Cliffwood School Council

Meeting Minutes January 20, 2016

6:36 to 8:33 p.m.

Attendees:

Sarah Frost (Principal), Allyson Watts (Vice-Principal), Ms. Mercurio (Teacher), Tony Venneri
(TDSB), Tsin Leung (TDSB), Melanie Rubens, Sandy Sang, Eric Fung, Esther Chung, Deborah Teng,
Felix He, Ivar Soever, Vronique Jgat, Paul Kang, Colin Ryckman, Melanie Ryckman, Tirso Beltran,
Mohamad Labbaf

Regrets:

Sheleen Jaffer, Julie Kwok, Sevelina Kolarova, Heba Osman, Christina Liu

Chairperson:

Melanie Rubens/Christina Liu

Location:

Cliffwood Public School

1. Welcome
2. Adoption of minutes from December 2, 2015
3. Cliffwood's 5-year IT plan
3.1. Q&A with TDSB IT Central Team
3.2. Motion for funds to reimburse library media lab replacement
4. School Report
5. Fundraising Report
5.1. Donation Campaign results
5.2. Dance-a-thon update
5.2.1. Motion for funds for Dance-a-thon expenses
5.3. Process for bringing forward new fundraising ideas
6. Treasurer's Report
7. Other business
7.1. Update on PART meeting with Alexander Brown / Ken Lister
7.2. Proposed change to TDSB head lice policy
8. Adjournment
1. Welcome
2. Adoption of Minutes of December 2, 2015
2.1. DECISION: Esther Chung moves to accept minutes of December 2 as printed. Paul Kang seconds. Motion
is carried
3. 5-year IT plan
3.1. Special Guests from TDSB Central IT; Tony Venneri, Tsin Leung
3.2. School has put in an order for another 13 computers + accessories to replace the other half of the library
computer lab not replaced at the beginning of the school year.
Cliffwood School Council

3.3.

QUESTION: What is in the 3-year plan?

3.3.1. The plan will need to be revisited since it was written in the latter half of the 2014-2015 school
year and is already ahead of schedule to complete the planned upgrades/replacements.
3.3.2. Current need is to replace 14 classroom desktops that are coming to end of life/warranty
3.4. QUESTION: Is the schedule for replacing technology set by TDSB?
3.4.1. School has discretion to replace technology whenever they want and to plan out how/when
technology should be replaced
3.4.2. We recommend that schools spread out their technology replacement over a 2-3 year cycles
3.4.3. Overall, TDSB's strategy is to move towards the cloud because that's what kids are already using,
as well as slowing the frequency at which schools need to replace technology
3.5. QUESTION: Is our school looking to allow Wifi access in the schools?
3.5.1. Wifi is already available throughout the school, though connectivity in portables is occasionally
problematic.
3.6. QUESTION: Is it recommended that schools maintain the inventory and age of the desktops to prompt
schools when to replace technology?
3.6.1. At the board level, we do track what is in the environment and what is under warranty, but we
don't necessarily prompt individual schools
3.6.2. Teachers find the a school-level IT committee is helpful to build teacher experts that can provide
the day-to-day support for staff
3.7. QUESTION: When will the plan be presented?
3.7.1. Now that a lot of things from the list were accomplished, then IT committee will have to revisit
and re-envision what comes next. As soon as we can, but will have to come back to Council
3.7.2. ACTION: Sarah Frost to provide timeline for updated plan to be presented to Council
3.8. QUESTION: What is the difference between refurbished and new hardware?
3.8.1. Generally these are off-lease machines purchased through a competitive bid that are reconditioned and come with a 5-year service plan/warranty. Software is fully tested for
compatibility with hardware platforms supported by TDSB. We try to standardize on
hardware/software to maintain supportability across the board. Software updates are pushed
centrally to all desktops after-hours.
3.9. QUESTION: Once a call for support is made, what is the response time and ticket tracking system?
3.9.1. We maintain a central call desk that provides support and hardware support is on a 48-hour SLA.
Software issues are 24-48 hours.
3.10. QUESTION: Is it Board policy to buy only refurbished hardware? What if parents want to purchase more
advanced/modern hardware?
3.10.1. Schools are only allowed to purchase from the TDSB-approved purchasing list in order to ensure
that board resources can support technology in schools
3.10.2. New computers only have a 3 year warranty and are nearly double the price, with minimal
performance gain relative to the typical computer demands in a Grade 1-6 school. New computers
may be justified in high schools where there are more hardware intensive demands (e.g. video
editing), but are not needed in public schools
3.10.3. Central Teaching and Learning technology team supports schools to select appropriate
applications based on the curriculum they are looking to teach.
3.10.4. ACTION: Sarah Frost to provide link to technology selection guidelines, to be provided by TDSB
Central IT.
3.11. QUESTION: Are more schools moving to Apple platforms? What is the current technology trend?
3.11.1. Trend is towards iPads and Chromebooks, less so MacBooks. It is all based on curriculum and
school's needs.
3.11.2. The overall strategy to move towards cloud-based platforms really opens up options on hardware
Cliffwood School Council

