Minneapolis ECFE South Parent Advisory Council

Meeting Minutes 1.12.12

2012-01-12T18:13:00.001-06:00

Meeting Minutes 1.12.12

7:00 Introductions - attending: Kori, Trisha, Angie, Doug, Megan, Elise, Melissa, Kris, Andy, Kim, Suzanne, Nicole

7:15 Financial Report - Trisha will send via email

7:20 LAC update - Maureen laid out the ECE program plan. SMART goals (specific, measurable, actionable, r and t. Some examples: increasing number of African, African-American, native-American families served, increasing number of kids screened at age three, increased literacy and numeracy, etc. Goals have not been officially approved yet, but we can see them once they are. There will be no budget task force this year, but we will be updated on the budget as it develops. Proposal to go from three PACs to two - East would join South. Right now east PAC only has one school (Sullivan). Would need to figure out how a merge would work, etc. Tabled for later. Discussion of site issues - how do we encourage schools to host ECFE? Roadshow? School board visits?

7:25 Chinook Books Payments - payments to schools have not yet been made; proposal to ask teachers to use funds for something related to literacy, and next year use funds for something related to numeracy. Decision: this year we will ask schools to EITHER tell us what they want and we will write a check for it, OR submit a receipt post-purchase and we will reimburse. ALSO: any funds not spent by May will be forfeited. so the funds are as open as possible for site-specific needs. Next year we will ask schools to give us a thing to fundraiser for (buy a chinook book so your classroom can get a ____.")

7:35 Davanni's Fundraiser - Kori contacted Davanni's but also contacted Noodles & co. and they will give us a bigger percentage (20%). Noodles recommended a Monday or Tuesday night for the best results. Need to set a date - will take 1-2 weeks to get a flyer made. February 20th is the date (president's day).

7:45 T-shirts - forms from last year should work for this year; start at beginning of Spring term. Add return by date and poss. info that shirts run small. Doug will make 300 copies and distribute to sites.

7:50 Teacher Appreciation Baskets - Kris suggested maybe buying T-shirt for staff members instead of baskets. Not time to do this for this year, but maybe for next year. Melissa will get three gift bags and tissue to next meeting. Everyone else bring treats!!!

8:00 February Pot Luck - happening March 11th from 4-7 at Kori's house.

8:05 Cinco De Mayo - May 5th is a Saturday this year, may need to choose another date in conjunction with Tony Trelles.

8:10 Vehicle Day - Melissa will chair!

8:15 Advocacy - want to have school board visits - daytime dads, MELD, LGBT evening class, etc. Megan will contact teachers and make arrangements.

Angie and Elise want to work on an ECFE Roadshow to bring to Mpls elementary schools (and PTOs) to encourage them to host ECFE. Angie will talk to Whittier and Elise will talk to Lyndale.

Greater diversity in PAC - Megan is talking to Spanish classes at Andersen; we can get translators and transportation.

Meeting Minutes 11.10.11

2011-11-11T16:32:00.002-06:00

Welcome and Introductions- Kori

Attending: Kori, Elise, Jenny, Angie, Jen, Megan, Mehri, Trisha, Annette, Nicole

LAC Update: discussion of the problems we've been having in reserving spaces for events. Upcoming three events have been approved, process will be streamlined and organized for future. Getting info from other PACs so we can make sure resources are being evenly distributed. Also discussed membership responsibilities and are seeking feedback on what parents want. Good news: we have DATA!!! Finally we have data to mine for what classes are popular, what times, who is attending, etc. Trisha passed out survey for PAC members to fill out giving feedback on some of the issues raised by the data. (I.e. Under-representation of certain ethnic groups) Discussion ensued of problems with asking (largely Caucasian, ECFE-attending) parents about how to get under-represented populations to ECFE. Who could administrators talk to? What groups currently exist that could be partners or resources?

Chinook Books (Jen) –- got 90 books, sold almost all of them! Wilder sold 24, Longfellow sold 20+, etc. Need to get info from site liaisons as t how money was spent last year. Or possibly ask sites what they want to spend this year's money on before giving them the money. Point was raised that we may need to rethink the allocation of this money as costs go up, etc. Will revisit in January.

Scholastic (Suzanne) – no updates

Advocacy (Megan) – met last week with Tony. Talked about Latino classes at Andersen. Megan invited to visit those classes to get feedback from the parents there. Would like to invite a School Board Member to visit an ECFE class to see what goes on. Talked about rally in the Spring. Need to get in touch with Cat Kemp for details/advice. Question about focus of Advocacy committee - bylaws do not specify, but Megan is taking a general approach focusing on advocating for early childhood with the broader community, as well as creating a climate where ECFE is more open and inclusive of underrepresented populations.

Preschool Fair (Elise) – 11 schools confirmed; several more are likely to attend. Reminder messages have been sent. Trying to increase attendance by schools that serve a more diverse population - next year will try personal email follow-up or phone calls to new schools. Christy has the laminated signs - need to get them to Catherine. Elise will get other signs and packets to Trisha. Catherine will be in charge on the day.

Ginger Bread (Nicole) – need to confer with Catherine regarding peanut free kits. Dec. 2 6:15-8:15 is prep night (at Kenny). Kori will send out sign up sheet for both Friday and Saturday. Kori will get supplies from Nicole and bring them to the prep event (possibly via Trisha). Nicole will hit the bank so we have $$ for making change. Need to put a thank you to Kemps for their donations (Elise) Discussion about raising price for kits next year if we have to pay for site reservations (tabled until next year). Everyone is encouraged to invite friends, church members, FB friends, etc.

Membership (Jen) - Dec. 9 at Common Roots from 8-10 pm - this will be in lieu of our December meeting

Other - payment for MELD classes - we have typically paid the four MELD teachers an honorarium in Fall and Spring. Discussion of whether we can do that this year. Resolved: pay $100 honorarium to each MELD teacher this December and revisit issue in Spring.

Imagination Theatre - Kori gives it a big thumbs up. Could be a fun event for PAC to sponsor. Tues, weds, thu mornings. 9:30 or 10:30. Puppet theatre with a social message, geared towards preschoolers.

Meeting Minutes 10.13.11

2011-10-14T16:31:00.000-05:00

Attending: Angie, Nicole, Kori, Doug, Catherine, Trisha, Melissa, Elise

Treasurer: 1673.76

LAC Update: ECFE now encompasses pretty much anything birth-5 that the district takes care of (ECFE, high 5, etc.) so LAC is moving towards more of a site-council model. Should hopefully create a better environment for data collection and accountability.

Dropbox - get it! Love it! Use it!

Kenny Fall Festival: looking for ways to get more connections between ECFE and area schools. Oct. 28 5:30-7:30 at Kenny -all are welcome! Co-sponsored by ECFE and Kenny PAC

Preschool Fair: still at Burroughs, though we are paying for the engineer. Elise will not be in town the day of the fair, so Catherine

PAC nite out will be rescheduled soon.

Chinook books: sale ends second week in November, so get em while you can! Buy directly from Jen to benefit PAC directly, or from your site to benefit the (the 10th) site's programs.

Gingerbread: trying to figure out if this will work at Kenny - child care space is the kicker. Poss. can use the Hi-5 space. Also question about Friday (12/2) prep - when do we do this and will it cost anything? Shooting for 6-8 pm or poss 4-6pm. Need event space + childcare space for both days. Melanie will check with Annette to find out what our options are. Melissa will pick up frosting as Nicole will be out of town until Friday evening.

Still trying to get clarification on payment issues as we are being asked to pay for engineers where we have not in the past. Kori will communicate with Maureen and get back to us.

Scholastic: got Fall order off this week - almost 100 books sold, $500 worth for the programs. Yay! Will be delivered right before Halloween. Suzanne will work on getting documentation of the process into Dropbox.

T-shirts: had wanted to do these as a city-wide fundraiser, but EastPAC may have already started on their t-shirts (?) Poss try to coordinate so that we're selling them at the same time? Doug will communicate with NorthPAC and EastPAC and see what will be possible.

Advocacy: trying to secure translators for events and poss meetings; also trying to get a questionnaire for feedback on what people want from PAC.

Meeting Minutes 9.15.11

2011-09-17T16:38:00.000-05:00

7:00 Welcome and Introductions- Kori

Attending: Kori, Nicole, Jean, Andy, Jen, Elise, Catherine, Doug, Tony, Megan, Trisha, Melanie, Suzanne – whee!

7:10 PAC Welcome Packet and update roster (Kori) – make sure you're on the roster if you plan on being a member this year. (Membership requirements = attend 2 meetings + be on a committee [offsite options available for members who cannot attend meetings]) SouthPAC represents classes at Wilder, Kenny, Longfellow and Andersen (Andersen primarily Spanish speaking families, so may not be able to get representation from there)

Jean Breitenbucher – new liaison, District Program Facilitator for South ECFE sites. Focus is on leadership with birth-three (North DPF focuses on 3-5) Many registration issues this year with all the changeovers. Most of these have been documented and should be taken care of this year.

7:30 Chinook Books (Jen) – Mobile app included this year with book purchase ($10 value). Price is still $20 of which ECFE keeps $10. We have plenty of extras so anyone who wants to sell some let Jen know. Plan is to sell them until the November meeting (11/10). Sites will keep the $$ from any books they sell. This year we will ask site liaisons to report back on what the money was used for so we can promote the event with parents.

7:40 Scholastic (Suzanne) – Catalogs will go out next week; two weeks to order; books should be back by early October. Once again ordering will be online, so remind people to include their site name on the form!!!!

7:45 Advocacy (Megan) – will look over documents from previous years to get up to speed. Interested in Latino issues in particular – how can we better facilitate communication between Spanish-speaking classes and PAC/LAC? Possibly look into getting bilingual assistant to translate so we can offer that service. Transportation is also an issue.

7:50 Preschool Fair (Elise) – Need to get translator for fair. At Burroughs on November 19th 10-1 – spread the word!! Email Elise if you have schools you want included. 8:00 Ginger Bread (Nicole) – Burroughs on December 3 from 10-1. Nicole will gather all the supplies (Angie has plastic knives!) but needs help breaking up graham crackers. Tony note: please let Jean know ASAP once dates are set so staff can make plans for attendance

8:10 Membership (Jen) (Fall Night Out) – Oct. 7, location TBD 8:20 Sign up for committee chairs Fundraising T-Shirts Speaker Events Cinco de Mayo Vehicle Day
Tony's fishing event

Housekeeping: Get Google docs onto Dropbox. Re-send Dropbox invites.
How do we get flyers translated? How do flyers even work this year? (Tony gets flyers translated for Andersen and Wilder; bilingual aides also make announcements.)

Meeting Minutes 4.21.11

2011-04-21T21:12:00.002-05:00

Attending: Kori, Megan, Bradley, Angie, Trisha, Jenny, Elise, Suzanne, Christy, Nicole

Cinco de Mayo - need volunteers to man the doors (16 & 2), people to supervise crafts. Tony made connection with McPhail to do an interactive music activity as part of this event, also the Azteca dancers to provide entertainment at end of dinner! 5:30-6:30 Potluck, 6-7:30 crafts and gym open, 6:15-6:45 Azteca dancers, 6:45-7:30 McPhail presentation

As of end of year, current management of ECFE is laid off and they are restructuring organization. Updates as they are available. Staff are being interviewed on their preferences in the coming weeks. ECFE will be having an open house for all staff who are being let go, to which PAC members will be invited. Christy advocated sending nice gift and card to both Helen and Sharon. $100 per person approved.

Treasurer's Report - $3798.02 in budget.

LAC Update - long discussion about school board advocacy and how ECFE helps keep families in Mpls public schools - need to get that message out as budgets are being cut. Superintendent did visit Kenny Dad's class and talk with them. Possibly will be asking for letter campaign in fall - or just call/email your school board rep whenever! On Nicole's suggestion, Kori will send Vehicle Day and Cinco de Mayo flyers to school board members. *** Kindergarten brochure is still working it's way through development. *** Still looking for outside sources of funding for ECFE. Have grant writer on board, just need to determine what to apply for. With changes in leadership this will probably get put on the back burner. *** Trisha and Elise are working on survey to assess what guides parents in choosing classes. *** If anyone is interested in becoming a parent rep for the LAC meetings, those positions are being elected at the next meeting. No previous experience required!

Speaker Event - great turnout and very successful event. A lot of requests to have a similar event again, so we should look into it for next year. Christy really advocates using Wilder for speaker events - great space! Angie notes that on May 1 Creative Kidstuff is having a great event for expectant mothers with free swag and mini classes, so spread the word.

Vehicle Day - 10-1 on 5/21 flyers have gone out, vehicles have been contacted and some have confirmed. Suzanne will get ices, lemonade, and jug. Kori will bring table at setup. We

Scholastic Books - last brochures are out, response has been good but next year might want two people - it's a lot of work.

T-shirts

PAC night out? - 5/13 at Gigi's @7:30pm

End of Year Picnic - Weds 6/15, location TBD

Storage of PAC items - Christy can no longer store tubs as she will be starting her PhD program in the fall! Congrats to Christy. Suzanne has volunteered to take over storage.

Announcements: Tony is once again doing a fishing event sometime on the free fishing weekend, specific date tab. Angie is setting up an open eye figure puppet theater event for sometime in June. Stay tuned for details.

Upcoming Event - Babies and Brain Development

2011-04-04T21:50:00.005-05:00

Join us for a wonderful morning of information and movement on Saturday, April 16th at 10am. Stephanie Johnson (from the Sage Education Center)* demonstrates the interconnectedness of movement and brain development, followed by a session on baby sign language and baby yoga. Babes-in-arms are welcome; no childcare is provided.

*More information on Ms. Johnson's classes at Sage can be found here.

Meeting Minutes for 3.17.11

2011-03-18T21:22:00.000-05:00

Attending: Kori, Brad, Trisha, Elise, Megan, Christy, Emily, Nicole

1. Furniture Donation - Tony Trelles and his wife are again looking for furniture in good condition to be donated for families in need. They will pick up if needed. Contact Tony for more info.

2. The potluck is happening on the 27th. Don't go to Christy's house before then!

3. $4078.02 is our current balance. Let's spend some money!!

4. LAC Update: ECFE end of year picnic May 26, location TBD. Other PAC updates: April 18 4-5:30 pm 348 TOTS is sponsoring a speaker. North is doing their plant sale, also a toy swap. Issue: Did not go to advocacy day this year. Last minute decision based on one person's complaint. Need feedback from families as to what the impact on them was. Suggestion that ECFE create an official complaint process to handle things like this in the future. This will probably come back to the PACs next year, so we may have to advocate for it or possibly even change bypass to fund buzzing ourselves. Budget task force: looking for someone who is skilled in SurveyMonkey. Need to survey pareprogram their desires for class choices so we can try to get more classes to capacity and generate some revenue to maintain ECFE program

5. Cinco de Mayo coming up. Ben and Tony have this under control.

6. Vehicle Day - need to start making calls to reserve the vehicles. Emily will divide the list and send it out to committee members. We have to provide our own table this year. We can use their chairs and garbage cans. Also need to make flyer and send to Ron.

