Lorne Park Public School Council Meeting September 25, 2014 · Lorne Park Public School Council...

Lorne Park Public School Council Meeting

September 25, 2014

Chairperson: Jill Rawlin

Minutes: Angela Hulays

Present: LPPS Staff Reps: Jason Billings, Maura Mininni, Dayle Grant

Parent Reps: Jill Rawlin, Francine Vance, Joni Mann, Michele Fletcher, Harj Shoan, Sabrina Bhangoo,

Doreen Lett, Ian Benwell, Eva Benwell, Mark Waschkowski, Duncan Warren, Janice Herget, Angela

Hulays, Sandy Whitman, Sangita Baiman, Katherine Wytrykush, Tracey Hill, Ron Maitra, Cecilia

Gibbons, Kushalini Kumar, Arati Nair, Sue Walsh, Marci Warcop, Zildi DeMichele

1. Welcome: Jill Rawlin

★ Meeting commenced at 6:30pm. ★ Approval of agenda - all in favour.

★ Council Meetings - code of conduct, processes

• Council meetings at LPPS are fairly informal and include a large group or participants

making it especially important to be respectful and conscious that everyone deserves to be

heard.

2. School Report: Jason Billings

★ Reorganization - Reorganization resulted in the addition of a new Kindergarten class at LP. It also

resulted in a number of student moves across all classes. These moves are always difficult for everyone.

Staff look at things like student support, social make up and gender balance when considering moves.

Mr. Billings thanked staff for taking their time going through these moves and to families for being

patient through the process.

★ Staffing update – We welcome Ms. Killeen who was placed into our new Kindergarten class. This

class will have only 15 students and it does not have an ECE. This group will continue to do many

activities with the other two classes but the school is excited that it is able to reduce the numbers in all 3

classes. This is a real positive for all. Ms. Soden is also joining the school as a Behavioural Teaching

Assistant. She is running proactive programs like PALS and will be able to run social skills groups and

programs for our students.

★ School Success –

• The school is continuing to partner with Owenwood and Clarkson and will continue to focus on

Mathematics. Staff spent Tuesday (Reorg day) working with Clarkson to review the board’s

Balanced Math poster and aligning resources to support this work. Staff will spend time at the next

PD day (Oct. 10) preparing teams for participation in collaborative work in Math. This will involve

teams of teachers co-planning, co-teaching and co-debriefing a lesson in math. They will look at

students attitudes in math, instructional approach and engagement, and problem solving. Our work

will focus on Engage Math, a 3 year plan to increase achievement in math

• We will also be working with the Critical Thinking Consortium to explore and implement ways to

embed critical thinking into our literacy and numeracy programs. Mr. Billings has worked with

them over the past two years and has been impressed with how reframing questioning promoted

critical thinking. Staff will be trying critical challenges throughout the year in all areas of the

curriculum.

• Our school success team will continue to review data from EQAO, Report Cards and Your Voice

Counts to continue to refine our goals in both academics, school climate, bullying awareness and

mental health.

• One area that we are going to explore in greater depth is looking at a growth vs fixed mindset. This

is work from Carol Dweck that connects very well with the changes we have been implementing

over the past few years since the implementation of Growing Success, specifically in the areas of

descriptive feedback.

★ EQAO – Grade threes did well in the spring assessment. Percentages are those students who achieved a

level 3 or 4 on the assessment. Reading – 89%, Writing – 89%, Mathematics – 61%. Math is clearly on

the lower end and one that the school is addressing as a major focus for the year. As mentioned earlier,

staff will look at trends in the individual data that EQAO provides to identify areas of strength and need

and use this for next steps.

★ Technology – BYOD – Thank you to our council for continued support with purchasing mobile

technology for our classrooms. We were able to hand out 12 chromebooks to our junior classes and 10

iPads to our kindergarten and primary classes. They are very excited to have these. The school

currently has 20 iPads that can be signed out by classrooms and these are being used regularly. Staff

have been accessing our Instructional Technology Resource Technology Teacher Jim Cash on a regular

basis. He will have been here 4 times by the second week of October and will continue to support staff

as they use this technology to support collaboration, critical thinking, and communication when using

devices.

★ Leading the Way –We are looking to merge this with a Me to We focus that was started last year. In

fact, we have 13 grade students that were very active last year with Free the Children activities who will

be attending the We Day celebration at the Air Canada Centre on October 2. The new focus will

continue to focus on local connections to our community but also global issues that closely relate to

many of the big ideas in our curriculum. We will work with our students and staff to make these

connections explicit and connected to our learning goals. More information to come on this.

★ Volunteers - A big thanks to our Kiss’n’Ride volunteers who are helping us keep thing running

smoothly. Please try not to park in the lot as there is limited space available. Walk, use the Kiss’n’Ride

or park in the neighbourhood and walk to the school. The school will continue to look for volunteers to

help out for a number of activities at school. Mrs. Horning is still looking for All Star Reading

volunteers. If you would like to help, please let her know.

★ Things coming up -

• Open House on October 1 from 6:30 – 7:30

• PD Day October 10/Thanksgiving October 13

• Movie Night October 17

• Jr. Cross Country October 24

• 5CM field trip

• Take Me Outside Day October 29

• Orange and Black Spirit Day October 31

3. Chair Report: Jill Rawlin

★ School Council, Purpose, Goals and By-laws

• LPPS Council Purpose: To support the principal and staff in their endeavors to make this

school the best it can be, to make better experiences for the students, and to support the

academic, social and character development of all students.

