Agendas & Meeting Minutes

Thursday, November 27, 2008

November 12, 2008 Minutes

Parent Council Meeting Minutes, November 12, 2008

Connie Wonham -- Facilitator

Principal’s Update – Randy Bernstein

The school year is under way, progress reports are in the mail. If you didn’t get one please let us know. Everybody should get one.

The Direct Donation Drive is under way. People should have received a letter and donation envelope in the mail by now.
Enrollment – no decisions regarding caps or transfers have been made yet. Superintendent, George Russell, will be deciding how the district will deal with enrollment policies by the beginning of December. The school board has been doing some enrollment management for the past few years. Changes may be phased in.

Winter sports registration took place last week. Some sports had to be cut, funding reduced.

The play, “Rent” was a big success. There were some questions regarding whether it was appropriate material for high school. Most of the feedback was positive. Randy received one letter of deep concern about it being inappropriate for high school level. Parents present at the meeting expressed pride in the school and the actors.

Scrip program – Choir groups have been signing people up. Even kids who shop at Safeway can be signed up. The groups submit a list of persons who they have signed up. Once a person on the list has made a purchase, it can be tracked, and the choir group gets a $10 credit for their group.

Financial Update – Cindy Wright
We have brought in $30 more for directories. They can still be purchased. Some people have not picked up the ones they have paid for. We are at 100% for our registration donation goal ($5,000). We’ve brought in $6,200 this year in scrip, $4,839 of which is e-scrip. Albertson’s scrip totaled $1,500 – they have a different sign-up procedure. You have to sign up for their card, then they automatically donate when you make your purchase with your card. Our checking account has $14,500. We earned $1,900 in interest from our $56,000 in the 4j investment account. We have $83,000 in Total Assets.

Should we continue Newmans and Sundance scrip?

We are currently selling individual scrip for Newman’s and Sundance for a 5% gain for the school. Newmans and Sundance are included in Unique Eugene scrip for a 10% gain for the school. It makes sense to us to discontinue selling the individual scrip which brings in only 5%, and encourage people to purchase Unique Eugene scrip which brings in 10% for the school. It is sold in $10 denominations and gives back cash for change. The Parent Council voted to discontinue selling Newman’s and Sundance scrip once it is sold out, then switch to Unique Eugene. You can buy scrip at the front office or call in to have it sent home with your student. Large purchases may even be delivered. Unique Eugene scrip can make a great gift as it includes 20 different merchants (see last month’s minutes).

Volunteers are still needed for the Staff Appreciation Lunch on December 12. Especially needed are people to bring salads, desserts, do setting and serving, clean up. Please call to help.

Health Center Fundraising Request. -- Kara Penniman

Kara is a Mental Health Therapist who works half time at South and half time at Churchill in the Health Centers located in the schools. Kara brought it to our attention that the Health Centers will be losing their funding from PeaceHealth by the end of this year. Most people assume that the Health Centers are funded through 4j or will be helped by the bond issue, but that is not the case. The Health Centers will need alternative fund raising for their services to continue in the high schools. The Health Centers are available to students and their siblings (birth to 19 years) in the Eugene area. They provide infant vaccinations, teenage emotional counseling, help for illnesses, injuries and ongoing health problems, counseling for depression, anger management, attention and focusing challenges, family stress and change, anxiety, substance abuse, as well as other mental health issues. My School’s Health Centers work on a sliding fee scale, down to zero, insured or not. They also make referrals to specialists including dentists or optometrists .Kids feel more comfortable using facilities on-site. Kara is working with the Teen Advisory Council to approach schools to find parents who are interested in keeping the Health Centers running.

Parent Education Series – What You May Not Know About Teenage Girls

Presenters – Annelise Heitman from Ophilia’s Place located at 1577 Pearl Street, Suite 200 in Eugene,www.opheliasplace.net, and Kara Penniman from My School’s Health Center at South,541-687-3209.

Ophelia’s Place is a drop-in resource center offering support groups and prevention services for all girls ages 10-18. They focus on strengths when working with girls on building self-esteem, safety in relationships, body image & health, communication with family & peers, and success in school and future goals.

Kara is one of two mental health therapists at the SEHS health center. Grant Stuart (one of last month’s presenters for teen boys) is her counterpart at the Health Center. They are available during school hours . Both she and Grant facilitate group counseling at the schools. They also make referrals to parents on where to go for help.

