JMS PARENT TEACHER COLLECTIVE
MEETING MINUTES
DECEMBER 8TH, 2009
JMS Administrative Structure/Principal, Sock Hop, Parent Participation, Class Liaisons, Financial Update, Art Week December 14-18, Solstice Celebration December 18, Announcements
PRESENT:
School Board Member Keith Massie
Principal -Doug Geygan
Staff -Pat Scalo
Parents- Patti Ruiz, Amy Belcastro, Christiane Pyle, Barbara Usselman-Crofoot, Katherine Holden, Tracy Harding, Joan Kleen, Katie Ellison, Paul Rostykus, Lauren Fennell, Pauline Black, Anouschka Andressen, Maribeth Beaudoin
The meeting started with welcoming school board member Keith Massie to our PTC meeting.
Pauline made announcements on some of the positions filled for the Site Council and PTC.
The Two parent representatives for the Site Council are Amy Belcastro and Patti Ruiz. The third position is being confirmed. All parents are welcomed to the Site Council meetings the first Tuesday of every month.
Minutes from the first Site Council meeting will be posted on our website @ thejohnmuirschool.com.
Katherine Holden will be the new PTC President. The Treasurer and Secretary positions are being confirmed. Patti Ruiz will be the new Scrip Coordinator.
JMS Administrative Structure/Principal
The John Muir Staff and parents are very happy with the new principal Doug Geygan. It is the first time for the school to have a principal present, involved, and very available. Doug is a part-time principal to the JMC. One of his top goals is to improve mutual support and communication between the John Muir School and the District.
Many parents expressed concern about Doug's limited hours and how JMS has never received the equity that other schools do. It was stated some jobs for a principal cannot be based on the total number of students in a school. JMS has lacked consistent leadership and administrative support since it's inception in 2006.
The PTC would like to send a letter to the School Board and Ashland School District expressing these views and sharing how important continuity is for our school. We would like to express how much we appreciate Doug.
Many ideas were shared on how to support Doug and make his position sustainable. One idea was to use a current empty wing in the middle school for a language emersion K-8 school.
Sock Hop
Katherine Holden reported there are many opportunities to volunteer for the Sock Hop. Watch for an e-mail and a sign-up poster at school. There are several tables available this weekend, (December 12/13), to sell Raffle Tickets. The committee is hoping for a big push at this time. Sign up with another family. Call a group of kids to join you and make it fun!
Silent Auction Items and services are now being collected. An email explaining details will be sent out.
The committee is excited to announce the Sock Hop will be a Zero-Waste Event. Tracy Harding, Frank Bungay, and Stella Bungay will be heading this up.
Parent Participation
Many ideas were shared on how to encourage more parents to participate in the JMS Community. Some of the ideas were a parent buddy system and a suggested number of hours to volunteer. There are many ways to volunteer if you can't be at school or the meetings. No one wants any parent to feel pressured, but would like to reach out to parents. Many parents felt is was a good idea to connect with new parents by checking in with them and offering them to join you in a school project. Also discussed was to have a big coordinated project to bring everyone together. Make it a family affair. A Parent Corner is available for parents to hang out before/after school. We will serve tea and coffee once in awhile.
This discussion will continue next month. Please feel free to share any ideas. Everyone at the meeting will bring someone new to the next meeting.
Class Liaisons
Grant Ruiz is coordinating class liaisons for the teachers. Four parents volunteered and we would like to get four more parents, (two per class).
Lysa McDowell-Marcia's class
Grant Ruiz-Matt's class
Christiane Pyle-Pat's class
Katie Ellison-Camille's class
Financial Update
Lauren Fennell reported the Checking, Saving, and Scrip Inventory balance. Included in the net gain for the month is $1050.00 of Scrip deposits! The financial report will be posted on the Parent Board.
Art Week
Art week this month will be December 14th-18th (Mon.-Thur.), 8:15-10:30. Parents are welcomed to participate with any arts and crafts ideas. You don't have to take a whole class or do it all week. If you have just an hour to share, please do. You may also just show up to lend a hand to someone else!
Materials needed for Art Week: wood, embroidery floss, knitting needles.
Solstice Celebration
The Solstice Celebration will be on Friday, December 18th @ Noon sharp! Everyone is welcomed! It is a beautiful celebration with a story, singing, and a labyrinth. Candles are needed to borrow for the event. Bring them to the front desk. If you are able to help set up, please arrive around 10:00 a.m..
Announcements
Paul Rostykus, Patti Ruiz, and Steve Rice are maintaining the PTC website. Different ideas were addressed on how often to email information. Sixty families are now signed up on the website.
Not everyone received a phone directory through e-mail. A hard copy of the phone list will be made.
There will not be a phone tree for a snow day. Please refer to the Ashland School District procedures. You can obtain information through T.V./Radio/Ashland School District website if school is cancelled or delayed due to weather. If there is a delay on a Monday (our late start day), go by the School Districts time of 8:15 a.m.
JMS Garden could be part of the Farm to School project. This idea is still being worked on. More information will be provided soon.
Anouschka Andresen has formed a knitting group. A yarn and needle donation basket will be set out for any spares. The PTC agreed to spend $100 for needles if we couldn't get enough donated.
Pat and Camille's classes are also looking for cup/spoon donations for days at Lithia Park. If you have an old mug collecting dust in the cupboard, bring it in!
The next Site Council meeting is the first Tuesday of the month. Jan 5th, 2010 @ 3:00 pm
The next PTC meeting is the second Tuesday of the month. Jan 12th, 2010 @ 3:00 pm
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