Arlene Mays-Johnson, President, called the meeting to order at approximately 7:00 PM. in Judd 126. The minutes of the last PA meeting were approved. Ms. Mays-Johnson announced the date of the next meeting, January 12, 2009 at 7:00 PM. She thanked all parents who have volunteered and helped with PA activities. She also congratulated Barrack Obama on his recent election to be President of the United States.

Director’s Report
• David Magill complimented the PA on the success of Bizaarnival, its annual Halloween celebration.
• He then discussed the accreditation visit in October by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States visiting team.
• He applauded the reception given by the PA Learning Disability Committee to Ken James, the new Director of Student Services.
• He reported on a letter from Robert Zimmer, the president of the University of Chicago, that was sent to Lab Schools and to U of Chicago faculty. In the letter, President Zimmer instructed recipients to prepare budgets for three percent, six percent, and nine percent cuts in services because of the financial climate.
• Mr. Magill updated parents on the status of negotiations with faculty for a new contract. Both parties met with a mediator last Thursday, and another mediation session is scheduled for November 20th.

School Council Reports
Nursery/Kindergarten Council
Michelle Boraz reported on the search for an outdoor storage shed for tricycles, sleds, and wagons. Two individuals have volunteered to represent the council on the Community Life Committee. Several parents have volunteered to help with the gift card fundraiser. In addition, several volunteers will pass out Innisbrook backpack fliers. Innisbrook is the other fundraiser for the PA. Martha Heineman Pieper and William Pieper will be guest speakers at a talk for N/K and Lower School parents on December 8th (More…). The deadline for teachers applying for grants has been extended until November 17, 2008.

High School Council
Leslie Pilot-Gatton summarized the recent activities of the Council: monthly meetings with Mr. Horvat, providing snacks for students on standardized test days, and providing lunches for teachers on Parent-Teacher Conference day. The Council is continuing to pursue mentoring with new parents and students, and it is planning parent and student meetings for 2009.

Middle School Council
Lisa Curcei reported on recent activities: a reception before Open House; the first Giant Gym night that over 100 students attended; lunch for 5th grade teachers on their parent-teacher conference day. Upcoming activities include Giant Gym night this Friday; reception for new Lab families; lunches for 6th-8th grade teachers; and parent-to-parent meetings next week (More…). Lisa explained that parent-to-parent meetings are held with a facilitator and no administrators are present. In addition, a meeting with parents on cyber safety is planned for December.

Lower School Council
Jennifer Rhind reported that the Council has hosted two Principal chats; has met with the lower school principal to plan the year’s events and to discuss PA initiatives; has explored options for grade-level events, and is reviewing teacher grant applications. Included in future activities are co-hosting the presentation by the Piepers on December 8th and funding teacher appreciation gifts.

Diversity Task Force Presentation
Sonya Malunda and Andrew Neal, co-chairs of the Board of Directors’ Diversity Task Force, updated parents on the work of the Task Force. Ms. Malunda presented information on the creation and work of the Task Force. In late 2006, the Lab Board of Directors appointed a task force with 21 members, representing faculty, staff, and parents. They met for three all day sessions and several telephone conferences. Four main reasons led to the formation of the Task Force: 1) concerns raised by the number of 8th grade black boys (eight) in 2006 who decided to attend different high schools; 2) meetings by Afro-American parents to discuss issues of recruitment, retention, and quality of life; 3) scholarship opportunities for minorities; and 4) space constraints of the schools. Since then, two independent developments have affected the work of the Task Force: the decision to increase the size of the schools, and the designation of Connections’ proceeds for the scholarship fund.

Andy Neal discussed the subcommittees that were formed: retention, education regarding diversity, communication, and creating a diversity statement. The final products of the Task Force’s work will be a Diversity Statement and recommendations to the Board. The draft Diversity Statement and the recommendations will be presented to the Board of Directors tomorrow. The draft Diversity Statement will then be circulated to the Lab community for comment. The Task Force envisions that someone in the schools’ administration will be responsible in the long term for monitoring compliance with the Task Force’s recommendations.

Members of the audience then asked questions. Some parents felt that they had not been kept updated on the work of the Task Force.

PA Multicultural Committee
Leslie Pilot-Gatton reported on the work of the PA’s Multicultural Committee and explained the purpose of the committee. The committee is composed of parents who meet on a regular basis to support initiatives that enhance Lab’s commitment to cultural sensitivity and inclusiveness. Past activities have included hosting two session for Middle School students and parents: “Bystander vs. Ally Behavior” and “The Power of Words: Talking to Your Children About Hurtful Language.” Randolph Carter facilitated both sessions. This year, the Council and the Middle School will host Michael Fosberg’s one-man show, “Incognito,” that focuses on his own discoveries of diversity, race and identity. A new initiative for the committee is an on-line listing of resources for parents to help them talk with their children about challenging issues. Some initial links can be found at http://blogs.ucls.uchicago.edu/parents/multicultural-committee/. The next meeting will be on Monday, December 8th from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at Leslie Pilot-Gatton’s home. RSVP to her at lpgatt@comcast.net.

Community Life Committee
Lauren Polite reported on the that the Community Life Committee, a Standing Committee of the Parents’ Association charged with monitoring the social climate of the Schools and developing proactive solutions to issues affecting the students and overall community, will hold its first meeting on Friday, November 21st at 1:00 PM in Judd 204 (More…). The parent group “KIND” established last year in response to parental concerns around civility and chaired by Cate Plys and Christena Nippert-Eng will be rolled into the Community Life Committee. The Committee will focus is on civility and relevant issues coming out of the Diversity Task Force. The next meeting of the committee will be November 21st at 1:00 PM. Interested parents should contact Lauren Polite at bnpolite@sbcglobal.net.

Open Forum
Melissa Cook announced that the note cards created by last year’s 5th grade students as a part of an annual project will be exhibited at a gallery owned by one of the parents. Details will be forthcoming.

Spike Wilson, President of the Faculty Association, and Bob Kass, Negotiating Team Chair, reported on the progress of the negotiations for a new contract and presented the faculty’s position with respect to the contract negotiations. Mr. Wilson said both sides have spent and continue to spend a great deal of time on these negotiations. Mr. Kass said the faculty believes “what serves the faculty well serves the school well” and thinks the faculty brings a lot of value to the school which should be recognized in salary and other terms of the contract. Mr. Kass explained the two components of the faculty salary increases. He also explained that job actions are used to show how uncomfortable the faculty is with working without a contract and as a tool to help bring about a quicker resolution to negotiations. After the meeting, they distributed a letter. Contact labfacultyassociation3@gmail.com for more information.

Evan Zemil discussed Bizaarnival and showed photos from the event. The event was a success, and many parents and students contributed to its success.

Lauren Polite told parents about the two fundraising initiatives of the PA: selling gift cards for local merchants and selling Innisbrook wrapping paper (More…).

Principal Reed informed parents that on November 12th, he and Principal Horvat will talk with 8th grade students and their parents about high school.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:30 PM.

PA Board Meeting
The PA Board Meeting followed the general meeting. Treasurer Nia Verdirame gave a brief report. Communications Coordinator-elect, Charapin Pongtornpipat, asked councils to update their websites.

The Board meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:50 PM.

Posted on November 18th, 2008 by Ken Housinger
Filed under: - HS, - LS, - MS, - N/K, - School-wide, PA Issues/Reports, Special Issues/Interests