Watershed Community Council (WCC)
May 11, 2005
(Draft)
Present: Leslie Wilson (Chair), Bina Nikrin (Co-Chair), Tom Oswalt, Andrea Bruner, David Woolley, Ivor Matz, Katie Kraemer, Mary Newby-Elder, Linda Weber, Ann Kleiner.
1. Verse
2. 2004-05 Overview
Members reviewed a document prepared by Bina entitled, “Community Council 2005-05 Overview.” The following changes were made:
· Under “Events led by parents and staff,” Parent Tea and Parent Thank-You events were added.
· Under “Issues Community Council has discussed this year,” Attendance and Student Directory were added.
A general discussion of the document and the work of the CC going forward followed. Out of that discussion the following themes emerged:
The role and function of Class Reps. Of particular concern was whether class reps would serve for consecutive terms. While consecutive terms would support continuity and momentum, a change in class reps from one year to the next would support growing more leadership and parental involvement within the class. As a practical matter, we may not have the luxury of choosing an ideal model. In fact, the junior class continues to go without any class rep at all. There was no attempt made to resolve these competing values but simply a better appreciation of the pros and cons of each model.
On a related note, there was discussion about strengthening the relationship between Class Reps and Class Sponsors, and how best to approach recruiting Class Reps for next year.
Parent Handbook. Another dominant theme was the concern that willing parents may lack the information they need to volunteer. Katie Kraemer suggested that we develop a Parent Handbook that would inform parents on how the school works focusing on the role of parent volunteers. This document would include information on such things as Class Reps, Class Sponsors, All-School Meetings, Class Meetings, Community Council, Medieval Feast, Silent Auction, Main Lesson Books, etc. Ideally parents would be provided the Handbook along with the School Calendar and Student Directory at the beginning of the school year.
Katie volunteered to compile the proposed Handbook. Current class reps agreed to write a description of the class rep function for each of their grades. Articles on other topics will ideally be written by those in the best position to inform parents of their substance; e.g. Mary Newby-Elder and Tom Oswalt for the Silent Auction; Scott Cole for All-School Meetings; Leslie Wilson or Bina Nikrin for Community Council, etc.
Flowing out of our discussion of the Handbook was the idea that perhaps we could be more proactive in assigning parents to various volunteer jobs. The existence of a Handbook would certainly make this easier to do.
Yearbook. Ann Kleiner brought a copy of the newly published yearbook. This yearbook represents the first yearbook ever published by Watershed High School. Ann provided the supervision and oversight for the students who produced it. Ann was concerned about whether the yearbook initiative would survive beyond this year. There was strong consensus among the members that a yearbook adds genuine value to the school and the students’ high school experience. We discussed different ways in which a yearbook might continue to be published next year, and in years to come. One suggestion was to make it available as a Senior Project for two or more students. Another suggestion would be to make it a standing Monday afternoon seminar under Marc Gutman’s newly proposed school schedule. The winning suggestion was to request that the faculty make it part of the school curriculum; in other words, a chance for students to elect a “yearbook class.” Ann agreed to write blurb about the yearbook for the new Parent Handbook. Bina agreed to submit our curriculum request to the faculty.
Volunteer Coordinator. There was strong consensus among the members that recruiting a qualified person to serve as the official WHS Volunteer Coordinator would be helpful. In public schools, this is generally a paid position. Financially WHS is not able to fund such a position at this time. However, Mary Newby-Elder expressed interest in serving as Volunteer Coordinator on a volunteer basis. There was great enthusiasm by all for this possibility. Mary will let us know more about her availability to do this work at our next meeting.
Opportunities for Parent Networking and Socializing. Ivor expressed a desire for more opportunities for parents to socialize together at school. At its heart, this was a reiteration of a value shared by Leslie when we opened the meeting. Key to her vision is a strong parent network encircling and supporting the entire WHS community. Members were quick to agree with Ivor’s suggestion. We thought 3 such events, at school, scattered throughout the year, with an open house format, would be ideal. The specifics of these events were not considered, but there was consensus that increasing the number of opportunities for parents to meet and socialize with one another would certainly strengthen parental involvement with WHS.
Parent Orientation. On a related note, there was enthusiasm for a more structured attempt to orient new parents to WHS. This would include developing a list of FAQ regarding what a Waldorf methods education implies.
3. Priorities
Members reviewed the following sections of a handout compiled by Bina:
· Description of the WHS CC
· Description of the respective standing CC Committees
· Description of the WHS Volunteer Role
· Discussion Ideas for the Class Sponsor . . .
We then each cast 4 votes for those issues most important to us in the coming year. The issues and vote tally are as follows:
CC Committee Chairs and role of Class Reps: 1
Fundraising: 5
Volunteer Structure: 9
Parent Recruitment
Volunteer Coordinator
Communication (Parent Orientation): 10
Handbook
School Calendar
Student Directory
Parent Socializing and Networking Events: 4
Parent Education and Peer Support: 3
Continuation of “Issues” Committee: 4
(The Yearbook was not included on this issues list since we had decided earlier in the meeting to request that it be made part of the curriculum. The suggestion that we seek Board approval for any proposed initiatives was also not included since the CC was created by the Board, and to be consistent with its mandate, should keep the Board informed of its actions and seek approval when appropriate.)
4. Closing Verse and Adjournment
Next meeting will be Wednesday, June 8 at 5:15 p.m. Please note the earlier time.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrea Bruner