Here are the meeting notes as a .pdf file: SWCC Education Committee Minutes 2018-06-27.pdf

The Education Committee of the SW Common Council

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

6:30 to 8:00 pm at

Arnett Branch Library, 310 Arnett Boulevard

Attendance:

Grace Bilodeau               School #44 preK Teacher, 732-8926, grace.bilodeau@rcsdk12.org

Pam Bollar                        Aenon Church, 19th Ward

John Boutet                      SWCC Education Committee Chair, 328-4271, jboutet@frontiernet.net

Eleanor Coleman            YouthBuild & ProsperRochester, 224-5119, eleanor.coleman@gmail.com

Cecilia Griffin Golden   Dep. Sup./Teaching & Learning, 315-4924, cgriffingolden@hotmail.com

Jennifer Lenio               Rochester Public Libraries (South District), 428-8272, jlenio@libraryweb.org

Betsy Romson                  Resident, 328-8313, mesromson@aol.com

Mike Schmidt                RCSD, Chief of Operations, 262-8275, Michael.schmidt@rcsdk12.org

New Guest:

Julie Philipp                        D&C, Time to Educate; jphilipp@gannett.com, 258-2250

Time to Educate – Julie reviewed objectives of the Time to Educate project. She contributed throughout the meeting but a detailed review of the Time to Educate project starts at 1:00:40 into the video https://youtu.be/x_V46Sv0KTQ. It is a solution based projects; They have trained 2 education reporters and hiring 2 more; Julie's job is determining what solutions they should be looking for. They can identify solutions that are working on a smaller scale here or working in another community.

What solutions should we be looking for first? What do people want solved? How can we help push those agendas along? Advisory Councils being created: Researchers, Parents, Business People. Busing and neighborhood schools has already come up as big concerns. They are aware of the problems associated with short-distance busing.

Will do status reports on why systems exist and explain them to parents. Who should be held responsible for changing a policy.

Suggestion: Poster campaigns might be a good way to publicize issues.

www.democratandchronicle.com/time-to-educate

Julie will attend the July 10, 2018 19WCA Schools Committee meeting at the 19WCA Office, 216 Thurston Rd., at 7:00pm. All are welcome.

Library News

Wheatley

• Library is contracting with Taproot Collective to maintain the garden space that surrounds the library. They will offer weekly classes for youth giving them hands-on experience on how to garden. All food grown is for the community.

Arnett

• Special celebration tomorrow at 6pm to recognize the donors who made possible the murals on the outside of the building; will include music and ice cream.

• Arts & Crafts every Tuesday at 4:30pm, age 1 and under

• Saturday Story Times, 1-1:30pm, age 2-5

• Tuesday Story Times, 11-11:45am, age 2-5

• Wii Gaming for Teens every Friday, 3-5

• Computer Tutor every Monday 4-5pm

• Summer reading begins at all branches 7/9.

For detailed information go to www.Roccitylibrary.org.

Cecilia asked if the RCSD “expected books list” is shared with the libraries for the summer. Jen believes they are; Cecilia will confirm.

School #3 – Elyette Clyburne, Community Liaison

• No Report

School #10 – Update – Mike Schmidt – RCSD (Mike's reports are from 08:43 to 26:47 in https://youtu.be/x_V46Sv0KTQ.), Lee Lomis – Volunteer Coordinator

• Completion moved back to July of 2020 because SMART Bond grant has not been approved; work on #4 has been moved back for the same reason.

• Lee is out of town but reported most tutor volunteers will continue to work with the school while it is in swing space for 2 yrs at Marshal. It may be harder to recruit more tutors.

School #16 – Update – Mike Schmidt

• City Rec informed us that they will be unable to staff the Community Center at #16. Mike Schmidt has a meeting with Parks & Recreation on 7/9 and will bring up the need for a lead partner.

• The Construction is on schedule; moving furniture in the week of 8/6. Most of the inside of building completed. Workers doing double shifts. Parents have been notified of the return of 16 to Post Ave.

