Minutes May 7, 2018

Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute
School Council Meeting

  1. Guest Presentation: Suzanne Tyson – Digging Up Sources of Funding for Higher Education

Suzanne Tyson has been involved in various capacities with higher education and student funding for more than half of her 30 year career, holding roles in sales, marketing and editorial at several publishing companies. From 2008 to 2012, she ran scholarship matching company Studentawards.com. In 2013, Suzanne combined all of her previous career experience to conceive, develop and launch HigherEdPoints.com, the only company in the world to enable the conversion of loyalty points into funds for higher education. Her efforts with HigherEdPoints have directly assisted students and parents’ funding of over $1,000,000 in tuition payments and student loan repayments.

  • All details will be on the LP Parent Council Website.
  • Some comments include:
    • If students graduate with debt, the average amount of debt = $27,000 over course of 4 years.
    • com – 99,701 awards listed at the site.
  1. Student Report – Ada Celik, Ta’Ziyah Jarrett
    • No update today.
  1. Chair’s report – Erika Boone
    • Approval of minutes from March – First motion: Anne Marie Armstrong; Second: Julie Sole
    • Approval of minutes for April – First motion: Anna Richter, Second motion: Lauralynn Johnston
    • Student Enrichment Fund update – All funds have been allocated to various teachers / clubs. Detailed list of distributions is posted on parent council website where the funds went to. Goal was $15,000, but raised just over $6,500.
      1. Teachers are catching on, and expect more requests for funds next year.
      2. Parent Suggestion – have parents donate items – eg concrete items with associated cost.
    • $13,500 raised from Parent FUNraiser will go to health and wellness room.
      1. Floor put in, looks great, freshly painted.
      2. Funds will go towards purchase of a variety of needed equipment – yoga mats, benches, TRX
    • Provincial All Candidates Meeting (Education focus) – John Polyani – May 24th.
    • All Candidates Meeting – Fairlawn United – May 14th.
    • Fix our schools – becoming election issue. LPCI with limited AC, water coming in 4 – 5 different places last storm.
    • OMB hearing for 250 Lawrence scheduled for May 22 (all welcome, details on website).
    • FSLAC (French as a Second Language Advisory Committee) meeting May 1, another coming up May 8th – Lauralyn Johnston – Ward 8, participating in French as a second language Parent advisory council. Parents come together to talk about barriers in the TDSB for French. TDSB is reviewing all French language programs through equity lense. Request for people to go online to tdsb and fill out the surveys. Location for meetings: 5050 Yonge Street, TDSB.  More information on our website.
    • LP School Council 2018/2019 – Anna Richter taking on Chair. LP School Council roles staying next year: Tina Eng – Treasurer, Kelly Green – Health and Wellness, Liz Hanson – Secretary, Julie Sole – Web Master. We are looking for a vice chair.
    • Wellness week was a huge success. Thanks to Kelly Green for her great leadership.
  1. School’s report – Joel Gorenkoff
    Thanks to everyone for the great turnout.
  • Thanks to executive for the work Erika has done this year. Erika has given a lot of her free time to help Joel get up to speed with the school, and to LPCI.
  • Dates:
    • Wednesday May 9th – Visual Art show at school 6 – 8pm.
    • May 11 – Student Council Elections. Great way to build resume. If not a classroom executive, become a classroom rep. Great way to start getting involved.
    • May 15th – Pep Rally – Celebrate our colours, school spirit, sports. Rugby game, free hot dogs. It’s about spirit.
    • June 11th – Exams start.
  • Amazing wellness week – it grows and grows and grows. Emotional and mental well-being. The week started with an assembly, there was a BBQ. Students loved that the hot dogs were free at the BBQ.
    • LPAC – Leadership club in Phys Ed had booths on healthy eating, healthy lifestyles.
    • Therapy Pets – Snakes, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, bringing the therapy pets was a big success. Thanks to those that bought in cookie donations for wellness week. Thanks to Kelly for all her work to make it a huge success.
  • Music program – Successfull 6 day East Coast trip for the music students, many of great events. The May Lyrics was a fabulous concert was great music and encouraged folks to come out even if don’t have students in the music program.
  • Prom – 360 students attended Prom at Palais Royale last Friday May 2nd.
  • Grade 12 students – Attendance is still very important for grade 12 students as they head into final exams. A student last year lost $25,000 scholarship as they stopped coming to school and marks dropped below average needed to keep the scholarship.
  • Exam Schedule sent to everyone. Know when they have to write an exam. 0% if miss it.
  • Key for Grade 12 students and all students to attend the last Monday of June for exam review to ensure their marks are all registered/correct.