that can be utilized by the school itself.

3.12. QUESTION: Three years ago, we purchased a cart of netbooks that were very quickly obsoleted. How can
we avoid making those types of investments again? How is that different from a Netbook?
3.12.1. Chromebook is purpose built to access Google apps, but is fully dependent on network access to
be useful
3.12.2. IT Committee is looking at whether lack of sufficient memory is contributing to poor netbook
performance. If so, they will evaluate if upgrading memory on netbooks is a worthwhile
investment considering age of the netbooks.
3.13. QUESTION: Will the desktops that we've already ordered have enough RAM?
3.13.1. We've ordered 8 GB of RAM, which should be more than sufficient for current needs and allow for
future demands over their lifespan.
3.14. QUESTION: Are we looking at upgrading to Windows 10?
3.14.1. TDSB is currently testing Windows 10 and 8 GB RAM will be sufficient to be compatible with
Windows 10
3.15. QUESTION: Do procurement contracts allow for trade-in or early return of hardware?
3.15.1. As far as Tony/Tsin are aware of, there is no clause for trade-in or means to recoup value through
early return of hardware
3.16. DECISION: Eric Fung moves to allocate $5,219.47 to reimburse the school for the purchase of remaining
desktops in the library media lab. Esther Chung seconds. Motion is carried.
3.17. QUESTION: When will these new desktops arrive?
3.17.1. Estimated arrival is in the April/May timeframe, but confirmation is pending.
4. School Report
4.1. New PA Day on April 15 as a result of labour negotiations that ended last year's job action
4.2. First-term report cards are coming on Tuesday, February 9
4.2.1. Interviews will be held on the Wed-Fri following
4.2.2. Interviews will happen by request from parent or teacher for all grades, except for JK
4.3. Mad Science and Chess started this week
4.3.1. 3 groups are currently running
4.3.2. Chess group has started and there is a waiting list
4.4. Grade 4-6 students have started their ski trips at Earl Bales. They will also be going again Feb 23. Other
half will be going Feb 10 and tentatively Feb 3, with exclusive use for the school.
4.5. Curling for JK-G3 is happening Jan 25-26 (Rocks'n'Rings)
4.6. QUESTION: Do primary grades go on field trips?
4.6.1. Varies depending on students and curriculum. If there have been no trips to-date, you can ask the
teacher, but job action may also have impacted timing of trips
4.7. Sports:
4.7.1. Girls G5-6 Volleyball: So popular there are separate G5 and G6 teams
4.7.2. Boys G5-6 Basketball is also underway
4.7.3. Tournaments will happen around Feb 15
4.8. Sight/Sound Clinics have been completed and were very popular. A second visit will be required to see 8
kids that could not be fit into the original date. Parents will only get a report if there's an issue/concern.
4.9. English JK registration Feb 7
4.10. Extended French briefing session tomorrow at Cresthaven
4.11. Ms. Mercurio is our English Chair, Mme. Seton's retirement has opened a space and Mme. Burey will be
filling the vacancy to work with Sarah/Allyson
4.12. Grade 5 and Grade 6 outdoor education trips have been planned. Grade 6s will go to Lake St. George in
first week of June. Late Feb and early March for Grade 5 to go to Albion Hills
Cliffwood School Council

