Environmental Sustainability Council

Environmental Sustainability Council Education Task Group MINUTES Thursday March 8, 2018, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., TJES Library Priority Tasks 1. Solicit Food for party 2. Set up invitation list and send out invitations; Create half-page paper invitation 3. Hit Send for Evites – include RSVP/T-shirt survey link Draft Minutes Call to Order: Anu Gupta (Acting Chair); Kate Walker; Naomi Goodwin, Susan Matchett, Sarah Beaman Bayldon, Katie Deal, Hannah Trauberman, Evelyn Duross (ESC students) Public Comments: None Review of Previous Minutes: Approved with minor changes Ongoing Business: Priority Topics In-school Coordination update  Numbers are up at Mt. Daniel – there is usually an increase towards the end of the year, especially with ability to make up missed sheets. 59 or 60 students involved in total (~15% of the school population (360 students))  March letters are out, but still getting late forms  Saint James – May have 2 names for the plaque, and 9 students who completed entire year (get a t-shirt)  TJ – 60 t-shirts, another 20 students who turned in some sheets (usually at the beginning)  T-shirts given out at Arbor Day. Usually have a meeting in April to label t-shirts as a group. o Kate makes certificates and does a presentation for plaques o At Mt. Daniel is on Arbor Day (always a big event) o TJ & SJ are given at their annual end-of-year Awards Event 25th Anniversary Party  FOOD: Anu did not send out request letters; asked if duty could be accepted by someone else. Katie offered to take over food solicitations for the party.  INVITATIONS: o Need to send out Evite to all current addresses, include RSVP survey link o Need hard copies of the invitation for Mt. Daniel  Anu to create half-page paper invitation o Kate to get invitation into Morning Announcements o Invite School/City Council members with an official letter (but emailed), with Anu and Sarah as the official inviters, use the Operation EarthWatch email address. o ACTION ITEM: Put together online invitation list and track invites/RSVPs (Anu to start)  Include: Mia Arter/Mussolino, Jody Acosta, Chris McGarro, Diane ___, Melissa Teats o ACTION ITEM: Finalize Speaker List and send out invites (Anu to start) o ACTION ITEM: Ask Letty Hardi if she can include something in her newsletter (No one assigned)  ACTIVITY: Will check with Heidi Lang once OM is over about garden plot outside. Sponsorship letters  4 more sponsors to go.  Kate needs to go to Spring City Council Meeting to ask for a $200 budget adjustment (money that did not carry over from previous year) Survey   Anu provided overview of several items:  50 responses, 84% Parent  1/3 do each month, 1/3 occasionally, 1/3 eer  Why don’t they do it: Top answers were 1) Too busy, and 2) Not a priority. There were comments about having many competing activities  People learned about EarthWtach from SHEETS sent home from school, 2nd more important is Morning Announcements.  School Information: Top source is School Folder (paper)  City Environmental Information: Top Source is City Emails and Events (especially Farmers Market)  Majority of parents say they need to encourage their children to finish the sheets on their own.  50/50 say Too Easy/Too Hard  81% NEVER use the website  Online option: 37% YES they would use it, 37% MAYBE, 26% NO they would not use it; was a comment about how Online Option would meet their child’s special education needs.  New format is preferred.  Parade is not a big goal: 16% have the goal of participating, 37% say Parade is not a factor.  T-Shirt is not a motivating factor for most people: On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = Not Important at all; 5 = Very Important): 1) 32%; 2) 16%; 3) 24%; 4) 18%; 5) 10%  No one knows about our sponsors  Comments: o Could do two different worksheets – for younger/older kids, with option for parents o Goal is environmental awareness Website  Naomi’s son finished site, but having trouble directing URL to new site  Really hard to scan materials, would be easier to take a picture and send it. End-of-Year Planning/Other  Kate: Parade application is in, asked to be in more prominent location.  Need to put new children on plaque  Need to work with TJ to put up old plaques on the wall  Schedule more events or pop-ups for next year Next Meeting: April 12, 2018 at 4:30 in the TJ Library