Category Archives: Parent Group Meetings

SPG meeting Tuesday, February 13

Mark your calendars now and join un on Tuesday, February 13.

All members of the community – students, staff and parents/guardians are members of Steller Parent Group and are encouraged to join, share their ideas and vote on matters at hand. 

Agenda:

  • Hear from Maria, Staff & OpGroup
  • Funding Requests
  • New Committees:
    • Steller Student Recruitment
    • Update SPG Bylaws
    • 50th Anniversary 2024-25
  • Recruitment for SPG Co-Chair & Co-Treasurer

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81880952031?pwd=bVdaaEJQbzU5bGo5VXU1QnE5eU8wUT09 Meeting ID: 818 8095 2031 Passcode: 793010

See here for Agenda and December Meeting Minutes

SPG meeting Tuesday, January 16

 

Mark your calendars now and join un on Tuesday, January 16

All members of the community – students, staff and parents/guardians are welcome to join, share their ideas and vote on matters at hand. 

Agenda:

  • Hear from Maria, Staff & OpGroup
  • Funding Requests
  • New Committees:
    • Steller Student Recruitment
    • Update SPG Bylaws
    • 50th Anniversary 2024-25
  • Recruitment for SPG Co-Chair & Co-Treasurer

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81880952031?pwd=bVdaaEJQbzU5bGo5VXU1QnE5eU8wUT09 Meeting ID: 818 8095 2031 Passcode: 793010

See here for Agenda and December Meeting Minutes

SPG meeting Tuesday, January 16

 

Mark your calendars now and join un on Tuesday, January 16

All members of the community – students, staff and parents/guardians are welcome to join, share their ideas and vote on matters at hand. 

Agenda:

  • Hear from Maria, Staff & OpGroup
  • Funding Requests
  • New Committees:
    • Steller Student Recruitment
    • Update SPG Bylaws
    • 50th Anniversary 2024-25
  • Recruitment for SPG Co-Chair & Co-Treasurer

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81880952031?pwd=bVdaaEJQbzU5bGo5VXU1QnE5eU8wUT09 Meeting ID: 818 8095 2031 Passcode: 793010

See here for Agenda and December Meeting Minutes

SPG meeting Tuesday, December 12

Mark your calendars now and join un on Tuesday December 12

Agenda:

  • Hear from Maria, Staff & OpGroup
  • Funding Requests
  • New Committees:
    • Steller Student Recruitment
    • Update SPG Bylaws
    • 50th Anniversary 2024-25
  • Recruitment for SPG Co-Chair & Co-Treasurer

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81880952031?pwd=bVdaaEJQbzU5bGo5VXU1QnE5eU8wUT09 Meeting ID: 818 8095 2031 Passcode: 793010

See here for Agenda and November Meeting Minutes

The Future of Steller is in Your Hands

 

Hopefully by now you are aware that BIG changes will be happening at Steller next year.

  • We will become a grade 6 to 12 school OR we will become a 9 to 12 school.
  • We will adopt the Academy Model being implemented in all high schools in ASD in 2024 OR we will not. (If we decide to join the Academy Model discussions around what that looks like will take place second semester). 

Because Steller is an Alternative school we have the unique opportunity to make recommendations to ASD on what we would like to happen, and help steer Steller’s future.

We realize there is both an overwhelming amount of information, and not enough information.

We urge you to take the time to become as informed as you can, so that you can make your recommendation for what you think Steller should do.

LEARN:

———————————————————————————————————————————-

SHARE:

Steller Parent Group is facilitating two opportunities for parents & guardians to get together and talk about the options open to us so that we can hear different perspectives and grow our understanding of the issues at hand.

Monday, October 16 7:00pm to 8:30pm via Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82486338327?pwd=OFc2NWpkTkp1Mk9BNWZRR3BZcWZSZz09

Thursday, October 19 in person at school 6:00pm to 7:30pm

* These meetings will be most effective if you have previewed the information on the sites above. The Future of Steller site is a great place to start. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Maria will share an online survey where we will be asked:

With the move of all grade 6 students to Middle School should Steller:

  • Become a 6 to 12 school
  • Become a 9 to 12 school

With ASD high schools adopting an Academy Model as part of the Career, College and Life ready Strategy should Steller:

  • Become an Academy
  • Not become an Academy
  • Adopt an Academy model  (with the details of what that looks like to be ironed out later).

