- Date: Thursday, January 8 , 2026
- Location: Virtual – Microsoft Teams
- Time: 7:00 pm – 8:30pm
In attendance:
School Staff: Nadia Russiello
Parents: Jessie Perry, Farnaz Naser Shariati, Eilda Pourkian, Lily Regrets: Sushma Kavikondala
Welcome & Agenda
Meeting opened; brief overview of purpose: review of lunch-program fundraising, current budget/expenses, and upcoming events/ideas.
Note: Low turnout; brief meeting.Principal Updates
- Replacement teacher for Mme Lee (Grade 8)
- Staffing for the 2026–2027 school year has begun. A message will be sent to families to confirm which students will not be returning
- EQAO: Standardized testing in math and English. Seventy percent of Grade 6 students met or exceeded the provincial Level 3 standard.
Teacher Rep report
- Teacher representative was not present.
- Teachers were/are currently busy with a number of school events, including:
- Remembrance Day activities
- Student-led conferences and teacher interviews
- BAPS Theatre’s Anne of Green Gables production in May, involving Grade 7 & 8 performers and technical cre
- Grade 4–6 boys’ and girls’ volleyball tryouts
- December Spirit week
- Reach for the Top trivia team (Grade 8)
- Beaver Computing Challenge
- Term 1 reports in February
Treasurer Report
- Reimbursement posted back to School Council: $452 was previously charged in error and has been reimbursed to the council budget (entered as revenue).
Fundraising / Lunch programs updates
Term 1 Recap
- Numbers in the “yellow column” were adjusted to more realistic amounts for Swiss Chalet, Pizza, and Mr. Greek based on actual run lengths:
- Swiss Chalet: ran ~14 weeks
- Pizza: ran ~14 weeks
- Mr. Greek: ran 8 weeks (started later after council approval)
Term 2 & 3 Forecast
- Term 2 runs from next week until March Break (≈ 9 weeks; a shorter block).
- Order deadline: Tomorrow; a reminder will be sent to families.
- Forecast based on today’s orders (subject to tomorrow’s updates):
- Swiss Chalet: $936
- Pizza: $1,380
- Mr. Greek: $610
- With carry-over from last year of $3,800 and $452 reimbursement recognized as revenue, based on current forecasts, the council discussed having ~$15,000 “so far” (to be updated after the Term 2 order deadline).
- With Term 3 year-end projection: Around 20–22k by the end of the school year
- An earlier working budget of $36,000 was considered too high given updated realities.
- Plan is to revise/trim by ~$10,000** and bring an adjusted proposal in February, ahead of the March 5 council meeting.
Expenditures to Date (Council-Supported)
- $508.50 — contribution toward buses for Cross-Country
- $275 — repair of one outdoor slide; $4,000 (requested) — replacement of soccer goal posts (very costly) and some basketball-net related needs; pending (cannot proceed yet)
- $50 — script purchase for Anne of Green Gables
- $2,225.70 — instrument repairs.
- $741.28 — Beaver Computing participation (all students).
- $192.10 — Reach for the Top team competition.
- Total council expenses so far: $3,992.58.
- Technology Purchase - Council previously set aside $3,500 under Technology. Will place Chromebook order and draw against that allocation (timing pending; aim to order soon)
- Question raised regarding other fundraisers such as Popcorn Day, Cookie Day, and the Thursday Japanese Kome lunch. These are school-run initiatives, and their proceeds support the school and Grade 8 graduation. Council-run lunch fundraisers remain Swiss Chalet, Pizza, and Mr. Greek.
- Outcome of historical movie nights. Not continued due to the high cost of public-performance licensing.
- There was a discussion about encouraging an activity/engagement fee for next year, similar to the model used at Alexander Mackenzie High School. This type of fee is typically implemented in high schools, not elementary schools. School Council can instead request donations, which are eligible for tax receipts, or include a reminder in upcoming communications to let families know they can donate through SchoolCash Online. This would help raise additional funds instead of requiring budget cuts.
BBQ/Fun Fair Planning
- STEM Night - Reference to an email from Sushma suggesting council members meet outside the general meeting to pick a date/plan and then bring it back for approval/coordination.
- Fun Fair / Barbecue – Status - No committee yet; last year’s was council-run and occurred in late May. Without a lead/planning team, event likely won’t happen this year. Need to identify a committee lead and core team. Put out a community call for volunteers (parents who can’t attend meetings may still help with the event or run a booth; recruit high-school volunteers for day-of support).
- Tentative date proposed: Wednesday, June 4, 5:00–8:00 PM (to be confirmed by council).
- Once a team is in place, begin vendor bookings and logistics
Adjournment
- Meeting adjourned at 7:40pm