Greetings
GreenMount Community,
Counting today, we have 34 days left in the school
year. It is interesting how some times
during the school year seem to go faster than others. The last 30 days of school typically fly by,
and before we know it we are into summer vacation.
Around
here, we are gearing up for the final theme event on May 24 and hurrying to
complete curricular goals. We are also busy finishing next year’s calendar,
handbook and class lists. We hope to
have the latter ready for you prior to the end of the school year, along with
lists of classroom supplies. You will
receive the calendar and handbook at our May 7 parent meeting.
At this time of the year we also plan for summer
activities. Believe it or not, the
summer is very busy for those of us who are here during that time. There is much planning to be done, and
meetings with full staff to set goals and priorities are also held. It is a time of the year when a lot gets done
with the building. This summer we have
several projects that are available for parents to earn co-op hours. Please keep in mind that work done prior to
June 30 will be applied to this year’s cop-op hours and work done after that
will apply to next year’s hours. Here is
a snapshot of work that needs to be done during the summer:
- General cleaning (cob web patrol, sanitizing desks, etc.)
- Power washing learning cottage deck and art room floor
- Touch-up painting of doors and walls
- Installation of pavers in front of Ms. Elizabeth’s room
- Planting of vegetable gardens (in May)
- Noise reduction in gym (This is a big project, placing 4x8 sheets
of Homasote covered with cloth on virtually all gym wall surfaces)
- Refinishing stage floor and steps
- Carpet shampooing
- Minor repairs
- Lighting repairs
We
know that the co-op sometimes interferes with weekend activities such as sports
or family outings, and we certainly do not want to infringe on things that you
do as a family. We have been considering
offering different workdays, such as Sundays, or in the evening, and we hope
that you will weigh in on those possibilities.
Please keep in mind that the co-op provides the school with much-needed
skills that we would otherwise have to pay for during the course of the
year. In fact, our roughly 150 parents,
each required to contribute 40 hours of service to the co-op program, translate
to 6,000 hours’ worth of work. And at
$20/hr., the in-kind contribution of parents offsetting work that would be otherwise
contracted is close to $120,000. Imagine
if we had to spread that cost among our families in the form of tuition! For just 100 students, that would be an
increase in tuition of $1,200, to $9,800 per year.
Additionally,
the co-op provides the opportunity for parents to work as cooperative teams and
form relationships that are much more valuable than can be measured in dollars
and cents. The co-op is a tradition here
at GMS, one that we proudly hail as much of the glue that brings us
together. I have always said that the
most important benefit of the co-op is the fact that our students get to see
their parents in the school, contributing to its health and demonstrating their
support for learning in a safe, comfortable environment. This is, as they say, priceless.
Cheers,
Steve