• Goals / Focus:

1. Collaborate with the principal and staff to meet their goals for academic, social and

character development of students.

2. Fundraise: Mr. Billings along with the staff will be drafting a 2014 wish list. Council

will then establish a fundraising plan based on wish list needs plus annual council

expenses (like the school skating day).

3. Charitable Activities: Share The Joy, Foster Child, Free The Children

Bylaws: LPPS bylaws were revised last year; all Executive position roles were updated, as

well as the process by which we handle forming the Council and electing Executive

members. Decisions at meetings are made through general consensus, where it is the

Chair’s role to ensure general consensus is met. If consensus cannot be met, then there will

be a vote. The Executive Council’s role is to confer with the Principal when needed

regarding council issues, and to make recommendations to the general Council for their

consideration at the meetings.

★ 2014 School Council Executive Positions

• Approval of Executive Committee:

✓ Jill Rawlin approved as Acting Chair; we are looking for a co-chair to ensure a smooth

transition into next year, as this is Jill’s last year at LPPS.

✓ Harj Shoan approved as Treasurer

✓ Angela Hulays approved as Secretary

✓ We are still in need of a Fundraising Coordinator. If interested, please speak with Jill.

★ School Council Communications

• Communication from the Council will typically be sent to Mr. Billings and he will distribute

to the school on behalf of the council.

• Communication amongst Council members will not utilize blind copy unless specifically

requested by a member.

4. Treasurer’s Report: Harj Shoan

★ Harj shared a summary 2013/14 fundraising income and spending.

★ The closing balance as of June 2014 and the cash being carried into the start of this school year

is approximately $14,600. This exceeds the council objective of about $5,000 to carried over

from year to year. The council will target to invest the surplus back into the school this year.

5. Fundraising Activities Report: Note that Fall Fundraising activities are decided in the Spring to

allow time for planning.

★ QSP: Marci Warcop

• QSP will be led by Erica Janjatovic assisted by Marci Warcop & Janice Herget

• Materials were sent home with students this week and the program finishes October 15.

• Parents are encouraged to fill out their orders on-line if possible as it is easier for the

volunteers and orders will arrive more quickly. However, if parents wish to claim a renewal

deal that is less than what is being offered by QSP they must attach the renewal offer to the

paper order form. In this case, on-line ordering is not an option.

• QSP is a very successful program each year. Last year the council was able to raise about

$3600 net.

★ Craft Show: Jill Rawlin

• The 4th Annual Craft Show will be held on November 15.

• We are expecting about 55 vendors. Vendors pay $65 per table.

• Other Craft Show revenue is generated by the bake sale, silent auction, and Santa photo

booth.

• Grade 5’s will again this year run a fundraising room to raise money for their graduation

and to be donated to Free The Children.

• Requests for volunteers will be coming soon.

★ Movie Nights: Mark Waschowski

• The first movie night of the year will be held on October 17th and the movie will be Mr.

Peabody & Sherman. Order forms as well as a request for volunteers will go out about a

week and a half before the movie night.

• The council recommended the renewal of our movie license for $660 which will allow us to

continue to show movies prior to the DVD release for the term of one year. The license will

renew October 1, 2014. Beyond the license fee, a delivery charge of about $30 per movie

will be required of any movie shown prior to the DVD release.

• Cecilia Gibbons, Arati Nair, and Kushalini Kumar volunteered to manage the money

collection and accounting for movie night orders.

★ Charitable Fundraising: Jason Billings & Dayle Grant

• Free the Children - Adopt a Village Program

• We Act Program - Educational program empowers young people to be global citizens

through charitable initiatives.

• Grade 5’s to fundraise through the Craft Show as they did last year.

• Andrea Nobbs is the parent volunteer who will work with the staff to head up these

initiatives.

6. Other Business: Jason Billings

★ PRO Grant Workshop: Monica Zaied applied for the PRO (Parents Reaching Out) grant on

behalf of LPPS again this year and the grant was approved by the ministry. Planning for this

event is moving forward with grant money from 7 or 8 local schools being pooled together to

fund Speaker George Couros. Clarkson SS will host the event likely to take place in November.

Michele Fletcher volunteered to lead promotion of this event to the LPPS community.

1. Snack Duty / Meeting Adjournment

★ Thanks to Jason Billings and Jill Rawlin for providing snacks and drinks.

★ Arati Nair & Janice Herget are on snack and refreshment duty for the next meeting. People

buying snacks can submit their bills to Mrs. Buckingham for reimbursement. $40 to $50 budget

recommended. ★ The next meeting is scheduled to be held on November 5, 2014 at 6:30pm in the Library.

Meeting adjourned at 8:10 pm.

**PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL LPPS PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THE

MEETINGS**

Childcare will be available in the computer lab during the meeting for school-aged children.


November 5, 2014


Minutes: Angela Hulays

Present: LPPS Staff Reps: Jason Billings, Dayle Grant

Parent Reps: Jill Rawlin, Joni Mann, Michele Fletcher, Doreen Lett, Ian Benwell, Eva Benwell, Mark

Waschkowski, Kate Waschkowski, Duncan Warren, Janice Herget, Angela Hulays, Sangita Barman,

Katherine Wytrykush, Cecilia Gibbons, Arati Nair, Sue Walsh, Zildi DeMichele, Jennifer Tsuji,

Andrea Nobbs, Erica Janjatovic


★ Meeting commenced at 6:40pm.

★ Approval of Sept. 25 minutes - all in favour. ★ Approval of agenda - all in favour.


