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Parent and Parent-Staff Committees at King Open
The committees listed on this page are an important part of the King Open School. Committees allow parents to volunteer in many different areas, at many different times of the day and evening and on many different projects. Most of the committees work closely with the staff in any given subject such as art or technology. Given the lack of money to complete all the projects we would like, public schools need parent help, and King Open has many opportunities for parents who would like to assist. Committees are open to all parents and specific skills are usually not necessary. Many parents report that involvement in a committee allows them to view the school through a different lens and demonstrates to their children that this school is something we should put our energy into and be proud of. Our committees range from gardening to curriculum, from library to lunches, from arts to outreach, from school climate to school budget, and much more. Please join us in helping make this school a better place for your child.
The King Open School Council
See the School Council page for more information.
Co-chairs: Tim Groves (principal), Leah Rugen (parent)
Staff: Jen Bump, Jennifer Kelly, Gina Leiberman, Shaun Berry
Parents: Angela Owens, Kathleen Kelly
Community Representative: Bucky O'Hare (Extended Day)
Family Liaisons: Lena James, Neusa DaCosta
Under state law, all public schools are mandated to have elected School Councils, made up of parent, community and staff representatives, including the principal. The KO School Council works with Principal Tim Groves on budget priorities, develops the school improvement plan, speaks for King Open in the wider school/city community, oversees the subcommittee structure, and discusses school-wide issues and events. Parent members of the council bring parent concerns and questions and ideas to Council meetings. The School Council holds meetings once a month open to all staff and parents, who are invited to join in discussions. (Childcare is available for most meetings.) Members serve on the school council for a 2-year term and are elected in the fall of the school year.
Events and Fundraising Committee
Contact: Jamie Ann Sabino
Like parties? Like to bake? Like to be creative? Like to meet other King Open families? Then the Events and Fundraising Committee is for you.
The Events and Fundraising Committee is the fundraising arm of the Friends of King Open (FOKO). FOKO is a parent-run, non-profit organization that raises money to support teachers in the classroom and other special programs within King Open (See description of FOKO below).
The Fundraising and Events Committee annually holds events such as the Pasta e Basta, Carnevale, the 7/8 student/staff basketball game, and the Arts Festival. In addition, Committee members assist with community events such as Parent and Staff Night Out and Staff Appreciation Day. Every other year the Committee holds a major event, the King Open Silent Auction. In the past the committee has published a wonderful cookbook with recipes from around the world contributed by KO students, families and staff. With the Arts Committee, a new King Open T-shirt, sweat shirt, and tote was designed and put on sale. Last year they spearheaded the sale of energy efficient light bulbs.
The committee is actively searching for volunteers in the KO school community to help us with these events. It’s fun and a great way to get to know other families. You only need to work on one project or event. There are a variety of roles available from baking, taking a turn staffing a table or helping to organize just one event -- BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP on these projects and events that not only raise needed funds but bring the community together.
Literacy Committee
Contact: Leslie Brunetta
Our big projects have included the annual Book Swap, in which every child gets to choose free books, and setting up adult literacy volunteers to read with children in grades 1-3.
Our small projects have included being available to teachers any time they want assistance with such projects as "leveling” books, brainstorming with professional writers about the writing process, and other odds and ends related to reading and writing.
Due to the Literacy Collaborative, staff has a new structure in place that aims to support all teachers in their literacy teaching. We hope to find out how our committee can best help and support staff in this effort as the school goes forward. We would also like to help families who would like to work at home to increase their childen's literacy skills and interests and will think this year about parent seminars, etc. There's a good chance that we will merge with the Library Committee this year.
We're looking for anybody who has any expertise in literacy issues and also for anybody who just likes to read and write and would like to help kids do the same. Please join us!
Outreach Committee
Contacts: Megan DeMott-Quigley, Debbie Klein
This Committee was established out of a need to reach a wider range of families and to increase parent involvement within all aspects of the school. The committee has worked to improve the lobby, has recruited more families to our listservs, and has continued to sponsor morning coffees with various speakers. It has also improved the written materials about the school in conjunction with the School Council and our family liaisons, and has worked to improve and maintain the school website. We work closely with other committees to improve attendance and participation in school-wide events.
This committee will also help the KO Family Liaisons attract and recruit prospective Kindergarten families by:
- Helping with organizing and conducting tours
- Continuing to look for ways to improve the physical plant of KO
- Collecting, organizing, displaying and disseminating written information about KO's curriculum, staff, philosophy, programs, and history
- Helping with Open Houses and City-Wide Kindergarten Information Nights
We at KO know that our school is really working. Let's show all of Cambridge who we are and why we are a great school.
Library Committee
Contact: Lestra Litchfield
The library committee works with the KO library staff in all areas to improve the library by:
- Providing parent volunteers to help staff the library
- Improving our book collection
- Coordinating with KO teachers to integrate library projects into their curriculum
- Seeking funds for the improvement of the physical plant in our library
- Helping to make our library more user-friendly, and more used!