7. Speaker - sat April 16,10-12, speaker for the first hour and baby yoga/baby sign class for second hour. No child care, but babies welcome. Need some helpers for setup and takedown.

8. Advocacy - we neeeeeeeed to have a chair of this committee for next year. Megan has stepped up. Woot, Megan!

9. T-shirts - voted to keep the same colors. Brad says the kid sizes run very small. We need to send the form to the other PACS so they can copy it if they want.

10. Scholastic - see Suzanne's note.

11. Summer puppet show - we will publicize; Angie is authorized to go ahead and schedule the event.

Meeting Minutes 2.17.11

2011-03-16T23:46:00.002-05:00

These are kind of sketchy since I was facilitating the meeting at the same time, but:

Attending: Christy, Leslee, Elise, Catherine, Jenny, Tony, Trisha, Dan, Angie, Brad, Megan, Kate, Nicole, Ben

1. Winter Pot Luck: scheduled for March 27 @Christy's house, 4pm.

2. Treasurer's Report: We have ~$3300 in the bank. Best Buy gave us $2000 on Trisha's behalf! Yay Trisha!

3. LAC Update: Children's Museum event was a success - 100+ people. NorthPAC Disco Ball had over 150 people attend. They are also doing a Mom-cation and a plant sale. LAC wants feedback on online payment option - seems like there are still a few glitches, but overall response has been positive

4. Spring Events:

Cinco de Mayo Potluck (Ben, Angie, Nicole, Megan) - May 5th is a Thursday night, same night as Wilder evening ECFE classes, so that's perfect. Event will be 5:30-7:30, with two shifts for helpers: 5-6:30 and 6:30-8. $350 was approved for beans, rice, cheese, tortillas. Angie will supervise the craft option; Christy is checking on supplies.
Vehicle Day - scheduled for May 21st; Emily is chair

5. T-Shirts follow-up: Sales were great for first time out - Wilder bought 22, Hale 19, and Kenny 17. We made $205 profit! We are donating a shirt to the Hale Mascot.

6. Data Storage follow-up: Review of last meeting's information. Everyone sign up for a Dropbox account!

7. Funding for a Speaker: Christy had idea for baby-centered event featuring speaker Stephanie Johnson, who talks about how movement affects brain development in babies, plus Angie and friends could do a session on baby yoga and sign language. Shooting for a Saturday morning at Wilder or Kenny. $250 was approved as speaker fee. Christy will look into arrangements.

8. Teacher Appreciation baskets - they were super full and lovely!

Meeting Minutes - January 20, 2011

2011-01-20T21:12:00.002-06:00

7:00 pm Welcome and Introductions (Kori) Attending: Leslee, Elise, Dan, Trisha, Catherine, Suzanne, Sue H., Ben, Megan

7:10 February, meeting and winter Pot Luck (Kori)
Kori out of commission starting 1st of February – Elise will chair February meeting; Kori tentatively will host Pot Luck in late March. ECFE Budget meetings at Mona Moede coming Tuesday and Wednesday – Kori and Trisha plan on going, Leslee possible backup for Kori. Question from Helen via Sue: What concerns/issues do we (parents) have about ECFE that would have an impact on the budget? More MELD classes, more year-long classes, more daytime dad classes, offered at more locations.

7:15 Treasurer's Report (Trisha) ~1900 in the kitty. MELD teachers will be paid by end of this week. Still searching for check from Best Buy ($1000) – need help getting response from ECFE admin staff.

7:20 LAC update (Trisha) – North will be doing Disco Ball 2/5 from 4-6pm at Mona Moede; also working on service project. East is working on a Pajama party, details TBD. Voices for Advocacy day will be March 17th this year. More details to come. Rep from Help Me Grow wants to spread the word to local parents. Offered booth at Vehicle Day. Discussion of Flyer to help local families understand the Kindergarten process. Suggestion to have reps go to more K classes, or possibly have an event in the fall around Kindergarten process.

7:25 Spring events
• Cinco de Mayo potluck – Needs chair – easy even to coordinate; Tony does most of the work and we just arrange art/craft project, get volunteers there,

• Vehicle Day – Needs chair – mostly involves calling vehicle owners. Still need to set date. Possibly the 21st of May. Kori will check with Sabbathani to see if this date is available.

• Advocacy Committee – Needs chair – we need this committee per our bylaws so someone needs to step up!

7:40 February Teacher Appreciation Baskets - We will assemble these at next month’s meeting so bring treats to fill three baskets!

7:45 Safety at Wilder – some concerns expressed after November’s meeting about safety at Wilder. Wilder ECFE staff have been very responsive in addressing safety concerns around classes, but there is concern that people may not feel safe attending PAC meetings because of where they are located. Need to continue the conversation and be aware of people’s concerns – possible to attend meetings virtually, looking into getting better lighting for meeting entrance, etc.

7:55 T-shirts (Dan) – forms are out for ordering! Woohoo! Last day for ordering is the 4th of February. Need site liaisons to ask parents to write their day/class on the form. (Sue will communicate this to the liaisons.) First run is for South classes only; will try to include other Mpls PACs for Spring trimester.

8:00 Google Docs (Elise) – need way to centrally locate all docs associated with PAC events and committees, something that is free, easy to use, and easy to maintain as personnel change. After looking at various options, Elise recommends that we adopt Dropbox as a document storage/sharing system. PAC Secretary would have responsibility for tracking and supervising document storage; individual committee and event chairs would have shared access to specific folders and documentation. All changes would be synced and updated across computers. Elise also introduced a form that would be filled out/updated by each event chair, which would give an overview of each event. Vote was taken and both dropbox system and form were adopted unanimously.

NEXT MEETING: February 17th. Bring treats for the teacher baskets!!

Gingerbread House Event THIS SATURDAY!

2010-12-16T14:30:00.002-06:00

The annual Gingerbread House event will be held THIS SATURDAY, the 18th of December, at Burroughs School from 10am-1pm. Don't miss this great family event! (see the flyer on the original post for more details.) Hope to see you there!

Updated time for Gingerbread Event Prep

2010-11-29T22:13:00.000-06:00

Nicole says:

Hello PAC members,

We have set-up from 6:15-8:00 with childcare at Burroughs Dec 10 for the Gingerbread house event not 4:00-6:00.

I am emailing everybody because even you did not sign up please come anyway-we will not turn you away:).

Please call 668-3927 for childcare.

1601 W. 50th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55419

Gingerbread House Event!

2010-11-23T13:33:00.005-06:00

Mark your calendars!

Meeting Minutes 11.18.10

2010-11-20T20:17:00.003-06:00

PAC Meeting
11/18/10
Hale

Present: Kris Norton, Dan, Brad, Nicole, Emily, Christy, Suzanne, Trish, Ben, Kori, Catherine

Kori asked everyone to update their contact info either on the paper she passed around or directly online.

LAC update:
Budget Task Force is forming again, parents are strongly encouraged to attend the training and participate. Learn about how funds are allocated and make a difference in how ECFE is funded. Two dates in January, either 1/11-12 or 1/25-27 (two of the dates). Confirmation of dates soon. Evening meetings, childcare and dinner provided. NICOLE expressed interest. TRISH will email further details.

Online payments will be accepted for ECFE starting in the spring, but guinea pigs are needed to test the system now. CATHERINE, BRAD and DAN volunteered to pay their winter dues online. Call Ginger at 612-668-2147 to receive details, she works Tu/Th/F.

Barnes & Noble Book Fair supporting the North PAC this Saturday, 11/20, 10am-2pm, Calhoun Village location.

Treasurer's Report:
We have about $1900, but Trish did not have the data on the Chinook Book sales. TCF cards have been given to the sites for their portion of the funds raised from books sold at their sites. A $25 Kowalski's gift card was passed from Trish to Nicole for Gingerbread this year (it was given on the day of Gingerbread last year).

Gingerbread:
Saturday, 12/11, 10am-noon, Burroughs, $3/house suggested donation. Flyer has been approved, but is not out in classes yet. (Needs to be out ASAP.) Discussion of and delegation of tasks (this minute-recorder didn't record who's all doing what, but NICOLE did and she's in charge). Volunteer shifts are 9-11 and 11-1, sign-up sheet was passed around and filled up.

Friday night set-up is 12/10, 4-6pm, Burroughs. Childcare will be provided. Sign-up passed around for that too.

MELD parent facilitators:
Kori left the room and Christy/Catherine led the discussion of payment to the MELD parent facilitators. It was agreed that PAC would provide $100 per facilitator (4 people, $400) in December 2010 and revisit the discussion in the spring with the hope of providing another $100 for each facilitator at that time. It was noted that PAC funds are lower now than they were last year, but fundraisers (t-shirts) are still coming up. CATHERINE will get names/addresses of all parent facilitators to Trish. (Official motion made by CHRISTY, DAN seconded.)

T-shirts:
Dan reported that it's going to cost too much money to have sample t-shirts made up for parents to see before ordering. He suggested having plain t-shirt available with appropriately sized paper logos pinned to the shirts and inviting the parents to use their imaginations. All agreed. Suggestion that ELISE can size the logos for the shirts? Suggestion that ELISE and DAN work on the order form together? (KORI has the catalog to give to Elise.) Another discussion of colors ensued, it was ultimately decided that kids shirts would be orange with navy print, the ladies shirt would be a dark gray/black ringer with black print and Dan would search for a gray/black ringer for the unisex/guys shirt instead of the gray/navy one he found so it could also have black print (save beaucoup bucks by going with one ink color for both adult shirts). Intention of having order form done by the second week of winter term.

Preschool Fair:
52 families came despite the snow! (80 last year) All schools came except 2. Kris suggested that maybe Preschool Fair should not continue because all info can be found online--group disagreed and stressed personal connections and conversations are the key.

Scholastic:
Suzanne reported that it was a lot more work than she anticipated. Tony is the official contact because Scholastic required that it be a teacher and not a parent. Not doing a December order. More in the spring.

December Meeting:
Thursday, 12/16 we bowl! CATHERINE will send out the details. No childcare, but lots of fun.

Meeting Minutes 10.28.10

2010-10-30T20:09:00.000-05:00

South PAC Agenda
October 28, 2010

7:00 Welcome and introductions (Kori) Attending: Brad, Sue H. Emily, Angie, Kori, Suzanne, Jenny, Christy, Dan, Ben, Trisha, Leslie, Joe

7:15 Treasure's report (Trisha) $3473.81 in the account. Woot.

7:25 Chinook Books (Jenny) Wrapping up the sale, get books or $$ to Jenny. Kenny sold 20; Hale sold 19; Wilder sold 19. Last year, schools got money differently: Wilder turned in receipts, Hale wanted cash, etc. Kenny and Hale may not have gotten last years’ money – Trisha will look into records. Motion to buy Visa cards for each school and ask for receipt afterwards. Christy amends motion to give $200 checks to each site liaison. Much discussion ensues. Visa cards remotioned. Motion passes. Trisha will give $330 to Kenny, $410 for Hale, $190 for Wilder. (Checks written to PAC members who will purchase cards and give them to respective site liaisons.)

7:25 Preschool Fair (Kori and Elise) volunteer sign up! November 13th, 10-noon at Burroughs; Flyers have gone out. Need volunteers for 9-11:00 and 11:00-1. 13 schools attending so far, a few more may still be coming.

7:35 Scholastic (Suzanne) – Did a trial run, looking at two week turnaround for orders, next time parents will able to submit orders online; waiting for books from first round of orders; next round should be even smoother.

7:45 Fundraising (Dan) T-shirts – Needs to get info on colors – located in meeting minutes. All meeting minutes are on the PAC website: www.ecfesouthpac.blogspot.com - also has links, documents, etc.

7:55 Gingerbread (Nicole) Dec 11th at Burroughs, so mark the 10th on your calendars for prep!!!! Volunteers are working on supplies, still need a frosting source. Emily will look into options.

8:10 google docs, storage space - Kori interested in having all PAC stuff in one place - should we look into renting a storage space? Christy will keep everything for this year, so we can revisit this issue later. For document storage, etc., discussion of whether Google Docs is the best option. Kori and Elise want to focus this year on getting standardized documentation for all regular PAC events. Elise will research some options and present at the next meeting. For now, please send any documentation you have (digital or hard copies).

8:15 LAC update

8:30 Adjourn

Meeting Minutes - 9.23.10

2010-10-26T14:51:00.002-05:00

South PAC Meeting
September 23, 2010

Attending: Kori, Trisha, Elise, Ben, Maleena, Catherine, Kris, Christy, Bradley, Nicole

7:00 Welcome and introductions (Kori) start of the school year memories

7:15 An overview of PAC (Kori): what we do, how to become a member

7:20 Snack Sign up

7:25 Chinook Books (Jenny): These are currently for sale in classes. We get $10/book sold and we donate that to the site. Blue Sky guides are now Chinook Books - buy them from your site to fund them or buy from a PAC member to support PAC. If you want books to sell, see Jenny C.

7:30 Preschool Fair (Kori and Elise): Date tentatively set for November 13 Free childcare will be available. Still finalizing school contacts - if you have a school you'd like to see there let Elise know. (Sue H is contact for Burroughs; also need to let Sharon know ASAP for staffing.)

7:40 Scholastic (Suzanne) - Suzanne is working out the details; Wilder has been approved as the site where books will be delivered; Kori will send out an email as soon as everything has been finalized.

7:45 Fundraising (Dan) T-shirts - Elise will send Dan the details he needs to get started

7:50 Fall night out (Catherine) Heather is taking a break from PAC, but Catherine will be new Membership Chair (yay!!) Working on Night Out for October.

7:55 Overview of remaining committees and committee sign up: Gingerbread (Leslie and Nicole [and Emily?]), Advocacy (needs Chair/Jenny), Speaker (needs Chair), Vehicle Day (needs Chair - make sure date doesn't conflict with Tony's Fishing event), Cinco De Mayo (needs Chair)

8:10 Other / LAC update - Focus areas for this year: Signage for ECFE, Transportation for ECFE, PAC connections, reach more parents, ECFE Space challenges, Recruiting parents for LAC, reaching underserved populations, citywide fundraising, ECFE advocacy, volunteer website to coordinate talents and needs - Kori and others interested in more info about Kindergarten/High-5. LAC always looking for more stuff to talk about - send emails to Trisha if there's stuff you want discussed. Trisha.Hanson@bestbuy.com

Oct 7, 6-7 at Anne Sullivan: "Raising Compassionate Kids" by the founder of Doing Good For Kids FREE

10/7 also Read for the Record day: Snowy Day available online, read it with your kid and they donate a hardcover book to a kid! (http://www.readfortherecord.org/)

8:15 informal Q and A time

8:30 Adjourn

ECFE Children's Museum Event THIS WEEK!!

