Minutes from January 2009 Council Meeting

Meeting Start: 7:00 PM
Meeting Close: 8:30 PM
Attendees: Richard Marcil, Ozzie Ahmed, Kimberly Namespetra-Sullivan, Barb MacLeod, Steve Cole, Donna White, Julie Croteau, Jane Barratt, Lisa Hooper, Jo-Anne Hennig, Elizabeth Ney;

Next Meeting: February 18, 2009 at 7:00 PM

1. Budget Update (Ozzie):

• Ozzie spoke about the fundraising aspect of the ‘Lunch Lady’ program. He has projected that there will be a significant difference from last year in terms of the amount earned for Council in comparison to last year. Additional ‘special lunch’ days have been arranged, and the Council may consider another program in addition for the future.
• Richard mentioned that he is still waiting on an answer about the shortfall in funds that occurred in the fall with the magazine campaign, as the company had originally agreed to cover this in their contract.

2. School Update (Roger/Barb):

• Roger updated the Council on what spending has been completed, as well as the status of spending that is budgeted, but prices are still being researched and compared;
• Barb entertained the Council with a Power Point presentation that included photographs taken by the Paparazzi Club to demonstrate all the wonderful activities and events that have taken place so far this school year. Everyone was very impressed with the visuals and thanked Barb for her hardwork putting the presentation together.

3. Program Reviews (All):

• All programs were reviewed and updated. BBQ planning will be a major activity for next meeting.

4. Tuck Shop (Richard):

• The Tuck Shop is now up and running for the students to enjoy. We will not be offering Freezies during the warm months due to problems with this product last year. Instead the idea was given to consider frozen yogurt, however this would require the purchase of a freezer. Many Council Members said that they did not think that there was sufficient room for a freezer in the Tuck Shop area, and Roger did not think that there was room anywhere in the school to keep a freezer, let alone the logistics in having a freezer in a different area of the school from the Tuck Shop.

5. Principal Profile (Richard):

• Roger left the meeting, and Richard explained that the purpose of the Principal Profile was so that the School Board had a record of what Clemens Mill Public School Council considers the priorities and expectations of the administration should there be changes in the future.
• The Council reviewed what was submitted last year, and many Council Members agreed that the only addition that was required was the issue of diversity and multiculturalism in the school. Richard will make these additions and email the Council with the changes before submitting the final copy to the School Board.

February Council Meeting Agenda

When: February 18, 2009
Where: Art Room
Time: 7:00-8:00 PM


Agenda:
1. Budget update – Ozzie (5 minutes)
2. Budget spending – all (5 minutes)
3. School update – Roger/Alison (10 minutes)
4. Program update - Richard (10 minutes)
5. 2008/2009 volunteers & forms - Richard (10 minutes)
6. BBQ planning – All (20 minutes)
7. Block Parents - Richard (5 minutes)
8. Other – All (5 minutes)

Ontario public elementary school teachers accept government contract offer

TheRecord.com - News - Ontario public elementary school teachers accept government contract offer

TORONTO — Ontario’s public elementary school teachers have accepted the province’s final contract offer.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario had been given a deadline of 4 p.m. today to either accept or reject the four-year, $700-million deal.

Earlier, Premier Dalton McGuinty had urged the federation — the largest teachers’ union in Canada — to avert a potential strike by accepting the offer.

The province set two other deadlines with the teachers in recent months, but those came and went with no deal in sight.

Education Minister Kathleen Wynne had said if teachers didn’t accept this last offer, they would be stuck with a two-year deal worth much less.

About 750,000 students would have been affected if the 73,000 teachers and education workers walked off the job.

Wynne made the new offer to teachers and school boards on Tuesday, but gave them only two days to decide whether to accept it.

The proposal gives teachers a 10.4 per cent salary increase over four years, bringing the maximum salary to $92,700.

The deal also includes money for more preparation time, improved benefits and hiring more teachers to reduce class sizes, Wynne said.

The school boards readily accepted the deal, but the union said it was outraged by Wynne’s threats and deadlines.

The province and elementary teachers had been butting heads over a new contract since last summer, when the union walked away from the negotiating table.

A teachers’ strike would have been a major blow to the Liberal government, which boasts about bringing labour peace to the province’s schools after eight years of strife under their Conservative predecessors.

Elementary teachers could be in strike position by spring

Lisa Rutledge, Times Staff

Published on Jan 29, 2009

Waterloo's public elementary teachers could be in an official strike position by the spring if their union and the local school board can't hammer out a contract deal soon.

Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario president David Clegg was in Kitchener this week to highlight the union's demand that school boards get their full proposals ready to meet a Feb. 13 deadline.

