February 12th – Parent Council Minutes

Principal Randy Bernstein’s Report:

• Judy Shepherd, Matthew Shepherd’s mom will be addressing students at an assembly. It costs $10,000 for her to speak and they are suggesting $10 donations at the door. The assembly is voluntary for the students to attend and is at the end of the school day.
• A discussion ensued about 4j’s “Shaping the Future” recommendations. The website has the full report, please read it. There will be a public hearing on February 20th and there is a calendar on the website that shows the events.
• Site Council is soliciting comments from parents and you are encouraged to contact the 4j Board of Education to express concerns about FTE hours for teachers and class sizes.
• Mixed messages on small high schools facing 3-4 FTE cuts. Feeling helpless and reversing policy decisions.

Financial Update- Cindy Wright:

• Survey out on how to spend our Parent Council funds
• Need more volunteers for Funding Committee for meetings on February 21st and 28th at 7 p.m. in the library. We want to hear all aspects of the discussion.

Guest Speaker: Judy Hoar, “Let’s Get Real About Drugs and Alcohol at South” Task Force

• Judy saw a story on TV about a middle school in Washington that asked parents to sign a pledge to supervise kids in their homes and to communicate with other parents. Can see the pledge on the website.
• The school in Washington has received a grant to print directories and information.
• We can use their program and tweak it if we want to, but we just need to acknowledge where it came from.
• If your kid comes to my house, call me and I will supervise and communicate.
• Parent comment-including middle schools
• Parent who is signing this is saying that they are monitoring teens in regard to alcohol/drug consumption. Parents can still drink in their own homes. Parents are asked to set a responsible example.
• Parent comment- suggest that we bring this up with student council. Students may feel controlled and it is good to have a conversation. It will matter how this is presented.
• Judy sees this as possibly being connected to the student directory with an icon next to the name.
• Parent comment-Has this program been around long enough to show results?

Announcements: Helen
• Keynote presentation on survey results will be on Parent Council Minutes link on Parent Council website.
• Budget Committee will meet February 21st and February 28th.
• Helen will not be Parent Council Chair after June. She will continue to do Parent Education Series. Please write to her if you are interested.
• KC Templeton has also asked for help to produce the directory, too.

Funding Survey Results
• Helen took us through a visual presentation of the survey results. 88 parents asked for the survey and 55 responded.

Parent Education Series – Beyond Romeo and Juliet: A Parent’s Discussion on Teen Dating and Relationships

• High School dating-what do you think when your child has his or her first crush?
• Panel consisted of 4 current South students and Shannon Kilduff, Educator from Planned Parenthood
• Parent Question (PQ): How does it work nowadays?
• Panelist Response (PR): Students usually go out as friends first. Shannon said what’s going out versus hanging out? Terminology-hanging out is with a bunch of friends. Going out is the equivalent of going steady.
• PQ: In our good day “good girls didn’t do anything, what’s going on?
• PR: It varies from person to person. Some people are having sex, based on your morals. I think some parents are naïve about it. If you want to know you have to ask.
• PR: Average age in United States of first sexual intercourse is 15. World average (including oral sex) is 13.5 Many parents think it is not happening here.
• PQ: Impression is that kids think many of them are having sex.
• PR: Shannon-sexual activity and teen pregnancies has continued to drop. Young people are waiting longer to become sexually active.
• Randy: Last year’s 11th graders that were surveyed showed that 44% have had sexual activity. Four years it was 52%
• PQ: Quoted a pediatrician in South Eugene “Even my goody two shoe girls are usually going to have sexual intercourse if they are in a committed relationship”
• PQ: How hard is the emotional part of it for kids?
• PR: Hard to say, such a range. Juno did it on a whim, that’s just not how it works in our group. We’ve had a lot of health education and wouldn’t do it just because we are bored.
• PQ: Sexual energy seems to be powered by young women now.
• PR: Expectation is put on the girl if she wants to keep the relationship going.
• PQ: How can I support my child? What worked is that we have been talking openly since they were 4 years old. What did your parents do to open communication? What shuts your down?
• PR: Can’t really stop it. Parents need to be more accepting. Offer to be there to talk, don’t forbid sex and reiterate safety procedures. If my mom asks too much, I’ll keep a distance.
• PQ: Is it better to just shut up and don’t talk?
• PR: Be available. Be accepting-don’t shut them down.
• Shannon brought handouts for students and parents on Sexual Education and Sexual Health. Packets are free from 1-800-KITSFORUS
• PR: Let students know that they can use protection. Shannon: There is a stigma of having Planned Parenthood so close to South Eugene High School. There are five different locations around town. Planned Parenthood has a great reputation for giving information.
• PQ: What are the things parents can do to encourage healthy, loving and caring relationships that may or may not include sex?
• PR: Setting example by modeling good relationships yourself. Shannon: Lots of sex education, but not much on trust and relationships. Everybody has a different path. You can’t teach when relationships are going to happen.
• PQ: I like to use the media like “Juno” and “Knocked Up” to initiate a conversation.
• PR: Shannon-you might ask, “What do you think you would do in that situation?”
• PQ: What if my kid wants a sleepover with girls and guys saying that these are their friends and nothing is going to happen. Do you let them?
• PQ: It would make it harder for me to not allow it if some other parents allow it.
• PR: Shannon-explaining your gut to your kid is really important. Continue to have open communication.
• PQ: Creating the climate, questions about dress and abdomen hanging out. Back in the day, kids would be expelled if they were caught kissing and wearing inappropriate dress.
• Randy: There is a dress code, anything promoting violence is not allowed, bikinis. At the high school level bare midriffs were a passing fad. Hugging and kissing in the halls, some staff are non-assertive. Really passionate stuff is discouraged.
• PQ: Totally Awesome Health-good book to use.
• PR: Health and Drug Education just gets more alarming. It doesn’t get into the relationships. You get more in depth and talk about sex more. Shannon and a parent-Unitarian Universalist Church has program OWL, Our Whole Lives addresses relationships really well.
• PQ: Thinking through decision about sex, how supportive are peers?
• PR: Friends would look out for one another. Shannon-anyone at any age has confidential access to birth control, covered under health insurance and doesn’t go through parent’s health insurance. Planned Parenthood encourages talking with parents.

