St. Cyril Catholic School Advisory Council
Annual Report for 2001 – 2002 School Year
Wednesday June 26th, 2002
Dear Parents and School Community,
As the school year comes to an end, we would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the many individuals who have volunteered their time to contribute to the success of the school council this year. The members of the 2001 – 2002 school council were: Annissa Lall – Chair, Gillian Douglas Co-Chair, Margaret Codrington – Treasurer, Jeanette Sarkissian – Secretary, Patty Wen – Health and Safety Chair, Mario Loreto – Community Relations Chairs, Gail Vallance – Fundraising and Special Events Chair, Liza Karunakaran – Curriculum Chair, Isabel Valdez de Escala – Communications, Co-Chair, Enid Reyes – Communications Co-Chair, Lisa D’Ugo – Pizza and Special Events Coordinator, Daina Perna – Milk Coordinator, Bianca Sanchez – C.S.A.C. member. Student Council representatives were Christine Zayouna, Wenchelle Lao and Alyssa Alfieri. Teacher representatives were Mme. S. Talarico and Mr. P. Tari. Our Community representative was Kathleen Ann Taustin.
The St. Cyril C.S.A.C. had a very rewarding 2001 – 2002 school year. The school council held 11 meetings, which were open to the public to encourage input from parents and other members of the school community. These meetings were held on the following dates: September 26th, 2001, October 11th, 2001, October 17th, 2001, November 21st, 2001, December 12th, 2001, January 16th, 2002, March 20th, 2002, April 10th, 2002, April 17th, 2002, May 15th, 2002 and June 12th, 2002. C.S.A.C. had fifty-five objectives that were raised from the parent community in October 2001. From the fifty-five objectives, twenty-six initiatives were executed as planned, twenty-two initiatives were executed and continue to develop, three initiatives were not accomplished and three of the initiatives the responsibility was transitioned to the school. Therefore, Of the original 55 initiatives, 89% fall under the "Executed as Planned" and the Executed and Continue to Develop" Categories. The detailed document of the fifty-five objectives will be posted on the St. Cyril Website
www.tcdsb.org/stcyril/. Document title is C.S.A.C. Objective Adherence Report for School Year 2001-2002.
September 23rd, 2002 will be the first C.S.A.C. meeting of the new year. At this meeting, we will elect the new council. We encourage all parents to attend this important meeting. It will be your opportunity to get involved in your child’s education.
We wish you a safe and happy summer and look forward to seeing you in September.
Yours very truly,
St. Cyril’s Catholic School Advisory Council.
Link to Summary_of_Accomplishments:
C.S.A.C. Members: Annissa Lall, Gillian Douglas, Margaret Codrington DATE OBJECTIVES SET: October 17, 2001
Gail Vallance, Mario Loreto, Liza Karunakaran
Lisa D’Ugo, Bianca Sanchez, Daina Perna
Jeanette Sarkissian
Committee objective |
Parent comments raised in September |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
CURICULUM COMMITTEE
This committee will support/initiate activities. That will positively affect the child’s experience at St Cyril, with regards their exposure to different aspects of the curriculum |
1. Communicate results of student performance on Province-wide testing (by end of school year) |
ü The results were presented to the parent community at the CSAC meeting of April 2002. |
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2. Library support needed to increase number of good books |
@ Two book fairs were held successfully that together contributed over $2000 in profit for the purchase of new books for the library. A third book fair is planned before the summer. This is recommended for the next school year. |
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3. Implementation of science fair |
@ A Science fair was held by the school for the senior grades complete with the distribution of awards for the best projects. It is recommended that this become an annual tradition and be extended to include a Junior Science Fair in the 2002/2003 school year. |
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Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
CURICULUM COMMITTEE(Cont’d)
This committee will support/initiate activities. That will positively affect the child’s experience at St Cyril, with regards their exposure to different aspects of the curriculum |
4. Investigate most efficient way to spend CSAC dollars allocated to supporting Curriculum |
ü This year, for the first time, this committee recommended placing these monies directly in the hands of the teacher/Principal team in order to streamline the spending process. When asked, the teacher representatives felt that this method was indeed more efficient for the teachers, than previous methods. |
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5. Keep up-to-date on emerging educational trends (by end of school year) |
@ Parent information night was held to discuss various ways to help children learn. |
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6. Improve communications in all areas (by end of school year) |
@ Communications between Parents Teachers and C.S.A.C. have generally improved over the 2001/2002 school year. Though there remain opportunities to continue improving this; one of the key communication enablers this year was the launch of the St. Cyril web site. |
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7. Communicate performance results (by end of school year) |
ü EQAO results were presented by Principal and the Action plan discussed at two consecutive CSAC meetings |
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8. Allow parents to have input on creating school action plans with continuos improvement goals (by end of school year) |
