Family Council

Dear Mission Hill School Families,

We hope this note finds you well amidst these truly unprecedented times in our lives.  We are not assuming we are all having the same reactions and emotions during this time but want to acknowledge that the world is not the same as it was last week and that processing and living through this is a lot.

The Family Council executive team would like to make *virtual* space for us to connect as a community.  We are deeply committed to ensuring that we move through this as a community – showing up for one another with care and love.

We will be hosting two zoom video conference calls on Wednesday, March 18^th.  One at 5:30 p.m. and another at 7:30 p.m.  These video calls are for us to take a collective breath as a community and share with each other. 

We know that we do not have all families on this email list and would like for you to please share this email with other families so we are able to connect with as many families as possible.

Below you will find information on how to join the zoom call as well as a quick tutorial on how to use zoom.

INSTRUCTIONS TO JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING

 Please click here for instructions on how to join a Zoom meeting. If you are unfamiliar with Zoom meetings, you can also join a test meeting to familiarize yourself with Zoom.

March, 18^th at 5:30 p. m.

Join Zoom Meeting https://onegoalgraduation.zoom.us/j/323771000 Meeting ID: 323 771 000 

March 18^th at 7:30 p.m.

Join Zoom Meeting https://onegoalgraduation.zoom.us/j/507022990  

Meeting ID: 507 022 990 

We look forward to connecting with you.

Alicia, Liz, Jason & Sylvie

• Co-Chairs (2) – Co-chairs plan and facilitate the bi-monthly meetings, serve on subcommittees, and meet with staff as needed
• Secretary (1) – The secretary is responsible for taking notes during the bi-monthly meetings and sharing them with the Co-Chairs after the meeting.
• Treasurer (1): The treasurer is responsible for maintaining a record of the Family Council money and sharing this information as needed.
• Citywide Parent Council (1): Made up entirely of current BPS family volunteers, the Citywide Parent Council (CPC) of Boston Public Schools is the official voice of all our 38,000 families.
• Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpEd PAC) (1): (1) Advise the BPS on matters that pertain to the education and safety of students with disabilities (2) Meet regularly with school officials to participate in the planning, development, and evaluation of the school District’s special education programs (3) Advocate for the appropriate supports and special education services necessary to meet the individual needs of children with disabilities. (4) Hold monthly SpedPac meetings to discuss important updates from BPSʼs Office of Special Education and Student Services (5) Educate parents and caregivers through training and workshops on special education matters and issues.
• District English Learners Advisory Council (1): Participate in a citywide parent organization designed to provide information and resources to families of students who are English language learners.

• Co-Chairs (2): Alicia McKinney & Liz Cumberbatch
• Secretary (1): Jason Lewis
• Treasurer (1): Sylvie Djian
• Citywide Parent Council Rep: Neathery Brenzel
• Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpEd PAC) Rep: Kristen Collins
• District English Language Learners (ELL) Advisory Council: Anne-Marie Vaduva
• MHS Governance Board Family Reps: Antonio Ocamp-Guzman, Arianna Montgomery, Corinne Ng-Pann, Liz Cumberbatch, Lisa Jeanne Graf (alternative), Michelle Lebowitz (alternative) 

Coming soon!

• Approved Family Council Bylaws
• Recruited Class Representatives
• Created “how-to” documents to make Family Council more efficient
• Launched Family Council Bulletin Board
• Coordinated Teacher Appreciation Week
• Convened an ad-hoc committee to address potential change to start/end times
• Helped with Game Night
• Collaborated with Friends of MHS in fundraising, book fair, bake sales, Bertucci’s, Chipotle and Mission Hill Get Down
• Hosted guest speakers: Karla Jenkins (BPS Family Engagemedant), Annissa Essaibi-George (City Councilor-at-large), Henry Oppong (BPS Safe and Welcoming Schools Specialist), David Bickham (MHS Parent), Boston Educational Justice Alliance