School Council Minutes - September 2024

School Council Meeting Minutes 

Date: September 26, 2024
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Attendance

Council Members: 

L. Schroeder (Elected Chair), C. Zhang (Re-Elected Treasurer), R. Lo ((Newly Elected Secretary), S. Shakourzadeh, S. Alamdari, S. Alford Khajeh-Hesamedin, E. Khazanbaik, T. Yip, D. Kiani, F. Tarzjas, S. Afuniz, A. Zarinnal.

Staff/Volunteers

• Staff: Mme H. Zaitlin (Principal).
• Volunteers: N. Nourizadeh, P. Mahrani, J. Baumann, J. Nateghi, L. Porschien, A. Arzpeynia, H. Fazaaei, M. Zolfaghari, S. Golkashti, M. Izadifar, A. Liu.

1.Welcome & School Council Overview

• Presenter: Mme Heather Zaitlin
• Mme Zaitlin opened the meeting by reviewing the agenda and outlining the role and responsibilities of the School Council and the members
• Parent volunteers are always needed- whether or not a parent is a “member”

2. Election of Officers

• Chair: Lydia Schroeder was elected as the Chair of the School Council.
• Treasurer: The current Treasurer has been re-elected in her role: Cedar Zhang
• Secretary: Rose Lo was elected as the new Secretary.

3. Principal’s Report

Mme Heather Zaitlin provided updates on school initiatives and goals:

• Reorganization- why we were required to reorganize Henderson this year
  • Class Adjustments: Class splitting due to school board requirements.
  • Criteria for Student Movement: Based on student behavior and learning abilities to ensure balanced classes
• Field trips are happening in each grade (Kindies have already gone to the farm!)
• The Jr/ Int. Playground was repaired last year and had a new part added over the summer. This was a fundraising goal for Council over the last few years.
• Our school's academic focus is writing, reading through the “Science of Reading” and Math. There is embedded professional learning every week with different teacher groups
  • Focus Areas:
    • Literacy and Science of Reading
    • Reading and Writing
    • Collaboration with a consultant from EQAO to analyze test results and identify areas for improvement.

4. Fundraising Discussion

• "Fresh from the Farm":
  • Minimum Order Requirement: 40 orders needed (e.g., $22 for vegetable bundles).
  • Profit Margin: 40% of sales will go to the school.
  • Volunteer Need: Volunteers are required to help bundle orders.
  • Promotion: Handouts will be distributed to encourage participation.
• Additional Fundraising Ideas:
  • Kidney Clothes Box
  • Greeting Cards: will take place twice: for the winter holiday season and again in the spring
  • Spring Flowers: will take place twice this year: before Now Ruz and in June

5. Student Lunch Program

• 2024 Lunch Options:
  • Monday and Tuesday: Kids Kitchen
  • Pizza: Wednesdays
  • Sub: Thursdays
  • Sushi: Friday (Options include California rolls, avocado, crab, and chicken teriyaki – 8 pieces).
• Volunteer Schedule:
  • Fera and Solmaz have volunteered to assist with the lunch distributions on both Wednesday and Friday. They will connect offline to coordinate the distribution strategy and logistics.
  • Volunteers need to be present at the school between 12:00-12:30 PM for distribution.
• Potential 2025 Lunch Ideas: Kebab, Subway, and burgers. Providers should ensure nut-free options.

6. Movie Nights

• Two successful movie nights were hosted between 2023-2024
• We will require a new permit to show movies this year.

7. Budget Requests

Budget Requests from the school, as a fundraising goal for this upcoming year:

• Cross Country Trip Bus Rental Cost: $900 (to be covered by the School Council).
  • Approved: 8 votes in favor of the cross country trip bus rental cost expense.
• Arts Performances
  • Plan to work with service providers for performances including:
  • Instruments, dance, Indigenous performances, theatre, music, etc.
  • Cost: $800 per show (45 minutes duration).
  • One show for every three-grade group.
  • Parent Contribution: $6-$10 per child.
  • Planned Performances: Potential for 4 performances.
  • Rejected: 1 vote in favor of the School Council paying for a performance.
• Scooter Rack
  • Cost: $845.
  • Rejected: 5 votes in favor of purchasing the rack.

Future Meeting Dates

• November 28, 2024
• January 23, 2025
• April 24, 2025

Other Business: None