2010-09-14T22:02:00.002-05:00

To: MPS ECFE FAMILIES

From: “MCM”

What: FREE Eve.@MCM

When: Thurs.Sept. 16

Time: 6-8 pm

Where: MN Children’s Museum, 10 W. 7th Street, St. Paul MN 55102

www.MCM.org

A FREE evening @ MCM for all MPS ECFE families!

And –You can get a pizza dinner!*

See below:

*Register for a pizza dinner (includes lemonade) for $3.50 per person. To reserve your spot, call
651-225-6036 between 9am-5pm. Please call by Wed. afternoon Sept. 15. (You will be given a time slot for your dinner.) Hurry, space is limited!

Meeting Minutes 5.20.10

2010-05-20T21:13:00.002-05:00

ECFE South PAC Meeting Minutes

Attending: Christy, Sue, Catherine, Heather, Kori, Angie, Suzanne, Elise, Dan, Trisha, Jenny, Emily (new!)

Welcome and Introductions – What are you looking forward to this summer?

Treasurer’s Report - $3462.61 in the bank

LAC update –
1. ECFE Year-end Picnic: May 27th 5:30-7pm – this coming Thursday at North Mississippi Regional Park. Bring own dinner, ECFE provides entertainment and ice cream!
2. Thurs, Sept 16th: ECFE night at Children’s Museum 5-8 (?) Open only to ECFE families! Pizza available for purchase.
3. Lobbying group for early childhood programs presented document they are pushing to candidates for governor with 5 key points. See document at sidebar. Meeting this summer on how to spread the word. See www.ready4k.org/minnesotasfuture.
4. LAC has officially approved credit card payments for ECFE classes!!! Hopefully will be live for fall registrations. Trisha will be co-chair for LAC next year. (Yay, Trish!)

Cinco de Mayo report – smaller turnout this year than last year; could be weather, could be day of the week, etc. Approx. 40 families attended, all seemed to enjoy their time. Suzanne will create Google doc for this event – need to work on centralizing all documents for the events.

Speaker Event – Safety report – Light turn-out (11 people). Might be more interest in fall or winter. Speakers are also available for individual ECFE classes. Good feedback from people who attended. Will try to do it again in fall or winter. Also requests for CPR class – maybe combine?

Vehicle Day – Saturday, June 5 10am – 1pm – we got the trolley!! Plus lots of other great vehicles. Elise will do the shopping and drop stuff off with Kori. Sue got feedback last year that Tot Lot at Sabbathani was a real mess – we will have some volunteers sweep the lot ahead of time this year. Note from Christy – next year we need to coordinate with Tony on take kids fishing day so it doesn’t conflict.

PAC Night Out – TOMORROW NIGHT (Friday) at Gigi’s, 7pm

Year End Family Picnic – PAC family year-end event. PAC buys pizza and drinks, people bring desserts and appetizers. Dan will host. Monday June 7th, 5-8 pm 100 Melbourne Ave SE. 55414 612-802-9212 if you get lost.

ELECTIONS!!!!
President – Kori
Secretary – Elise
Treasurer – Trisha
Preschool Fair – Jenny (Elise will help with computer survey stuff)
Gingerbread – Emily
Fundraising – Dan
Membership – Heather
Advocacy – Catherine and Jenny
Scholastic Books – something to set up for fall (system changes in August.)

Other –
1. Hale needs to move rooms (again!) and would like some help packing up. June 7/8 time-frame. Can’t bring kids but if someone could watch kids while others go help, that would be helpful! Coordinate by email.
2. Next year’s MELD class: Elise will co-facilitate with Kori. Woo! Tuesdays at Wilder 9:30-11:30 am.
3. August 5th Puppet Show at Angie’s House!!

NEXT meeting: August planning meeting, date TBA

Meeting Minutes 5.19.10

2010-05-20T16:29:00.000-05:00

South PAC Agenda - May 19, 2010

Welcome and Introductions
Attending: Nicole, Christy, Kori, Tony, Megan, Leslee, Brad, Trisha, Elise

Treasurer's Report
Year-end financial report - we spent a lot less on Gingerbread house this year - if anyone has outstanding receipts please submit them! T-shirt sales we ended up paying out more than we took in, which doesn't seem to make sense. Need to check with Dan on this - were there shirts left over?

LAC update
Looking to move year end picnic to Boom Island as a more central location. Tony brought up safety concerns concerns with it being so close to the river - would need to have vigilant watchers. Agreement that we would rather keep the current habit of rotating locations. * ECFE classes at Hale are moving to Longfellow. This leaves a big gap in south Minneapolis, which may lose us some families. Need to find a way to forge closer bonds with public schools so they are in favor of hosting. * Long discussion time on place and time for LAC meetings next year. They want to move to second Thursday of the month to avoid recurring Mpls school activites (and possibly other reasons). Would PAC be willing to change as well? Motion to move PAC meetings to second Thursdays except for September, assuming that the LAC also moves. Priority is to keep LAC and PAC together. Seconded and approved. Trisha will communicate to Helen. * Staff changes - with Helen and Sharon leaving, new positions have been created, with an infant to three director and assistant and a three to five director and assistant. Also Sue Harrington is retiring, which means we no longer have a contact for Burroughs. Focus for next Fall: the more people that can come to the LAC meetings in the fall, the better off we'll be for this transition. Discussion of approval for funds for kindergarten brochure. Up to $150 approved to print color brochures.

Cinco de Mayo report
Such a great event this year. Spent too much on food again, so we should adjust that for next year. Had about 120 people attending, very diverse crowd including a lot of Spanish speaking families. Discussion of getting PAC flyer translated into Spanish. Tony will help with this.

Vehicle Day - Saturday, May 21st, 10 am - 1pm
can Ron sell Teddy Bear Band CDs at the event? SPAC would make $1 per sale. Trisha will email Jenny to touch base with Ron. If he will take care of it, it's a go.
Volunteers should bring their own chairs, Kori will provide the table.

PAC Night Out-reschedule?
Maybe reschedule night out to celebrate Christy? Rescheduled for weds, June 8 at 7:30 at highland park chatterbox

Year End Family Picnic
June 15 from 5-7 at Dan's house. Evites forthcoming. $180 approved for food/bev.

Chair reports/summaries
Elise will coordinate getting reports from this Year's chairs.

Elections-PAC chair, Secretary, Treasurer
Chairs- Fundraising (scholastic, t-shirts, Chinook books), preschool fair, gingerbread
All current officers re-elected. Nicole will chair Gingerbread event again, Suzanne will chair Scholastic books. Need to contact Jenny about Chinook books. Elise will do Preschool fair again. Megan will chair Advocacy committee. Fundraising and Membership chairs are open.

August planning meeting - to be scheduled later, but location will be Kori's house.

Other
Approval of $500 for second round of payments for MELD teachers.
Online class - Sue Harrington submitted a report. Also Elise reminded members to request access to the online site for their classes if ey want that option.

Saturday, June 11th, Tony's fishing event is happening at Powderhorn Park from 10-12.

Speaker Event! Child Safety Workshop

2010-05-12T23:53:00.002-05:00

We have a great speaker event this coming Tuesday!

Child Safety Workshop
Keeping Our Kids Safe

Join together with families in our community to have an important conversation about keeping our young children safe. Minneapolis Crime Prevention Specialist, Karen Notsch, and a Prevention Education Speaker from The Sexual Violence Center will be presenting information on making our community a safer place and how to talk with our young children about safety concerns. Please join us.

Wilder School Auditorium
Tuesday May 18th, 2010
6:30pm-8:30pm
3345 Chicago Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Enter through door # 1 on Chicago Avenue S.

Childcare is available. Please call 612-668-3927 to register.
A Spanish speaking Crime Prevention Specialist will be available for translation assistance.

Sponsored by the South Parent Advisory Council

Click here for the flyer for this event - feel free to pass it along!

PAC Meeting Minutes 4.15.10

2010-05-12T23:39:00.002-05:00

Attending: Christy, Suzanne, Dan, Tony, Kori, Heather, Ada, Catherine, Elise, Trisha

AGENDA
Welcome and Introductions (what’s your middle name?)

Treasurer’s Report – $372.16 Also, taxes are DONE! (thank you, Tina H-P!)

LAC Update – May baskets for the School Board: Tues May 11 5:30-6 pm 807 Broadway – if you want to help present the baskets, tell Christy or call the main office so they know to expect you. (Or leave a comment on this post!)

Storage of PAC supplies
Everything consolidated down to two bins! Whee! Christy is keeping them for now.

Cinco de Mayo – Weds, May 5, 5:30-7:30pm at Wilder – 3345 Chicago Ave. S. Cafeteria is reserved, food is taken care of, Suzanne will be doing crafts (see flyer). Need people for two shifts – 5-6:30 and 6:30-8. Contact Suzanne to sign up. (Or leave a comment on this post!)

Speaker Event – Child Safety Workshop – “Keeping Our Kids Safe” Tuesday May 18th, 6:30-8:30pm at Wilder School Auditorium. (See flyer)

Speaker Event Idea – Stephanie Johnson on movement and brain development – possibility for Fall (Christy saw her at Dowling)

Vehicle Day – June 5th 10 am-1 pm at Sabbathani: City bus, poss. Tow truck, poss. Fire Truck and K9 Unit, Car seat safety unit booth (next year need to reserve in January), Bomb Squad vehicle, ambulance, recycling truck, garbage truck, street sweeper, poss. cement mixer, moving van, tree trimmer, log roller and arborist. (Wow!) We need Lemonade, Freeze Pops, sandwich cookies – Elise will buy at Costco. Kori will get info to Tony for formatting and distribution.

Scholastic Books – Dan is on it (for next fall??)

T-shirt sales – no gray/navy ladies’ fitted – do light blue/navy instead. Get this geared up and in place for Fall, poss. as fundraiser (?)

PAC Night Out - see evite from Heather

Elections NEXT MONTH!! – Christy will be stepping down as Chair. Secretary and Treasurer are other elected positions; also need to establish chairs for Preschool Fair and Gingerbread House at a minimum in place before we break for the summer.

Other – Tony’s wife is looking for furniture (esp. living room furniture) in good condition for their local aid project – if you have anything or know of someone who does, let Tony know.
Tony’s “Take a kid fishing” event – poss. Sat. May 8th 10-noon at Powderhorn Park, but waiting on waiver of license confirmation from state before he can make a flyer. Some poles and bait provided; otherwise bring your own.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, May 20th (final meeting of the school year)

Meeting Minutes 3.18.10

2010-03-24T10:15:00.002-05:00

Attending: Christy, Ada, Angie, Suzanne, Dan, Catherine, Kori, Tony, Trisha, Jessy, Nicole

Welcome and Introductions

Treasurer’s Report: Current Balance is $3375.14

LAC Update – East PAC and North PAC are really getting going. North PAC has fan page on FB, why don’t we??? Elise will create one. North PAC is having a plant sale – check www.ecfenorthmpls.com for more info. They are also having a "Momcation" in May - $15/person for a night at the Marriot with a Yoga class, dinner, reflexology, etc – they are doing cool stuff!! We should do some cool stuff!! East PAC had their pajama party and a silent auction that raised $500.

Area B Council follow-up (tabled until next meeting)

Spring events

Cinco de Mayo potluck – Tuesday, May 5th at Wilder; PAC will commit $200 for rice and beans

Vehicle Day – Who will chair this!?!?! Angie and Kori will organize; Catherine will help with onsite stuff at the event. Happens around the 1st weekend in June (the 5th?)

Speaker event idea – Stephanie Johnson on movement and brain development – Kori working on safety talk/workshop, free, some Tuesday this spring. Poss. 19th of May.

Scholastic Books – tabled for next month.

T-Shirt sales – Dan talked to St. Paul person, and they apparently have a fairly comprehensive T-shirt sales document. So he is looking into getting a copy. Talked with Everett at Shirts Unlimited; they are pretty flexible about orders, no screen set-up charge. They guestimate sales and determine per-shirt price based on that, then all sales go towards that price structure. They will do samples that can be sent around with sign-up sheets (which we would create); this aids sales. www.Shirtz.com has their catalog with all options. For coolibar (sp?) hats: 50 minimum order, and you get it for 50% off retail. $3-4 of embroidery per hat; $75-100 for embroidery set-up. Elise got info from GeeTeez (see handout). Discussion of options: start with just hats? How much would people pay for kid’s shirts ($7-10)? Do we want this to be more about raising awareness or fundraising? Per our bylaws all fundraising efforts have to be in tandem with site staff. [Angie: maybe we could talk about doing a silent auction instead of the Blue Sky guides. Tabled until later.] Would get orders ahead of time so we don’t have to carry stock. Do we need to set up a PayPal acct. so people can use credit cards, or do we decide it’s just checks or cash? Hats: maybe ask other PACs to go in on the hat order, so we don’t each have to move as many hats? Decision: Shirts from GeeTeez. Adult – gray with navy ringer, child – orange with navy ringer, ladies fitted – gray with navy ringer. Elise will work on order form and online options.

PAC Night Out – April 9 at Gigi’s!

LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES COMING SOON!!!

Other

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, April 22

Meeting Minutes 2.18.10

2010-02-18T21:18:00.003-06:00

South PAC Meeting: February 18, 2010

Welcome and Introductions
Attending: Suzanne, Dan, Kris, Heather, Gael, Elise, Christy

Gael Ellis – MPS Office of Family Engagement: Community Liaison for Zone 3. Her job is to establish communication between the District and parents. Trying to approach parents of kids BEFORE they hit school age. They have monthly meetings with the school board and offer opportunity to interact with district at a high level. Would be nice to have a representative from ECFE at these meetings. Next meeting is THIS COMING THURSDAY at Whittier; Elise will post meeting schedule and links to PAC website.

February Teacher Appreciation Baskets – Since meeting attendance was so light, Elise will send out email seeing who else wants to contribute stuff or $$ to the baskets; Elise will deliver treats sometime next week.

LAC Update – Christy laid down the law on T-shirts. We will do them separately and then other PACs can do what they want. Kris: need to talk about space – Kenny and Hale are both iffy and there is not sufficient space to meet demand. Helen had questions about phone customer service – they have been working to improve. Has anyone had problems getting phone calls or voicemails returned? There was discussion about when ECFE yearly brochure comes out – would be nice if it could be earlier so people could plan around it. Gael suggested contacting Courtney Cushing-Kiernat about space and scheduling questions. Gael will talk to her about this and communicate back to Christy.

Spring events
Cinco de Mayo potluck – Suzanne will contact Tony. As long as the space is available, it will be on the 5th of May.

