School Council Meeting Minutes - February 5, 2026

Sheva O. 

Emily G. 

Yogeeta 

Naomi F. 

Inna V.

Tammy G. 

Zarina I. 

Michael S. 

Michelle H. 

Danielle P. 

Anjali W. 

Rachael 

Trang F 

Karen T. 

Geetha

Jordan Appelberg

Christine Chin

Arielle

Leona

Vivian

Ari 

Cailene

Ali

Anjali, Danielle, Michelle, Geetha, Mike, Zarina, Tammy, Naomi, Sheva, Emily, Yogeeta, Inna

Chair/Co-Chair: Sheva, Yogeeta

Communications Officers: Geetha 

Treasurer: Inna Vol

Secretary: Tammy

Grade 8 Grad Lead: Naomi and Emily

1

Welcome

Sheva welcomes

2

Appreciations

• Yogeeta: Thank you to the parents who volunteer for school lunch distribution (Pizza Day, Bar Burrito, etc.).

• Inna: Thank you to Lilia and the school secretaries.

• Jordan: Appreciation to Nadine and Lilia, who always welcome the kids so warmly and caringly.

• Jordan: Thank you to Mme Lofsky for joining us as one of our two teacher representatives.

3

Approval of Meeting Minutes

• Approval of November's meeting minutes

• Zarina, Yogeeta, Michelle, Sheva, Tammy

4

Student Reps

• Student Representatives: Ari, Arielle, Leona, Ali, Cailine, and Vivian

• Student Leadership Meetings: Discussions included Valentine’s Day Spirit Week and Spirit Days (such as matching outfits with friends).

• Sports Teams: The junior boys participated in areas. Intermediate boys’ and girls’ basketball games will take place during the first two weeks of February.

• Leadership Initiatives: Planning is underway for the yearbook release, a Grades 1–2 arts club, and a proposed sports club for Grade 4 students.

• School Rebranding: The leadership team is brainstorming ideas to rebrand the Ventura Vikings and will survey both the school and the community.

• Brand Feedback: Sheva has asked student representatives to provide more detail on changing the “Vikings” name to a more welcoming image.

• Family Fun Night: The movie selection will be decided through a collaborative student survey/vote using Google Forms.

• Mentorship Program: Mme Avigan is pairing older students with younger students as school mentors.

5.

Principal/VP Report

• Report Cards: Paper copies will be sent home on February 19.

• Family Fun Night: Movie night, activity rooms, and a bake sale will take place on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.

• Bake Sale Donations: Families are asked to donate nut-free baked goods (there will be guaranteed nut-free items available for purchase).

  • Large cookies may be sold individually for $1.
     
  • Smaller cookies should be packaged in bags of 2–4 cookies and sold for $1.
     
  • A non-baking option is a candy kebab.

• Event Lead: Christine and Jordan asked if a parent council member could take the lead on this event (Tammy volunteered).

• Fundraising: Proceeds will support the School Council.

• March: Mental Health Week.

• Staffing: Projected enrollment for homerooms remains status quo. We currently have 23 homerooms, and this number is expected to remain the same next year. Support staff (e.g., MLL and library teachers) may still change.

• Future Grade 1 Drop-In: An optional drop-in for future Grade 1 students will be held on Friday, March 6, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. Registration is guaranteed for families living in the area who register by Monday, February 9, 2026.

6.

Treasurer

Ina

• Current Balance: $24,047.95 (includes revenue from school lunches and fundraising).

• Anticipated Revenue: Expected income from Mitchell’s Soup, school lunches, and the bake sale.

• School Lunch Planning: After March Break, there are 19 weeks of school remaining. School lunch orders will be split into two separate purchases to avoid one large lump-sum expense.

• Mitchell’s Soup Sales: Sales have been low.

7. 

Ventura Voice

• How do we ensure families are reading the Ventura Voice? 

• Geetha will post school updates on Facebook. 

8.

