Thursday, July 30, 2009

Updated: Two lunchroom tables add up to longer MLS recesses




Unable to implement the 30 minute lunch schedule, MLS Principal Christine had has told the community foundation that she plans to withdraw the grant application.

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Parents, teachers, and school administrators put their heads together and came up with a nifty idea how to extend recess times for Mills Lawn School students from 20 to 30 minutes. In the past, due to limited seating capacity, MLS students ate their lunch in three 20 minute sessions and had a mere 20 minutes of recess time to blow off steam after lunch. By adding two lunchroom tables, the PTO reasoned, they could extend both the eating time and recess time, by having only two lunch periods of 30 minutes each, along with two 30 minute recesses.

The problem was the money. Due to a host of health and safety requirements on both the State and Federal level, the tables cost $1,044.00 each for a total of $2,088.00. There is no room in this year's school budget for an extra two grand. So, the PTO initiated a grant application to the Yellow Springs Community Foundation (YSCF), which was later taken over by MLS Principal Christine Hatton for procedural reasons. As of their July 21 meeting, the YSCF trustees have granted the money, conditioned on the actual implementation of the new schedule. All that remains is for the School Board to give it its blessing at its Aug 5 meeting.

And that's how a grant application that was labeled the "Mills Lawn Recess Initiative" landed the funding for two lunchroom tables.

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