WMPCS Community Meeting Sep 8-2011 Minutes v1 Washington Montessori Public Charter School Minutes for Community Meeting

held Sep. 8, 2011 NEXT Community Meeting: Nov. 10, 6:30 pm Agenda Items 5K fundraiser Auction Volunteers MPTO Update Mr. Jones Report to Community Communication Art Room Book Fair Montessori Moment 5K and 1-Mile fun Run/Walk Fundraiser Anita Purser reviewed the details for this MPTO fundraiser, new this year and de veloped in response to the community s request for family-oriented fundraiser events. $20 pre registration before Sept. 15 (deadline extended from Sep. 9th due to Hurricane Irene); $25 registration at the event. Pre-registration helps organize the event and also en sures that you pre-order the size T-shirt you want. Some shirts will be available at the event, but only limited numbers of each size. Oct. 1 is the date of the event, which will begin in Washington Park Waterfront, extend to the Estuarium and back. Anita has brochures, as does Mr. Jones and they are availabl e in the WMPCS office as well as on the school and MPTO blog web-sites. 21 volunteers are also needed to help staff the event, including water stations for walkers/runners. This event is open to people outside of the WMPCS community, th ose who like to run 5K races, for example, and others who may want to participate and su pport the school. Auction Volunteers needed The MPTO auction is a fundraiser held in February, that has traditionally been v ery popular and raises the largest overall total funds per year. Lee Ann Del Monte is the Au ction Chairperson and requested volunteers to help collect items to be live auctioned at the event. Anyone interested may go to the MPTO Blog and comment or e-mail Lee Ann, who is also Secretary for the MPTO Executive Board. MPTO Update

Dori St. Amant is the new MPTO president. The name PTO was changed last year to Montessori Parent Teacher Organization, MPTO, as voted on and approved by the Community through the MPTO Blog. The other MPTO officers include: 1

WMPCS Community Meeting Sep 8-2011 Minutes v1 Angela Antrican Lee Ann Del Monte Vice President Secretary

Elizabeth Oliveira Treasurer The MPTO Blog will be updated with the latest event and other information soon, pending repair of Lee Ann s computer. Three issues were discussed: #1-Need approval for MPTO budget, which will be posted on the Blog; #2-Need approval to spend $500 from last year Auction proceeds to stain/seal the large deck behind the 3-6 Building. This money will pay for materials only, and actually se aling the deck will require volunteer labor. #3-Need to finalize list of projects on which to spend the $5,000 Auction procee ds from 2011. After suggestions and votes from the floor, the list of 3 finalist ideas include d: (39 votes)-General landscaping plan and service ( re-fluffing ) to WMPCS campus, so that Beautification Day(s) are only for maintenance. Plan/installations would in clude clear, obstacle-free walkway to the large playground and planted beds around the deck to prevent poison ivy growth. (29 votes)-Large monument sign on 264 that markets the school and also invetigate LED options for announcing events, school closings, dismissals, etc. (25 votes)-Ice making machine to supply iced water to classrooms (only 2 of 4 buildings have a water fountain) and also to supply ice for events. There will b e an issue of where to place it so that it runs efficiently without breaking and does not dump heated air into any building. These three items will be investigated by individuals assigned by Dori St. Amant and final options with budgets will be presented at the next Community Meeting on Nov. 10 at 6:30pm. Mr. Jones Report to the WMPCS Community

The WMPCS community jumped right in after Hurrican Irene, helping to start a successful school year by gettting kids to school on the Thursday after the stor m, and the teachers also, even those who were still without power. Mr. Jones appreciate s all of the effort and is proud of the caretaking our community exhibits. Some parents said they did not receive AlertNow messages from the school. Please

check with Sharon Main in the office and make sure she has your CELL PHONE number, as land lines are often down during emergencies. The school came through Irene with no major damage, just some trees down around the playground and in the wooded areas. These, as well as some dead trees, will be removed by a contractor next weekend, and the cost will be covered by WMPCS insurance. 2

WMPCS Community Meeting Sep 8-2011 Minutes v1 There are open slots for Kindergarten (ages 3-6) still, but no openings for olde r kids in the higher grade levels. There has been some misunderstanding about when WMPCS can give sibling preference as a charter school. As of this year, we have to wait on e year after a child is registered before we can hold a position for an OLDER sibling. Of cours e, if there are open slots, then this is not an issue. However, in the case where ther e is a waiting list, like there is currently for all levels above 3-6, then the older s ibling can be added to the waiting list and will most likely secure a slot the following year. However, no child will be pre-empted from the waiting list, i.e. there will be no cutting in li ne , etc. This policy does not affect holding slots for younger siblings, not yet ready to enter 3-6, as there is currently no issue there, with plenty of time to hold the slot before w aiting lists develop. Communication Ed Kornegay is a parent of a WMPCS middle-school student. He explained that his daughter and wife thought they had understood all of the information with regard to signi ng up for the distance learning Latin class, and turned all of the information in as directed. Unfortunately, the information appears to have been lost and the school seemed to imply that it was the Kornegay s fault. Ed suggested that the school has had this issue for a long time, namely how to get the word out to parents about things should be done and where informa tion is to be submitted, so that miscommunications and missed participation does not result . Rachel Midgette (WMPCS Board member) asked if the problem is a breakdown in pare nts not getting the information they need, the exact steps and details, or is the pr oblem that the information submitted is lost by the school. Mr. Kornegay replied both. However, he did say that he has not had any problems in communicating with the teachers at school. He gave another example that the scho ol calendar and other necessary information often shows up only a day or two before an activity is to begin. Ms. Midgette suggested that communication could still be a problem at WMPCS, and that it would be good to try to develop a plan to improve it.

Lee Ann Del Monte (Secretary, MPTO) said that there is a responsibility for the student to tell the parents when they receive paperwork and what is going on at school. Als o, the parents have to reach out and try to stay informed about the school. She gave th e example that she was at the school every day. Many in the room responded that this is not a reasonable expectation for all par ents. However, there was concensus that communication does require effort by parents, teachers and students, as well as the administration. Dale Baker stated that she takes full responsibility for this miscommunication a nd apologized. She explained that this is the first year that WMPCS has participated in the dis tance learning 3

WMPCS Community Meeting Sep 8-2011 Minutes v1 language programs and that, as the administrator for this at WMPCS, she already has ideas for how to improve the information and enrollment process in the future. Jen Hales concluded the discussion by stating that the school is always looking for ways to improve and encouraged community members to bring suggestions to the faculty and staff. Art Room Ms. Scoble appealed to the community to donate whatever they could in terms of p aper, art supplies but also anything that can be reused like cans, jars, TV dinner plastic pans, old CD s, etc. She and the kids will find something to make from it. Though Ms. Scoble is very grateful that the art program continues at WMPCS and also for her budget, even t hough it seems like a large sum, the overall amount actually calculates out to $2.50 per student for supplies. So all help is welcome and appreciated ! Book Fair The book fair will be starting right before Thanksgiving and chaired by Angela A ntrican. She has plans in-place for a Barnes & Noble Spirit Night, similar to other fundraise r nights last year, which will be a combination of going to the store and receiving discounts but also receiving discounts for ordering from Barnes & Noble online, so that the WMPCS c ommunity can order Christmas presents and receive discounts as well as generate funds for the school. The Book Fair will remain a Scholastic event. Ms. Antrican and the MPTO will be posting more info about all of this soon, including on the MPTO Blog. 4