Crescent Valley Parent Organization Meeting

and Principal Coffee

 

April 3, 2008

 


CVPO Business

 

 

Minutes:  The minutes of the 3/13/08 meeting were approved.

 

Correspondence:  Thank you notes expressing appreciation were received from every teacher or department who received a second semester grant.

 

Treasurer’s Report:  Available funds of $1,147.76 were reported.  Disbursements of $1,925 were made for the second semester teacher grants and there was no income.  All but $500 of the available funds can be spent.  $500 is budgeted for carry-over to next year.

 

Teacher Grants:  The following grants were made:

 

 

Katie Meyers                   Guess Who games                                     $319.00
Sheila Fowler                  Link Crew supplies                                     $365.00

Kay Eilers                         Speaker system/DVD/VCR                     $434.00

Heather Zimmers            AAA batteries                                              $65.00

Heather Zimmers            Document Camera                                      $349.00

Nancy Pliskin                  DVD player                                                  $40.00

Hilda Pereyo                    DK Spanish/English Dictionaries            $129.50

Denny Bain                      Speakers for media cart                            $124.00

Paul Rada                         10 scientific calculators                             $100.00

 

Total:                                                                                                    $1925.50

 

The following grant requests were not funded:

$540                 Transportation for Mary Johnson
$112                 Professional membership fee for Adam Kirsch
$1313.23           Professional development funds for Ryan Kanter
$319.95             Paper cutter for Judy Westlake
$300                 Garden materials for Sonja Neal

 

Volunteer News:  Parents are needed to man the registration table at conferences on Thursday, April 10.  Help is needed for two-hour shifts from noon to 6 p.m.  Please contact adamski@proaxis.com.

 

Nanette Armstrong will coordinate the conference dinner and requests help with food donations, set-up, serving, and clean-up.  The dinner will be served to teachers from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, April 10.  If you are providing food, please deliver it hot to room B9 (Foods classroom) by 5:00 on the 10th. Contact Nanette at 753-1978 or nyarmstrong@comcast.net if you can help.

 

Help is needed at the OSAA State Band and Orchestra competition on May 7, 8, 9, and 10th at The LaSells Stewart Center to escort performing groups, man the registration table, and assist in the sight-reading room. Contact Diane Nicol at robnicol@comcast.net or 745-7761.

 

Officers for Next Year:  Because Debbie Cassidy has a graduating senior, she will be leaving as Treasurer of the CVPO and a new person will be needed to serve in that capacity.  Nanette Armstrong will be moving to the position of President, so a new Vice-President will be needed.  Corresponding Secretary Valerie Rosenberg needs to resign her position and a new person is needed for this job immediately and continuing into next year.  If you are interested in serving in one of these positions, please contact Roberta.Lundeberg@oregonstate.edu.

 

By-Laws:  The section describing the Treasurer’s duties was reorganized and the Executive Committee was redefined as consisting of the officers of the association and the Principal of the school.  Explanations of how officers are elected and how the by-laws are amended will be added. The revised by-laws will be distributed via the listserv before the May meeting. The revisions will be voted on at the May meeting.

 

Staff Appreciation Luncheon:  Daryl Thaw reported that the theme this year is “Monet’s Garden” featuring French cuisine and botanical decorations complete with a model of the Japanese bridge in Giverny, France where Monet made many of his famous paintings.  The event will be at 11:30 on Wednesday, May 7 in room B9, the Foods classroom.  Many parents are needed to make it a success.  If you’d like to participate by providing a dish or helping on the day, please reply.

 

Next CVPO Meeting:  The next meeting and Principal Coffee will be Thursday, May 8, 2008.

 

Principal Topics

 

 

Career Learning Team:  Melissa Harder, Assistant Principal, reported on how the Advisor period has been reorganized to incorporate career-related graduation requirements.  She highlighted the two career experiences, the Career Shadow Experience in the sophomore year, and the Mock Job Interview in the junior year.  Not all students have completed or are required to complete these because of when the state made them requirements.  Juniors will have the opportunity to have a mock interview at this year’s Job Fair on Wednesday, May 21 at CVHS.  Parents and community members are needed to conduct mock interviews with students that day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Contact louanne.collins@corvallis.k12.or.us if interested.

