Saratoga Partnership for Prevention

Partnership Meeting Minutes

Date:  

October 19, 2004

Facilitator:      Robin Ambrosino

Location:

3 Blue Streak Blvd., 2^nd floor, School District Administration Building

Recorder:       Robin Ambrosino

Attendees:

R. Ambrosino, K. Bayer, L. Beer, B. Boehmke, J. Ekman, J. Fei, J. Kelly,

B. LaBarge, S. Lang, R. Lavigne, B. Lombardo, T. Moon, E. Moore,

K. Pettigrew, J. Tirelli, J. Weyand.

Materials Distributed:

l  Individual committee meeting handouts: Media Action Team, Data Team, Maintenance and Recruitment Team, and Community Forums Team

Upcoming Events

·     John Kelly will receive a Top Cop Award from MADD and the Safe and Sober Committee at a luncheon ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 9^th at the Century House in Latham. Cost is $20 per person.

·      Deb Tomaso is the new Executive Director of Saratoga Center for the Family. She served on their board for eight years, and also served as the Interim Director for six months. She will try to attend the November meeting to meet everyone.

·     Youth groups from different churches are organizing a food drive on October 30^th from 4-6 p.m. to benefit the Saratoga EOC, which is experiencing a 35% cut in their food pantry/distribution budget. Presbyterian NE Congregational Church will be open 4-6 p.m., or donations can be sent to the EOC, PO Box 5120, Sar. Spr., NY 12866.

·     The High School Post Prom committee is meeting already to plan this year’s event. Kids decided on Galactic Bowling for the venue.

·     Chief Moore from the SSPD told the group his department is committed to what we do and is open to ideas and cooperation among our agencies.

·     Several Partnership members have been invited to a meeting hosted by the STOP DWI committee in Rensselaer County to discuss the formation of a 10-county group  for a “Parents Who Host Lose the Most” media campaign. Meeting will take place on Friday, October 29 at 10 a.m. in Cohoes. Anyone interested in attending, contact the Partnership office at 581-1230.

·     SEAD will offer free multi-cultural dance lessons at the William H. Ford Community Center at Jefferson Terrace Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. from October 7^th – November 18^th.

Partnership updates

·     The Partnership will not offer Strengthening Families this fall since staff is down by one person. Plans are in place to do some Parent Booster sessions at the Middle School in the meantime, and a course for both 5^th and 6^th grade families will be offered in the spring.

 

·     A TIPS course for package store staff will take place on Tuesday, October 19^th with several participants referred by Saratoga City Court as a condition of their sentence for selling to a minor during compliance checks. A course for bartenders will take place in November.

 

·     The ad for the Partnership Coordinator position will run in local papers starting the weekend of October 16^th. Resumes will be due Nov. 1^st. Interested partners are welcome to sit in on the interview process.

 

·     The Communities That Care survey will take place at the High School on Thursday, Oct. 27^th. Phys Ed teachers at the Middle School have said they’re glad to administer the survey in that school. Since we’re only surveying half of the students at each school this year to save money, Bill Boehmke is making sure that band and chorus schedules won’t skew the sample at the Middle School.

 

·     There will be a reunion for DARE All Stars campers on Thursday, October 14^th at the Middle School. There will also be a trip for After School club members to the Schuyler Farms Corn Maze on Thursday, October 21^st. This will help lay groundwork for the After School Club and lunch groups.

 

·     There will be a Parent Booster session at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 25^th in the Middle School cafeteria for any parent whose family has participated in DARE All Stars camp or Strengthening Families. Information will be presented about parenting 6^th-8^th graders and will address various challenges that come up, including the influence of media.

§   Staff will send e-mail invitations about interview dates.


 

§   If MS staff need help monitoring the CTC survey, staff will ask for volunteers by e-mail.

§   Bill Boehmke will let Partnership staff know whether band and chorus schedules are split on A & B days.

Committee Meetings

Media Action Team

·     Community Calendar of the various underage drinking prevention activities going on – how to make it useful.

·  Publicize events via the school newsletters, Mapletogian newspaper

·  Include info about what Partnership is, what we do

·  Possibility of a regular Q&A section in the paper. Parents can write in with parenting questions, Judy Ekman can respond. i.e., how to report underage party, helpful numbers for parents, how to talk to your teen, etc.

·     Utilize Cable Access channel (WMHT). Meet with them to discuss our work. PowerPoint presentation on the channel?

·      Have regular section of the paper dedicated to issues related to drinking – i.e., arrests for possession, criminal mischief, etc.

Community Forums Team

·     Keep it simple – have two forums before the end of the school year –prom/graduation. Forum at Maple Avenue and invite kids and parents from other communities. Possible speakers could be local Olympians, victims.

·     Speakers: will they get paid? Compile list of speakers to go to local groups, i.e., Soroptimists, Rotary, PTAs on a variety of topics. Could go out with the Partnership name – advertising for us.

·     Go to where the crowds are – fairs, movies, musical performances at the schools.

·     Giveaways with a message on them, pamphlets.

Maintenance and Success Team

·     Give each member a chance to chair the meeting.

·     Possible program/speaker on teen driving issues, winter tips for teens – Mike Chowsky from SSPD.

·     December could feature youth justice issues – Youth Court, kids referred to Court Class, etc.

·     Possibility of interspersing work meetings with speakers.

Data Team

·     Members are critiquing the Risk Profile and will find out how it can be a more useful, relevant document for not only the Partnership but for other community groups as well.

Next Meeting

Because the second Thursday of November is Veteran’s Day, the next Partnership meeting will take place a week early, on Thursday,

November 4^th at the district offices on the high school campus.