@ Parents remain actively involved in St. Cyril’s C.S.A.C. initiatives. There are opportunities in encouraging and enabling parent involvement in daily school operations
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Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
CURICULUM COMMITTEE(Cont’d)
This committee will support/initiate activities. That will positively affect the child’s experience at St Cyril, with regards their exposure to different aspects of the curriculum |
9. A more detailed “Curriculum Night” (by end of school year) |
O This remains an action item for the 2002/2003 school year, as these objectives were set after the 2001/2002 “Curriculum Night”. |
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10. Communicate information regarding school budget and allocation of resources (by end of school year) |
ü The budget was communicated and signed off by December 2001. Funds were allocated and distributed appropriately |
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11. Need for more French materials (by end of school year) |
ü Mrs. Bruni and Mme. Gauci will be submitting an invoice for $1,500.00 for the books ordered for the school Library. |
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12. Plans for continued “French “ curriculum despite teacher absenteeism (by end of school year) |
q This is the responsibility of the school and Mme. Gauci has brought on a French teacher to replace Mme Guegueirre |
Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
CURICULUM COMMITTEE(Cont’d)
This committee will support/initiate activities. That will positively affect the child’s experience at St Cyril, with regards their exposure to different aspects of the curriculum |
13. Send out reminders of activities, P.A. Days (by end of school year) |
ü The School Calendar was taken on by a C.S.A.C. member, and is updated and published monthly with appropriate dates identified. This Calendar is sent home with the SCOOP with all students as well as being posted on both the school bulletin board and web site. |
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14. Send home 2 copies of notices for separated parents (by end of school year) |
ü This has been implemented. Parents who require this service are advised to contact their child’s teacher directly. |
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15. A plan for consistent communication between classrooms and parents (newsletter? Including schedule and planned activities (by end of school year) |
ü Please see response to section 11. This is being facilitated through the publication of the Calendar and the SCOOP |
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16. Improve C.S.A.C. in all areas (orientation of new members, smoother transfer of information) (by end of school year) |
@ A number of initiatives are under way to assist the 2002/2003 C.S.A.C. This document is one of these initiatives along with the development of the C.S.A.C. By-laws. |
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17. Improvement of student achievement (by end of school year) |
ü This was addressed during the CSAC meeting on the School’s Action Plan, following the EQAO results. Also, this year, the principal will be setting up an award system for the graduating class, to promote achievement in academics, sports and citizenship. |
Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
CURICULUM COMMITTEE(Cont’d)
This committee will support/initiate activities. That will positively affect the child’s experience at St Cyril, with regards their exposure to different aspects of the curriculum |
18. Parent involvement in collaboration with teachers (by end of school year) |
@ Please refer to number 3 above. |
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19. After school program support (by end of school year) |
@ The school with the assistance of one of our students has implemented an after school French support program Bianca Amaral-Stewart is tutoring remedial French on Tuesday’s from 3:30 to 4:30 PM in Mme. Lo’s classroom. |
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20. Distribution of paper communicate to youngest child only (by end of school year) |
ü Implemented early in the year. This initiative was put in place to reduce the use of paper in the school. |
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21. French support to struggling students, French classes for parents (by end of school year) |
@ Mrs. Gauci has appointed Mlle Chmielewski to be in charge of the French Enrichment program. Mlle Chmielewski will coordinate French resources from the Internet, collate the information and keep an updated binder. Additionally, the after school, tutoring program mentioned before is in place. |
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22. Parent/Teacher communications (by end of school year) |
@ Please see number 6 above |
Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
CURICULUM COMMITTEE(Cont’d)
This committee will support/initiate activities. That will positively affect the child’s experience at St Cyril, with regards their exposure to different aspects of the curriculum |
23. Presentation of curriculum related topics (by end of school year) |
@ Parent information night was held to discuss various ways to help children learn. More of these recommended. |
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24. Awards (by end of school year) |
@ The Principal/Teacher team will hold the first Awards night for the graduating class this year, as a first step to encouraging achievement in academics, sports and citizenship. |
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25. Create criteria for future selection of a principal (by end of school year) |
ü This was completed and submitted as required. Feedback was solicited from the entire school community. |
