Members and Committee Leads

Meet the 2024-2025 school council members:

• Teresa Miller
• Zaid Yusuf Murakami
• Julie Middleton
• Christina Tziallas
• Samantha North
• Patrick Stewart
• Laura Timms
• Helen Katz
• Shannon Magennis
• Alex Goncalves
• Charlene Isaacs
• Jeff Jay
• Jeny Nussey
• Prash Rasaiah
• Japhanie Sham
• Bronwyn Nelson
• Jenny Struyk
• Melanie Zettler
• Alison MacPherson
• Dario Gonzalez
• Kurt Uriarte (Principal)
• Caitlin Newnham-Kanas (Vice Principal)
• Ruth Annis (Teacher Representative)
• Adam Mason (Teacher Representative)

Contact the school council committee leads:

Adam Beck Spirit Committee: The spirit committee’s goal is to foster a sense of community and build an inclusive value system among Adam Beck families by promoting activities that bring together parents, teachers and kids, as individuals and as a group. Volunteers are required to help manage execution of each of the events

Adopt-a-Family: This committee help Adam Beck support families through Community Centre 55’s Adopt-a-Family program. Volunteers are needed to help setup the giving tree, and organize and distribute items collected.

Classroom Representatives: The classroom representative is a parent who has a child in the class. This parent’s role is to communicate grade-specific council information to parents in that class, while also bringing ideas, messages and concerns back to council.

Equity Committee: The Equity Committee aims to promote equity at Adam Beck.

Grade 6 Council Rep: This committee liaises with the Grade 6 grad committee as organized by the school admin, manages the council budget line item in partnership with the grad committee.

Grant Application Committee: There are many grants that we could apply for to implement programs at our school. This committee is currently dormant, waiting for a willing set of volunteers to take this work on. It would be ideal if a few parents could work together to search for grant opportunities on behalf of any areas of the school (arts, technology, etc.) and assist in filling out the applications.

Holiday Celebration: The winter holiday party brings the community together to kick off the holiday season and launch our school’s Adopt a Family program. Committee members assist in planning the event. Volunteers are needed for setup, on-site management and cleanup after the event.

Mayfair: Annual spring outdoor fair, complete with games, bouncy castles, dream baskets, food and more! Committee members assist in planning the event. Volunteers are needed for setup, on-site management and cleanup after the event.

Mental Well being (new in 2019-2020!): In partnership with school administration, this committee will source in-class workshops and initiatives to support students’ mental wellbeing.

Monsterbash: Annual spooktacular Halloween party for kids from JK to grade six. Committee members assist in planning the event. Volunteers are needed for setup, on-site management and cleanup after the event.

Movie Night: This is a fun night out for students where the committee shows a movie chosen by students in the gym and sells pizza, drinks and treats. Volunteers are needed for setup, sales and cleanup.

Night on the (Upper) Beach: This is a fun night out (grown-ups only!) with lots of exciting auction items, dancing and socializing. The committee plans the event and sources donations for the auction.

Pizza Lunch: Pizza Lunch is held in the classrooms once per month. Pizza (from Pizza Pizza) is pre-sold online and delivered by in-class volunteers. Committee members are required to assist in sorting pizza when it arrives, purchasing supplies and more. Two parent volunteers are needed for each class.

Read-a-thon: The read-a-thon is a fun and rewarding program that helps students grow a love of reading by engaging them in a friendly reading competition. Volunteers are needed to do administrative work for the design contest and Read-a-Thon, including distribution of entries and door hangers, tally of entries at the end of the contest, ordering awards (books, medals, trophies) and distributing awards.

School Gardens: This committee is responsible for the organization and maintenance of the Adam Beck School Gardens. The committee helps implement projects throughout the year that develop the garden as an effective teaching tool as well as a diverse natural environment for our teachers and students to enjoy. The volunteer opportunities are primarily during school hours helping with planting, but help is also appreciated in the evenings and on weekends with watering and weeding.

Staff Appreciation: The staff appreciation committee helps to foster goodwill between staff members and the Adam Beck parent community. Two events are hosted each year (December and end of the school year). In addition to food donations, volunteers are needed to set up before and clean up after each event.

STEM: This committee looks for ways to enhance students’ experiences with science, technology, engineering and math. Committee members help bring STEM-related programs into the school in consultation with school administration

Visiting Artists: Various artistic experiences are planned by this committee. Committee members work with staff to choose performers to bring into the school to provide an arts experiences for all students, from JK to grade 6. Parents on this committee seek out art experiences (drama, music, visual arts, literature) to bring into the school in consultation with the teachers on the committee and with school administration.

Website: In coordination with the Co-Chairs, the web team keeps the Adam Beck School Council website up to date and helps coordinate various modes of communication for School Council events and information. Committee members write web copy, design posters, write emails and strategize.