J.W. Gerth Public School – Council Meeting
Wednesday, October 23 6:30-7:30pm

In Person

Agenda with Minutes:

Welcome – Kirstan
● Kirstan welcomed everyone to the meeting
● We had a larger turnout than normal. 11 parents/caregivers were in attendance,
Holly Joseph (Grade 5 teacher), Trish MacFarlane (Principal), and Jay Fedosoff
(Superintendent)

Land Acknowledgement – Trish MacFarlane

Discussion
● Reorganization discussion 20 minutes
○ Direction from Ministry and Board
○ Format for sharing information with students and parents
○ How are teachers and classes being supported through transition
● The school’s superintendent, Jay Fedosoff was in attendance to address caregiver concerns and questions pertaining to the recent reorganization that
took place at JWC.
● Jay introduced himself and provided some background information. He has been a vice principal, principal and superintendent, and is a parent. He is from the Peel
region and has worked in that Board before being hired by the WRDSB.
● Jay noted that Reorganization is a fact of life in publicly funded schools across the province of Ontario and is certainly not unique to JWG or WRDSB.
● Jay explained that in the spring, every board makes predictions based on past enrolments. Enrolment determines budget. Hiring is based on projections. This
year, projections were off and the WRDSB did what they could to retain
permanent staff as much as possible.
● A parent began the discussion, noting that there has been a lot of upset at the school. From their understanding, class sizes were to go from 21 to 20, and it
seemed like this was accomplished when one kindergarten class was removed and the children redistributed among 3 classes. The parent asked, why did two
Grade 3 and 4 French Immersion split classes have to be made as a result when there could have been a straight 3 and a straight 4?
● Another parent asked, what was the difference in projections versus enrolment?
● Before answering these questions, Jay noted that Trish is a very caring principal and called the board to advocate for JWG multiple times. As a result, two combined grades that had been proposed by the WRDSB didn’t happen at Gerth because Trish found a way around it.
● In answer to the previously asked questions, Jay noted that a Grade 3&4 split class would be counted as a Junior class. A solid 3 would count as a primary, as
per Ministry guidelines.
● A parent asked what the headcount split is between grade 3s and 4s in these new classes.
● Trish replied: 21 in one Grade 3&4 split made up of 11 Grade 3 and 10 Grade 4s, and 21 in the other split, made of 12 Grade 3s, 9 Grade 4s.
● Another parent asked what the caps are for each grade.
● Trish responded that the caps are: 30 students in Kindergarten, 20 students in Grades 1-3, 23 students in Grades 3/4, and there is no cap for Grades 4-6.
● A parent noted that the students in Grade 4 FI have had the same French teacher for the past 4 years – is this impacting the EQAO scores?
● A parent asked, “What is the benefit of having two splits versus a straight grade 3s and straight grade 4s?
● Jay answered that WRDSB needs to meet certain averages for the Ministry, i.e. a certain number of primary : junior.
● One parent mentioned that she has volunteered for Forest School when class sizes were smaller. This was when her daughter was in JK. Now her daughter is in SK. The parent found it overwhelming being around a smaller number of Kindergarten students and said that it must be overwhelming to have 30-31 Kindies per class now.
● A parent commented that the students and teachers are starting all over again and asked why the reorganization happened so late into the fall.
● Jay replied that the Ministry determines a date, then the WRDSB sets their date based on that. If there is a different way to do this, the WRDSB can’t decide to do
it, they must follow the Ministry’s directives.
● A parent asked why is it important that there be a certain number of primary and a certain number of junior classes?
● Jay said because of Funding. He also noted that more money is given for primary classes.
● A parent asked what happens if children move into the area and classrooms are already at capacity.
● Jay said that caps are up to the Ministry count date. If someone moves into the area afterwards, caps don’t apply. Classes can grow.
● A parent noted that she is considering moving because her son will have the same teacher for 4 years in a row now that he was forced to move classes. She spoke with someone in the planning department who indicated there were discrepancies and that exceptions have been made, yet admin has refused to move her son back to the class he was in prior to the reorganization. Her son
could not go to class for the first week after the reorganization because he was having panic attacks over it.
● A parent spoke to an admin high up in the board who said, “they can’t humanize the decisions.” The parent noted that our children are not being thought of as