Kara asked her group of girls what they wanted parents to know:

I’m not going to turn out like my mom or my dad or my sister or my aunt, just because I mess up sometimes.
Annelise and Kara provided an assortment of handouts ranging from dating violence, cyberbullying, self-injury, eating disorders, and developmental assets.

One parent asked, “are there girl gangs at south?” Randy responded that there are not girl gangs per se, but there are cliques of bullyish girls. There is an increase in physical violence in schools. There are groups of girls who use physical aggression. I haven’t seen a huge increase. It tends to be a little more difficult dealing with issues with girls because the issues tend to be deeper and it is harder for girls to get over it.

Friendships are really important at this age, so girls are willing to put up with abusive friends. Girls might not come to their parents. If your daughter comes to you, believe her, trust, listen. Girls want freedom more than anything else. They are afraid parents will take away their freedom, solve all their problems for them, so they may not share. Schools can be a good ally—we can move lockers, make subtle changes, etc. Parents are encouraged to capitalize on strengths—girls have enough negative thoughts about themselves. Create rituals and celebrate transitions.

Power Point Outline:

WELCOME SEHS PARENTS
What You May Not Know About Teenage Girls
Ophelia’s Place

Comprehensive health care available at South, room 109, from 8am-4pm
Mental health care, school nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner
Group, individual and family therapy

What girls want you to know:

I’m not going to turn out like my mom or my dad or my sister or my aunt, just because I mess up sometimes.
Parents should understand not to yell and at there kid but not give lectures because i know from first hand that lectures are even more annoying than parents hitting you.
Most important predictors of positive youth development:
Loving supportive family

Connection to school

Involvement in youth program or creative activities
What’s plaguing our daughters?
Media influence on body image and gender roles
Relational Aggression / Bullying
Dating Violence

Mental Health Implications

Depression/Anxiety
Alcohol & Drug Abuse
Self Harm
Suicide
Etc.


Many women internalize the stereotypes set forth through advertising and judge themselves by the beauty industry’s impossible standards. Women learn to compare themselves to other women, and to compete with them for male attention.
The average American woman is 5’4”, 140lbs. and size 14. The “Ideal” American woman portrayed by models, and popular stars is 5’7” or taller, 100 lbs. and size 4. Models are 15-23% below average weight. Less than 10% of women are genetically capable of “supermodel stats”.
Scope of the problem
81% of ten year olds are afraid of being fat – more afraid than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents

7-18 year olds are the # 1 users of diet pills

90% of high school juniors and senior girls frequently think about their body shape and dieting even though only 10-15% are over the weight standard by height/weight charts.

The #1 wish of girls 11-17 years old is to lose weight


Eating disorders are the 3rd leading health problem for teen girls in America. 5-10 million girls in the US currently have eating disorders.

Signs to look out for:
Losing weight rapidly
Losing and gaining weight erratically
Wearing oversized clothes
Talking about being fat very frequently
Eating secretly/privately
Barely eating or picking at food
Eating excessively
Knowing calorie count of most foods

Exercising excessively
Avoiding social gatherings
Spending a lot of time in the bathroom, especially after meals
Hiding food
Using alcohol, laxatives, diet pills, illegal drugs.
Obsessing about food and preparing it for others
Weighing self frequently

Advertising gives some not so subtle messages about gender role expectations.

Women’s magazines tend to focus on relationships and changing and improving one’s self, while men’s magazines focus on the outside world, news, politics and hobbies & activities.
In advertising women are often depicted sexually and as an object for the viewer’s imagination.
MTV regularly includes girls and women in the role of sex objects in the majority of its shows and videos, but rarely shows women who are serious musicians (except singers). When men are shown in the background of a music video, they are most often fully clothed.
Although the 80’s, 90’s and media of today showcases more women in “tough” action roles usually reserved for men, the “tough girl” still has to fit the mold of young, beautiful and sexy.
In our culture today, women have unprecedented stress to be “everything” (professional, thin and good looking, social, nurturing mother and wife, sex object, homemaker, etc..).

Why are girls so awful to each other?

According to the National Education Association, on a daily basis, 160,000 girls and young women nationwide report missing school out of fear of aggression of other girls.
What is relational aggression?
Relational aggression – acts that “harm others through damage (or threat of damage) to relationships or feelings of acceptance, friendship, or group inclusion.”
The relationship itself is used as a weapon intended to damage self-esteem or social status within a group.
EXAMPLES…
Ignoring someone to punish them or get your way
Revealing a secret or spreading a rumor to get back at someone
Excluding someone socially for revenge
Using negative body language or facial expressions
Sabotaging someone else’s relationship/s
Threatening to end a relationship unless the friend agrees to a request
Publically or privately bullying over cell phone or internet

What is Cyberbullying?
being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material using technological means.

