Sept+29,+2011+Minutes

Doug Branchflower (Chair), Bonnie Humphreys, Kate Maclean, Jason Maclean, Mike Merriman, Pat Vigneron, Ramona Vigneron, Julie Rudrick, Carolyn Pedrick, Chris Hartman, Dave Shapka, Bill Humphreys, Randy Lewis, Lisa Welder, Bob Baumueller, Janice Rumpel Collaboration time. What format would make best use of the time? Formal or Informal/ General consensus was that we keep it informal, but that we are to keep a log of our activity during this time period for accountability. Clarification request on minutes, hours, days worked during the school year There was a great deal of heated discussion about this and Mike provided an explanation of how the 197 days were calculated over the school year. Several examples from other jurisdictions within Saskatchewan, as well as Notre Dame’s past were brought up by staff members regarding how minutes/hour/days of teaching were calculated. There may be some “wiggle room” and Mike said he was going to investigate this further with regards start-up and end-of year meetings in particular. One test per day? Or do we double up on the Monday? A number of proposals were discussed and we decided that these different formats need to be brought to the attention of the rest of the staff so that a general consensus can be reached. We need a consistent way to deal with the grade 11’s who sit on the bench and often try to sneak in. There was not a lot of discussion on this topic as were running shirt of time. Perhaps a log book for Lunch Hour Duty is needs so that we can deal with the repetitive transgressors in a firm and fair manner by logging their behavior. Select a date for a staff outing Randy and Pat are to just pick dates that seem reasonable to them as we cannot work around everybody’s schedule. If you can’t participate in one event, then hopefully you can catch the next one. None
 * Advisory Committee Minutes- November 3 **
 * In Attendance **
 * Call to Order (8:15) **Doug Branchflower
 * Opening Prayer **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Doug Branchflower
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Old Business/Review of Previous Minutes **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Motions from the Floor to discuss Agenda items out of sequence **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Old Agenda Items (those that you felt need to be revisited from last meeting) **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 1: How can we make better use Office Hours and Collaboration Time? Revisited from last meeting **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 2: ****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Length of School Year and ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;"> Item 4: Length of School Day **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">New Agenda items **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 1: Final Exam Schedules …any suggestions? **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 2: Lunch hour supervision **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 3: Staff Outing Date(s) **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Other Items **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Items to be tabled until next Advisory Council Meeting **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Motion to Adjourn –Kate Maclean (8:30) **

** Advisory Committee Minutes-September 29 **

<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Doug Branchflower (Chair), Alice Dumba, Bonnie Humphreys, Kate Maclean, Greg Pelletier, Jason Maclean, Rhonda Ryan, Tracey Faith, Mark Selinger, Mike Merriman, Pat Vigneron, Ramona Vigneron, Julie Rudrick, Carolyn Pedrick, Chris Hartman, Dave Shapka, Bill Humphreys, Randy Lewis <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Emergency tree should be updated to included new names and positions and delete names no longer at the College <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">This was deemed unnecessary as Rose will be returning soon to complete it <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">1.1 Move to one shack per week, and have collaboration time correspond to Wednesday Dorm meeting times. This allows students to use three days per week for office hours right from the start. Begin this in September - not in October - reward proactive students. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Consensus was to put this idea forward to Administration. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">1.2 Can we use this office time to meet with other staff if we identify where we are should students need to find us? <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Consensus was to leave this to each teacher’s professional judgment depending up their situation and location, but to place a priority upon being in our assigned locations so students can easily find the appropriate teachers. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Does dress down (Fridays) include being able to wear flip flops? I thought the issue was liability, which if it is there shouldn't be any flip flops on Fridays either but no one has given me a definitive answer. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Consensus was to allow continue allowing flip flips on dress down Fridays as per our established policy, but suggest to Administration that flip flops be allowed in next year’s policy as it is difficult to enforce in a fair and consistent matter. The question of liability was addressed, but as flip flops are currently allowed in other schools, we would like to see the rationale for the policy if the policy it to be continued. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Staff functions….more organized events. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Consensus was that this needs to be addressed with the creation of a Social Committee. Pat Vigneron and Randy Lewis volunteered for this committee. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">8.1 Can we not count all of the days we work.... eg Weekend Campus Duty as days? We seem to have increased our school year.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">In Attendance **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Call to Order (8:15) **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Doug Branchflower
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Opening Prayer **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Doug Branchflower
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">No Previous Minutes **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">No Old Business/No Previous Minutes to Review **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Motions from the Floor to discuss Agenda items out of sequence **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 6: Emergency Phone Tree Update: **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Moved forward in Agenda: Alice Dumba
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 1: How can we make better use Office Hours and Collaboration Time? **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 2: Dress Down Fridays Clarification Needed **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 3: Staff Functions **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 8: Length of School Year and ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;"> Item 4: Length of School Day **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Linked items: Darren Beaulac

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">8.2 Should we shorten classes so we can be done closer to 3 pm? <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">During discussion a number of key points arose <span style="color: red; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">-December Final Exams (Ending Semester I, tried before) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">-Departure Day ½ days rationale <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">` -Start-up week in August and Wrap-up week in June <span style="color: red; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">-Teaching time/days and Instructional time/days accounting <span style="color: red; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">-Counting each teacher’s 4 days of Supervision as teaching/working days in the School Calendar <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Consensus was that there should be more teacher involvement the creation of the School Calendar we would like a clarification of the Instructional Times & Days, Teacher Work Days, Professional Development Days, and Schools Days currently counted and/or not counted in our 197 Day School Year. Concerns arose when comparisons were made with a number of other school jurisdictions, what they count as days/time as compared to us. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">For all the unpaid extra duties we do - allow each teacher one day, no questions asked. Teacher must find own covers and ensure students have work. Must be requested over a week in advance and is still subject to approval based on other demands on teachers due to school activities. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Discussion was that personal days were sometimes granted inconsistently in the past. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">There was no real consensus as to requesting a number of specifics number of personal days or to recommend a change to current policy. However, the perception of inconsistent granting of personal days need to be addressed by Administration. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">From what I saw this year and last year on the same weekend, there is lots of activity. When we are in the midst of tryouts (Tier 1 at Pipestone) there are a lot of kids who have basically no time to do the large quantity of work which is assigned to them from school. I know that this is, to some, no different than a team off for a tournament and having the same dilemma. My thoughts are though, these guys have been stressing for about three weeks now regarding hockey and to have the annual event out to Pipestone and still being tryouts, I would suggest that this particular weekend be a “No Homework Weekend”. It would take a huge load off of these guys and others, girls/guys, after a very hectic first few weeks at ND. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Consensus was that this would be difficult to justify a homework free weekend for one group of teams and not any others. Teacher’s awareness of the challenges of this particular weekend and using their professional judgment would be sufficient. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Consensus was that we would like be informed of Administration’s planned direction in regards to the new CBA in a timely fashion. Ideally before the Thanksgiving Break. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">None
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 5: Teacher Personal Days **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Item 7: Homework Assignment over AA/AAA Tryouts (Pipestone Weekend) **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Other Items: **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">STF Contract Settlement **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Items to be tabled until next Advisory Council Meeting **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Motion to Adjourn (8:30) **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11px;">Randy Lewis, Pat Vigneron