St. James Catholic Global Learning Centre
Catholic School Council Meeting Minutes
Meeting Date: November 5, 2013
Meeting Location: St James Library
Recorded By: Lorna Kurok, Secretary
St. James Catholic Global Learning Centre Minutes
ATTENDANCE
Name
Position
Jennifer McCathy
Co-Chair
Michael Giovanniello
Co-Chair
Lorna Kurok
Secretary
Amy Giansante
Treasurer
Penny Snowden
Community Rep
Sheila Taylor
Co-Parish Rep
Ellen Lau- Chang
OAPCE Representative
Brian Diogo
Principal
Mr Kalaparambath
Teaching Representative
Ms. Worboys
Teaching Representative
Mr Chircop
Non-Teaching Rep
Tess O’Mara
Exec Council Member
Lenora Sleep
Exec Council Member
Samer Mikhail
Exec Council Member
MEETING COMMENCED
6:30, Tuesday November 5th 2013 in the Library
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AGENDA
Welcome
Opening Prayer
Introductions
Approval of Minutes from October 1
Reallocation of Positions
Old business
 Halloween Dance
New Business
 By Laws
 Mission Statement
 Treasurer’s Report
 Principal Report
 Parent Council Goals
 Fundraising versus One Time Donation
 Christmas Events
 Uniforms
 Lunch Program
Agenda for the Next Meeting
Closing Remarks
Meeting Adjourned
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MINUTES OF LAST MEETING APPROVED
Please Add Teacher Representatives names to the minutes of the October meeting.
Michael– Motioned
Penny – 2nd
REALLOCATIONS OF POSITIONS
Since Ellen is a lunch volunteer in the school, she can not hold the position of cochair. Therefore Michael will take on the position of co-chair, Ellen will be our
OAPCE representative and Penny will become a community representative.
Motion of Change of Positions – Amy
Second of Motion – Samer
OLD BUSINESS
Halloween Dance (Ellen, Amy)
The Halloween dance was a success. We thanked everyone for their financial
donations. We also thanked those parents who donated their time to the
preparation, the running of the dance and the clean up after. The dance raised
over $4255.10. As promised the council will pay for pizza lunch on November 12,
2013. Some of the outstanding donations stories that we were made aware of
are: one child went to church, stood on the altar and ask the member to help her
school. A second child gave a dollar from their pizza money to help and a third
donated money from his piggy bank.
Christmas Concert (Mr Diogo)
There will be a Christmas concert in the middle of December. The tentative
dates are Thursday December 12 or Tuesday December 17.
Vending Machines (Mr. Diogo)
It was vocalized by some of the parents of the school, that even though the
vending machine did match our eco policy it was a convenience. They felt it was
a need to have this service. As there may be situations a parent may forget to
give a beverage for lunch. In the spring this need may increase as the school
does not have air conditioning and some parents don’t like the use of water
fountains. The schools eco club has taken on the task to determine the benefits
of this machine versus the cost.
NEW BUSINESS
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By Laws (Jennifer)
The council is required by the board to have by laws in place that will basically
govern how the council will communicate, our code of ethics, responsibilities of
each position and the process of decision making. Jennifer has been working on
the first draft which will be proofread by other council members. It is
approximately 57 pages.
Mission Statement (Penny)
The council has adapted a mission statement to help guide us to always stay on
task. Our mission statement will be read after the opening prayer of each
meeting to remind everyone what are goals are. We, the Catholic Community of
St. James, are called and committed to foster an environment where our
students will grow intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally to become
responsible life long learners and respectful members of a diverse society.
Motion – Amy
2nd Motion - Ellen
Principals Report (Mr. Diogo)
Progress Report
Mr Diogo explained the student’s report that parents have received are not
report cards but progress reports. There are no letter grades on these reports.
There purpose is to identify the areas of learning that the child has been
successful in and areas that they may need to work on. All children learn at a
different pace. Teacher interviews will be held on Thursday November 7. Grade
1 to 6 will receive report cards that will show grade levels in February and June.
