November 2014 mpc meeting notes

Mather Parent Council Minute Notes
Thursday, November 20, 2014


Ms. Stranberg: After School Partnerships Report



• Girl Scouts on Fridays for Daisies K2 / 1st grade 3:30-5. $25/year (scholarships available)
• Boy Scouts run by Mr. Robert Cline on Fridays as well as school vacations and summer programs grades 1-5 3:30-4:30. Boys work on badges and STEM programs.
• Wednesday nights 6-8pm The Hive with Ms. Thames and Ms. King with dinner and childcare. Families are welcome. Grades 2 and older. Registration will open again in January.
• Boston Skating Club grades 4 and 5. Wednesday 3:30-6 on Frog Pond. Bus will take children. Up to 25 children accepted. December 3 until ice melts. Free.
• Sportsman Tennis Club grades 1-5. Van picks children up. Homework help, soccer, lacrosse and tennis. Space for 5 more children. Summer program from 9-5. Free.
• Viet Aid program for Vietnamese families from 3:30-5:45 children learning English. Sliding scale.
• City Sprouts teaches gardening and outdoor skills for 5th graders. Will resume in the spring. Free. 
• Catholic Memorial on Tuesdays. Children play basketball with high school boys.
• St. John’s Prep students mentor children play board games, soccer and basketball.
• Brookline Literacy Mondays 3:30-5 tutor children 1-1. 
• January Vietnamese Heritage Program. Will be open to all.
• Saturday Program arts crafts, enrichment, character building. Grades 1-5. From 9-12. Will resume in spring. Free.
• Boston Celtics Program teaches basketball skills. Compete on Sundays at UMass.
• Monday Dance Program for grades 4 and 5. Teach dance, team building and leadership. DEA and Drug Unit funding.
• Wednesdays Windsor School tutor reading 1-1 grades 1-5. 
• Fridays Dance with Books. Children K1-2nd grade. Learn how to dance and read books about different cultures. Performances. 
• Technology Goes Home grades 3-5. Take classes to earn a computer. Fall and spring sessions. $50.
• SCORES for grades 3-5. Soccer, poetry, performance at Strand Theater Poetry Jam. Fall and Spring.
• BRYE College Students come on Fridays to work with ESL students.
• City Singers voice lessons on Wednesdays. Applications with Ms. Stranberg. All ages. Program will be moving to All Saints Church in January. Mather students will be free. 
• BOKs Before School funded by Reebok. 3 days a week exercise 45 minutes-1 hour.




Ms. Marshall: Before and After School Programs Report

• Before school 7:30-9am in the gym. Three days a week in basement doing board games, etc. Breakfast is included.
  
• After school program has meal snacks such as tuna salad beginning at 3:30.
  
• Monday Brookline High Literacy
  
• Tuesdays Catholic Memorial
  
• Wednesdays Winsor High; Tae Kwon Do on Wednesdays. Children learn how to break boards.
  
• Thursdays Drumming and Dance with Hilary.
  
• Fridays Reading with Therapy dog named Lila. Children read books to the specially trained dog.
  
• Yoga on Fridays from 4-5:15 starting in December.
  
• No children are forced to do any activity. Homework help is available so children should have their homework packets with them.
  
• Children have to be registered in After School Program to do many of these programs.
  
• Cost for after school is $40/week. 1-3 days is $30/week. After school is currently full but there may be 5-6 openings in the next month or so. Ms. Georgette in the main office has the waiting list. 
  

• Jenny Miller and Ms.Stranberg will print after school calendars and put in parent folders. Calendars will also be posted on school website.
  
• All Before and After School forms are outside of the main office and Georgette can help with applications.
  
• Ms. Marshall received one Donor’s Choose grant in August and posted an additional grant for technology so children can learn typing and other skills on ipad minis.
  
• There are vouchers for Before and After School through Childcare Choices.
  
• Alicia is looking into staffing for a language and art program. 
  

• In January the city paper Summer Stuff comes out. Boston has a phenomenal amount of resources in the summer and Ms. Stranberg suggests that MPC devote a meeting to these opportunities at a January or February meeting.
  

