december 2014 mpc meeting notes

Mather Parent Council Minute Notes
Thursday, December 18, 2014

Jana Linhart, Safe Routes Coordinator for Our Area

• Safe Routes customizes plans for schools.  Provide education, customized services re: walking safety and other ways to promote kids getting to school safely, including mitigating traffic near schools.  
• For safety training, we provide second graders with pedestrian safety and bike safety for fifth graders.  We do events geared to biking for families.  
• I’ve been working with Kim Connolly on creating a walking school bus for the Mather.  We have an anonymous list of family addresses, and we completed an analysis of where people live to create a route for walkers.
• We will survey parents for feedback to get what we need to understand how kids are getting to the Mather.  Many schools can’t tell us how many walkers they have.  We are in the initial phase of understanding who are the walking kids.  We’ve done some walk assessments around here.  
• Asked if anyone has seen anything that’s not working with new infrastructure?
• Parents: traffic is crazy very close to the school with intersections that are large and open
• Also Adams St is challenging with the bike lanes and too many cars.
• Parents: Very difficult when there is a snow storm, sidewalks in our inner loop are not cleared in a timely way - cleared late in the morning after school has started, parking lots are not cleared and people back up
• Parents: Even in no snow, people do unsafe things in car drop off in the circle because it takes so long to get around the loop.  Since the buses go through our loop, we have cars and buses blocked.  Plus the main bus depot is nearby which causes even more buses to be in the area blocking traffic.  
• Parents: we have petitioned the city for a three-way stop, and that’s great.  But Adams Street is still a problem.  Cars should not be allowed to park on it - it is too narrow.  All the side streets are too narrow and impossible to pass when cars come in two directions.  Linden should not be two way.  
• Jana said she would find out if the city tracks accidents in the area.
• Parents reported that there are many pedestrians in the area.  Mather students walk in groups for field trips and at other times.  
• Jana asked if parents would want their children to walk now to school.  Parents reported that they would not, one parent said probably for the morning but not after dark.
• Jana asked crossing guards.  Parents reported that we have 3 guards for the school.  One parent reported that the guard she sees is active and takes responsibility.  We would like one at the three way intersection.  One has a challenge with attendance.  If she does not come, we have no substitutes and administration members step up.  
• Parents reported that they often find the guards instructions/motions unclear.  We are unsure who trains them - maybe it is the police?  Jana will find out who employs them and who trains them.  Jana reported that with xing guards there is not set standard for training. 
• Jana said she heard that there is a school nearby that has many crossing guards.  She asked us if we knew which school.  No parents knew.  
• Jana reported that she is working with Kim Connolly to build walking school buses in a safe way.  So we want to find out about all the issues first and then guage interest.  Jana asked, would parents be interested in having a walking school bus?  A walking school bus is a group of kids who are walking with a teacher, parents, volunteers, etc (supervised).  The kids live a mile and half from the school.  It helps to deal with congestion issues around the school and is environmentally friendly.  The more kids that can participate, the fewer cars that are at the school at drop off and pick up.  It’s not easy to set up; it requires many assessments and the involvement of the police, DPW, etc.  We do a holistic approach.
• Parents: I think the morning is a good option, but not after school because of the darkness. 
• Jana reported that in Holyoke they started with one route once per month, and now they have many regular routes.  They found that the community could take back what had been a bad neighborhood.  It’s a true community building effort.
• Parent: How does this work for very young children?  My son is very young and the distance is too far.
• Jana said that we would not expect a 4 year old to walk long distances.  In many areas parents meet at a park or another landmark in the area of the school, and then the group walks to the school together.  
• Jana will email the MPC email address with handouts and materials.  The process to do this is a long one, but it’s doable.  We’ve seen many success stories.  Springfield, a very urban area, now has some sort of walking school bus for every school in the city.  they have a task force for Safe Routes with everyone at the table.  This is nothing that one person can do alone.  It takes a whole team.  
• jana.linhart@dot.state.ma.us
  

Katie Hussey, a Third Grade Teacher and Representative from the Wellness Committee

