School Council Minutes
Regency Acres Public School
April 7, 2009
Attendance
John Lester, Maria Maiato, Heather Sulkers, Terry Hampson, Laura Parkin, Alan Steed, Gayle Palmer, Vicki Dietz, Shelley Stone, Maggie Thompson, Ilse Dunlop, Sheila Johnson, Larry Green
Regrets: Kim Hosmer, Mike Adams, Amanda Claveau, Sue Roy
Welcome
Heather began the meeting at 7:04 p.m.
Approval of the Agenda
The agenda was approved as circulated. The motion was made by Laura, seconded by Alan and approved unanimously.
Approval of the School Council Minutes for February 17, 2009
The Minutes were approved as circulated. The motion was made by Vicki, seconded by Shelley and approved unanimously.
Old Business
Spring Fundraiser: Pat has all of the prizes required for the Mini-Marathon/Direct Donation Fundraiser. Information packages have gone out and are due back April 9th. John will speak to Pat about extending the deadline for pledges until after Easter. The mini-marathon will start on April 17th and run until May 29th.
Thank You Letter to Teachers: Laura circulated her letter thanking teachers for volunteering at the school on behalf of Council. Vicki made a motion to approve the letter, pending additions of the names of teachers helping with Air Band. Shelley seconded the motion and it was carried unanimously.
Newsletter Thank You: A thank you notice on behalf of Council to Mrs. Burton and Mrs. Hillaby for their volunteer contributions to the musical Oliver! appeared in the March newsletter.
Video on Website: Alan spoke to Becky about putting a video on the school website showcasing how fundraising money has been spent. Stephanie Mayer will do the filming. Alan will try to have a teacher volunteer from each division show the items that have been purchased by June.
Greenbelt Workbooks: Alan gave the books to Andrea Sargeant.
New Business
Spring School Council Forum: This event will be held on April 29th at Aurora High School. If there are any topics Council members would like discussed, please let John know. John will send out a reminder via email asking Council members if they would like to attend. **
Lice Check: Eight parent volunteers checked the students for head lice on April 2nd. Five children were found to have lice and notes were sent home in the classrooms where lice was found. Children with lice will be re-checked in two weeks. The goal is to have the students checked at the beginning of the school year, after the Christmas break and after the March Break.
Financial Report (Report given to Council)
Sheila reported that the bank balance is $44,879.94. The committed funds total $30,414.35, which leaves $14,465.59 available to spend.
Principal’s Report
Plaque: A plaque was given to Regency from the Children’s Aid Society thanking the school for all of the gifts that were sent at Christmas.
Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast: This event for volunteers will take place on April 23rd from 7:45 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. in the library. Invitations will be sent to all volunteers.
New teacher: Ms. Elbaum has been hired to teach some classes formerly taught by Mrs. MacKinnon, who is now a math demonstration teacher with the Board part-time as well as teaching at Regency part-time.
Air Band : Air Band will take place on May 6th at 7:00 p.m.
School Organization: Enrollment for next year is still fluctuating. A notice will appear in the May newsletter, informing parents that they have the opportunity to write a letter to John if they have a specific request for a “teaching style” or situation for their child for next year. Students will be notified regarding their classroom placement shortly before school resumes in September.
Smart Board: At some point in the future, John may be requesting Council for funding for Smart Boards for individual classrooms depending on the school budget. The Board will provide matching funding for it.
Playground: The plan is to have the playground re-surfaced and the work is to be done this summer. The temporary field, which is currently fenced, will be available to the students once the ground has dried.
New Principal: The name of the new principal for the 2009-2010 school year will not be announced until later in the school year.
Committee Reports
Committee reports were not available.
Mail Bag
Heather asked Council members to add the names of any volunteers that should be included in the Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast to the form she presented. A Thank You card from John for the fruit bouquet was circulated.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the library.