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Laurelhurst Site Council
The Site Council has served primarily to create and implement projects and policies that enhance the instructional program at Laurelhurst. To date, projects have included:
- Creating the school's science lab.
With the help of an active and supportive parent community, Laurelhurst is taking steps to improve and enhance existing curriculum, foster innovative thinking, and become an active and responsive player in the community at large. Specifically, in 1994, our site council began the process of creating a science laboratory on-site in the school. The intention was to not only enhance existing science curriculum and lay the groundwork for advanced science curriculum, but to enable staff development. In light of serious cutbacks, we acknowledged that this project would need to be funded entirely independent of our school building budget.
Our PTA generously donated $7,000 for the initial costs of construction and projectsupplies. A parent volunteer group designed and supervised the installation of the science lab. In the spring of 1996, $3,000 from the Eisenhower Federal Grant fund allowed for our entire staff to tour and make connections with managers and department staff at PPMC. Since the last part of the 1995/96 school year we have been fortunate to staff the lab part-time with an enthusiastic resident scientist/coordinator. In a very short time the coordinator has outlined current inventory, drawn plans for future inventory, helped classroom staff determine appropriate science curriculum and/or enhance existing curriculum, graphed the correlation between activities and benchmark goals, and led classroom activities, all while teaching the teachers and students in the process.
- Obtaining grants from PPS Foundation and U.S. West to fund our science lab coordinator.
- Establishing and maintaining a school-wide partnership with Providence Portland Medical
Center (PPMC). In an effort to seek business support for science lab supplies, our site council
approached Providence Portland Medical Center, located only four blocks from the school. What has resulted has far exceeded our expectations for test tubes and petri dishes. We have established a business partnership with PPMC that included PPMC's offer to fund a 1996 summer internship for two teachers to develop a long range plan toward our mutual intention to create reciprocal, innovative and meaningful projects for both partners. A third parent intern was funded via a Portland Public School Foundation Grant. We refer to our partnership as PALS (Providence and Laurelhurst School), a name coined by a third grade student. Our various PALS projects and community service activities integrate many parts of our school's curriculum. Each project or activity must show a direct correlation to meeting at least one benchmark appropriate for the grade level. Most projects meet several benchmarks. Examples of our past projects include:
- Students visit the Providence Child Center to participate in activity time with the children in residence. At various times, students visit for sing-a-longs or celebrations.
- Classes have visited the maternity and medical records department and have taken on the task of collecting data on births (number of births, size and weights of babies, sex of babies, names chosen, etc.) This task was previously performed by a PPMC staff member. The students are responsible for graphing the data each month and preparing a visual presentation to display in the lobby of the maternity area.
- Classes are involved in learning about landscape drafting, design and installation. They work hard to plot specific areas around the school for planting 30-40 overstock plants donated by to Laurelhurst by PPMC's landscaping crew. The students submit their designs to the District's Architecture Department for review, and install the plants with PPMC's landscaping crew's supervision. In return, the classes will help the crew plant the 1000-1500 annuals that must be put into the ground in mid-April.
- Fifth graders take turns assisting in the hospital's gift shop. Students learn on
the job about retail issues, stocking tasks, customer relations, etc. The gift shop is
normally staffed by hospital volunteers, and having our students in the shop relieves the
regular volunteer of some of the more simple tasks, while giving the student a valuable
and interesting experience.
- Fifth grade classes are involved in drafting a neighborhood walking map, include interesting neighborhood history and sights and notable landscaping. PPMC's patient services department plans to use the maps to distribute to people who await family and friends in surgery, in long term care, etc. Employees of the hospital can also use the maps, which will detail walking tours of various lengths.
- Other projects include students reading and interacting with participants of PPMC's ElderPlace; students working with laboratory technicians once a week for 7-9 weeks; guest speakers from various departments; volunteer mentors and tutors visiting classrooms on a regular basis, responding to PPMC's expectation that employee's will volunteer in their communities.
- Students visit the Providence Child Center to participate in activity time with the children in residence. At various times, students visit for sing-a-longs or celebrations.
- Arranging for staff workshop in Diversity Training and Awareness.
- Writing and monitoring Laurelhurst’s School Improvement Plan.
- Initiating a satellite Community School for after-school classes and activities.
- Establishing the means for gathering community input regarding staffing and budget cuts.
This year our focus is to continue with the science lab and with PALS and develop a funding committee whereby the PTA, LSAC, Site Council, and staff, work to design an overvie of fundraising at Laurelhurst. This would include determining what school needs are of priority, outlining the means by which funds are raised, monitoring the number of requests and opportunities the school offers, etc.
Site Council meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at 3:15 p.m. in the media center and they are open to anyone interested in attending. The council membership is comprised of parents, teachers, principal, classified personnel and community members.
To comment or ask questions about Laurelhurst Elementary School or this Web site, please send Email to Suzanne Jaynes.
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