January 23rd -Meeting and Education Series Minutes
January 23, 2009 Parent Council Meeting Minutes
Principal’s Update – delivered by Eric Anderson
1. Eric mentioned goodsearch.com as a money making tool. Basically, it is a Yahoo search engine. Every time you search, you get a penny back. If we get people going, we can collect a lot of money for the school. Just google goodsearch.com and select a charity. There is also a box for goodshop, where 3% of whatever you buy will go to the school for staffing.
2. The Direct Donation Drive is on track for $90,000 goal. The fund is at $46K right now. The next letter goes out March 1st. Only 191 families have donated so far, so there is a lot of potential for more money to come. We appreciate receiving the donations that have come in and encourage those who have not yet done so to contribute.
3. Staffing and Budget plans are being made, but right now it is a lot of guess work. We will receive the state budget information on Friday, February 13. As it stands right now, we are projecting a loss of 5 to 7 teachers, not including administration. That’s 30 sections of classes gone.
Parent question: What departments will be hit hardest? Eric: It depends on the teacher student ratio. The average number of students per section is 29, but some sections have as many as 40. Summer Bridge will be either reduced or cut completely.
Advisory may be cut. Some of the decisions will be based on student interest or demand. There may be some union issues involved over seniority and experience. South’s enrollment is down 70 students. We are trying to build back through donations. These financial hard times have a huge financial impact. NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE, but the district is looking at all possibilities. We must determine what we hold sacred. We are trying to keep programs we hold dear.
Parent question: What is driving the reduced enrollment of 4j? Eric: Middle schools have been shrinking, as the south district’s population ages. Families with school age children are moving to Bethel and Sheldon. Almost ½ of our population was transfers, but now the district is placing our enrollment cap at 1500 next year. Churchill has been struggling to keep its students at Churchill.
Parent question: Does the redistricting of sports teams affect enrollment? Eric: Sports do not drive our academic decisions. We want to do what is best for students academically.
Eric: We are also having to deal with families of the kids during these hard times. Sometimes the school has to hold things together when families suffer. We have to be strong for the kids. We don’t know if the federal funding will come through.
Financial Update – Cindy Wright
Fundraising Net Income as of January 1, 2009
Directories $2,974
Donations 4,500
Scrip 9,229
Total $16,703
When we look at the budget in view of the economic situation, scrip becomes so much more important because it is a large portion of our fundraising net income and it is an easy, no-cost-to-you way to raise money. The money that we bring in this year is what we will use for next year. Last year we voted to fund this year’s expenses for library staffing (2.25 hrs.), graduation party, music (.12 hrs.), staff appreciation, volunteer appreciation, volunteer coordinator (2 hrs.), and others. We will need to decide how we will use our reserves for next year. We will need to examine our priorities for next year.
Volunteer Opportunities – Helen Garrett
We are looking for a parent to step up to be a fundraising coordinator. This would involve sifting through information that is sent, usually by e-mail, that describes ways that schools can raise funds. Many companies are capitalizing on the fundraising angle to advertise their goods or services. Some of these are just scams, others may be worth a look.
We are also looking for a parent volunteer for the Graduation Party.
LTD Bus Route Issue – Julia Pommert from Churchill Parent Council, cell phone 556-3483
LTD is slashing bus service by 14.5%, cutting all five “high school routes” because of a revision to the Federal Transit Administration rules making them illegal. This is not entirely the result of budget deficits. If the rules are allowed to stand, LTD will continue to be prohibited from serving students even when its budget improves. Julia proposed that parents and members of the community voice opposition to these rules to the Federal Transit Administration by February 17, 2009:
“The Federal Transit Administration rules should allow transit districts to offer school routes at the request of school districts when the school district operates the only existing school bus service.”
You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 1-202-493-2251
• U.S. Post or Express Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: The West Building of the U.S. Department of Transportation
Stand for Children – Jan Wyld
Jan was here to encourage parents to attend the Presidents Day Rally to Protect Kids & Schools, Monday, February 16, 2009, State Capitol Steps, Salem, 12 to 1pm, rain or shine, to keep from losing ground, legislators need to hear that Oregonians support reasonable revenue increases and targeted investments in education. Register at www.stand.org/or/rally to attend the rally, sign up to meet with your legislators, and book your seat on a bus.