The Kindergartens will only receive a report card in June. This report is not in
grade level format but rather indicates what skills the student has learned in the
year.
Homework
At St James the format of learning is not through text books and memorization
of facts. The teaching pattern of St James is to create thinkers and teach the
student to problem solve. Parents who are concerned about the homework may
not to worry, that more work will be coming.
Audio System
There are plans to add an audio system to the gym.
Fences
Spring loaded Gates and Locks have been added to the fences. The gates will be
locked from 9:10am to 3:20pm.
Kiss and Ride
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Has been very successful and we are expecting that as the weather gets colder,
more and more parents will be using this system. It would be in the best
interest of the children if we all could remember to patient in the line. It is
safer to allow the students in and out of the vehicle when you get to the front of
the line, rather then having them cross the parking lot.
Smart boards
The final three smart boards will be installed by November 12 in the
kindergarten classes.
Retreat
The grade 5’s and 6’s will be attending an over night retreat at the Caledon
Teen Ranch November 15th and 16th. Some activities included in this will be
horse back riding and skating.
Rose Theatre
The rose theatre will be coming to the school November 21 and 22. This will be
a 2 day drama workshop that all of the students will have the opportunity to
participate in.
Cross Country (Mr Diogo and Ms. Worboys)
St James had the opportunity to participate in the cross country meet. Out of
an approximate of 130 students from all schools, 4 of our students have moved
on. This is outstanding when you considered the number of students we have at
the meet. Are girls team also did an amazing job as they came in third. Overall
our school was very successful.
School Teams
All the students have been divided up into four different coloured teams. Each
team is able to earn points doing different activities and by performing good
deeds. Some of those activities are ball hockey and football. The teachers are
the quarterbacks on the football team to ensure that all students have an
opportunity to catch the ball. In the future we would like all the students to
have coloured t-shirts with the school logo.
Lunches
The pizza lunch has been successful. Some parents asked if we could pay
monthly. It would be too time consuming for the administrative staff to oversee
this, because we would require a tracking system of students who are sick or
away on trips and then we would also have to implement a credit system. It was
asked by council what happens to the funds made from this. The response is the
approximate $80 that is made on a Tuesday lunch goes into an account. This
account pays for things like bank chargers, cheques, athletic buses, and a social
work fund. The social work fund is required by the school board and helps the
families in our school that are in need of assistance. This fund also covers the
bussing cost of students that may miss school trips due to illness. Currently this
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account is in the red. If council could help support the bussing cost for the
athletics it might help get the account into the black.
Future Events to be noted
Virtue - Conscience
Remembrance Celebration – November 11
Rhythmic Drumming Workshop
Advent – December 2
School Blessing - March 7
100th Year celebration for St Mary’s Parish
IB / Catholic School
St James is the first IB catholic in Ontario, there is a catholic IB school in
Alberta.
The school council approached Mr Diogo at an earlier date to have him put
together a wish list of things he and the teachers would like to accomplished this
year. The following is the schools list:
Council Wish List
School Presentations/Guest Speakers/Trips
EcoSource
Earth Rangers, November 29th
Down to Earth - Loretta Penny
Rose Theatre Dance Workshops
Hip-hop dance program (6 weeks)
Author in the school- Tim Beiser
Drum Clinics
Capital One Rocks and Rings (Curling)
Bullying Presentation (Mike Neuts)
Scientists in School
Involvement
Whole School
Whole School
Whole School
Whole School
Whole School
$515
Spring
$330
Whole School
Whole School
Date
Nov 29
$350.00
Whole School
Whole School
Cost
$60
Nov 22, 23
$1000
$521.00
TBD
$450
$175
$500
Jan 7
Winter
TBD
Whole School
189/class ($1134)Nov FDK/1-6 Jan
Whole School
11/Child ($1749)
Family Outreach
Gingerbread House Decorations
TBD
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School Clubs/Intramurals
School Presentations/Guest Speakers/Trips
Details
Involvement
Cost
Date
T-Shirts for Houses (Intramurals)
Year
Support different houses
Math Club
Fees to write tests
Scrap Book Club
Whole School
156x8 = 1250 All
3-6
$60
Nov
Whole School
$200
Winter
Crochet Club
Materials
Whole School
$150
Winter
Rosary Club
Rosaries
Whole School
$50
All Year
Materials
Board Games/Puzzle Club
Games
Whole School
$200
Winter
School Buses
School Presentations/Guest Speakers/Trips
Involvement
Cost
Date
Cross Country
3-6
$200
Oct 28
End of Year Mass
Shuttle
Athletics
Referee Fees
Sept/Dec
$70 / Double Header
Junior Soccer
June
Registrations
Whole School
$300
June
Whole School
$280
3-6
$300
The approximate cost of this list is $9250.
