Category Archives: Coordination

EMID Families Meeting Saturday, 1/19, 2pm

Given the Perpich meeting on Monday 1/14 and the board discussion on Wednesday 1/6, we thought it best to move our EMID Families meeting to next week. So the next EMID Families meeting will be on Saturday 1/19, 2pm at Caribou Coffee, 3100 White Bear Avenue, North Maplewood.

The agenda will include both a review of the EMID board’s deliberations, the Perpich option progress, discussion of talking points for the next board meeting, and considering how to help families with their “plan B” if options for Crosswinds don’t work out. If you would like to join the organizing, feel free to join us on Saturday 1/19.

EMID Families Meeting Sunday, 12/23, 3pm

EMID Families will meet tomorrow, Sunday 12/23, 3-5pm in the meeting room at Caribou Coffee, 3100 White Bear Avenue North, Maplewood.

This meeting will focus on how to support the Perpich option (a.k.a saving Crosswinds as we know it) and on planning for the public hearings on school closure coming up in early January.

At the board meeting this week it became very clear that neither the South Washington (ISD 833) or Northeast Metro (ISD 916) proposals would allow the program at Crosswinds to carry on. Even though the Perpich proposal is in very early stages and would be very difficult to pass (requiring not just our board to approve, but also the Legislature and Governor), it is the only remaining hope for carrying forward the spirit of Crosswinds.

The closure hearings are required of EMID by statute. While we hope the schools will not actually close, from a state perspective EMID is “withdrawing” from the schools. These hearings will be the public’s chance to be heard with regard to this change.

Please join us if you want to help us consider strategy and next steps as we try to save our schools.

Emergency Meeting of EMID Families, 8/27

Earlier this week the EMID Board held a board meeting. Lucky for us there were a couple parents who attended. They learned that the EMID Board is considering closing our schools permanently!

One parent tells me they contacted our superintendent, Jerry Robicheau, who said he had “fully expected” the board to close the schools this week. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that, expecting this kind of action, he never once reached out to families for help defending our schools. I am afraid we have no help coming from that quarter.

Another parent took the time to write the following message. If you care about the future of EMID schools, please read it!

Finally, if you want to strategize with other families about what we can do, please come to an emergency meeting of EMID Families tomorrow, Saturday 8/27, at 12:30. We will be meeting at 1993 Lincoln Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105. Call Mary Hess at 651-236-7592 or email mhess@luthersem.edu for directions.

Here’s the message from a parent who was at the EMID Board meeting… Continue reading →

Building the calendar

Eric Celeste has joined the “calendar committee” working with Roger Kocinski, Crosswinds Assistant Principal, to build the 2010-2011 EMID calendar. The rest of the committee is Leah Peterson, Christine Silvis, Eric Bakke, and Tim Stepan, with Kathy Griebel keeping an eye on the process. This committee will have its first meeting on December 2 and finish its work in time to get a proposed calendar to the EMID board in February.

In preparation, Eric has created a Google Calendar (iCal) version of the 2009-2010 calendar and added it to this website. See the “calendar” link in the main sidebar. Let Eric know if you spot any errors.

If you have any concerns about the EMID calendar, be sure to send them along to Eric ASAP. He will be happy to convey these to the committee.

EMID Families meets Tuesday, 3/31

Please join us for a special, spring get together with other EMID Families.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 31 at 7 pm
WHERE: Harambee Elementary School (in the annex)
WHY: To see other EMID Families, to meet Steve Hunt (the newly elected 622 School Board Representative), and to learn the latest information from EMID Business Manager, Shari Thompson, about how the 622 pull out will affect us.

Special Note: Families are invited to bring food and beverages to share with one another and our guests. If you wish to contribute something, please reply to this email so that I may coordinate the contributions. Also, please notify me if childcare or other accommodations are needed and I will look into this.

Feel free to invite new families or others who have not previously been a part of this group. Hope to see you all there!

Prior to the meeting, you may want to review Jan, Feb, March board minutes and packets, found on the EMID Web site. They contain information on staff reductions resulting from the 622 pull-out, formal notice that Mahtomedi is leaving the district, and the possibility of a broader, metro wide integration partnership in the future.

EMID Families meets Tuesday, 2/3

Jeff traded some email with Dr. Wahlstrom today. He said he is considering attending the Feb. 3 meeting, or might send Kathy Griebel or Shari Thompson. Jeff let him know that we’d love to see him there, but he wanted to be honest and let him know our attendance is not that great, so he would know we are not a huge crowd. Please join us! Let us know you are coming by leaving a comment on this entry!

Remember… Tuesday 2/3, 7 pm at Crosswinds! We will probably meet in the health/cooking room (first floor, straight back, under the stairs).

Meeting Times for 2008/2009

To make things a little easier on everyone, we decided at our meeting last night to set out a regular meeting date for the whole school year. So, mark your calendars!

EMID Families will meet on the first Tuesday of every other month. The change from Wednesday and to bimonthly takes into account the feedback we got from our survey last month. We also decided to alternate between Harambee and Crosswinds. The dates are:

Tuesdays at 7pm…

  • December 2 at Harambee
  • February 3 at Crosswinds
  • April 7 at Harmabee
  • June 2 at Crosswinds
  • August 4 at Harambee

More details about each meeting, including what room to look for, will be sent out prior to each meeting.

Parents United’s Mary Cecconi, Monday 10/20

Mary Cecconi, Executive Director of Parents United for Public Schools, will be speaking to the EMID Community on Monday October 20th at Harambee!

As parents we understand the need for sustainable, dependable, and adequate dollars to support public education. House File 4178, the “New Minnesota Miracle Bill,” calls for a significant increase in spending for our schools. This bill will not pass by luck, but by the work we in the community are willing to do on its behalf.

On Monday October 20th Parents United for Public Schools, the League of Women Voters and the Minnesota PTA will be joining together to present information about HF 4178 to the EMID Community. Come to listen and learn what the passage of this bill can do to enhance student achievement in the state of Minnesota.

We need to understand what challenges our schools face and how investing in them will benefit our state. We also need to understand the cost of disinvesting. Finally, we need to understand this well enough to explain the need to our friends and neighbors AND ask those who are seeking election this fall where they stand on it.

Please join us on Monday October 20th from 6:30-8 pm at Harambee to learn more about HF 4178. Democracy works best when we are all a part of it! Hope to see you there. Childcare will be provided. Light refreshments will be served following the presentation.

EMID Families meets Wednesday, 10/1

Please join us for our first EMID Families group meeting of the new year. We will start at 7pm on Wednesday 10/1. We will probably meet at Crosswinds in the health/cooking room (first floor, straight back, under the stairs), that is being confirmed. If you need child care in order to attend, please contact Eric.

Get an update on the 622 timeline (including 2009/2010 transportation plans), the Mahtomedi plans, and EMID board actions! Help us set our schedule for the year, with feedback from our survey. Hear about a 10/20 Parents United meeting with Mary Cecconi and upcoming school board elections. We have a busy year coming up, be a part of it!