Salt Lake City Open Classroom

The families of all children enrolled at the OC are asked to join a committee. Committees are an essential piece to keeping the school running and the students learning.

Committees are formed based on the needs of the school and the interests of the parents. Parents can choose among many committees to find the work that suits them best.

Art Committee 

The Art Committee is a resource for the Art Co-opers. It provides them with the Salt Lake District Art Core Curriculum for each classroom, a Facebook page (OC Art Co-oping) for project ideas and for support from the other Art Co-opers. We also organize and stock the Art Cupboard with supplies available to all classrooms.

We organize an Art Bazaar in November. This is an interactive night creating projects and crafts that is fun for the whole family.

The Art Stroll is our biggest event where each classroom decorates their room as a Gallery to display the children’s art. The Talent show, during the Art Stroll, is also organized by the Art Committee, which displays the diverse and many talents of our OC kids. This year we added an interactive art project at Art Stroll.

Why join? It is fun to facilitate and create art with the kids.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer?  We meet once a month and occasionally will do an additional meeting via email. No meetings through the summer.

Where are meetings usually held?  At school or a coffee shop.

How long is the average meeting?  30 min to 1 hour

Specific positions the committee needs filled?  Co-chair for 2012-2013. We need additional members; it is especially useful and efficient if members are also Art Co-opers.

Committee chair and contact?  Beverly Hill, 801 556-7205, hillbillyinslc@yahoo.com

 

Buildings and Grounds Committee

The Buildings and Grounds Committee creates a space that reflects our OC values. The committee maintains the spaces around the grounds and takes ownership of the landscaped areas and their upkeep.

Committee Projects:

• Playground paint/projects
• Lobby projects
• Building beautification
• Clean out pond and drain in “wilderness” area
• Create a small ampitheatre below the library for outdoor classes
• Prune and maintain trees on the grounds
• Each group will “adopt” a planter bed/area to plant and maintain, i.e. weed
• Transplant/plant
• Coordinate with the school district to get new signage for outdoor spaces
• Whatever other projects the parents and staff feel represent the OC and are needed for the students to thrive in their environment – we can work with the Fundraising Committee as well to seek out grants.

 

Cafeteria Committee

Help provide a healthy lunch for the Open Classroom students, faculty, parents and siblings. Committee members can either help with food prep in the morning or dishes/clean up help in the afternoon.

Why join?  Cafeteria Committee is a task driven committee, dishes or prep, it’s that simple. We offer flexible scheduling, fun environment and a free lunch each week

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer?  One initial meeting in August.

Where are meetings usually held?  Meeting will be held at TC Mohr’s house (across the street from the school).

How long is the average meeting?  Two hours

Specific positions the committee needs filled?  Food handlers certificate for members interested in food prep, easily obtained online for $15.

Committee chair and contact?  TC Mohr, tlcmohr@gmail.com, 801-673-8224 or Andie Winbauer 801-209-9559

 

Committee Coordination Committee

Committee Coordination plays an important leadership role in the school, working with committee chairs to ensure they have the support they need to thrive. Gratitude is part of this support.

It also helps coordinate and match up leaders with committees and oversees the process of committee sign up. It is at the core of ensuring and encouraging parent involvement in our school community.

Activities/responsibilities:

• Work with a small pod of committee chairs by checking in with them throughout the year on goals and helping them troubleshoot if necessary.

• Initiate the committee sign up process each spring and ensure that it is completed by the start of school in the fall.

• Facilitate a training meeting for committee chairs in the fall, providing them the tools they need to engage their members, set their goals, and plan for success. This is an excellent forum for new and veteran chairs to share knowledge and ideas.

• Invite the chairs you work with to briefly present at Steering twice a year; once to share vision and goals and at the end to share successes and challenges.

• Troubleshoot any issues that arise during the year with committee management or member involvement.

Why join this committee? It allows you to play an important role in helping one of the key tenets of the Open Classroom—parent involvement—thrive. It allows you to get to know and work with some of the most dynamic and active people in the OC community and understand many of the undercurrents of what is happening at the OC. It is an opportunity to use both interpersonal skills and organization skills. The committee is small, so it is and should remain a tight knit and supportive group that relies on each other in troubleshooting and humor.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone? Does it meet through the summer? 