Back to the Principal’s Update – Eric Anderson
4. Cardio Center: Danielle DeGrange , athletics teacher, has been working on setting up a cardio center in the balcony of the gym (see previous meeting minutes). Aroebic machines are starting to come. A dance-a-thon is being planned to raise funds. It will cost $100-150K to put in to place. A parent donor has put down $40K and has pledged $40K more. Please donate and participate in the dance-a-thon.
Parent Education Series –How to Play Sports in College: Division I, II, III and Beyond
Presenter – Helen Garrett
Panel – Tara Erickson, Head Women’s Soccer Coach, UO; Kathy Ruggles, Career Center Coordinator, SEHS; Leanne Brooks, UO Athletics; Justin (?), SEHS senior who is going to play football in college; and Whitney Clark, Brown University ’08, SEHS ’04, College Athlete.
If you love your sport, and you are a student athlete, you should pursue it in college. Information is available in the Career Center to help students seek their own level. Kathy Ruggles has the role of talking to student athletes who want to pursue their sport in college.
Not many students make it to Division I level, but student athletes have a good chance of participating in their sport in small colleges. Community Colleges are often a good place for students to build their academic credentials. Student athletes can play at schools like College of the Siskyous, where they won’t have to pay out of state tuition. Smaller schools have a little more flexibility in grades, like Southern Oregon University, OIT in Klamath Falls, and N.W Christian College. Division III colleges technically don’t give scholarships for sports, but they do give money for talent, merit, need, financial aid packages, and grants. Some of these schools are Lynnfield, Lewis & Clark, Pacific, Willamette, PLU, Whitworth in Spokane. Some Division II schools are in Eastern Oregon, Central Washington, and Seattle Pacific.
Students are encouraged to seek out their own level and let coaches know you are interested by e-mailing, going to camps. They should figure out how to get noticed, even in the sophomore year. Students should go to the CRC to get resources to look at colleges that fit their criteria. Students should take the PSAT in October of their junior year and the SAT in spring of Junior year.
Most important, students should take care of business in the classroom, take challenging classes, get solid grades (no D’s), Div. I requires 16 academic core classes. Students should review the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, which was passed out as a handout at this meeting, but can be found on the internet at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
In the summer of her junior year, Whitney made lists of desirable schools and sent tapes of her playing soccer in club sports.
She also attended camps. She was contacted by Brown University for an official visit. She had 24 hours to acquaint herself with the campus. She met coaches, players, and felt it was a good fit.
Justin grew up wanting to play for the Ducks, but in his sophomore year he became more realistic. He began looking at smaller schools. Last summer he went to six football camps, where Oregon State coaches were watching. The head coach from Princeton invited him to Princeton, where he discovered very serious competition. Some coaches asked for highlight films. He advises students to make a good impression by dressing up for visits. Wear nice clothes, you really want to impress them.
Whitney and Justin agreed that good study skills at an early age are very important. You need to be organized to fit in homework and sports schedule. They both had well over a 3. Average.
Tara said that coaches cast their nets pretty wide to 10th and 11th graders by sending letters to potential athletes. A lot of students come to us, unless they are the cream of the crop. She suggests students be pro-active. They should send out e-mails, answer questionnaires and maintain contact.
Leanne recommended that students attend to the technical stuff, like keeping track of grades and transcripts. Make sure your records are accurate and you are taking the right courses. Students should register with the NCAA eligibility center to determine if they are qualifiers. Make sure you have approved courses—they can be picky.
High school coaches used to be the essential piece when talking about players, but recruiters now want to talk to as many people about players as possible. They talk to teachers, counselors, etc.
Highlight tapes are important. Coaches recommend that you load it up onto U-Tube, because it is so much easier to view. Coaches like to see the good and the bad, a great game against a reasonable opponent. They want to be able to identify the kid they are looking at, for example, the girl with the ponytail and red striped socks. Coaches look for potential, they like the camera on the kid for the entire game, what does the kid do when there’s no action on their part of the field? How do they stay engaged?
Track and Field players are mostly measured by statistics, numbers don’t lie. Tapes are not that important. Players should still make contact with colleges, keep records, going to camps.
Whitney said that college wasn’t such a shock to her because she had learned early on to balance academics and athletics. Traveling is hard and homework gets done on the bus.
In Division I, sport is your job all year long, not just for the season. Students are a lot more focused on their sport. They can go from big fish to a small pond. College has a lot more freedom and it is tempting to skip a class. Sometimes students are not so much in the limelight as they are accustomed.
Justin said you have to love what you do. It’s a huge, huge time commitment.