Parent Council Goals
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April-
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The parent council put together their goal list for the year. It was handed out to
the parents. We broke out into different groups to go over the council list and
get feed back from the parents of things they may have wanted to add or
change.
ST JAMES Parent Council 2013 / 2014 GOALS
EVENT
DESCRIPTION
WHEN
UNIFORMS
Parents have expressed that would like to
adopt a uniform policy. We need to follow the
Dufferin-Peel policy.
Establishing a
committee ASAP, if yes
the uniform policy will
be implemented next
year (2014/2015)
POPCORN
MACHINE
The purchase of a popcorn machine would
benefit the school as it could be used at many
events through out the year.
ASAP
GRANT PARENT
REACH OUT
PROGRAM
This grant is allocated to school projects that
increase communication between the school
and parents for 2014/2015
Application in April
HOLIDAY
CELEBRATIONS
Supporting Remembrance day, Christmas,
Valentines day, Easter, Spring celebration
Through out the year
HOUSE SHIRTS
It has been proposed to divide the students of
St James into 4 teams (Red, Yellow, Blue, and
Green). The teams will earn points performing
various activities around the school.
Through out the year
We would like to establish some service
projects that the students could be involved in.
SERVICE PROJECT We would like them to not only be locally but
also internationally so that we can bring in the
global aspect of the school.
Through out the year
STAFF
APPRECIATION
It is noted that the teachers and staff of St
James are truly dedicated and have gone over
above their call of duty. Council believes that
holding some type of appreciation event should
recognize this.
Through out the year
PLAY /OLYMPIC
DAY
We would like to have a play day which would
be Olympic themed in the spring of 2014. This
would celebrate the first year of the school.
Spring
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EVENT
DESCRIPTION
WHEN
IN SCHOOL
LUNCH
We would like to establish other lunch options
for other days of the week.
1ST COMMUNION
We would like to recognize that many of our
grade 2's would be having their first communion
this year. We feel the school should do
May / June
something to celebrate this sacrament either by
hanging a banner with their pictures or by
recognizing these students during school mass.
IB SPEAKER
We would like to bring in a speaker to inform
the parents of the IB program and how this will
coincide with our catholic religion.
ASAP
PATH OF ST.
JAMES
We would like to understand, where students
would be continuing their grade 7 and 8 years.
If these years will not be at this location we
would like to create a celebration for the grade
6 students.
ASAP
ANTI BULLYING
We would like to create a sub-committee to
help inform the students of what is bullying,
how to stop it and how to support victims.
Through out the year
Through out the year
The cost of the council list is approximately $3000.
The following is a list of suggestion from the parents at the November 5 council
meeting.
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ITEM
17
EVENT
PICTURE SUPPLIER
DESCRIPTION
Can we change the picture provider from
Edge imaging to Life touch for the following
year? We believe that this provider is
cheaper and gives more options.
GRANT
Grant each class $100 that could be used to
purchase things for the class. The students
and teacher could decide how the money
would be spent. Parent need to note the
school board does have certain contracts in
place, which indicates certain things have to
be purchased through them. This means that
the money may not go as far as we would
like.
PIZZA LUNCH
Could we offer whole wheat? The council
will try to establish a subcommittee to
investigate other lunch options.