The Families of Black Children
Contacts: Sheila Williams, Astrid Joseph Lisenby
The Families of Black Children (FOBC) is a parent/ family group that is designed to support and promote the academic, social and cultural health of black students enrolled at KO. FOBC meets monthly, and holds several culturally inspired school-wide events during the year, including the school's annual Kwanzaa and Black History Month celebrations. In addition to these events, we will collaborate with the School Climate Committee on issues around social justice and the maintenance of the Social Justice Library. Monthly meetings of FOBC generally include some time for socializing, workshops and community building, and represent an appropriate avenue for families to utilize when dealing with sensitive issues such as confronting racism, whether it is within our school or in the world at large.
Arts Committee
Contacts: Virginia Childs, Alice Turkel
The mission of the KO Arts Committee is to support the King Open art and music teachers in their efforts to provide a superior and comprehensive arts education for all students. We seek to enrich arts experiences at the school by arranging for additional arts-related activities and events, occasionally integrating it with the KO's classroom curricula. We have a variety of projects planned both small and large. We welcome new members and new ideas!
Major Recent Projects of the KO Arts Committee:
- A collaboration between the newly established King Open Players and Beyond The Fourth Wall Children's Musical Theater Program to bring a musical experience to King Open 3-8 graders after school. Premiering January 2008.
- The creation of the Visions of Community Mural Project. The committee received grants from the Mass Cultural Council, among other funding organizations, for a 2-year mural to be installed on the exterior and entryway of the school. Led by art teacher, Kelley Mowers, in collaboration with Cambridge mural artist David Fichter, the main goal of the project was to offer a community-building experience for all students who came together under the CPS consolidation plan, while integrating elements of KO's Social Justice curriculum at all grade levels.
Gardening Committee
Contact: (Seeking new chair)
The Gardening committee's goal is to make the garden a welcome part of the school for all families. We work closely with CitySprouts to do this. We hold garden work days in the fall and spring, host activities (such as planting seeds and making crafts) that engage kids and their families with the garden, cultivate special plants related to the school curriculum (such as the three-sisters garden, a traditional Native American garden with peas, beans and squash; and the milkweed garden connected to the Kindergarten Monarch Butterfly curriculum) and help keep the garden vibrant during the summer. We have several annual rituals: we are starting a plant and seed sale the Friday before Mother's Day, we make crafts for the CitySprouts Harvest Festival, and we continue to expand the Garden of Hopes and Dreams. Started for all members of the school community after our consolidation in fall 2003, it is now part of the kindergarteners' welcome as each child is given the opportunity to plant a bulb and make a wish for our school.
Our CitySprouts Coordinator is Francey Hart. We will have a regular drop-in time in the fall and in the spring (Fall: Tuesdays, 3-5pm), when kids and families can work with Francey in the garden. Francey has been enjoying getting to know the King Open staff, parents and kids, and looks forward to working with everyone. You may email her at fhart@citysprouts.org.
The Gardening Committee is part of the Arts Committee. We meet several times a year. We have been a small group and welcome new members. Look for the announcement in the PIG or contact Maureen Spinetti if you are interested in coming to our next meeting.
School Climate Committee
Contact: Catherine Brady
The goal of the School Climate Committee is to assist the staff in building a safe and welcoming environment for every student: an environment free of discrimination or harassment based on race, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability, or any other “differences” that exist among King Open’s very diverse community of learners.
Committee members have gathered information from teachers in every grade level about specific curriculum components, programs, activities, and materials being used in the prevention of all kinds of violence and cruelty and the creation of a cohesive, cooperative community of children and adults. During school year 2005-06 the committee developed and distributed to all families a social climate survey, the results of which were presented at year’s end. The data collected from both surveys has informed the committee’s work, the school’s curriculum and social climate-related activities of the staff.
The committee solicited funds and resources to create a Social Justice Library, which has been catalogued by the CPSD for use by students and staff. This year the committee is working with the Library Committee, Families of Black Children, and our librarian, Jen Mason, to increase the size and the accessibility of the collection.
The committee hopes this year to both build on the current participation and further develop leadership among parents who feel strongly about implementing King Open’s mission of teaching social justice, and creating a safe environment for our students.
Technology Committee
Contact: Mark Cason-Snow
We are a group of both technical and non-tech savvy parents interested in improving the technology resources at KO and integrating technology into the King Open curriculum.
Some goals of this committee are:
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Updating and expanding the KO community web site, and making it more dynamic.
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Working with staff and teachers to understand their “wish list” for technology at KO in terms of equipment, technical support, training, finding useful software and resources.
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Helping teachers in sharing ideas and best practices in the use of technology in the classroom, and how to make the best use of new computers and laptops.
