Date: January 12, 2021
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
ZOOM
| Responsibility | ||
| 1. | Welcome – Simon welcomed everyone | Co-Chair |
| 2. | Member roll call and call to order In attendance: Simon & Angela (Co-Chairs), Rose (Treasurer), Ariel & Emerjade (Community reps), Mary (Co-Secretary), Derek, Peter, Danielle, Jill, Shauna, Faculty rep: Nicholas, Principal: Grant, SESAT: Scott, Amanda | Co-Chair |
| 3. | Review and approve minutes of meeting of December 2020 Mary moved to approve, Rose seconded, Minutes approved. | Co-Chair |
| 4. | Report of Treasurer/banking arrangements Rose shared the School Council account. Current balance $105.61. Funding question – we have confirmed that we should have funds available $1500 for Council activities. There $500 allotment per year in Pace account for the running of school council and there is is roll-over from previous years. Insurance pending – Grant believes we could use the Pace $ for Insurance. Grant and Chairs Need to have a conversation about insurance offline. Receipts or invoices are sent to Barb and she would issue cheque payment. | Rose Ernjakovic |
| 5. | Reports of Constituent Representatives | |
| Principal Fawthrop Happy New Year! Jan 15 is audition day – virtual. Each major has their own approach, lots of detailed work. Submissions are being received. A first for the school, quite ambitious. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to administrators if they have any trouble getting through. Announced today – Extension of remote learning until Feb 10. If you have any challenges connecting at home please reach out to the school. Thank you to parents for your support. Thanks to those who watched the Festive Celebration before the holidays. 45-50 minutes show. Major editing project, thanks to all of those behind the scenes who helped put the show together. | Grant Fawthrop | |
| Faculty Representative There are a whole set of unique challenges for staff delivering classes from home. If you have challenges please reach out to that teacher specifically. Carol Newan former student will be speaking to Lulu Wang about a film she made after graduating from ESA – open virtual discussion. Nick will send to Mary to post details & link on the website. | Nick Morgan | |
| Student Representative – No report. | TBC | |
| Ward Representative – No report. | TBC | |
| Community Representatives Would like some more time to discuss some issues with the entire Council and parent group. They will take some time at the end of this meeting but would also like a time scheduled in the next meeting. | TBC | |
| SESAT Scott Martin – SESAT wrapped up year end financials to June 30, 2020. Gave to the school $72,000 paid and distributed to the arts majors. This year we approved a disbursement of remaining funds $12,000 General Funds split equally, apart from those directed to specific majors. Next SESAT Meeting Monday April 12. | TBC | |
| 6. | Speaker Series: Mental Health / Mindfulness Ariel Dasrath presented a mental health seminar touching on emotional intelligence, dangers of toxic positivity, coping skills, de-stressing techniques, self-care, setting boundaries, reframing cognitive processes and creation of personal crisis plans. Grant will follow up with Ariel about sharing the presentation with students and staff, and possibly making slides available to the broader ESA community. | Ariel Dasrath |
| 7. | Open Q&A Ariel answered some specific questions about students’ anxiety during COVID-19 and relationships with their parents. Grant addressed parents’ concerns about students attending virtual school and transitioning back to live school. Mary proposed a separate meeting specifically to discuss speakers, topics and budget for next Monday evening. Simon moved, Rose seconded. Mary will set up the meeting and send out a notice to parents via Esainfo. | Co-Chair |
| 8. | Other business Mary brought up concerns about Parks Convenience selling cigarettes to minors. There have also been issues around aggression and racism towards students. If you are aware of tobacco products being sold to minors, it can be reported to City of Toronto By Law Enforcement through the following number 416-338-7600. Reporting to Police requires a statement from the student. Likewise verbal abuse and discrimination can be reported to Police. Emerjade gave a slideshow presentation and she and Ariel spoke about micro-aggression toward minorities/racism and how they reinforce white privilege and racism. They stated that council members have shown micro-aggressions towards them. They also shared that they experienced racist discrimination in their time at ESA and that it was overwhelmingly Eurocentric. | Co-Chair |
| 9. | Termination Simon moved to terminate the meeting. Emerjade seconded the motion. | Co-Chair |
Next Meeting: February 9, 2021