1 P.A.R.T. Community Meeting II Parents Achieving Results Together

2 P.A.R.T. Community Meeting II Agenda Welcome and introductions Goals Committee presentations

3 Welcome and introductions P.A.R.T. is a group of parents from the Playa del Rey/Westchester area. We banded together to effectuate short and long term improvements to our local public schools. We will achieve this by gathering our community resources and by creating an Education Foundation.

4 P.A.R.T. Goals An excellent education for all of our children Great teachers Productive classroom time Diverse students Choice of enrichment activities Safe and stimulating environment Secure path from K-12 in our neighborhood

5 Goal: Great Teachers Credentialed teachers possess Bachelors degrees and have completed twenty semester units in the subject they will teach. Experienced teachers have mastered their subjects. Practiced teachers have classroom management skills. Secure teachers enrich the curriculum with service learning activities. Great teachers seek to better themselves professionally by attending workshops and professional development activities.

6 Goal: Great Teachers Our foundation can help by: Improving our schools and their images: Better schools attract better teachers. Surveying teachers’ needs and responding to them. Providing extra materials (visual aids, manipulatives, etc.) to enrich lessons. Providing stipends/scholarships to encourage professional development activities. Studying the best practices of other successful teachers and schools and applying them to our own.

7 Goal: Productive Classroom An aide per K-3 classroom can make student/teacher ratios 10 to 1, or better. Parent volunteers support teachers and curriculum. Experienced teachers create an organized environment, with clear expectations and minimized disruptions. Student behavior has a direct relationship to parent involvement. Exposure to various hands-on activities provide students with real life experiences.

8 Goal: Productive Classroom Our foundation can help by: Paying for full-time classroom aides. Encouraging constructive parent involvement. Increasing community involvement. Creating educational partnerships with local businesses to provide special learning opportunities for students at all levels.

9 Goal: Diverse Students The school should reflect the diversity of the community. Students gain valuable human experience by being exposed to diverse ethnicities and cultures, and learn tolerance.

10 Goal: Diverse Students Our foundation can help by: Encouraging neighborhood parents to enroll their children in public schools. –Registration Drives –Public Relations Campaign for the schools Providing a safe environment for all our children to participate in all school and extracurricular activities.

11 Goal: Enrichment Activities Art: Provides a medium for self-expression. Music: Helps develop mathematical ability. Foreign Languages: Exposure to languages and cultures makes children better citizens of the world. Sports: Promotes mental and physical health. Drama: Encourages therapeutic communication.

12 Goal: Enrichment Activities Our foundation can help by: Offering GOOD QUALITY electives and after school programs through: –Educational partnerships, –Financial support, –Assistance locating quality staff: Foreign Languages (by Berlitz or other) Art Programs (by Otis or other local artists) Music for younger students (by local musicians) Sports (by YMCA or local athletes) Drama (by local acting groups)

13 Goal: Safe & Stimulating Environment Safety is a deciding factor for most parents in choosing the right schools for their family. An organized and uncluttered classroom is conducive to visual learners. Grass, trees, and flowers in the schoolyard teach an appreciation of nature. A pleasant campus encourages students to attend school, take pride in it, and do their share to take care of their environment.

14 Goal: Safe & Stimulating Environment Our foundation can help by: Supporting school administration financially and with parent volunteers to monitor safety issues and resolve them quickly. Providing storage solutions inside classrooms to minimize clutter and assist with classroom organization. Working with teachers to create natural surroundings within the school to be used in curriculum to teach students about nature. Sponsoring “School Beautification Days” when families and community come together to plant trees, paint fences and beautify schools so that everyone feels a sense of ownership.

15 Goal: Secure Path K-12 Have excellent local public schools all the way from Kindergarten through High School Graduation. Support for all 7 schools will leave parents with no reason to switch plans mid-stream. 5 Elementary Schools in our neighborhood: Cowan, Kentwood, Loyola Village, Paseo Del Rey, and Westport Heights 1 Junior High School: Orville Wright 1 High School: Westchester High

16 Goal: Secure Path K-12 Our foundation can help by: Communicate with upper level schools for immediate support where needed. Liaison with administration of all of 7 schools, bringing them together as a more cohesive K-12 path. Support existing groups and budget accordingly. Promote our schools as a good path all the way through High School. Provide service learning opportunities that minimize behavioral problems by giving students responsibilities.

