Our next SAC meeting — and the first of the 2024/2025 school year — will take place on Tuesday, September 17th, at 6:00pm at the school.

All parents and caregivers are welcome to attend; child care will be available. 

Why come? At this meeting, as with all meetings, we'll get a Principal's Report from Caitland Ellis. We will discuss plans and goals for the year ahead. We will also be holding elections for the following leadership positions, which will help steer and manage various initiatives. (Note: You do not need any previous SAC experience to volunteer for a leadership role — just a willingness to get involved.)

Here are the open roles for 2024/2025 (you can read descriptions of each role here):

• Chair (or Co-Chairs): 1-2 positions
• Secretary: 1 position, 1 alternate
• Treasurer: 1 position, 1 alternate
• Communications: 1-2 positions
• Events Team: 2-4 positions
• Community Outreach and Ward Rep: 1 position
• Community Rep: TBD positions
• Enrichment: 1 position
• Greening / Eco Team: 1-2 positions
• Pride Subcommittee: 1-2 positions
• Stop School Cuts Subcommittee: 1-2 positions

You can be as active and involved as you want at a SAC meeting. If you simply want to hear about what's going on at the school, you are welcome and encouraged to show up. And if you want to help organize events and initiatives, or if you want to volunteer, you are also welcome and encouraged to pursue that, too. The more parents and guardians get involved, the more we'll be able to do for our school.

Join us if you’re curious about SAC, or if you have ideas for fundraising. And if you simply have a question about SAC, please email us at [email protected]!

SAC will be holding elections for leadership roles at the September SAC meeting, taking place on September 17th, 2024, at 6:00pm, at Dovercourt PS.

The open positions are listed below, along with descriptions. Please join us and get involved; you do not need any previous SAC experience to do so.

You can self-nominate for roles, or nominate other caregivers who may be interested in playing a more active role on the School Advisory Council.

And please come out and vote to help shape the future of SAC and of Dovercourt Public School.

Open roles for 2023/2024:
​
Chair or co-chairs (Executive)
Available positions: 1-2
Held last year by: Peggy Gibbons and Ben Peto (alternate: Lisa Clapperton)
Responsibilities:

• Arrange for School Council meetings.
• Prepare agendas for School Council meetings.
• Chair School Council meetings.
• Ensure that minutes of School Council meetings are recorded and maintained.
• Ensure that the Annual Report is completed.
• Facilitate conflict resolution.
• Communicate with the Principal on behalf of the School Council.
• Consult with senior board Staff and Trustees as required on behalf of the School Council.
• Act as Joint Signing Officer.
• Act as ex officio member(s) of School Council (sub)committees and any school committees, including but not limited to School Budget Committee, school Improvement Plan Committee, School Staffing Committee and Caring and Safe Schools' Committee.
• Ensure completion of the School Statements of Needs (SSON) in collaboration with parents/caregivers.
• Observe the School Council’s and/or the Board's Code of Conduct and these By-Laws.

Treasurer (Executive)
Available positions: 1 (+ 1 Alternate)
Held last year by: Sarah Weaver (alternate: Ben Peto)
Responsibilities:

• Act as custodian of the funds of the School Council.
• Handle receipts and disbursement of School Council monies.
• Keep proper records of all financial transactions.
• Arrange for verification of the School Council’s financial records in June of each year.
• Act as a Joint Signing Officer.
• Adhere to the financial protocol instructions outlined in the School Council Financial Guide.
• Prepare the annual Public-Sector Accounting Board (PSAB) report.
• Observe the School Council’s and/or the Board's Code of Conduct and these By-Laws.

 
Secretary/Recorder (Executive)
Available positions: 1 (+ 1 Alternate)
Held last year by: Nuno Silva (Alternate: Melanie Kramer)
Responsibilities:

• Complete records of all meetings in a timely manner
• Assist the Chair/Co-Chair(s) in the distribution of minutes to all School Council members, ensure minutes, once approved, are available to the parent/caregiver body.  
• Responsible for the upkeep of all School Council social media and communications to the parent/caregiver body (e.g. blog, social media, email, newsletters, etc.).
• May act as a Joint Signing Officer.
• Observe the School Council’s and/or the Board's Code of Conduct and these By-Laws.

