Ventura Park P.S. - November 2025
School Council Meeting Agenda
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Date: November 4th, 2025
Attendance
Parents, Guardians and Family Members, others attendees | Staff and Admin | Student Reps |
|---|---|---|
Sheva O. Pam B. Emily G. Jana D. Simon S. Yogeeta Naomi F. Inna V. Tammy G. Zarina I. Michael S. Michelle H. Danielle P. Anjali W. Rachael Trang F Karen T. | Jordan Appelberg Christine Chin | Elle Leona Alice Vivian Ali |
Voting Members | Anjali, Danielle, Michelle, Geetha, Mike, Zarina, Tammy, Naomi, Sheva, Emily, Yogeeta, Inna | |
2025-2026 SC Positions | Chair/Co-Chair: Sheva, Yogeeta Communications Officers: Geetha Treasurer: Inna Vol Secretary: Tammy Grade 8 Grad Lead: Naomi and Emily |
Agenda | Discussion and Action Items | |
|---|---|---|
1 | Welcome | Hello from, Jordan Appelberg and Christine Chin *The Ventura Voice is seen in our Ventura Voice Newsletter *The Agenda from, September is on each table and on our school website. *Welcome and Appreciate: Jana appreciates the new people who have come to participate. *Naomi thanks hot lunch volunteers. |
2 | Co-Chairs | *Sheva introduces herself and Yogeeta as co-chairs. *Approval of meeting minutes. *YRDSB school council handbook is located online and it is up to our parents to locate it and if you cannot ask our co-chairs. |
3 | Student Reps: Intro and Update | *Elle, Leona, Alice, Vivian, Ali *Student leadership team includes 30 students from both grades 7 & 8 *Grade 8s went Tree Top Trekking *Grade 7’s are going to the Zoo *Sports and spirit days are ongoing at school (Robotics, Chess, Cross Country, Intramural, Dances, Book Fair and Grade 8 day at Hoden) |
4 | *Fundraising for Grade 8 | *Pam B discusses the fundraising for grade 8 graduation and to lower the cost of the event. *Greeting cards and candles are for sale and a great profit for us. |
5. | Constitution Subcommittee | *Zarina discusses the constitution handbook which will be sent to the council for assessment. *The ask is that families take a look at the documents and provide feedback as needed. Only the 12 voting members can push the constitution forward however VPPS families can provide feedback. *The report discusses what VPPS council will look like, how voting operates etc so that it is clearly defined and understood. *Naomi mentions that our goal is to have it complete by September 2026. *You'll note these documents make reference to the governing policy and legislation. "Over the past few months, we’ve taken a fresh look at our School Council Constitution: the document that guides how we work together as parents, staff, and community members. Our goal wasn’t to reinvent the Council, but to make what we already do clearer, fairer, and easier to understand |
The new version aligns us fully with YRDSB policies and Ministry of Education regulations, adds more transparency around finances and elections, and introduces practical tools like a Council Handbook and onboarding guide to help new members get started with confidence. We’ve also added sections on respectful meeting norms, inclusivity, and clear communication, all reflecting Ventura Park’s values and the way our community works best: collaboratively and respectfully. We recommend starting with the Executive Summary as it highlights the changes in a 1 pager. The constitution itself lays out the framework of how we operate, and the handbook is a companion document that provides more colour and addresses norms.. We encourage you to read through the documents and ask any and all questions for clarity and understanding. We're soliciting feedback and will work to review and incorporate the feedback for discussion in our next meeting. 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) VPPS Updates: |
We encourage you to read through the documents and ask any and all questions for clarity and understanding. We're soliciting feedback and will work to review and incorporate the feedback for discussion in our next meeting. Feedback can be sent to ventura.park.ps@sc.yrdsb.ca. | ||
6. | Principal and VP Report | *Ventura Voice is sent out on Fridays at 4 p.m. *Individuals who are interested in displaying any Cultural Celebrations, Observances, Significant Faith days at VPPS are invited to create a display table. Please send an email if you are interested. *Remembrance Day assembly is next week with only one assembly and invitations will be offered to the families of children who are performing. This is due to the gym capacity. *Teacher Wish List: Let’s see the fundraising plan and what we are able to raise first. *Winter Concert: Stay tuned on the date and time. *Clubs, teams and athletics: There is tons going on and we are proud of what we offer. *Schools Assistants and Volunteers: We are grateful for our assistants and are looking for more assistants during the lunch hour (12:40-1:40pm). Or, if you have a passion for art or would like to help in the library please let us know. |
7. | Treasurer | *Ina *We approved the sports equipment, tent repair, memorial bench and technology *Current balance is $5800 *Christine: Pizza and Bar Burrito are two vendors whereby the school raises school profit. *Jordan: Thursdays are open for food creativity in terms of theme days such as a pajama day and Cora’s breakfast lunch. *Pam asks if there is an “Angel Fund” if a family cannot afford to purchase for example a grad hoodie, does the school help those families. Jordan said, yes we do offer assistance. *Christine: What is our upper limit? Have we met our fundraising goals for the year? Where is that money going? As a school council how are we being deliberate in what we are spending our money on. |
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8. | School Fundraising | *Sheva *Mitchell Soup Company is a dry soup and dip company. *We will be selling soups at school as a fundraiser *Jordan: Discussing our fundraising plan and reviewing the template that was provided at our last meeting in September. We need a consolidated plan for the next 1-3 years for this money such as an outdoor butterfly facility. Christine: We need to be sensitive and cautious when teachers are planning trips and consider the costs of these trips, this is why a long term plan would be a helpful plan. Tammy: Can families donate to the school and be given a tax receipt? Dawn: Great Idea! Raffle off parking spots to raise money Naomi and Jordan: The board doesn’t like raffles because it resembles gambling Christine: We create a silent auction. |
9. | Ventura Fest | Tammy *Has secured some entertainment and is still figuring out options for food at the festival. *An option is to sell pizza, chips and cookie packages. |
10. | School Lunches | *Comparing between Mo’s pizza and Domino’s (regarding profit) *According to the numbers, we would double our profit by ordering from Domino’s. *Can we negotiate with Mo on the price? Can he match the price? *Thank you to our pizza research team *Regarding: Napkins and plates are better priced with Mo. |
11. | Fundraising Plan | *Once we have the plans solidified and approved we plan on posting them online for transparency. *We can post to our school website: We are currently revising the constitution and fundraising plans and will post them once they are approved. Naomi: A successful fundraiser was hosting an art show selling student work. *Student Leadership Com. has many great ideas to share at their sub-committee |
12. | Q & A | *Sheva: Is asking when we will have the Staff Appreciation Lunch? * It will be on Thursday February 12th, 2025 *Christine (Parent):What community opportunities do the children have to give back to the community without getting anything back? *Christine (VP): The student leadership team is looking for ways to enrich the community *Jordan: Last year we had a sock and gloves drive. |