January 9th – Parent Council Minutes

Financial Update-Cindy Wright
• Sales of Chinook Books and Directories provide our funding
• $348 for staff appreciation
• Purchased $50.00 Xenon restaurant gift certificate for outgoing
Parent Volunteer Coordinator, Claudia Carmichael.

Principal’s Update – Randy Bernstein

• IB parent meeting set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the library to discuss what to do about the need to meet the IB science requirements, since we have discovered that we aren’t doing so now.
• Enrollment dip is following along to the high schools. 300 fewer students expected next year and 100 fewer the year after that. This could result in program reductions and affects the advance science offerings.
• Schedules for next semester will be sent out. Look for them to come with your students.
• Martin Luther King, Jr Student Assembly this Friday.
• Drama Department’s Play is the Laramie Project. This is referring to a hate crime against Matthew Shepherd and his mom, Judy Shepherd will be here to speak to our students. It will cost $10,000 to bring her here and there are fundraising efforts to cover the cost and they’ll be asking for donations at the door.
• We are actively using the new pre-arranged absence forms now. Watch for more information in the newsletter.

Announcements
• Helen Garrett wants to continue to do the Parent Education Series, if there is interest in her doing so, but will be stepping down as Parent Chair in June. We are, therefore, looking for a new Parent Chair after this year.

Guest Speaker- Joy Marshall, Stand for Children
• Joy gave history of this fundraising/lobbying group’s history which started from a parent at Roosevelt
• We are running in place in terms of funding and need to ask, “Who is really in charge of school funding at this point?”
• They work on raising awareness for school funding by drawing parental attention to ballot measures and working with the legislature. They identify for voters which legislators are for or not pro-school funding.
• Because of these efforts we have more money at Roosevelt and at South. That is the power of school parents.
• Stand for Children is looking for ideas from parents. Why does 4j have such large classes? Funding cuts? Teacher burnout?
• There are 6 ballot measures coming in November that will affect school funding and they want voters to know what these are and how to impact school funding positively.

Funding Issues
• Helen announced that there would be a survey going out to parents to solicit their funding ideas and the results will be shared at the February Parent Council meeting. We want to get a sense from the parents of where we want to go with our funding.
• Decisions will need to be made by March on whether we are going to fund the administrations’ staffing request


Parent Education Series – Preparing Your Teen for the World of Credit

Three panelists spoke: Carlson federal bankruptcy judge, a criminal judge and Nancy Radcliff, Accountant.

• Their purpose is to reach students in junior and senior year so they do not get head over heels in debt
• Student loans or a company advertising $40,000 a year to borrow for student loans can add up. Entry-level jobs are not as lucrative as they thought.
• Why does having good credit matter? Credit scores can impact employment, insurance, and security clearance. There is a strong correlation between credit and risks.
• Debit card purchases are money deducted from the checking account so there are not interest charges.
• Credit reports exist only for people who have established credit history.
• Missing a payment is noted on your credit report. Negative information such as this can legally remain on your credit report for up to 7 years.
• Keep a limit on the number of credit cards you have open.
• Watch your card from the time you hand it over so that the clerk cannot photograph it with their cell phone.
• Destroy hotel plastic card keys after checking out since they can have your personal and credit card information on them.
• Different lenders charge different rates. Terms may vary-annual and late fees, etc.
• A prospective employer can review your credit report if you give written authorization.
• If you bounce a check, your bank may put your name in Chex Systems. You could be on a negative “hit list” for up to 5 years. This might mean you may not be able to use a checking account.
• One user’s credit card rate jumped to 24% after one late payment.
• Lenders almost always will review your credit report. Check all three: TransUnion, Experion, Equifax. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com to obtain a free report.
• Because you pay your account in full each you month you pay no interest.
• Sample car contract was shown. Always read what is in the boxes first.
• Parents received a handout called “The True Cost of Credit”
• Parents are cautioned not to co-sign on student loans.
• Determine how much the purchase is really going to cost you.
• Read and understand the terms of disclosures. Pay close attention to various late fees and penalties. Never give information to anyone who calls you.
• If you timely note exposure of the use of your card you ma not be responsible for more that $50-$70. May be covered on homeowners.
• Sometimes you just need a credit card for hotel and car rentals.
• How do you close a credit card? You have to write them a letter to close it out.
• Using your card: Limit credit cards use for essentials purchases only. Keep track of where your cards are. If you hand it to someone keep it in view. Try to pay the entire bill when due. Don’t max out your limit. Try to avoid cash advances.
• Monitor your interest rates-it can go up due to contingencies. Must buy a certain amount. Look out for teaser rates.
• Establish good credit
• Get only one card. Resist free come-ons. Develop a budget and use only for emergencies.