 
Communications
Available positions: 1-2
Held last year by: Deborah Aarts
Responsibilities:

• Manages SAC’s website, making sure that it is updated with current information on activities and events and our membership.
• Draft SAC content for SAC News and for Dovercourt’s Friday File.
• Website updates.
• Create a form or process to collect a base level of info to support drafting content for website and SAC news.
• Track community engagement with site (website traffic stats) and via volunteer signup form.
• Responsible for [email protected] account (i.e., ensuring any requests, questions sent to this address are answered in a timely manner).

 
Community Outreach & Ward Rep
Available positions: 1
Held last year by: Vacant
Responsibilities:

• The Community Outreach Representative will be responsible for representing the school community’s perspective in the wider community generally, and more specifically at the Ward Council and with the local Trustee.
• Attend Ward Council meetings to represent the school and communicate information back to the SAC.
• Establish contact with trustee and with parent organizations (e.g. PIAC, People for Education).
• Help build partnerships and links between the school and organizations in the community to enhance educational opportunities for students (for example, the Boys and Girls Club, the SACs of other local schools).
• Bring in topical speakers.

 
Events Team
Available positions: 2-4
Held last year by: Lisa Clapperton and Hilary Hall
Responsibilities:

• Helps lead on SAC-led activities (e.g. dance-a-thon, movie nights, Spring Fling, etc.).
• Organize in-class school spirit activities as well as remote/virtual events to engage the school community and achieve fundraising goals.
• General responsibilities: a) Review regulations re: fundraising and TDSB policies and advise council of any conflict in proposed spending and b) Develop a fundraising plan for the year, based on goals and priorities set by the SAC at its first meeting.

    
Enrichment
Available positions: 1
Held last year by: Melanie Kramer
Responsibilities:

• Work with teachers, principal, and SAC to develop ideas for fieldtrips, extra-curricular activities and educational programs.

 
Greening/Eco Team
Available positions: 1-2
Held last year by: Vivian Fleet and Deborah Walsh
Responsibilities:

• Responsible for enhancing environmental awareness of the school community and supervising school’s outdoor green initiatives.
• Key task: maintaining the school’s official ECO status.
• Greening Representative will be responsible for enhancing the environmental awareness of the school community and supervising the school’s outdoor green initiatives.
• General responsibilities:
• a) Assemble a group of volunteers to assist with maintenance of the school gardens, with a priority given to student involvement
•  b) Attend Eco-Team meetings and assist with Eco Day events
• c) Participate in the annual Eco Schools Status Review process
• d)Maintain contact with the TDSB Eco Schools Department regarding new Board-wide environmental initiatives
• e) Keep abreast of advances in ecological/outdoor education
• f) Work with teachers to take advantage of opportunities to use the school’s gardens as a teaching tool and as an outdoor classroom

 
Student Rep
Available positions: 1-2
Held last year by: Vacant

Community Representative
Available positions: 1-2
Past representatives: Dovercourt Boys & Girls Club, Oasis Dufferin Community Centre
Responsibilities:

• This position is appointed. 
• contribute to the discussions of the School Council.
• Represent the community's perspective.
• May participate on any School Council committee.
• Help to build partnerships and links between the school and the community.
• Observe the School Council's and/or the Board's Code of Conduct and these By-Laws.

 
Pride Subcommittee
Available positions: 1
Held last year by: Karine Silverwoman (support: Chris Antonik)
Responsibilities:

• Advocate for Dovercourt 2SLGBTQ+ community.
• Organize Pride activities to continue raising awareness and inclusion within the school community.

 
Stop School Cuts Subcommittee:
Available positions: 1
Held last year by: Alejandra González Jiménez
Responsibilities:

• Advocate for Dovercourt students’ needs, educational and well-being priorities at the TDSB and at the provincial level.

