Minutes of the WPA meeting held on Wednesday, October 1, 2003

We had a good start with our first WPA meeting for the year, with a good attendance and very interesting discussions.
The new president, Kim Vandenberg introduced the WPA executive committee (see below) and described the WPA role on organizing school events and sponsoring programs: the Friday Lunch Program (a major source of funds raising), the Windrush Store, the Annual Picnic, Staff Appreciation, the Book Fair, the Spring Sing, the Kite Festival etc.

Various announcements included:
- A reminder for the WPA dues ($20), that will help to purchase up front all the supplies needed by the WPA to carry on programs and events
 - Homework site up and running
 - Yahoo email groups are in place and will be updated soon
 - WPA handbook is online
 - Request to get the Windrush directory available for Palm Pilot
   (Lynn will follow up on that)

Jen Villeneuve talked about the PAL's (Parent Association Liaisons) recruitment and role.
- Almost all classes are covered, a few more volunteers were found on the spot.  
- The middle school classes still need a couple of PAL's.

 The role of the PAL is to mainly communicate to the class about upcoming events and key issues and topics affecting the class/school.
The Parent Education program was discussed and a short brainstorming/discussion followed about possible topics for the program

 The Director's remarks included:
 - The list of possible speakers for the parent education program
 - The opening of the diversity committee
 - The success of the recent faculty retreat

 Natasha Beery announced the Board/Community Meeting on October 28
 (please, look for an announcement when we get closer)

 Guest Speaker: David Bond the new Elementary School Head.

 David introduced himself by talking about his background and answering all kind of questions that people had. But first we had to sing the song  "I'm a bug".
 That was very refreshing.
 David discussed his view on most urgent issues he is planning to work on, a stronger and more integrated (with the classroom) lunch team, bringing in and embracing diversity, the strong relation between development-academics.
 That was followed by a good discussion on the philosophy and mission of Windrush.
 A suggestion was made to include in the parent education program some information on contemporary education.

The meeting ended with the following closing note by David:

(From "A Sense of Wonder" by Rachel Carson)

"A child's world is fresh an new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.  It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we read adulthood.  If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christenings of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantment of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength. 

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share in rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."





Your WPA Officers are:
President - Kim Vandenberg (mkcc@pacbell.net)
Vice President - Jen Villeneuve (Curryville@aol.com)
Treasurer - Gina Moreland (mnm@lmi.net)
Recording Secretary - Alessandra Ciocio (a_ciocio@lbl.gov)
Corresponding Secretary - Helen Levay (hlevay@uclink.berkeley.edu)