B+April+2011


 * April 26, 2011**

Minutes from March Members reviewed the March minutes. Marsha requested that any changes be forwarded to her before Friday, April 29. She will send out the final copy of the March minutes.

Members shared responses to the query, “What does it mean to be a Quaker School and how would you share this with a visitor to the CFS campus?” The query was sent to units last month from the School Life Committee.
 * Response to Query**

Middle School student representatives commented that the query inspired several students, staff, and visitors to speak at the All School Meeting for Worship on April 13. Middle and Upper School students will consider the queries again in May. Lower School students read the query during the weekly Meeting for Worship during the month of April.

Charlie shared the query with the PSA Executive Committee at the beginning of a recent meeting. One person shared the following reflections, via email, following the meeting: “Thanks again for being with us to settle in for the PSA exec mtg, and for helping us to focus on what it is to be a Quaker School. I've been thinking a lot about this recently after watching Race to Nowhere and reading a book called The Overachievers: the Secret Lives of Driven Kids. I feel such an appreciation for CFS and its philosophy of teaching students to love learning, rather than to perform on a test. I would tell others, of Quaker education, that it values the power of silence and encourages students to look inward and know themselves; that it values service to the community and promotes a sense of community, rather than selfishness; it fosters learning through the various modes of intelligence and at a comfortable pace; and it values the goodness in each child. I know that there are schools besides Quaker schools that do some of these things, but my experience at CFS has been that educational decisions are made very thoughtfully and deliberately with these factors in mind.”

Marsha will touch base with head teachers and write a piece for Parent Update about the query and responses. There is a sense that this was a useful exercise and something we might want to do in the future.

Viviann gave an update regarding the work of the Afghan Sister Schools Partnership (ASSP). Last year ASSP purchased a library for the TopChi Village School, a primary and now secondary coeducational school located in Bamiyan Province. This library package purchased through the Dupree Foundation in Kabul included 500 books in Dari and shelving. ASSP also arranged for the purchase of additional material such as maps and globes to supplement the library. ASSP is now in the process of seeing if they can further supplement the book collection. Most recently ASSP has provided funding for an entire science lab for the Top Chi Upper School as well as training for teachers in the use of the equipment. The letter and diary exchange program between the schools, a central element of the partnership, continues. Translations and postage is an increasing cost since ASSP can no longer use AFSC services which were essentially free of charge. ASSP now often works through, AFCO, the local NGO made up of former employees of AFSC. ASSP has received money from the Manning fund and wants to offer support to the Top Chi school/community related to education for girls. ASSP is considering the best way to offer this support and is thus trying to get a needs assessment done. Amy Stoker identified a perfect candidate for this assignment for this spring, but unfortunately this person has a illness in the family which has taken precedent. Thus ASSP is now looking for another candidate who would be appropriate to do an assessment of what might be the most appropriate intervention to promote girls education in Top Chi. Meanwhile, Japanese funding via an international NGO will enlarge the Top Chi School by 8 classrooms and provide latrines and a wall among other things. These are costs way beyond what ASSP could afford and it is wonderful for the school to get these infrastructure improvements. ASSP had been in close contact with funders during this process and has learned that the buildings would be able to accommodate solar panels if that were something worth ASSP pursuing (this is in line with ASSP considering, among other things, supporting the introduction of computers). In April ASSP sponsored Phil Grabsky, a filmmaker who was in town for a showing of his documentary, The Boy Mir, to visit with Upper School students and staff. At the same gathering, AFSC director for Education and Advocacy, Peter Lemm shared information about AFSC and it's work. The hope is to build strong ties with the regional office of AFSC. Finally, ASSP is now in the midst of considering what activities would be appropriate to celebrate its 10th year anniversary. The School Life Committee is ready to support their efforts. Viviann will let the partnership group know we’re willing to support them in making connections at CFS and Durham and Chapel Hill Friends Meetings.
 * Update on Afghan Sister Schools Partnership**

The PSA is considering a possible theme of Diversity and Inclusivity for the 2011-12 school year.
 * Parent Staff Association**

Jamie, Charlie, Cheryl, and Martha met with AFSC representatives Ann Lennon and Peter Lemm to discuss ways we (CFS/School Life Committee) might work collaboratively next year. There was enthusiasm from AFSC for building a stronger relationship with the CFS community. We considered ideas for cross unit projects and expressed our interest to involve CFS families and members from Durham and Chapel Hill Meetings in possible collaborative projects, particularly the work AFSC does with refugees. One AFSC representative expressed that our work together might be a model for how AFSC works in Quaker Schools. It was proposed that Ann Lennon join us for a brainstorming session on May 17. Marsha will contact Ann to invite her.
 * Further discussion of Quaker in Residence idea**

Members felt it was important to involve head teachers, the Parent/Staff Association, American Friends Service Committee, and the Peace and Social Concerns Committees from both Quaker meetings next year. Charlie will bring the idea to Friday Meeting and meet with head teachers before the May 17th meeting to gather ideas. Marsha will contact PSA.

A decision was made to meet one week earlier in May because of scheduling conflicts. Our final meeting of the year will be Tuesday, May 17 from 6:30 – 8:30. Please note the earlier meeting time to allow for our shared meal. Everyone is asked to bring a dish to share.
 * Next Meeting**

Marsha is going to rewrite the description of the School Life Committee and share the draft with committee members at our final meeting. We will include the revised description in the School Directory/Handbook or other appropriate publications next year.
 * Plans for Next Year**

Viviann, Barbara, Charlie, and Jamie plan to remain on the School Life Committee for next year. Jamie and Charlie offered to be co-conveners.

Charlie will ask head teachers if the SLC could have a Staff Development afternoon offer information/experiences related to Quakerism and Quaker Education. We would prefer an afternoon in winter or spring of 2012.

The meeting closed with a period of silence.