Sep 30th Minutes
Parent Council Meeting Minutes – September 30, 2009
Mark Rosen introduced himself as Parent Council Chair. A list of Parent Council Leader and contact numbers are listed in this year’s directory.
Principal’s Update -- Randy Bernstein
South now has 50 more students than were projected last spring. Half of these students are at the freshman level. In the long term this will probably keep our numbers up, but right now we are dealing with staffing and have larger classes for freshmen than we expected.
This week we began lunch detention for students having unexcused absences from the prior week. Although South is considered an “open campus”, missing classes without an excuse is not acceptable.
Technology upgrades for most classrooms have been installed. Almost all teachers have laptops, most classrooms have ceiling mounted projectors. There are 20 new document cameras, and DVD players are hooked into the ceiling projectors. Teachers are learning how to use the new technology and we are working on teaching the students as well. We have good momentum going so far this year.
Afterschool Homework help is being offered in Room 714 where there will be peer tutors, college tutors and a staff person to help.
The district-wide initiative for Algebra I assessments has some students who didn’t pass all 16 assessments coming to afterschool classes. This is required reteaching and retesting for students who failed.
Marilyn Cooley announced that Kids Down South received a Community 101 Grant. She is using the grant to teach students about grant making. Students will research non-profit organizations, send out requests for proposals, evaluate the proposals and decide who should receive the grant money.
The proposed Cardio Center, which began fundraising last year, is already through the city permit phase. Construction will begin in the next few weeks. The cardio center will have 30 stations for treadmills, bikes, and machines in a secure, gated area in the gym balcony.
Financial Update – Cindy Wright
We ended last year with total assets over $50,000. Scrip was down from previous years, directory sales was down from previous years by about $2,000. Paper scrip is doing better. We have the money to pay for what we said we’d pay for this year. We are raising money now for next year.
SEHS Parent Council raises funds through Interest Income and fundraising (directory sales, donations and scrip). It pays for routine budget items such as the e-mail server, speakers, meetings, staff and volunteer appreciation, graduation party, etc. It also pays for school programs such as AVID, Volunteer Coordinator, library assistant, and math (0.11FTE).
Scrip is the easiest way to raise funds since we receive money from merchants for purchases that student families would make anyway. All that is needed is to register online for eScrip or Alberton’s scrip program, or purchase paper scrip for Unique Eugene from the school office. Twenty businesses in Eugene offer 10% of your purchase to be donated to South just for planning ahead. If you plan to buy a bicycle, eyeglasses, shoes, food, housewares, etc., check out Unique Eugene, buy their paper scrip, and earn money for South. It’s that simple. Update your Albertson’s card and sign up for eScrip now.
Authorizing Expenses – Mark Rosen
We had a new situation arise when we had a parent social before the open house this month. We needed money to buy refreshments, but no one on Parent Council knew who could authorize the expenditure. Mark made a motion that the Parent Council Chair be able to authorize expenses up to $400.
E-news Editorial Policy – Mark Rosen
Mark deferred this agenda item until the next meeting due to lack of time.
Cross-Reference Directory – Mark Rosen
Mark proposed that we find a parent volunteer to create a PDF cross-reference of parents and students who have different last names, and place this document online to facilitate finding numbers for those students and parents. Khrystal Berry volunteered to do that.
Donate One Minute or More Campaign – Mark Rosen
Mark proposed that we adopt a campaign phrase “Donate One Minute or More” to encourage parent-to-parent communication to promote or take action on behalf of SEHS. We could use this phrase repeatedly as a motivation to sign up for eScrip, purchase Unique Eugene, remind a friend about various scrip programs, etc. Mark made a motion that we use this phrase as a campaign slogan. All present voted in favor with one abstention.