humans/children, but rather numbers on a spreadsheet.
● Another parent agreed and said he’s heard of these children being called, “The lost generation,” given their experience with COVID and online learning. He said
this is another backwards movement.
● Kirstan shared some statistics from the Ministry of Education. She read that the report said that 90% of Kindergarten classes have to be less than 29 students.
● Jay said he believes the number has to be 32 or below.
● A parent noted that many collaborative opportunities have been lost to the kindies because of the classroom collapse and the large class size.
● Trish said that the kindergarten classes now have 31, 31, and 30 students respectively. She said that we have gained extra kindies since the snapshot. Had
this happened earlier, they wouldn’t have had to lose a class.
● Jay noted that ETFO (Union) and HR had to work together to agree to Kindergarten classes going over cap. The teacher who was teaching
kindergarten is quite senior. She has been moved to teaching 3&4 English which she hasn’t taught for many years. Trish acknowledged the teacher will need a
refresh to teach these grades.
● A parent remarked that this teacher only had a week or less to prepare to teach these new grades.
● A parent asked, Can you keep two Grade 3&4 splits on paper but behind the scenes have a straight Grade 3 and a straight Grade 4 class?
● Jay said no, this wouldn’t be in compliance with the Ministry rules and they could pull the funding.
● A parent asked why the snapshot date (i.e. enrollment numbers) has to be so late in the Fall.
● Jay believes it has to do with hiring. Teachers have to be hired before September.
● A parent asked where the data comes from for the enrollment projections. The WRDSB Planning Department works with formulas alongside the Ministry
to gather this data on a yearly basis; year over year data is used to determine projections.
● A parent asked where the funding money from the Ministry goes and why the WRDSB Director got a 24% pay raise.
● Jay said that there is an audit and budget committee run through the trustees. He told the group that there are public meetings that we could attend. He noted that the Ministry’s per pupil amount is only one stream of funding. There are other streams that are enveloped and can only be used for certain things such as the raise for the Director. Jay noted that all of this information should be available through board meeting minutes.
● A parent asked, “Couldn’t money allocated for something that receives “an envelope of money,” then be moved to something else?”
● The parents of children in the grade 3&4 split classes were upset. One stated that the cohort that has had the same grade 4 French teacher are being failed
and that they have had all sorts of unrest.
● Another parent asked, “How do we ensure that there are no curriculum gaps going forward?” The parent noted that it appears that the same work is being
done by the Grade 2s (that have this French teacher) as Grade 4s. They went on to say that these Grade 4 children are still receiving a primary program, possibly
a primary core french program.
● Trish replied that she cares about the children and is proud to be the principal of JWG. She recognizes that reorganization is tough for students, families, and
teachers. This is Trish’s 10th year of using her chosen method of notification when going about a reorganization, but she is open to spreading the word in a
different way (versus talking to students at school prior to notifying parents and then sending a letter home to families). Trish’s intention was not to upset
students.
● Some parents were surprised that they didn’t receive a second letter indicating that additional students would be joining their child’s class. Trish said that she
sent 15 versions of the letter home to children who were directly impacted. Trish’s definition of ‘direct’ is a change in teacher. She spoke with all of the
students in a private spot and said, I wanted to talk to you about something and it’s going to be hard to hear, but our school is going through a change.
Sometimes teachers have to teach different classes, and students have to go to different classes. You might have feelings about it and that’s okay. You’ll get a
letter to give to your parents. Trish acknowledged that some children were upset and wanted to emphasize that she does humanize students. She genuinely cares
about her students.
● Parents were grateful to hear that the method could be changed in the future and emphasized that they felt that parents should be contacted ahead of time.
● Another parent agreed saying that it was almost like a game of broken telephone as they had to pick up pieces of information from upset children.
● It was recommended that parents receive advanced notice to prepare their children via a sealed envelope or School-Day message. Parents could then
coach their children.

