MINUTES
Empire Parent Teacher Council Minutes November 13, 2013
Attendees: Brian Weigel Kelly Wilkinson Erica Hind Shannon Berkhuizen Patrick Madsen Karen Madsen Jen Murray Rachel Thompson Heather Dalzilio Amy Sproule-Jones Bettina Wahl Brenna MacKinnon Margot Gascon
1. Approval of Minutes from Last Meeting:
The minutes from the last meeting on Oct 3/13 were approved. Motion passed by Heather, 2nd Patrick.
2. Council Committee Updates:
A) Membership established as follows: Erica Hind Shannon Berkhuizen Karen Madsen Patrick Madsen Jen Murray Catherine Dat Heather Dalzilio Judith Koeller Kelly Wilkinson (administration) Brian Weigel (administration)
Motion passed by Karen, 2nd Patrick
Secretary position remains vacant
B) Science Quest Night
Bettina will contact the university regarding availability of dates for the program. Looking at dates in the new year
C) Open House – December 10th 6:30-8:00pm - Council will look into selling hot chocolate and cookies, as well as the possibility of sell running a fundraising event for the gym – to be discussed by Karen, Rachel and Shannon over the coming weeks
- Mr. Weigel will be looking into Spirit wear for the school to have for sale at the event
- Administration will look into getting signage for the front of the school to help advertise to the community
D) Wordsworth Book Fair
- Mr. Weigel will contact Marlene to determine if she has been in contact with the store regarding options for the Bookfair. If Wordsworth is not able to do it, Bettina will contact Booksmart to see if they are available. The goal would be to have the Bookfair run during the open house to optimize traffic.
E) Bell Times
- Concerns were brought forward regarding how this will impact families who were previously able to coordinate work schedules to ensure that before and after school care were not required.
- The options as they stand now are the before and after school care programs at the school
- Some parents felt that the online survey didn’t provide enough option for feedback
- The following list was compiled to send back to the board for feedback:
o before school program for older students (and I checked, this would happen if enough enrolled in the program)
o earlier supervision by staff - is this possible
o 10 minutes earlier would have been easier
o support the concept for cost saving but what supports are there to maintain our current drop off time
o could extend Kindergarten bus distances to save money as well
F) Projects/Financial Needs
- Gym Equipment
o Reviewed the wish list from the staff and administration. Could be as high as $10,000 if everything was purchased. Agreed to go ahead and purchase some now, so that the kids could benefit from it as soon as possible o Motion put forward by Karen to spend $3000 now for gym equipment. Heather 2nd. Motion passed unanimously.
- Lobby/Gym decoration
o This can be addressed at a later date. Priority was put on gym equipment for the students.
3. Principal/VP updates:
- Tools for Life program is now running in the school. Rep from Kidsability runs different programs with the kids and staff to help teach common language around life skills and behaviours. Option to have them give a presentation at a council meeting
- Learning Circle. The stones are starting to crumble and will need to be fenced off for the winter. Could start to be a safety concern, and we should look into options. Jen Murray agreed to look into grant money and options for improving the outdoor space. Dennis Wendland would be a great resource for this kind of project.
- Rememberance Day. It was the first whole school assembly in the new gym and it was a great success.
- French Immersion Information Night Hosted at Empire Nov 14th
- Jr Choir, PAL and volleyball programs have started
- CILM program – Math professional development program using problem based learning tools for kids
- Volunteer Sign-In Procedure - It would appear that this wasn’t followed strictly in the past, but with changing safety protocols, this will need to be strictly adhered to. All volunteers will need to sign in and wear a Volunteer badge. There will be an update shared in the newsletter.
4. Financial Report
Funds received:
o $385 from parent night pizza
o ~$500 from sub orders
o $33 mabels labels
o $55 residual from magazine orders last yr
Funds Paid Out:
o $1100 for Be The Game
o $300 for the Magazine order prize To Be Received:
o $1800 from this year’s magazine fundraising
Adjourned— Motion passed by Heather, seconded by Jen. Unanimous.
Next Meeting— Dec 4th (informal planning meeting for the Open House)