To make things a little easier on everyone, we decided at our meeting last night to set out a regular meeting date for the whole school year. So, mark your calendars!

EMID Families will meet on the first Tuesday of every other month. The change from Wednesday and to bimonthly takes into account the feedback we got from our survey last month. We also decided to alternate between Harambee and Crosswinds. The dates are:

Tuesdays at 7pm…

• December 2 at Harambee
• February 3 at Crosswinds
• April 7 at Harmabee
• June 2 at Crosswinds
• August 4 at Harambee

More details about each meeting, including what room to look for, will be sent out prior to each meeting.

Mary Cecconi, Executive Director of Parents United for Public Schools, will be speaking to the EMID Community on Monday October 20th at Harambee!

As parents we understand the need for sustainable, dependable, and adequate dollars to support public education. House File 4178, the “New Minnesota Miracle Bill,” calls for a significant increase in spending for our schools. This bill will not pass by luck, but by the work we in the community are willing to do on its behalf.

On Monday October 20th Parents United for Public Schools, the League of Women Voters and the Minnesota PTA will be joining together to present information about HF 4178 to the EMID Community. Come to listen and learn what the passage of this bill can do to enhance student achievement in the state of Minnesota.

We need to understand what challenges our schools face and how investing in them will benefit our state. We also need to understand the cost of disinvesting. Finally, we need to understand this well enough to explain the need to our friends and neighbors AND ask those who are seeking election this fall where they stand on it.

Please join us on Monday October 20th from 6:30-8 pm at Harambee to learn more about HF 4178. Democracy works best when we are all a part of it! Hope to see you there. Childcare will be provided. Light refreshments will be served following the presentation.

Please join us for our first EMID Families group meeting of the new year. We will start at 7pm on Wednesday 10/1. We will probably meet at Crosswinds in the health/cooking room (first floor, straight back, under the stairs), that is being confirmed. If you need child care in order to attend, please contact Eric.

Get an update on the 622 timeline (including 2009/2010 transportation plans), the Mahtomedi plans, and EMID board actions! Help us set our schedule for the year, with feedback from our survey. Hear about a 10/20 Parents United meeting with Mary Cecconi and upcoming school board elections. We have a busy year coming up, be a part of it!

A new year is underway and we’d like your input on how to conduct our business this year. Please take a minute to complete our quick four-question survey about meeting times.

The EMID Families group has arranged to meet with EMID Superintendent Carl Wahlstrom this month, on Tuesday, 7/22, at 11am. We will be meeting in the “Annex” at the Harambee school to discuss the progress with district 622 plans, EMID plans for new participants in the collaborative, and the ways families can be helpful to the district.

If you would like to join us for this meeting, send a note to Eric saying you will be there. We need a count so that the EMID staff can prepare a properly sized room. This meeting is open to all, just RSVP so we can get the count. Thanks!

Please join us for our next EMID Families group meeting. We will meet at Crosswinds in the health/cooking room (first floor, straight back, under the stairs). We will start at 7pm. Amy’s older kids can provide childcare, but Amy asks that you let her know if you will need this service.

Get an update on the 622 timeline, the Mahtomedi plans, EMID board actions and more!

The EMID Board meets on Wednesday, 6/18, at Harambee Elementary School, 7pm. The board packet includes the agenda and supporting documents. The working session at 6pm, ahead of the board meeting, will include a presentation about Harambee School by Principal Black.

The EMID Joint Powers Board meets on Wednesday 5/21 in the Harambee Multicultural Learning Center. The agenda is available. Though it does not include anything directly relating to our “hot” areas of interest, it would still be great if someone can get to the meeting and provide notes to EMID Families.

The EMID board determined at its work session that it was not going to follow up on the suggestion of a digital video camera for the schools to record the board meetings. It sounds like the board calculated at the work session that getting professional-quality recordings of the board meetings would cost $8,000-12,000 per year, dwarfing the cost of equipment. This means that those families who had pledged to support the purchase of the camera are now officially off the hook.

We will meet at Crosswinds at 7pm on Wednesday 4/23. We will be in the “health” room behind the kitchens on the first floor. Please join us!
One note, I’m sorry to say we can’t guarantee child care, but kids are welcome to hang out in the health room while we meet.

Update: meeting notes are now posted if you read the rest of this article.

Read the rest of this entry »