Citywide PTO was held this
morning (6/9) with good comments and questions around a variety of topics.
Supt. Taymore led with some current events: 5th graders from the
elementary schools do their annual Middle School tours today, 8th
graders will head to NYC on Friday for the first big trip in many years by
middle schoolers, and high school exams begin a week from today.
Supt. Taymore reports that
she is spending a lot of time working on upcoming school construction projects.
At Winthrop, classrooms will be added which will necessitate adjustment of
administrative space, and the front entrance will be returned to its former
location. At Roosevelt, the computer lab will be renovated to accommodate a
Kindergarten classroom. At Lincoln, a plan is in place should the School
Committee approve a 15th Kindergarten class, but she is looking for enrollment of 15 students and currently has seven. (This is usually a quiet
time for enrollments; things start to change in the summer when she will
make a final decision about recommending.) Administrative office restructuring
and transition from the MHS Resource Center to the Learning Commons will begin next
week when packing of the RC starts. Construction drawings and bid requests go
out in September. Abatement is planned for winter break. From Jan.-Aug., 2016 the Learning Commons and classrooms will
be built while the administrator section on the first floor will be built from
June-Aug., 2016. As a first bid alternate on the project (i.e. if there is
unused money remaining from the original project), Supt. Taymore is looking to build a
“maker” space (more on that here: http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/a-librarians-guide-to-makerspaces/)
and then the high school could build programs around it. Music programs will be
temporarily moved, and this effort demanded a comprehensive analysis of music
programs and scheduling across the district that will ultimately result in department
improvements. Scheduling will now operate more cohesively (i.e. all schools
will centrally schedule vs. doing it independently so more elementary students
will have access to lessons since teachers will travel less); contracts are
being re-reviewed to ensure that both staff and administration are fully and
uniformly honoring their obligations; and a very large middle school closet was identified (formerly used by the DPW) that is temperature-appropriate,
and will be used to house musical instruments. Beginning instrument lessons
will now be offered at the 6th grade. The high school will be able
to offer half-year band and orchestra options. There will be a more
opportunities for symphony practice. Mr. Repucci and Mr. Miller are very supportive
of the transition plans.
Compliance in the area of
food at elementary events was raised as an issue. For foods served during the
school day and within 30 minutes before and after school, items must comply
with federal regulations. (A vending checklist is here: http://www.johnstalkerinstitute.org/alist/alist.pdf.)
Students can bring in foods that are individually wrapped. Since PTO’s are entities separate from the schools, if they are serving food outside the +/- 30 minute and school
day window they needn’t comply with these regulations. All organizations are
asked to be sensitive to students and families with allergies and those who
might prefer lower-calorie options. A good option is to work through our
Chartwells Food Service Director Ken Dolce at kdolce@melroseschools.com or
781-462-3219.
Discussion was held around
the significant fundraising work that PTO’s do, and how best the schools can
focus their efforts on supporting individual school needs without overtaxing
our generous donors and sponsors. Parents are encouraged to understand that one school
isn’t “better” than another since there is significant equity with respect to
curriculum and instruction; schools are different based on their culture. Supt.
Taymore recommended organizing a PTO training that would include how to align
spending with School Improvement Plans, district goals, and the individual school’s
culture. As a district, we need to differentiate between what the schools fund and what
PTO’s raise and fund (e.g. elementary school clubs vary by school because they
are not district-sponsored). It might be useful for all PTO’s to review their
By-Laws soon and together so they have a common understanding and potentially
common approaches to their governance and their work. It might also be useful for PTO's to have guidance around legal issues (teacher gifts, etc.) provided by an expert like the Melrose City Solicitor. Bridge Director Jennifer
McAllister will explore organizing a training event for the fall.
Last meeting of the school year, and best wishes to City Wide members who move on to middle school from their elementary schools!