The committee relies on email to communicate with each other and often this includes keeping Steering Chair, Principal and Vice Principal of the school in the loop.

It meets about 4 to 6 times a year (usually over dinner).

Where are meetings usually held?  Either a member’s home or a restaurant.

How long is the average meeting? 2 hours.

When and where is the next meeting?  June 4^th, 7 pm at a member’s home. If interested in attending, email: Peta@Liston.com

Specific positions the committee needs filled? We are looking for four new members to learn the ropes with the current three members, with the anticipation of guiding the committee into the following year.

This year’s committee chair contact information? Kim Grob, Kim@writeonnetwork.com or call 801-879-9719.

 

Community Connections Committee

The purpose of the Open Classroom Community Connections Committee is to make our growing community seem smaller by bringing people together at social, educational and service events.

Why join this committee? It’s a blast!  It’s fun to invent, plan and participate in activities, and it’s a great opportunity to meet lots of people. Plus, the community seems to love what we do so there are always lots of grateful people at our events.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer? We meet as needed to set the year’s agenda then do a good deal of work by email.  This year we will meet three or four times.  Members do try and attend many of the events, though, and help out the other members who are taking the lead.

Summer activities – giving people a chance to know their classmates and co-opers before school starts – are an important part of what we do. Not every member of the committee needs to be involved in every activity however.  If somebody is unavailable during the summer, they can manage activities during the school year.

Where are meetings usually held? Usually members’ houses.

How long is the average meeting? A couple hours – some of it is social too.

Specific positions the committee needs filled? Co-chairs. Members take turns handling different community activities.

Chair and contact?  Laura Lockhart, co-chair:  (801)243-5585, lauralofutah@yahoo.com or Ann Lovato, co-chair, karategrrl@comcast.net.

 

Community Support Rep Committee

Has your teacher asked you to consider being the Community Support Rep for next year?  Curious what it entails?

 Community Support is the committee of caring. We facilitate support for families when they need it. New babies, broken arms, life changing events that need a little help: these are things we work with. Support might look like setting up a website for people to sign up to deliver meals, put a plea out there for co-op help or playdates, talk to the community in a sensitive way about the needs of the families—whatever needs to be done. You are not the one doing the work (you can do as much as you want!), but the one organizing and facilitating it.

Hopefully, you won’t have too many crisis to deal with. If you do, you’ll have the CS Reps from other classes to talk to and bounce ideas off of. We have few meetings together, but we have a group email open for conversations.  So much of your job is class specific. You might only see the other CS Reps at the initial training meeting.

You’ll check in with your teacher twice a month to see if there is anything she needs you to do or situations she’d like you to look into. You might be called in to mediate between parents or parents and the teacher. At all times you will have the support of Carolyn, our staff leader.

A small but fun aspect of the job is the responsibility for winter and birthday gifts for the teacher and a birthday gift for a support staff member. The gifts should be child centered—maybe something they made in art or a special project you helped them put together. It’s good to be familiar with the art co-opers to see what gift making opportunities come up.

It’s not something you can sign up for, the teachers ask specific parents.  If yours does, consider it an honor and soldier on, no fear!  It means they feel they can trust you to deal with sensitive information and situations with tact.

Chair and contact? Chris Kennard, chris@bitsofivory.com.

 

 Co-oping Committee

As a committee we are responsible for running the Co-oping Workshops.  (These will take place the first week back to school next year.)

As a class room co-op rep, you coordinate the classroom co-op schedule. Help contact parents who miss their co-op times, just to let them know we missed them and find out if they need support.  Help facilitate classroom co-op discussions during parent meetings.  Contribute an article about co-oping to the OCCN.  Check in weekly with the classroom teacher to make sure co-oping is running smoothly for your class and if your class is doing snack, set up a snack schedule.