MILK PROGRAM
Can we use a milk program that delivers,
since we do not have the fridge space? We
are required by contract to use the board’s
milk supplier.
WATER BOTTLE
FOUNTAIN
Can we install the water ball fountains that
you find at the rinks?
FAMILY TOGETHER
Movie or dinner night?
EASTER HUNT
Could we do an Easter hunt in the spring and
instead of using chocolates, we could hide
small toys? (Sabrina's law does not allow us
to hide chocolates)
STAFF APPRECIATION
Get the kids involved? Have parents donate
and make lunch for the staff.
SCIENTIST IN SCHOOL
Have a science workshop.
SPORTS TEAM UNIFORMS
The purchase of uniforms for our school
teams to promote team spirit.
OTHER CLUBS
The addition of other club such as chess.
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WHEN
2014
/2015
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St. James Catholic Global Learning Centre Minutes
LITTERLESS LUNCH
This project is already being worked on by
one of our clubs.
ORGANIC POPCORN
Fundraising Versus One time donation (Tess)
We added the estimated cost of the school list and councils list which would be
around $12,000 to $13,000. So in good faith let’s say the council needs a budget
of $15,000 to accomplish the dreams of St James for 2013 – 2014. We asked the
parents at the meeting how would they like the council to raise the funds?
Would they like the council to do a series of fund raisers or would the parents
prefer to give a one time donation per student of what they could afford. Please
note if we were unable to raise the amount needed we would then be required
to subtract things from the list.
Parents Response
The parents and council had a lengthy discussion about what to do. Many
parents seemed fine with the idea of fund raising as along as it was not selling
chocolates. There were different suggestions of fund raisers such as Acorn Cards
or an auction. In the end it was decided that council would take a poll of all the
parents to determine what to do. This will give all the parents the opportunity
to have a say. Parents also suggested it would be good to get the students input.
Christmas Events
Christmas is a time to give and show compassion to our brothers and sisters. The
council would like the school to join in this celebration by giving to charities.
Some suggestions that were made:
 To help a refugee family that St Mary’s is currently sponsoring
 Food Drive
 Setting up a giving tree (The tree would be decorated with notes from
families in need or a child’s Christmas wish. The students would pick one
note and would donate to that family.
 Toy Drive
 Ms Worboys suggested that we not only help others in our community and
nationally but that we show love and support to those families in our
school.
 St Mary’s and St Vincent’s also have a donation drive that the school could
be part of.
Uniforms
It was voiced by many parents to incorporate a school uniform policy. Due to the
many items on council’s agenda. We need the support of the parents to help us
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with the research, communicating this research, creating and calculating a poll
of 100% of the parents. We requested to have parents volunteer to be part of
this sub-committee which would be lead by Amy. Many parents volunteered.
Lunch Programs
We would like to offer lunch programs to reduce any morning stress our family’s
household may be feeling. We require a sub-committee to help research
businesses in the area, which would be willing to work with our school. Only one
parent has volunteered to be part of this committee and we could use more
help.
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AGENDA FOR THE NEXT MEETING DECEMBER 3
Welcome
Opening Prayer
Mission Statement
Introductions
Approval of Minutes from October 1
Old business
 By Laws
 Parent Council Goals
 Fundraising versus One Time Donation
 Christmas Events
 Uniforms
 Lunch Program
New Business
 Treasurer’s Report
 Principal Report
 Parents Personal Development
 School Activities
 Pathway Beyond St James
 Picture Supplier
 French Program
 Parent Involvement Grant (From School Board $500)
Agenda for the Next Meeting (February 4, 2014)
Closing Remarks
CLOSING REMARKS
This meeting covered many different topics. The discussion between council
members, school staff and parents was open and positive. The meeting went
longer then intended. The council appreciated the large turnout of parents and
hopes to see just as many if not more at our next meeting.
MEETING AJOURNED – 9:00pm
NEXT MEETING:
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Tuesday December 3, 2013 in the school library.
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