Committees in Upper El

In Upper El there are three student-led committees:  Student Board, Culinary and Care of Environment.  Committee members change three times throughout the year and committees rotate weekly.  They start each week with planning and students discuss responsibilities and roles.  It’s been interesting to observe this collaborative process. I thought that some students would emerge as leaders in the group, depending on their interest, personality and skill set.  It’s been wonderful to see each student sharing their voice, including “gripes” about how they want some processes to be different.  If you read last week’s blog, you know the kids created their own class constitution and we discussed how amendments give us the ability to make changes.  I wouldn’t be surprised if our first amendment for consideration is brought to the community soon.

Student Board	Facilitate Morning Meetings Quote or Poem of the Day Our day Weather Reminders, calendar updates, upcoming events Teacher Corner Plan Fun Fridays (teacher approval required) Daily Leader (rings chime for transitions, dismisses, line leader) Community Matters/Peace Meeting (weekly) Share concerns/ideas from Community Matters/Peace Book Class asks clarifying questions Everyone brainstorms possible solutions Vote on resolution in alignment with Class Constitution and record in Community Matters/Peace Book
Culinary	Choose day for special snack (teacher approval required) Plan what to prepare, cook (teacher approval required) Divide ingredient list among committee members Prepare food on snack day and restore the kitchen *Be sure to check any food allergies/sensitivities
Care of Environment	Detailed instructions on job cards Daily Jobs  Kitchen Lamps and Fans Surfaces Laundry Floors  Bird feeder  Deck Weekly Jobs  Mop  Shelves Trash (before 2:00) Recycling (before 2:00) Bathroom Blueberry Plants (inside and deck) *Grow Tower - waiting to set up and receive care instructions