Why join?   Because it’s fun!  You get to work on co-oping—which is the heart and soul of the OC.  You also get to work closely with the teacher and get to know the parents. Co-oping is what makes the OC so wonderful and unique and as a co-op rep you get to be super involved with this important aspect.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer?  Most definitely be prepared to meet over the summer.  Since the Co-op Workshops will happen the first week of school next year, the committee will need to meet at least once if not twice before school starts. We met once more to check in after workshops.

We do a lot of checking in via e-mail.  It’s a great way to save everyone’s time instead of an in-person meeting.  If you’re on this committee, it’s important to be good at checking and responding to e-mail in a timely manner.

Where are meetings usually held?  At the school or committee chairs homes.

How long is the average meeting? Usually around 1-2 hours, depending on how full the agenda is.  Usually the longer meeting will happen about a month before the co-op workshop.

Specific positions the committee needs filled?  Two co-chairs and one representative for each of the classrooms.

Committee chair and contact?  Tara Romney Barber, b3tandw2@comcast.net and Emily Day-Shumway,  quinnavery@msn.com

 

Curriculum Committee

The Curriculum Committee organizes and implements curriculum-based events and educational opportunities that enrich our school’s core curriculum.

Committee Projects:

• Antelope Island
• Culture Fair
• Earth Day
• Music
• Pi Day
• Science and Science Fair
• Technology

 

Fundraising Committee

Fundraising is in charge of raising money.  We do a PFOE drive, host the walk-a-thon and sell T- shirts.

Why join this committee? Without fundraiser many of the programs that we enjoy at the school would no longer be at the school.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer? We will need to meet twice however kids are welcome at our meetings.

Where are meetings usually held? At the school in Lena’s room.

How long is the average meeting? About 45 Minutes.

Specific positions the committee needs filled? We give out tasks out at meetings. Who can call who for a donation? Who can sell T-shirts at this event? Who wants to run this activity?  You can do a little or a lot—every bit helps.

Committee chair contact information in case people want to find out more about it? Kelly Hepworth, k_hepworth@yahoo.com, 801-597-2214, or talk to me at school. I co-op Mondays and Tuesday morning.

Other info? We need people who have fresh ideas and want to make money for the school.

 

Garden Committee

The goal of the garden committee is to grow organic produce with the students of the OC.

 Why join?  To grow food with OC students.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer?  Meetings are mostly to work in the garden. The committee does meet in the summer, mostly to water.

Where are meetings usually held?  Meetings are mostly outside in the garden.

 Committee chair and contact?  Brian Avery, nerdcommander@gmail.com.

Other? Committee members can take the lead in projects to get kids involved in the garden and linking it to their curriculum.

 

Healthy Living Committee

This committee helps students learn about and participate in a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.  It will include components of nutrition, food sources, healthy and sustainable habits and more. There will also be service learning projects that will increase our participation in the local community.  The goal of HL is not only to increase student knowledge of how to care for their bodies, but also to increase awareness of their individual impact/potential in their community.

It is anticipated that several coordinators (each representing different grade levels) will work with teachers to develop ideas.

• The coordinators will be responsible for arranging possible presenters for each trimester.  (A great list of organizations/people that are willing to come in has already been developed as a resource.)
• The teachers would be responsible for what and how the curriculum is taught to the kids.
• Coordinators will also be able to work with Rose, the school counselor, in developing ideas.

For more information contact Rose Evans, rose.evans@slcschools.org

 

Library Committee

This committee helps the Open Classroom community use the library resources and we assist Jai, our librarian, in providing literacy activities for the students. We bring in book related guests, have book fairs and give students opportunities to explore literature in a safe, comfortable setting.

Why join? This committee is a great source of information and inspiration for students, teachers and co-opers.  A lot of satisfaction comes from helping a kindergartener find just the right picture book or helping a fourth grader research a share fair project or finding just the right book for a co-oper to supplement a mini course.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer?  Generally twice—once in fall and again in spring. We communicate throughout the year by email and by connecting with Jai in the library during the school hours.

Where are meetings usually held?  In the library or Tina’s classroom down the hall.

