Part 2: Spring Updates
Update 1
The mandatory budget cuts that CPS has imposed for each school may have a dramatic impact on the overall success of the project. The administration and LSC of my school met and decided that they may need to eliminate the after-school programs that were just instated. This was one of the main components of the plan to improve the school climate and culture. The students, teachers, and parents were pleading for these types of programs, so it will be particularly disheartening if we will not be able to continue them.
On a positive note, the meeting with the head of the PTA went well, and she is excited to accumulate feedback from the parents. She wanted to work on a simple way for the parents to provide feedback, and we created the Google form shown below:
The mandatory budget cuts that CPS has imposed for each school may have a dramatic impact on the overall success of the project. The administration and LSC of my school met and decided that they may need to eliminate the after-school programs that were just instated. This was one of the main components of the plan to improve the school climate and culture. The students, teachers, and parents were pleading for these types of programs, so it will be particularly disheartening if we will not be able to continue them.
On a positive note, the meeting with the head of the PTA went well, and she is excited to accumulate feedback from the parents. She wanted to work on a simple way for the parents to provide feedback, and we created the Google form shown below:
This may be modified based on parent feedback, but we wanted to keep it open and simple to encourage a high participation rate.
The student council is still working on ways to improve the school. One of their efforts is to have Friday's as "out of uniform days". They also want to have monthly events and more incentives to reward students who are doing a great job in the classroom, and consistently displaying positive behavior.
And a meeting with a second non-profit group, also a religious organization, has been established for February 23. Although their programs are not situated in the Woodlawn community, they are open to supporting our efforts and developing some type of program for us.
Finally, several members of the staff suggested that we write letters to the alderman, mayor, and CPS board to improve our playground. We applied for a playground improvement grant, and were awarded funding covering an overwhelming amount of the cost. CPS needed to cover the rest which was around five percent. The CPS funding has not been secured, and the grant is in danger of being rescinded. We are working to avoid this catastrophe and have enlisting the voices of the entire school community to overcome this obstacle. Below are some pictures showing the current state of the school playground:
The student council is still working on ways to improve the school. One of their efforts is to have Friday's as "out of uniform days". They also want to have monthly events and more incentives to reward students who are doing a great job in the classroom, and consistently displaying positive behavior.
And a meeting with a second non-profit group, also a religious organization, has been established for February 23. Although their programs are not situated in the Woodlawn community, they are open to supporting our efforts and developing some type of program for us.
Finally, several members of the staff suggested that we write letters to the alderman, mayor, and CPS board to improve our playground. We applied for a playground improvement grant, and were awarded funding covering an overwhelming amount of the cost. CPS needed to cover the rest which was around five percent. The CPS funding has not been secured, and the grant is in danger of being rescinded. We are working to avoid this catastrophe and have enlisting the voices of the entire school community to overcome this obstacle. Below are some pictures showing the current state of the school playground:
More changes are sure to come due to the life's unpredictability, but things are moving in the right direction. We are unable to control the effects of budget cuts, but the students, parents, and school staff are committed to improving Wadsworth STEM.
Update 2
The budget cuts imposed by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has eliminated the after school programs that were recently implemented at my school. We only have a couple more weeks of excess funds, before a new decision needs to be made as to the next steps.
The meeting that was scheduled with a non-profit group interested in working with the school community did not happen. The person did not show up at the agreed upon time, and no one from the organization has responded to our inquiries. We hope to resolve this mystery as soon as possible.
On a positive note, students have been taking a greater role in improving the school according to their parameters, and parents have taken a greater role in contributing to a positive school culture. Many parents are coming before and after school to help out, and others are volunteering throughout the day. Several parents have been utilizing the resources that are provided in the parent resource room, but there is much more work that needs to be done to establish relationships with the parents who have yet to respond to our outreach.
My upcoming immediate goals are to have the parents and students contribute to the third quarter STEM family night at the school. The student council and parent board have been tasked with coordinating the night, and ensuring that interactive learning for parents and students is taking place. To seek out new funding sources to augment the lost funding. And to establish a relationship with another group that can help serve the social and emotional needs of the students and community members.
The budget cuts imposed by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has eliminated the after school programs that were recently implemented at my school. We only have a couple more weeks of excess funds, before a new decision needs to be made as to the next steps.
The meeting that was scheduled with a non-profit group interested in working with the school community did not happen. The person did not show up at the agreed upon time, and no one from the organization has responded to our inquiries. We hope to resolve this mystery as soon as possible.
On a positive note, students have been taking a greater role in improving the school according to their parameters, and parents have taken a greater role in contributing to a positive school culture. Many parents are coming before and after school to help out, and others are volunteering throughout the day. Several parents have been utilizing the resources that are provided in the parent resource room, but there is much more work that needs to be done to establish relationships with the parents who have yet to respond to our outreach.
My upcoming immediate goals are to have the parents and students contribute to the third quarter STEM family night at the school. The student council and parent board have been tasked with coordinating the night, and ensuring that interactive learning for parents and students is taking place. To seek out new funding sources to augment the lost funding. And to establish a relationship with another group that can help serve the social and emotional needs of the students and community members.