Principal’s Update – delivered by Eric Anderson
1. Eric mentioned goodsearch.com as a money making tool. Basically, it is a Yahoo search engine. Every time you search, you get a penny back. If we get people going, we can collect a lot of money for the school. Just google goodsearch.com and select a charity. There is also a box for goodshop, where 3% of whatever you buy will go to the school for staffing.
2. The Direct Donation Drive is on track for $90,000 goal. The fund is at $46K right now. The next letter goes out March 1st. Only 191 families have donated so far, so there is a lot of potential for more money to come. We appreciate receiving the donations that have come in and encourage those who have not yet done so to contribute.
3. Staffing and Budget plans are being made, but right now it is a lot of guess work. We will receive the state budget information on Friday, February 13. As it stands right now, we are projecting a loss of 5 to 7 teachers, not including administration. That’s 30 sections of classes gone.
Parent question: What departments will be hit hardest? Eric: It depends on the teacher student ratio. The average number of students per section is 29, but some sections have as many as 40. Summer Bridge will be either reduced or cut completely.
Advisory may be cut. Some of the decisions will be based on student interest or demand. There may be some union issues involved over seniority and experience. South’s enrollment is down 70 students. We are trying to build back through donations. These financial hard times have a huge financial impact. NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE, but the district is looking at all possibilities. We must determine what we hold sacred. We are trying to keep programs we hold dear.
Parent question: What is driving the reduced enrollment of 4j? Eric: Middle schools have been shrinking, as the south district’s population ages. Families with school age children are moving to Bethel and Sheldon. Almost ½ of our population was transfers, but now the district is placing our enrollment cap at 1500 next year. Churchill has been struggling to keep its students at Churchill.
Parent question: Does the redistricting of sports teams affect enrollment? Eric: Sports do not drive our academic decisions. We want to do what is best for students academically.
Eric: We are also having to deal with families of the kids during these hard times. Sometimes the school has to hold things together when families suffer. We have to be strong for the kids. We don’t know if the federal funding will come through.
Financial Update – Cindy Wright
Fundraising Net Income as of January 1, 2009
Directories $2,974
Donations 4,500
Scrip 9,229
Total $16,703
When we look at the budget in view of the economic situation, scrip becomes so much more important because it is a large portion of our fundraising net income and it is an easy, no-cost-to-you way to raise money. The money that we bring in this year is what we will use for next year. Last year we voted to fund this year’s expenses for library staffing (2.25 hrs.), graduation party, music (.12 hrs.), staff appreciation, volunteer appreciation, volunteer coordinator (2 hrs.), and others. We will need to decide how we will use our reserves for next year. We will need to examine our priorities for next year.
Volunteer Opportunities – Helen Garrett
We are looking for a parent to step up to be a fundraising coordinator. This would involve sifting through information that is sent, usually by e-mail, that describes ways that schools can raise funds. Many companies are capitalizing on the fundraising angle to advertise their goods or services. Some of these are just scams, others may be worth a look.
We are also looking for a parent volunteer for the Graduation Party.
LTD Bus Route Issue – Julia Pommert from Churchill Parent Council, cell phone 556-3483
LTD is slashing bus service by 14.5%, cutting all five “high school routes” because of a revision to the Federal Transit Administration rules making them illegal. This is not entirely the result of budget deficits. If the rules are allowed to stand, LTD will continue to be prohibited from serving students even when its budget improves. Julia proposed that parents and members of the community voice opposition to these rules to the Federal Transit Administration by February 17, 2009:
“The Federal Transit Administration rules should allow transit districts to offer school routes at the request of school districts when the school district operates the only existing school bus service.”
You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 1-202-493-2251
• U.S. Post or Express Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: The West Building of the U.S. Department of Transportation
Stand for Children – Jan Wyld
Jan was here to encourage parents to attend the Presidents Day Rally to Protect Kids & Schools, Monday, February 16, 2009, State Capitol Steps, Salem, 12 to 1pm, rain or shine, to keep from losing ground, legislators need to hear that Oregonians support reasonable revenue increases and targeted investments in education. Register at www.stand.org/or/rally to attend the rally, sign up to meet with your legislators, and book your seat on a bus.
Back to the Principal’s Update – Eric Anderson
4. Cardio Center: Danielle DeGrange , athletics teacher, has been working on setting up a cardio center in the balcony of the gym (see previous meeting minutes). Aroebic machines are starting to come. A dance-a-thon is being planned to raise funds. It will cost $100-150K to put in to place. A parent donor has put down $40K and has pledged $40K more. Please donate and participate in the dance-a-thon.
