Kennebecasis Valley High School
Parent School Advisory Committee
Minutes of Regular Meeting
November 6, 2002

Present: Claire Barefoot, Darrell Belyea, Katelynn Craig, Brian Flewwelling, Tammy Oliver, Rodrique Hebert, Marilyn Holder, Betty Locke, Shara Munn, Nick Papadopoulos, Peter Atkinson

Call to Order:
Peter Atkinson called the meeting to order at 7:39pm. Peter explained that Robert Munro, principal of the school, is working on a special project for the District. Peter is the acting principal is delighted to have the opportunity to work with such a distinguished group.

Approval of Agenda:
The agenda was adopted as presented.

Election of Chair:
Marilyn Holder nominated Betty Locke to be chair of the committee for the upcoming year. Betty indicated that she would accept the nomination and allow her name to stand. There being no further nominations, Betty was unanimously elected chair of the PSSC for the year.

Approval of Minutes:
The minutes of April 24, 2002 were circulated to members. It was moved by Nick and seconded by Marilyn that the minutes of April 24, 2002 be adopted as presented. Motion carried.

The minutes of October 8, 2002 were circulated to members. It was moved by Brian and seconded by Darrell that the minutes of October 8, 2002 be adopted as presented. Motion carried.

Correspondence:
Committee members were reminded of the symposium to be held November 14, 2002 in Hampton at the Seniors Resource Center.

Business Arising from the minutes:

Library update:
Discussion took place concerning the library. Tammy Oliver inquired about the volunteer list compiled last year. Peter indicated that the school did not follow up the volunteer list last year, as it was not a high priority. It was agreed that we would compile a list of those persons who we thought would be able to help with the library. We still have available those who have helped in the past and we could use the old list as a starting point. Peter provided an update on the library, the status of books needed, etc. Tammy was to follow through on developing a program for the library. Tammy agreed to get a book list from Lillian. A subcommittee would then be formed to contact parents, relatives for donations, etc. Peter pointed out that the School is now incorporated as a charity and has a tax number. This may help donations for the library. Discussion ensued over the use of talk-mail and the school web-site to contact individuals about this project. Tammy and Nick agreed to develop volunteers to work on this project.

Internal Review:
The internal review of KVHS was discussed briefly. Peter Atkinson indicated that they are moving ahead on this project and will report back at the next meeting. An in-service is being held for principals. The school profile is complete and it is anticipated the internal review will be done before Christmas. Brian and Shara are our representatives on this project.

Utilization of volunteers:
This item was discussed in conjunction with the library above. It was also noted that Robert Munro was to have taken this issue to a teachers' meeting to get their thoughts on the use of volunteers. Peter indicated that this had not been done but it was on the agenda for the teachers' meeting the following Tuesday. Teachers would be asked where they felt volunteers could best be utilized and Peter was to report the results at the next meeting.

Outstanding items from Previous minutes:

PSSC Bulletin Board
The PSSC bulletin board was discussed. Peter suggested that the committee utilize the bulletin board that is currently behind the pop machine. It was agreed the location was not the best and it was suggested that we revitalize this area. Peter indicated that the Fire Marshall wanted these machines moved which would then make the board more accessible. Tammy agreed to look after having the board updated.

It was suggested that using email and the school web-site to post minutes of the PSSC meetings and other details might be useful. The committee was to contact Trevor Gallant about the possibility. Discussion also arose on the use of a PSSC mailbox at school for comments. It was agreed that personal contact information for student committee members would not be posted on the web-site.

Smoking Cessation:
Peter indicated that the school has developed a smoking policy. The school district is currently working on a no-smoking policy for all schools in the district. Peter discussed the procedures in place for smoking on school property and the use of identification to be able to enter the designated smoking area. It was noted those who did not have proper access to the smoking area often went off school property. The school was looking into getting title to adjacent land where students now smoke to have this land designated as school property. It was felt that students would then simply go to Milligan Drive to smoke so as not to be on school property. This would create a problem in the adjoining neighborhood. The school is still waiting for the results of the smoking survey. It was suggested spot checks be done to ensure only approved students are in the designated smoking area. It is anticipated the school will be smoke free by next September.

Possible public meeting on drug use:
The meeting/forum discussed in November 2001 has not taken place. Discussion ensued with agreement of all committee members that this was an important item to offer. Drugs were felt to be a problem and there were also other issues to look at as well. Discussion was held about possible speakers for the forum and the person from Ridgewood addictions that regularly visits the school. The committee reviewed whether we should have a greater public forum on larger school issues (not just drugs) where parents/students could bring their issues to discuss. Brian, Shara and Rodrique agreed to look into the best way to try to develop this and how we could set this up.

School Improvement Plan:
This item was discussed briefly as we were running out of time. The plan had been circulated to members and items on the plan were discussed briefly. Some areas of the plan needed to be updated and it was felt that this would be done in conjunction with the internal review currently underway.

Committee Reports, New Business, Information Items, Items for Future Agendas:
These items were not reviewed due to our time constraints.

The meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM.

Next meeting: Wednesday, December 4 at 7:30 PM.