Mann Elementary Dream Team

August 21, 2001 Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Sally Bloom, Maureen Burton, Kim Cole, Amanda Doyle, Karen Fine, Brian Marston, Jan O’Leary, George Wilcox

Introductions

Pokemon lollipops were offered but only Jan and Brian were brave enough to try them.

Update on Mann Elementary

Sally’s 5th year as principal
School has changed a lot in past 4 years.
Around 300 children this year (515 two years ago). District trying to reduce class size.
Most kids come from the neighborhood. A lot from right around Fanning. East of Gustine assigned to another school. Go up to Gravois, and over to Kingshighway. Stop at park.
Almost all kids walk to school. One bus for kids beyond 1 mile (up by Fanning).
3 classrooms of every grade. Not this year.
School divided into 3 villages. All have K through 5 classes. Provides continuity of instruction and lets parents and teachers get closer together. Increase parent involvement. This year, missing one grade from each village. Put siblings in same village. Sometimes, do looping where same teacher follows class through multiple grades. (Much to our horror, we discovered that one of the villages is named the “Dream Team” so we will need to rename ourselves. A-Team is also taken. Darn the luck!)
38 staff members. 16 classrooms.
Caring Communities Center - pull together social services; help families stay together; improve communities. 18% financial cut state-wide this year - cut back to one position in the school. On-site counselors have been wonderful. Man in-house suspension program.
Caught Doing Good program - assemblies Monday morning and Friday afternoon - teacher chooses one child from each room, tells what they did good, prize cabinet, photo taken, name on bulletin board.
Peaceful Playgrounds program - plenty of equipment for everyone to play with, gym teacher who stays out for all 3 breaks.
Token program - for being quiet in lines in hall, your own teacher can't give you one, can trade tokens for stuff for class or field trip (pizza parties, etc.).
Read school rules every morning and say school pledge. Pledge of Allegiance.
When child gets in trouble, talk to them about making good choices.
Difficulty getting a hold of some parents. Would like to give some of them free pagers. Sometimes resort to sending Caring Communities people out to find them.
Had parent liaison - not this year. One of the parents. Supposed to get more parents into school and set up PTA meetings, etc. Wish List - parent coordinator with background in working with community, outreach, ways to get people involved. Has tried giving out tickets, prizes, etc. Difficult to get them to meetings. Looking for other ways to have parental involvement.
Each village runs a parent meeting each week. Once a month, PTA meeting. Great volunteer to run PTA meetings last year - enthusiasm, ideas, ability to coordinate and run it. Something we could do - food and babysitting for parent meetings. Oak Hill Presbyterian did twice last year (but without babysitting).
Students - 85% black, 5% each white, Hispanic, Asian. Hoping to get more immigrant children this year.
Truancy not a problem; absenteeism more of an issue.
95% of kids from Grand Oak Hill
Only 30 or 40 take the bus
Attendance baseline 93% - prizes for perfect attendance - Maritz Be There program
No air conditioning - not on list to get it - looking to at least buy window units, but power issues.
Technology infusion plan by district - giving computers to schools (Mann included).
IBM has adopted school. Computer lab. E-mentoring - 5th graders write e-mails back and forth to IBM employees.
E-mints - part of district's technology plan - asked for 103 computers, don't know if will get them.
Used accelerated school grants funds to buy a lot of things, but doesn't help with funding people.
Kinko's - had relationship, but now with another school.
Uniforms mandatory this year for 1st time - navy blue or black bottom and white polo shirt (collar and sleeves).
Teacher's first day 8/27; kids back 8/30

How Can We Help?

Sally reviewed our list from the 8/7 meeting and said our ideas look great

Big focus - get kids reading and writing on level
Looking for tutors, read with kids
After-school programs (3:00 - 4:00 or 3:30 to 4:30) - chess club
Last year - had basketball (parent left school) and pom pom girls (girls organized themselves - most gone to middle school now), jump rope club, African dance group, reading / tutoring group
School based management - some control over how spend money; can be creative; can bring in programs and try new things; not micro-managed in general
School wide PTO meeting at 5:30
Any kind of after-school thing would be wonderful
Latch key program - parents must sign them up and attend monthly meeting.
Playground - Heather & Brian working on this

- George mentioned reading an article about a company that provides materials and then community does as a barn raising

Also need parking lot
Get flow of Juniata changed - meetings with last 2 alderwomen (Marge and her predecessor), neighbors signed petition saying it was okay with them; mentioned emergency vehicle plans – nothing ever happened
Books to kids at Christmas
Have 1 portable basketball net
Treats for teachers - donuts, coffee, food (under intense cross-examination by attorney Kim, Sally kept her cool and said any food would be great)
Box Tops for Education Program - Brian “Box Tops” Marston will coordinate
Are signed up for HP cartridge recycling
Have clothes recycling bin
Have grant from Assistance League to provide 2 uniforms for 100+ kids
How to bring parents into the organizing
Have School Council - people from neighborhood, school, and community businesses - meet once a month, Wed 1:30 - 2:30 - advisory group to school - would welcome new blood - help plan strategy for school - not really active outside meetings
Oak Hill Presbyterian provide dinner and babysitting early in school year to discuss ideas with parents
Open House 9/26 at Mann 5:30 pm - have most parents in attendance
Still have kids enrolling 3rd week of school but have most by 1st week
Better to focus on just one village or grade or class?
Teachers supposed to call every parent once a month to tell them something good about their child.
Skit at Open House - interactive

Sunday Sundaes Kickoff Event

Imagine a playground here event - 9/16, 3 to 5:00
Survey
Freezer space at Oak Hill Presbyterian
Ice Cream Social
Kids must bring parents to participate
On school grounds
School has a snow cone machine
Amanda will investigate ice cream donations

School Tour

Sally took us on a tour of the school
Brian was attacked by a vicious stuffed bear and Karen admired the art room
Brian was later “caught doing good” by turning the lights off as he left each room

To Do List

Amanda – solicit ice cream donations for the 9/16 shindig
Brian – find out more information about the Box Tops for Education Program and how to sign Mann up for it

Next Meeting

Wednesday, August 29, 6:00 p.m., 38xx Juniata