Parent Education Series –How to Play Sports in College: Division I, II, III and Beyond
Presenter – Helen Garrett
Panel – Tara Erickson, Head Women’s Soccer Coach, UO; Kathy Ruggles, Career Center Coordinator, SEHS; Leanne Brooks, UO Athletics; Justin (?), SEHS senior who is going to play football in college; and Whitney Clark, Brown University ’08, SEHS ’04, College Athlete.
If you love your sport, and you are a student athlete, you should pursue it in college. Information is available in the Career Center to help students seek their own level. Kathy Ruggles has the role of talking to student athletes who want to pursue their sport in college.
Not many students make it to Division I level, but student athletes have a good chance of participating in their sport in small colleges. Community Colleges are often a good place for students to build their academic credentials. Student athletes can play at schools like College of the Siskyous, where they won’t have to pay out of state tuition. Smaller schools have a little more flexibility in grades, like Southern Oregon University, OIT in Klamath Falls, and N.W Christian College. Division III colleges technically don’t give scholarships for sports, but they do give money for talent, merit, need, financial aid packages, and grants. Some of these schools are Lynnfield, Lewis & Clark, Pacific, Willamette, PLU, Whitworth in Spokane. Some Division II schools are in Eastern Oregon, Central Washington, and Seattle Pacific.
Students are encouraged to seek out their own level and let coaches know you are interested by e-mailing, going to camps. They should figure out how to get noticed, even in the sophomore year. Students should go to the CRC to get resources to look at colleges that fit their criteria. Students should take the PSAT in October of their junior year and the SAT in spring of Junior year.
Most important, students should take care of business in the classroom, take challenging classes, get solid grades (no D’s), Div. I requires 16 academic core classes. Students should review the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, which was passed out as a handout at this meeting, but can be found on the internet at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
In the summer of her junior year, Whitney made lists of desirable schools and sent tapes of her playing soccer in club sports.
She also attended camps. She was contacted by Brown University for an official visit. She had 24 hours to acquaint herself with the campus. She met coaches, players, and felt it was a good fit.
Justin grew up wanting to play for the Ducks, but in his sophomore year he became more realistic. He began looking at smaller schools. Last summer he went to six football camps, where Oregon State coaches were watching. The head coach from Princeton invited him to Princeton, where he discovered very serious competition. Some coaches asked for highlight films. He advises students to make a good impression by dressing up for visits. Wear nice clothes, you really want to impress them.
Whitney and Justin agreed that good study skills at an early age are very important. You need to be organized to fit in homework and sports schedule. They both had well over a 3. Average.
Tara said that coaches cast their nets pretty wide to 10th and 11th graders by sending letters to potential athletes. A lot of students come to us, unless they are the cream of the crop. She suggests students be pro-active. They should send out e-mails, answer questionnaires and maintain contact.
Leanne recommended that students attend to the technical stuff, like keeping track of grades and transcripts. Make sure your records are accurate and you are taking the right courses. Students should register with the NCAA eligibility center to determine if they are qualifiers. Make sure you have approved courses—they can be picky.
High school coaches used to be the essential piece when talking about players, but recruiters now want to talk to as many people about players as possible. They talk to teachers, counselors, etc.
Highlight tapes are important. Coaches recommend that you load it up onto U-Tube, because it is so much easier to view. Coaches like to see the good and the bad, a great game against a reasonable opponent. They want to be able to identify the kid they are looking at, for example, the girl with the ponytail and red striped socks. Coaches look for potential, they like the camera on the kid for the entire game, what does the kid do when there’s no action on their part of the field? How do they stay engaged?
Track and Field players are mostly measured by statistics, numbers don’t lie. Tapes are not that important. Players should still make contact with colleges, keep records, going to camps.
Whitney said that college wasn’t such a shock to her because she had learned early on to balance academics and athletics. Traveling is hard and homework gets done on the bus.
In Division I, sport is your job all year long, not just for the season. Students are a lot more focused on their sport. They can go from big fish to a small pond. College has a lot more freedom and it is tempting to skip a class. Sometimes students are not so much in the limelight as they are accustomed.
Justin said you have to love what you do. It’s a huge, huge time commitment.
posted by Parent Council @ 9:10 AM
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