November 2012 - Upper Grand District School Board

Ken Danby Public School
School Council Meeting, November 1 - 2012, 6:30pm
In attendance: Scott Doern (Chair), Ronda Sharpe (Co-chair), Deanna Ford (Treasurer), Dawn Humphrey
(Secretary), Karen Acton (Principal), Lisa Doering (Vice Principal), Csilla Farkas (Teacher), Gabriella Schaller
(Teacher), Victoria Adjei-Afriyie, Kim Currie, Sarah Demers, Amy Dunn, Elaine Fleet, Ann Fritzley, Elizabeth
Hearty.
Regrets: Fran Root (fundraising)
Principal Report– Karen Acton
We can hardly believe it is already November 1st! We are pleased that students have settled well into their daily
school routines (with 730 students, this is a remarkable feat!), that everyone knows what part they need to play,
and that our days are running smoothly.
A number of exciting things have happened since our last Council meeting. We celebrated our Black and
Orange Day where students showed lots of spirit and the Kindergarten classes showed their Halloween
costumes in a parade. Students also enjoyed Take Me Outside Day - A wonderful initiative focused on getting
kids moving and enjoying the natural environment. At recess, students now have access to outdoor equipment
(blue & yellow bouncy balls, Frisbees, & skipping ropes, and the Gr. 7-8 classes will soon be receiving
footballs). Our Kindergarten classes now enjoy trikes, wiggle movers and will soon be receiving a sand box and
mini-basketball centre. Vice-Principal Doering recently watched a JK and SK riding a new double-trike
together. They were switching back and forth, having a riot, and learning to cooperate. We know watching the
joy in the children as they play that this was money well spent. In addition, we continued to teach students
empathy and caring for others through a successful Guelph food bank collection and our Penny Drive.
We are also looking forward to our up and coming pursuits. We will continue to aim for Gold Eco School
Status for the 3rd year in a row. During a recent Waste Audit, Ken Danby scored very well. We have
decreased our paper waste. We are acting to improve the recycling of our milk cartons by encouraging students
to pour any unfinished milk into the sink and then place the carton into recycling. Stay tuned for more
information on this in our December newsletter.
This year, our Remembrance Day Services for students will be held in the library for Kindergarten - Grade 2
and in the gymnasium for Grades 3 - 8, on Wednesday, November 9th at 10:55 am. Students will have recess
early in order to be inside of the school respectfully at 11 am. Thank you for remembering our past and present
members of the armed forces and Peace Corps.
"Operation Shoebox Kids" is a charity project we are continuing. In lieu of teacher holiday gifts, we are asking
each student to bring in one object to help fill at least 70 shoeboxes with items for children in another country.
Each class will fill a shoebox for one boy and one girl. We recently spoke with a parent from our school who
had received a box for her family while overseas. She was thrilled to share that our school is having an impact
across the world. We are pleased to support this cause which lets children give directly to other children in
need, and teach our students the spirit of giving. We thank you in advance for your support in this endeavour!
One concern we would like to address is the current safety of students in our parking lot. The lot experiences a
large volume of traffic and it appears that the original designation of the lot being a Kindergarten drop off zone
only, is not adhered to. A solution to the volume of traffic and drop off area is under review. We have also
received feedback from parents concerning idling cars and the effect on air quality for both our students &
teachers, and the environment. No Idling Signs have been placed at the Kindergarten gates to remind parents to

promote the health of their children, parents, & teachers by turning engines off while waiting. This information
is also included in our recent November newsletter.
There continue to be Coyote sightings in our area and we will be diligent to keep students inside if there are
sightings near our school.
We continue to look for new and improved ways to communicate with Parents. We have observed some
models of how other schools initiate this. A communication program, “Campaigner”, is being researched as a
way to give families the option to subscribe to receiving more information. Suggestions for using Facebook and
Twitter have been recognized, but seem to be less beneficial due to necessary privacy settings. Our Council
will gather further information in an effort to communicate effectively with every family in the school.
Vice Principal Report - Lisa Doering
As part of our School Bullying Prevention Plan, (located on the Ken Danby website), we surveyed Gr. 4-6 and
Gr. 7-8 students and parents last spring. Overall, these students are feeling safe as they arrive and leave Ken
Danby. Students are feeling accepted and valued (intermediate level). 80% of the students surveyed feel safe
at Ken Danby and 85% of parents reported that kids feel safe and welcome at the school and that the school
takes bullying seriously. We are pleased that Ken Danby scored higher than the average Canadian school and
other schools in our Board.
Bullying does still take place verbally and socially, mostly during unstructured times (recess, playground,
breaks, transitions). If kids were feeling bullied, it was most directed towards their appearance or grades.
We have made some improvements in helping our students feel safe like our safety vests on all outside
supervisors, and suggestions for teachers for areas like washrooms where we know bullying is more likely to
occur. We have also implemented our ‘Save one Student’ initiative (SOS) where each staff person
confidentially selects a student they can give extra support to. We will be working towards helping students
find someone who provides them encouragement both at school and at home. (According to our survey, 40% of
students felt they could find a supportive person at school, 60 % felt they had this at home).
This school is wonderful with activities and programs we run throughout the entire school year to build
awareness around Anti-Bullying and help our students to care for each other - Tribe School, Fill the Bucket, 3
Up 2 Down, Anti-bullying Assemblies, Bullying Awareness Week (Nov. 19), Pink shirt day (Nov. 21), and
guest speaker Sara Westbrook (Dec. 5). We recently received a $500 Anti-Bullying Grant that will be used for
our upcoming assembly.
If there is a concern with your child, please speak with your child’s teacher. In consultation with the principal
and vice-principal, we will endeavor to make sure both the victim and bully receive the support they need
through collaborative problem solving, progressive discipline, and supportive actions.
Teacher Reports - Csilla Farkas, Gabrielle Schaller
3 up 2 Down - After a few years of focusing on Character Education and the environment, we have shifted our
focus to our “3 up 2 Down” program which encourages kids to eat healthy foods, get quality exercise, and get
more sleep. Research tells us that these 3 life practices help our kids succeed at school. Our October focus was
on getting quality exercise. With all of the rain days we’ve had, we encourage the students to take body breaks,
dance, and move around during breaks. November’s theme is to eat more fruits and vegetables. You may hear
your children reciting our slogan “When we eat smart we get smart.” We will be presenting tips at our
assemblies and passing info and ideas on to our staff with the goal of making life long learners who live well!

