SUMMARY/MINUTES OF THE PARK PUBLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 2, 2016

Present: Wendy Bukvic, Toni Marlow, Lisa Bizzoni, Melissa Goyette-Gow, Heather Bell, Stacy Beaumont, Beth Loch, Erin McLaughlin, Mr. Bettencourt

Approval of January Minutes Melissa Goyette-Gow motioned to pass January minutes. Seconded by Beth Loch. Motion passed.

December 11 Dance a thon – final count of funds raised The $3140.50 noted in the January minutes as the total raised from The December Dance a thon did not include the funds raised through cashless schools. The final total raised, including cashless schools, was $3474.85.

Principal’s Report Family night was a big success with a good turn out and good reviews from participants. Pancake day was also a success, thanks to the hard work of Beth Loch and her team of volunteers. Junglesport was a popular event with students again this year and is being considered for a full week next year. The academic calendar for 2016/17 has been approved by the Board of Trustees, and is pending final approval by the Ministry of Education. Report cards have gone home; parents are welcome to bring any questions to the school, starting with their children’s teachers. March and April are busy with upcoming events. An author visit in March will be followed by an author visit in April, nd along with a concert and a number of P.A. days. Hot dog day is coming up March 22 , and trial pita orders with Pita Pit are being arranged. The Green Team is organizing a spring fundraiser and will be sending home a bag to collect th nd used clothing, toys, purses, belts, and shoes. Bags will be returned to the school between March 7 and March 22 , and funds raised from the collection will be put towards a spring garden.

Computer Lab Update Mr. Bettencourt provided an update on the computer lab. A new model of refurbished computer has become available at a lower price, making the cost for computers $2900 less than previously quoted. The funds provided by the Board have already been spent, and Mr. Bettencourt sought approval from Council to spend the savings on new chairs, white boards and mounting projectors in the computer lab. Council approved spending the full amount already allocated for items to support the lab. Mr. Bettencourt is still researching whether to install wireless drops, at a cost of approximately $50 each or hardwire the new machines, at a cost of approximately $2000 for 10 machines. Factors to consider include the cost and whether wireless drops will be Board supported, however, if the decision is made to go wireless, cards can always be installed in the future. In addition to the computer lab, new Chrome books have been ordered, and old computers and machines are being replaced as needed.

Treasurer’s Report To date, $3484.02 has been raised through fundraising efforts. Subtracting deposits for fun day inflatables from funds raised leaves a total of $2672.88. Once an invoice is received for the computer lab, the computer lab amount will be shown as spent. A Grade 5 trip is planned, and that amount will be spent. Curry’s needs to be contacted to follow up on the Curry’s Art Workshop. $2672.18 in council funds remain unallocated. In addition, Council still needs to determine how the $11528.43 allocated to Program/School Enhancements will be spent.

Update on Fundraising Pancake day, organized by Beth, raised $580 for the Halton Learning Foundation. We will need a volunteer to carry on in Beth’s place next year. nd

Hot Dog day is coming up March 22 . Chicken wieners have been donated, and only a few volunteers are needed to help cook and serve. There is no silent auction update; it may be placed on hold now that soliciting for fun day donations has started. th

The Dance a thon will be held March 4 . Heather, Stacy, and Wendy will count pledges; Mr. Bettencourt is DJ’ing and will set up in the gym. Council approved spending up to $70 for decorations. The QSP program will be started before Easter. Melissa Goyette-Gow will contact our QSP rep and arrange for packets to be sent home with students.

Review of Family Fun Night – (Pro Grant funds) th

Family fun night took place on January 27 with a family fitness class (a last minute substitute for Zumba), Drumfit th and a healthy snack workshop. Applications for next year are due May 29 . A volunteer is needed to prepare the application, which is made online. Possible activities for next year will be discussed at the next meeting.

Fun Day Update Plans are moving along well- a jousting inflatable has been added and McMaster meats is on board to provide bbqs and handle set up and cooking. The number of tickets for food will be increased, but all other ticket numbers will remain the same. The silent auction will be scaled back, and some items may be grouped into baskets to be raffled off. Raffles require a lottery license and a separate bank account, and in order to have a better sense of the costs and benefits of a raffle, it was suggested that the Fun Day Committee prepare a more detailed plan to present to Council. The fun day committee’s next meeting will be held March 22nd.

Funds Remaining to be Allocated- Program/School Enhancements Wendy, Heather and Toni met with the Board to discuss the $11,528.43 in program/school enhancements that has yet to be earmarked for specific spending. Council must give direction for spending these funds so that they do not remain at the end of the year. It was discussed and the possibility left open that inflatables for fun day be paid for with these funds, so that the money raised at fun day will be profit that can be carried over to next year. The wish list of items discussed at the November meeting was then revisited and Council voted and approved the purchase of a gym projector at an estimated cost of $2000. An outdoor classroom was the preferred choice for the remainder of the funds. Toni will contact the eco-schools coordinator at the Board to inquire into the feasibility of an outdoor classroom as the first step towards soliciting quotations.

Additional Items Wendy reported back on the most recent super council meeting. Super council meetings occur almost once a month to share learnings and receive information from the Board, and are attended by principals, other council chairs and the Superintendent. It is proposed that through super council schools pool their resources to hold joint events open to all, one in the spring focused on mental health and another in the fall on technology use by kids.

Minutes recorded by Erin McLaughlin Next Meeting Date – Tuesday April 5, 2016 at 6:30pm at Park Public School 2

3/20/2016