Minutes from Transition Meeting on February 19, 2009.
Participants:
Zadia Gadsden, Gregory Hamilton (CUPF/ICB), Eleanor Wallace (CUPF/ICB), Robin Painter (MCPS transportation), Nina Garfield, Lisa Moran, Crystal Polis, Katya Partan, Andrew Partan, Rebecca Salins, George Faraday, Pam Parker, Beth Hisle-Gorman, Amy Polk, Marnie Brown, Shruti Bhatnagar
Sub-Committees Review:
OUTREACH
1. In the process of contacting local preschools to find out if they want Grosvenor information and how.
2. Planning a flyer to distribute to preschools giving a brief overview of the move and contact information, including the PTA Web site address.
3. Date of kindergarten orientation: April 23 and 24, 2009, at TPES. The school will notify the community when parents can begin setting up appointment times.
PRE-MOVE PREP
1. In the process of coordinating weekend field trips to Grosvenor for students and parents. Right now, planning to have current pre-K students/families visit in March and current TPES students/families visit in May. Shruti B. will work with Greg Hamilton to find out when Grosvenor is available. Buses could be rented for field trips for a cost of about $113/three hours. Money could come from the Explorer’s Club budget.
2. Planning to have Ms. Golden and Ms. Gadsden notify current students of the move in May after spring break.
PRESENTATION FROM GREG HAMILTON, CUPF/ICB
1. Bells Mill is in Grosvenor through June.
2. The all-purpose room will be dedicated to TPES for activities one night every month, likely Thursdays. The all-purpose room and other rooms in the school may also be made available for other activities on other days. Zadia and the PBES principal will coordinate school activity schedules and make sure that TPES activities can be held at PBES. School activity schedules have to be submitted to the county by August 15.
3. Piney Branch is also available for TPES staff and PTA for summer meetings.
4. The YMCA summer camp normally held at TPES has already been moved to Silver Spring International Middle.
PRESENTATION FROM ELEANOR WALLACE, CUPF/ICB
1. The YMCA has moved its before/after-care programs to a location on Sligo and Piney Branch Avenues. The Y will pick up students at a TP location, such as PBES, and bring them to this building in the afternoon.
2. Morgan provides before/after-care at PBES, but those programs are only open to PBES students. They may not be open to TPES students, so someone needs to talk to Morgan to check.
3. When TPES returns to Holly Avenue in 2010-2011, before/after-care providers will have to bid on using the TPES all-purpose room and the new childcare facility in the addition. The community will be allowed to have input on the selection process.
4. When schools close early because of inclement weather, it is up to the childcare providers whether to remain open. If students arrive at a childcare site, the childcare provider must remain open until all children have been picked up.
5. Suggests looking into having the Bethesda YMCA provide before/after-care programs at Grosvenor, since they provide these programs at other elementaries. Eleanor can help facilitate discussions with the Y.
6. Suggests that Zadia look into the Grosvenor project budget to see if there is money to pay for field trips to Grosvenor.
PRESENTATION FROM ROBIN PAINTER, TRANSPORTATION
1. The school day is set for next year to follow the existing bell schedule: 9:05 start, 3:30 finish.
2. MCPS is projecting 411 students for next year.
Bus routes will be sent out to TPES in early spring. PBES will certainly be on some, but not all, routes.
Before/after-care programs that are currently on a bus route will remain on a route. Zadia is getting a list to Robin of all childcare providers that need to be on bus routes.
Parents can provide their emergency contact phone numbers to bus drivers. The numbers and/or names of students riding particular bus routes do not need to be provided to transportation.
Schools can rent activity buses at any time that normal bus routes are not in operation. The cost of renting an activity bus is $20.70/hour, $.85/mile.
PRESENTATION FROM ZADIA
1. Met with MCPS mover. Boxes are coming for packing sometime in March. Teachers have already been told to begin packing up first-semester supplies. Shruti is beginning to organize parents to help with packing beginning in March.
2. Looking into possibly making the last day of school for students Friday, June 12, one and a half days early, so teachers can pack.
DECISIONS
1. Make Thursdays TPES night at PBES for PTA meetings, school-wide activities.
2. Notify students in May about move.
3. Leaning toward providing PTA after-school enrichment programs at Grosvenor, because there would be no activity buses available to transport children to PBES for programs.
ACTIONS
1. Zadia will get a list of childcare programs that need to be on buses to Robin Painter.
2. Zadia will check on the availability of funds in the Grosvenor budget to pay for buses for field trips/site visits by families.
3. Shruti will follow up with Greg Hamilton on the availability of Grosvenor on weekends for site visits.
4. Shruti will begin coordinating parent volunteers to help with packing.
5. Eleanor Wallace will forward contact information for the Bethesda YMCA to Zadia?? so we may discuss having the Y provide before/after-care at Grosvenor.
6. Shruti will talk to PTA after-school program providers to see if they are willing to provide classes at Grosvenor.
7. Lisa will update the FAQ list and send it out to the Grosvenor committee for review before posting to the PTA Web site.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING: THURSDAY, MARCH 19, TPES ALL-PURPOSE ROOM |