17 Who will benefit, and how? Students will get a great education. Parents will feel secure sending their children to our local public schools. Property values will increase. Participating businesses will be recognized. Our community will become our neighborhood. WE WILL ALL BENEFIT ! LET’S DO IT!

18 How do we plan to attain these goals? By dividing the tasks: By recruiting your help and support.

19 Public Relations Committee Director: Christine Moen

20 Public Relations: Our Mission To better the images of our local public schools in an effort to encourage enrollment and dispel rumors. To communicate the pursuit of the formation of an education foundation for Westchester/PDR to provide financial support to our local public schools. To develop materials and communication strategies to expand relationships with the community, students, schools and their support entities to enrich and compliment work already in place.

21 Public Relations: Goals Communicate and promote positive achievements/actions of our local public schools Promote and support the P.A.R.T. committee goals and activities. Develop/Maintain a public image for the P.A.R.T. organization through the use of a website, editorial articles, flyers, etc. Continue to increase membership in the organization and our public schools. Maximize P.A.R.T. efforts in the most effective and affordable manner.

22 Public Relations: Progress Report Creation/distribution of Meeting Flyers. Pro-Public School Campaign –Door hanger to be delivered 5/7 - –Sponsored by Realtor Nanci Edwards. Press Release to local newspapers to encourage editorials.

23 Public Relations: Task List Immediate Tasks: –3rd Meeting Flyer –Acquire Website url & initial release –Promote Registration Drive –Contact local media and develop relationships –Research additional reporting avenues Long Term: –Expand website as necessary –Communication and promotion to local businesses, public schools and families.

24 Public Relations: Join Us Join the Public Relations Committee to dispel the negative and communicate the positive!

25 Family Relations Committee Director: Katrin Cohen

26 Family Relations: Our Mission Work closely with existing organizations and families within our public schools to discover needs and supplement programs already in place. Actively recruit enthusiastic, involved parents into the P.A.R.T. to strengthen our public schools in Westchester and Playa Del Rey. Sign up first 100 families, per school, to send (or continue to send) their children to our public schools and to fund our foundation.

27 Family Relations: Goals P.A.R.T. Family Relations Values: –Effective parent involvement is crucial to strong public schools. –Parents become committed owners of, rather than passive consumers in, public schools. –Improvement of public education for every child, not just our own. Parents benefit from being P.A.R.T. of children’s education: –Increase child’s achievement. –Provide role model for child’s social behavior. –Positive parental attitude affects school staff.

28 Family Relations: Progress Report Over 120 parents, teachers and community members at our April 7th meeting. Over 60 new members in our Yahoo group. We numbered 5 on April 6th. Now we number in the hundreds.

29 Family Relations: Task List All tasks require volunteers for each of our 7 schools: Attend & Document PTA & Booster Clubs Survey Parents of children already in our public schools. Survey Parents who are not yet in the public schools. Strategize to sign up our first 100 families per school, per year.

30 Family Relations: Join Us “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all its children.” - John Dewey LET’S GET TOGETHER. LET’S COMMIT TO OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. LET’S BECOME PARTNERS IN OUR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES.

31 Community Relations Committee Director: Marie Murphy

32 Community Relations: Our Mission To build partnerships with businesses, organizations, government and individuals in our community to improve our local schools. To strengthen school/family/community connections and to build new & lasting relationships that have a stake in our success. To foster citizenship, civic knowledge & engaging experiences for our young people.

33 Community Relations: Creating Business Relationships Attract large businesses to all 7 schools. –To donate money to our foundation –To donate time/labor to classrooms –To donate materials directly to schools Research business grants

34 Community Relations: Building Educational Partnerships Corporate sponsored educational programs: Mentoring, tutoring, mini-course lectures, field trips, job shadowing, student internships, scholarships, incentives for attendance and achievement. Place-based education: Connecting students to their neighborhoods, communities & ecologies. Service-learning: Students learn and develop through organized service meeting the needs of both school & community, building respect for others in the process. Campus Beautification: Upgrading outdoor natural environments and the indoor classrooms.

