Parent Council Meeting Minutes - May 1, 2014

Valleyfield Parent Council Meeting Minutes
(May 1st, 2014)

A. Welcome & Introductions

•  9 in attendance

B. Principal’s message/updates

• Board allocation of teachers /classes 2014-2015 school year is as follows
• 3 full JK/SK classes,
• 1 grade 1 class,
• 1 grade 1-2 combined class
• 1 grade 3 class
• 1 grade 3-4 combined class
• 1 grade 4 class
• 1 grade 5 class

• French Immersion classes remain the same with 1 class each for grades 4-6.

• Homework Club may be implemented for French Immersion students, due to possible volunteers from students at Richview Collegiate

• Valleyfield Newcomers Club implemented by TDSB is welcoming 10 kids (who are new Canada within last 5yrs as well as 5 students not new to Canada)to connect and to help settle these students to their new school community

• Drumming Workshop is coming will be held 2days and 1evening session.
• Pottery Workshops (half day per class)
• EQAO is coming
• Many staff developments workshops continuing (i.e. Comprehensive Literacy )
• Golf clinic with junior students
• Graduation photo day is on June 4th in the a.m.
• Garden Club/playground rejuvenation was a success with all kids contributing to help clean up and beautify the school grounds and plant in front gardens and kinder gardens
• Coming soon May 20th soccer tournament
• Wheel chair basketball presentation
• Jump rope for heart presentation May 9th- skipping included in the gym program
• Spring play will be held June 11th at Scarlett Heights and all students expected to participate
• 2 spirit days to come w/ special lunches (mac and cheese & pancake)

C. Model School budget was allocated to the following:

• Busing
• Sport equipment
• Welcome to kindergarten kits
• Field trips and transportation
• Mileage club
• Groove Education teaching dance
• Clay Workshops
• Graduation/ ceremony/ trip /play/
• Duffel Bag Theatre presentation
• Scientist in school
• 12 laptops and 1 Elmo

D. Rainy day activities for students discussed were preparing several bins of themed activities that can be rotated between classrooms during inclement weather (ie: magic tricks, card games, board games etc..)

E. Committee Updates

• Volunteer:
• Parents interested in volunteering will fill out form at curriculum night for next school year to speed up process (ie.. police record check)
• Volunteering (parents need to be aware of few simple steps before volunteering in the classroom ie: sign up, police record check etc...)
• Bus:
• Toronto parking authority has been ticketing and towing cars that are blocking bus route.
• Tutor:
• Curio foundation will tutor English and Math based on current classroom curriculum. Grants are allocated from TDSB possibly for 2014-2015. Pending approval from principal, criminal record check, references.
• French tutor ..Principal is waiting on references and police record check before getting started
• Classroom representative:
• Suggested that for the 2014-2015 school year an information session can be done during School Curriculum night to advise parent of the role of the classroom rep. Also to have parents provide email address (with consent to share their email with the teacher and class rep) when visiting their childs classrooms so that class/school news can be delivered quickly and easily to them through the parent class rep committee.
• Fundraising:
• Dance-a-thon raised $3k in fundraising woohoo!!
• Will start working on possible pizza lunch dates for 2014-2015 school year
• Movie night, Bake sale and family skate night were a success with terrific attendance
• Parent Engagement:
• Conference on April 5th for parent council members hosted PIAC model schools.

F. Next meeting to be held on June 5th, 2014 @ 6:15pm