Springfield Collegiate Institute Advisory Council for School Leadership
April 8, 2008
Meeting Minutes
Attendance
Parents: Donna Pronishen, Diane Duma, Shelley Lamothe, Michael and Ingrid Tomiak, Gina Borschawa, Brenda Ganske-Therrien, Patrick Therrien, Nikki Bertrand,
Roxanne Lapointe
Administration: Pat Ilchena, Chris Szun
Administration Report
April 16, 2008 – Mid Term Reports will be sent home.
April 15, 2008 – Talent Show and Coffee House Event has been planned with the proceeds going to the Schmidt family who lost their home in a recent house fire. The Coffee House will take place in the evening with Ace Burpee as MC – entertainment will be provided by SCI Students – tea, coffee and deserts will be served – coffee and condiments donated by MAC’s store – there will also be a silent auction.
New grading guidelines, introduced by the Provincial Government, will be implemented in the future. The Government is focusing on meeting with School Divisions to refine teaching techniques that will base grades in outcome enhancing progress reports. The reports will be more descriptive.
Open Forum
Coaches for SCI Athletic Teams – some are in place for 2008 – there are concerns regarding the strategies used to attract potential coaches – a notice will be put on the SCI Website re same.
The Varsity Boys Basketball Team was entered in the Vincent Massey Boys Basketball Tournament in Brandon in February but did not attend – Gina questioned why this money could not be refunded to individual players - the host Team did not refund the money – Pat and Gina will meet with Paul Fust, Phys Ed Teacher, to discuss this further.
Further discussion on the Grade 11 & 12 Phys Ed Program – Administration planning for additional meeting dates.
Parent concerns regarding transportation for Grade 11 students to Phys Ed activities – the Teacher in charge should be providing one weeks notice for field trips/excursions – students driving students is also a concern – Teachers should be communicating all info to parents (when, where, who’s driving who etc.) – Pat informed parents that there is not sufficient funding in place to use SCI busses to transport students to Phys Ed Activities during the day.
Guest Speaker
Donna Pronishen, a parent representative from SMS PAC, spoke regarding a sidewalk proposal on Willow Avenue. See the following letter.
To: Reeve Peter Skrupski and R.M. of Springfield Council
The Springfield Middle School Advisory Council for School Leadership (SMS ACSL), on behalf of the Springfield Middle School, Springfield Collegiate Institute and Oakbank Elementary School parent councils, students, parents and staff, would like to present some concerns and recommendations that have been brought to our attention.
The focus of our concern is primarily the safety of children walking to and from school on Willow Avenue in Oakbank. Some of the issues which make Willow Avenue a safety concern are the following:
- Willow Avenue is a high traffic route at all times, especially immediately before and after school hours. During these time periods, the road is congested with vehicles of parents driving children to and from school as well as school staff. Children from all three schools are walking or cycling in different directions on both sides of the road and often in the middle of the road. In addition, there are also others using the road related to the daycare, postal service, hotel, walking animals, or going about their daily business. Willow Avenue is a collector road second, we believe, only to Main Street (PTH #206).
- The narrowness and steepness of the ditches on both sides of the road in combination with no shoulder area on either side make it unsafe for traffic to pass as well as creating an unsafe environment for pedestrians and cyclists.
-The lack of shoulders on the road results in vehicles from local residences, the hotel, construction, postal workers etc. parked on the road adding to this unsafe environment.
- The road is primarily icy in winter with limited sanding except at the intersection onto Main Street and this is inconsistent. Drivers experience difficulty controlling their vehicles on this narrow road increasing the risk of collisions with other vehicles and pedestrians.
- The snow plowing technique creates an impression that the road is wider than it actually is or that there is a shoulder. This results in vehicles getting stuck in the ditch as they try to pull off the road to avoid other vehicles or pedestrians.
- High speeds observed frequently add to the danger of the situation. This often results in drivers “running” any of the two stop signs at the corner of Juniper and Willow and the corner of Maple and Willow as well as sliding through stop signs in winter.
-RCMP and /or local law enforcement is rarely on the scene to monitor traffic speed or pedestrian/cyclist safety.
Some recommendations for the above concerns include:
- a safe location for a sidewalk and/or cyclist path along Willow Avenue
- consistent sanding on Willow Avenue at all intersections not just Willow and Main.
- a new entrance for the Springfield Middle school (this may reduce vehicular traffic but will not affect pedestrian or cyclist traffic)
- completing a traffic circulation study to assess the flow of pedestrian, cyclist and vehicular traffic in Oakbank to provide information for town planning initiatives
Oakbank is advertised as a “Heart Healthy Community”. Therefore, it would be in the best interest of the community to make it safe for those people walking and cycling in as many areas as possible. Encouraging healthy activity by providing additional sidewalks and bike paths will not only achieve this but make it safer for our children traveling to and from school.
With increased housing development within Oakbank and development of the school grounds, the traffic on feeder streets such as Willow Avenue will only increase. Looking forward and providing safe passage will improve community access.
As parent council representatives for the students, parents and staff of the three schools in Oakbank, our primary concern is for the safety of the students. However, the above concerns affect many of the citizens of the community of Oakbank as well. In providing for our children we are also improving the situation for many others. Thank you for your attention and your interest in our concerns.
SCI PAC Chairperson, Nikki Bertrand, along with other concerned parents from Oak Bank Elementary and SMS will attend a meeting with the Springfield Municipal Council regarding the proposal by SMS PAC. Meeting date is April 9th at 2pm.
Sunrise School Division Superintendent Interviews were scheduled for this past week – members from all PAC within the School Division were invited to participate – no representation from SCI PAC due to short notice.
There will be a Divisional PAC meeting on April 29, 2008 from 7 – 9pm.
Next meeting scheduled for May 6 at 7pm in the Library.