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Working on ways to address "digital divide" issues at KO, including searching for funding sources and educational resources, and linking up with city-wide efforts.
We welcome your ideas! There are small and large ways to help out -- No technical expertise required.
Nutrition Committee
Contact: (TBD)
Our committee has the following goals:
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Maintain our healthy breakfast cereal pilot program.
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Create a forum to discuss and improve cafeteria climate.
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Provide an avenue for new families with questions about food services.
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Continue our relationship with the Healthy Children Task Force.
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Continue work on menu improvements and meet with the head of the Food services to give our suggestions.
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Provide healthy snack list for families in K & 1/2.
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Work to encourage all families to fill out the free and reduced lunch forms in September.
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Seek new pilot programs for meals at King Open.
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Continue monitoring the statewide efforts to improve school lunches.
Budget Committee
Contacts: David Quigley, Leslie Brunetta
The Budget Committee analyzes KO's budgetary needs and examines how the district budget may affect our school. This committee works with the principal to review the school spending records of the past school year with the purpose of projecting needs for the coming year. The committee also advises the principal and the School Council on financial needs in the coming year and also how School Council priorities may make use of School Improvement Funds.
Math Committee
Contact: David Quigley
Building on the success of last year's Math Night and drawing inspiration from the model of the Literacy Committee, a group of parents, teachers and administrators will come together this year to collaborate on further strengthening the place of math at King Open. Among our possible projects will be (1) tutoring, (2) making resources available for families, (3) including math problems/ games/etc in the weekly PIG, (4) assisting the School Council with revising the school improvement plan's section on math.
Parent Reps
Contact: (TBD)
The King Open system of “parent representatives” has been created to better involve the parents in the curriculum.
Here are different aspects of our role:
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Meet with the teachers at the beginning of the school year.
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Share your enthusiasm for the KO curriculum with the parents in your class.
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At the beginning of the year, make a list of families in your classroom, and make sure that each family has one.
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Remind parents of class events and make sure that each family can attend.
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At 7/8 grade level, organize the coordination of the information about CRLS and every other year, coordinate information relevant to the Washington trip.
Any family member can be a parent rep—you don’t need to speak English or have email, and it is fine if your family is new to King Open. If you would be willing to be a parent rep, please speak with Dominique Stassart or call parent liaisons Lena James at 349-6540 x135 or the Olá liaison at 349-6540 x138.
Friends of King Open
Contact: Jamie Ann Sabino (President)
FOKO is a parent-run, non-profit organization that receives money donated through fundraising efforts and makes decisions about where that money goes.
FOKO provides a stipend for every class room teacher and many of specialists, as well as the administrative staff, to assist them in carrying out the rich King Open Curriculum, covers part of the cost of some of the special field trips taken by all classes, provides financial assistance for children who can’t afford school trips, after school and summer scholarships and provides for special requests such as school wide supplies, special library shelves, child care at school events, and tutor stipends.
Curriculum Review Committee
Contact: Tim Groves
This committee will work closely with staff on the KO School Council and the principal to design a plan for periodic, routine review of curriculum. Whenever feasible, this review will coincide with District-wide initiatives so that these resources and analyses may be helpful in our school-based review. We will work in one curricular area for a significant period of time; the work is anticipated to be pro-active rather than reactive. We will look at how KO is closing the achievement gap/meeting the needs of all learners.
(This committee is currently inactive.)
Better Building Project
Contact: Paul Elwood
The Better Building Project is a group of parents and staff working to make improvements to the KO facility and to focus attention on the importance of energy efficiency in a context of global climate change. We welcome the participation of other members of the KO community in this effort.
So far, we have emphasized three themes:
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Maintenance and repair of the KO facility: In the spring of 2007, we walked through the building with Cambridge Public School Dept. Facilities Manager, Dana Ham, identifying numerous opportunities for making our building better. Following up on these ideas is a top priority for the 2007-2008 school year.
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After-School Architecture: We are working with a project of the Boston Society of Architects called Learning By Design to sponsor a Harrington Community School class on building design in the spring of 2008.
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The Role of Building Efficiency in Global Climate Change. In the spring of 2007 we sponsored an educational session on global warming. We plan to offer similar sessions at different times throughout the 2007-2008 school year.
Another priority for the 2007-2008 school year will be to develop a renewable energy pilot project at KO. We would like to see either a small wind turbine or a solar panel on the KO roof, primarily as a tool for educating KO students about renewable energy technology.
Forming a New Committee
If there is a committee that you would like to start at King Open,
please contact one of the parent co chairs of the school council, Tim Plenk or Susan Richards.
For any questions about any type of volunteering as a parent you can always contact the King Open family liaisons:
Lena James at 617 349-6540 x135 or
Neusa DaCosta at 617 349-6540 x138
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