The union, which is fighting for the same level of per-student funding and resources as secondary school teachers, couldn't come to a provincial framework agreement with the Ontario Public School Boards' Association last December.

As a result, the Ontario Ministry of Education withdrew its offer to fund a three per cent pay hike each year for four years, now offering to only pay for a two per cent increase a year for two years.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, which entered into a collective framework agreement with the school board association, also reached a tentative contract agreement with the Waterloo Region District School Board this week. A union vote is set for Jan. 30. Contract details aren't yet being released.

But reaching a deal with the elementary teachers' union may be harder to do, according to John Bryant, the school board's superintendent of human resources. He said without a framework agreement, the provincial government won't provide the funding for the same pay hike deal as allotted to the secondary teachers. Only two per cent a year for years will be funded.

“That's the money we have to negotiate with,” he said.

Bryant said the board has set two dates, Feb. 13 and 18, to meet with the elementary teachers' union negotiators. While the board wants to work closely with the union and be accommodating, it has to remain fiscally responsible to all its stakeholders, he explained.

“We're trying to be fair to everyone.”

The elementary teachers' union aims to close the gap between what's funded to high schools and elementary schools in order to secure more resources for those educating children in the critical learning years.

Rules for a Happy Home

Silverheights School Council Presents...
Rules for a Happy Home

This is the first of 4 free interactive workshops presented by Silverheights School Council. KW Counseling will facilitate this first evening. Create a happier more peaceful home by setting clear rules for the whole family. Establish or maintain your authority as a parent and at the same time keep the self-esteem of the children intact.

When: Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Where: Silverheights Public School Library
390 Scott Rd, Cambridge

Light refreshments will be made available. Childcare is provided.
To register for this free event, or if you require further information, please contact Chris Callander at 519.658.5776 or thecallanders(at)sympatico.ca.

January Council Meeting Agenda

When: January 21, 2009
Where: Art Room
Time: 7:00-8:00 PM

Agenda:
1. Budget update – Ozzie (10 minutes)
2. Budget spending – Roger/Alison (5 minutes)
3. School update – Roger/Alison (10 minutes)
4. Program reviews inc. BBQ – All (10 minutes)
5. Tuck Shop - Richard (5 minutes)
6. Principal profile – Richard (10 minutes)
7. Other – All (10 minutes)

All parents are welcomed to attend!

Minutes from December 2008 Council Meeting

Meeting Start: 7:00 PM
Meeting Close: 8:45 PM
Attendees: Richard Marcil, Ozzie Ahmed, Kimberly Namespetra-Sullivan, Alison Wardrop, Barb MacLeod, Steve Cole, Tabatha Dominguez, JoAnne Hennig, Benedictus Soga;
Next Meeting: January 21, 2009 at 7:00 PM

1. Treasures Book Fundraiser Update:

• 170 books outstanding, but the class list tracking scheme for the teachers to follow-up seems to be working effectively. It is important to note that the outstanding books are mainly senior students.
• Steve Cole said that he was hoping to give out the student rewards for the fundraiser before the holidays, but with so many books outstanding it may be difficult. Richard Marcil mentioned that it would be good to give out prizes before the holidays mainly to avoid dragging the fundraiser into January.
• Calling student homes, even from the school may be a privacy issue for those on the School Council; Alison will look into this.
• The Council will also look into simplifying this process for next year as the way that we’ve gone about it this year was very time consuming and arduous. Ozzie offered up the idea of just using an order form as most people are familiar with what the books look like and contain.

2. Budget Update:

• As for our fundraising inflow, nothing has really changed. The contract from the magazines guaranteed last years numbers, Richard has gone back to them about honouring that; We are $2289.00 short of where we were last year.
• Alison mentioned that they purchased a headset microphone for $265.00 for the gym instead of a regular type of cordless microphone that $500.00 was originally budgeted for.
  

3. Other:

• There was a microwave suggestion for each classroom for hot lunches, but Alison mentioned that microwaves are a safety issue and are therefore prohibited in the classroom.
• An issue from a parent about supervision during nutrition break was brought up. Alison and Barb let us know that there is a rotation of supervisors and that Intermediate students are filling out applications to add to helping out with added supervision.
• Alison mentioned about the upcoming designation as an ECO school. There will be an ECO team with staff and students trying to “green” the school; Parents are welcome to get involved with this as well. Everyone agreed that this is another wonderful leadership opportunity for Grade 5, 6, 7,and 8 students - 2 students per grade. It was noted that a large number of Grade 6 French Immersion students that have expressed an interest in this leadership opportunity.
• Alison has booked a speaker for Climate Committee – character development is tied in with this.
• Barb said that the Intermediate teachers have started purchasing the literacy books for Intermediate students. Richard asked that maybe pictures of these purchases could be taken by the “Paparazzi Group” for the School Council website so that all parents are able to see a visual of what their fundraising money is going toward.