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26. Student agendas (by end of school year) |
ü The agendas have been ordered for the 2002/2003 school year. |
Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
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COMMUNITY RELATIONS |
1. Car pooling (by end of school year) |
ü This item was discussed and postings were put up on the main school bulletin board. There was not a high level of interest in this initiative and it was therefore shelved for the 2001/2002 school year. |
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2. School Image (by end of school year) |
ü No apparent interest in the “bio board” idea regarding teachers’ Profiles. Daily input by parents results in a positive school image. |
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3. Build stronger school community relations (by end of school year) |
ü Initiatives like student/parent masses have been well received and will be repeated. |
Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
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COMMUNITY RELATIONS (Cont’d) |
4. A need for more male staff a concern about how this affects extra-curricular activities (by end of school year) |
q This concern has been communicated and transitioned to the school administration and is not considered to be a C.S.A.C. responsibility. |
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5. Improved first day procedures a posting in June of class lists (by end of school year) |
O No action was taken on this item |
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6. Provide art/recreational activities during lunch hour (by end of school year) |
@ Teacher took on the responsibility of coordinating and leading the lunch hour indoor floor hockey activities for the students. There are additional opportunities if this is an item of interest as we move forward. |
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7. Invite speakers/performers to school more often to inspire, educate children, parents and staff (by end of school year) |
ü The “Scientist in the School” program was coordinated and extremely successful this year. |
Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
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COMMUNITY RELATIONS (Cont’d) |
8. Develop positive relationship between school and community (by end of school year) |
@ There were presentations on Cyber Crime, Mr. Ronald Morrish spoke on “Discipline” and there was a presentation from a Shopper’s Drug Mart Pharmacist regarding “Allergy Awareness. |
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9. Catholicism: a) masses, b) Father Jon at monthly meetings (by end of school year) |
ü Masses well planned and received. Father Jon will attend meetings if there is an opportunity for his input. |
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10. Community: friends, McDonald’s night, Leisure skating, Social i.e. Halloween dances (by end of school year) |
ü Singing at Centrepoint, skating at Goulding Thursdays after school |
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FUND-RAISING |
1. Improve/Increase library materials (by end of school year) |
ü Please see section 12 in curriculum committee update. |
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2. Family Donations. |
ü A letter was sent out to all families in October 2001 asking for everyone to contribute what they could directly to the school. $40 was a suggested family donation. This effort was again a great success as it has been for several years now. (See treasurer’s report for exact amount raised.) This form of fundraising is less time-consuming than other approaches and keeps 100% of the funds within the school. |
Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
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FUND-RAISING (Cont’d) |
3. Intermatic Timers |
ü Through a generous parent donation (Susan Missiha), 200 timers were donated to the school and made available to families for $3 each. This raised over $340 |
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HEALTH AND SAFETY (Cont’d) |
1. Broken projectors – arrange removal as broken glass is a health risk (by Oct 31, 2002) |
ü The projectors were removed from the school immediately upon notification to the administration. |
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2. Cleaning of school (by end of school year) |
@ This was raised to the school board. A thorough cleaning is scheduled for the summer. The school board also advised that due to insurance & policy issues, parents could not help clean the school. Some parents have been very vocal about the cleanliness of the school not meeting their expectations. Next Year: · Communicate board standards and expectations for caretakers and school cleanliness, · Determine whether St. Cyril meets/exceeds standards; and, determine parents satisfaction with standards, · Work with administration and caretakers to improve level of school cleanliness – where issues are determined |
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3. Cleaning Bathrooms (by end of school year) |
Committee objective |
Specific measures and timeframes |
Current Status and high level Explanation ü Executed as planned O Not fully acomplished @ Executed and continue to develop q Responsibility Transitioned |
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HEALTH AND SAFETY (Cont’d) |
4. Create student profile (by end of school year) |
ü This item was originally deferred to the next school year. However, as the school year draws to a close, the importance of understanding this was heightened in that it would guide the CSAC to make better decisions on behalf of the community. A presentation of information obtained from the school board was made part of the CSAC by-laws |