Get Involved at G&P: March 2016

Get Involved at G&P: March 2016
Posted on 03/03/2016
G&P Steering Committee Elections are 
Coming Soon!
Elections for the 5 parent representatives on the G&P Steering Committee will be held in May. Please consider running! This is your chance to have an impact on the educational and social experience not only of your child, but of all students at G&P. Our goal is to have a Steering Committee that represents the diversity of our school and includes our Sheltered English Immersion and Language-Based Learning Disability Programs.

What is the G&P Steering Committee?

G&P was founded in the early 1970s by parents and teachers who believed in child-centered, progressive education. They believed that parents, teachers and staff must be partners in the development, growth, and governance of a vibrant and successful school. The G&P Steering Committee was created with that belief in mind. The Steering Committee is the governing body of Graham and Parks and functions much like the Board of a corporate or non-profit organization. It is composed of 5 elected parents, 5 elected teachers/staff, the administrative leadership of our school, and a community member. It is empowered to make decisions on policy issues that affect the school directly. The Steering Committee’s goal is to promote the continuous development of G&P as a progressive, child-centered school and to provide both parents and staff a voice in the governance of the school. It is a unique governing council in that a parent and teacher are the co-chairs of the committee who facilitate the meetings and work closely with the Principal to design the agenda each month. The G&P Steering Committee meets once per month throughout the school year, usually on Thursday evenings, 5:30-7:30pm. Childcare and transportation support are provided, upon request.

Role of the Steering Committee (SC):

-Monitors student achievement and school environment and culture
-Provides feedback on the School Improvement Funds Budget and School Improvement Plan
-Recruits parents and teachers to participate in school hiring committees
-Votes on significant changes to school policies and operations (which are not governed by the District)
-Addresses school- and district-related issues as they affect Graham and Parks
-Solicits parents’ opinions on important topics and keeps parents informed about issues coming before the SC

What do I have to do to become a candidate for the Steering Committee?

Contact Lauren Morse, G&P Family Liaison to discuss your interest in becoming a candidate (even if you are not 100% sure) by APRIL 8TH. Write a very short statement about why you are running. Come to a Candidates’ Coffee Talk in May so other parents can meet you. That’s all! If you have any concerns about writing the statement, don’t worry, parents volunteers have offered to help as needed. Any questions, contact Lauren Morse at 617.349.6577 x115 or [email protected] or current G&P Steering Committee co-chair, Mary-Ann Matyas at [email protected].

Help Kindergarteners Play Pretend!

The kindergarten classes are going to turn the dramatic corner into a hair salon/barber shop. Do you have old hair dryers (we will cut the electrical cord), clean combs and hair brushes, hair bows, capes, mirrors, barrettes, scrunchies, etc.? Please bring them to Lauren’s office (next to the Nurse). Thank you!

connie artworkThank You to Connie Chen for the Beautiful G&P Artwork!

Parent Volunteer and SEI Room Parent, Connie Chen is an incredible artist who uses Chinese paper cutting to create elaborate designs, many of which tell a story in the details. Thank you to Connie for sharing your talent with us, and for telling your story of Graham & Parks in this gorgeous piece of art!!

Description: 

G&P is an amazing school built on a rainbow, which encourages children to show kindness to all. There is a wishing tree in the school, planted by the children, parents and teachers together. Everyone can express his or her wish and praise others freely, every word is a little seed, full of love, sowed in child’s heart.

In the early morning, many children take their favorite school bus to go to school to start a sweet day. The school building has many windows; children are encouraged to look outside curiously. The fresh air and sunshine coming through the window strengthen their spirit to try new things and to think deeply.

All kids are protected by invisible angels, who use love to purify their heart to feel goodness around them and to open their eyes to find beauty in the works of nature.

One day, when they grow up and graduate from school, they will be brave and fly high and far to realize their dream.


FCEP Update

Please join us for another Family Cultural Exchange Program coffee on the first Friday morning of the month. This month we will meet on Friday, March 4th, at Bourbon Coffee - 1815 Mass Ave. Parents, you can meet in the lobby to walk over together, or meet at the cafe at 8:45. Come and meet other G&P parents from Cambridge and around the world. Questions? please email Sarah Smith at [email protected] or contact Family Liaison, Lauren Morse.

New Blue Chairs in the Art Room!

The Friends of G&P and Dragonfly After School purchased awesome new chairs for the G&P Art Room. The students are thrilled to have new chairs that are sturdy, safe, and comfortable to sit in. As one student put, “I like the new chairs because they are more supportive.” Others agreed, “They are comfortable!” “They’re nice to sit in!” “They’re blue and I like blue!” Thank you Friends of G&P and Dragonfly After School! We couldn't have done this without your support!!! -Liana (Art Teacher)

Staff Appreciation Lunch 
to say a big THANK YOU to G&P staff!

Once a year, G&P families provide a big lunch to thank the staff, including all of our educators and administrators, maintenance staff, food service providers and volunteers, for all they do for our kids and our community. Since they have very short lunch breaks, we want to make this lunch easy and special for them, so we set up a big buffet in the Main Lobby so that they have lots of variety and delicious food to eat.

This year the Staff Appreciation Lunch is on
Wednesday, March 16th. Many thanks to Whole Foods, Fresh Pond Market and Iggy's Bread for supporting our staff by providing cold cuts, cheese and bread. Now we need to bring in the rest! Please keep your eye out for flyers in your child’s backpack listing what food to bring according to which grade your child is in. We will need volunteers all day, in 1 or 2 hour shifts, on the 16th and for the leftovers on the 17th to help set up, clean up and more! There will also be a large "Thank you!” banner in the Main Lobby for every child and every family to sign. It will be up beginning Monday March 6th so if you are in the building, please make sure you sign it. This lunch is a favorite event for staff and gives them a great boost so we hope everyone can contribute something!

If you have any questions, please contact parent volunteer, Liza Tague at [email protected]. Many thanks!

Thank You for Movie Night!

The 4th grade wants to thank you for making Movie Night such a success. The children enjoyed watching Minions and through your generosity, we were able to make over $1,000! Hopefully, we'll see you at future school events.

If you're interested in knowing what the 5th grade overnight field trip is, please look at the following two links: 

http://thompsonisland.org/
www.necn.com/news/new-england/
Thompson-Island-Outward-Bound-330993532.html    
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