South’s Next School Improvement Plan – Mark Rosen
Every three years the school institutes a new School Improvement Plan that the school’s Site Council develops and approves. Next year will mark the beginning of the next 3-year plan that Site Council will adopt this year. Historically, Parent Council was not involved in the School Improvement Plan. This year Mark hopes Parent Council will actively gather input from parents based on what they hear from their students, identify the most worthy ideas for enhancing the school, and suggest these ideas to Site Council for consideration.
As an example, Mark said he would be interested in discussing ways the school could reduce stress for students to produce more positive attitudes. What motivates students? What de-motivates them? Do some teachers motivate their students and induce less stress than others, and should the school adopt their techniques and policies more widely? What are we doing well that can be done better?
Parent Council attendees responded with questions and comments: IHS gets time management help in freshman project, Classic South has freshman advisory. We have done some surveys, senior exit survey is anonymous, gives feedback. Student Government is one venue that could be used for feedback. We could use eNEWS to get parent feedback. Some stress is necessary: students need to be preparing for an adult world. There is room for improvement on “best practices” but we should also consider teacher autonomy.
As another example, both Mark and Randy talked about helping students prepare more deeply for college and adulthood, such as learning advanced critical thinking skills for evaluating and mastering what they read. They both feel the next School Improvement Plan should include wider support for such skills.
Mark would like to gather ideas for the School Improvement Plan through online surveys and collaborative groups, and feels Parent Council should discuss an implementation plan at the next Parent Council meeting in October. He asked informally how parents felt about contributing ideas to the next School Improvement Plan, and nearly all parents at the meeting indicated they would like to work on this.
Parent Education Series – September 30, 2009 -- Clubs and Extracurricular Activities at South
Jen Wyld , Parent Education Coordinator, invited parents to write down five of their favorite memories from high school and a few memories of teachers or administrators who influenced their lives in high school. Parents spent a few minutes sharing those memories among those persons at their tables, then with the larger group. The common thread was that extracurricular activities gave us more enjoyment from our high school experience. Jen cited from some articles examples of how participation in clubs and activities can impact our children’s lives for the better. According to the articles there is definitive evidence that greater involvement in extracurricular activities is associated with better academic grades. It can have a big impact on their college application process. It is important to have a commitment to something, make a meaningful contribution. It can help students identify their career goals and develop social skills for the work place.
Jen invited three students to speak:
The first student expressed her gratitude for being able to attend a school with a lot of extracurricular activities. She is on the Debate Team because she wants to become a lawyer. It has helped her be a better speaker and has improved her researching skills. She also is on the softball team because she wanted to meet new people. The school provides some funding for Debate activity, but most of it is paid for by students. Debaters travel to different colleges and get to know the schools. In their meetings, the debaters are preparing demonstrations and writing letters to get some sponsors. They are recruiting for new members through posters, English honors classes and a table at Club Day. The Debate Team is adding Speech as a second category this year. They are also talking to the drama department about Acting. The Debate team is trying to increase their activities this year by reaching the Nationals.
The second student spoke about Concert Choir and Stage Craft. She is now head electrician in Drama. Drama is her home-away-from-home. Drama has helped her understand deadlines, that she must have things done on time. She encourages students to become involved in theater behind the scenes in set design and painting. Being involved in drama has helped her improve her time management skills. Students should show up at auditions and express interest.
The third student is in Golf. He went to a tournament once a week, took trips and made lots of new friends. South’s Golf team won state last year.
A parent spoke about Mock Trial Club. This club began two years ago. They meet once a week and it doesn’t cost very much. Kids are assigned parts in a trial and role play. Also, kids do not miss a lot of school by traveling long distances.
Randy Bernstein gave a brief description of Club Day. Students set up tables to advertise their club. Students can start a club or join or just learn more information. Some clubs are intermittent, others have regular meetings. All clubs have an adult advisor, but not necessarily a teacher. They may meet at school or at someone’s home. Clubs are categorized by tiers. Tier One activities, such as OSAA sports and athletics are sponsored through the school. Tier Two activities, such as rowing and lacrosse, are club sports that are not organized through the school. There is a list of clubs at South on the web site, and it will be updated again in late October.
