Welcome to the Bramalea Secondary School Alumni Association. This document is created to provided our members and affiliates with informational updates and any interesting news.

1. Opening the association’s bank accounts,

2. Reaching agreement with the Peel School Board to use their logos and trade names,

3. Getting free web space for our website through the School Board,

4. An agreement with the Board to allow us to use their charitable number until we are able to acquire our own,

5. Use the legitimacy of the registered organization to begin soliciting donations and sponsorships for the association’s activities,

6. Registration as a non-profit charitable provides us low cost or free access to many commercial products

Tasks accomplished to date:

1. Completed Business Plan,

2. Completed Constitution,

3. Completed Bylaws,

4. Elected an Executive,

5. Named Association Directors,

6. Completed interim website,

7. Opened communications with the school board,

8. Set out critical tasks for the 40^th Reunion celebrations

Tasks for next meeting:

1. Register Association,

2. Create database of membership

3. Get charitable number from the Peel Board,

4. Open bank accounts with DUCA,

5. Set up permanent website,

6. Send out first letter soliciting donations and sponsorships,

7. Fill all Director positions,

8. Fill all critical position on the Reunion Planning Committee

 

The Peel District School Board is the most important affiliation we can have as an association. They have resources available to groups such as ours that would otherwise be unattainable. PDSB affiliation is also paramount as our primary sponsor in order to use the school’s facilities, trade marks and other collateral when promoting our organization and in particular the Reunion. We recently met with the local trustee (Beryl Ford, BSS Alumni) and one of the senior area superintendents to discuss ours short term and long term plans. The meeting went very well and it is understood the Board would love the opportunity to assist us in promoting this new community spirit. At the end of the meeting introductions were made to allow the BSSAA to contact and meet with the important people within the Board who would be able to provide us with what assistance we feel necessary.

The Board was heard our plan for the reunion but the excitement was that we had a desire to go even further in creating a lasting foundation to enhance the school and immediate local community. It seems that we are the first school to offer such as proposal. In essence the Board showed strong interest in using our business methodology as a boilerplate by which other region secondary school alumni can emulate. The highlights of our meeting are as follows:

1. They particularly liked the idea of our involvement in the community (the Foundation) and it was obvious this is the most important step we can make,

2. They liked the idea that when we have fully implemented our plans that BSSAA would be used as a boilerplate for developing Alumni Assoc. in the other Peel Secondary Schools,

3. We were given names of other senior and both Beryl Ford and one of the Superintendents made calls to these people to expect a call from the BSSAA, quite an introduction. Hopefully we can schedule this for the end of the week,

4. While the Board is the legal representative for all activities, it was suggested we continue a parallel approach with the school Principal so as not to have him feel being left out. Ruth will continue communications with the Principal and Blair Hammond,

5. We learned that there are many people within the board who have influence within the community and who would be willing to help us promote our plans

 

No doubt that many of you were initially attracted to participating in planning and effecting a successful 40th anniversary reunion. It goes without saying that the most important contribution of our association to our members will be this event. Your Executive met and created a list of important tasks that need leadership and member contribution. In our next meeting we hope to have all positions filled and begin serious work on the reunion for next August.

Owning and operating our website is a paramount goal of the BSSAA. The Internet will be our primary method of communications with our members and to depend on independent providers will not allow us the level of control in design, capability and functionality that we will eventually require for an organization of the scope and size we have planned. To that end we have researched alternatives to hosting our very own website. In order to accomplish we must first complete registering formally. Once this is completed, we believe the PDSB will provide us at no charge hosting space for our website. At the same time, we will register our own domain name with our own unique identity.

Our strategy with our website is:

1. To offer a single point of communications for BSSAA Alumni the world over,

2. To offer our members equal capability and functionality that they would receive at free websites,

3. To offer advanced capabilities similar to those offered at paid commercial sites,

4. Eventually add interest areas that draw for other commercial websites that our members feel would be of value,

5. Eventually offer limited e-commerce capabilities where we can make BSS logo items available to out members, receive on-line donations and sponsorships and allow advance sales of tickets to our future events