Snack Program - We now have specific classrooms which contain a large bin that service surrounding classes
for our snack program. Students can visit the bin each morning with their class to find a snack of fresh fruit,
healthy granola bars, apple sauce, rice cakes, raisins, dried apricots, yogurt tubes, & cheese strings (in cool
packs). In the afternoons, teachers can access the bins to grab snacks for students in their class who are hungry.
We are accepting donations for specific foods for our snack program. Information will be given in the
upcoming December newsletter.
Committee Reports
Treasurer Report
There is approximately $9026 currently in our account, most of which has already been designated ($1500 for
Scientists in the School, $1500 for the Library Reading Program, and $1000 to the Snack Program, and monies
raised from last year’s dance-a-thon for a new primary playground $4500).
Our Fall Mum Flower sales raised $240.
We have approximately $7000 in our playground fund and some of the current cookie dough sales profit will be
designated towards this as well as some of the sub and milk program profits from last year.
Fundraising Committee
Our Cookie Dough Fundraiser concludes Nov. 5 and the final orders will be placed. Council members Scott
Doern, Kim Currie, Ann Fritzley, & Amy Dunn have volunteered to help with the distribution day and council
will also provide volunteers to count the money on Nov 8 & 9, 2:30-4pm.
The upcoming Gift Card Fundraiser will be headed up by Dalia Little and Jennifer Dugas and will be launched
at the beginning of December.
Discussion Items
Technology in our school. We would like to increase the development of this area of our school. Council
member Ronda Sharpe will be researching grants to help with the purchase of new technology.
A Front Sign for our school continues to be of interest. Council member Scott Doern has approached a number
of companies for a sign donation but has not yet had a company willing to help. He will continue to send out
letters to a number of suggested companies including Fusion Homes, Reeds, Pidel, Ashton, and Tim Hortons, as
to whether or not they will be interested in helping us out with the funding for the sign, and if not we’ll be
looking at different ideas for funding options.
Council will prepare a Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grant application for March. In January, Council will
discuss ideas for how this grant could be used. (Previously it was used for the Kindergarten Welcome Kits) An
example was shared of Kortright School using their grant for a Wellness Night.
Ideas around a Silent Auction Fundraiser were shared for our Annual June BBQ. It was noted that donations
from the community are best asked for at the beginning of the fiscal year. Council will find a point-person and
committee responsible for researching and collecting items and planning the event. This Committee will be
formed by January.

Serious concerns regarding the parking lot situation were raised. Next year, as our school transitions to full
day kindergarten, there will be approximately 130 JK/SK students each day coming through the JK/SK gates
including a significant increase in traffic volume. Suggestions were made about possible solutions including
greater reinforcement of parking passes, designated rows, and alternate access days. After considering possible
options, council felt it was in the best interest of student safety to close the parking lot for drop off and pick up
access in Sept 2013. Council member Scott Doern will investigate support from the Guelph Police and Guelph
City Bylaw Office. Concern was also raised that the city should be asked to ensure the path from Ken Danby to
Fuller Drive is plowed regularly for students walking to and from school. For the remainder of this school year,
Council suggested we have regular volunteer shifts to patrol vehicles entering the parking lot during drop off
and pick up times. Council members Elizabeth Hearty and Victoria Adjei-Afriyie volunteered to help with this.
Meeting adjourned at 8:28 pm
Next Meeting Date: January 17th 2013 at 6:30 in the library