Vehicle Day – Still needs a chair. Need to get going on this one. Angie (last year’s chair) will pass along the folder with all the info.

Advocacy Day – Monday, March 1. Sign up to take a bus in your classes or call central office 612-668-3927. Go and spread the word!

Speaker event – Kori is working on getting a safety speaker or possibly an infant/child CPR class. Christy will follow up.

Scholastic Books – Dan will follow up with Catherine and work on setting it up.

T-shirt Sales – Dan talked to St. Paul ECFE, they use Shirts Unlimited (651-645-3311, Contact is Everett). St. Paul’s most popular sales were in toddler and youth ringer tees and long sleeved tees. For adults most popular were jersey tees, also some women’s fitted tees. Elise has worked with Gees Tees in Minneapolis and will check with them to see if they have the size range we need; then we can get two quotes and just pick one. To find out: What are the color choices (i.e., what do they have in both adult and child sizes)? What is the screen fee? What is the minimum order? What’s the pricing for a basic short sleeved tee? For a ringer tee? For a ladies fitted tee? For hats? Elise and Dan will get this info to Christy in time for the next LAC meeting, then we can pick the vendor at the PAC meeting.

PAC Family Potluck Sunday, March 7, 4 pm at Christy’s house: 5320 30th Ave. S. Please bring a dish to share. Evite should be out soon!

Other – Kris needs to know how much $$ Hale has from the Blue Sky Guides so they can plan their purchases. Also, for recruiting purposes: Elise will bring more flyers to next meeting; also work on creating pretty email version of flyer.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, March 18

Meeting Minutes 1.21.10

2010-02-09T22:04:00.001-06:00

PAC Meeting
January 21, 2010
Attending: Christy P, Catherine M, Sue H, Elise R, Suzanne H, Dan P, Leslee, Sara S, Heather C, Trisha H

Welcome and Introductions – memorable birthday stories!

Treasurer’s Report – Warning: if you need $$ from Trisha, get it when you turn in your receipts or you may have to wait awhile. Currently operating on a 8 week turnaround. ~$3000 in the bank. More exact numbers to come. Also read sweet thank-you card from Tina for the Salon gift card we got her.

LAC Update – ECFE going to start taking online CC payments! Yay!!! Will be ready for fall registration. Bonus: if you pay with CC, you will get confirmation email as soon as your payment is processed notifying you which class you got into. Idea from southside teacher wondering if PAC could sponsor some kind of baby first-aid/infant CPR class. Christy will follow up. Events: NorthPAC is sponsoring a Baby Disco again this year. Sat Feb 6 4:30-6 pm at Mona Moede, $5 suggested donation w/snacks available for CHEAP purchase. Also looking to Citywide Earth Day events. Northside also is sending $75 from book fair to all citywide PACs, so that situation got resolved well. EastPAC holding Pajama Party on Thursday Mar 4 5-7:30pm at Sullivan, $5 suggested donation, includes pizza. Can bring pajamas to donate, also holding a silent auction so if you have items to donate let Christy know ASAP.

SPRING EVENTS:

Cinco de Mayo potluck: May 5 is on a Wednesday this year. Easy event for us b/c Tony (teacher at Wilder) pretty much organizes the whole thing. May need a chair for this one – please let Christy or Catherine know if you can help with this. Suzanne will chair or co-chair.

Vehicle Day: Probably happen around 1st weekend in June. Since Angie isn’t here, we decided that she volunteered to chair this one again. Right, Angie? However, as she’s due in July she will need assistance!

February Teacher Appreciation Baskets – started last year doing this for Valentine’s day rather than at Xmas. PAC gets baskets and we fill ‘em with stuff. Should be something that is easily splittable among ECFE staff members (so, not gift cards). Baked goods or other homemade stuff is great. Soooo: bring your stuff to the next meeting! (February 18th) Making three baskets, so bring three sets of stuff if you can.

Advocacy Day – Voices for Children day @ State Capitol (advocacy day for all early childhood programs in the state, including ECFE): rally in the morning, families w/small children encouraged to come. Monday, Mar. 1st starting @ 9:15am. Elise will post flyer on PAC site. Great way to make us more visible for state legislators when thinking about budget items. Go if you can!

Precinct Caucuses – Kat at Ready 4 K provided some guidelines on submitting a resolution at your precinct caucus. Good details for anyone interested in seeing that early childhood support is part of your party’s platform. Elise will post link or document on PAC site for more information.

Scholastic Books – Dan is interested in working w/Kris @ Hale; perhaps should move to model where each site has PAC liaison to take care of orders. Christy: does PAC need to be involved? If we go to online ordering, can’t site teachers just do it if they want to? Sue/Catherine: teachers could really use assistance with sorting orders when the books come. Also there is some organizational stuff on the front end that a parent liaison would be really helpful for. Since we haven’t done online ordering before we just need to jump in and try it out. Question: how often should we do this? Order forms come out once a month … might be a lot of work for parent volunteers. Catherine (for Wilder), Leslee (for Kenny) and Dan (for Hale) will start as liaisons and try for doing orders once a trimester.

T-shirt sales – We have these T-shirts w/new ECFE logo, but no toddler sizes so we need a new vendor. These would be for ordering in classes as a fundraiser for PAC Probably need to recreate logo in different format (Elise can make this happen if needed). Dan: they have been doing this in St. Paul for ages, let’s talk to them and find out about the logistic. Christy: to simplify we should just do one color shirt, one color ink. Elise: and if people want variety we can always throw something up on CafePress and link to it from the site. Dan will talk to St. Paul people, Catherine will get quotes from Minneapolis source and Elise will work with Chad on getting logo into appropriate format. Next meeting can make some decisions.

Other – Heather: membership events – last year we did a family potluck around filling the baskets, should we do this again? Yes, but not connected to basket: Sunday, Mar 7th, @ 4pm. Heather will send out evite. Still bring treats to next meeting. Elise: Preschool information fair packets are up on PAC site for download – what other documents do we want linked? Send suggestions to Elise. Elise will add bylaws to site, also looking into putting event documents up accessible by PAC members only. Sara: Gingerbread event went well, but 75% of people who signed up in advance did not show, so next year should not bother with signups and reduce prep to 100 kits.

Meeting This Week!

2010-01-18T22:56:00.000-06:00

(From Christy)
Just a reminder that our January PAC meeting is this Thursday, January 21st from 7-8:30 pm at Wilder. We'll be discussing our spring events (Cinco de Mayo potluck and Vehicle Day), February Teacher Appreciation Baskets, Advocacy Day, Scholastic Books, and T-shirt sales. Anything else you'd like to add to the agenda, please let Catherine or me know asap.

Also, it is VERY last minute, but if anyone else is interested in joining the Budget Task Force this year, the first meeting is tomorrow night :

Budget Task Force
January 19th and January 26th. At Wilder School from 5 pm to 8pm
(Wilder is on the north east corner of Chicago Ave and 34th street)

If you would like to join, please let me (Christy) know asap and I'll make sure they know you're coming. Right now, we have Trisha Hanson representing South PAC but I'm sure she'd love some SPAC company! (And thanks, Trish, for representing!)

Preschool Information Packets now available for download

2009-12-02T15:01:00.004-06:00

If you take a look over at the right hand sidebar, you'll see there's a new "Documents" section right up at the top, where you can peruse, download or print documents created by or relevant to the South PAC. We've got the 2008 and 2009 Preschool Fair information packets available right now, so check it out and pass it along!

Meeting Minutes 11.19.09

2009-12-02T15:01:00.001-06:00

Meeting Minutes 11.19.09

Attending: Jessy, Ada, Trish, Christy, Catherine, Dan, Heather, Suzanne, Sarah, Kris

Introductions – new member (Dan)

Treasurer’s Report (Trish) – Spent approximately $67 for copying Preschool Fair packets (less than last year). Waiting for final numbers on Blue Sky Guides (Jenny not here; still have 3 unsold books to be sold). $3290.80 balance, not including preschool fair expenses (packets, snacks, postage). Trish will bring updated balance next month.

LAC Report (Trish) – Continued conversation on strengthening relationship between ECFE and schools/principals; idea to host some local events (1 for each new school zone) for parents to meet their new principals; ask PACs to help set this up; Maureen working on this. ECFE program will be losing Kenny as a site for next year; Kris N. brought up idea of coming up with a few bigger early childhood centers that are more permanent. East/North PACs getting more parents and having more meetings; North now has a blog.

Dec. LAC meeting will set dates for budget task force; want at least 1 south PAC person there; opportunity to learn about the budget process; can voice opinion on where money should be spent (Catherine is interested).

Preschool Fair Re-cap (Jessy) – Ada wrote thank you letters that will be going out tomorrow. Had a total of 61 families attending (more than in previous years), and 15 preschools. Electronic copies of the information packet were sent to all schools. Elise working on adding an additional school to the packet, then will email to site liaisons and post on blog.

B&N Event Re-Cap (Christy) – Total profit for the event was $191. South PAC understood that profits were to be split evenly 3 ways between all PACs, but North PAC thought we would help but all profits would go to them. Christy will write to North PAC and clarify we are willing to give our portion (not East’s) to North PAC this time, but that the agreement was to split 3 ways; will cc Maureen and Sharon.

Baby Sign Class Re-Cap (Trish) – Class held Nov. 18^th at Hale. Had 9 families attending (12 adults, 6 babies). Email/call to register worked well—everyone who registered showed up. Families expressed interest in doing another class in the spring. We will pay Angie $75 for teaching the class.

Speaker Events (Christy) – Kori volunteered to be speaker chair. She is working on coordinating a one-night workshop on child safety. SVC (Sexual Violence Coalition) and Minneapolis Safe Officer may participate. They do not charge a fee, but we may make a donation to them. Looking for dates in the spring. Possibly some cost to us if we offer childcare.

Gingerbread Planning (Sarah) – Set-up will be at Burroughs on Friday Dec. 11^th from 4-6pm, event Dec. 12^th from 10-1. We need as many people as possible to help with both. There will be two shifts on Saturday: 9-11:30, 11:30-2pm (sign up tonight). Childcare will be available for both Fri/Sat. Flyer needs to get sent to Sharon asap, out to classes 1^st week of Dec. We will prepare 125 kits, some nut-free. Committee is still working on getting donations in.

Newsletter (Catherine) – Suzanne will take over (Catherine will help her get started before winter). Angie and Marcella have also offered to help.

Scholastic: (Christy) – We need someone to take over as chair. Hoping to start again for winter. Parents can now order online with a credit card, and books all come to the site. Chair would sort orders and distribute to Wilder, Hale, and Kenny.

PAC Night Out (Heather) – This will be on Dec. 17^th (instead of Dec. PAC meeting)-Catherine’s birthday! Memory Lanes Bowling, 7pm. Heather will send out an evite soon.

Additional Notes (Christy) - Christy will start to send out an email reminder to site liaisons before PAC meetings to be distributed to parents who may be interested in attending.

Meeting Minutes 10.22.09

2009-10-25T22:37:00.004-05:00

Attending: Angie, Trisha, Heather, Sara, Catherine, Kori, Suzanne, Ada, Tony, Leslee, Sheila, Christy, Jenny, Jessy, Elise

Introductions – how are you like your mother or father?

MELD class report (Tony) – 2nd year of the project: parent volunteers as facilitators, two classes, both at Wilder, three returning facilitators and one new one. Seven families in the morning class; Latino families class in the afternoon with eight families. Last year MELD had a grant to help pay for training, stipends for volunteers, start up costs, etc. This year there are no funds through ECFE to pay facilitators, but Tony is asking PAC to consider funding an honorarium for this year’s facilitators. Last year people were paid $1000 for the year in two $500 increments. Broad support for paying facilitators some dollar amount, but PAC can’t afford last year’s level. Discussion as to whether we should explore other funding options for this on an ongoing basis. (Grants, additional fundraiser, etc.) Trisha brought in some budget numbers. Motion made to approve December payment of $100 per facilitator with a plan for making another $100 payment in the spring pending budgetary availability. Elise will look into possible granting options and bring to next meeting.

Treasurer’s report (Trish) $2450.60 in the bank, not including Blue Sky guide, also Christy has $175.00 check to add. Review of budget trends from past years; Trisha will bring details to December meeting for spring planning.

LAC report (Trish) Leadership Advisory Committee is a steering committee for the ECFE program composed of Staff, Parents, and Public school members – important to maintain parent presence because it really gives us a voice on the committee and steers attention towards projects that are important to us. Tonight was 1st meeting of the year. Announcements: This Saturday at South HS is family enrichment day with three sessions on Early Childhood (Literacy and Development). They have childcare and are providing lunch. Link to more information is forthcoming. Also discussed using the PAC as liaison between ECFE classes and parents for ways parents can assist ECFE classes (making playdough, helping clean, etc.). Discussed brochure changes – if you have ideas for feedback please get them to Trisha so we can make some changes early! (As opposed to last year’s last minute scramble.) Tony went to get brochures that we can review so look them over and bring ideas to the next meeting!!

Letter to Editor of SW Journal? (Christy) Kris Norton alerted us that there was a listing for Early Childhood resources that did not include ECFE, and wondered if we could write a letter. Heather has agreed to oblige.

Preschool Fair (Jessy) – November 14, 10am-noon. This year we invited 30 schools, ½ of invites were via email (based on schools’ preference); also we made an electronic version of the survey so that we can retain the information year to year. So far 9 schools committed to coming; deadline is the 30th. Burroughs has been reserved for the space; need some volunteers to help with setup, childcare, and cleanup. Grace preschool offered to come to individual ECFE classes as well; Christy will pass this along to site liaisons. Elise will email link to survey so PAC members can follow up with their preschools.

B&N Event (Christy) Same day as Preschool Fair – fundraiser for all the city PACs. B&N at Calhoun Village will have events and refreshments, author visits, etc. All $$ raised will be split between three PACs. Can use vouchers at ANY B&N in the country (not online) so send them to friends and family and anything they buy that day will go to us. Tony wanted to know about options for having parents purchase multiple copies of books for classrooms. Christy recommends contacting store managers.

Baby Sign Event (Angie/Trish) moved to November 18th (Weds) 6:30-7:30 in music room pending availability of Hale. No childcare, bring your baby with you. Keep an eye out in your classes and if you don’t see it let Trisha or Christy know!

Blue Sky Guides (Jenny) Kris mentioned that she would prefer to have her $$ from the guides in cash. Christy says $$ has to be used for specific classroom expenditures, so we need documentation of how $$ is spent. Tony prefers making the purchase and then getting reimbursed. Christy will contact with liaisons and we can manage this on a site-by-site basis.

T-shirt sales? (Christy/Jenny) – Ron (childhood teacher) asking if we want to sell T-shirts. Could do at events (which means paying out in advance) or could do class orders where we get the orders in advance and then order what we need. Unclear as to whether this would be fundraiser for PAC or for ECFE. Catherine has good local printer; Christy will follow up with Ron and we will make some decisions at next meeting.

