Let's talk about some things you could donate to today

It's almost Valentine's day, and in that spirit, here are some places that could use your love:

• With my usual caveat that I hate that this exists and we should just USE PUBLIC FUNDS TO FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION: With the code "HEART" today, your donation to Donors Choose is doubled. Here's Worrcester. Note that they're also running a specific (needed) focus on Minnesota. If you'd like to help a Minnesota classroom in a place dear to my heart get baby chicks to raise, you can support this effort.
  
  
• The Stand with Minnesota page continues to be an excellent resource for supporting those living under federally-imposed terror, which has not, despite the headlines, ceased.
  Note that if you scroll down, you can find a "for schools and students" section. 
  
  

• I am a big fan of "just feed people who are hungry" sort of outreach, and locally, the Mustard Seed Catholic Worker does that. So does St. John's Food for the Poor, which is also now running the overnight shelter here in Worcester. In both cases, please note that there are ways to sign up to volunteer on those pages, too.
  
  

• LUCE Massachusetts has a regularly updated "Milkweed" page, which shares mutual aid requests coming in from across the state. If you wonder about the name: 
  

   Just as monarch butterflies use milkweed plants to deter predators and create safe conditions during migration, immigrant families need community support when facing ICE enforcement. Be the milkweed.

   

my photo taken some years ago in western Mass

Worcester School Committee FY17 budget deliberations (round 2)

scheduled to start at 4; list of accounts is here; they should be picking up with administration; the budget itself is here, and the Table of Contents on (web) page 7 is hyperlinked to each account. Updating as we go.

ALL HANDS ON DECK (with shovels and rakes!)

I'm THRILLED to say that we've hammered down the Joint Use Agreement between the City of Worcester and the Worcester Public Schools on playgrounds! This means that our playgrounds will be OFFICIALLY open to kids during non-school daylight hours!

BUT, before the big announcement splash, we have some work to do: as part of the agreement, the city is paying for NEW MULCH for our playgrounds! This will roll out over the next several weeks. To make this manageable, we'll have WPS oversight, but we need some volunteer labor to get the mulch spread.

We’re looking for volunteers who could serve at one of the 5 playground sites below on Wednesday July 8, 9am-1pm. You don’t have to come for the whole time, but we’re asking that the community pitch in to this important effort by spreading the mulch with us that day. So grab a rake or a shovel and come down to a playground to help support play in Worcester’s neighborhoods!

 

Wednesday, July 8^th, 9am-1pm:

 

Flagg St Elementary School, 115 Flagg St

May St Elementary School, 265 May St

Lincoln St Elementary School, 549 Lincoln St

Norrback Elementary School, 44 Malden St

Roosevelt Elementary School, 1006 Grafton St

 

We will have opportunities at other schools on the following two Wednesdays. Please be on the look out for more information on those.

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, rep on House Committee on education and the workforce

she's from Oregon, and I came in partway through
Primary responsiblity for education lies with state and local authorities
most resources come from state and local resources
started in state legislature
"I became one of those stay-at-home moms who was never at home"

You are invited...

Farm to School Interns and Volunteers needed!

You've heard me speak before about the very cool Farm to School Kindergarten Initiative, which gets our some of our littlest kids out to farms that grow food that they eat.
They are looking for volunteers and interns:

The Massachusetts Farm to School Project's Worcester Kindergarten Initiative is looking for interns and volunteers! The KI is a nutritional and agricultural education program for very young public school students here in Worcester. This semester, we are hoping to bring on a team of three interns and a group of five dedicated volunteers to help us with our work. If you are interested or would like more information, please email your resume and questions to Isabel at isabel@massfarmtoschool.org or Lauren at lauren@massfarmtoschool.org.

It's a great intersection of agriculture, early childhood ed, nutrition, urban/farm linkage...good stuff!

Please help out Coats for Kids!

If, like me, tonight's forecast has you digging out boots and mittens, please give a thought to our students who may not be quite so prepared for the winter. Our Coats for Kids effort (run with the Junior League, the Worcester Educational Development Foundation, and WPS Volunteer office) needs your help!
If you are able, please consider a donation to:

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation, Inc.