★ Collaborative Inquiry Days - Grade 2 and 5 classes have recently participated in a Collaborative

Inquiry Day in math. This involves staff from Lorne Park, Owenwood and Clarkson PS along with our

Instructional Coach. These individuals co-plan a lesson, co-teach, and co-debrief the lesson. It is a

valuable professional learning day that has them talking about current resources, picking a rich task,

observing and noting strengths and areas of need related to the instructional approach and student

learning, and planning next steps related to their individual and collective professional goals. Our grade

3, 1 and 4 classes will also participate in the coming weeks. We are hopeful that we will continue this

work in the spring.

★ Staffing update – The school now has an Instructional Coach that is working with a few staff. The

coach is in the classrooms on a regular basis and is planning and teaching with the homeroom teacher.

This will continue throughout the year and this team will share their journey at regular staff meetings

along with sharing strategies and tools to support all classrooms.

★ Growth vs. Fixed Mindset - One area that staff have started to explore in great depth is looking at a

growth vs fixed mindset and how it affects learning. This work from Stanford Professor Carol Dweck

connects very well with the changes the school has been implementing over the past few years since in

the area of assessment for learning, specifically in the area of descriptive feedback. The following is a

link to a video discussing the effect of praise on mindset:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TTXrV0_3UjY

★ EcoSchools - Another really exciting initiative that the school is starting this year is EcoSchools.

Ontario EcoSchools is an environmental education and certification program for grades K-12 that helps

school communities develop both ecological literacy and environmental practices to become

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TTXrV0_3UjY

environmentally responsible citizens and reduce the environmental footprint of schools. The 6 key areas

of focus and achievement are: Teamwork & Leadership, Energy Conservation, Waste Minimization,

School Ground Greening and Curriculum, and Environmental Stewardship. Schools may apply to be

certified as an EcoSchool through an annual certification process which assesses and recognises

accomplishments awarding points in each of the six key areas. The school’s program this year will

contain a Litterless lunch campaign, Waste Audits, Energy Audits, Ban the Bottle campaign, Growing

Club (school greening involving native species) and Walk to School Wednesdays. Many staff and about

60 students are involved so it is very exciting.

If any parents are interested in helping with this initiative, please contact Mr. Kossowski. He would love your

support.

★ Free The Children - Mr. Grant shared that main fundraising focus of the Free the Children club this

year will be the sale of Rafiki bracelets. The bracelets are hand crafted by women entrepreneurs in

Kenya. The Free the Children club has raised about $50 so far this year which is enough to buy 2 goats

for a community in need. They are excited about participating in the Craft Show by selling Rafiki

bracelets for $10 each.

★ Lunch & After School Activities - Mr. Billings requested help to organize the various lunch and after

school activity opportunities received by the school. Eva Benwell and Jennifer Tsuji volunteered.

★ People For Education - The following is a link to the video we viewed providing tips for parents:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=D0S_gLw9pXg


• Remembrance Day Assembly

• Progress Reports / Interviews

• Pajama Spirit Day Nov. 13

• Craft Show Nov. 15

• Scientists in the Classroom presentations

• Constable Craig Bullying presentations

• Bullying Awareness Week Nov. 17 – 21

• George Couros Parent Presentation on Digital Citizens

• Movie Night Nov. 21

• LPPS Primary Concert Dec. 10

• Red and Green Spirit Day Dec. 21


★ Council Positions Revisited

• We are still seeking a co-Chair to work along with Jill this year to ensure a smooth

transition into next year as this is Jill’s last year at LPPS. If interested, please speak with

Jill.

• In addition, we are still in need of a Fundraising Coordinator. If interested, please speak

with Jill.

★ Fundraising Goals/Plan/Budget

• Mr Billings shared a draft of the School Wish List for Fundraising created by Staff. There

was a lot of discussion about the potential for funding additional enrichment activities or

possibly a new playground.

• Next steps:

• Tie fundraising goals to wishlist requests

• Research costs, options and timing for funding a new playground. Katherine

Wytrykush volunteered to lead this research.

4. Fundraising Activities Report:

★ QSP: Erica Janjatovic

• QSP sales were down this year versus last. Total sales came in at just under $8,000

compared to about $13,000 last year.

• Given the decline in participation, we will plan to discuss at a future meeting if this is a

program we want to continue with in 2015.


• The 4th Annual Craft Show will be held on November 15.

• All 55 vendors are paid in full thanks to the work of Eva Benwell.

• Volunteers are still needed. Requests have been sent via email.

★ Movie Nights: Mark Waschowski

• The first movie night of the year was a success with great turn out.

• The next movie night will be held on November 21st and will likely be showing How To

Train Your Dragon 2.

★ Share The Joy: Joni Mann

• The tree will be going up this Friday.

• We have not yet been assigned a family, but agreed to inquire about the possibility of

sponsoring two families this year.


★ Thanks to Arati Nair & Janice Herget for providing snacks and drinks.

★ Zildi DeMichele & Sangita Barman are on snack and refreshment duty for the next meeting. ★ The next meeting is scheduled to be held on January 14, 2015 at 6:30pm in the Library.



MEETINGS**



January 14, 2015


Minutes: Angela Hulays & Sandy Whitham

Present: LPPS Staff Reps: Jason Billings, Maura Mininni

Parent Reps: Jill Rawlin, Joni Mann, Michele Fletcher, Doreen Lett, Kate Waschkowski, Janice

Herget, Angela Hulays, Sangita Barman, Cecilia Gibbons, Arati Nair, Sue Walsh, Zildi DeMichele,

Jennifer Tsuji, Sandy Whitham, Kate Bishop, Leslie Gould, Sabrina Bhangoo, Francine Vance


★ Meeting commenced at 6:40pm.