4.13. 3 additional items for consideration of School Council support:

4.13.1. $50 per classroom for outdoor equipment (total $1100)
4.13.2. Support for outdoor education trip 5/6 students ($750-1000)
4.13.2.1. QUESTION: Are there equivalent activities to provide equitable support to JK-G4 classes
4.13.2.1.1.
Busing is always an area of need and we can consider
4.13.2.2. Fundraising has been very general, but subsidizing transportation and outdoor gym
equipment does not meet the spirit of the goals communicated during the fundraising. Would
prefer to see the overall picture.
4.13.2.3. SUGGESTION: Next year from a planning standpoint, can we set aside specific budgets for
items like sports
4.13.2.4. SUGGESTION: Other experiences, like Reptilia, author-visits etc can be brought in school
that would provide equivalent experiences without busing costs
4.13.2.5. QUESTION: Are gymnastics programs from several years ago still being run?
4.13.2.5.1.
No, because teachers aren't trained, but could look at external vendors to come in
4.13.2.6. SUGGESTION: If we provided a subsidy per student, that would ensure equitability across all
grades
4.13.2.7. ACTION: Defer non-technology funding requests to next School Council meeting to prepare
equitable requests for all grades
4.13.3. Syrian Refugee support
4.13.3.1. Canadian Safe School Network (registered charity) is organizing support packages to assist
Syrian children that need to integrate into TDSB
4.13.3.2. Proposal is for each class to raise funds to fill a backpack for a Syrian child
4.13.3.3. SUGGESTION: Consider setting a scaling allocation that provides a cost cap for School
Council, but also encourages children to meet targets.
4.13.3.3.1.
Example: If students raise enough to buy 1 backpack per class (22), the School
Council buys 4 backpacks. If they raise enough to buy 30 backpacks, School Council
will buy 8 backpacks.
4.13.3.4. DECISION: Paul Kang moves to allocate up to $500 towards supporting the Syrian refugee
backpack fundraiser through Canadian Safe Schools Network. Tirso Beltran seconds. Motion
is carried.
5. Fundraising Report
5.1. Donation Campaign resulted in a total of $3,816 with 98% of funds staying with the school.
5.1.1. $1,145 donated by cheque
5.1.2. $2,671 donated online
5.1.3. Total expenses are $91.30 for Paypal fees
5.2. Dance-a-thon Update
5.2.1. Dance-a-thon has been confirmed for March 10
5.2.2. DJ has been secured. Had to change DJs to ensure police check background
5.2.3. Soliciting donations from local businesses
5.2.4. In past years, we spend about $1,000, but there are potentially higher costs, as corporate
donations/sponsorships have yet to be secured.
5.2.5. DECISION: Eric Fung moves to allocate up to $1,500 towards costs for executing the Dance-a-thon
Fundraiser. Esther Chung seconds. Motion carried.
5.3. Process for bringing forward new fundraising ideas
5.4. ACTION: Eric Fung to investigate implementing a School Council Constitution
5.5. SUGGESTION: Eric can work with Fundraising Committee to formulate a survey to get parent feedback
on fundraising ideas.
Cliffwood School Council

5.6. ACTION: Defer discussion of other fundraising topics to next meeting

6. Treasurer's Report
6.1.
7. Other Business
7.1. PART Update
7.1.1. Meeting in December did not provide many concrete details on timeline or process. It has to go
through multiple committees before it can be discussed. There is a TDSB meeting scheduled for
mid-February with Trustees.
8. Meeting Adjourned at 8:33pm

Action ID
8.