Mark Rosen introduced himself as Parent Council Chair. A list of Parent Council Leader and contact numbers are listed in this year’s directory.
Principal’s Update -- Randy Bernstein
South now has 50 more students than were projected last spring. Half of these students are at the freshman level. In the long term this will probably keep our numbers up, but right now we are dealing with staffing and have larger classes for freshmen than we expected.
This week we began lunch detention for students having unexcused absences from the prior week. Although South is considered an “open campus”, missing classes without an excuse is not acceptable.
Technology upgrades for most classrooms have been installed. Almost all teachers have laptops, most classrooms have ceiling mounted projectors. There are 20 new document cameras, and DVD players are hooked into the ceiling projectors. Teachers are learning how to use the new technology and we are working on teaching the students as well. We have good momentum going so far this year.
Afterschool Homework help is being offered in Room 714 where there will be peer tutors, college tutors and a staff person to help.
The district-wide initiative for Algebra I assessments has some students who didn’t pass all 16 assessments coming to afterschool classes. This is required reteaching and retesting for students who failed.
Marilyn Cooley announced that Kids Down South received a Community 101 Grant. She is using the grant to teach students about grant making. Students will research non-profit organizations, send out requests for proposals, evaluate the proposals and decide who should receive the grant money.
The proposed Cardio Center, which began fundraising last year, is already through the city permit phase. Construction will begin in the next few weeks. The cardio center will have 30 stations for treadmills, bikes, and machines in a secure, gated area in the gym balcony.
Financial Update – Cindy Wright
We ended last year with total assets over $50,000. Scrip was down from previous years, directory sales was down from previous years by about $2,000. Paper scrip is doing better. We have the money to pay for what we said we’d pay for this year. We are raising money now for next year.
SEHS Parent Council raises funds through Interest Income and fundraising (directory sales, donations and scrip). It pays for routine budget items such as the e-mail server, speakers, meetings, staff and volunteer appreciation, graduation party, etc. It also pays for school programs such as AVID, Volunteer Coordinator, library assistant, and math (0.11FTE).
Scrip is the easiest way to raise funds since we receive money from merchants for purchases that student families would make anyway. All that is needed is to register online for eScrip or Alberton’s scrip program, or purchase paper scrip for Unique Eugene from the school office. Twenty businesses in Eugene offer 10% of your purchase to be donated to South just for planning ahead. If you plan to buy a bicycle, eyeglasses, shoes, food, housewares, etc., check out Unique Eugene, buy their paper scrip, and earn money for South. It’s that simple. Update your Albertson’s card and sign up for eScrip now.
Authorizing Expenses – Mark Rosen
We had a new situation arise when we had a parent social before the open house this month. We needed money to buy refreshments, but no one on Parent Council knew who could authorize the expenditure. Mark made a motion that the Parent Council Chair be able to authorize expenses up to $400.
E-news Editorial Policy – Mark Rosen
Mark deferred this agenda item until the next meeting due to lack of time.
Cross-Reference Directory – Mark Rosen
Mark proposed that we find a parent volunteer to create a PDF cross-reference of parents and students who have different last names, and place this document online to facilitate finding numbers for those students and parents. Khrystal Berry volunteered to do that.
Donate One Minute or More Campaign – Mark Rosen
Mark proposed that we adopt a campaign phrase “Donate One Minute or More” to encourage parent-to-parent communication to promote or take action on behalf of SEHS. We could use this phrase repeatedly as a motivation to sign up for eScrip, purchase Unique Eugene, remind a friend about various scrip programs, etc. Mark made a motion that we use this phrase as a campaign slogan. All present voted in favor with one abstention.
South’s Next School Improvement Plan – Mark Rosen
Every three years the school institutes a new School Improvement Plan that the school’s Site Council develops and approves. Next year will mark the beginning of the next 3-year plan that Site Council will adopt this year. Historically, Parent Council was not involved in the School Improvement Plan. This year Mark hopes Parent Council will actively gather input from parents based on what they hear from their students, identify the most worthy ideas for enhancing the school, and suggest these ideas to Site Council for consideration.
