Busy With Meat, Potatoes, Vegetables, and Dessert=W1FTB+W2FTB

Remember when I told you that I had no idea how much work having a blog is?  Well, when personal life becomes busy and the Board stuff I am writing about has me running around then the blog is what has to take the back seat!  And I apologize.  To tell you the truth…aside from my one “follower”, I had no idea that anyone actually reads my stuff until a few people mentioned to me that they read my blog and have been missing me!!  So now…this edition may not give you a great sense of what a week is like since this is going to be long and encompass two weeks and seem like an awful lot that I do as a Board Member…but I don’t want to skip altogether and not let you know what I have been up to.   It has been two weeks full of meat and potatoes and vegetables and dessert too!!

So now let’s start with what I will call “Week 1 of Failing to Blog” or “W1FTB”.  Starting gently,  I went to the Community Garden call and harvested some vegetables but then got into some meat and potatoes with a Policy Committee Meeting the next day.  This is a new Board Committee that we formed this year because policymaking is so very important to us as a Board.  It is actually the most important thing we do and it was the thought that we should have a dedicated committee charged with the task of reviewing and drafting necessary policies, etc.  If anyone has ever been in the room when the Board discusses policies you may have noticed that I am particularly fond of sorting through the language and intent of our policies.  I was thrilled that the Committee selected me as the Committee Chairperson…I REALLY LOVE THIS STUFF!!  Anyway, at the meeting we accomplished a lot by reviewing and revamping our policy procedures to reflect our actual process now that we are no longer a “committee of the whole” but this newly formed committee.  The whole Board will review together at the next Work Meeting.  That very same night I attended the Retirement Party of Mr. Russo, our former High School Principal.  In one of my previous posts I said that before I consider posting something to my blog I have to sort out the things that I do as a Board Member and those I do as a parent or individual..and here is the mushy thing…well…mushy on two levels…mushy because I believe I might have gone to Mr. Russo’s party even if I wasn’t a Board Member but it is also appropriate that I be there as a Board Member.  What makes it mushy on the second level is because…well…people tend to get all mushy at retirement parties…and although there were lots of laughs there were plenty of tears too.

“W1FTB” Wednesday I had a Work Meeting and an Executive Session.  If I recall, the packet to prepare for the meeting wasn’t too bad but there was definitely some prep work needed.   I don’t remember if the meeting went into the wee hours of the night but I think we ended at a reasonable time for a change!  Not a horrible week…definitely there was some meat and potatoes and vegetables…and a little dessert too!

Moving on to “Week 2 Failure to Blog” or “W2FTB”…this was a really really busy week.   It started off with something really really cool.  In “W1FTB” visit to the Community Garden the kids had pulled up some parsley and potted it and we were going to see if it would re-root and grow.  We took one of the pots and then in “W2FTB”, even though the plant wasn’t doing well, we went to water it.  That is when we found a whole bunch of interesting creatures crawling all over the plant and the plant I had next to it!  Thanks to the power of the internet I discovered that we had SEVEN Black Swallowtail Caterpillars feasting in these plants.  I put the pots in a fish tank and covered it with bird netting (we didn’t have the cover) and propped some sticks in the corner and called Dr. Rifkind (our Community Garden Guru) with the exciting news!  I am convinced that the caterpillars came from the Community Garden.  I returned them so that Dr. Terri (Science Chair) could bring them to Franklin Early Childhood Center for the kids to watch them.  I have heard that since then, two have formed their chrysalis and later in the month a High School student is going to go over there to read The Hungry Caterpillar.  I also found more caterpillars in the Community Garden and another in my own garden this week!!!  I read that the Swallowtail Butterfly does more for pollination than bees do so I am happy that everyone will have the benefits in one way or another from these beautiful creatures!

Back to W2FTB, I attended a SEPTA meeting.  This is another mushy area.  I am a member since it encompasses Discovery kids of which I personally have one but I also go specifically because I am on the Board Committee for Special Education.  I feel that attending the SEPTA meetings gives me better insight into the workings of the the Special Ed Department and I think this is very important.

The following day I attended the “Public Hearing on the Regents Reform Agenda; ‘Assessing’ Our Progress” which was hosted by Senator Flanagan who is the Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Education.  I have said before that my intent in this blog is to tell you about my activities rather than what I think about things here so I will refrain…ummmm…trying to…ummmm…let’s just say that it was much the same (in type of witness and content)as the hearing I went to a year ago that was hosted by Governor Cuomo’s Education Reform Commission of which Senator Flanagan is a member.  One of the Senators suggested that the State Education Department needs a hearing aid because of all the things that were being said about Common Core and State Testing and are being ignored…ummm…trying to be good here…I am just going to say that I hope there is a group rate for hearing aids because there are others around that could use them…including some black pots that call the kettle black…  

Ahem.  So that was Tuesday and on Wednesday I went to a Central Council PTA Meeting.  This is another grey mushy area.  I am on the Board of Central Council so I would be there anyway but I am also the School Board Liaison to Central Council.  This is another great place for a Board Member to be because we hear the reports of all the PTA units…they include activities as well as issues…I like to keep my ear to the street.  After the meeting I had an appointment with the Assistant Superintendent of Business because I wanted to see hard copy of some previous agenda items.  It is not that I thought something was wrong with them…I just wanted to further educate myself to some of our processes.

