Ridgeline Community Organization (RCO)
Parent Council Meeting Minutes
December 2, 2014
Approximately 17 parents attending
MAIN HIGHLIGHTS FROM MEETING:
**Jen Wyld provided guidance on how to use Montessori principles in parenting
**DDD update: $6912 (of $40,000 goal) raised thus far
**Still need to educate parents about DDD, Capital Campaign, E-scrip
**Rhonda provided update on the “safe corridor” meeting she recently attended with representatives from the City and 2 other schools. (see below for details)
**Opportunities for parents (or others) to teach “life skills” lessons in upper el classes on Friday mornings
**T-shirt and bumper sticker sales ongoing. Need clarity on which colors are approved for school logo for future T-shirt orders
**Ridgeline Board has 2 vacant positions; seeking candidates with experience in fund raising, personnel or legal matters
Parent education session: Montessori at home (Jen Wyld)
-Framework for understanding developmental stages in children and suggestions for how to incorporate Montessori principles into parenting and home life. (See Jen’s notes for details)
-The importance of “rites of passage” that includes both responsibilities (chores) and more privileges. This helps children understand the principle that with more rights come more responsibilities.
-The importance of autonomy and independence and ownership, which leads to increased self-esteem. Allow children to make age appropriate choices and decisions – also let them make mistakes. This teaches responsibilities and natural consequences.
-Create an enriching environment for your child; this comes in many forms. Let children explore choices with “low commitment” such as one-day workshops, etc.
-Intergenerational experiences are important.
-Giving children uninterrupted blocks of time to explore and work on things. Be careful to not “overpack” children’s schedules.
-Keep children’s material worlds as organized as possible.
-Help children feel physically oriented in new spaces.
-“Follow the child” – pay attention to children’s cues, in terms of their interests and abilities.
-Allowance funds can be useful tools for teaching about money, budgeting, limited resources, etc.
-Look for opportunities to use the same types of language and terms as are used in Montessori curriculum; math terminology provided as an example.
RCO Business (Rhonda and Christine)
-DDD fundraising update currently: $6,912 of the $40,000 goal for the school year.
-Still some possible confusion about the difference between the Capital Campaign and the Direct Donation Drive. The DDD is for the general fund, which helps fund PE, counseling, music and scholarships. The Capital Campaign is solely for the purchase of the building; once the loan has been paid for the building, the Capital Campaign will cease to exist.
-Some discussion about lack of understanding of the E-scrip program. There is need for further education about how to use this fundraising program. The weekly email is a good vehicle for education about E-scrip, the DDD, the Capital Campaign, Amazon Smile program.
-The parent education topic in January will be middle school; February the topic will be upper el.
-Rhonda attended a “safe corridor” meeting with Spencer Butte, Edgewood and Ridgeline schools. Three City representatives were present, including some from the “safe corridor” program. Some funds have been set aside for the 2017 West Amazon improvements, but there is some possibility of other improvements prior to 2017. Information will be gathered in the near future from each school regarding transportation /pedestrian /safety. This information will help guide any safety improvements prior to 2017.
-3 new bridges will be installed in 2017, including one directly across from Ridgeline. There will also be a crosswalk at this location. There may also be a new exit from the Ridgeline parking lot. There will be a new 2-way “cycletrack” on the east side of West Amazon; this will be a protected bike travel lane.
-Opportunity for parents to participate in the upper el “life skills” sessions on Friday mornings; topics include cooking, sewing, website design, computer skills. Contact Cynthia for further information. This could be a good opportunity for Grandparents or other family members.
Admin report (Sharon)
-Kudos from Sharon to parents for the levels of parental participation and the successes of all recent events, including Grandparent’s Day, Stone Soup, Barnes & Noble Book Fair, etc.
-The Joy of Sharing event is coming up. Items will be collected for families in need, which is a good opportunity to teach children about what items less fortunate families might need. The donation barrel will be placed in the front office soon.
Board Report (David)
-Board deals with financial and personnel matters at the school. The meetings are open, and the board is still seeking to fill 2 positions.
Miscellaneous
-U-cut trees: Cutting the next two weekends. Darcy is still seeking volunteers to assist. 50% of sales will fund the DDD.
-Talent show: This Friday, third annual from 6pm – 8pm. Request for bake sale items put out. T-shirts will also be sold at the event.
-Laughing Planet fundraiser funds were comparable to last year. $580 was raised, and the restaurant has expressed interest in future events.
-The BLOG has been going well, and a lot more information has been posted on it.
-T-shirt sales thus far have been successful; these have been from last year’s stock. Michelle is working on a “pre-order” system in the future where people can order the size and color they want. Some questions about who makes the final decision the color of the logo.
-Theater group will meet after the first of the year to discuss future events, fund raising, etc.
-Dancing Weasel Toystore fundraiser is this weekend.
