From the Desk of The Director - 02/07/12

On a weekly basis, it is my goal to have updates regarding information items from my office, the MSA Board of Directors, teachers, and students.

Possible Expansion

 The Math and Science Academy Strategic Plan does call for, “purchase or lease a new building that has a gymnasium and a minimum of eight classrooms located next to the existing facility.” The MSA Board of Directors is actively working toward this end inasmuch as they have commissioned the MSA Building Company and a group called Design Forum to create blue prints and collect bids toward this end. Preliminary plans should be completed in 30 to 60 days, and will be presented to the board during a closed session to develop and consider offers and/or counteroffers for the purchase and/or sale of the property adjacent to our current facility. Rest assured however, that any and all plans and will be made public before any final decision by the board is made.

 

In addition to this exciting news, the Math and Science Academy has also contract with the University of St. Thomas to complete a capitol campaign specifically designed fund this venture. For our part, we will be soliciting individuals to participate on our board of directors Alternative Funding Committee who will carry the responsibility of implementing and carry out this campaign. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact our new community board member representative Jerry Hall.

 

Response to the Resonses

MSA has now officially hired a morning parking lot attendant. His name is Jay Pundsack, and he is an MSA dad. From the responses and feedback that I received about the morning drop off driving behaviors, it seemed the prudent thing to do. Now that Mr. Pundsack has assumed this responsibility, it will be my belief that common sense and personal responsibility will carry the day. Be kind. Be courteous. Be careful. Be patient. Be safe.

Morning Drop Off Message

I am a parent who drops off kids every morning. I know MSA has sent emails in the past but the drop off situation seems to be getting quite bad- more so of late. People are constantly pulling up right in front of the door and not only stopping to let kids out, but sitting there, sometimes LEAVING their car to go inside or waiting for someone to get out of the car, go inside, and come back! This continues to cause a large back up of cars- and the poor buses that are dropping off in the morning as well. I know emails have been sent out in the past but the problem continues to exist.?I don’t know if parents continue to not understand the protocol or if people are simply that inconsiderate. I am so hoping that it is simply parents not understanding. There are so many of us who are dropping off on our way to work who do not have busing options and it is extremely unfair to ALL of us, buses included, to have to sit and wait for people who are not following protocol.

Responses to Morning Drop Off Message

*Thank you for sending this. I find it very frustrating each morning when I drop my daughter off.I would add that the children we are dropping off are in 6th grade or older. There is no reason to limit yourself to dropping your child off immediately in front of the door. Surely our children can be dropped off anywhere from the beginning of the sidewalk (by the bike racks) to the end of the sidewalk (near the garbage cans) without endangering their health or safety.

*My thoughts EXACTLY!!!  Thanks for sending this out!!!! 

Make it a great day! GO MSA!!!

*I rarely drop my child off as he usually takes the bus. On the half-dozen or so mornings I have dropped off, I have found the line to move rather smoothly, and parents have been courteous and attentive. There have been one or two occasions in which one car gets bogged down with instruments being removed from the trunk, etc., and I can see how that can snag the whole operation. That being said, my frame of reference is slim in comparison to those who drop off daily. However, as a teacher at another private school, I can say that MSA is above the curve with regard to drop-off line etiquette!  If we can just get everyone on board, we can keep up the momentum. Just one more thing to love about MSA.

*It is about time to plan for relocating MSA to a better and bigger space. The school is very successful and I'm sure if we put our minds into doing this we will find a lot of financial help. I second the person who suggested signs and volunteers carrying signs to keep the line moving.

*When my kids went to valley crossing school they had a very  good system.  The principal along with his staff and some students stood on the side walk guiding every car to the point, one volunteer would open the door and the students jump out, take their bags and the doors are immediately closed.  The driver is asked to move.  As 3-4 cars are serviced at the same time and moving, the, long line of cars were cleared quickly. Something your staff to think about.

