Essex PS School Council Meeting – Minutes

    Parent Orientation Handbook

Melissa is working on it.  Suggestion to start a google doc that we can contribute to.  Narrative approach- hear from parents. Highlight fundraisers, recent grants/achievements and programs, and let parents know how they can get involved and make these things happen.  Make google doc accessible to staff so they can add in the clubs they are running. A friend who is a documentary photographer is going to come take some stock photos of the school. We will also create an intro page to parent handbook from school letting parents know how many forms there are and a checklist to go with it.

    Lice checks

Very successful with Public Health and it is free.  We will book 3 dates for next year at our first parent council meeting in the fall.

    Program booking status – Theatrix, Scientist in the Schools

Most classes have signed up for Theatrix.  Teachers are beginning to sign up for SIS workshops and some classes have ordered butterfly kits.

Snack Program

$1200 anonymous donation to pay for snack program for the rest of the year! Thank you

Lunchroom Supervisors

Suggestion to write to superintendent and trustee and/or MPP about increasing funding for lunchroom supervisors

Air conditioning

Also suggestion to write letters about cooling station/air conditioning in the library to make sure it is in place in June.

Spirit Wear

35 orders in so far

Want to order some extra gear so we can show off the gear and let people see it and see the sizes

Will send out an email through parent link and have three days when people can come in to see the sizes and order

Two additional t-shirts:

Cape t-shirt with funds going toward spec ed.

Essex/Hawthorne band t-shirts toward co-school funding

    PRO Grant – 2017 and 2018

We have $1000 to spend

Looking at social media workshops for the kids during the day and a parent evening; however daytime workshops are booked up but we can plan an evening for kids and parents.  An evening workshop would be $600. May use grant towards this next year. This year we will put money toward math night. We could sponsor pizza and print “How to do math at home” booklets to send home.  Deb will touch base with Leslie.

Updates:

Staffing;

Allocation of  262 student enrollment

Staffing allocation is 19.00 which is up from last year 18.5

Lost 0.5 resource support – based on:  students being supported in CBRM – Resource and HSP), a measure of LOI and students returning to their home schools as a result of the Inclusion Strategy.

Limited model given the staffing and projected student enrolment

An additional Grade 7/8 HR for next year – class numbers are large

Support Staffing – lost 0.5 Office staff for next year;

Blinds ordered

No time line to the installment of blinds

Replacement windows and doors

Schedule – has changed from the original

No update with dates

Eco-School  initiative

Essex & Hawthorne Nature Study Area planting in partnership with the City of Toronto

Meeting on February 27th with Justin Nadeau , staff and city

Upcoming  events:

April 6th – Staffing Models due to Superintendent Gallagher

April 10th – Staffing Model to be approved on by Superintendent Gallagher

April 11th – Grad Photo retakes in Library in the a.m.

April 17th Family Math Night – please see email sent by Leslie in participating in this evening; flyer to be sent home and RSVP required to order food

May 4th – Wellness Day – please see inform sent by Leslie

May 23rd – May 28th – EQAO administration dates (tentative)

June 7th –  Election Canada

Debbie will be taking over role of Treasurer for remainder of year

Melissa will come on to have a second person with signing authority

    Spring Fling Planning Update

Square for using credit cards at Spring Fling (We will have 2 available)

    Fundraising goals: Playground improvement, 3rd floor organizing, playground equipment, picnic tables for grade ⅞,

OPAL Symposium

We are planning to sign up to be an OPAL school

Application is due May 4th

Working with a parent from Hawthorne council

We have a few parents who have offered to be on lead team

Garden Clean-up Day

Date TBA one Saturday in May

Will advertise to families to come help clean up garden and deliver compost to all the beds

Perhaps signage painting for pollinator garden, native garden, vegetable garden etc.

Naturalizing playground area

Working with City of Toronto, TDSB Sustainability office and students to plant an area between daycare playground and junior playscape

Planting day will be on May 24th

We have a $15, 000 grant to go toward this area thanks to Evergreen and the Portlands.  This money will go toward protective fencing, log bench seating, signage and outdoor inquiry kits

Currently no volunteers.  Jessica will work to get it up and running for Sept. 2018

Classroom Funds – extra $400 approved for buses for the DD classes

Idea to let teachers know that parent council has some $ for a field trip fund and teachers should approach parent council if they have a trip they want money for.

Potential to have a fundraiser next year or at spring fling specifically for a field trip fund for families who cannot afford trips.  Maybe look at raising money at Monster Mixer next year as it is at beginning of the year.