Gingerbread (Sara Sluka) – looking at Sat. Dec. 12th, need to secure space. Either Burroughs or Wilder are viable options. Talk to Sharon to arrange the space. Need committee members!

Advocacy (Sheila) 1.) Strengthening link between Mpls. Schools and ECFE through principal visits to ECFE classrooms. 2.) Hale school is doing organics recycling (composting) – we can expand this to the ECFE classes at Hale. 3.) Computers in the classroom – some people feel strongly about having them, some about not having them. Something to be brought up with site liaison if you have questions/concerns.

Call to fill open positions (Catherine/Christy) need additional members on Advocacy, Fundraising, Speaker Events and Membership committees.

Next meeting: Thursday November 19th Sheila has snacks; planning Gingerbread event.

PAC Meeting Thurs 10/22!

2009-10-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

A message from our co-chair:

"Just a reminder that the next South PAC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 7:00-8:30 at Wilder. The meeting is being moved to the fourth Thursday of the month due to the school release days this week. As always, childcare will be provided; call 612-668-3927 to reserve spots for your kids. Please email any agenda items you have to me before the meeting. I'll send out another reminder email next week.

Reminder: We're limiting the sale of the Blue Sky Guides to only a few weeks this fall with the deadline being the meeting date, October 22nd. How are your sales going? Do you need more books? Contact Jenny Clementson (jennykyle001[AT]hotmail[DOT]com) for more books or information and please remember to bring any unsold books and cash/checks to the meeting."

Children and Racism

2009-10-02T22:34:00.002-05:00

Many of you may have seen or heard about the recent Newsweek article on children and racism (if you haven't read it, it's really worth a look). If you're interested in this topic, here are some other resources.

This is an amazing, and heartbreaking, video. Watch and share:

For resources on combatting racism and encouraging tolerance, check out teachingtolerance.org.

Meeting Minutes 9.17.09

2009-09-30T22:40:00.002-05:00

Attending: Eric H., Christy, Trish, Catherine, Angie, Jessy, Elise, Marcella, Sarah Sl, Sheila, Leslee, Ada, Sarah Sh, Suzanne, Rhonda, Sharon

Eric Hansen welcome & help w/recruitment for Hale GLBT class. Brought fliers to hand out at local clinic.

Welcome & Introductions (Christy): Fill out yellow sheet in folder; check out FAQs on reverse of agenda. Introductions and discussion of superpowers and superhero identities. Overview of requirements and benefits of membership. PAC plans + review of last year. Thing to note: most of our activities are things that we’ve been doing for a while, so there’s a good body of knowledge for newcomers. Overview of various events and committees.

Snack sign up: snacks are important!!

By-laws and request from Hale for funds for books – Elise will scan and put on website. Melanie (at Hale) has requested funds to buy sets of books for literacy classes; our by-laws prevent this kind of direct funding as a way to prevent SouthPAC from becoming a fundraising group. As of now we need to honor our by-laws but we might want to think about writing in some leeway that would allow us to honor one-time requests like this one. Tabled for next meeting. This might also be a good use for Blue Sky Guide fundraiser. Motion to approve that Teachers be allowed to sell Blue Sky Guides in their ECFE classes and keep the profits for the books they sell (PAC would keep the profits from PAC member sales). Motion seconded and approved. Christy will communicate this with Melanie. Information for online ECFE class – upcoming: 8 week positive parenting session. FREE, register online at ECFE site. Also: There is space in early ones at Hale (Thursday 9-10:30 AM). Tuesdays 1-3 Ron from Teddy Bear band is offering a Music Play and Learn class @ Wilder – still openings in that as well.

Blue Sky Guides (Jenny/Sarah Sh): Jenny has them to hand out – take what you think you can sell and start hitting up friends and family! (Checks go to ECFE SouthPAC; $10 of the $20 cost is tax-deductible). Only selling these for the next three weeks!!

Preschool Fair (Jessy): Poss 14th of Nov (waiting to see if Burroughs is available) great resource for parents; many local preschools are invited to send representatives and we also send out a questionnaire that we compile into a packet for parents to keep. Elise looking into creating online/electronic version of questionnaire that could be dumped into a database(?). Elise and Jessy will pursue this option. Need to get going on this ASAP!!!

Meeting Location – We have been holding PAC meetings at Wilder to coordinate with LAC meetings (same night and location); some discussion of LAC moving to Mona Moede to accommodate North PAC members. If LAC moves we need to discuss what impact this will have on PAC meeting times/place

Other

Information about committees and call to fill open positions (Christy and committee chairs)

Committee sign-up and BSG sign-out/Informal Q&A time.

Next Meeting is the 22nd of October (late due to MEA weekend) at Wilder

PAC meeting tonight!

2009-09-17T13:35:00.002-05:00

The first PAC meeting of this year will be on Thursday, September 17 from 7:00-8:30pm in our usual location at Wilder. (Walk straight past the play equipment and you'll see the meeting room in front of you; if the door isn't open then just knock and someone will let you in.)

We'll have a full agenda to start off the year including Preschool Fair, Barnes & Noble event, Baby Sign class, Blue Sky Guides, LAC and signing up for committees. Childcare will be provided; call 612-668-3927 to sign up. Hope to see everyone there!

Local Recommendation

2009-09-15T16:13:00.002-05:00

Christy writes:

"I just finished reading this awesome new book, Nurtureshock, which has some really cool research on parenting. I just finished reading it and found it fascinating. Anyway, MPR is hosting an event with the authors next Wed night, Sept 23rd. Tickets are free but you have to reserve them in advance. After reading the book, I can't tell you how excited I am to go and wanted to get the word out. Here's a link to where you can reserve tickets."

Check it out!

(If you have recommendations for events, books, classes, etc., that you'd like to share, email elise.laura.erika AT gmail DOT com)

Hopkins ECFE Vehicle Fair

2009-08-24T11:42:00.000-05:00

A good family activity coming up:

September 11, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Join us for this FREE event!
Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) of Hopkins, invites you and your family to our Open House, featuring a Vehicle Fair, where families can explore a:

* Police Car
* Fire truck
* Ambulance
* Snow Plow
* Front-end loader

In addition, there will be classroom activities, free refreshments, and face painting!

Harley Hopkins Family Center
125 Monroe Avenue South Southeast of 169 & Excelsior Blvd.
Hopkins, MN, 55343

The Girl Net

2009-08-19T11:37:00.000-05:00

Interesting article on raising girls from PBS Parents:

The world of today's girls doesn't look like the one you grew up in.

Their world is defined by media and technology and the logos on their clothes, by online social networking and what's on TV, by music downloaded and shared, and by a barrage of clever advertising promoting clothes and products that many girls feel they've just "gotta get."

PAC Summer Planning Meeting Minutes

2009-08-17T10:31:00.000-05:00

Wed, August 12th

Attending: Rachel, Catherine, Trish, Suzanne, Jessy, Sarah Sluka, Sheila, Christy

-Membership drive - signed up to visit classes. need to send out reminders and requests to visit other classes.

-September meeting (Thurs, Sept 17th from 7-8:30 pm). Location? Jessy, Sarah Sluka, Suzanne to bring treats. Catherine to check supplies for plates, napkins. Trish will get bottled water. (Make sure to ask Membership chair to do snack sign up for year.)

-Barnes and Noble fall event w/citywide PACs-- Sat, Nov 14th from 10 am-4 pm at Calhoun Square BN. Is bn going to be alerted to teacher's wish list?

-Blue Sky Guides - Christy will follow up with Jenny and Sarah Showalter to make sure it's all a go for the Sept meeting

-Preschool Fair - Jessy chairing. Try for Sat Nov 7th at Burroughs, 10-12.

-Fall Advocacy Event - Sheila: Possibilities, event with principals and/or school board members. Worried about them being busy with district changes but we'll invite them anyway. Will invite all principals, even those not at an ecfe site.

-Baby sign class - Sept 23rd. Location? Try for Hale. Trish will follow up. Voted to pay $75 for the class. No babysitting, babes in arms welcome.

Meeting Minutes 5.21.09

2009-05-22T10:50:00.001-05:00

South PAC Meeting 5/21/09

Attending: Sarah Sluka, Trish, Christy, Tina, Tony, Jessy, Cindy, Vanessa, Heather, Sarah Showalter, Catherine

Treasurer’s Report: Tina (last one)
$1808.64

LAC Report: Christy
Hale, Wilder, Sullivan, and Kenny need help packing up classrooms and cleaning. Dates are 6/8-10 8:30-4:00, no kids. Christy, Heather and Sarah Showalter agreed to watch kids at Christy’s house on 6/9 between 9-noon. Catherine, Sarah Sluka, and Jessy agreed to go to a site to volunteer. Need a few more volunteers.

Eric asked about MELD, talking about schedule for next year, thinking about afternoon or evening at Kenny or Sullivan in the morning. Possibility?

Advocacy: Christy
Sheila and Jenny will continue with advocacy. Stay tuned for fall event

Newsletter: Catherine
No newsletter for end of year.

Cinco de Mayo: Christy
Nice event, cafeteria full, diverse crowd, 60 kids, 40 adults, enough beans, not enough rice, should get tortillas next year too.

Vehicle Day: Jessy (for Angie)
Saturday, May 30, 10-1 at Sabathani. Confirmed vehicles: Galactic Pizza, Tow truck, Street sweeper, Taxi, School bus, Squad car, K-9 unit, Bus, Ambulance?, Smart Car?, Snowplow?, Fire truck? 9:00-11:30/11:00-1:30 volunteer shifts, anyone want to do face painting?, fairy who does magic tricks?, motion to approve $50 for magical fairy TRISH (APPROVED) Freezer pops, sandwich cookies, lemonade, donation jar, McDonald’s donation of orange drink pending. Car seat inspection outstanding, not likely. Heather’s doing a craft, egg carton bus, crayons? Christy will bring kid-sized folding tables. Helicopter? Years gone by, Tony

PAC year end picnic: Christy
Tina’s yard, Sunday, June 14, 4:30 PAC pizza, bring appetizer or dessert, bring camping chairs, 5217 Portland, Christy will send Evite

Summer planning meeting: Christy
August meeting at Christy’s house, probably a Thursday evening.

Take a Kid Fishing Event: Tony
June 6, Saturday, Powderhorn 10-noon, flyer hitting classes next two weeks, emphasize PARENTAL SUPERVISION and ASSISTANCE.

Other: Christy
Helen needs help editing brochure in June. Jessy will connect with Elise’s friend, Scott for design help. Catherine and Sarah Showalter will help with editing. Catherine can fix PAC page.

Discussion of strong need to have brochure available sooner. Many roadblocks.

Elections

Co-chair - Christy
Co-chair - Catherine
Secretary - Elise
Treasurer - Trish
Preschool Fair – Jessy, Vanessa?, Sarah Showalter
Gingerbread – Sarah Sluka
Newsletter
Fundraising
Advocacy
Membership - Heather
Speaker events

Meeting Minutes 4.16.09

2009-05-18T15:06:00.001-05:00

PAC meeting April 16, 2009

Attending: Christy, Sheila, Michelle, Tina, Sarah, Sarah, Sue H., Catherine, Rachel, Vanessa, Angie, Elise, Trish, Heather, Jill

Treasurer’s Report: $3008.64 in the account, thanks to Best Buy!

LAC Report: Maureen was there (she heads up Early Childhood programs for Mpls K12). Talked about volunteerism ideas, got the green light to contact classrooms about this. Coordinating fundraising citywide for fall – can Blue Sky Guides work for this? Maybe plant sale, like North PAC did this year? Shared ideas re: collecting class fees. There will be a new logo for ECFE for fall; shared ideas about making other changes. Maureen welcomes feedback/contact from parents – her email address is online. Legislator update: No program cuts right now, poss. moderate cut to childcare assistance from Senate.

Advocacy: Poss. event for the fall (October?) – invite Principals and School Board for informational meeting, maybe a class visit to sell them on having ECFE in their schools. Elise will collect some data to present for this. If you hear good stories about ECFE in your classes, get their contact info and send it to Sheila!!

Hale is losing some classroom space for next year, which will have a big impact on class offerings. Site liaison (Kris Norton) recommends possibly contacting the Hale Principal to let them know how important ECFE is to you. If you’re in a class at Hale and can stop by Principal’s office, that would be great; also phone or mail contact if you can’t do it in person. (Possibly organize a meeting with all the PAC Hale parents? Or schedule a meeting that other parents in your class can come to.)

Vanessa raised issue of scheduling – Edina publishes schedule in January for next year, why can’t Mpls do the same?

Newsletter: There will be one more this year. Catherine is interested possibility of sharing this position if anyone else is into it.

Website: As always, send links to Elise, who will have the website back to normal posting levels hopefully next month.

Spring Events:
Vehicle Day – May 30 from 10-1 at Sabbathani. Arrangements proceeding on schedule.

Cinco de Mayo – Tues, May 5 from 6-8 at Wilder. Need two shifts of PAC members to help out (Christy has sign-up sheet).

Baby Sign Class – Possibly moving to next year’s schedule.

PAC Year End Picnic:

Other?
Elections for next year!

Next meeting: Thurs May 21st

March Meeting Minutes

2009-03-30T09:14:00.002-05:00

South PAC Meeting March 19, 2009

Attending: Sarah Sl, Rachel, Jessy, Angie, Kris, Heather, Christy, Trisha, Sarah Sh, Catherine

MELD Class Update: (Christy) Eric Hansen from Sullivan is looking for feedback on parent-led MELD classes. What would entice parents to teach these classes? Options included training, year-long classes, choosing locations, and PAC-provided gift cards or a small stipend. Classes would be free for MELD teachers. It was agreed that gift cards provided by PAC would be a great idea and there was general interest and support around the table.

Treasurer’s Report: (Christy for Tina) We have $2,008.64 which does not include the $1,000 that Trish secured for us through her employer, Best Buy.

LAC Report: (Christy and Trish) There was a general discussion about the need for volunteers and organization on lots of projects including writing grants, marketing, outreach and networking. Christy and Trish reported that PAC is awesome at organizing volunteers to do things, we just need to know exactly what we’re organizing. A conversation ensued about all of the possible things we could help with and Kris got really excited to go back to her staffers and brainstorm “concrete tasks” for PAC to organize (i.e. last day of school clean-up).

Advocacy: (Christy for Sheila) Sheila is still looking for help with getting principals to visit ECFE classrooms. This is important both for retention of ECFE parents and so parents know that ECFE matters to the administrators at their school. Catherine volunteered to work with Sheila.

Newsletter: (Catherine) Always looking for ideas to feature in the newsletter. The group came up with a great list that Catherine feverishly jotted down. Please continue to send ideas (or submissions) to Catherine or Christy.