 
Role of all council members:

• Solicit the views of other parents/caregivers to share with the School Council
• Represent the views and the opinions of the parent/caregiver community.
• Attend and participate in all meetings.
• Participate on School Council committees.
• Help participate in and to facilitate any events that the School Council holds during the school year.
• Observe the School Council’s and/or the Board's Code of Conduct and these By-Laws.

Welcome back, returning Dovercourt families!

Welcome, new Dovercourt families!

On behalf of Dovercourt School Advisory Council (SAC), we hope you all had terrific summers and are excited for a great school year ahead.

We're kicking off the start of the year (and celebrating the end of the first week, which we know can be a bit... rocky) with a First Friday social in the schoolyard on Friday, September 6th. 

Come enjoy some coffee and light snacks! Meet some other Dovercourt parents and caregivers! Learn a bit about SAC!

Key details:

• What: First Friday coffee and treats
• Date: ​Friday, September 6th, 2024
• Time: 8:20 - 9:00am
• Location: Dovercourt Public School, in the west yard​
  ​
  

Hope to see you there!

(We think the photo above, from Spring Fling, captures the vibe well!)

The 2023/2024 school year was a standout one for Dovercourt SAC. We launched exciting new projects and events, and scaled up Spring Fling. (We missed you, bouncy castles!) We advocated against education cuts and launched a new Dovercourt Pride subcommittee.

We also focused our fundraising efforts and, as a result, enter the 2024/2025 school year with a balance of more than $23,000—in line with pre-COVID norms. This will help us support more initiatives that benefit our students. Hooray!

Fundraising highlights:
Thank you to all for your generous support!

• We raised more than $900 (net) from the school’s Fresh from the Farm produce fundraiser in the fall;
• We launched a new online Spirit Wear shop, which has raised nearly $400 in rebates already;
• The school’s annual school Dance-a-Thon in March raised more than $2,000; and
• We raised nearly $10,000 (net) for the school from Spring Fling tickets and silent auction purchases.
  
  

Investment highlights:
A sample of SAC-funded student activities:

• Mystic Drumz music program;
• Roots of Empathy in Ms. Smith’s 4/5 class
• Books for the school’s Book Clubs;
• Dovercourt’s Ukelele Club; and
• The Grade 8 graduation picnic lunch.
  
  

SAC community-building highlights:

• We hosted and funded a successful Welcome Back Open House during Curriculum Night in October;
• We supported the school’s Holiday Food Drive for to benefit the Oasis Dufferin Community Centre;
• We held a fun and popular School Movie Night to beat the winter blahs in February; and
• We convened after-school enrichment programs in the winter and spring.

Special thanks:

Major thanks to 2023/2024 co-chairs Ben Peto and Peggy Gibbons for leading our small-but-mighty council with such integrity and vision. And a special shout-out to departing SAC enrichment lead Melanie Kramer—we will all miss you!

Did you know? This year, SAC funded a Roots of Empathy program in Ms. Smith’s class. We asked Ms. Smith to share a bit about the experience. Here’s her report:

“This year, Ms. Smith's grade 4/5 class participated in the Roots of Empathy program, where a community member, ’Mama Kathryn’ brought her baby, ‘Baby Alex’ in for regular visits over the course of the year.

“With the help of Roots of Empathy facilitator, Ms. Passmore, students got to learn about empathy through watching Baby Alex grow over the course of the year. Students also learned about how to safely care for a baby, and connected this information to their own lived experiences, and what kind of care makes them feel safe and comfortable.

“Students were in awe every time that the baby visited, as she was always noticeably bigger and had gained a new and impressive skill. What a wonderful way to bond with our classmates!”

What a win-win! We hope to bring Roots of Empathy back to Dovercourt next year. In the meantime, please enjoy these photos of Baby Alex in the classroom with Grade 4/5 students!