That evening the Board had a “Meet and Greet” with all of the District’s new employees…and there are quite a few.  Many of them we already met but not all and it was a great opportunity to attach some names to some faces (or actually…isn’t it the other way around?).  Afterwards, we went right into our Regular Board Meeting and yet another Executive Session.  The reading packet for this meeting wasn’t as bad as some which makes sense…the regular packet reflects the work packet.  With a little lighter of a packet I decided to spend the week beginning to look through and read many of our District Policies in preparation for our next Policy Committee Meeting.  When I was elected, I read through the policies to familiarize myself but now I am reading with a whole new eye to it…I got a good jump on them in W2FTB.  As I said, I love this stuff!

The only thing I love more is being able to spend time with the kids and on Thursday I went to Youth Leadership Forum with the High School kids.  I could seriously spend pages upon pages talking about this bright and dedicated group of students but I will just say that it was a pleasure to spend the two and a half hours with them.  The highlight of it, for me, was working with a small group of kids who also worked in the Community Garden over the summer who were now working on the “Ribbon Cutting”,“Unveiling”, “Dedication” (not sure which one we landed on) that will take place at the
Community Garden (on East Rockaway Road behind Hewlett House) this Monday, September 30 at 3:30PM.

I did mention that this was a really busy week, right??  Not done yet.

Friday morning I went to the Parent Advisory Committee Meeting at the Public Library.  Again, here we get mushy.  I have been on the PAC for years, even before I got on the Board.  At this point, though, I think that they see me as sort of a liaison to the District or to them…not sure which way it flows but I kind of feel the same way so I decided to put it in here…why not…I am on a roll.

That afternoon I once again got to be with the kids at the PEP Rally at the High School…and when I say “kids”, I mean ALL OF THE KIDS at the High School.  Okay.  Although, I hooted and hollered with the rest of them I felt a little bit like I had walked in on someone else’s conversation at times but hey…it was a lot of fun!!  The highlight was when the Life Skills Class took center stage and was welcomed and cheered on by the whole school as they cheered in middle…it was a special moment for the school and for all those in the room! 

After PEP rally I went to the Community Garden because some of the YLF kids that had been away for the summer were getting a tour of the garden…the kids were quite impressed.  That garden truly is impressive!  Some “regulars” were also there and picked some cucumbers and tomatoes…watered…have I mentioned how dedicated this group is?  Well, they are!

Friday night I went to the Girl’s Varsity Soccer game.  No grey area here.  None of my own kids ever played sports.  But these are my kids now too and now I get to learn all about the sports my biological children never played because they were too busy with the music and theater activities that were part of their genetic makeup.  I actually enjoy watching but occasionally I get a little upset…sometimes it seems that things get a little rough out there…I know it is the sport but…I don’t have the stomach for it.  If it makes you feel any better, I don’t like stage fighting either.

Normally I would stop here.  Usually I write about everything until Friday to post on a Saturday.  I need to get back on track so I should stop here and wait to post anything after the soccer game this Saturday but it just makes sense to me to end this blog post with Homecoming.   AND WHAT A HOMECOMING IT WAS!!!  I was not able to attend the JV football game in the morning due to a family obligation but cheered when I heard that they kicked off the day beautifully with a strong win. 

The rest of the day was sheer fun as a Board Member!  At the staging area for the Homecoming Parade, Board Members can be part of the judging panel for the Class Banners.  It was a difficult choice as all the banners were amazing but I went with my gut.  The amount of talent that we have in our school in all areas never ceases to amaze me!  Then I got to ride on the back of a classic car for the parade.  Now for those of you who have seen me in a parade before, you know that I really am not so good at this particular thing…I mean…I know how to wave and I like saying hello to everyone but I DO NOT LIKE RIDING OPEN ON TOP OF A CAR.  I can’t even ride the kiddie carousel at a carnival so this is something that really freaks me out and makes me nervous.  I must be reaching a new stage in my life or maybe I am just getting used to doing this out of the box thing for me because I really have started to become less nervous about the ride and I have started to enjoy the ride instead of feeling utterly ridiculous!  Enough about me…the final destination was, of course, the football field.  As I said, I am not a sports parent but wow!!!  I guess I really am now!  I am as proud as a parent of all the kids…the National Anthem Singers, the Players, the Cheerleaders, the kids in the Half Time Show, our Mascot, our spectators…it started out a rainy day but ended up spectacular in every way!  I was cold but stayed to the very end…I wouldn’t have missed a second!  Homecoming was definitely the dessert!!