SPS School Council Meeting
January 19, 2026
6:00pm to 7:30pm
Executive | Chair - Crystal Armstrong Vice Chair - Shuchita Singh Secretary - Treasurer - Jen Chaggares | ||
Attendees | Crystal Armstrong, Jen Chaggares, Lindsay Weidelich, Aseel Ahmad, Darlene Nagy(staff), Bryana Lloyd (VP), Sarah Anderson (P) | ||
Regrets | Shuchita Singh, Nitin Vaswani, Adrienne Ristevski | ||
Land Acknowledgement | We affirm that we are all treaty people and acknowledge that the York Region District School Board is located on the lands of two treaties. These treaties are signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the First Nations of the Williams Treaties who are: the Mississaugas of Alderville, Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Scugog Island; and the Chippewas of Beausoleil, Rama, and Georgina Island our closest neighbour and partner in education. To honour this agreement we will take up our responsibility to be respectful of their traditions, knowledges and inherent rights as sovereign nations. We will respect their relationship with these lands and recognize that our connection to this land is through the continued relationship with these First Nations, and we acknowledge our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations. | ||
Approval of Previous Minutes | SPS School Council Minutes - Nov. 3 2025 Approved (Crystal and Jen) | ||
Items | Notes | Next Steps | |
School Report | Grade 8 Visit to HHSS | -go every Nov for a tour to see HHSS | |
Chad Solomon Visit | -FNMI presenter for the end of Treaty Week -whole school attended and enjoyed the presentation | ||
Intermediate Volleyball | -both teams made Regionals | ||
Book Fair | -well attended -as a result we have lots of “Scholastic money” that is being used to purchase books, robotics and other modern learning materials for the Learning Commons | ||
Family-Teacher Interviews | -well attended | ||
Grade 3 Gifted Screening - 2 Pilots | -both pilot projects were online, one was the traditional screener and the other was the test of a visuals only screener;
| - if students were successful on either screener, they went through to the next round of Gifted testing | |
Good News Assembly | -recently started Good News Assemblies; all classes have the chance to participate and share what they have been doing -aligning Spirit Days with Good News Assembly days | ||
Food and Toy Drive | -not as fulsome as in previous years, but still successful | ||
Winter Concert | -very well attended
| Input from Council Member: nice to see the different types of singing and performances | |
Spirit Days | -line up with the Good News Assemblies | ||
Sibbald’s Trips for Grade 7s | -all classes have gone now; these trips are planned by YRDSB as part of Outdoor Education | ||
Film Camp in a Box
| -all grade 2 classes participating
| ||
Junior Volleyball | -happening now | ||
Up and Coming:
| -more clubs (Math, D&D, chess ongoing, Band starting up, Primary Arts now up and running) -hosting basketball tournaments -grade 8s picking courses this week -Inclusive Schools work with staff (PD) -Dance-a-thon -some students paired up with HHSS for a choir performance -STEAM Night -mural for gym entry way is in progress | -question: what sports teams run each year? (basketball, volleyball, soccer, badminton, Cross Country, Track and Field) -question: flag football? not currently a YREAA event
| |
Treasurer’s Report | Finance summary -Expected earnings: approx $46,000 profit -Expected Spending: approx $27000 -Projected end of year balance $18, 500
-goal for Dance-a-thon ($10,000) -goal Fun Fair ($5000)
-short-term goal for money is basketball posts; get posts re-quoted
|
APPROVED
| Question: Last year, School Council allotted $3000 to Yearbook. Do we need to support Yearbook again?
Response: There are still funds left in Yearbook to support any student who may need Angel Funding for a yearbook (traditionally provided to grade 8 graduates who may not be able to afford one). More funding is not required at this time. Last year the community seemed to be agreeable to the cost of $25/yearbook. If this changes over the next year or two, we will revisit the need for Council to support this initiative.
Question: Electives? Response: This is under discussion, possibly for 2026/2027; looking at what grades would participate, what would be offered, cost etc
Earmarking remaining sum basketball posts in yard and extra technology |
School Improvement Report | Summary of SIP | -Summary sheet shared with School Council -As initial steps are complete (ie meeting with SO); January is a natural feedback/sharing time with School Council
-Student Achievement: Literacy - phonemic awareness Math - Core Mathematics -still collecting data for our new site -SIP should be based on data -as a school we are looking at targeted data analysis -PLT sessions (PD with staff) -Acadience data for Early Reading Screeners -Goal is growth of 5% to 10% -Goal is reduction in at-risk scenarios -racial literacy and CRRPLT (Culturally Responsive Pedagogy) -Overall vision is Inclusion
-Health and Well-Being: -continuing with mattering and belonging -moving from our previous Arts Night to a STEAM Night -focus on self-regulation and social skills -positive interactions -digital literacy (Paul Davis) -AI is next step
Human Rights and Inclusive Education: -barrier-free, rights-based and inclusive environment -School Climate Survey data -authentic community engagement -Professional Development -Literacy and Math networks -Special Education and re-framing what that looks like | |
Community Building Report | Fun Fair | -date is June 3, 2026 -need to plan now -night of games, food, perhaps an ice cream truck, music -Feb 2nd as sub-committee night -can grade 8s support? -outdoor and indoor plan for the event | -Pirate themed Dance-a-thon -School Council to supply snacks and drinks for the Dance-a-thon
|
Fundraising | Added to Fun Fair Sub-committee | ||
Other Business | |||
Next Meeting | March 30, 2026 6pm | ||