People bully others through:
personal web pages
social networking sites
cell phones
blogs
text, picture and video messages
email
IMing (instant messaging)

OVERT BULLYING & DISCRIMINATION
Race
Socio-Economic Class
Size
Sexual/Gender Orientation
Religion
Abilities (Physical & Mental)


Girls are socialized to be relationship focused
A girl’s worst fear is isolation… not only because it’s lonely but because in our culture it means there’s something wrong
with her. This leads girls to stay in abusive friendships and later abusive partnerships.

DATING VIOLENCE 101
Dating Violence is….

Repeated verbal, emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse used to frighten, confuse, intimidate, isolate, and control a dating partner and/or the relationship

Always the fault and responsibility of the person doing the hurting. No one deserves to be abused no matter what!

Something that can happen to anyone regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion, economic status, ethnicity, educational and/or national background, or ability.
Early Warning Signs of Teen Dating Violence

Gets too serious about the relationship too fast. Seems overly generous, attentive, attached, or affectionate.
Is jealous and possessive towards her:
won’t let her have certain friends
checks up on her constantly (calling, text messaging, or asking her friends/parents where she is)
won’t accept breaking up
Tries to control her by being very bossy, giving orders, making all the decisions.
May tell her what to wear, how to act, or who she should hang out with.
Doesn’t take her opinions seriously or care what she wants. Puts her down or calls her names.
Is scary. Threatens her, hits or breaks things, carries weapons to show power. She worries about how they will react to things she says or does.
Is violent: has a history of fighting, loses temper quickly, brags about mistreating others, hurts animals. Hits, pushes, pinches, kicks, or threatens to hurt her. Destroys property or gifts between them.
Pressures her for sex, is forceful or scary around sex. Attempts to manipulate or guilt-trip her by saying “If you really loved me you would…”
Abuses drugs or alcohol and either pressures her to use them or won’t allow her to.
Blames her when he/she mistreats her. Says she provoked them, pressed their buttons, made them do it, lead them on.
Demands attention at inappropriate times such as during a class.
Has a history of bad relationships and blames the other person or tells her he/she is worried for her safety.

Research has shown that these issues are major predictors of multiple social-psychological and behavioral difficulties; including:
depression
loneliness
anxiety and anger
self harm / cutting
lower GPA
school drop-out
substance abuse
risky sexual behavior
maladaptive eating patterns
suicidal ideation
delinquency and criminal behavior

Warning Signs Words or actions that cause concern. The cloud is now very dark and has thunder and lightning… it’s going to rain.
Giving things away
Drastic change from severe depression to seemingly happy or at peace
Talking about death or ways to die
Expressing hopelessness
Weight loss
Reckless behavior

Pushing people away /increase in conflict
Grades or school attendance drops
Change in dress or hygiene
Disruptive or rebellious behavior towards peers or adults
HOW TO HELP someone who is about to commit suicide
Act immediately
Stay with the person (unless you are in danger)
Call 911 or go to the local emergency room
Call a suicide hotline
Tell them you don’t want them to die
Listen to them
What can we do?
Understand your own issues with weight, food, body image.
Don’t talk negatively about your own body
Model healthy eating & exercise behavior
MODEL
NOT GOSSIPING - CATCH AND NAME GOSSIP

GOOD CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Look critically at and discuss the unrelenting media influence on body image, gender stereotypes, and sexuality, and relationships
Capitalize on their strengths and talents
Encourage self care
Help them get help
WHAT CAN WE DO?
KEEP COMMUNICATION OPEN
LISTEN & TAKE SERIOUSLY
VALIDATE – CAREFUL NOT TO BLAME
ASK QUESTIONS THAT LEAD TO A SOLUTION RATHER THAN GIVING ADVICE
FOCUS ON STRENGTHS

Saturday, November 08, 2008

October 29th Minutes

SEHS Parent Council Meeting, October 29, 2008

Helen Garrett stood in as facilitator for Connie Wonham.

Principal’s Update – Randy Bernstein

Bomb Scare – Randy was out of town when the school received a bomb scare by telephone last week. It was determined to be a low-credibility threat due to the lack of details. A student working in the office took the call, office staff ordered an evacuation, school district officials and police did a search (no lockers were opened), two periods were interrupted, a letter explaining the threat was sent home with students.

