March MTSC/MTSPA Meetings Recap

Last night, the school Council and Parent Association met for its monthly meetings.  Highlights of the Council meeting included a discussion about the CBE budget and how the projected $61.7 million shortfall will affect classrooms next year.  Parents can expect to hear more information over the coming months as it comes available.  In the Teachers Report, Mrs. Pragnell talked about the kindergarten classes and their ongoing inquiry work into the story of a tree.  Kindergarten will expand on their work with an upcoming trip to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.  They are also working with clay and beginning their residency with Directors Cut.  Mrs. Kruger provided us with a report on the grade one classes and their ongoing study of endangered animals.  The classes are beginning to prepare for a grade one assembly in April and are also spending time on the question of "What is My Story".  Upcoming field trips to Aggie Days and to Fort Calgary will expand on their learnings. 

During the Leadership Report, Mrs. Sarginson raised the idea of using electronic agendas rather than the current book format.  The cost for the agenda books is quite substantial.  If you have feedback about how you would like to see agendas for next year, please let Annette know.  On April 7th, parents are invited to come to a Gabuccino at the school at 8:30 am.  Enjoy some coffee and conversation about traditions and culture at MTS.  The volunteer tea is being planned for May 18th with the theme of "Royal Tea".

In the Parent Association meeting, Jaime gave us an update regarding the recent Family Dance, which was a huge success, raising approximately $2500 for the PA!  Special thanks go out to the caretaking staff, Rod and Sandy for all of their help with the dance, as well as to the volunteers who helped that evening and the sponsors of our silent auction.  As the Fundraising Committee is still without a Director, there are no further fundraisers planned.  The date for our casino will be drawn on May 5th; we know that it will be sometime in the fourth quarter of 2011 and funds will not be available until towards the end of the 2011-2012 school year.  This means that fundraising may still be an important priority for the parent association, but cannot continue without a Director in place.  If you are considering helping out in this role, please contact the chair at chair@mtsparents.com.   In the playground report, Sean T gave an update regarding the availability of some surplus playground funds and is looking for feedback from parents about how to spend these funds.  Look for a survey to be posted on this site in the very near future. 

Next month's meetings are scheduled for April 18th, beginning at 6:30 pm.  We hope to have our school board Trustee Carol Bazinet in attendance to talk about the budget and we will discuss some options about how we as a school council can have our concerns regarding the budget heard.  In addition, the school's wish list will be reviewed again and potentially some spending decisions will be made at the PA meeting.  Hope to see you there!