School Fundraising

• Spring Flower Sale
• Candy Grams: A Candy Gram option was available for parents to purchase for their child.
• Donation: No Frills donated a gift card for Ventura to purchase the candy for the Candy Grams; therefore, no council funds were required for candy purchases.
• Fundraising Planning: The fundraising team met to develop a plan for the 2026–2027 school year.
• Future Initiatives: Some proposed ideas include a community garden; however, these initiatives may require additional planning time and the creation of subcommittees to support and maintain them.
• Planning Status: Many ideas are still in the early stages and require further thoughtful development.
• Budgeting: Budgets have been allocated to allow for flexibility.
• School Priority – Cost Sharing (Technology):
  • Cost sharing of resources and technology was identified as a school priority.
  • The school requested Council approval of $4,500 toward the purchase of 22 computers.
  • Motion: Danielle put forward a motion to approve cost sharing of $4,500.
    • Approved: Yogeeta, Sheva, Tammy, Inna, Naomi
• Additional Computer Purchase:
  • Motion: Danielle put forward a motion for an additional $5,500 to purchase computers outside of cost sharing.
    • Not Approved: Emily, Sheva, Naomi,
  • Motion: Mike put forward a motion for $500 to cover the remaining balance of the $4,500.
    • Approved: Ina, Sheva, Yogeeta, Tammy, Danielle, Naomi
  • Council will vote at the next meeting on an additional $5,000 to purchase more computers outside of cost sharing.
• Field Trips:
  • The school requested $5,600 to help cover bussing costs for field trips across all grades.
  • Each round-trip bus costs approximately $700, which will help reduce costs for families.
  • Motion: Sheva put forward a motion to cover bussing for field trips.
    • Approved: Yogeeta, Ina, Emily, Tammy
• Teacher Wishlist:
  • The school requested $2,500 ($100 per homeroom and $200 for non-homeroom teachers).
  • Motion: Danielle put forward a motion to fund the teacher wishlist.
    • Approved: Ina, Yogeeta, Sheva, Naomi, Danielle, Geetha
• Reading Resources:
  • Approved: $2,400

9.

Constitution

• Committee Members: Zarina, Geetha, Naomi, and Mike

• Constitution Update: The Constitution was last updated in 2014.

• Documents Shared: Two documents were distributed at the meeting—the Handbook and the Constitution—to help the school community better understand how Council operates.

• Executive Summary: An executive summary will be added as a hyperlink, outlining previous legislation and newer YRDSB constitution guidelines.

• Next Steps: Approval of the updated Constitution is planned for the next Council meeting.

• Proposed Changes:

  • Increase the number of voting members from 12 to 15.

  • Set limits on the number of positions held by an individual on Council.

• Consultative Roles: Jordan and Christine are identified as consultants in the updated Constitution.

• Motion: Sheva put forward a motion to hold an additional Council meeting in April to review the Constitution in greater detail.

• Collaboration: Geetha will upload the Constitution to Google Docs to allow for live comments and feedback.

You'll note these documents make reference to the governing policy and legislation.

You can find links to those below for your review:

YRDSB School Council Handbook (July 2025)

YRDSB Policy 262.0 - School Councils

YRDSB Policy 676 - School Fundraising

Ontario Regulation 612/00 : School Councils and Parent Involvement Committees

VPPS Updates:

VPPS School Council - Constitution (2025) 

VPPS School Council – Constitution & Handbook Update (2025) - Executive Summary

VPPS School Council - Operating Handbook (2025)

10.

Ventura Fest

• Tammy
  • Food Vendors Presented: The Kosher Pickle, Brewing Boba, and King Kone Ice Cream Truck.
  • Entertainment Vendors: ZT Creations, Field of Dreams Baseball, Thornhill Thunder Basketball, Gary (LEGO), and Energy Karate.
    
     

• Food Pricing:

  • Veggie Dog + Fries + Drink: $10

  • Veggie Burger + Fries + Drink: $12
  • Beef Burger + Fries + Drink: $14
  • Complimentary drink included 🙂
    Bubble Tea:
  • Pricing options: $3.75 or $5.00
  • $1.25 kickback per drink

11.

Q & A

• Geetha is asking if we should have a Council appreciation celebration.

• Volunteer tea.