19th WCA Schools Committee Meeting Minutes

June 6, 2023

Dr. Phyllis Moss convened the meeting by Zoom shortly after 7:00 p.m.

Present: John Boutet, Jane Braband, Charlotte Giebel, Douglas Giebel, Victor Gu, Lee Loomis, Dr. Phyllis Moss, Dan Ross, Jay Ross, Sarah Yaworsky

Spelling Bee:

As a summary report on the Spelling Bee had been submitted for the May meeting, a brief recap of what we have learned and consideration of future directions were discussed.

1. Care needs to be taken to select a date for the Bee that does not conflict with school breaks.

2. We want to increase the participation of Wilson Foundation Academy, particularly its Junior High students. We want to Emphasize the scholarship opportunities offered by the U of R and RIT for students who qualify for admission.

3. In order to be supportive of our school children, we want to take the suggestion that we create our own list of words, mingling the ones the students are learning next year with some from the Scripps list.

4. We welcomed Victor Gu, a sophomore at the U of R, who led the Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers’ work with the 2023 Bee. He suggested that he could investigate the possibility that some Technology majors might design an app using the words we choose for next year’s contest. The app would be available for the students to put on their phones to practice the words.

Tutoring:

Lee Loomis reported that June 6th was the last day for his programs’s tutors to work with students in School 10 as there will be end-of-year activities increasing in the coming weeks. It was a successful program during this second half of the year with a team of four from the Engineering Society each volunteering two hours per month and an additional tutor going in weekly for the last 7 weeks.

This summer, Lee will be seeking additional tutoring groups to be ready to work with students as soon as the teachers can identify those who need help next Fall.

Lisa Garrow, the principal of School 16, has also requested tutoring help. Phyllis will send her the application that Lee Loomis has devised. He also expressed a willingness to meet with Lisa to describe his process and the program.

Summer Reading Circles

Phyllis is beginning with one Circle at her home which will meet Tuesdays through Thursdays from 10-12 a.m. for six weeks this summer. The sessions will include games, reading, and other activities like cooking with Jane Braband. Jane will also check into the possibility of providing lunches for the children through the City lunch program.

Phyllis and Josie McClary, current President of the 19th WCA, met with some U of Rochester department heads to discuss opportunities for U of R students to tutor in the Reading Circles. Since it seems unlikely that this can be put in place this summer, they are considering beginning in September and investigating locations outside of school like churches, libraries, and restaurants, (including People’s Choice).

School Board Election

John Boutet mentioned that there are four open seats being voted on in the coming election. He urged us to vote for the four candidates who most strongly support the City schools rather than Charters: Ricardo Adams, Amy Maloy, Isaiah Young, and Beatriz LeBron.

School 16 name change possibility

John Boutet mentioned that the name of School 16, the John Walter Spencer School, may be changed to Dr. David Anderson School. John will send us more information.

Action items:

1. John is to invite Jacqueline Griffen to speak at the 6/15/23 Common Council Meeting or at the 6/24/23 Education Meeting

2. Investigate how we fit into the R.A.C.E. project.

There will be no July meeting of this committee. The next meeting will be on August 8.

The meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Charlotte Giebel