Direct Donation Drive is on the way. We do this twice a year, it is our biggest fundraiser. It goes through EEF. We rely on it. Last year we received over $80,000. Donations help keep classrooms open. Sometimes we get $5K to $10K donors, $150 to $200 donations are most common, but even a $5 participation donation is appreciated.

The newsletter was mailed out today. The Principal’s letter gave more details on Essential Skills.

Mid-term reports will be done next Friday.

School Board Work Session – Right now the school board is considering enrollment management: how many transfers a school can take. SEHS may be capped at 1,500. Right now we’re at 2,000. The new policies will affect staffing: fewer kids, fewer teachers, fewer programs (language, arts. We current have 250 or more kids who live in the Churchill district, while only 40 kids from the South district choose Churchill. HIS at South will be hit the hardest.

Financial Update – Cindy Wright

Directory Sales brought in $3,178. Registration donations were $4,498, $2 short of the goal set at $5,000. (Randy pulled $2 from his wallet to reach our goal.) Scrip sales from July 1 through September were $5,320, $3,800 of that was e-scrip. Cindy introduced our Scrip Publicity Coordinator, Greg Maynard, who is looking at ways to set general goals and develop techniques to enhance scrip sales. Greg passed out a handout detailing trends of e-scrip supporters and revenues. Since 2005 we have been steadily increasing revenues using e-scrip. As of September ’08, we have 609 supporters (people who are signed up for e-scrip with 331 merchants). Analysis of the data indicates that 6% of supporters account for 48% of the gross revenues YTD. Greg reiterated that people who are making purchases from merchants, like Safeway and Market of Choice, could be generating income for SEHS simply by signing up for e-scrip. His group brainstormed ideas of ways to get people to sign up. One idea was to get school groups or clubs who want to raise money for their group to encourage consumers to sign up for scrip. Based on the number of persons the kids got to sign up, the group would be rewarded financially for their efforts. Another idea involved organizing a phone bank to call lists of parents (potential consumers) to walk them through the steps of registering for e-scrip.

Yet another idea was to use Unique Eugene Scrip. This is a paper scrip system that garners a 10% gain for the school. This group consists of 20 different merchants: Blue Moon Jewelry Designs, Dot Dotson’s, Down to Earth, England Audio, Eugene Toy & Hobby, Footwise, Greater Goods, Harlequin Beads & Jewelry, McDonald Gallery Fine Framing, Newman’s Fish Market, Oregon Art Supply, Pacific Winds Music, Passion Flower Design, Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life, Rainbow Optics, Saturday Market, Sequential Biofuels Station, Smith Family Bookstore, Sundance Natural Foods, Tactics Boardshop. This scrip makes a great gift, and imagine if you are purchasing a new bicycle for $300, the school gets $30, or a $400 pair of glasses, $40. Many of these things we buy anyway, why not benefit our school.
Staff Appreciation Day is December 12. Please volunteer to help by calling Kathy Ruggles, our Volunteer Coordinator.

PARENT EDUCATION SERIES “What You May Not Know About Being a Teenage Boy”

Presenters were Brandt Stuart, 4j Mental Health Specialist and Tibor Bessko, South Eugene counselor and leader of Young Men’s Support Group at SEHS.

We are attempting to discuss an endless variety of boys in a short amount of time. We want to hear from you about anything specific you are struggling with. Boys are confusing. Most of us didn’t get any help with that and we are still trying to work it out. Our struggle is partly because we haven’t worked it out ourselves.

The presenters asked the audience what they really love about our boys and wrote those things inside a circle drawn on a white board. Some things contributed by the audience were: humor, intelligence, energy, strength, relationships less complicated, boys have a totally different perspective, I’m learning about a whole different kind of music, arts, culture is new for us, acceptance, tolerance for others, appreciation, compassion, sensitivity, hugging, displays of affection, competitive and genuine, wit, critical thinking, unexpected strengths or interests, comfort with his identity, wider degree of being who you want to be, tenacity, navigating non-stop physical changes.