How long is the average meeting?  Usually 15-20 minutes. Most of the time we spend a few moments sharing information then we get right to covering books, learning how to catalog or sorting through donated materials.

Specific positions the committee needs filled?

Web page updating, classroom art displays, organize a book fair and collect book reviews from community members and write them up for the OCCN.

Committee chair and contact?  Karen Larson sandro@xmission.com or 801-842-7951 you can also find Jai n the library. Her schedule is on the door.

Other info? We could really use help re-shelving books after the summer renovations are completed.

 

New Families Committee

Being a part of this important committee would mean making sure new families are making a successful transition by making phone calls, planning meetings, working with teachers and other committees to best info and welcome the new families. 

Why join?  We get to meet the new families before anybody else—that’s pretty awesome!

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer?  Once a month for about 2 hours to help new families adjust to their new community. The committee members generally meet right before these meetings to plan and a couple of times during the summer.

Committee chair and contact?  Joey Thomas,  joeygrl@yahoo.co.uk, (801) 440-1306

 

Office Support Committee

The Office Support Committee keeps the OC running smoothly all year long. The committee works closely with school office manager Barb Zimmer to organize and implement special administrative tasks that come up during the school year and to assist with everyday office tasks as needed.

Committee Projects:

• 1^st Day Packets
• Registrar tasks
• DIBELS
• Eye/Hearing Screening
• School Photos
• Sick Room
• Spring Registration
• Summer Mailing
• General Office Support

 

Philosophy Committee

Our purpose is to promote the OC Philosophy year-round.

Some examples of how we have done this are by newsletter articles, classroom discussions, and other materials presented throughout the school year. We feel that it is important for the community to talk about the core philosophy as often as possible.

We have supported the annual parent community survey that the school administration uses as a gauge for where we are excelling in the community and where we need to focus attention for change.

Why join?  We have found that our members are passionate about the philosophy and we get very involved in discussions.  We love to talk, brainstorm and problem-solve.

 How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer?  We meet regularly and our meetings vary in length and location.  Sometimes we have them at school and other times they are hosted by a committee member.  The meetings also vary in length.

We all leave excited to take on the assignments that we have agreed to and keep in contact throughout the month via emails to report on progress and ask additional questions.  We plan to continue to meet throughout the summer to support some of the initiatives we have for next school year.

Committee chair and contact?  Lori Gillespie 801-641-7401 or loriandjoegillespie@hotmail.com

 

Publicity Committee

We are in charge of promoting the Open Classroom in the Salt Lake City area to build awareness and interest about the OC to prospective families.

Our main tasks are the booths at the Avenues Fair, 9th & 9th Fair, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, NW Fair, and two open OC Open Houses.

Why join?  This would be the committee for you if you believe in our philosophy and want to share the wealth with others in your community.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer?  The committee meets 2 to 3 times a year along with most communication happening through email and texts.

Where are meetings usually held?  Meetings are held at the school or at committee member’s home.

How long is the average meeting?   Usually an hour or less.

Specific positions the committee needs filled?  A new chair is needed.

Committee chair and contact?  Jen Hyde , utehippo@yahoo.com, or find me at the cafeteria.  Or  Katherine Allred katherine.allred@gmail.com for chair info .

 

Sports Committee

The sports committee is tasked with coordinating and overseeing opportunities for OC students to experience a variety of sports to support their physical as well as mental development. We arrange for supervised and directed instruction in a multitude of physical activities including, but not limited to, fencing, karate, capoeira, yoga, etc.

The current schedule consists of 3 semesters where a block of classes, according to age, participate in sports on Friday afternoons.

As a committee member your tasks would consist of arranging instructors, procuring space, putting together lesson plans, coordinating student choices and placement into sports. We also spend a lot of time working with teachers and kids to help them get the most out of the experience.

This next year we decided that it would be best for sports committee members to also have Fridays as their co-oping day. During sports your role is one not only of a co-oper, but a role model of how to use sports to enhance development and become a part of a healthy lifestyle.

Most of the preparation work outside of school (i.e. calling venues, coordinating schedules, etc.), happen during three periods of the year before each session begins. (Usually August, December, and then March).