35 Community Relations: Involving Community Enlist the time of community members who don’t have school age children or whose children don’t attend public schools. Secure pledges to contribute financially to our foundation.

36 Community Relations: Progress Report Compiling list of businesses, community and philanthropic organizations & local government to aid in our goals. Drafting fundraising letters. Working with PR to promote a positive image in our community. Brainstorming to fundraise through community events, booths, etc… Researching & educating P.A.R.T. members.

37 Community Relations: Task List Immediate: –Promote our schools, P.A.R.T. & the impending foundation. –Partner with realtors for the July 4 th picnic. –Identify businesses, organizations for contributions. Long Term: –Reach community at large to secure funds. –Develop new learning opportunities for students through community contacts. –Find new ways to involve individuals to assist in our schools.

38 Community Relations: Join Us Government, civic and business support and resources Family Support & Involvement Volunteers & Advocates JOIN THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE. MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND THE FUTURE OF OUR SCHOOLS & NEIGHBORHOODS!

39 School Relations Committee Director: Forouzan Faridian

40 School Relations: Our Mission The school relations committee will work with teachers and administrators in all Playa Del Rey/Westchester public schools to help them provide a challenging and engaging curriculum, rich content connected to real- world experiences, and an orderly, safe and trusting environment for all students.

41 School Relations: Goals Determine the need of the schools and teachers. Determine what works in other schools. Research the type and quality of enrichment programs offered at our schools. Research the quality of teaching and core programs at out local schools.

42 School Relations: Progress Report Created a survey for all teachers, staff and administrators. Research on quality of electives and after- school programs offered at our schools and other districts. Research on type of enrichment programs offered at our schools in progress.

43 School Relations: Task List Print, distribute and collect the surveys to all schools. Survey enrichment programs offered and possible outside sources to improve quality. Act as the liaison with Public Relations by finding what works and achievements of each school. Act as the liaison between P.A.R.T. and each of the school’s administrators.

44 School Relations: Join Us Learn firsthand about the quality of programs offered at our local schools. Help in making them even better. Join the School Relations Committee.

45 Foundation Committee Director: Kelly Kane

46 Foundation Committee: Our Mission To create an Education Foundation as a vehicle to support and enhance our local 7 public schools. The Foundation will actively seek funding from families, community, local businesses, and large corporations and grants. The Foundation will be involved in the development of our schools and work with them and existing organizations to make our schools excellent.

47 Foundation Committee: Goals To work with lawyers and attorneys to file the correct papers to establish our foundation as a non-profit 501c3 entity as quickly as possible. To develop our mission statement, bylaws and governing organization to ensure healthy development of the foundation. To support all committee efforts as a means to the end of supporting our schools. To look within our community and families for the strongest choices for our Board and Resource Panel. To begin receiving funds.

48 Foundation Committee: Progress Report Secured one of the top Foundation Lawyers in Los Angeles and her associate, pro-bono. Our attorney tells us that the foundation will be set up in less than 4 months. Contacted 7 surrounding area education foundations to find out what works/doesn’t in their organizations. Begun researching and collecting data nationwide to use in developing our bylaws.

49 Foundation Committee: Task List Immediate Tasks: –Meet with Attorney, May 24th. –Solidify Mission Statement. –Draft Bylaws (best of other LEF bylaws). –Research Board Member/Resource Panel choices. Long Term: –Strategize first fundraisers/grants. –Research and befriend additional LEF’s. –Establish ongoing meeting schedule and procedures.

50 Foundation Committee: Join Us Our Strength is in our Numbers Numbers of Parents. Numbers of Neighborhood “stakeholders.” Numbers of dollars. Ultimately, numbers of fulfilled, nurtured, and educated students. Won’t you please join our numbers?

51 P.A.R.T. Schedule Events & Meetings Entire Group Meetings 1st Thursday of every month. Next meeting is June 2, at 6:30 p.m. Every Month P.A.R.T. will sponsor an event to promote the foundation, our schools and our community. –May: Public School Registration Drive –June: School Beautification Day –July: 4th of July “Taste of Westchester” –August: Fundraising Event Participate in Our Neighborhood

52 Parents Achieving Results Together Join a P.A.R.T. Committee Now