4. Program Reviews:

• Richard spoke about the “Lunch Lady” program. It seems that the lunch program is executing wonderfully, but not raising a lot of money – we’ve not had any negative feedback so far, but we are only taking in 30-40% of what we did last year for fundraising. He suggested raising the prices a little to increase our profit margins or looking at additional days especially in the winter, ie. If a PD Day falls on the Friday, students will have “Lunch Lady” on the Thursday instead, or holidays like Valentine’s Day. It was also noted that if we go with Boston Pizza or East Side Marios, we will need more parent volunteers, and “Lunch Lady” requires no extra volunteer help.
• Alison mentioned that theme days are already done in conjunction with Spirit Days and perhaps adding a special lunch on that day would be too overwhelming. Perhaps every other Wednesday would increase money coming in?
• Richard added that we cannot do the printing each month instead of every two months to relieve any ‘sticker shock’, but the franchise does the printing and therefore there is not any flexibility with this. The need to promote the online order option may increase sales as well.
• Richard looked at having Ronald Morrish as a speaker for parents, but felt that what he had to offer seemed more academic focused. He has however gone ahead with contacting him, but hasn’t heard back on details as to how and what he would present to a parent group.
• Richard has also reached out to the YMCA for information on a teen seminar.

5. French Immersion Program:

• As seen in recent media outlets, the WRDSB is not meeting the ministry standard for French Immersion hours. The lack of parent outcry is probably due to the fact that parents were not completely aware. 50% of the day needs to be in French – in Grade 7 and 8, math changes to English – Richard mentioned that parents are upset only because they were unaware. Perhaps the school newsletter could include something from the board about what Grade 8 students and parents need to know to address their concerns. From here on out, perhaps this seed should be planted at the beginning of Grade 7 and even in Grade 1.
• Alison and Barb also mentioned that the teacher is a great resource for information. (Barb had a pamphlet with this from EFTO). Communicate that Grade 6/7/8 students and parents are welcome at 9 information nights. Barb mentioned that we could add an ‘Ask An Expert’ part to the website.

6. Tuck Shop:

• This will be back in business in the New Year. It was noted that the available items need to be nutritious and environmentally friendly.

Library closes book on filters

Published on Dec 19, 2008
Lisa Rutledge, Times Staff

The Cambridge Library Board is closing the book on computer filter debates but angry parents say the story’s not over yet, threatening to take their fight to city hall.

Despite three delegations pleading for the installation of software programs to prevent downloading of pornography on library computers visible to children, the board decided to send letters to parents advising them to supervise children while at the library.

The board’s decision to uphold its policy not to employ Internet programs for reasons of censorship or the possibility they might block legitimate websites came as a shock to parents.

“This is definitely not the end,” said Rob Nickel, a retired police officer and cyber safety expert. “I have never been so disappointed in a board of directors.”

The speaker and author, who uses filtering programs on his home computer to protect his children, insisted there’s no validity to the arguments that programs will interfere with educational research.

“I can’t think of any reason why Internet filtering can’t work.”

He promised to do anything in his power to force local libraries to install software to prevent pornographic images and videos from being displayed on the public computers.

Nickel witnessed graphic images being downloaded at the Queen’s Square library branch last summer and said it was in plain view of children. Since then, he has taken up a local fight to have library computers equipped with safety software.

Concerns about protecting children must take priority over censorship arguments, he told the board in his delegation.

“There’s people’s rights and then there’s doing what’s right.”

And after seven years of hunting down pedophiles online as part of his job, he said he knows what perverts are out there and the lengths they will go to get their “jollies”.

It wasn’t an easy job, he admitted.

“But I loved it because we were making a difference.”

After leaving the meeting held at the Clemens Mill library branch Wednesday, Nickel and a group of parents gathered in the library to plan their next move. In addition to addressing city council, he plans to take his message to Queen’s Park as a show of support for MPP Gerry Martiniuk’s private member’s bill calling for mandatory Internet filters in libraries.

He encouraged people to sign Martiniuk’s petition and is inviting feedback via e-mail at www.cyber-safety.com . He is promising to put the topic of Internet filters on library computers on the national media agenda and insists he hasn’t met anyone who has disagreed with the cause.