★ Approval of Nov. 5 minutes - all in favour. ★ Approval of agenda - all in favour.


★ Scientists in the Classroom - Thank you to School Council for funding the first Scientists in the

Classroom. The school has had a number of visits this year from the group and students really love it.

★ Collaborative Inquiry Days - This has proven to be a great opportunity for LP Staff to work

collaboratively with teachers from Owenwood and Clarkson schools to bring unique learning

opportunities to the classroom that have benefit for both teachers and students. Staff are continuing to

focus their work in math and teachers in grades 3 – 5 will be released for 3 days of focused learning on

balanced math. Teachers in grades 1 and 2 will also get a chance to do some similar work later in the

year.

★ Math-a-thon – Conversations have begun about the 2nd

annual Math-a-thon. Math-a-thon is another

very successful fundraiser in which students receive Math questions, are given some time to study them

and then we will have a test day. They will choose a certain number of questions to complete. Students

will get people to pledge and quiz them as they practice. Each $20 raised will get them a ballot for some

fabulous prizes. More information will be shared shortly through the Weekly Envelope.

★ A note from Free The Children - I just wanted to let you know that we received your generous

donation of $600.00! Thank you so much for your contribution and for participating in We Are Rafikis!

Please pass along our heartfelt thanks to your students, staff, and school community for their

commitment and passion to change the world! Your donation is currently being held for a project in

Kenya! Your donation has been released to the community of Osenetoi, Kenya where it will help to

support education projects! Your donation will go to support one of the new classrooms that is under

construction!

★ Plan International Canada - Thanks to our spirit day donations we have made a generous donation to

Gifts of Hope. Our most recent donation has helped children around the world escape the vicious cycle

of poverty by providing communities with clean water, food and garden supplies.

★ The Compass - We received a wonderful thank you letter from the Compass for the huge (over 300)

number of items that were donated in December. They were also very thankful for the $150 that was

donated. Our support for local and global initiatives like these show our students the value in

stewardship. What an amazing lesson!

★ Skating - The council sponsored school skating day will take place this year on March 3rd. The event is

for all Grade 1-5 students although Kindergarten students may attend with a parent or guardian. Michele

Fletcher volunteered to get the hot chocolate for the event.


• PD Day on January 19th

• Classrooms Without Walls

• Report Cards: Jan. 30 for Kindergarten and Feb. 6 for Grades 1 – 5

• BullyFreeMe Assembly on Feb. 11

• Pink and Red day on Feb. 13

• Math-a-thon in February

• Skating on March 3


★ Executive Committee Announcements

• Joni Mann has volunteered to co-Chair along with Jill for the remainder of the school year.

Thank you, Joni!

• Angela Hulays, along with her family, will be moving to Pennsylvania in February so, we

are in need of a new Secretary to replace her. Sandy Whitham and Cecelia Gibbons have

volunteered to cover the minutes for the next two council meetings. If you are interested in

the Secretary role or can volunteer to keep minutes for the May 27th meeting, please speak

with Jill or Joni.

• We are still in need of a Fundraising Coordinator. If interested, please speak with Jill or

Joni.

★ Share the Joy: We were successful in filling all the needs and wishes for our sponsored family

this year which was awesome! Jason will be able to share the feedback from the family at our

next meeting.

4. Treasurer’s Report: Sabrina Bhangoo

★ Sabrina presented the Treasurer’s report in Harj’s absence. ★ Based on an estimate of expected income and expenditures for the balance of the year, it is

estimated that we will have a closing cash balance of about $22,000. ★ Given the stated goal of carrying $5,000-$7,000 into the next school year, the council is left

with about $15,000 to invest into the school this year.

5. 2015 Council Funds Spending: Jason Billins & Exec. Committee

★ Spending options discussed based on Staff and Council input were as follows: • Earmark all or a portion of the funds to upgrade the playground structure in future years.

Total investment needed to replace structure estimated at $40,000.

• Ceiling mounts for LCD projectors in each classroom. Total cost estimated at $13,000.

• An additional 2-3 iPads per classroom. Cost estimated at $300 per iPad.

• Fund Ripley’s Aquarium trip. Cost estimated at $2,600.

★ Recommendation from Council is to invest up to $13,000 in a combination of LCD mounts and

iPads for the classrooms. Council looks to Staff to recommend the most desirable way to split

the funds between those two needs. In addition, Council recommends the remaining funds

(approximately $2,600), be earmarked for play structure improvement. Mr. Billings will

contact the Board to inquire about the possibility of modular improvements that could be made

instead of a total replacement of the structure.

★ Mr. Billings will follow up as necessary with Staff and the Board and provide an update at the

next council meeting.



• The 4th Annual Craft Show was a huge success!

• About $12,000 was raised, up from $9,000 last year. The increase thanks to a very

successful silent auction this year.

• Big thanks to everyone who volunteered or supported the Craft Show this year!

• A new Craft Show committee for next year will be needed. We will be looking for

volunteers in May.

★ Movie Nights: Kate Waschowski

• The next movie night will be held on February 20th and we will be showing The Book of

Life.

★ Math-a-thon: Joni Mann

• Math-a thon will take place this year prior to March Break.

• Francine Vance has volunteered to lead this committee. Leslie Gould and Jen Tsuji have

volunteered for the committee as well.