*As long as we are on the topic:  Have you considered having the police help with the entrance/exit on Pioneer during the rush. While the drop off by school is  sometimes "interesting" as people block the path I find the exit left turn troublesome more than the rest. I see people driving through the neighborhood to the east to get to another exit to turn left on Pioneer.

*This behavior has bothered me for the last two and a half years. There have been times when I have pulled around a person stopped directly in front of the door in order to fill an open spot in front of them. There are definitely repeaters of this behavior. There are also those who leave their vehicle in the drop-off lane with the engine running and hazard lights flashing. I am glad that you sent this out.

*I have a number of kids that I drop off everyday. I always pull up as far as I can or am able to due to other vehicles. My kids hurry to get stuff out, sometimes from the back of the vehicle. That is life, and it may take a few extra seconds.  But I have seen people park there and go in and that holds everyone up. If you need to go in, find a parking spot. That is what I and most other people do. Also, as kids are hurrying to get out of the car and get stuff, there are those cars whose kids get out and instead of waiting, the parent pulls out and goes around everyone. That is a huge hazard, as a kid opening a door may not always see a car coming. Common courtesy and a little extra patience for people/kids would go a long way to help this situation.

*I Have been dealing with this drop off/pick up procedure for 5+ years at my children's other school, I can reasonable predict that nothing will improve until someone is posted outside to "remind" parents of the protocol.

*I have observed dangerous/inconsiderate driving since our first son started at MSA seven years ago.  If people would simply follow basic traffic rules our kids would be safer and parents saner. Please let people leaving the new building out into traffic, we just want to leave the area. If you drive around the outside edge of the circle instead of blocking the inside, we can get out of everyone's way. Please do not stop in the cul-d-sac to drop off your child. Please stop at the stop sign, go in the entrance and out the exit. Please, please be considerate and cautious. I have seen two close calls with kids walking between buildings this year.  Can we get a sidewalk for them to walk on?  It is hard to see them early in the morning in the dim light.

*Amen! I have considered standing out front to let parents know that they need to be pulling all the way forward some morning. My kids can attest that there is no faster way of getting me super frustrated then seeing parents drop off their kids right in front of the school door and not pulling all the way forward to let more cars get closer to the building.  It drives me absolutely crazy!   If everyone would just pull all the way forward we could all get through the drop-off much faster and easier.  It's not rocket science just common courtesy.  I know sometimes our kids can seem very helpless but they do have legs and they don't need to be dropped 10 feet from the door even if they have a lot of stuff.

*AMEN!  I am amazed that some of the brightest students in our state have drivers that seem to need the intervention of our Director.  Surely you have better things to do with your time, but I wholeheartedly appreciate you keeping our children's safety a top priority.  I just came back from picking my child up from choir, and no surprise, there was a car parked front and center instead of pulling all the way forward and another car pulled in front of them,  and another child was dropped off in the passing lane.   Obviously emails aren't working.

*I am more concerned with the impatience of a few who tend to overtake potentially endangering the child is crossing the street. A simple sign to remind folks would be helpful and avoid unfortunate incidents.

*This applies to after school pickup too!  Thanks!

*I agree with a couple of the posts regarding the drop off system, until it's patrolled there will continue to be issues.  My kids attended another school where staff/parent volunteers open the car doors for students getting dropped off, it works quite smoothly.

 

FYI

Please Note: With the cold weather, it is time for increased use of the Central Park/Library/YMCA facilities. In years past, we have had some issues with Math and Science Academy students causing some “disruptions” within the confines of the Central Park/Library/YMCA facilities. New for this year however is the fact that the Woodbury Police Officers are planning on making themselves available to do a “walk through” if the Central Park/Library/YMCA staff has concerns or is unable to handle a situation safely or effectively. Therefore, when problems with individuals or groups arise, they may consider the following:

• Contact Parents (juveniles only)
• Contact School Officials
• Issue Trespass Notice
• Verbal/Written Warnings
• Criminal Charges