Etobicoke School of the Arts – School Council Meeting
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Information Resource Room (Library)
Members Present:
Rob MacKinnon (Principal), Simon Anderson (Chair), Leeja Anderson
(Recording Secretary), Marianne Brown (SESAT Rep.), Ann Agar, Camila
Troughton, Cathy Ingham, Danny Brennan, David Brown, Ingeborg James, Jan
Lavelle, Karen Whitehorn, Lisa Rao, Lorraine Luski, Niko Scharer, Rick Sage,
Sandra Finkelman, Tina Morrison
Guests:
n/a
Teachers:
Linda Wolsley (Teacher Rep.)
Students:
Johnny Tran (Student Council Rep.)
Regrets:
Christina Loeffel (Political Liaison), Marlene Murphy (Community Rep.), Susan
Cohen (Newsletter Editor)
Welcome, Introductions and Opening Remarks – Mr. Simon Anderson
Chair Simon Anderson opened the meeting at 7:30pm.
The ESA School Council extended a warm welcome to Johnny Tran who is our Student
Council Representative at ESA.
Review and Approval of Previous Minutes – Leeja Anderson
Jan Lavelle moved to approve the minutes from the meeting from October 11th, 2011 as well as
the evening’s agenda. Sandra Finkelman seconded the motion.
Declaration of New Business Items – Mr. Simon Anderson
Please see the agenda.
Report from the Student Council Representative – Johnny Tran
There will be an “Equality Assembly” being held on Friday, November 25 th, 2011. Students
who attend ESA are accepted for who they are. CTV will be there and music will be provided
by Woolco, Splash & Bully. There will be a charity guest speaker from SLEEPING CHILDREN
and for $35 it will provide a child with a mat, pillow, blanket and a sheet.
Students can purchase a “Student Price Card” (SPC) for $9.00 and $3.00 from each sale will
go towards ESA students. There will be a Buskerfest with individual performances and
donations can be made at this time. The Buskerfest will be happening in approximately 2
weeks time.
A suggestion was made to contact Rick Mercer to get some additional press out there for ESA.
Report from the Principal – Mr. Rob MacKinnon
The Grade 8 Parent Information Night on Thursday, October 27 th, 2011 went extremely well.
The Auditorium holds 571 people and it was filled to capacity! We had to turn people away
because there was no room. There were also some Grade 9 parents in attendance tonight
and that did take some of the spots away from the Grade 8 parents. It has been suggested
that we do an earlier session on the same night.
Portfolio Day will be happening on Friday, November 11, 2011. There will be 45 schools
coming to ESA for both the art and senior film students. OCAD is going to 35 schools. There
will be $1.6 million being offered in scholarships.
It would be interesting to keep track of the percentages to see who moves on to their field of
choice in the workplace.
There is a board wise census that is being done in the schools.
The census would be:
- anonymous
- it would ask demographic questions
- currently being done on paper (suggested that it be done on-line with Survey Monkey)
Music Camp went very well and we are looking at further enhancing what they do on the road.
Our Winter Celebration “Festival” will be happening from December 6 th – 8th, 2011. The
Festival will consist of students from Grades 9 – 12. The show will run for approximately 4
hours and is open to everyone and anyone to attend and tickets will be going on sale soon.
On December 14th, 2011, ESA will be hosting “Goatstock” with student performances.
Goatstock is open to everyone to attend and tickets will be going on sale soon.
On December 21st, 2011, ESA will be having their 60 second Film Festival.
The choir from ESA will be performing on December 21st, 2011 at Roy Thompson Hall and
tickets can be purchased by anyone for this event.
Over 5,000 applications have been submitted for teaching positions in the Toronto District
School Board (TDSB) and 146 new teachers have been hired.
Report from SESAT – Ms. Marianne Brown
Coming up on November 19th, 2011 ESA SESAT will be holding their annual Craft Fair / Silent
Auction from 10:00am – 3:00pm. SESAT sold 100 tables in a two week time period! All of the
crafts that are sold at the Craft Fair are handmade. We will be hosting a Bake Sale (100%
profit), Silent Auction (usually raise approximately $5,000) and a Food Court where parents,
students, vendors and volunteers can purchase food. The vendors usually donate an item
from their table to the Silent Auction. All items for the Bake Sale need to be wrapped.
Help will be required the night before the Craft Fair on Friday, November 18th, 2011 (setting up
from 4:00pm onwards), during the Craft Fair (running the different areas) and after the Craft
Fair (taking things down at around 3:00pm).
Purchases are CASH only and tax receipts for Silent Auction items that were donated with a
value of $20.00 or more.
We have been advertising in the Guardian, SNAP and the Toronto Star.
We are looking for more parent involvement for next year as some of the current members of
SESAT will not be around next year as their child is graduating from ESA. We are especially
appealing to the new parents of Grade 9 students who are at ESA. We are looking at having a
link on our website for “new parents / Grade 9 parents” to volunteer and help out whenever
they can. Rob MacKinnon will take this idea back to Susan Cohen for further discussion.