Maria will take the feedback from the three pillars – Students, Staff and Parents/Guardians – and craft a recommendation for what we would like to happen at Steller, to bring to ASD.

DECIDE:

  • We will hold an All Community Meeting on November 2nd where we will vote to approve the recommendation to bring to ASD.
  • ASD will make their decision and inform us.
  • What ever path we choose, we will have a lot of work to do in the second term, thinking about how we can best implement the changes and remain true to the Steller philosophy of responsible freedom and independent learners. 

Thank you to all our community members who are doing the work of learning more about what is happening and sharing their voices so that we can make the best decision for Steller’s future. 

 

Future of Steller (Meeting 1 Video)

Major changes are coming to ASD and Steller in the 2024 school year:

  • All ASD high schools are going to become Academies starting with the 2024 Freshman year. 
  • All grade 6 students will be moved to middle school.
  • New schedule changes will be implemented.

These changes have a direct impact on Steller’s future, and our community is being given an opportunity to make a recommendation to the board about what Steller wants to do.

In November we will be asked if we want to:

  • Become a 6 to 12 school.
  • Become a 9 to 12 school.
  • Stay 7 to 12 school.
  • Join the ASD Academy or if we want to do something different. 

It is important to be informed about these issues in order to make the best recommendations we can, in the interest of our current and future students.

  1. Listen to the presentation from September 21st (see above). View the accompanying slide show.
  2. Visit the ASD website:
  3. Ask your questions to Maria using this form.
  4. Follow the Steller Website for updates.

How you can have your voice heard:

  1. Listen to the answers to community questions 
    • Steller Parent Group Meeting on Tuesday, October 10.
  2. Share questions, comments, concerns at the SPG parent forum:
    • Monday October 16, 7:00 to 8:30 pm via Zoom OR
    • Thursday October 19, 6:00 to 7:30 pm at school.
  3. Make our final recommendation 
    • All Community Forum on November 2nd (we need a quorum of 75 people) 

 

Vote for Steller Budget

At the Steller Parent Group Meeting on Tuesday, September 12 the Steller Board shared the 2023 SPG Budget Document

Please review the attached Budget, and then vote “Yay” to accept the budget as presented or “nay”, and provide feedback.

The vote closes at 10 pm on Wednesday, September 20th. 

FAQ:

  • Why isn’t Souper Steller funded? We do have funding available under “School Hosted Events and Activities” if any students decide to take on this wonderful tradition. At this point, no students have expressed interest. 
  • Why don’t we have line items for regular and known expenses? An important aspect of the Steller philosophy is that things are driven by student and staff interests.  Our budget is designed to be flexible so that we can fund new and exciting things as they develop throughout the year.

Funding Requests for September:

  1. $5000 to support the Travel Intensive to Vietnam this term.
  2. $5000 to support the Travel Intensive to Costa Rica next term.
  3. $500 to support purchasing equipment for Brian’s Electronic Music Production Class.

Treasurers Claudian Libiesch & Kirsten Tschofen

REMINDERS

  • Sign up for the Steller Directory here.
  • Volunteer opportunities (here). Cups for Kids (here)
  • SPG September Meeting Minutes here.
  • Did you  know you can find Advisory Notes in Canvas under the Advisory Course?

Vote for the Steller Parent Group Budget!

 

At

At the Steller Parent Group Meeting on Tuesday, September 12 the Steller Board shared the 2023 SPG Budget Document

We have one major fundraiser planned this year. 

Cups4Kids will take place the first week of October. The Steller Community is invited to join us in the Lobby and share coffee and cocoa, and students will be collecting donations at this time via Square, check and cash. We have set a total fundraising goal of $18,400 this year. 

Funds raised are used for things like the Back to School BBQ, Sophomore Day, Staff Appreciation, Travel Scholarships for students in need, and Intensive support to reduce the overall cost for participants. All members of our community – Students, Staff, Parents & Guardians are invited to bring a proposal to SPG and make a Request for Funding any time throughout the year. 

Please review the attached Budget, and then vote “Yay” to accept the budget as presented or “nay”, and provide feedback.

The vote closes at 10 pm on Wednesday, September 20th. The budget will be passed with a simple majority of total votes.