 

Seniors are currently working on their Extended Application graduation requirement, which could be met with a community service project or 4H, among other activities, and is followed up with a written reflection.

 

There is a Pinnacle grade book for advisor, which has an attendance grade (10 points max., 70% to pass) and a list of items that are checked off when completed (pass or no pass).  Contact bonnie.ryan@corvallis.k12.or.us if you need assistance accessing Pinnacle.

 

The curriculum for the Advisor period now has a link on the school website.

 

Registration:  April 7, 8, and 9 will be on the activities schedule with registration work in an extended Advisor period.  Melissa stressed that it is important for students to sign up for classes, including alternates because this is how staffing is set. 

 

When your student brings home registration materials, you will notice that the credit numbers have been cut in half.  This is only for reporting and does not affect the courses in any other way.  Students should register for a full load of 7 credits.  Courses can be dropped later, if necessary.

 

Students will be guided through the course handbook, will attend curriculum assemblies that outline all courses including the new ones, and be given recommendations as to which courses they should register for.  On Monday, April 7, 9th and 10th graders will attend a 10:50 a.m. curriculum assembly in the auditorium.  They will receive their transcript, a tailored registration form and a course handbook.  The materials should be brought home on Wednesday, April 9th for parents to sign, and are due back at school on Monday, April 14th.  Parents can use conference time to discuss course selection with teachers.

 

Corvallis Community Vision for Education:  Roberta Lundeberg, who is serving on a district committee to review the recommendations that came out of the visioning process, distributed an Executive Summary. After review, the committee will prioritize the recommendations and they will then be merged with the District Improvement Plan.

 

Staffing Change:  Marilyn Wake will retire at the end of this year.  As is the custom, the CVPO will present her with a gift at the Staff Appreciation Lunch.

 

City bus Service to CVHS:  A parent asked that in light of the current efforts to carpool, if it was possible for the public bus to add CVHS to its routes.  The last discussions with the Corvallis bus organization were two years ago when they said that they would not come out to the high school without a circular (non-linear) route and that they were waiting to acquire property to do that.  It was thought that the AP Environmental Sciences class students will make a presentation to the bus organization.  Katherine Cleland will contact the bus organization on behalf of the CVPO.

 

CVHS in the Newspaper:  Cherie Stroud introduced Mike McInally, Publisher of the Gazette-Times, and Mike Schmeltzer, Managing Editor.  McInally has been with the G-T for about two years and Schmeltzer, 7 months.  As a result of Cherie meeting with both men recently to encourage CV activities exposure in the paper, they attended this Coffee to find out what parents would like to see published with regards to CVHS and to get feedback on school coverage in the G-T.

 

Parent Sandra DeCarollis will be the liaison for CV with the G-T.  Both McInally and Schmeltzer encouraged parents to contact them or Carol Reeves, G-T education writer about an upcoming event at CV or other story idea.  They stressed the importance of a large enough lead time.

 

Schmeltzer can be reached at 753-2641 or mike.schmeltzer@lee.net and McInally can be reached at the same number or mike.mcinally@lee.net.

 

A long and lively discussion with the G-T staff members ensued, covering many topics including ideas for stories (student community service work, state standard changes and their implementation, parent volunteer work in the school), teacher communication with the mass media, environmental reporting, sports coverage, divisive issues that pit schools against each other, student reporting and columnists, reporting on HS music program funding, performing arts coverage, letters to the editor regarding school issues, watch dog function of the paper, and choice of photographs.

 

Upcoming Events:

 

Conferences, no school:  Thursday and Friday, April 10-11

Staff Appreciation Luncheon:  Wednesday, May 7, 11:30

CVPO and Coffee: Thursday, May 8, 11 a.m.

 

CVHS Website:  http://www.csd509j.net/cvhs/

 

Current Raider News:   http://www.csd509j.net/cvhs/raidernews/Raider%20News%20April%202008.pdf  

 

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Alex Vincent

April 7, 2008