Web site: (Christy) Elise is working on our (awesome) new web site and will be compiling a list of “Things to do in the Twin Cities with Kids” when her own life adjusting to two kids settles a bit. Haven’t we all discussed this list in our classes a million times? Aren’t there seemingly many copies with different ideas all over our sites? Let’s merge them together and send people to the web site. Email your ideas to Christy.

Vehicle Day: (Angie) Looking for cool car ideas and will schedule a committee meeting soon. Jessy, Jill, Heather, Sarah Sl, and Kelly are on the team.

Cinco de Mayo: (Trish) Trish and Tony will connect to work out the details. Sarah Sl is on the team. Tuesday, May 5th at Wilder.

PAC Night Out: (Christy) Where should we go? When should we go? After lots of (fun) discussion, we settled on Friday, April 24th at the Chatterbox in Highland Park. There will be an early option (for those who are dying to get out for dinner) and a late crew option (for those who need to stick around the homefront longer but who still desperately need to get out without the kids) with the hopes that the two will intersect in the middle. Let’s not leave Christy on her own at a bar again, ‘k? Catherine will send an Evite.

Speaker Events: (Trish) Angie’s going to do a Baby Sign event on a weeknight during May, probably at Hale. They’ll work with Kris to firm up details. Email Angie good signs that you used with your kids or think would be helpful to new parents to learn.

Elections for 2009-2010 PAC: (Christy) Christy will need some help next year since she was crazy enough to accept a chair position on the PTO of her daughter’s school. Leadership and committee positions available next year include:

Co-chairperson
Treasurer (Tina is stepping down)
Secretary
Gingerbread
Preschool Fair
Fundraising
Advocacy

Get working on your campaign slogans now!

Year-End Picnic: (Christy) The big ECFE Year-End Picnic is scheduled for Thursday, May 28, 5:30, at North Regional Park off I-94. Teddy Bear Band from 6:15-7:15. Stay tuned for more details.

Next Meeting: Thursday, April 16th.

Minutes submitted by Catherine.

Meeting Minutes 2.19.09

2009-02-21T22:27:00.002-06:00

South PAC meeting, February 19, 2009

Attending: Catherine, Trisha, Heather, Rachel, Tony, Christy, Jessy, Sarah Sl, Sarah Sh, Angie

Treasurer’s Report – (Trish) Trish got $1000 check from Best Buy for volunteering with PAC. Whoohoo!

LAC Report – (Christy) Year-end ECFE picnic: always features Teddy Bear Band, should we change it? Any ideas for another option? Consensus is: let’s stick with the Teddy Bear Band. Perfect for kids. (Tony) DNR Take a Kid Fishing Weekend (June 5-6-7) coming up in spring; Tony would like to promote ECFE Goes Fishing in pond behind Wilder – poss a Friday night or Saturday morning. Would be aimed at ages 3 and up – maybe require one parent per kid for safety. Might be a problem to get staff support – PAC should be able to provide some additional help. Tony will look into details with DNR.

Budget Task Force report – (Trish) Issues with payment/fee collection process; how can it be improved? Ideas: have site liaisons collect installments on regular basis; provide addressed envelopes (PAC could help label envelopes); start taking online payments (maybe with online notification of classes!). Catherine offered database setup help to improve process. (Sarah Sh.) Process was interesting; identification of fee issues was important; budget is looking kind of bleak this year. Report will come out before our next meeting, so there should be more info then. (Trish) Parents at the 1st meeting appreciated learning about the budgeting process and the different line items; however, many parents thought there would be more opportunity for input rather than just reacting to the information presented. Trish would like to get more systematic feedback from parents, teachers, etc. to see if these reaction were common and if there’s a better way to solicit input and create realistic expectations. (Rachel) could PAC members who attend Task Force meetings come back and share info with the rest of the PAC? How can we better communicate this important information out to parents? (Elise) If ECFE admin could create 1 page “fact sheet” prior to Task Force meetings that could be distributed in PACs or poss even in classrooms (?), maybe quality of feedback would be improved and more useful. Need to be better about educating rank and file ECFE parents about overall budget picture (Angie) would be nice to have wishlist either per site or for the whole with big and little items (signage, office equipment, classroom supplies, etc.) Also could we have a place on the payment form where you could pay additional money to help sponsor another family or contribute to a scholarship fund? Christy will get OK from Helen for us to go ahead on wishlist item; Elise, Angie and Rachel will coordinate on implementation.

Advocacy - (Christy) Rally Day at the Capitol 10-10:30 am. March 19th for all early childhood programs; parents and kids encouraged to show up and be visible support for the legislators. More kid-friendly events this year before and after the rally. There will be some bussing available; still working out the times on that. Be on lookout for more info in your classes.

Newsletter – (Catherine) Looking to put more advocacy info in the newsletter; will contact Sheila. Rally Day will go into the newsletter. (Possibly with mock phone script for people who want to call in their support.)

Website: Things to do in the Cities with kids – tabled for next time. Or email them to Elise!

Spring Events:
Vehicle Day – Angie will chair. Need to pick a date. Poss May 30th? Angie will coordinate with Sabathani to see if this date works.
Cinco de Mayo – Tues, May 5th at Wilder. We pay for some food, otherwise potluck. Will need PAC members to staff event and help with crafts.
PAC Night Out – sometime in April when Elise and Sarah can drink. ☺
Speaker Events – Still working on signing workshop – Angie does it!

MPS strategic plans – Changes are coming to school choice! Go to Mpls K12 site for more info and to leave comments.

Next meeting: Thursday March 19th

Reminder: PAC and LAC meetings tomorrow!

2009-02-18T17:02:00.001-06:00

Don't forget our monthly LAC and PAC meetings happen tomorrow night at Wilder. Check the calendar (in the right hand sidebar) or the meetings tab for more info. Hope to see you there!

Weekly Reader

2009-02-02T14:27:00.003-06:00

An interesting Newsweek article on the ongoing debate about vaccines and autism

What to do if your kid won't stop calling you by your first name

If Mom loved you best, do you end up happier? Study says no.

And finally, this sure does ring true at our house!

more music charts

North PAC Event: Disco Ball!!!

2009-02-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

Our sister PAC is sponsoring a great event this month - here are the details:

North PAC Disco Ball

When: Sat, February 7, 2009, 4pm – 6pm

Where: Mona Moede NELC ECFE, Minneapolis.

Description: Dance party for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and their siblings and grown-ups. All families welcome! $5 suggested cover charge per family.

Links and Updates

2009-01-26T21:41:00.002-06:00

Take a look over at the right hand sidebar - I've just updated it with a bunch of great links to parenting sites, local resources, and PAC member blogs. We want this site to be a resource for Minneapolis parents, so if you know of any fabulous parenting or kid sites that aren't up here, please let me know in the comments and I'll add them!

Here are some other good links for this week:
The CPSIA: Soon to bar kids from libraries? More fallout from the flawed lead-safety legislation.

Baby Food: If breast is best, why are women bottling their milk? An interesting take from The New Yorker on the history and politics of pumping.

The Wonderwheel: Positive Behavior Charts Tips and tricks for encouraging good behavior.

Meeting Minutes 1.15.09

2009-01-18T22:14:00.003-06:00

Jan 15, 2009 South PAC Meeting

Attending: Sheila, Sarah Sl, Heather, Jessy, Tina, Sharon, Vanessa, Christy, Trisha, Jenny, Elise

Treasurer's Report (Tina): $1952.62 with a few more small bills to be paid for Gingerbread House Event.

LAC Report (Christy): Concerns that we have that would affect the ECFE budget either positively or negatively. Staffing is the biggest budget item. Under-3 morning classes are critical, but also there aren’t many activities that can be done with multiple children, which the birth-5 cover well. One place to look might be developing more parent-led classes, which frees up a parent educator slot. The internet class might help with budgetary concerns with more support/publicity. (Could internet classes partner with parks system to add a face-to-face component?) Parent Volunteer Opportunities – are there needs that ECFE parents could be fulfilling on a volunteer basis? (E.g., making playdough, helping in the classroom, etc.)

Budget Task Force (Christy): Need at least two members to attend. Thursdays, Jan 29th and Feb 5th from 5:30-8:00 pm at Wilder. Free childcare and dinner. Excellent opportunity to have a real impact and see the inner workings of ECFE. Need to RSVP to Helen by the 21st of Jan. (If you RSVP cc Christy as well.)

Principal/ECFE connection (Sheila): Modeled after Hale, where principal comes in and speaks to ECFE classes; can we expand that? Devote one class session to school choice, including visits from multiple principals? Good way to strengthen public school/ECFE connection – could be used to reinforce importance of ECFE to the schools, as well (ECFE as a resource for keeping Mpls kids in Mpls schools). Possibly could do a speaker event related to this as well. Sheila will talk to liaisons re: onsite principals visiting ECFE classes, and will look into an invited event for offsite principals and school boards.

Family Potluck (Christy): Sunday, Feb 8th at 4 pm. Informal, purely social, bring the kids. Location TBD. (You’ll get an email.) Sign up for food – via Evite.

Teacher Baskets (Christy): Assemble at potluck. Please bring items for 3 baskets. Homemade goodies are encouraged – the teachers love them (and more than one has said that anything chocolate is a favorite). These items will be shared among the staff at each site, so things that are easily shared (ie no gift cards to Caribou) are best.

Newsletter: Catherine needs a feature for the upcoming newsletter – highlight PAC activities? Budget Task Force? HoTB Theatre? Other ideas email Catherine M.

Spring Events:
- Vehicle Day - Angie will chair :) Jessy will bestow her wisdom from last year.
- Cinco de Mayo - Trish and Sarah Sl. At Wilder; contact Tony to set things up.
- PAC Night Out - March or April?
- Speaker events - Trish. Angie is working on putting together a possible baby signing class/event. Looking at March for this event.

Other
PAC Website (Elise) – PLEASE send Elise any information that would be of interest to local parents – especially looking for links, pictures, local events, things to do in the Twin Cities, parenting books/articles, etc. We want the site to become one-stop shopping for local parents of preschoolers!

Upcoming Events:
Registration for Spring-now through Feb 6th
East PAC preschool fair at Webster: Sat 1/24
Budget Task Force: Thurs 1/29 and 2/5
North PAC Baby Disco: Sat Feb 7th at Mona Moede
South PAC Family Potluck: Sunday 2/8
East PJ Party: Tues Feb 10th from 6-8 pm at Sullivan
Next Meeting: Thurs Feb 19th

Meeting Minutes 12.18.08

2009-01-15T12:00:00.004-06:00

Minutes for Dec 18th, 2008 PAC meeting

Gingerbread overview: A success with about 80 houses but still fewer families than last year. Perhaps we should return to having families preregister in classes?

Meeting with councilmember Betsy Hodges: Very low turnout. Bad timing around the holidays?

Ties between ecfe and schools: Looking for ways to strengthen connection between ecfe and k-12. Look at contacting principals and letting them know that having ecfe in area schools is important to parents. Sheila will look at and bring to Jan meeting for discussion.

Budget Task Force: Budget Task Force meeting on Thursday January 29th and Thursday, February 5th from 5:30-8 p.m. at Wilder. Need at least two south PAC parents to attend. Open to any family in ecfe, so bring it up in classes too! Free childcare (and dinner too, I believe).

PAC Family Potluck: Tentatively scheduled for Sunday, February 8th (after double checking that that was not superbowl sunday!) at 4 pm. Location TBD. Will coordinate at Jan meeting.

Teacher Baskets: Moved to February "We Love Our ECFE Teachers" baskets. Will assemble at Family Potluck and deliver for the week just before Valentine's Day.

Vehicle Day: Angie will chair :) Thanks Angie!

Cinco de Mayo: Trish and Sarah S will cochair. Thanks ladies!

PAC Night Out: April?

Speaker events: Looking at possibly a baby signs workshop.

Thanks to our GBH sponsors!

2008-12-16T15:29:00.002-06:00

The Gingerbread House event was a big success, thanks in large part to our sponsors. Show them some love!

Lunds, Richfield
Kemps
Rainbow Foods, Richfield
Scandia Bake Shop
Kowalski’s on Lyndale
Bergan’s Super Value
Byerlys, Edina
Walgreens on Lyndale
Oxendale’s Market
Espresso Royale

Meeting with Council Member TOMORROW

2008-12-09T09:21:00.002-06:00

Meeting with City Council Member Betsy Hodges

Join us for this special gathering with City Council Member Betsy Hodges to talk about
issues in our community affecting you and your children.

Wednesday, December 10
4-5:30 p.m.
Kenny Community School
5720 Emerson Ave.
Minneapolis, MN

Hope to see you there!

We have a bookstore!

2008-12-02T23:33:00.003-06:00

As requested, I have just finished setting up an Amazon.com bookstore specifically for the South PAC. (Note the new tab up top, to the left of the "contact" tab.) We'll get a small kickback on every purchase made through this store, and it's a great place for us to feature our favorite parenting resources. Which is where you come in - I need ideas for books to add to the store! Send me lists of your favorite books related to parenting, either in comments to this post or via email and I'll add them to the store. As you can see, right now I have the books in three categories: Parenting Resources, ECFE Books, and Just for Fun. Take a look at what's there so far and send me your ideas for additions, new categories to add, and any other feedback. Once we get this baby loaded up with a few more books we can start publicizing it in classes and to friends and family. Hope you like the set up!

Good Reads

2008-12-01T21:15:00.003-06:00

Some good reading from The New Yorker:

"The Child Trap: the Rise of Overparenting"

"Play Nice" (humorous)

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend!

New Blog Design

2008-11-21T00:21:00.002-06:00

So, things are looking a little different around here. Whaddya think? Love it? Hate it? Just sort of confused? Check out the tabs (there are two sets, don't miss the ones in the upper right hand corner) and let me know what you think of everything in comments. I can change colors, add/subtract tabs, edit content, revert to the old design, whatever. Just say the word!

Meeting Minutes 11.20.08

2008-11-20T22:08:00.006-06:00

Attending: Christy P, Trisha H, Sheila E, Sue H, Sarah Sl, Catherine M, Rachel I-H, Heather C, Angie S, Jenny C, Jessy S, Vanessa M, Tina H-P, Sarah Sh

NEXT MEETING: December 18th, 7-8:30 pm at Wilder.

1. Treasurer’s Report (Tina): paid lots of bills, reconciled Blue Sky Guide stuff. Current balance: $1583.74

2. Preschool Fair (Christy): went very well after the lock-out. ;-) Lots of educators, lots of help setting up, ~70 families. There are information packets left (details on the attending schools) – if you want one, ask your classroom teacher. Elise will transcribe current packet so we can have an electronic version. All thank-you letters have been mailed.

