Minutes of Donagh Regional School Home and School Meeting
February 11, 2009

The fourth Donagh Regional Home and School meting of the 2008/2009 school year was held on February 11, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. with good attendance.

Patti Shea welcomed all those present and called the meeting to order.

The agenda was submitted by Patti Shea.
A motion to approve the agenda was made by Lesa Murnaghan and seconded by Rachael Power.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read by Paula Fraser, who was acting as secretary in the absence of Laura Downey.


Principal’s Report:

The principal’s report was given by Anne Hall.

New Staff: Two new staff members are now working at Donagh. BrandyLeBlanc is teaching the Grade 4/5 class and Patrick Hennessey in the 5/6 class. Both teachers are reported to be fitting in well and will continue until the end of the year.

The new restructuring program for the Eastern School District. The policy has now been formally unveiled, with potential implications for Donagh. There are no foreseeable closures of the school outlined, although the document now put forward could see Donagh becoming a Grade K to Grade 6 school. Junior high students would then be sent to either Stonepark or Birchwood in Charlotttetown.

A discussion then took place, with parents raising concerns that Donagh could potentially be in a net loss position for student population numbers, with the rezoning currently outlined by the Eastern School District. Suggestions were made to be proactive rather than reactive with Anne outlining the need to have all the facts ready at hand. The timetable is now set that May 31st is the date when it is unveiled whether or not the proposed school closures will go ahead. Patti Shea made the recommendation that we get a group of parents together to plan for the possible impact of either re-organization or re-zoning on Donagh.

Volunteer Policy: Donagh is requesting that all volunteers associated with the school have a criminal record check done. The forms are available through the school office. This is being done to ensure the safety of all children. The form is taken by the applicant to the RCMP at Maypoint Plaza, where it is processed. Donagh has a letter available stating that the volunteers are required to obtain a criminal record check, which usually means that the standard $25 fee is waived by the RCMP. If a volunteer already has had a criminal record then they can just provide a copy to the school office, who keeps a master list.

Science Fair: Although the original date for the Science Fair had originally been set for March the 10th, the date had to be moved up to February the 24th.

The science fair is optional for grades 4-6 but compulsorily for all Junior High students, as it is tied to their curriculum. The Jr high science fair project will be a component of their final science mark.

Ms White gave a presentation to all students about the science fair project, so as to prepare them for the format.

The science fair will be judged on Feb 24th, with the overflow, if required, on the 25th. The judging will be done by the school’s science teachers. The projects will be available to be viewed by parents and others on the afternoon of the 25th from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Awards will be presented that day as well.

School Dance: The next school dance will be held on Thursday the 12th of February from 7 -9:30 p.m. Admission is $5.00 with all proceeds going towards the Grade 9 class trip.

Report Cards: Report cards will go home on the 26th of February with interviews being held the evening of the 26th and the 27th (no classes).

Grade 9 Trip: Ms. Minnis reported that a meeting with Grade 9 parents and students was held. It has been decided that trip will take place to the Moncton area. Students will travel to Broadleaf Ranch about 45 minutes from Moncton, where they will stay overnight and participate in various outdoors activities. Fundraising has begun, with all profits from the school dances going towards their trip. Every week the grade 9 students take turns collecting and sorting the school’s recycling, averaging about $30/week from this. Another fundraising activity is the compilation of a new recipe book. Recipes from students, family members, and community residents are now being sought. Grade 9 students will do the typesetting, and the cook books will be sold in March.

Ski Trip: Students from Grades 7, 8, & 9 will be participating in a ski trip to Brookvale on February 20th. The cost will be less than $15.00 for the ski rentals & a lift ticket for the day, with a lesson available. All students will be required to wear a helmet. The rental of a school bus to transport the children is necessary. Anne asked if the Home & School Association would be open to pay for the cost of this rental, due to the tight finances of the school. Discussion ensued and it was learned that the individual schools must pay for the rental cost of the bus for children to participate in extra curricular activities, at a cost of approximately $150 per day.

A motion was put forth by Danny Murnaghan that the Home & School Association to pay up to $150 for the rental of the school bus required to transport the children to Brookvale. Motion seconded by Rachel Power. Discussion following the motion led to the suggestion that a skating day be held for the younger grades.

Lockdown: Anne talked about the lockdown process and that the school was still finalizing the process. It will be planned that at the end of the March Home & School meeting, Anne will give all parents a demonstration of how the lockdown procedures will work.

Treasurer’s Report:

Eddie Baird reported that the new Metro account is working out well. The opening balance was $2928.21, with expenses from that of $30.00 to Paula Fraser for the class cake in November; $68.05 to Patti Shea for class party expenses & teacher appreciation expenses; $152.50 for the shortfall towards the school greening program; and $294.14 towards a portion of the cost for the school to attend the Canada Rocks concert.

Old Business:

The Christmas concert was more financially successful this year due to Eddie Baird transporting some of the stage components, saving the school $80.00. Thanks were expressed to Eddie. Thanks were also given to Patti on behest of her husband David who volunteered his time to construct the rest of the stage.

The fudge sale raised $260.25 which goes toward the school lunch program. $84 worth of light bulbs was sold, with the proceeds going to the Grade 9 trip. Also, $85 was made for the Grade 9 trip through the sale of donated crafts, made by Cindy MacDonald. Door donations accounted for 4120.87 which will go into the general school account to support various activities.

Food Lunch Program: Paula reported that the lunch program seems to be going well. 2 days per month a hot lunch is served in addition to the regular hot dog & pizza days. Judy continues to administer the lunch food for children without any. There is currently $395.24 in that account that goes toward the purchasing of the food.

Comments were given that the pizza from Greco was quite greasy. Paula agreed to talk to them to see if a solution could be found.

School logo update: T-shirts are now being sourced by Anne and orders will be ready to be placed in upcoming months.

New Business:

Administrative Assistants day is coming up on April 22nd. A motion was made by Lesa and seconded by Rachael to purchase a $25.00 gift certificate for Judy to Piazza Joe’s for this occasion.

Correspondence: An email was received that funds are now available through the Home & School Parent engagement Fund, for amounts up to $350. Suggestions were put forth on ways to use this money, but no consensus was reached.

Annual Home & School Meeting: The 56th Annual Home & School Federation Meeting is to be held on Saturday, April the 18th at the Rodd in Charlottetown. April 9th is the deadline to register delegates.

Staff Appreciation Week: In recognition of staff appreciation week, two $10 gift certificates were bought and given to the bus drivers, who appreciated the gesture.
Plans are made to hold a rescheduled staff luncheon on February 27th, the day of the parent teacher interviews.

The next meeting will be held on March 11th, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

The motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Andrea Murnaghan and seconded by Paulette Duffy.