Also addressing the board was Cambridge mother Kathy Fitzgerald who described two incidents during which she and her son were exposed to explicit pornography on library computers. One of those times was on a computer set aside for kids. She quoted studies claiming that it only takes three-tenths of a second for an image to become locked into memory.

Speaking as a resident, Cindy Watson, a public school board trustee, urged the board to strike a committee consisting of law enforcement, legal counsel, educators, parents and computer experts to find a compromise that will protect children.

She warned that the board would only continue to hear from parents if nothing is done.

Kim Fowler, executive director of Fiddlesticks Neighbourhood Association, left Wednesday’s board meeting in disgust. She plans to take the issue back to her own board of directors and will address city council. She knows the city is preparing budgets for January and suggested that pressure from the city, which funds the library, might help.

“It’s public money,” she said.

Fowler, who has a teenage son, said the risks are too high that children could be exposed to porn.

“Quite frankly, I would rather see all the computers taken out,” she said, in the interest of safety of children.

That would be unfortunate, she noted, as some people can’t afford computers at home.

Chief librarian Greg Hayton said the board won’t comment on the backlash from parents at the meeting but maintains that the board has already dealt with the issue of filters and will uphold its policy. The delegations aren’t going to affect the board’s decision, he said.

Internet Filtering at Cambridge Libraries: meeting on December 17th, Clemens Mill branch

As a follow up to previous meetings on Internet filtering at Cambridge libraries, the library board will host an open meeting at the Clemens Mill branch on Wednesday December 17th at 4:30PM. Rob Nickel, a cyber safety expert, and Roger Martiniuk, MPP, are expected to voice their significant concerns with unfiltered computers in a public environment - an environment where children read, learn and play on computers. All are encouraged to attend and participate.





Cambridge library board won't filter internet sites
Kevin Swayze, Cambridge

The four city library branches continue to be the only libraries in Waterloo Region that don't filter pornography on their public internet access computers.

This week, the Cambridge Public Library board rejected calls to install blocking software after staff reported that current blocking technology can hide content that may be legal.

The board, however, directed staff to look at plainly informing parents that offensive websites cannot be blocked when their children log onto public terminals.

The issue will be discussed again at a future library board meeting.

"What's frustrating is our tax dollars are being used to provide pornography," Cindy Watson of Cambridge told the library board Wednesday. She's a public school board trustee but was speaking as a private citizen.

The fact that the library board is willing to continue discussing the issue and better inform parents is a good start, Watson said.

She read a letter from Rob Nickel, a retired Ontario Provincial Police officer, who caught someone downloading pornography on a library computer two months ago while children were standing beside him. Nickel, who lectures police, children and educators about internet safety, had to be in Alberta when the meeting was held this week.

Nickel urged the library to put filters on all children's computers and most adult computers.

A few unfiltered internet computers could be isolated from children where adults could use them, he suggested.

Andy Coutts, president of Guelph-based Netsweeper, said no filtering software is perfect, but it does a good job blocking words, and catches pornographic images 80 per cent of the time.

Don't focus on the technology, he advised the library board. An internet access policy is needed first, then the fine tuning of the available technology.

Greg Hayton, the chief librarian, said the library is already meeting its "due diligence requirement under Canadian law" to prevent downloading of illegal pornography.

Among the steps it has taken: the use of monitor screens, which prevent anybody but the user from seeing what's on a computer, having staff oversee what people view, and requiring users to agree to the library's internet policy.

Putting filters on children's computers would be a "panacea," Hayton said, because there's no evidence of a problem in that area. It would just muddle the issue of adults accessing improper content, something only a handful of people are complaining about, he said.

"That is the appearance of doing something, not the reality," he said.

Hayton said the no-filtering policy is described on computer log-in screens and library card application forms.

Four years ago, the library board reviewed its internet-filtering policy and rejected using the software.

The board also thought that parents would be plainly warned there were no filters, said board member Danika Brown.

"If we're not going to filter, we have to very clearly state it," Brown said of the current notification process.

Meanwhile, Cambridge MPP Gerry Martiniuk continues to push forward with a private member's bill requiring public libraries to use filtering software. He expects the bill will be introduced early next year.

Secondary School Registration

Have a child moving on to high school next year? Want to learn about different options, programs and schools? The Water Region District School Board can certainly help with this. See the WRDSB website for such information, from parent-student evenings, to programs, to schools, to boundaries. This is definitely worth a look.

What Program is Best for Me?
Visit up2u.ca for information on all of our programs
Open Houses:
Dates, Times and Locations
Which School Will I Attend?
Review the School Boundaries
Waterloo Region DSB Secondary Schools:
Click here for a list of our secondary schools
Directions to Schools:
Google Maps are provided to help you find your school