Report from Staff Representative – Ms. Linda Wolsley
Teachers are currently entering term marks right now. Students have been attending each
class to date a total of 22 times as of November 8th, 2011. Right now the teachers only have a
snapshot of each student – not a complete picture yet until they have been there longer.
On Thursday, November 17th, 2011, the Report Cards will be going home with the students.
There will also be an attendance summary going home with the report cards. On Friday,
November 18th, 2011, parents can register on-line for interviews with their child’s teacher(s).
The interviews will be taking place on Thursday, November 24th, 2011 between 1:30 – 8:00pm.
Parents are recommended to register early for conference times. Each conference will be 10
minutes in length and there are some 5 minutes conference time slots available. BOOK
EARLY to avoid not getting a time slot.
There will be a Holocaust assembly which is part of the Grade 10 students’ curriculum. A
speaker will be coming on Monday, November 14 th, 2011 during the second period to speak to
the Grade 10 students.
Some of the students from ESA will have an opportunity to go on a trip to New York. Students
should advise their teachers ASAP that they will be going on this trip.
It is strongly recommended to parents that they DO NOT take their child out of school as it can
be very inconvenient and disruptive to both the students and the teachers. There is already a
high stress level and missing school will just add to this.
More students will potentially be seeing their Guidance Counsellor over the next two weeks.
The Grade 12 students are especially stressed out about the November report cards. The
Grade 12 students are submitting their applications to local colleges and universities. The
applications go to the Ontario University Application Centre (OUAC). Early scholarships will be
offered in February 2012 with further scholarships going out in April 2012.
If a student fails their major, they will be asked to leave the school. Make it very clear to your
child that it is very important to hand your work in on time, do all the tests, quizzes, etc. that
are given in class.
Report from Technology Liaison – Ms. Christina Loeffel (regrets) and Mr. David Brown
Ms. Christina Loeffel passed on an e-mail that was sent to her by Debbie Wagdin (Constituency Assistant) on behalf of Ward 3 Trustee – Pamela Gough.
Hello,
Trustee Pamela Gough invites you to her Ward 3 Forum Meeting on Tuesday February 7 at 7:00 p.m. at James
S. Bell JMS.
Ward 3 Trustee Pamela Gough’s Update February 3, 2012
1. Ward Forum focus is on helping you fundraise:
My Ward Forum next week will be on the topic of “Fundraising Beyond the Bake Sale: Accessing Support
from Grants, Foundations and Donations.” With TDSB facing strict budget limitations, many ambitious projects
are now being undertaken with funding from foundations, donations, and partnerships. The TDSB’s Senior Manager of Business Development, Catherine Parsonage, will share her expertise. This topic is going to appeal to
principals and vice-principals as well as school councils. Be sure to send a representative to find out more. If you
have a fundraising project that you want tips for, please forward it to my assistant, Debbie Wagdin, at Debbie.wagdin@tdsb.on.ca by February 5 and we will ask our presenter to address it. VALUE ADDED- this forum is
taking place in one of the TDSB’s new Health and Wellness Academies, James S. Bell!
Date: Tuesday February 7, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: James S. Bell JMS in the school library, 90 Thirty First St, Etobicoke, ON
Child minding available, let Debbie know ages and special needs please.
2. PIAC recruiting parents to take part in Vice-Principal Interviews:
The TDSB’s Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) is looking for parents who are interested in being
part of an interview panel for teachers who are applying for promotion to the position of vice-principal. This is part
of the TDSB’s pilot project on Principal and Vice-Principal Promotion and Placement and involves parents at the
central level in the Board’s promotion process. Interested parents can submit their names by completing the attached form. Mandatory training for all interviewees will take place on Monday February 13th at 5050 Yonge St in
Committee Room A from 6 – 8 p.m. Elementary level interviews will take place on Thursday February 23 from 8
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1 Civic Centre Court. Secondary level interviews will take place on Tuesday February 28
from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1 Civic Centre Court. If you are unavailable for the interviews in February, please consider taking the training now for interviews in November. Please send completed form (attached) to Cathy McCulloch, PIAC Coordinator at info@torontopiac.ca before February 13th.
3. Outdoor Education Programs are on the Lakeshore:
The Centre for Urban Ecology of Humber Arboretum is expanding its nature programs to the Lakeshore campus
of Humber College during the months of May and June. The outdoor education programs provide a fun and
unique way to increase the ecological literacy and physical activity of your students. Join these nature programs
in an exploration of Colonel Sam Smith Park, one of Toronto's most amazingly diverse urban green spaces.
The Lakeshore specific programs meet a variety of curriculum strands. For example, programs such as Nature
Walk, Habitats, Birds, Cool Coyotes, Magnificent Monarchs and Trees touch on the curriculum strand 'Needs and
Characteristics of Living Things'. Find out more about the programs by visiting their website:
www.humberarboretum.on.ca/lakeshoreprograms
Group sizes of 30 from grades 1-8 are welcome for a full day of programming! The regular cost for the Lakeshore
programs are $11.50 per student, however if a class should take transit or walk to the program they are offering a
$1.00 discount on the cost per student.
