MLC ADVOCACY: OUR THREE Priorities
Anna, Betsy, and Susan with the 4x5 classes Camp Sealth on Vashon Island in 2022
PRIORITY #1:
Commitment to Experiential Learning for Kx12
MLC is an alternative school, this educational model is the reason why our children attend. MLC's administration and staff have established many times over that this is the model used at MLC, and yet roadblocks (financial, administrative, and reasons unknown) stand in the way. In the 2024-25 school year, the 6x8 cohort went on a single field trip, that's unheard of in MLC's past.
Experiential Learning involves:
- Project-Based Learning
- Outdoor & Environmental Education
- Service Learning & Community Engagement
- Apprenticeships & Internships
When children have caring adults in their school, it leads to better social and emotional outcomes as well as stronger partnerships with teachers and staff.
PRIORITY #2:
1: Parents and caregivers are welcomed into the building at drop-off and pickup.
When grown-ups walk the halls of MLC with their student, they are able to see the school through their eyes. They are able to see the classrooms, hallways, bulletin boards, displays, and all of the ways MLC comes alive for students. It's also a way for grownups to connect, share ideas, make friends, and build community.
Research consistently shows "that higher parent involvement, as reported by mothers and teachers, promotes better social skills, fewer problem behaviors, and is unrelated to average achievement across elementary school." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2973328/#S25
During the pandemic it was necessary to limit parents within the building, and now it's crucial to return to the community- and family-focused openness MLC has enjoyed for the past 57 years.
We are also asking for parents and guardians to be able to be present at Solstice and other performances live, instead of simulcast.
Going out to lunch together on a Friday afternoon was a ritual many families enjoyed at MLC.
PRIORITY #3:
Return to 1/2 Day Fridays
Half-day Fridays is a contract exemption that our teachers, administrators and the District have to sign off on. It's an exemption that's been in place for many, many, years and worked well. Teachers used this time to plan field trips and without it, field trips do not happen.
One of the reason given to the end of 1/2 day Fridays was the notification that Nutrition Services would NOT serve lunch on a 1/2 day. A workaround must have been found since lunches are served currently on early release days.