★ Thanks to Zildi DeMichele & Sangita Barman for providing snacks and drinks.

★ Sandy Whitham & Jen Tsuji are on snack and refreshment duty for the next meeting. ★ The next meeting is scheduled to be held on February 25, 2015 at 6:30pm in the Library.



MEETINGS**



February 26, 2015

Chairperson: Joni Mann and Jill Rawlin

Minutes: Sandy Whitham

Present: LPPS Staff Reps: Jason Billings, Maura Mininni, Paul Kossowski Parent Reps: Joni Mann, Jill Rawlin, Erica Janjatovic, Katherine Wytrykush, Sue Walsh, Jennifer Tsuji, Francine Vance, Heather Fenos, Eva Benwell, Sandy Whitham

1. Welcome: Joni Mann

Meeting commenced at 6:40pm.

Approval of Nov. 5 minutes – Francine Vance approved.

Approval of agenda – Heather Fenos approved.

Welcome to Mr. Paul Kossowski


School Success - The grade 3, 4 and 5 teachers just finished 3 professional learning days looking at Numeracy. They created and delivered 3 rich tasks with classes. A rich task is a problem that provides lots of opportunity for student thinking and talk. Teachers are there to question and support as students tackle the problem. They are actively engaged in problem solving rather than passive learners. They are open ended and students can create meaning through their conversations. Students were also asked to share their understanding on chart paper with the class. One of the areas that needed improvement was communication of thinking. The grade 4 staff created criteria for effective communication around math thinking and even in just a few short days the students were able improve how they were sharing their responses. Moving forward, staff will continue to look at rich tasks that build collaborative problem solving skills and further refine student communication in math.

Eco Schools - We are doing very well with our Eco-Schools initiative. Students are very with their Litterless Lunch campaign on Wednesdays and we now have the “Golden Lunchbox” which will be handed out to the class that brings in the most litterless lunches. In the next few months we will start our Ban the Bottle campaign and Walk to School Wednesdays. We will also be looking at greening the schoolyard area by putting in native plants and a no-mow zone. Our goal this year is to get Bronze certification, as at is our first year as an Eco-School.

Classrooms Without Walls - Unfortunately due to the snow day we missed one day of Classrooms Without Walls with Bonnie Anderson. She will be back at the end of March for a couple of days. For this session, Mr. K is going to be released to plan and co-teach along with many of our staff. Bonnie Anderson will be there as a resource to support. We really want to empower staff to feel comfortable taking learning outdoors.

We want this to continue regularly into the spring. Thanks to Council for helping cover the costs for allowing us to continue with this great program.

Math-a-thon - Thank you to everyone for supporting our Math-a-thon. It is going well. We have raised $4787 so far and we are at 35% participation. The top two classes right now are Ms. Mininni’s at $1185 and Ms. Simpson’s at $822. We are looking for 100% participation so any amount pledged will help us reach that goal.

Skating - Thank you to School Council for covering the cost of skating on March 3rd.

Things coming up -

o Big Crunch on March 12 at 2:30 o Great Gulp March 13 o Twin/Triplet/Match Up Spirit Day on March 13 o March Break 16 – 20 o Brazilian Dance group here to perform in early April o Education Week will be held during April 20 – 24 o Junior Performance is postponed until early May

3. Treasurer’s Report: Jill Rawlin

Jill presented the Treasurer’s report in Harj’s absence.

The Opening Cash Balance (Aug 28) in addition to Sep’14–Feb’15 Net Income from Fundraising less School Enrichment Expenditures leaves a Current Cash Balance of $29679 (Feb 20).

January 14th, Council recommended investing up to $13000 in a combination of LCD mounts and iPads for the classrooms. See Technology update in Fundraising report below for more information.

September fundraising plans need to be discussed. It was proposed to create a fundraising sub-committee to discuss options and align on decisions at the May council meeting. Joni will bring forward at next council meeting and ask for volunteers for this committee.


Playground update: Katherine Wytrykush o The cost for a natural playground is approximately $75k +up. There are

options to build the playground in stages. This is approximately $10k or even less ($3k - $4k) depending on the size and scope of each stage.

o Ideally, we need a vision for whole project and then a work back plan can be created to ensure the pieces align. There are some very creative and fun options available.

o Next steps – Recommended to form a committee and get maintenance involved. Mr. Billings will include a note in the weekly envelope for interested parents to contact Katherine to become involved in this committee. The goals will include establishing a vision, developing a timeline with milestones and priorities as well as setting annual fundraising goals.

Technology update: Maura Minini o 60% of teachers are in favour of iPads and 40% of teachers are in favour

of mounted projector equipment to facilitate classroom learning and function. The $13000 will be spent based on these recommendations.

o Mr. Billings has $1700 of additional funding for technology and learning that must be spent by end of March. This will be used to provide more iPads for the school.

Movie Night: o Movie night raised $762 and was well received including the additional

pizza options and veggie trays. There is one more movie night planned before the end of the year. Movie and date TBD.

Math-a-thon: Francine Vance o Fundraising very close between a number of classes so more

participation is encouraged. Any amount donated counts towards the participation rate.

o The rewards were changed this year. Top earners in the school win a gift card. It is not by classroom but school wide this year.

o The deadline to get pledges in was extended until Monday, March 2nd to encourage greater participation.

5. Other Business

Health Curriculum: Jason Billings o The Province has developed new curriculum. Training plans have not yet

been received but it should be implemented in the new school year (September 2015). “A Parent’s Guide to the Revised Health and Physical Education Curriculum, Grades 1 to 12” was available at the meeting.