• The wellness council meets bi-monthly.  Our goals are to promote wellness with all members of the mather community.  Our big success last year was the Olympics - kids had fun, positive for everyone.  We also had a wellness fair in september; we could have done more to advertise.  Our partner will be back for Spring Fling.  We made the policy about the sweets in school a reality here.  I heard it’s going well.  We may send out another letter about it.  I am leading up an effort to get teachers to take “movement breaks” - time to get up and move around during academics.  Our next meeting is Jan. 14 at 8:00 am.  Everyone is welcome.  
• Parent: Raised an issue about the birthday policy to not allow sweets.  Said it was difficult for her son to not have cupcakes for his birthday.  Felt the letter was not supportive enough.  
• Discussed that the policy has been a BPS policy for about 10 years.  MPC has been talking about it for years now.  Acknowledged that it’s a culture change, and that we can all work together to continue to find ways to help everyone abide by the policy.
• The letter about the policy could have been timed in a better way.  It was supposed to go out with the welcome back packets in August, but that didn’t happen.  
• Parent: Recommend that Wellness send out the letter again.  Katie said that they will send another letter soon.  
• Parent: Does Wellness think at all about winter recess and with holding recess as punishment?
• Katie reported that recess is not allowed to be withheld.  BPS used to subscribe to Adventures in Fitness to help with indoor recess.  But we don’t have it anymore, so it is tougher to have activities for indoor recess.  We are challenged at the Mather for space for indoor recess.  
• Parent: I know of a school where they come over the intercom to call for a “Jamming minute” and all students get up a move.  
• Katie, said that she is working on initiatives to get kids moving in the classroom.
• Handout on the Environmental committee.  Lynn Chevoya reported that there persists a problem with food on the floor in the boys bathroom.  Feel challenged that it is taking so long to get this addressed. 
  

Open Forum

• More discussion about walking school bus.  One parent asked Jana how she came to be at the table for the Mather.  Jana reported that she works for Dept. of Transportation, and the Safe Routes initiative which is part of a larger cultural shift that DOT is focused on.  Safe Routes can provide time and connections to get the right people at the table.  
• FIRST NIGHT- NEW YEARS EVE INVITE.  Sierra announced that a flier is going home tomorrow to invite all of the Mather to First Night.  We have a trolley that fits about 50 people and walk in the parade.  We have access to 40 first night buttons, worth $10 each.  We leave from Hynes Convention Center.  Georgette in the main office is coordinating the buttons, as they will be delivered to the school after Xmas.  Being on the trolley is lots of fun, and walking in the parade is great, too.  
• FREE TICKETS TO ENCHANTED VILLAGE.  There are 45 spaces available for Mather Community to have a private viewing of the Enchanted Village for FREE. Put your name on the Enchanted Village list in the office with Georgette, email or call her. Tell her your name, how many people. We will meet at the Avon Jordan's Furniture on Dec 24th at 9:30am.
• Ebony announced that there is a sign up for the next few meetings to bring food.  
  

Vote to Change MPC Name to Mather Family Council


• Sierra announced that we will take a vote on a name change from Mather Parent Council to Mather Family Council.  Stated that we would use both names in the new year and then next academic year change over to the new name.  Parents reported worry that using the word family may be closely connected to anti-gay movements.  
• Rather than changing the name, parents talked about doing more to educate people about what the MPC is.  Discussed that instead we should work to change our meeting structures to hold many meetings that focus on a topic that matters to families and are broad-based.  And hold separate meetings/sessions to get “work” done.  
• The group decided that we would not change the name - no motion was made to have the vote.
  

EBONY IS THE NEW CO-CHAIR

• Sierra announced that we need to elect a co-chair.  She nominated Ebony Arvin to be the co-chair. Sierra made a motion, Marie seconded the motion.  All attendees voted aye to elect Ebony Avin as co-chair to the Mather Parent Council.  
  

SITE COUNCIL ELECTIONS

• Sierra announced that we have to have site council elections tonight.  We can only have 6 parents on site council.  Alicia explained that site council is the governing body for the school.  We must have an equal number of parents and teachers on the council and that the diversity on the council reflect the school body.  We can have 3 parents on the council as alternates who will vote if a voting member is not present.  
• Sierra reported that the budget for 15/16 currently shows that we have surplus, with enough to bring back Play Works.   And hire a support positions for community connections, math coaching, or a behavioral support specialist for high risk kids.  Ms. Cox will write up descriptions of the options for site council to vote on it Jan 5th.  One parent asked about the prospect for adding AWC at the Mather - could the surplus be used to get started on that? Another parent clarified that the money must go to a new staff person, and you cannot use the dollars to add a new program. 
• Marie moved to install the following as Site Council members:
  
• Sierra Rothberg
  
• Alicia Wederburn
  
• Jennifer Smith
  
• Jenny Miller
  
• Ebony Arvin
  
• Zemler Wus
• Alternates:
  
• Gaitree Srinarain-Powell
  
• Krystal 
• All attendees voted aye to elect all of the above.
  

IMPORTANT DATES
**EVERY FRIDAY: FAIR FOODS entrance on Parish St door FIRST PARISH CHURCH At PICKUP after school.

• 
  
• Mon. Dec 22: 1:30pm Winter Assembly in Auditorium 
  
• Tues. Dec 23: Last Full day of school
  
• Wed. Dec 24: Enchanted Village Private Showing. (sign up)
  
• Wed. Dec 31: Mather School in Boston’s First Night Parade! (see flier)
  
• Mon. Jan 5: First day back to school
  
• Thur. Jan 8: Site Council 5:30pm library food and childcare available
  
• Wed. Jan 14: Environmental/Health and Wellness Committee Meeting 8-9am
  
• Thu. Jan 15: MPC/MFC meeting 5:30 in library. Food and childcare provided.