Attn: Coats for Kids

210 Park Avenue, Suite 224

Worcester, MA 01609

If you have fast-growing kids yourself, or just like shopping for kids, you can get in touch with Paula Harrity at our Volunteer office.  Let her know what you have (so long as it's gently used) or ask for what they need, and she can set you up. Those donations go to the Fanning Building, 24 Chatham Street, Worcester.

And thank you!

CORI checks for volunteers

At the last meeting in February, I asked for more information on what convictions we bar people from volunteering in the Worcester Public Schools and for how many years.
Today, as part of the superintendent's letter, we got 101 CMR 15, which deals with CORI in the context of the Department of Health and Human Service. So far as I know, however, we aren't an agency of the DOHHS, so I'm not at all sure why we're getting that. And there's no explanation.

I'll be asking for more, but a number of you had asked me about CORIs, and I wanted you to know what we had so far.

WPS Library Volunteer Session

There will be a session for Worcester Public Schools library volunteers on Tuesday, October 30 at 10 am at Norrback Elementary School. Our library liaison, Colleen Kelly, will be there, as will WPS librarians*. Whether you are a long-time volunteer or just starting out, this is a great way to meet others running elementary libraries and exchange ideas! They will also be covering BOOK REPAIR!


*Yes, we have librarians in all of our secondary schools, and half-time librarians in Union Hill, Chandler Elementary, and Burncoat Prep as part of their Level 4 turnaround plans.

Nelson Place library

There was a press conference at Nelson Place School tonight to announce the donation of cataloging software and volunteer hours from the Consortium of colleges in Worcester.
That's Mayor Petty addressing those attending.

Five things you could do for kids this weekend

There are a plethora of chances to do good things for kids in Worcester this coming weekend:

• The first (that I know of) local screening of "The Inconvenient Truth about 'Waiting for Superman'" which is a community-generated response to the well-funded film is happening Friday evening. It's at Community Reality, 101 Highland Street at 7pm, and it will be followed by a discussion.You can find the Facebook event page here.
• On Saturday morning, you can help build Union Hill's new playground. That starts at 8:30 at the school (which is 1 Chapin Street).
• Alternatively, you can help fix up Chandler Magnet's library, also starting at 8am on Saturday (this is for adults only). That's at the school (which is 525 Chandler Street).
• There's a one day conference on Saturday at Worcester Tech on "Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline" (FB event page here), sponsored by The Black Legacy Coalition, Mosaic Cultural Complex, and the Willis Center. That starts at 8:30 am and runs until 3pm; it is free, but you are asked to RSVP so they can get a good count for lunch.
• This Saturday also is the Food Drive for Why Me? and Sherry's House for families with children fighting cancer. They currently have two families in residence at 1152 Pleasant Street, and they could use help! Needed items include:
  Non-perishable canned foods
  Macaroni and Cheese, Pasta, Sauces, Beefaroni
  Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff
  Juice Boxes
  Paper Goods such as paper plates, towels, napkins, cups and toilet paper (septic safe)
  
  

Coats for Kids

The Worcester Educational Development Foundation, Worcester Public Schools Volunteer Office, and the Junior League of Worcester are collecting for the Coats for Kids program this year. As the temperatures fall, it becomes clear to lots of Worcester's teachers that some of our kids don't have winter coats. Making sure that our kids are coming to school (and going out to recess) warm is important, and building principals pass along information to the Volunteer Office of kids that are in need. If you'd like to send in a check, you can mail it to:

Worcester Educational Development Foundation

20 Irving Street

Worcester, MA 01609

If you'd like to have the fun of shopping for a child yourself, you can call the volunteer office at 508-799-3030 and ask for a name and size. Buy a coat (or they'll take gently worn ones), a hat, and mittens, and drop them off at the Volunteer Office (they'll tell you how to do that when you call).

Innovation Schools local partnership group

The Worcester Public Schools administration is looking for volunteers for the Innovation schools local partnership group. You can find the details here and the full schedule of meetings and of innovation schools deadlines is here.
You have until October 21 to apply; selections will be made by October 25.

a bit of this...

O'Brien asks for how much we've gotten, what we've spent it on...suggest that we have an open house at Belmont once everything is together

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week (National Teacher Day is May 4th), and National Nurses Week the week after (good time to let them know they're appreciated)

note from Mr. Monfredo (in speaking of Rebuilding Worcester Together) that we welcome volunteers in our buildings (RWT did a lot of painting in Doherty a few weeks ago)