60.
66.

70.
71.

72.

73.

80.

Description
Bring forward request for
creation of class mailing
lists to teachers and provide
update by next meeting
Present ICT Committee's 5year technology plan to
Parent Council
Solicit teacher input into
preferred configuration for
partition pilot once job
action resolved
Present non-technology
funding requests for 20152016
Provide written notice to
impacted families once
permanent prep staff is
onboarded
Provide clarification on
partitions and TDSB
quotation status at next
School Council meeting
Look at means to more
effectively communicate
important club information
to parents (e.g. tryout
dates, meets, concerts)
Contact Alexander Brown
and get Don Valley JHS SAC
included in meeting on FI
Pathway issues

Cliffwood School Council

Date Raised
Oct 1, 2014

Actions

Assigned to
Sarah Frost

Status
Open

Action Taken:
Suggestion for simpler nearterm solution. Sarah Frost to
provide update at next meeting.

Apr 1, 2015

Sarah Frost

Closed

Nearly fulfilled already and will

need revisiting. See Action 85

Jun 17, 2015

Sarah Frost

Open

Teacher input to be provided by

next meeting.

Nov 4, 2015

Sarah Frost

Closed

Presented in January. See

minutes item 4.13

Nov 4, 2015

Sarah Frost

Closed

Completed in December.

Nov 4, 2015

Sarah Frost

Open

Nov 4, 2015

Sarah Frost

Closed

Completed in December

Dec 2, 2015

Melanie
Rubens

Closed

Completed in December

Action ID
81.

82.
83.
84.

85.
86.
87.

88.
89.

Decision ID
47.
48.
49.
50.

Description
Contact Alexander Brown to
confirm if delay in Grade 6
transition in Georges Vanier
cluster will impact Cliffwood
and why Grade 6 transition
was delayed in Ken Lister's
ward, but not in ours
Investigate if TDSB
maintains a certified list of
acceptable food providers.
Confirm school availability
for Friday, February 5 for
Dance-a-thon fundraiser
Draft a role description for
classroom parent
representatives for review
on Jan 20
Provide timeline for revised
5-year ICT plan
Provide School Council with
link to TDSB technology
selection guidelines
Defer discussion of nontechnology requests to next
School Council to prepare
equitable requests for all
grades
Investigate implementation
of a formal School Council
Constitution
Defer discussion of other
fundraising ideas to next
School Council meeting

Date Raised
Dec 2, 2015

Actions

Assigned to
Melanie
Rubens

Status
Open

Action Taken:

Dec 2, 2015

Sarah Frost

Closed

No centrally maintained list

Dec 2, 2015

Sarah Frost

Closed

Confirmed for March 10

Dec 2, 2015

Paul Kang

Open

Deferred to February

Jan 20, 2016

Sarah Frost

Open

Jan 20, 2016

Sarah Frost

Open

To be provided by TDSB Central

IT

Jan 20, 2016

Sarah Frost /
Eric Fung

Open

Sarah to work with teachers on

proposals.
Eric to move to Feb agenda

Jan 20, 2016

Eric Fung

Open

Jan 20, 2016

Eric Fung

Open

Decisions

Eric to move to Feb agenda

Description
Esther Chung moves to accept meeting minutes from Dec 2. Paul Kang seconds. Motion
is carried
Eric Fung moves to allocate $5,219.47 to reimburse the school for the purchase of
remaining desktops in the library media lab. Esther Chung seconds. Motion is carried
Paul Kang moves to allocate up to $500 towards supporting the Syrian refugee backpack
fundraiser through Canadian Safe Schools Network. Tirso Beltran seconds. Motion is
carried
Eric Fung moves to allocate up to $1,500 towards costs for executing the Dance-a-thon
Fundraiser. Esther Chung seconds. Motion is carried

Cliffwood School Council

Date
Jan 20, 2016
Jan 20, 2016
Jan 20, 2016
Jan 20, 2016