Oct 22, 2026 ·

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026, 6:30 p.m.

Location: Microsoft Teams

Chair: David Forsayeth

Recorder: Jason Chapman, Secretary

Attendance

Council members present: David Forsayeth (Chair), Stephanie Pennington (Vice-Chair), Jason Chapman (Secretary), Catherine Maier (Treasurer), Aoife O’Looney (Treasurer), Cheryl Devine (Pizza Rep), Teresa Superville (Church Liaison), Alejandra Espinosa (Communications), Bellamy Lacay (Member at Large), Neil Rosario (Member at Large), Theresa Callus (Special Education)

Administration and staff: Kevin Kerr (Principal), Mrs. Muir (Acting Vice-Principal), Brasilia Naddeo (Teacher Rep)

Guests: Alexandra McKay (presenter), Samantha Carter, Raymond Fong, Nicole Kosonen, Michelle Mifsud, Leila Ouji, Raffi Toughlouian, Eileen, Ivan, Mekdes

Regrets: None

Motions

Motion	Amount	Moved	Seconded	Result
Approve September minutes		D. Forsayeth	S. Pennington	Carried
Halloween cookies (approved online, recorded)	$678.00			Carried
Math contests Gauss (125.00) (approved online, recorded)	$248.50			Carried
Teacher allotment ($200 per teacher)	$8,000.00	C. Maier	D. Forsayeth	Carried
Scientists in the School	approx. $9,000.00	C. Maier	J. Chapman	Carried
Primary agendas (grades 1 to 4)	up to $2,400.00	D. Forsayeth	T. Superville	Carried
Forest of Reading	$2,550.00	C. Maier	T. Superville	Carried
Adjournment		D. Forsayeth	J. Chapman	Carried

1. Welcome, Opening Prayer and Land Acknowledgement

The meeting opened at 6:30 p.m. with a welcome, prayer and land acknowledgement. David Forsayeth, attending his first meeting as Chair, introduced himself. He has served on the council in various roles for about seven years and has two children at the school, in grades 3 and 5.

2. Introductions and Other Business

a. New teaching and staff reps: Brasilia Naddeo has volunteered as Teacher Rep. The school is seeking a second staff member to share the role.

b. Online approval, Halloween cookies: The council recorded its online approval of $678 for Halloween cookies.

3. Review of September Minutes

The September minutes were circulated in advance. Approved (moved D. Forsayeth, seconded S. Pennington).

4. Principal and Vice-Principal’s Report

a. Staffing

• Enrolment is 611 students, with three more registering. This is slightly ahead of last year and at least 10 students above projections.
• Madame Borg, previously an LTO in French as a Second Language, has been hired permanently and is teaching the new grade 3 French Immersion class. An LTO posting is out for her FSL classes, with coverage in place meanwhile.
• The 0.3 French position has been combined with St. John and Holy Name into a 0.9 posting. A result is expected this week.
• Mrs. Muir will continue as acting Vice-Principal through at least the end of November, the limit for retired staff returning to work. VP interviews are underway; no permanent announcement yet.

b. Academic

• Secondary school applications close Friday, October 30 at 11:59 p.m. Families needing help should contact the office.
• IEPs are being emailed this year. Paper copies will go in the OSR.
• The Spiritwear store, now with new vendor Pegasus, closes October 23. The grad hoodie quote has been approved.
• Individual EQAO results go home starting Monday.
• Math Improvement Plan: All Kindergarten to grade 6 students have completed a fall math screener. K to grade 3 focuses on additive reasoning; grades 4 to 6 on multiplicative reasoning. Classes spend about 80 minutes a week on this focus. Screeners run again in February and May, with five common assessments in between that teachers mark together. Teachers will have release days to review results and plan instruction. The model draws on boards that posted strong gains, including the TDSB. Grades 7 and 8 are completing their own portion of the plan. Mr. Kerr noted reading results remain strong and writing is in line with board and provincial results; math is the area where results fall short, which is why it is the focus.
• The end of the Italian heritage language program returns 120 minutes a week of instructional time.

c. Facilities

• CCTV installation continues. Weekend pre-drilling is done with an asbestos abatement team on site as a precaution, with installation after school over the coming weeks.
• A school-wide lighting upgrade will roll out over about two years, starting this year.

d. Discussion

• Math communication: D. Forsayeth raised parent concern that math can feel opaque at home, with little material coming home ahead of tests. Mr. Kerr said a key goal is a consistent experience from class to class. Every class is now expected to send a communication home at least monthly; many teachers already use Google Classroom or Class Dojo more often. Common screeners and assessments will add consistency, and all Ontario teachers now have free access to Edwin, a Ministry-provided learning platform.
• Whole-school approach: Mrs. Muir commended the plan’s multi-year, whole-school focus starting in Senior Kindergarten, rather than placing the weight on grade 3 and grade 6 teachers.
• Classroom technology: L. Ouji asked about the school’s standards for technology use. Mr. Kerr said tool choice is left to teacher judgment, but technology should serve a specific curriculum goal and requires active supervision.
• Screener participation: In response to C. Devine, Mr. Kerr confirmed the screener covers all students, not a sample. C. Devine suggested reaching out to Wilkinson, a nearby school with strong math results, and raised a student market or thrift sale as a hands-on math activity.
• Continuity: In response to N. Rosario, Mr. Kerr said the goal is building internal capacity so the plan does not depend on one person. Principals typically stay five to six years and he intends to stay.
• Labour update: In response to N. Rosario, Mr. Kerr noted that all school staff groups are currently in bargaining. Any job action is expected to take the form of rotating strikes, not an extended closure.