The rest of the time is spent participating and sometimes leading a sport.

Why should you join the committee? We really strive to incorporate physical activity as a learning experience, and a necessary part of the curriculum. Our philosophy has been that every child should be encouraged to make physical activity part of their lives. Sometimes, just like in math, it takes a lot of coaxing and encouragement, but kids are so proud when they can accomplish something! Seeing the look of excitement and satisfaction on their face is worth the work. You may not always be with your child, but you definitely get to know all of their friends and schoolmates.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer? How long?  When we do have meetings they are usually between 1-2 hours and a lot of work is done via email. Meets three times a year (before each new session) for 2 hours.

Specific positions the committee needs filled?  For the next year we are interested in roles which include a ‘publicity chair’ which will be in charge of the sports bulletin board, newsletter articles and community communication.

We also are looking for members who wish to use their unique skills to lead sports sessions, and maybe some who are adept at coordination of events. You do not have to be super athletic to be on the committee! Just willing to participate and encourage movement.

Depending on what members have to offer, we predict we will need about 2-3 other members besides ourselves.

Committee chair and contact?  Teresa Conway, watson689@gmail.com, Jason Ball, medicfireball@gmail.com

 

Safety/Emergency Preparedness Committee

 This is a new committee being formed that will focus on ensuring safety at the Open Classroom,  including preparing for emergency situations and traffic (drop off/pick up) troubleshooting. It may address other issue of concern as well.

Leadership positions are open on this committee—chairs or co-chairs.  They will work closely with school admin.

 

Steering Committee

Classroom Reps are elected at the first parent meeting. If you’d like to be a rep, please express your interest at your class meeting.

The Steering Committee is responsible for planning and approving the direction of Open Classroom activities, policies, and procedures throughout the school year. It also oversees committee activities and ensures that the OC philosophy is nurtured throughout the community.

Committee Projects:

• Planning and approval of school activities and policies
• Management and approval of school budgets
• Committee oversight and accountability
• OC philosophy oversight

 

Web Committee

The Web Committee manages and maintains the OC website and mailing lists.We coordinate with other committees to make sure the content on the site is up-to-date and maintain a calendar of OC events.

Why join?

• You want to play an active part in contributing to a public-facing aspect of our school and community.
• You live, breathe, eat and drink the Net.
• You have an attention to detail, communication skills, and/or a penchant for writing engaging copy.
• You are familiar with Google Apps, in particular Google Groups/Groups for Business and/or Google Lists.
• You have experience with WordPress or an open mind and a willingness to learn one of the most powerful and growing content management systems in the world.

How often does the committee meet, or is it mostly via email/phone, does it meet through the summer?

We do as much as we can via email.  Since the website is always there, and class and committee email lists change over the summer, we do have some meetings and work to do over the summer. The summer is also arguably the best time to do major changes to the site (if necessary), since it wouldn’t impact the most active periods of the site.

Where are meetings usually held?

Historically some brave soul’s house &em; most recently coffee shops.

How long is the average meeting?

1-2 hours.

Specific positions the committee needs filled?

Postmaster and/or list manager(s). Possibly co-chair.

Committee chair contact information?

Chris, chris@jazzsequence.com, Brett, brett@pixelcrane.com, Rachel, rachelematheson@comcast.net

Other info? 

You do NOT need to be a geek to be on the Web Committee.  However, if you are, by all means we want you!!!!  Being generally computer savvy, while not a prerequisite, helps considerably.  Additionally, if you are a designer or digital illustrator, your skills are always welcome.

 

Tasks

Need 1 person for each task

Tasks are school projects that do not fall under the jurisdiction of a committee. You can choose a task to take the place of committee work for the school year. Tasks are typically self-directed, but progress reports must be submitted to Steering twice a year.

• OC Community News Editor
• Teacher’s PTK dinners: Organize dinners for teachers during Fall and Spring PTKs.
• Budget: Work with the OC principal to review and manage the district budget.
• Lost & Found: Gather and display lost items, donate unclaimed items to charitable organizations
• Recycling: Manage school recycling and recycling education