Indoor Recess: Joni Mann o An emergency parent list was proposed. This would be used to call parents

for supervision support for lunchtime indoor recesses. Joni Mann will follow up with Mr. Billings.

Extra Curricular Activities: Jen Tsuji/Eva Benwell o Jen is planning to send out a Slotter Survey to parents to get an idea of

interests and begin to map out a plan for the next school year (2015-2016).

• Craft Show: Jill Rawlin o A new Craft Show committee for next year will be needed. We will be looking for

volunteers in May. 5. Chair Report: Jill Rawlin/Joni Mann

School Council Principal Consultation

6. Snack Duty/Meeting Adjournment

Thanks to Jen Tsuji & Sandy Whitham for providing snacks and drinks.

Erica Janjatovic and Eva Benwell are on snack and refreshment duty for the next meeting.

The next meeting is scheduled for April 8, 2015 at 6:30pm in the Library.


**PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL LPPS PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THE MEETINGS**



April 8, 2015 Chairperson: Jill Rawlin / Joni Mann Minutes: Cecilia Gibbons Present: LPPS Staff Reps: Jason Billings, Maura Mininni Parent Reps: Jill Rawlin, Joni Mann, Michele Fletcher, Kate Waschkowski, Janice Herget, Sue Walsh, Jennifer Tsuji, Kate Bishop, Francine Vance, Katherine Wytrykush, Eva Benwell, Erica Janjatovic, Andrea Nobbs, Duncan Warren, Cecilia Gibbons 1. Welcome: Jill Rawlin / Joni Mann ★ Meeting commenced at 6:45pm. ★ Approval of Feb 25 minutes - all in favour. ★ Approval of agenda - all in favour.


School Success

The numeracy work continues as the grade 1 and 2 staff spent a day last week reviewing the Engage Math information. They also co-created a rich task and taught it to Ms. Sandig’s class. They worked with our Instructional Coach for the day. It was a very productive day.

The Kindergarten teachers and ECEs also had a release day together to review Kindergarten resources and spent some time preparing inquiry activities. They did a wonderful job gathering materials and preparing some new tasks for their students.

Staff will continue to spend some more time working on numeracy at the May 11 PD day. Teacher leaders from LP, Owenwood and Clarkson will plan and facilitate the work on this day which will be an excellent leadership opportunity for them.

Eco Schools The Green Team continues to monitor litterless lunches on Wednesday and they have the Golden Lunchbox that is awarded each week to the top classes. The Walk/Ride/Roll Team has also started. We will be tracking those that participate on Wednesdays and Fridays for the next two months. Students will track their participation on small cards and after 5 days of participating, they will receive a shoe tag. Energy audits also continue on a regular basis. Ms. Minnini has been updating our lessons and we will be inputting all information into the EcoSchools site as we prepare for our certification.

Mr. Kossowski still has some plans for creating our outdoor learning spaces in our yard, including a no mow zone that will include a variety of natural plants and grasses.

Classrooms Without Walls Thank you to the School Council for supporting this initiative. We had two amazing days in March. Mr. Kossowski helped co-plan lessons and our staff took the lead on teaching the lessons. Ms. Anderson from the Field Centre was there as a resource. We are really excited to continue learning and sharing our love of learning outdoors on a regular basis with our LP students. We are looking at preparing a variety of fun outdoor games and activities that can be done in June as a wrap up for the year and will be looking at gathering a number of cooperative games that can be done in September to help build community in our new classes.

Math-a-thon

A huge thank you to Francine Vance, Andrea Nobbs, Zildi DeMichele, Leslie Gould and Jennifer Tsuji for a very successful Math-a-thon. Approximately $8000 was raised. Thanks to the parents that were able to come out for our celebration assembly. The sundae building was a lot of fun. It was a great event.

Skating Thank you to School Council for covering the cost of skating and to Michelle Fletcher for organizing the Hot Chocolate. It sounded like it was a wonderful event. Staff had a lot of fun and the kids were well behaved.

Performances

Yesterday we had the Ache Brazilian dance group here to perform for our students. We have Dufflebag Theatre here during Education Week and Cadence, a Musical group will be here in May. Thanks to Council for funding these Arts enrichment activities.

Education Week

We will have a number of activities happening during education week. The dates we will celebrate education week are April 20 – 24 and the theme is Inspire, Greatness, Together. We will have a kick off assembly, a visit by families during recess and to their classroom, Ripley’s trip, the Dufflebag theatre, and a school movie. There will be a variety of classroom activities to celebrate students and to show inspiration. It should be a great week.

Things coming up

Junior Performance May 7th Wacky Hair Day May 8th

Grade 5 Visit to Tecumseh May 21st EQAO starts May 25 Welcome to Kindergarten May 28 BBQ June 12 Gr. 5 Graduation June 23 K teddy bear picnic – June 25

Other: o We need topics for the speakers. Please send any suggestions for the Parent Education

Event to Joni / Jason / Jill o Photos retake in school, it was suggested to compile a list of those who want the

pictures o Please think about the wish-list for the next meeting so we can start in full swing in

September 3. Treasurer’s Report: Jason Billings

Details will be shared at the next meeting


Playground Update: Katherine Wytrykush o 3 companies provided quotes o We can add new modules every year to the playground o 4-person swing was suggested as per the children’s wishes o Jen & Katie offered to help Katherine. Thank you!

