Ridna Shkola

Minutes of Parent’s Meeting, Ridna Shkola, May 3, 2008

Attendants: Pani Nataliya, Pani Victoria Pencak, Pani Kvitka, Pani Olya, Pani Oryssia, Pan Yaroslav, Pan Leon

• Pani Nataliya announced that Pani Xrystia would not be present at today’s meeting nor at the Mother’s Day event next week. It is proposed that Pani Xrystia’s role for the next year be that of Musical Director; that she be paid for time spent rehearsing the children for three events (Christmas, Shevchenko, and Mother’s Day) and conducting those events; that Pani Vica Pencak who has also finished higher musical studies in Lviv have the job title of assistant and backup. Pani Vica would supervise more regular musical sessions during the course of the school year.
• The office of Secretary will be held by Pani Olya who will provide minutes in English of each meeting and Pani Nataliya who will be printing them in Ukrainian. The office of bookkeeper and Treasurer will be retained by Pani Oryssia. Pani Nataliya was nominated and seconded to remain head of the Parents’ Committee. The Audit Committee membership of Pan Yaroslav and Pan Leon was approved. Audit of the books traditionally occurs once a year in September closing out the previous year. The efforts of Pani Deborah Kaspersky in getting meals ready for Shevchenko festival, etc were noted and greatly appreciated; it was requested that she continue in this role next year.
• Via Pani Oryssia Pani Xrystia’s nomination of Pani Olya as the new School Director was made. Pani Olya accepted and the nomination was carried.
• Next Saturday there will be a Mother’s Day celebration during school time. The children will have normal studies 9am to 10:30am; then they will have their 30 minute lunch break during which dessert will not be served; studies resume until noon. Then there will be a performance of some songs and verses; dessert and beverages will be provided by parents and served. The following families have agreed to bring the following foods: Popel family – melons and berries; Pencak family – cookies; Tustaniwsky/Moore – juices & drink; Bebko family – cheesecake; Kit family – cheese & crackers; Bilotkach family – grapes & mandarins; Gaidenko – assorted dish; Bagatchenko – cookies/sweet bakery goods; Kaspersky, Rayfel, and Senik families – something of their choosing.
• An announcement of the Mother Day’s celebration will be posted at each of the three churches to notify our Ukrainian community of this as an open house event to Ridna Shkola. The work will be done by Panis Natalya, Vica Pencak, and Olya Popel.
• The Ridna Shkola web site will be updated by Pan Leon Kaspersky to include the news of the Mother’s Day open house at Ridna Shkola. This web site is supported by Pan Leon and updated periodically by Pani Nataliya. Future announcements will be in both English and Ukrainian. The web site will also be updated with the notification that guests are welcome every week to see what the school can do for their children; the school has an open house every week policy.
• It was decided that beginning next year there would be communal e-mails after each school session. The announcements would include a report of any event that had taken place; any change of personal; any new concerns voiced by a teacher, parent, or student asking for general response; a reminder of which parent had promised to provide lunch the following week. Pani Lydia Moore, as a member of the Parents’ Committee, was volunteered in her absence to be the person who additionally reminded parents of their upcoming lunch duty by phone call.
• Parents who have lunch duty are requested as of now not to put out dessert until the second half of the break. The reason for this is the observation of those parents present at lunch break that the kids will invariably not consider eating anything healthy if there is a choice of sweets.
• Security of the children was discussed. According to Meganslaw.com there are 39 registered sex offenders living in close vicinity to the church on De Longpre. The parking lot is a space shared by an apartment building and the church. The children tend to run unsupervised around the parking lot during the break. It was agreed that two adults and one of the oldest children should be yard guards during each break. When the break actually occurred, it was difficult to contain the children in the patio area.
• Pani Olena sent word of her idea to invite former students of Ridna Shkola to the end-of-the-year picnic.
• The wish to show our teachers the parents’ and children’s appreciation was brought up. Teacher’s Appreciation Day will be the day of the year-end picnic. There are four teachers plus Pani Xrystia. Pani Nataliya will officiate.
• One teacher of a middle class is leaving, Pani Dzvenka. Alternatives to replace her were discussed. The parents of these students have in the past voiced the need for this teacher to be at least somewhat English-speaking. No resolution was made. There are currently 17 children enrolled plus two new students (brother and sister from Orange County) who started today.
• A question was brought up about resuming the session between kids and the priests. In previous years the three priests of the Ukrainian community (one Catholic and two orthodox churches) would rotate each Saturday to meet with interested kids between 8:30am and 9am for Biblical story-telling and general religious explanations. This year that did not happen because the threshold of the priests (minimum of 8 children) was not met. At the meeting parents of six children made a commitment to arrive at 8:30 for the religious session. If there are any others, please notify either Pani Nataliya (818.348.9044) or Pani Olya (818.523.6111).
• On June 14 Saturday at 10am the year-end picnic begins. Pani Oryssia has made a reservation for the school at Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Park. It is at 4100 South La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles; the phone is 323.298.3660. There is an entry booth to the park at which you will be asked to pay $4 vehicle entry fee. They accept cash only. There will be a lake where anyone can fish but those 16 years of age or older will need a license. Our meeting place is the Pink Picnic area. If you forget, they can remind you at the entry booth. There will be barbeque thanks to Pani Nataliya’s husband. Sign up for food assignments will occur on the Mother’s Day event.