4. TDSB Award of Excellence Nominations:
Do you know a staff person or group achieving amazing results each and every day in the classroom, office or
workshop? Are they showing an extraordinary commitment to improving the quality of education in our system?
Perhaps they are implementing successful business practices or actively engaging their local community? If so,
consider nominating them for a TDSB Excellence Award this year! This year, the Excellence Awards will recognize those individuals or groups who have best advanced the five Strategic Directions of the TDSB:
1. Make every school an effective school;
2. Build leadership within a culture of adaptability, openness, and resilience;
3. Form strong and effective relationships and partnerships;
4. Build environmentally sustainable schools that inspire teaching and learning; and
5. Identify disadvantage and intervene effectively.
Download a nomination form and selection criteria and view profiles of last year’s winners now
atwww.tdsb.on.ca/excellence. The deadline for applications is March 2.
5. Don’t forget to visit my website
My trustee website [www.tdsb.on.ca/gough] is updated weekly with much more information than I can relay in enewsletters. It is the place to go for the latest in public school information. Please make a point of visiting often.
Follow me on Twitter too at @Pamelagough!
6. Join the email list
Would you like to be put on the automatic mailing list for further updates? Please email Debbie.wagdin@tdsb.on.ca with the heading “Please add to email list” in the subject line.
7. Questions, comments, concerns?
As your public school trustee, I am here to listen to your opinions and concerns. Feel free to email me at
Pamela.gough@tdsb.on.ca or call me at 416-393-1972. I am located at 5050 Yonge Street, 5th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M2N 5N8
New Business Items - Mr. Simon Anderson
Jack Project – Presentation to the Parents
There is a project called the Jack Project which works with students in Grade 12 moving onto
post secondary studies. The Jack Project will also be working with Kids Help Phone. Staff at
ESA are being trained to help the students during difficult times and to develop resiliency. The
Grade 9 students have begun seeing a Guidance Counsellor or will soon see one. They will
meet with their Guidance Counsellor to establish a rapport with them and to discuss any issues
they may be having.
A speaker from the Jack Project will be coming sometime in November to speak to the
students at ESA. There are approximately 1,020 students presently at ESA.
Mr. Simon Anderson will inquire as to whether the Jack Project can come and speak to the
parents at ESA. It would help for the parents to hear the information that is being presented to
the students and the teachers at ESA. Right now the Jack Project is geared towards students
in Grade 12 but parents of students in any grade at ESA are more than welcomed to come and
attend as it will help them to better understand the stresses that the students are going
through.
Mr. Simon Anderson will look to book the Jack Project for January 17th, 2012. This would be a
great time as the students will be writing their exams at the end of January 2012.
A motion to accept the date of January 17th, 2012 for the Jack Project to come and speak to
the parents at ESA was made by Jan Lavelle and was seconded by Simon Anderson.
Principal / Vice-Principal School Profile
We are looking to update the Principal and Vice-Principal profile. We will do edits on previous
information and set a cut off date for submission. We will do an e-mail communication for any
changes / updates.
People for Education – School Council Survey Results
People for Education have released a report called “Beyond Fundraising: The 2011 Report on
Ontario school Councils. If you are interested in reading the results, please go to
www.peopleforeducatoin.ca/document/report-on-school-councils-2011/ for further information.
729 School Councils completed the survey!
Recycling Initiatives – Enid Wray
There was no report tonight as Ms. Enid Wray was absent.
New Business
Yearbook – Lorraine Luski (Sage)
It was noted that four students were missing from the yearbook – there were no pictures and
no names. Also, one student was placed in the incorrect major. There is a class list that is
followed so no student(s) should have been missed. Any items that need to go into the
yearbook after the deadline date – it would / could go into the next years’ yearbook.
New York Trip – Niko Scharer
The Grade 9 boys who signed up to go on the New York trip did not go on this trip because
there were not enough boys signed up for the trip. Sometimes opportunities are missed
because there are not enough boys or girls signed up for the event.
Students need to show up for sport activities, etc. if they want to have the sport activity
continue to be offered or it will be cancelled. Students need to advocate for what they want if
they feel strongly about it.
Student’s majors take precedence over extracurricular activities.
There is pressure on the students between attending a semestered school and a nonsemestered one.
Parent Involvement – Sandra Finkelman
We need to find a way to get parents involved at ESA since it is not a “neighbourhood” school.
It was suggested that we offer an event to get parents involved such as “Be an ESA Student
for a Day”.
Take Your Kids to Work Day
It was noted that only 10 out of 270 students at ESA participated in the “Take Your Kids to
Work Day”. We need to find a way to encourage more students to take part in this event and
not use it as a way to get the day off from school.
Motion to Adjourn
No further business to discuss.
A motion to adjourn was made by Jan Lavelle and was seconded by Cathy Ingham.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 at 7:30pm in the school library.