3. Blue Sky Guides (Jenny): 36 sold so far – if you still want to sell the ones you have, do it this month!! (Bring unsold ones to Gingerbread House or next PAC meeting.)

4. Gingerbread (Heather): Preparations are coming along. It will be at Burroughs. Friday 12/12 is prep 3:45-6pm (there will be childcare); Saturday 12/13 is the event. Two shifts: 9-11:30 and 11:30-2. ALL HANDS ARE NEEDED!!! Please, please, please try to come both days if at all possible. We also need people to break and bag the graham crackers, which can be done at home on your own time. Contact Heather for more info.

5. Advocacy (Sheila): Need more people for this committee!! Some neighborhood issues had been coming up in classes; Sue coordinated with councilwoman Betsy Hodges to address these issues and anything else parents want to talk about at Kenny, 12/10/08, 4-5:30 pm. Please come to the talk and we also will need parent help with childcare. Contact Sheila for more info. Discussion of ECFE locations, how they get chosen, etc. Some areas are underserved and there may be misperceptions about availability among parents. Christy suggests bringing it up with LAC and also directly with ECFE administration. This topic, and the more general topic of parent-school connection, will be discussed more in-depth at the next meeting.

6. Teacher Baskets (Christy): Great way to say thank you to the teachers, but meeting timing makes it tough to assemble and deliver. Either we can make/assemble these in conjunction with Gingerbread, or we could move it to January. Group discussion … baskets are moved to February – Valentine’s baskets!

7. Speaker (Trisha): working on Jennifer Fox for a speaker, getting Best Buy funding to assist with costs like last year. Also possibility of getting some kind of Baby Sign Language presentation/talk. Christy also suggested Rita Davern, a local speaker who does seminars on dealing with toddlers and tantrums.

8. Funding requests (Christy): there has been a request from Hale for PAC to fund a bookcase purchase. PAC does not fund regular program purchases, but things like bookcases, the climber at Kenny, etc., are good requests for PAC funding. Trisha will coordinate with Hale on the bookcase request; Elise will create a form to post to the blogsite for future requests, so the information is standardized.

9. LAC (Christy): Trisha is parenting co-chair this year, so pass ideas to her, even if you can’t attend meetings. The more attendees, the better – even if you can’t come every time, drop in when you can. Dinner and childcare are provided, and it’s right before the PAC meetings so it’s convenient!

9a. Budget Task Force – previously, parents had very little input on budgetary issues; the task force was created to address this. Committee of parents, teachers, administrators, and neutral mediator. Will be about 3 evening meetings, food and childcare provided. Will start in February; exact dates will be provided at next meeting. NO finance or budget experience is necessary. This is the most direct way to have a say in ECFE issues.

9b. Buy the Change – a way for ECFE to raise money. A website similar to Craigslist but emphasizing local businesses and charitable organizations; members pay $25 to be able to post ads, and that money goes to various nonprofits. They have requested that we post the link on our website so there’s no conflict for the school district posting it on theirs. (The link ensures that the money goes to ECFE.) Motion made and carried to post the link on our website; Elise will post the link.

9c. Computers in the ECFE classrooms – some requests have been made for computers in the ECFE classes, but this is a contentious issue (should kids that age be exposed to computers?) Sue indicates there is also a need for additional computer resources for parents and teachers and aides, which is an issue that has much more support. PAC members also wondered where funding was coming from for this, and are there places that money could be better spent? Concerns will be communicated back to LAC.

10. Online ECFE class (Sue): 14 people have registered for this coming trimester!! Group will start off with a face-to-face meeting, and then move to exclusively online – a forum for discussion of any and all parenting issues. There will also be a playgroup option for those who are interested. It is FREE, and there’s no limit to how many can sign up at this point. Site has lots of resources and members will be able to have one-on-one consultations with Sue. This is a great option for families on the waiting list – spread the word!

Announcements:
• There are 3 kid slots left in parent-led ECFE class.
• We are developing a PAC booklist – bring your shortlist of great parenting books/resources to the next meeting! (Elise will look into developing Amazon.com bookstore in conjunction with this)
• Next meeting is December 18th, 7-8:30pm at Wilder.

Meeting Minutes 10.23.08

2008-11-20T14:07:00.004-06:00

Sorry these are being posted so late!! -Elise

Attending: Tina H-P, Christy P, Angie S, Sarah S, Jill H, Heather B, Rachel I-H, Kris N, Jenny C, Jessy S, Elise R, Catherine M

NEXT MEETING: NOVEMBER 20th, 7-8:30pm at Wilder Elementary School.

Strong Schools Strong Cities Referendum (Brooke) – Referendum to provide $60 mil/year for next 10 years for Mpls public schools, to make up for lag in state and federal funding. Half to keep class sizes down; other ½ for Early Age Literacy, Math and Science, and Textbooks and Technology. If passed, there will be an oversight committee to insure transparency and accountability. Talking Points: There is an $8 return for every $1 spent on early childhood education; money spent on education keeps kids in school and reduces juvenile delinquency, crime, and homelessness. Talk about it at ECFE! (Because ECFE educators can’t.) Questions? Go to www.StrongSchoolsStrongCity.org Also check out Catherine’s letter to the editor in tomorrow’s (10/24) Strib!

Blue Sky Guides (Jenny) – Guides are at all the sites; they are $20 and we keep $10 of that. We are trying to be done with the sale next month. 28 have been sold so far; last year we sold 80+ so let’s try and at least meet that goal again.

Treasurer’s Report (Tina) – currently have ~$1200, and waiting on $1000 from Best Buy. We will need to file a 990e postcard tax return yearly from now on.

Preschool Fair (Jessy) – Set for Nov. 15th @ Burroughs in the cafeteria (same as last year), 10-noon. Childcare is being taken care of by Sharon. Last year there were 15 preschools and 80+ families at the fair. Everyone will get a packet with all the schools’ information in it. Jessy is working with committee members to follow up with invited schools. Trisha can help with copying packets as long as they’re ready in advance. Need to contact Sheila regarding water for tables. Flyer has been sent out, but noone has gotten it, so need to follow up. Catherine will also feature it in upcoming newsletter. PAC approved $300 budget for copies and other supplies.

Newsletter (Catherine) – Christy gives Catherine a GOLD STAR for recommending the Woodlake Nature Center in Richfield as a good family outing. Be sure to check the newsletters for featured outings/locations every month. Send suggestions to Catherine. Angie suggested Inner City Tennis obstacle course at Nicollet and 46th tennis center – most Saturdays from 1:30-3:00pm, great obstacle course staffed by volunteers for ages 3-8. FREE, plus healthy snack afterwards. www.InnerCityTennis.org.

Gingerbread House (Christy on behalf of Heather) – a south Mpls tradition, has been going on for 20+ years now. $3 suggested donation, bring the kids, make a “gingerbread” house, leave the mess there! There will be peanut-free kits available. Scheduled for Dec. 13th at Hale Elementary School in the cafeteria, 10-1 (need volunteers for night before and from 9-2 on the day). Recommended for kids 2 and older. Volunteers are still needed!! Please email Heather to sign up.

Call to Fill Open Positions (Christy) – still have some committee positions open; must join at least committee to be official PAC member. Advocacy and Membership committees still open. Advocacy = working with Sheila on public advocacy like Strong Schools, legislative meetings, etc., and also advocating for ECFE at the LAC meetings. Membership = organizing social events for PAC members, recruiting and welcoming new members. Low time commitment for this one. Email Christy for more information.

South PAC meeting minutes for 9-18-08

2008-09-23T21:58:00.002-05:00

The next meeting is October 23rd at Wilder School (34th and Chicago). See sidebar for more info.

Attending: Christy P., Elise R, Jessy S., Vanessa, Jenny C., Tony A-W, Sharon M., Sarah S., Jill H. Rachel I-H, Catherine M., Sarah S., Ranjana, Sue H.

Christy P – Welcome and introductions; PAC overview. Yay, SIX NEW PEOPLE!! Christy’s phone# is 612-728-5976. Invitation to the LAC (Leadership Advisory Council); meetings immediately before PAC meetings with dinner and free childcare. Become a member by attending 2nd meeting and signing up for a committee. PAC accomplishments 2007-08: Hosted four public events, two advocacy events, two fundraisers, three member events, multiple communication outreach, and one speaker event. Plan to do similar events for the coming year. [see orange flyer]

Jessy S – Preschool fair. Will be Nov. 15th at Burroughs. Representatives from area preschools all in the same room for parents to tour and gather information. Free childcare! Letters are ready to go out; list was passed around for anyone familiar with a school on the list to make a personal contact. Jessy needs some assistance for the day of the event itself in case she has a baby coming.

Jenny C – Blue Sky guides. Made ~ $900 last year; this year’s goal is $1000 (or 100 books). Members asked to take 5 guides and try to sell them to friends and family. Checks should be made out to South PAC; unsold books and checks can be brought back to next PAC meeting. Books are $20; $10 goes directly to the PAC (and is tax-deductible).

Christy P – Introduction of Officers/Committees. Reiteration of invitation to LAC meeting. Committee work – two categories: Event work and ongoing committee work. Events: Speaker event(s); Preschool Information Fair; Gingerbread House; Cinco de Mayo; Vehicle Day. Committees: Advocacy, Fundraising; Membership; Scholastic Books; Newsletter.

Cinco de Mayo. Evening potluck at Wilder; last year’s was very successful with games and PAC supplied some basic food/drink/dishes and staffed the event.

Heather C – Gingerbread House. Fun event, very popular. $3 suggested donation, kids get a kit with directions, then they build a house. Committee members make phone calls to stores for donated supplies or gift cards. There will be one short meeting in October with explanations, prep the night before, plus the event itself (including setup and breakdown). Good committee for getting to know people.

Catherine M – Advocacy committee. Great committee, trying to hold an event this Fall with legislators, giving them information to help them support ECFE. Also working on the Referendum for Mpls. Public Schools. Referendum for $60 million needs to pass. $30 million will go towards reducing class size; $30 million will go towards supplies. PAC is advocating for this. They are looking for families to host house-parties – contact Christy for details.

Christy P – Membership committee. THE PATH TO POWER. Recruiting and welcoming new members, and taking care of current members through nights out/potlucks.

Sue H – Online Parenting Education Class. Often waiting lists for ECFE; PAC & staff developed idea for an online class that could address some of the same topics as ECFE. Developed course and send out information with denial letters, but there was no response. Got some feedback from parents and from similar program in St. Paul. Still have not gotten much of a response – need input from PAC members. (Ideas – open it up to non-waitlist parents; start talking about it now for Winter; contact via email as well as snail-mail; include and emphasize social component – play group or other parent meetings; have the online option year-round to cover summer lack of classes and keep local connections.) Need some members to sign up for a Task Force to further develop this project.

Christy – Year-Long MELD Parent-Led class. Another response to long waitlists. Christy and Heather facilitating one at Sullivan. Once you’re in, you’re IN for the year. Weds 9-11 am, age birth to 5. Designed for seasoned ECFE parents. There are still openings! Sign up now even if you’re already in a class! Call 688-3927 for more info.

Christy P – Trish (Speaker Event Chair) is looking into getting Jennifer Fox as speaker in January. Will try to get approval for this soon, poss. online.

August Planning Meeting

2008-08-19T10:08:00.001-05:00

PAC August Planning Meeting

8-13-08

Attending: Christy, Elise, Jessy, Celeste, Jenny, Catherine, Trisha, Sheila, Heather
Notes graciously taken by: Christy

Welcome to new member Celeste!

New Secretary- Elise

New Fundraising Chair - Jenny

Membership drive-need members to get to as many classes as possible before our first meeting, Sept 18th. Will do a virtual sign-up over email since class placement letters have not yet gone out. Talk up the PAC in classes!

Flyers- Elise to get to sites, or Lehmann for distribution to sites, before first meeting

Advocacy - need co-chair
Want to get good stories to share with legislators. Try to get info during our class visits at our first classes, have them fill out a form or a sign-up sheet. Sign-up sheet seemed easier. Sheila will write letters to educator and sign-up sheet. Christy will make sure it gets to ecfe for distribution and will send to PAC.
Referendum info to be distributed as well. Referendum will be discussed at first meeting.

Preschool Fair: Date needs to be determined as does the space. Need to see what Kenny's space looks like. Bring sign-up for helping to first meeting.

First meeting- Thursday Sept 18th 7-8:30
-Snack sign-up at first meeting
-Bring treats...Elise :) PAC will pay
-Wilder as location
-"LAC/PAC meeting here" sign- Elise

Speaker- Trish
-strength speaker Jennifer Fox
-speaks for free, just pay flight/hotel and let sell book
-perhaps as a fall speaker event

Membership chair -Trish
-treat organizer
-banner for advertising "sponsored by"

Make a poster size flyer for each site with dates of our meetings to match flyers - Elise will look into it

Newsletter- Catherine will continue

South PAC meeting minutes April 17, 2008

2008-04-25T13:36:00.001-05:00

The next meeting is Thursday, May 15, 2008, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Wilder School (34th & Chicago). This will be our last meeting for the school year. In addition to regular business, we’ll elect officers for next year and have an opportunity to sign up for committees. Get the best committees now, before they’re taken!

LAC meets from 5:00 to 5:30 pm (dinner) and 5:30 to 6:45 pm (meeting).
As always, free childcare is provided for both meetings.

Attending: Christy Pettis, Tina Ham Peterson, Jessy Schrandt, Michelle Mougin, Sara Hong, Trisha Hanson, Elise Robinson, Heather Cholat

Treasurer’s Report (Tina)
Our balance is approximately $ 2000.

Cinco de Mayo Event (Christy)
The date is Monday, May 5, at Wilder School (34th & Chicago). Potluck from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. Activities from 5:30 to 7:00 (kids crafts, music, bubbles & dancing). A motion passed to spend approximately $400 for the purchase of chips, beans & rice, and craft supplies. Volunteers are needed to staff the event.

Vehicle Day (Jessy)
The event is Saturday, May 31 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, at Sabbathani (38th St and 3rd Ave S). Jessy completed all the calls on the list (yea Jessy!), and got 7 commitments and several more possibilities. The Bloodmobile may participate and also do blood donations. We also may have car-seat inspections. Food donations will be taken for the Sabbathani food shelf.

Flyers (Elise)
Elise developed 2 prototypes and took comments and suggestions. She’ll bring a mock-up for the next meeting, as well as information on costs.

Work With the U (Elise)
Elise talked with a U of M PhD candidate, who suggested we should be as specific as possible about what information we want, and whether we want a longitudinal study or something more like data-mining. We decided that ideally, we’d like both, although the legislators need information sooner rather than later. One important thing to discover is whether ECFE parents tend to stay in the Minneapolis Public School system. That information could prove valuable in making a case for continued ECFE funding. Elise will contact Sharon Moser to see what kind of information might be available from MPS.