Outside of the circle—What are all the things that keep boys from being all these things? Responses from the audience were: Calling each other “faggot” – they use that word a lot, “gay” “you’re so gay.” Brandt said that we need to challenge them when they say that. Ask them, “What do you actually mean by that?” Obscenity is very prevalent in music, lyrics. Stereotypes – he’s a jock, nerd, there’s a bigger menu, but still pigeonholing. Girls have closed the gap in math and language arts, some boys are feeling that. Cruelty – it’s not cool to show too much enthusiasm or compassion, to be over-emotive, it is perceived as weak. Cliques – feeling compelled to get under a label. My son is hiding or lost, I am waiting for him to come out of his shell. There is a lot of trying on different hats, seeing where they fit. They keep in their emotions because they think they are supposed to handle it – vulnerability. Addictive behaviors. Win to be accepted, desire to fit in. Conflicting messages – pressure to be sensitive and pressure to win. Double bind. Having to negotiate the cultural expectations. Exhaustion, anger, depression. As a parent, you can see they are having difficulty, but if you say anything, they shut down. Apathy, low self esteem, not a winner. I feel like I am trying to ballet dance on egg shells, he says, “You don’t get it.” Do I step back? When am I going to know him again? How do you get your support? Tibor suggested to talk with people at school, share with other parents, read books on handout list. Isolation – even with their best closest friends, it’s really hard for them to say, “I’m really hurting.” Brandt said that developmental passage is complicated by marijuana, gaming and other risky behaviors. An adult male in the audience said he experiences the same things but doesn’t have time to deal with it because of his responsibilities. It’s not really a passage. We get better at dealing with these things. As men we still deal with it, but all of us are struggling. Boys see this on the faces of the men around them.

Brandt – Setting Limits, Anybody having any luck with that? Audience response: Overhovering – we are doing too many favors for them. Should we toughen them up? Are we being too vigilant, giving them too much attention. “My mom is all over me.” Experiment with not saying that thing you always say. Be careful of overcompensating (mom too lenient to make up for rigid dad or vise versa) try for a good balance. We all have a desire to help and guide, but we have our own set of issues , our own stuff guides our interactions with our child. Talk through what makes sense. How much comes from your own anxiety. Worrying is not really what’s going to help them. As parents, we are not always going to get it right – 75% is OK.
Negotiating turbulence – You can always come back to stuff later when you’re not so hot tempered. Communicate that there is unfinished business and you have to work this out.

Tibor asked his Young Men’s Support Group, “What would you like to tell a group of parents eager to hear about young men’s issues?”

Their responses: It’s harder for us to focus, We are heavily distracted by breasts, Moms don’t understand us and we don’t want to be understood (conflict), Gaming is a vicarious way for us to vent anger and can take your mind off of uncomfortable feelings, How to communicate with us, Communication is not all that enjoyable, Easier to communicate with males, Get to know our ways better. We are more nonverbally oriented, You don’t understand sarcasm, The silent treatment is a way to get back at or punish parents, Valor is important, ie, the willingness to put yourself on the line… “I won’t hold your hand or say I love you but I’d die for you!”, Brotherhood is important. We are impressionable, stupid and act on a whim, Take time to find out what we are interested in, Teenage boys are going to be moody, mean and angry. This is a temporary condition so it would be best to not take it personally, Food is the answer to everything! Don’t baby us.


Handout notes:
Tips for Communicating with, Understanding and Supporting Boys
-Food is the answer to almost everything
-Relationship building opportunities arise when you least expect them
-Communication may be happening without words being directly spoken
-Needing to have the last word is not recommended. In fact give them the last word
-Avoid generalizations and sarcasm when in conflict.
-Consequences don’t need to be immediate to be effective/you’ve got time to think and consult
-Pick your battles
-If you need to have a discussion, arrange a time, stick to the time (not too long), avoid lecturing and nagging
-Keep your sense of humor/read “Zits”
-Remind yourself that adolescence is a phase, not a permanent condition
-Encourage activities that allow for “natural highs”, especially outdoors
-Encourage regular exercise
-Excessive time using electronics may be a bigger problem than the content. Set reasonable limits on both fronts
_When frazzled, exhausted and on-edge, take care of yourself. It’ll make the work of parenting teen boys more manageable
-Talk to others in confidence about your concerns. You are not alone.
-Look for small successes/victories and share the specifics with them. All boys want to be seen as effective and useful.

Resources

The Trouble with Boys – Peg Tyre 2008
Raising Cain – Kindlon and Thompson 1999
Real Boys –William Pollack 1998
The Wonder of Boys –Gurian 1997
The Minds Of Boys: Saving our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life – Gurian 2005
Web Site - http://www.pbs.org/parents/raising boys