Saturday, June 26, 2010

Cumberland Town Wide Learning Community
www.cumberlandtlc.org
June 21, 2010 6:00-7:30 pm
Meeting Summary
Donna Morelle, Ryan Pearson, Alice Clemente, Lisa Beaulieu, Paul Ouelette, and Rosemary Reilly-Chammat
Lisa shared a template for collecting information for a TWLC data base of organizations and resources in Cumberland. The group provided feedback on it. The group also began a calendar of events list for the fall (attached). The time period is September –December 2010. The calendar and database form will be distributed to all World CafĂ© invitees with a response date of late July. The calendar will be distributed at the Back to School Event at BF Norton on August 21st. We still need to determine how the printing of the calendar will be supported. We will contact Marcia Green about an article in the Valley Breeze re: an update of Town Wide Learning and to elicit broader input for the data base and calendar of events
Opportunities for collaboration were identified including:
Learning component related to Election Day
Link multi-cultural work with SAT/PSAT exam-importance of taking the exam etc.
Look at federal and state laws that may drive learning opportunities example is new legislation for RI school curriculum dealing with storm water
Boys and Girls Club Events
CHS administrator teaches knitting
Land Trust
Conservation Commission

We talked about having an interactive web based calendar where offerings could be viewed by organization and by dates.

Also a list of family activities that are always available could include information such as the hiking trails at the Monastery and Diamond Hill.

Once we have a database we discussed an event where resources would be centralized so that people could learn about town offerings. Paul shared information about a Family Resources in Woonsocket event that focused on transportation for employment. Bike transportation, safety issues, and vegetable oil power were among the topics. Paul also shared information about a curriculum he delivers through the NRI Camber of Commerce called Choices designed for middle school students to help build financial literacy. Navigant Credit Union offers CU for Reality, another support for financial literacy. The National Guard Rock Wall and State Police Safety exercises linked seatbelt use and impaired driving would also be offered. Lisa previously share shared information about the MIT Splash program which offers a variety of math and science based offerings for youth over the course of a day. We could include this event in our next grant application which we will be starting soon.

The Multicultural Group met and decided that rather than do something separately we could perhaps do something at the Back to School event.
Rosemary followed up with Paula Maloney (principal) and Lynn Stephan (PTO treasurer) about the idea to convene local organizations participating in the Back to School Event. To date the OCYL, Cumberland-Lincoln Boys and Girls Club, Southern Cumberland Regional Association of Parents, Cumberland School Volunteers, Cumberland Police, and Sylvan Learning and Ace It! Tutoring have signed up to participate. Rosemary will fill out a form for the TWLC to participate. Also, BF Norton is also looking for help on July 24th at the ProJo warehouse for backpack stuffing. It is from 8:00 am-12:00 pm. Please let Rosemary know if you can assist at rosemaryandsam@cox.net. Alice is going to speak with some of the organizations that she is involved with about participating in the Back to School event.
Next meeting-TBD will involve pulling together the calendar and the data base.