Ms. Stranberg: Grant Proposals and Partnerships

• Meredith Vieira Show donated $10,000 last month for technology. Children’s Hospital saw this and called to say that they have chosen Mather as their charity for this year. Ms. Stranberg asked for hats, gloves and board games. Doug Flutie’s wife is running the charity and will bring the donations to the school in December.
  
• Recognition upcoming for Mayor Menino who was a generous friend of the Mather through the years. For example, a friend of Mayor Menino gave Mather $15,000 for Literacy; the School Yard Initiative cost $350,000; City Sprouts’ funding was secure because of  Menino as well and Susan Menino has been an active supporter. Tomorrow, 11/21 will be dress down day to raise money for Tom Menino Foundation. Brown Foundation Grant will fund a bronze statue in front of the school. One possibility is to have statue of Mayor Menino in front of of the school. $25,000 for initial phase of planning to hire an artist.
  
• Grant proposal submitted for outdoor stationary music.
  
• Urban Outreach will deliver 150-200 new coats from Macy’s for children who need coats.
  
• Boston Ballet is coming to audition  25 third graders who will be selected to learn ballet.  
• Old North Church of Boston and Principal for the Day will come to teach 3, 4th and 5th graders about Boston history and chocolate making in colonial days.
  

Sierra: Open Forum

• Randal asked if MPC meeting notes can be translated. Sherman is looking into getting translation equipment from PBS for meetings.  Jenny will ask translators to attend who speak French Creole and Vietnamese.
  
• Meeting notes will be uploaded onto school website; possibly in multiple languages. Annette requested that grant proposals and other happenings be posted online as well.
  
• Anyone who wants to contact MPC can call 857-220-7177; phone is answered by Sierra, MPC Chair.
  
• Kim Connolly , Director of Partnerships and Development has organized a 5 meeting series on race that will be on Mondays at 5pm. There are approximately 17 people currently registered.
  
• MPC sign up and calendar paperwork available. All families are encouraged to sign up for announcements via email and possibly text messages.
  
• Jenny suggested a MPC social that is not all-business. Parent retreats have been good for long-term planning as well as potluck dinners. It might also be nice to have open forums at the school such as town hall meetings. Winter carnival is for the children but it’s also for families to get together and socialize.
  
• School Site Council (next meeting is December 11th and all families are welcome to attend…usually second Thursday of the month at 5:30). Group votes on budget issues. Childcare and dinner are provided.
  
• Proposal to change MPC name to Mather Family Council or Mather Family Village or Mather Students’ Families.
  
• Mather Parent Council did not fund a food truck as part of Mather375 birthday celebrations. Teachers requested a laminator instead which costs over $2000. All present voted in favor of this being a gift from MPC and Mather375. MPC financial report from treasurer was attached to agenda for this meeting.
  
• BPS gets money from Healthy Families grant. The $2,000 is available but no one volunteered to prepare the healthy food so we will spend this money at another community event. MPC decided to keep the $ for the Bingo night and/or the Spring Fling

Katie Lee (co-chair with Lynn Chevoya): Wellness Council Report

• Rodent problem has been resolved thanks to Bunker Hill Day clean out and Ms. Stranberg’s volunteers cleaning; Carpenter’s Union also built shelving. Teachers now have bins for snacks and supplies.  New carpets in K1-2nd grade classrooms. BPS is working on unresolved facilities issues. Teachers say that students and teachers seem to be healthier this year. Teachers are encouraged to use green cleaning products that are scent-free. BPS now provides greener products. All are welcome to join this committee which meets every other month. 
• Wellness Committee also wants families to send in healthier options for holidays and birthdays. They did not like the tone of the first letter that was sent home. Teachers say that children are positive about these changes (fruit cups, etc.) and this initiative will continue.

Marie Zemler Wu: Mather375 Update

• Fundraising efforts have raised $35,000 (after expenses) so far this year. Site council will make determinations about using the funds to improve the school this year!