Spring Fling 2024 was one for the history books! We ate, danced, played games, bounced, sang, made art, showed Pride, and took in a truly tremendous talent show—all while raising nearly $10,000 to support school enrichment activities and other initiatives. It was our biggest fundraiser, by far, since the pre-pandemic days.

Special, big, mega-thanks to:

• The dozens of parents, caregivers, teachers, and staff who set up, cleaned up, served food, cut freezies, baked cookies, sold tickets, monitored hallways, policed bouncy castles, supervised games, and made the day possible.
• The small-but-mighty Spring Fling organizing committee—Abigail Hernandez, Adam Boyle, Chris Antonik, Deborah Aarts, Deborah Walsh, Desiree Marshall, Elizabeth Liberty, Hilary Hall, Jordan Pettle, Kelly Weisz, Leah Gold, Lisa Clapperton, Lisa Kotsopolous, Peggy Gibbons, and Sarah Weaver—for logging countless hours since January to plan the event.

• Everyone who bought tickets and/or bid on silent auction items. Every ticket sale helps make Dovercourt a better place!
• The more than 60 local businesses, people and organizations that donated cash or silent auction items—our community stepped up!
  
  • Special shout-out to our sponsors—Almadev, APA Furniture Design, Bigelow Construction, FERN Home Organization, and LiUNA Local 183—whose generous financial support of at least $500 each helped us bring back the bouncy castles and make Spring Fling fun and successful for all!  ​​
• Our incredible Dovercourt students for sharing your talents, practicing patience (even in the freezie and bouncer lines), and filling the day with joyous energy.

We'll start planning next year's Spring Fling in the fall of 2024. Please email us at [email protected] if you'd like to get involved!

Want to own a piece of art history?

As you may know, many Dovercourt classes have been working hard to prepare unique, collaborative canvas art projects for a series of draws to be held at Spring Fling on May 31st. Simply write your contact info on a ticket, drop it in the box for your canvas(es) of choice, and cross your fingers! All proceeds will benefit our school.

All artworks will be on display at the event, but here is a sneak peek:

See something that will look perfect in your home? Check out all the canvases in the west yard at Spring Fling!

Tickets may be purchased on-site at a price of $1 per ticket, or 25 tickets for $20. We can accept cash and debit cards for ticket purchases. We cannot accept credit cards.

Food prices:

• Slice of pizza: 3 tickets (or two slices for 5 tickets)
• Jamaican patty: 3 tickets
• Samosa: 2 tickets
• Apple: 1 ticket
• Juice: 1 ticket
• Popcorn: 1 ticket
• Freezies: 1 ticket
• Bake sale items: 1 ticket each
  
  

Activities:

• Lollipop pull: 1 ticket
• Student artwork draw (at silent auction): 1 ticket per entry
  • What's this? In the past few weeks, most Dovercourt classes have been creating gorgeous collaborative art projects, painted on a canvas. We're holding draws for each of these canvases at the end of Spring Fling. 
• Bouncers: 2 tickets per ride 
  • Note: Thanks to the support of our generous sponsors, every Dovercourt student will receive tickets for three free bouncy castle rides at school on the 31st. After a child has used their free tickets, they may purchase regular tickets to use on the bouncers.
• Eco-club plant sale: 1-3 tickets each

Here's where you'll find what you need to find.

We gotta feeling you're going to love this one!

Some of you may remember that at last year's Spring into Summer event kicked off with a big group Flash Mob, choreographed by Dovercourt parent Monica Dottor. We're excited to be doing it again at Spring Fling on May 31st, once again with Monica's expert help!

The flash mob will take place at 3:45pm.

This year's song is I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas, and we want to fill the yard with dancing Dovercourt Dragons: students, parents, caregivers, teachers and staff! That means we all need to learn the moves.

Here is Monica demonstrating this year's dance:

And here is a video with step-by-step instructions:

And here is the lyric sheet, with annotations.

What you can do:

• Watch the videos
• Practice the moves
• Get ready to get down at 3:45 on the 31st!