5. Presentation: Unplugged Canada (Alexandra McKay)

Alexandra McKay, a St. Brigid parent, presented Unplugged Canada, a grassroots, parent-led movement. Families pledge to delay smartphones until age 14 and social media until age 16. The aim is to ease peer pressure by acting as a community. Participation is voluntary and private; St. Brigid has been added to the program’s list of schools. She noted the initiative is supported by the Canadian Paediatric Society, SickKids and the Ontario Medical Association.

Discussion:

• C. Devine noted that in a K to 8 school, many older students already have smartphones and social media, which makes promotion harder. A. McKay said the pledge supports families who have not yet given phones, without judgment of those who have.
• D. Forsayeth suggested sharing the resources with all families, including guidance on smartphone controls, recognizing that families are at different stages.
• J. Chapman noted that a smartphone does not have to mean social media, and that a community of support has value whether or not families sign the pledge.
• Mr. Kerr said the school would welcome anything that slows adoption or opens conversations with families, citing the hold that group chats on social apps have on students.
• S. Pennington noted the Paul Davis parent presentation two years ago influenced her family’s choice of a basic phone.
• L. Ouji proposed a family movie night as a community event to promote the message in an inclusive way. A. McKay said Unplugged provides booth and flyer materials.

Next steps: Include Unplugged in the next CSPC newsletter and, with Mr. Kerr’s approval, display materials at school. A. McKay will share posters and the pledge link. At C. Devine’s request, A. McKay agreed to help plan a movie night; J. Chapman also volunteered.

6. Teacher Rep Report

Brasilia Naddeo attended her first meeting as Teacher Rep and will gather staff input for future reports. She raised one current staff concern: teacher laptops.

• Many teachers are using student Chromebooks, which wipe work when the lid closes and have no HDMI port for projectors.
• Older teacher devices are running out of storage, in part due to board-installed software, and IT can only wipe them periodically.

Mr. Kerr said the board catalogue offers only Chromebooks or high-end laptops at $1,200 to $1,400, which is beyond the school budget. He will raise the issue with the board and other principals. D. Forsayeth suggested HDMI adapters as a short-term fix for projection.

7. Treasurer’s Report

a. Budget update

• Available in the general budget: $26,022.77
• Projected income: $20,791, mostly pizza (first 14-week session), plus funds previously raised through FlipGive
• Projected total: about $46,813
• Typical annual spending: $47,000 to $48,000, leaving the council near break-even

Pizza participation is 75 to 80 percent, consistent with past years and the highest of any school fundraiser. Pizza Nova has raised prices about 20 percent over two years, cutting the council’s margin to 35 percent from a target of 40 to 50 percent. Families may need to be told of a price increase at the end of this year. In response to N. Rosario, C. Devine said she had compared Domino’s and Pizza Pizza. Pizza Nova does not charge the council HST; other vendors do, and only about 60 percent can be recovered, so costs come out about the same. The council will stay with Pizza Nova for the fall and may test Domino’s for a week in December. A parent noted a preference for Pizza Nova’s quality.

b. Spending approvals: See the Motions table. Agenda funding was approved for grades 1 to 4 at up to $2,400 (the $3,400 budget line was set for grades 1 to 8). Mr. Kerr will confirm whether the supplier can still deliver; stock agendas and teacher-made pages were discussed as fallbacks. D. Forsayeth asked that orders be based on which teachers will actively use them.

c. Fundraising proposals: The Christmas card fundraiser will return, led by T. Superville, Danielle and C. Devine, starting early November. Members were asked to consider another fundraiser, such as a read-a-thon (about $15,000 last year). C. Devine recommended tying any read-a-thon to a specific goal; gym and athletic equipment was raised as a possibility. B. Lacay asked in the chat whether read-a-thon funds could go to Forest of Reading or Scientists in the School; C. Devine noted those are already funded through pizza.

d. PIC/PRO grant: $1,000 is available this year, plus just over $200 carried over from last year, to support parent engagement. Funds must be used within the school year. Members are asked to bring ideas to the next meeting. A. Espinosa offered to run a parent survey in the next newsletter.

Playground fund: $18,900 remains in the playground revitalization fund. N. Rosario will review options using a price list from C. Devine.

