinated be a Council representative to
thank teachers for all of their efforts; volunteers provide lunch items
and other donations to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our
teachers
Gail Arruda volunteered for this year’s event
A request for additional volunteers will be sent over the next few
weeks
Principal’s Report – Mr. Doug Dunford
Code of Conduct
Board provides a template (or items that must appear in all school
codes) and then a school specific code of conduct is created – Bray’s
Code of Conduct is being revised
Mr. Dunford distributed a draft to parents
A committee within the school and feedback from the safe school survey
(done every 2 years) is considered
Content includes discipline policy; definition of bullying and school
climate; teacher, staff, parent, and student responsibilities; standards
of behaviour; consequences for inappropriate action; character education,
etc.
Interesting statistic – 90% of bullying is done by ‘good kids’
Discipline philosophy at the school is to give kids the skills to
act appropriately (this is an education process), and not just ‘punishment
to fit the crime’
Director’s Visit
Happened recently; not necessarily an annual event, and is essentially
an inspection of the school environment
Attending this year’s visit was the Literacy Improvement Teacher,
Council Chair, 2 trustees, and the principal
Director pleased with school’s literacy scores, EQAO testing; parent
involvement and staff team work
Mr. Dunford praised students, parents, and teachers for Bray’s learning
community and effective tone.
Movie Night
$335 made from the last movie night (Feb 20th)
Next event will be April 30th.
At the last event, popcorn was donated by SilverCity; speakers were
donated by the Melanson family
Younger siblings are welcome if parents are attending (kids under
3 are free)
Extracurricular Activity
Concern raised about a lack of extracurricular activity at Bray
Concern that when Bray students move onto middle school, they often
lack the confidence to participate in extracurricular activity; students
feel that they don’t measure up in terms of extracurricular activity
because they aren’t getting the exposure at Bray
Mr. Dunford responded that CH Bray has a boundary ball league, floor
hockey, participates in regional cross country and track meets, and
is considering a basketball league
Teacher involvement cannot be mandated or made a condition of employment
due to union contract issues, and Bray teachers are already involved
in the activities listed above plus choir, reading programs, peer mediation
programs, etc.
Next Meeting – April 6th at 7pm
Please note a change in date due to the Easter holidays falling on
the 2nd Monday. The meeting has been moved up a week. Guest speaker
Heather Gardener will attend to speak about sexual education at the
primary level. A pamphlet will soon go home to the grade 5 and 6 classes;
encouraging parents to be involved in the education process
Next meeting: Monday 6 April 2009 7.00 PM 2ND MONDAY OF THE MONTH
11 MAY 2009 15 JUNE 2009
