March 2014 MPC MEETING NOTES

Mather Parent Council Minutes Notes
March 20, 2014

Kim Connolly, Director of Partnerships and Development official work days at Mather are Tuesday and Thursday

Barr Foundation funds Kim’s position which involves:

• Coordination with Mather partners once a month, share grants and training among partners; grant writing of grants $1,000 or more and supporting teachers and parents with smaller grants; 
  
• Implementation of assessment tools to measure partnerships’ impact on students; 
  
• Assessment of student needs; 
  
• Mather375
  
• Wellness Committee (with Katie Lee); 
  
• Redesigned the website; 
  
• Wrote grant proposal to Brown Fund for outdoor space $25,000 design grant next round is $75,000 
  

After-school and Communications: Bell Program, America Scores (soccer and poetry, Lemonade Day teaches Entrepreneurial Skills with Babson College program), Brookline Literacy Project; Guitar, Spanish and Boston City Singers are new programs added this year. Website will be the place for school-family communication.  Some of the programs for older students and coincide with MCAS testing so end in April. After school program run by Ms. Marshall then becomes overwhelmed with children.

Question: How much say do parents have in deciding on how school funding is used? A walk around the building and outdoors was suggested.

Tag Sale Advertising on Facebook and signs around neighborhood; 14 tables are reserved; Dorchester Reporter Ad last week and this week; neighborhood groups; keep getting the word out; yard signs will go out late next week; Wednesday on 4 per intersection; Columbia Rd, Freeport, Morrissey Blvd; arrows will be assigned later. 

Open Forum concern when children come into the building there are collisions happening; adults can speak to children about slowing down.  Someone will look into who the hall monitor is and whether they there at breakfast time.

School Site Council Report (Sherman) Mather Pathway is being discussed; K-8 is a possibility in a different building; talks with Central Office and community members; An official letter needs to be submitted; Emily Cox is discussing this with teachers because the plan needs a ¾ vote by teachers. Henderson got approved to be an Innovation School and will have grades K-12.

Environmental Committee (Katie Lee and Lynne C.) Healthy eating and movement, exercise, school building, meeting was with the Wellness Committee, mice have become a major problem so an emergency meeting and pest management company came to put sticky traps out. Weather strips were added to doors, vents that are no longer venting will be sealed, holes are being plugged using emergency funding. Parents need to write a letter with specifics of where the holes are. April 8th is Healthy Schools Day maybe parents can come help teachers clean classrooms; BPS Recycling person has bins with lids to give us. K-1 classes will eat snack in cafeteria and not classrooms. Dumpster is right next to K-1 classrooms.  Katie is creating a Google Doc that will replace the pest log that is in the office.

Playworks Fun Run Saturday, May 3rd 1 mile or 5k, $25 per person, Coach Dawn is the Playworks coordinator, people can run for Mather Playworks or for Playworks in general.

Wine Night Fundraiser May 2nd tickets are $25 but if people sign up for Fun Run they get $10 off ticket price.

Intellijam March 22nd with Brookline Literacy Project this Satuday at Brookline High School. Bus will leave from Mather at 2:30. Mather families are free.  Notices have not gone out to all classrooms. Ms. Washington’s band will be playing. It’s a great partnership and lots of fun so please try to attend!

MPC Retreat broke up into 4 workgroups: 1. Intellijam, 2. Tag Sale, 3. Wine Night, gift baskets will be auctioned off, each grade will put together a basket with a theme (pedal power/biking/green basket, organizing/spring cleaning, baseball, Red Sox basket) MPC should try to help solicit things or $5-$10 gift; Hilary will play jazz music; take posters and postcards but don’t send them out until after Tag Sale! 4. Dorchester Day Parade Mather kids marching.

Tag Sale March 29th volunteer tag sale sorting Friday, March 28th; volunteers will also be needed on Saturday. Annette is the volunteer coordinator. Teachers and volunteers can shop at 9am.

City Sprouts wants to do a garden cleanup next Thursday but that conflicts with Mather375 so will be postponed.