Technology Update: Jason Billings o Ipads are ordered o Ceiling mounts for projectors are in process

Movie Night: Kate Waschkowski o May 8 Sponge Bob

Math-a-Thon: Francine Vance o Goal was $5,500 with 100% participation o Actual was $8,800 with 85% participation o Probably $8,000 after expenses o Sundae building assembly was a huge success o 3 top classes: Mrs. Minnini 100% participation, Mrs. Simpson 85% and Mr Grant 86%.

All three classes will get a pizza party Fundraising Committee still needed for the following activities:

o Playground project o Math-a-thon o Craft Show o Pizza days

May 6 Fundraising idea committee will meet at 7 pm at the Pump in Clarkson 5. Other Business:

Movie it May: Joni Mann

Activities in planning, tennis with all kids, rugby possibly, netball, yoga, baseball were suggested. Janice to help with different foods (one colour for each week?)

Emergency Parent List Please add your name to the list, sometimes last minute helps is needed (lunchroom supervisors)

Lunch / After School Activities Survey: Eva Benwell / Jen Tsuji Survey for parents: what do you want? Price range? What do the kids want? What is working? What is not? Have you made use of the activities?

Grad Update: Jill Rawlin / Doreen Lett We need a Grade 5 committee for next year, please start thinking about it. Parents whose children will be in Grade 5 next year should come forward

Year End BBQ: Joni Mann June 12 5 pm. No fundraising activities, just an evening for families to connect. Food handling not allowed, therefore we will organize food truck again. Parents can bring salads and other snacks

Tree replacement program was suggested 6. Snack Duty / Meeting Adjournment

Thanks to Eva Benwell and Erica Janjatovic for providing snacks and drinks. Francine & Joni / Jill are on snack and refreshment duty for the next meeting. The next meeting is scheduled to be held on May 27, 2015 at 6:30pm in the Library. Jen Tsuji will take the minutes Next year’s positions are still to be filled, Chair: Joni, Treasurer: Harj?, Secretary: ?


**PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL LPPS PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THE MEETINGS** Childcare will be available in the computer lab during the meeting for school-aged children.

Lorne Park Public School Council Meeting May 27th, 2015

Chairperson: Jill Rawlin/Joni Mann Minutes: Jennifer Tsuji Present: LPPS Staff Reps: Jason Billings, Maura Mininni, Dayle Grant Parent Reps: Jill Rawlin, Joni Mann, Katherine Wytrykush, Erica Janjatovic, Wendy Chamie, Andrea Nobbs, Leslie Gould, Sandy Whitman, Doreen Lett, Francine Vance, Arati Nair, Duncan Warren, Janice Herget, Sue Walsh, Michele Fletcher, Eva Benwell, Cecilia Gibbons, Jen Tsuji. 1. Welcome: Jill Rawlin/Joni Mann

Meeting commenced at 6:45

Approval of April 8th minutes – all in favour

Approval of agenda – all in favour 2. School Report : Jason Billings School Success 5 teachers recently participated in a 3 day Restorative Practices workshop. Ms. Mininni shared information about the philosophy and approach of using a restorative practice approach to problem solving. This involves reflective questioning for those that caused the harm and the person that was harmed. The end result is a move away from a punitive approach to one that is collaborative and focused on setting goals moving forward. Our school will begin implementing this approach across all classrooms next year as part of our School Success goals in School Climate. Eco Schools The Green Team continues to monitor litterless lunches on Wednesday. The Walk/Ride/Roll Team is almost over. Approximately 76% of the grade 1 – 5 students have participated at least once. It is going very well. Energy audits also continue on a regular basis. Mr. Kossowski and Mr. Nichols will be working with the Growing club to plant some native species plants in the back corner of the field. This will be a “no mow” zone where we will plant a variety of plants and see what other types of species grow there. There are plans to create signs for the various plants in the no mow zone to teach students and visitors about the various types of vegetation growing in the area. Ban the Bottle is beginning shortly. EcoSchools visited us on May 19 to meet with staff and students to discuss the initiatives we implemented this year. They were very impressed. Hopefully we will hear the results of our certification shortly! Move it May The activities are wrapping up. It has been a wonderful month of activities with dance, zumba, martial arts, along with other activities. Thank you to our volunteers who are also handing out fresh fruit on Fridays. Performances Dufflebag Theatre was here during Education Week to present Robin Hood. It was hilarious and our kids really enjoyed it. We also had Cadence here earlier this month. They performed an A Cappella Through the History of Voice. It was also an amazing performance. Thanks to Council for funding these Arts enrichment activities.

Education Week We had a very successful Education Week with a variety of activities to celebrate the them Inspire, Greatness, Together. We had an incredible trip to Ripley’s Aquarium and had a number of families join us for our Open House. It was a very reflective week with students celebrating the great things about themselves. Junior Performance Our grade 4s and 5s performed in early May. The performance included one dance and one piece of music. They were very well done and we had great feedback from families on the evening. Grade 5 Transition Our grade 5 class went on a tour of Tecumseh PS on May 21. Tecumseh also hosted a parent presentation that evening and gave families a chance to tour the school. Our students will head over there once more at the end of June for a Track and Fun day. We work closely with Tecumseh to make sure this is a smooth transition for students. We build classes together to ensure we place students in the right classroom environment to support their transition. Things coming up Welcome to Kindergarten May 28 Blue and yellow day June 5 Volunteer Breakfast June 11 at 8:30am Free The Children group visiting the SEVA Food Bank farm with Tecumseh BBQ June 12 Grade 4 and 5 Track and Field Gr. 5 Graduation June 23 K teddy bear picnic – June 25 Last Day of School – Red and White day June 26 3. Treasurer’s Report: Jill Rawlin/Joni Mann Projected funds raised in the 2014 - 2015 school year (Finalized treasurer’s report to be sent out in late June)

