CRLS SCHOOL COUNCIL
Minutes of Meeting on Monday, April 24, 2006
Attending: A. Kadagathur; J. Contrucci; D. Smith; L. Elman; J.
King; R. Pittman; C. Sullivan; J. Ackman, N. Hausman (Principal Knight was unable to attend) Guest:
Debby Galef
Agenda item: Updates on Library Extension
Project reported by Catherine Sullivan
Because there was only one unacceptably high bid for the
construction project the City has undertaken action to bring the process under
control. The City has begun "value engineering" to quickly
identify ways in which the Library construction can be simplified and reduced
while preserving the original design and intent. This must happen
promptly so that inflation doesn't wipe out any potential savings.
The following are specific changes affecting CRLS that will reduce costs for
the next round of construction bids:
(1)The berms have been lowered; (2)Portions of the entrance wall at CRLS will remain; (3)The
corner by the Parent Information Center will not be landscaped; (4)The back walkway
near the tennis courts will not be raised; (5)The City will do a portion of the
utility work; (6)Roof work on the Arts Bldg. will be a separate project. The
City intends to have a biddable project by August 1, 2006 and the children's
wing won’t be demolished until the summer of 2007.
Agenda Item: The Green Streets Initiative
- presented by CRLS parent Debby Galef
The Green Streets Initiative is a project at the elementary level
which goal is to promote alternatives to car travel from homes to schools. Elementary
School children and their parents walk, ride bikes or take buses once a
week to promote "green streets". It's been successful at the
elementary level, but Council thinks that the CRLS isn’t a good candidate
for this project because few students drive cars to school or get dropped off.
Perhaps a bike safety campaign, included encouraging CRLS students to wear
helmets, might be more relevant for CRLS.
Agenda Item: School Council Elections and
BYOP by JoAnne Ackman
Nomination forms were sent out to grade 8-11 parents for 2 parent
rep positions to School Council, 1 from LC L and one at-large. Once the nominations are in, election ballots
will be sent out the week of May 8.
In reporting on the efforts of Boston-Area Youth Organizing
Project (see minutes for Jan. 30 meeting), which this year is focusing on
improving the condition of the bathrooms at CRLS, JoAnne said that the Cambridge Chronicle carried a
front-page article about the sorry state of the bathrooms, but did not
mention any responsibilities the students might have regarding keeping the
bathrooms clean. While it is agreed that many poor conditions exist, the
Council hasn't learned yet from BYOP what the plans are
to proceed after their talks with representatives from Central Administration.
Agenda Item: Clerical Help in the
CRLS main office
Beverly Ferazani, Dr. Knight’s
secretary, has retired, and because the main office is short staffed until
a replacement is hired, calls sometimes go unanswered. Secretaries
from other departments are rotating through the office to help and sometimes
there is temporary help in the office. While calls previously
got routed to the appropriate Learning Community or department, it was
still a complicated or inefficient way for callers to reach their
intended targets. Some Council members felt that more phones in
classrooms would help alleviate the problem.
Agenda Item: Rigor (In Dr. Knight's
absence Council returned to this subject with Damon Smith)
James Fish, president of the CRLS student government, and Dr.
Knight gathered a lunch group to discuss rigor at the High
School. These were mostly high achieving students who
encouraged a school-wide discussion. The lunch group students distinguished
between "lots of work" which can be "hard", and “rigor"
which means "challenging and thought-provoking". There is some
urgency to broaden and continue the discussion about rigor so
that momentum isn't lost.
Next meeting will be held on Monday, May 22, 6-8pm in the
Principal’s Conference Room.
All are welcome to attend