● A parent asked if there are child psychologists available at the WRDSB that can coach parents and teachers on how to deliver the news.
● Trish noted that the children had a week to adjust to the news prior to being moved and were able to visit new classrooms ahead of time.
● Holly Joseph noted that she had to reorganize some of her class. She said that
teachers look closely at the students that they are reorganizing and consider classroom dynamics and student needs. It is not an easy job to move students
and they do not take it lightly. Ultimately it is Trish’s decision to make, but with teacher input.
● Trish noted that no matter what decision is made, families will be upset and hurt. She empathizes with children and their families.
● A parent asked, “How do we prevent this from happening again? Who do you talk to?”
● Jay said that parents should contact Trustees or MPPs regarding the reorganization process for extreme concerns that the WRDSB may be unable to
answer. Our process for addressing concerns should be followed prior to this –>

https://www.wrdsb.ca/our-schools/communicating-with-your-school/addressing-concerns/

Complaints about teachers can go to Trish who can then send them to the Superintendent.
● Prior to the staff meeting last week, a staff member wrote, it’s been a wild week. Lots of changes, lots of feelings. I want to thank everyone who has rallied. I feel
so supported and ready. Staff supporting each other, especially if they haven’t taught a grade in the past by sharing resources.
● A parent asked, “What happens if Kindie classes hit 35 students?”
● Trish noted that JWG is fortunate to have many student EAs, DECEs, and student teachers as well as parent volunteers. If this were to happen, Trish would
reach out to Jay and request additional supports.
● Jay noted that the chain of command is: Doug Ford, the Minister of Education, and the elected Trustees. The trustees have one employee – the Director of the
WRDSB – he hires superintendents, principals, etc.
● A parent asked, “Do Trustees know where the students are going? Do they acknowledge that students are leaving to the Catholic board and other boards?”
● Jay thinks they are aware. He noted that reorganization has happened since the 90s and that it also happens in the Catholic board.
● Trish is aware of one school where every grade is a split.
● Jay said that protocol is that once a parent reaches out to a Trustee, they reach out to Jay. Jay offered to proactively reach out to the Trustees on our behalf.
● MPP is Jess Dixon
● Parents thanked Trish and Jay for their time and patience.

The meeting went half an hour over time and we did not make it through the agenda.
The following will be deferred to the next meeting on November 20th.
To be deferred:

Principals report – Trish 5 minutes

Decision/Voting Items – total expense approval: $2,400 + research proposals
● Purchasing of balls for recess 5 minutes
○ Proposal: 3 balls per classroom, with storage container. Approximately $100 per classroom. Total request: $2,000
○ Proposal: Researching the cost for specialized sports equipment for the inclusion classrooms and students requiring inclusion support.
■ Apply for JumpStart grant https://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/pages/community-development-gr ants

● Purchasing fans for classrooms 2 minutes
○ Proposal: Research the cost of 1 fan per classroom and then bring the funding request back to the November meeting.

● Funding for field trip buses 2 minutes
○ Proposal A: Fund 1, in-town bus per classroom.
○ Proposal B: Set aside a specific set of dollars to be split equally amongst classrooms.

● Reimburse cost of police checks for council members 2 minutes
○ Proposal: In order to encourage parents to volunteer on council and within the classrooms, and remove the cost barrier to do so, Council will
reimburse the cost of the $20 police check fees for any parent that also sits as a board member (voted board members, not committee and special
event volunteers), up to 10 volunteer members. Maximum cost: $200
● Volunteer recruitment 5 minutes
○ Flyers before and after school, Meet & Mingle with council
○ Proposal: Approval of printing costs to hand out flyers and information to parents on tarmac afterschool and at school events. Printing costs for
posters. Requesting: $200

Discussion topics
● Fundraising for year 5 minutes
○ Popcorn – done via school in previous years, last year was a one-off

○ Book Fair – funds toward classroom libraries through the Scholastic Dollars
○ Fun Fair – this is our largest fundraising event and substantially funds all activities taking place in following year
○ Yearbook
● PRO Grant ideas 5 minutes
○ Parent workshop on children and adolescent mental health during puberty and the effects on relationships and education

Standing Updates (no discussion)
● Financial Update – Kirstan
○ September balance: $5706.24
○ October expenses: $63
■ Purchase of movie license for Wild Robot (grade 4 classes) and popcorn

○ Year-to-date balance: $5,643.24
● Yearbook Update
○ Google Drive folder has been created for teachers to start uploading photos

Next Meeting: November 20, 2024; 6:30pm Virtual

Next meeting action items:
● Formation of Book Fair committee – Natalie
○ 2-3 committee members
○ 3-5 parent volunteers
○ Grade 4-6 student volunteers?

● Yearbook committee – Lindsay
○ 2 committee members
● Nutrition For Learning Committee – Majlinda, Anita
● Approval of 24/25 year financial support (trip buses, etc.)

Parking lot items:
● Volunteer recruitment plans