Lorne Park Craft Show QSP Magazine Orders Math-a-Thon Movie Nights Pizza Fun Lunches T-shirts/Other

Total

$11,900

$2600

$7800

$2300

$6500

$550

$31,650

How we spent the funds… (Finalized costs to be reported in late June)

Class Room Start Up Costs School Trips (Ripley’s Aquarium) School Presentations (Cadence, Dufflebag Theatre, Anti-Bullying, Ache Brazil) iPads Classroom LCD Mounts IXL Math License Move it May (Tennis, Fruity Fridays) Skating Trip Recess Equipment Library Books Classroom Without Walls EcoSchools Gr. 5 Graduation (Yearbook, Party) Free the Children Charity SK Graduation

Total

$2300

$1400

$4900

$6300

$10,000

$1250

$1750

$730

$1200

$750

$860

$500

$1900

$600

$300 ___________

$34,740

*A healthy opening balance at the beginning of the year has helped to cover the difference, and leaves us with an estimated closing bank balance of $10,000. 4. Wish List: Jason Billings

School wish list created for Fundraising for next year. Grand total of $20,800 to completely cover list.

School Council report created in draft, possibility to release one quarterly next year to keep parents informed about fundraising achievements and use of funds in the school.

5. Fundraising Activities Report

Playground Update: Katherine Wytrykush o 3 companies have submitted quotes o putting together a presentation for parents to see at LPPS BBQ on June 12th o Must have a vote on which companies design to present to parents at BBQ o Go Fund Me approved by board as a fundraising option for playground. Jen Tsuji

and Jason Billings will create and set up for BBQ

Technology Update: Jason Billings o Ipads have been purchased and are in classrooms o LCD’s have been ordered and are on their way

Movie Night: Joni Mann o Was a successful movie night o Don’t have the final totals yet o License is good until October 2015, therefore it would be great to have one more

movie night in September to make enough money to pay for the next year’s license.

Pizza lunches: Joni Mann and Jennifer Tsuji o Move from biweekly to weekly o Proposed to have one yearly payment instead of two, however it was expressed

by some present that two payments were easier for families. o Need to confirm details with Zildi Di Michele who is in charge of the pizza lunches

Fundraising Idea Group: Joni Mann & Jennifer Tsuji o Chocolate Bar Fundraiser in Fall for playground.

$90.00 per case at at $45.00 profit for the school vote taken of present members with a decision made to sell Belgium

chocolate case of 6 different types of bars/bites/almonds All chocolates are nut free with the exception of the almonds which are

peanut free If 200 cases are sold in fundraiser, it would raise $9000.00 for school Incentives from company and a possible grand prize for one family from

the top sellers in the fundraiser. (weekend getaway in Niagara?) Fundraiser to run from October 2nd to October 16th, 2015

o Lamontagne also sells popcorn for fundraisers for school $0.73 cost per bag in 6 different flavours made in Cambridge,Ontario Gluten free and peanut free Sold as a fundraiser for Grade 5 grad? And for school?

6. Other Business

Lunch/After school activities: Eva Benwell and Jennifer Tsuji o Results of in class survey of students and Survey Monkey of parents for

extracurricular activities were completed o 34 adult responses with good comments regarding fees, existing programs and

thoughts on timing of programs “would like more programs in the lunch hours” “programs for the kindergarteners” two programs on Kids4Kids within the school year more discipline required within some of the activities by the facilitators

(Mad Science and Art for Kids)

o Responses from children varied depending on age group; younger children really enjoyed Mad Science, Karate Kids, Art for Kids

o Older children and younger children enjoyed Kids4Kids o All grades would like to see more fitness or sport activities offered o Have contacted Sportball company to see if they would be a good fit for LPPS,

waiting for response and more details

Grad Update o Grad party letter going home to parents on Wednesday May 27th o Get a grade 5 committee for the next year together early to start taking pictures for

the yearbook o Looking for parent volunteers for help with the Grade 5 committee for next year

Year End BBQ o Burgers, etc will be provided by M&M Meats with the BBQ Brother’s onsite

cooking for everyone o Flyers went out Wednesday May 27th, o Orders need to be returned by June 5th o Slottr sign up sheet for salads, chips, condiments already open for parents. o Ice cream will be there for the kids to purchase, Shhh it is a surprise!

6. Snack Duty/Meeting Adjournment

Thanks to Jill and Joni for very delicious and elegant snacks for tonight and to Francine for providing the snacks for the children and the helpers

Special recognitions to Jill, Andrea and Doreen for all their hard work as members of the council for many years.

Thanks to all parents for all their contributions to the school over the past school year

Thanks to Jason Billings for everything he has done during his first year at LPPS

Thanks to Maura Mininni, Dayle Grant for all their support and help

Next years positions are still to be filled: Chair: Joni Mann, Co-chair: Jen Tsuji, Treasurer: Harj?, Secretary?


****PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL LPPS PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THE MEETINGS****

Childcare will be available in the computer lab during the meeting for school-aged children

Lorne Park Public School Council Meeting September 25, 2014 · Lorne Park Public School Council...

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Transcript of Lorne Park Public School Council Meeting September 25, 2014 · Lorne Park Public School Council...