MSSM Parents Advisory Meeting July 12, 2004 - Limestone

Present: Joe Siddiqui, Cathy Bowker, Alice and Paul Chartrand, Nigel Calder (representing Terrie Frisbie), Wenda Hunter (representing Paul Meyer), Dale Gordon, David Haines.

Parent Teacher Conference Weekend Fri- Sat. Oct 8 - 9:
(Initially scheduled for Oct 1-2, subsequentially changed after the PAC meeting.)

-Parents will be invited to Fri pm Student Variety show (and this year parents and faculty may be invited to participate)
-Fri. pm informal social mixer to get to know faculty. Cathy will let us know if MSSMPG can help w. food/serving.
-Cathy will schedule in a time for MSSMPG to have meeting/elections. About 50% of parents attend PT conferences. Absentee ballots can be sent ahead of time.
-P/T Conferences Sat. May try to reduce from 6 to 5 10 min slots per hour to allow for flexibility/hall movement. Suggestion made to have a 30-60 minute block at the end of the day for parents w/ particularly pressing concerns to return and talk to a teacher more.

Advisor/Advisee Program:
- Approximately 10 faculty will continue to be advisors but will now meet regularly with a curriculum with their small group of students who will be mixed in age and no longer based on taking a course w/ that faculty member. Goal is for students to get to know a broader group and the younger ones to have the benefit of hearing info/advise given to the older students. Goal also for faculty to get to know all students. Initially meetings will be weekly (Wed 2:30 will avoid class and most sports times), then stretch out to monthly. Switching groups/advisors will only occur if there is a serious mismatch.
-Nigel asked that the Level 1/2/3 system not be used to discipline students who avoid the meetings and to try to find a more creative solution. MSSMPG offered to structure student served food at these meetings so that there will be incentive to attend.

May Term:
-2 week May Term continues mandatory and scheduled before graduation (faculty proposal to Board would have changed this). Possibility exists to make it non-mandatory in future. Lately has evolved to more Limestone located courses vs external internships. This is a large load on faculty that may wish to do CME/development often scheduled in May at college campuses.
-Board has asked that an office be created to facilitate student matching w/ internships.
-MSSMPG has offered to help locate housing and internships through its membership.
-MSSMPG Ad Hoc committee to be formed to work w/ Cathy and Jerry O'Keefe on this.
-David Haines offered his experience at Bates as containing similar challenges and benefits.
-Suggestion made to have mandatory report from individual students include a two paragraph press release.

Ways to enrich the humanities program without spending money: no concrete ideas emerged.

F/U Guest House request:
-One guest house is presently partially furnished (three bedrooms) and heated. Another house is unfurnished but usable. If parents wish to take on improving the decor/furnishing the second house these could be available to visiting parent volunteers and/or to visiting parents w/ financial need (as determined by financial aid officer).

Fundraising: Nigel (who has experience in conservation grants) agreed to run a workshop for any interested parents in how to write grant proposals and locate grants. He suggested that MSSM purchase a CD containing grant source info, from Maine Philanthropy Center () out of the USM library in Portland. Projects such as guest house, revamping Residential Dean living quarters, funding themed weekend with parent speakers, coffee house are all possibilities. Nine month lead time needed.

Themed Weekends:
-Fewer will be mandatory (will help in college and home visits)
-MSSMPG plans to pick and organize a Parent Career Themed weekend date. MSSMPG Registration in August should include a request for info/volunteers.

Host Family:
-though the Program is being revamped by King/Gordon summer athletics may still be a problem as MSSM doesn't want liability when they aren't in session. Concern expressed re structuring this for summer athletes as incoming students/parents feel vulnerable w/o a clear plan. At present this is being left to coaches (none announced yet for Boys Soccer)

Mystery Weekend/Coffee House: Enthusiasm expressed for an annual or biannual (Winter Carnival as well?) event such as the Mystery Penguin weekend . Off campus coffee house may not be as popular or feasable visa vis parent energy right now. However it remains a grant project idea for the future.

Habitat MSSM (fixing up grounds) won't fit this year for Parent Conf Weekend as there are many activities planned. Will also wish to have Dean of Residential Life coordinate this. Consider planning this in the spring perhaps to coincide with National Community Service Day.

Move In Day MSSMPG meeting will be 3-4pm Sat. for voting on Bylaws and Mission Statement.
-Date for first day of classes is set by counting back from December holiday/vacation.
-Calendar can't be sent to parents till approved by Board which meets quarterly.

College Counseling/Preparation:
-Joe will transmit to Norma request to have FAFSA info sent to parents late in fall of Junior year as is helpful to begin financial aid applications for college very early in January.

-Cathy noted that the expanded October break (Wed mid day return) is designed to facilitate college visits. Parents asked that the advisor curriculum include instructing senior students that they should plan college visits into this time (visiting colleges while classes are in session is very helpful) and follow through by asking where they plan to visit and reporting later on their visits.

-Parents asked that the college essay writing included in English curriculum be structured more firmly so that students are required to show samples of their work and receive feedback and polishing. This particularly needs to be done in Spring of Junior year and Fall of Senior year.

-Cathy clarified that courses taken elsewhere eg college course in Spanish, cannot be listed on transcript as given by MSSM ("MSSM credit"), if approved it will be listed on the MSSM transcript and can serve to meet MSSM graduation requirements.

- Future hope is to get a full time language teacher who can teach both French and Spanish. There is not funding for this at this time and it is very difficult statewide to find Spanish teachers. ITV has worked poorly for languages in the past. Parents proposed sharing teacher's salary w/ other districts.

-Discussion re current grad requirements sometimes restrict choices for humanities due to scheduling conflicts/time. Leadership course requirement is firmly supported by faculty.

How do we create and encourage community at MSSM?
-Joe urged continued positive forward movement and working together as we are doing.

Next PAC mtg Tues Sept 21 7pm hopefully via videoteleconference call (Alice to check into this in midcoast area)