8. Church Report (Teresa Superville)

• The parish reports that confirmation and first communion registrations are unusually low. The deadline for both is October 30. Families who missed the mandatory information meetings can submit the form and meet with Father Ernie in November (he is away next week).
• Members discussed whether Saturday morning lessons conflict with children’s activities. T. Callus noted Father Ernie had moved communion preparation off Saturdays for this reason, and suggested asking him about alternatives such as lunchtime sessions. T. Superville noted communion lessons were once held Saturday evenings before Mass. C. Devine noted her family completed preparation at St. Joseph’s, which offered sessions after school. T. Superville will raise these points with Valeria.
• Mr. Kerr confirmed the registration notices went out in the general newsletter, not directly to classes. He will resend them directly to grade 2 and grade 7 families on request.
• Parent-teacher interviews are November 17 and 19 (PA day November 20). The parish knows parents may park in its lot on the 19th; T. Superville will confirm the 17th.
• The parish youth group for grades 7 and 8 meets Thursdays at 6 p.m. To be shared in an upcoming newsletter.

9. Special Events

a. Halloween dance (Friday, October 30):

• The block schedule will follow last year’s (Kindergarten 8:45 to 9:30 a.m., next block 9:30 to 10:10 a.m., and so on). Mr. Kerr has advised staff.
• No DJ was available; a Spotify playlist and activities will be used. Organizers will address the long wait for grades 5 and 6 in the mid-morning gap.
• In place of a donation for the event, students are invited to bring a canned food item or $2 for St. Anne’s Food Bank, a Daily Bread affiliate connected to St. Brigid Church. Mr. Kerr approved. C. Devine will collect and deliver the donations.
• Each class will receive a pumpkin on Monday to decorate for display on the gym stage.
• The decorating permit for October 29 is in place.

b. Fun Fair Committee: Not discussed.

c. Christmas cards: See Treasurer’s Report.

The Christmas concert is Tuesday, December 8, starting around 6 p.m. (time to be confirmed), with the Kindergarten performance that morning and rehearsals December 7. Mme. Naddeo noted that a mid-November strike vote may affect Christmas giving plans.

10. Chair’s Report

a. November meeting: The November 19 date conflicts with parent-teacher interviews. The meeting is moved to Thursday, November 26, 2026.

b. Grant opportunities: Not discussed; carried to November.

Adjournment

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned (moved D. Forsayeth, seconded J. Chapman).

Next meeting: Thursday, November 26, 2026

Action Items from this meeting

#	Owner	Action	Due
1	Kevin Kerr	Check with Ms. MacLeod on the agenda supplier; if there is no answer, he or Mrs. Muir will call the supplier directly. Email council whether primary and grade 4 agendas can be delivered, so the approved $2,400 can be spent.	Fri, Oct 23
2	Cheryl Devine	Tell Mme. Naddeo and staff that each class will get a pumpkin to decorate for the dance.	Fri, Oct 23
3	Cheryl Devine, Alejandra Espinosa	Deliver one pumpkin to each class.	Mon, Oct 26
4	Alejandra	Add the food bank collection (one canned item or $2 per student) to Monday’s school communication, and arrange PA announcements with Mr. Kerr.	Mon, Oct 26
5	Teresa Superville	Call Valeria at the parish about low confirmation and communion registrations, ask about lesson times other than Saturday morning, ask whether notices should be resent to grade 2 and 7 classes, and confirm parent parking on Nov 17.	Tue, Oct 27
6	Kevin Kerr	If the parish asks, resend the sacrament registration notice directly to grade 2 and grade 7 classes.	Before Oct 30 deadline
7	Cheryl Devine	Set a plan for the grade 5 and 6 wait during the mid-morning gap at the dance.	Before Fri, Oct 30
8	Cheryl Devine	Collect the food bank donations and deliver them to St. Anne’s Food Bank.	After Fri, Oct 30
9	Teresa Superville, Danielle, Cheryl Devine	Launch the Christmas card fundraiser.	Early November
10	Alexandra McKay	Post Unplugged Canada posters, the pledge link and resources in the council chat thread.	Before next newsletter
11	Alejandra Espinosa	Next CSPC newsletter: add the Unplugged Canada pledge, the parish youth group for grades 7 and 8 (Thursdays, 6 p.m.) and, if council agrees, a short parent survey on PIC/PRO topics.	Next newsletter
12	Kevin Kerr	Display Unplugged Canada materials at school once Alexandra McKay provides them.	Once received
13	Cheryl Devine	Send the playground equipment price list to Neil Rosario.	As soon as possible
14	Kevin Kerr	Find a second staff member to share the Teacher Rep role with Mme. Naddeo.	Ongoing
15	Kevin Kerr	Raise teacher laptop options with the board and other principals, and report back.	Nov 26
16	Brasilia Naddeo	Gather staff input and bring a Teacher Rep report.	Nov 26
17	Alexandra McKay, Jason Chapman	Bring an outline for an Unplugged-themed family movie night.	Nov 26
18	Neil Rosario	Walk the yard, review the price list and suggest options for the $18,900 playground fund.	Nov 26
19	All members	Bring ideas for using the PIC/PRO grant and for an additional fundraiser with a specific target.	Nov 26