• The education tables we had at Square Fair were well attended by parents and teachers looking at the renovation pictures of the school that Travis Miller had provided us for the event.

• Principal Carla Roberts and several School 16 teachers were present at the tables most of the day at Square Fair to talk with the public.

• The X-Cats from Wilson walked in the Square Fair parade and set up their robot at our tables. They were a big hit and attracted a lot of traffic. Check out 2018-06-02 Bring the XCats' shop to the SW , and 2018-06-02 Square Fair Parade .

• Many people signed up for tours of the school when that is possible.

School #19 –Update – Mike Schmidt

• Large construction project in street for the bus loop and in the building for a new front entrance and office.

School #29 Update – Mike Schmidt

• Replacing air conditioning units and there will be some construction outside.

• Six videos of the work they do at #29 to serve differently-abled children was posted on FOX Rochester: https://foxrochester.com/news/good-morning-hannah/rcsd-school-no-29....

School #41 Update – Mike Schmidt

• Everyone moved out of the building as of Friday; bringing new teachers into the program; fresh coat of paint and updating mechanical systems. Lots of work next summer to cafeteria. Slated to be a community school – bring the resources into the school. 80-95% of teachers have been replaced.

School #44 Update – Grace Bilodeau, Mike Schmidt

• Fully operational in September; slated to be a Pre-K – 6.

• Struggling with parent involvement.

• Started a PTO to help advocate for the school and Grace reported a new PTO president and vice president are very active and working to revive the parent group.

• POSITIVE STORY: Pre-K – parents drop children off and pick them up. When asked if they’ll be coming back next year, some said they were not because they’re other children aren’t enrolled. Principal worked with Mr. Freeman to put all families back into #44.

Wilson Commencement Update – Mike Schmidt

• Mike Schmidt gave an update on some of the plans for housing the Robotics programs such the Wilson X-Cats for the fall. Mike has been working closely with Wilson principal Julie Van Derwater find a good solution. For the past few years they have been housed in a large shop space over at the Edison campus. Because of construction started at Edison for a new broadcast center, art rooms, maker space, technology spaces and an auto shop, the District needs to use the large robotics shop space as a staging area for the construction projects.

• This fall the Robotics teams will be relocated in various available spaces in the District suitable for the work they do during that time of the year which usually involves team organizing and planning. If current construction at Edison is done on time the robotics teams will be able to get back into their shop facilities at Edison by mid December in time for the January start of the robot construction.

• Mike is hoping that in Phase 3 facilities modernization program, work on Wilson will include building a shop that will house the the robotics program.

OACES & YouthBuild – Eleanor Coleman

• OACES Summer school starts 7/9. No TASC night classes. Several articles highlighting the programming, including personal testaments.

• YouthBuild

  • Second cohort has begun. Four students from the first cohort are working at Habitat for Humanity for construction experience and are ready for employment.

  • Exploring how YouthBuild might be involved with the construction of Tiny Homes for the homeless. Here is a link on the concept: https://youtu.be/sCzBi-TLKu0

  • Coming across several youth who would like to be entrepreneurs. This mirrors the data coming back from FII (Family Independence Initiative), one of the RMAPI pilot projects overseen by CFC, which indicates that several participants are interested in operating their own business.

Walk-in Items

• Looking into RCSD placement process and how it impedes building community. This has been a problem in both 44 and for 16 where we were trying to get more local students enrolling in the schools. For over 3 years in preparation for School 16 moving back to Post Avenue we encouraged Superintendent Vargas and others to try to notify parents of elementary aged students in the School 16 area that the school would be reopening and to consider it for their children. We don't think that was ever done. We need to build it out with local students starting with pre-K and Kindergarten.

Scribe Services: Eleanor Coleman, YouthBuild, Inc., 224 -5119, eleanor.coleman@gmail.com

SWCC Education Committee Chair, John Boutet, 328-4271, jboutet@frontiernet.net

19thWCA Schools Committee Chair, John Laing, 235-5236, jlang1@rochester.rr.com