Parent Council Town Hall 2015 Presented by: Jennifer Tasev (Co-Chair) Ane Lowe (Chair)

Agenda  Parent Council Overview  Council Role Descriptions  Sources of Income  Fundraisers  Grants  Donations  Celebrating Our Successes  Q&A

Parent Council Overview Palermo Parent Council exists to encourage and facilitate the involvement of parents, guardians, staff and community members in providing quality education for our students. Research has shown that the involvement of parents and guardians in their children’s education has a positive impact on improved student learning and helps create a sense of community at the school.

Parent Council Overview Who is Parent Council Parent Council is made up of parent volunteers, the school Principal, Vice-Principal and sometimes a teacher representative. Council may have a community member be part of Council who does not have a child at the school. What does Parent Council do Parent Council’s role is to work in collaboration with school administration on behalf of parents/guardians to help enhance and enrich the school experience for Palermo students in a safe and positive environment. Why do we fundraise School funding has changed over the years and many items that may have been provided for when we were students in school no longer receive financial support from the education system. Our fundraising efforts help ensure that our children are receiving the best opportunities to thrive, explore and celebrate their diverse interests in school.

Council Role Descriptions  Chair / Co-Chair  Treasurer / Co-Treasurer  Secretary  Fundraising Committee  Arts Enhancement Committee  Volunteer Coordinator  Canadian Parents for French (CPF) Representative  Parent Involvement Committee (PIC)  Safe Schools Committee  Outdoor Enhancement Committee  Members-at-Large

Sources of Income  Fundraising  Grants  Parent/Vendor/Community Donations Many resources within a school that are integral to providing a quality education experience are not always funded in full by the School Board. Fundraising/grants/donations are necessary to provide: Playground equipment/climbers, smart boards, laptops, tablets/iPads, athletic uniforms, subsidies to make trips affordable to all families, outdoor greening, theatre/music presentations, musical instruments, school sign and a scoreboard … to name a few

Parent Council Fundraisers  Pizza Day (Year Round )  Dance-A-Thon (November)  Poinsettias (December)  Big Box Cards/ Plants (Spring)

Grants  PIC Grant  Parent Involvement Committee  $500/year to be used to host events that involve parents in the school community  PRO Grant  Parents Reaching Out  Once a year a grant application is submitted to secure up to $1000 to be used to encourage parents at the local, regional and provincial level  TD Friends of the Environment  3 applications periods through the year  Council successfully secured an $8700 grant in 2014 to help build the outdoor classroom

Parent & Community Donations We understand and appreciate that, in addition to Parent Council fundraisers, students may also have other fundraising initiatives on the go at any given time. If you would prefer not to participate in these fundraisers and would prefer to make a direct donation, we welcome all parents and members of the community who would like to support our student experience to donate at the School or through Cashless Schools at

Summary of Income 2014/15 Event NameSource of Income Amount Pizza DayFundraiser $27,343 Dance-a-ThonFundraiser $5,160 PoinsettiasFundraiser $ /14 HST RefundRefund $6,400 PIC GrantGrant $500 PRO GrantGrant $500 CPF GrantGrant $600 Oakville Municipal GrantGrant $8,000 Donations $500 Vendor Sales/ Fun Fair AuctionDonations TBD

Celebrating our Successes Kindergarten Play Area $35,000 Outdoor Climber $55,000

Celebrating our Successes Outdoor Classroom $38,000

Celebrating our Successes School Sign $6600 Scoreboard $5000 Athletic Tent $1600 Athletic Uniforms $3600

Celebrating our Successes We are delighted to report that in the past 5 years, with the help of the Palermo student and parent community, Parent Council has provided more than $50,000 in technology to enhance the learning experience at Palermo

Celebrating Our Successes In addition, Parent Council provides funds and support each year for: o Grade 8 Graduation ($3000) o Grade 8 trip ($1200) o Grade 6 trip ($800) o Arts Enhancement programs such as War Horse, Scientist in the School, Groove Edgucation, Director’s Cut, Dufflebag Theatre and more ($5500) o Staff Appreciation lunch o Canadian Parents for French membership o Musical Instruments o Winter Carnival

Celebrating Our Successes What does all of this hard work from Students, Parents and Parent Council members mean …. An average of $55,000 a year worth of unique and enriching experiences and resources for our children

Council Contributions Our dedicated Council members give their time each year to plan and create fantastic events for students and staff through activities such as … Sister School (Montclair), Holiday Shop, PIC conferences, Teacher Appreciation Day, Fun Fair, Pizza Days, Communications, Winter Carnival, PIC & PRO events, grant applications, coordinating of Arts programs, etc.

Thank You! On behalf of Ane and myself, I would like to say THANK YOU to our fabulous Parent Council for your tireless dedication to making Palermo the best school in Halton. To the Parents and Students who support our fundraising efforts, we send a huge thanks for helping to provide the best possible experiences for our children.

Open Discussion We invite you to share any questions or comments. Don’t be shy!