First Home & School Meeting!
So, the first home and school meeting is tomorrow. It starts at 7pm but at 6:30 there will be a vote on the School Activity Council (SAC, or School Council) to discuss a new, formal Council for Withrow. See near the bottom for details, who has put forward their name for consideration for this year, and committees you might be interested in leading / joining.
Annual Giving Campaign
The donation button is active! Please consider a donation to Withrow so that you can help the school AND get a tax receipt for donations of $25 and above.
We accept e-transfers to withrowhands@gmail.com – this is the easiest and most cost effective way for us! Please be sure to include your name and address in the message if you want a tax receipt. We accept donations via our online Square account, or also the “old fashioned” cheque payable to “Withrow Home & School Association”. You can leave it in the Home & School mailbox in the main office.
Tax receipts are usually handed out March of next year, and need to be dated / sent by Dec. 31st in order to be eligible for this fiscal tax year.
October 10th Walk In
Our fantastic group of parents (thanks Adrienne, Jen, Megan, Alison, Jessica, Luna) is organizing another school Walk In to support our educators and school staff. This will take place next Thursday, October 10th.
Join us in a show of solidarity against the cuts that the Ontario Government has announced. The teachers are marching into the school to defend our public education. Please join as a member of the community whether you are a concerned citizen, parent or student and make some noise to show that we do not want this to happen! We see the attack on public education as part of a larger attack on our shared public interests: libraries, public health, legal aid for immigrants and refugees, social assistance, climate protections, public transit, workers’ rights, Indigenous rights. These are all interconnected. We need solutions that match the scale of the problems we collectively face; solutions that centre on caring for each other and the planet and living with justice, dignity & health for all.
You can show your support by making signs before the event, being a site lead, or by attending with your children on the morning of the 10th. There will be groups meeting again at Riverdale Library and Broadview station, then meeting on Broadview near the school and “walking in” together.
Sign up to add your name to the list!
Silent Auction and Fun Fair want you on their committees!
Volunteer to be on the organizing committee for the Silent Auction by emailing withrowauction@gmail.com – it’s starting now!
Volunteer to be on the organizing committee for the Fun Fair by emailing withrowfunfair@gmail.com – it’s starting in January 2020!
How to get involved in Home & School / Council
Executive positions and candidates who have put their name forward for 2019/20 thus far:
Advisory Chair*: Laine Cole
Co-Chair*: Ailidh Carpendale
Co-Chair (new): Keri Ann Shang
Treasurer: Andrea Coughlin
Secretary: Carol Keizer
Social Media: Amanda Richardson
Communication / Website / calendar / permits**: no nominations / volunteers yet
A huge thank you to our outgoing executive members Lisa Rolland (Advisory Chair), Eugenia Christakis (Treasurer), and Signe Silver (Secretary). Aside from volunteering a huge amount of time on the Executive – some for many years! – you also contributed via other many committees and have been so giving of your time and effort to making our school community such a great place to be.
* any new co-chair positions are voted upon. The expectation is that when you earn a co-chair position that it is a 3 year term. Two years as co-chair, one as advisory chair.
** this likely works better for two people
Committees:
Class Reps: Kim Roberts
Staff Appreciation: funded – need a lead parent
Movie Nights: funded – need a lead parent
Bathroom Beautification committee: funded – need lead parent
Social Justice / Inclusivity: funded – need lead parent
Welcome Back Picnic: H&S Exec (but totally willing to give up this role to any interested takers)
Ideas for Committees that could happen with parent volunteers:
Speaker Series
Outdoor Club
After School & Lunch Programs
Game Nights
Volunteer Pot Luck
Fundraising Initiatives:
Annual Giving Campaign (now open – online this year)
Raffle* (new for 2019)
Silent Auction** (April 3, 2020)
Fun Fair (May 23, 2020)
* pending approval and permits
** this is the biggest fundraising event of the year
withrowparentcouncil.com 