Year-end PAC Family Picnic (Christy)
The picnic will be the afternoon of Saturday June 7 at Keewaydin Park. We’ll have a potluck. PAC will supply pizza.

South PAC meeting minutes Feb. 21, 2008

2008-02-26T18:18:00.002-06:00

The next meeting is Thurs March 20 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Wilder School.
LAC meets from 5:00 to 5:30 pm (dinner) and 5:30 to 6:45 pm (meeting).
As always, free childcare is provided for both meetings.

Attending: Christy Pettis, Sara Kleckner, Michelle Mougin, Trisha Hanson, Jessy Schrandt, Heather Cholat.

Treasurer’s Report (Christy): We purchased the climber for Burroughs. It cost $1510, and it should arrive at the school next week. Our account balance is $1972.50.

Advocacy: (Christy): Thurs March 27 is Advocacy Day at the Minnesota State Capitol. A Yahoo group will be set up (by LAC) for interested parents. A motion passed to provide funds for fliers to distribute.

A coffee with legislators will be held Thurs March 20 at 10:00 a.m., at Sovereign Grounds coffeehouse (46th and Chicago).

The PAC is sending an email to several ECFE site principals to encourage them to visit their ECFE classrooms. Christy will draft the message and cc us. Another draft message will be emailed to us, that we can edit and forward to Mpls School Board members, encouraging them to support ECFE.

Family Fiesta (Christy): Spanish PAC is not able to help us plan this event. Because we don’t have a volunteer to chair Family Fiesta, the PAC as a whole will work together to organize a simpler event, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, featuring store-bought food (i.e., no catering) and a kids’ craft project.

Speaker (Trisha): The autism play idea was quite expensive ($5000), but South High School is sponsoring this play in April and is looking for a co-sponsor for their event. Trisha is negotiating with Best Buy to see if they would help fund the event. PAC is looking to spend no more than $500.

Fun Stuff!
PAC Potluck is Sunday March 30, starting at 4:00 p.m., dinner at 5:00 p.m. Trisha will send an E-vite.
PAC Happy Hour is tentatively scheduled for April 4 at 6:30 p.m., at the Town Talk diner.

Website (Sara): The site fee has been paid in full for 10 years.

ECFE South PAC meeting minutes Dec. 20, 2007

2008-01-03T13:31:00.000-06:00

The January PAC meeting will be Thurs Jan. 17, 2008 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Wilder School (34th & Chicago).
LAC meets from 5:00 to 5:30 pm (dinner) and 5:30 to 6:45 pm (meeting)
As always, free childcare is provided for both meetings.

Attending:
Christy Pettis, Tina Ham Peterson, Michelle Mougin, Jessy Schrandt, Suzan Krygowski, Sara Hong, Elise Robinson, Trisha Hanson.

Spring Activities (Christy):
Possibilities include Family Fiesta (March 2008), Vehicle Day (May 2008), Tea with Legislators, and hosting a speaker (date TBD).
Currently there is no chair for Family Fiesta. Volunteers should contact Christy, who also will contact the Spanish-speaking PAC and see if our two groups could coordinate something. Sara H., Jessy and Elise have volunteered to help with Vehicle Day. Trisha proposed that we sponsor a seminar about autism, and she also had another idea for a speaker. She’ll get more information and report back at the next meeting.

Membership (Christy): Suzan suggested we sponsor snacks the first day of class. We also all should ask our teachers to mention the PAC in the week we meet. Elise and Michelle will work on developing a flyer that could be distributed at events, in classes, mailed, etc.

Gingerbread (Suzan):
The Gingerbread House event made a $65 profit this year. 95 houses were made.

Treasurer’s report (Tina):
Our current balance more than $4000.

Next meeting - Thurs, Dec 20th

2007-12-18T21:23:00.000-06:00

The December PAC and LAC meetings are this Thursday, Dec 20th at Wilder Elementary at 34th and Chicago Ave S.

LAC: 5-5:30 Dinner, 5:30-6:45 meeting

PAC: 7-8:30 (we'll probably end early though!)

If you need childcare, please call 668-3927 to reserve.

I know it's a busy time of year, but I hope to see you all Thursday!

Gingerbread coming up!

2007-12-03T23:36:00.001-06:00

Our annual Gingerbread House-making event is going to be held on Saturday, December 15th from 10am - 1pm at Burroughs Elementary School in southwest Minneapolis. This is an event that many families attend year after year. There is a $3 suggested donation. All Minneapolis families are welcome to attend, whether currently taking an ECFE class or not. Hope to see you there!

Minutes of South PAC Meeting, Nov 15, 2007

2007-11-25T14:44:00.000-06:00

The December PAC meeting is Thurs Dec 20 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Wilder School
LAC meets from 5:00 to 5:30 pm (dinner) and 5:30 to 6:45 pm (meeting)
As always, free childcare is provided for both meetings.

Attending:
Michelle Mougin, Christy Pettis, Jessy Schrandt, Suzan Krygowski, Catherine Mandle, Kristine Norton, Sara Kleckner, Sheila Eldred, Julie Casserly, Heather Cholat, Sara Hong, Tina Ham Peterson.

Preschool Fair (Sara):
Fifteen schools and 82 families attended this year’s fair. That was twice the number of families from last year, probably because we provided childcare this time. Next year we should notify the site liaisons to ensure there are 3 staff members available for childcare.

Copies of this year’s preschool survey will be made available at all the ECFE sites. It was suggested that for next year’s survey, we add a question about whether religion is part of the preschool’s curriculum.

This was Sara’s last year as committee chair of the preschool fair. New members are encouraged to volunteer for next year’s chair position.

PAC newsletter (Catherine):
The newsletter will be distributed each month during the week preceding the South PAC meeting. Members with news should contact Catherine.

Gingerbread (Heather and Suzan):
The Gingerbread House event is Saturday Dec 15 (10:00 am to 1:00 pm) at Burroughs School. Free childcare will be available. Volunteers are needed to prep on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Please contact Suzan or Heather if you can help.

Fundraising (Suzan):
About 90 Blue Sky Guides have been sold. PAC will use the remaining bean cards to purchase coffee beans, to be sold at the Gingerbread event.

PAC night out (Christy):
Friday Nov 30, 6:30 pm at Chatterbox Café (Highland Park location).

PAC T-shirts/signage (Christy):
A motion was made and carried that we purchase t-shirts and banners, to create a more visible presence at events. Sara will coordinate the t-shirt design, and Catherine will arrange for a screen printer. The cost will be about $6 per shirt. Catherine will also check prices for making a large banner saying “This event sponsored by South PAC,” or words to that effect, and also a banner specifically for the annual Gingerbread House event.

Educator Appreciation Baskets (Christy):
PAC will send baskets to three sites, with small holiday gifts for teachers (homemade treats, chocolate, crackers, cookies, hand lotion, etc.). Members who wish to contribute should bring 3 items to the Gingerbread event (or to the Friday afternoon prep). Please choose items that are easy to divide amongst the staff (gift cards, for example, are difficult to divide).

Treasurer’s report (Tina):
Our current balance is $4119.84.

2007-11-13T12:21:00.000-06:00

ECFE South PAC meeting
Oct. 11, 2007

Attending: Christy Pettis, Catherine Mandle, Sara Kleckner, Tina Ham Peterson, Jessy Schrandt, Michelle Mougin, Sheila Eldred, Sara Hong, Sue Harrington. Tim Hanson, Trisha Hanson

Kindergarten Info (Christy)
It was suggested that PAC provide information to ECFE parents about kindergarten enrollment. The public school fair is not always adequate, the website is outdated, and there is no easy way for parents to compare kindergartens. Although not technically an ECFE issue, it is information useful to ECFE parents. Christy will bring this up at the LAC meeting.

PAC newsletter (Christy)
We’d like to distribute a monthly newsletter to be passed out in classes. It would inform ECFE parents of our activities and also be a recruitment tool. Catherine Mandle has volunteered to develop this.

Preschool Information Fair (Sara)
The fair will be held Saturday November 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at Burroughs School. Surveys have been mailed to the participating preschools. PAC will produce a packet containing the survey responses; the packet will be given to parents at the fair. If any members have contacts at a particular preschool, Sara would like help phoning those schools. Sara also will email members a flier to be passed out at neighborhood businesses. Sara is looking for volunteers to help set up/take down on the day of the fair. Child care will be provided.

Gingerbread (Christy)
We’re still looking for volunteers for this committee. The event date has not been set.

Fundraising (Christy)
Blue Sky guides continue to be sold at the school sites, and members are encouraged to sell them as well. Bean cards continue to be sold; we’ve recouped the cost but will continue sales. (The cards expire in April 2008.)

PAC Night Out (Tim and Trish)
Two ideas: (1) Bryant Lake Bowl; (2) Chatterbox Café, which has board games and cool atmosphere. Friday nights seem to work best for most people. Tim and Trish will email possible dates to all members and we’ll vote.

Meeting dates and times (Christy)
Beginning in November, PAC meetings will be held the third Thursdays of the month at Wilder Elementary School (34th and Chicago). LAC will meet on the same dates and location. LAC meets from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm., and dinner is provided. PAC meets from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Free child care is provided for both meetings.

However, October is an exception to the above. The LAC meeting will be held Thursday, October 25 at Webster (note: Webster, not Wilder) from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Dinner is served.

Call to fill open positions on committees (Christy)
Those signing up tonight will be included on the official member roster for winter trimester.

Next Meeting - Nov 15

2007-11-12T11:55:00.000-06:00

The next PAC and LAC meetings will be held this Thursday, Nov 15th at Wilder Elementary at 34th and Chicago Ave S in Mpls. Times are as follows:

LAC
5-5:30 Dinner
5:30-6:45 Meeting

PAC
7-8:30

Park along 34th St near the play structure. The meeting room can be accessed directly behind that play area.

Next Meeting - Oct 11th!

2007-10-01T23:26:00.000-05:00

Our next PAC meeting is Thursday, October 11th from 7-8:30 pm at Burroughs Elementary. This is not our usual meeting week due to MEA. Childcare is free. Call Renee at 612-668-3929 to reserve.

The task force for registration and wait list issues will be meeting prior to the PAC meeting, from 6-7 pm that same night. Those interested in joining this task force are invited to attend.

Starting in November, our meetings will be held on the third Thursdays of the month at Wilder Elementary at 34th and Chicago Ave S. The Leadership Advisory Council (LAC) will meet at this location from 5:30-7:00 pm and PAC will meet from 7-8:30. All parents are invited to attend one or both meetings!

September Meeting

2007-09-12T23:46:00.000-05:00

Our first meeting for the 2007-08 school year will be held next Thursday, September 20th from 7-8:30 pm at Burroughs Elementary in southwest Minneapolis.

All parents interested in being involved are welcome to attend regardless of whether you are currently attending a class .

Delicious snacks and witty repartee will be served up for your enjoyment.

Childcare is free. Call 668-3927 to reserve your space. Babes in arms are always welcome at the meetings.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please email the South PAC chair, Christy Pettis at ecfesouthPAC@gmail.com.

Contact Us

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Have questions about this site or the PAC in general? Get answers by:

1. Talking to your classroom teacher

2. Coming to a meeting

3. Email us at ecfesouthpac@gmail.com

Events

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2010-11 PAC Events

Preschool Information Fair
Get detailed information on local preschools. Free on-site childcare.
TBD

Gingerbread House Fair
Create your own gingerbread house for the holidays! A 25+ year tradition for the whole family.
TBD

Cinco de Mayo
Celebrate the holiday with friends and neighbors in true south-of-the-border style.
TBD

Vehicle Day
Join us at Sabathani community center for hands-on exploration of vehicles big and small. Past years have included fire trucks, police cars, limousines, recycling trucks, city busses, and visits from McGruff, the crime-fighting dog. Other fun has included refreshments, story-time, face painting and free carseat safety checks. Come and see what we have in store this year!
TBD

Officers and Committees

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In addition to officers elected yearly, South PAC work is divided into committees, both for ongoing administration and for specific events.

2010-11 Officers:
President: Kori H.
Treasurer: Trisha
Secretary: Elise R.

2010-11 Committees and Chairs:

Membership
Chair: Heather C.

Advocacy
Chair: Catherine M. and Jenny C.

Fundraising
Chair: Dan

Scholastic Books
Chair: Catherine M.

Speakers
Chair:

Preschool Information Fair
Chairs: Jenny C.

Gingerbread House Fair
Chair: Emily

Cinco de Mayo
Chair:

Vehicle Day
Chair:

About the PAC

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What is the PAC?
We are parents of children birth-kindergarten, who guide and advise the ECFE program of the Minneapolis Public Schools in the following ways:

We recommend program goals, objectives, ideas
We develop a source of volunteers
We assist in program evaluation
We serve as advocates within the community and legislature
We work to expand resource development
We promote ECFE through outreach work, community relations and special events

Have more questions? Check out the FAQ, contact us, or talk to your classroom teacher for more information.

PAC FAQs

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Q: When are meetings?
A: Meetings are held the 3rd Thursdays of the month from 7-8:30pm.

Q: Where are meetings?
A: Wilder Elementary School at 34th St and Chicago Ave S in Minneapolis.

Q: May I bring my child(ren)?
A: Yes. Feel free to bring infants into meetings and nurse. Young children are welcome too. ECFE childcare is available for them—different room, same floor—but please reserve space in advance of the meeting by calling 612-668-3929 or 3927.

Q: Do PAC members get priority when signing up for ECFE classes?
A: This is a great benefit for joining PAC! While PAC members are not guaranteed a spot in any class, they do move up the priority list.

Q: How do I become a member?
A: Attendance at your 2nd PAC meeting plus a formal commitment to serve on a committee makes you an official member. Contact a membership chair to get your Welcome Packet and sign onto a committee. Then, connect with that committee chairperson. If it is impossible for you to attend meetings but you would still like to be involved, please contact the South PAC chair, Christy Pettis, at ecfesouthPAC@gmail.com to make special arrangements.

Q: May non-PAC members come to meetings?
A: Absolutely. All parents—members or not—are welcome, can participate during open forum/check-in to raise concerns, and ask questions. We also encourage anyone to hear our guest speakers.

Meeting Dates and Times

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PAC and LAC meetings are be held the third Thursday of each month (except as noted below), September through May at the Wilder Complex at 34th St and Chicago Ave S in Mpls.

Meeting Times are as follows:
LAC (Leadership Advisory Council) 5:30-6:45 pm (free dinner for you and your kids 5-5:30)
PAC (Parent Advisory Council) 7-8:30 pm

Park along 34th St near the play structure. The meeting room can be accessed directly behind that play area.

Call 612-668-3927 to reserve free childcare.

Meeting dates for the 2010-11 school year:
September 23 (4th Thursday)
October 28 (4th Thursday)
November 18
December 16
January 20
February 17
March 17
April 21
May 19