As an example, Mark said he would be interested in discussing ways the school could reduce stress for students to produce more positive attitudes. What motivates students? What de-motivates them? Do some teachers motivate their students and induce less stress than others, and should the school adopt their techniques and policies more widely? What are we doing well that can be done better?
Parent Council attendees responded with questions and comments: IHS gets time management help in freshman project, Classic South has freshman advisory. We have done some surveys, senior exit survey is anonymous, gives feedback. Student Government is one venue that could be used for feedback. We could use eNEWS to get parent feedback. Some stress is necessary: students need to be preparing for an adult world. There is room for improvement on “best practices” but we should also consider teacher autonomy.
As another example, both Mark and Randy talked about helping students prepare more deeply for college and adulthood, such as learning advanced critical thinking skills for evaluating and mastering what they read. They both feel the next School Improvement Plan should include wider support for such skills.
Mark would like to gather ideas for the School Improvement Plan through online surveys and collaborative groups, and feels Parent Council should discuss an implementation plan at the next Parent Council meeting in October. He asked informally how parents felt about contributing ideas to the next School Improvement Plan, and nearly all parents at the meeting indicated they would like to work on this.
Parent Education Series – September 30, 2009 -- Clubs and Extracurricular Activities at South
Jen Wyld , Parent Education Coordinator, invited parents to write down five of their favorite memories from high school and a few memories of teachers or administrators who influenced their lives in high school. Parents spent a few minutes sharing those memories among those persons at their tables, then with the larger group. The common thread was that extracurricular activities gave us more enjoyment from our high school experience. Jen cited from some articles examples of how participation in clubs and activities can impact our children’s lives for the better. According to the articles there is definitive evidence that greater involvement in extracurricular activities is associated with better academic grades. It can have a big impact on their college application process. It is important to have a commitment to something, make a meaningful contribution. It can help students identify their career goals and develop social skills for the work place.
Jen invited three students to speak:
The first student expressed her gratitude for being able to attend a school with a lot of extracurricular activities. She is on the Debate Team because she wants to become a lawyer. It has helped her be a better speaker and has improved her researching skills. She also is on the softball team because she wanted to meet new people. The school provides some funding for Debate activity, but most of it is paid for by students. Debaters travel to different colleges and get to know the schools. In their meetings, the debaters are preparing demonstrations and writing letters to get some sponsors. They are recruiting for new members through posters, English honors classes and a table at Club Day. The Debate Team is adding Speech as a second category this year. They are also talking to the drama department about Acting. The Debate team is trying to increase their activities this year by reaching the Nationals.
The second student spoke about Concert Choir and Stage Craft. She is now head electrician in Drama. Drama is her home-away-from-home. Drama has helped her understand deadlines, that she must have things done on time. She encourages students to become involved in theater behind the scenes in set design and painting. Being involved in drama has helped her improve her time management skills. Students should show up at auditions and express interest.
The third student is in Golf. He went to a tournament once a week, took trips and made lots of new friends. South’s Golf team won state last year.
A parent spoke about Mock Trial Club. This club began two years ago. They meet once a week and it doesn’t cost very much. Kids are assigned parts in a trial and role play. Also, kids do not miss a lot of school by traveling long distances.
Randy Bernstein gave a brief description of Club Day. Students set up tables to advertise their club. Students can start a club or join or just learn more information. Some clubs are intermittent, others have regular meetings. All clubs have an adult advisor, but not necessarily a teacher. They may meet at school or at someone’s home. Clubs are categorized by tiers. Tier One activities, such as OSAA sports and athletics are sponsored through the school. Tier Two activities, such as rowing and lacrosse, are club sports that are not organized through the school. There is a list of clubs at South on the web site, and it will be updated again in late October.
posted by Parent Council @ 9:02 PM
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