Toronto District School Board



COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE SUMMARY MEETING NOTES Committee Name: Alternative Schools Advisory Committee (ASAC)Date: January 15, 2018Time: 7:00 pmAttendance: Boriana Karan (Elementary co-chair), Ausma Malik (by teleconference), Nicole Fritz (Mountview by teleconference), Rebecca Holtzman (HPAS by teleconference), Margaret King (Horizon by teleconference), Sheena Taylor (Delta), Andrew Cichocki (Inglenook former student), Ann Keary (Horizon), Anne O’Connell (Horizon)TDSB Staff: Liam Rodrigues (SEED), Manon Gardner (Executive Superintendent), Grant Fawthrop (Principal, Sec. Alternative Schools West), Denis Lopes (Principal, Sec. Alternative Schools East), Rachel Rosen (SOLE), Mike Gurgol (Vice Principal, Sec. Alternative Schools West), Rob Rennick (Inglenook), Deborah Adelman (Equinox)Regrets: Prafulla Prabhu, Kathy Keroglidis, Manny MouraRecorder: Gillian VenningITEMDISCUSSIONACTION ITEMS/ATTACHMENTSWelcome & IntroductionsCall to Order/ Confirmation of Quorum Called to order at 7:15 pm by Manon Gardner (Chairing in place of Boriana Karan who called in for first few minutes of meeting). Quorum achieved.Approval of AgendaMotion to approve by Sheena.Approved.Approval of Summary Notes –November 20, 2017Motion to approve summary notes by Sheena.Seconded by Rebecca.Approved.Declarations of Possible ConflictsNILEmerging ConcernsBorianaRecent questions/concerns regarding governance of Alternative Schools from staff members who are seeking clarification on whether or not full meetings including regular school and Alternative School staff under one principal are allowed/common practiceManonIt is at the discretion of the principal to decide on meeting structure but staff should approach the Principal to discuss furtherPurpose of full staff meetings is to form school spirit and create a sense of belonging for allSupporting Documents for Alternative AdministratorsLiamWe would like to develop a document or information package that can be shared with new principals who have an Alternative School and regular school in one buildingRebeccaMost Alternative Schools may already have an information package that is shared and that defines that school – every time a new staff member arrives, this package is provided. If this is not happening, it should be.ManonIt might be more beneficial to wait until report recommendations and plans are finalized in March, 2018 and then collate all relevant/important information regarding Alternative Schools and send out once, instead of piece by pieceTowards Equity Admissions: Committee to Review and Inform Existing PracticesLiamCall out to the group to strike a subcommittee to discussion this topic in greater detail and work on plans for an equitable admission process for Alternative SchoolsMargaretRegarding Horizon: we were informed on very short notice that the admissions policy/procedures were being changed immediately and without any consultation with staff or parents. A number of items in the application process were discussedManonThe idea at present is that wherever possible, we need to increase access to our Alternative Schools and eliminate barriers to applicants. The decision to change the admission policy may have come after a consultation between principal and Superintendent. To have your questions about Horizon answered more specifically, please connect with the school SuperintendentWhere possible, Superintendents are being encouraged to be proactive and remove barriers now. These changes should happen through consultation between the Superintendent, Principal and School Council Chair.AnnHorizon Open House tonight, concern that there may be a specific message shared regarding the admission process changes that will be difficult to go back on if the process is changed againLiamPresent concern is around Horizon: parents feel that their voice is not being heard through the process of changing the admissions process as well as concern around the possible outcomes of changing admission policyManonOffered ASAC membership to voice their support for admission policies/procedures at upcoming Planning and Priorities Committee as a delegation on January 31, 2018 Many of the Trustees do not have Alternative Schools in their Wards and some have more knowledge of them than others. It is important for all Trustees to hear that there are voices in support of Alternative Schools whether it be through staff, parents, students and coming forward as a delegation is an opportunity to do thisLiamPossible ideas to depute about as delegation: sibling rule, pedagogy at programsGroup to follow up via email after meeting to discuss further and decide if any volunteers are willing to present as a delegation on January 31RebeccaRequest to make sure that all possible topics to be brought forward as a delegation are shared with the full membership of ASAC before the request is submitted to Governance Information/Instructions on Delegations: Relationships with Post-secondary InstitutionsLiam Teacher candidates should be made more aware that there are Alternative Schools out there, especially in Toronto. To facilitate this, we are suggesting building stronger relationships with Universities/Colleges in Toronto and surrounding areas in the hope of creating more opportunities for new teachers to see our Alternative Schools through an “Open Doors Day”. We first would like to connect with all staff at Alternative Schools to determine whether they are receptive to this idea and willing to participate. Next step will be to connect with post-secondary institutions to send an invitation or information on the planned Open Doors Day. At present, we have a connection at OISE with Jack Miller and have had some discussion around planning a conference for the fall of 2018 Co-Chairs are seeking assistance through Manon to connect with teaching staff at all Alternative Schools RobIt helps people to understand how engaging Alternative Schools are by bringing people into the buildings, an Open Doors Day is an ideal way to do thisBorianaIt will be important to get the our letter out to CLs/Chairs first so that we can gauge interest in hosting an Open Doors DayWhile we are connecting now only with OISE, we would eventually like to connect with more universitiesManonThis will be up to each school to decide, the ultimate goal is to make more people aware of our Alternative Schools through invitations to the right people ASAC Mandate, Terms of Reference and Annual ReportLiamWe will revisit this eventuallyManonWe will keep this as a standing item for reminder at each meetingBoriana To follow up with Prafulla regarding writing terms of reference, as Prafulla had previously agreed to take this onNext Meeting DateFebruary 26, 2018: Book Launch event from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, followed by formal meeting from 8:00 – 9:00 pmAdjournment Move to adjourn at 9:01pm ................
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