Piedmont Middle School Lunch Program Serves Pop Tarts?

I ran across an article on the SF Gate about school lunch programs and the new regulations to make them healthier. Piedmont Middle School is “featured” in the story, and described as “ignoring the regulations altogether.” Apparently, PMS serves Pop Tarts alongside some pretty greasy potato chips and Sun Chips. It’s the snacks that seem to be the worst offenders, none of the regular entrees were mentioned as outside the regulations.

It also sounds as if the middle school and parents club are looking at changing the program, but aren’t there yet. If you go to the Piedmont Middle School website and read the weekly bulletin, the brunch and lunch items are listed and they don’t look out of line. The current issue also mentions the SF Gate article and that the school is in the process of examining the offerings. However, the Campus Life link has two pages on food options and prices, and even features a can of Sprite on one page (see Food Service and More About Food Service).

I don’t think an occasional Pop Tart or some chips are the worst thing in the world, but I don’t think those are choices that should be part of a school lunch program. Read the article and see what you think. At the end, it has an overview of the law and what you can do to support it. Getting involved with the school parent club is probably the best way to make change happen.

General Plan Survey

The consultant’s report on the General Plan Survey contains some very interesting data.  The first thing that jumps out at me is that 51% of the respondents have lived in Piedmont for 21 or more years, while those folks only represent 36% of the population.  It skews even higher if you go down to folks who’ve lived here for 11 or more years:  they represent 72% of the respondents, but only 59% of the population.  So the survey data does not accurately reflect the views of the newest Piedmonters, the ones most likely to have small children (and potentially the most to gain/lose in the process).

Some interesting tidbits.  For 200 respondents, undergrounding is Piedmont’s top priority.  131 thought that a city-owned swimming pool was the top priority, 99 a teen center (this is adults mind you, not their teens) and 90 a central plaza/gathering place.

Folks would support an increase in City taxes or fees (though how much is unclear) for a teen center, undergrounding, bike paths/lanes, a community gathering place/plaza, “free” WiFi (irony intended), additional recreational facilities, city arts and cultural center, and a city swimming pool, among others, but not for a civic center parking garage (a $4,000,000.00 waste of money that I’ll post about another time).

Here, take a look for yourself:  genplansurvey090407.pdf

School Calendar Forum – New Date October 22nd, 2007

Please note that the Chair of the Calendar Committee, Briony Bax, has announced that the date and time of the School Calendar Public Forum has been changed. It will now take place on Monday, October 22nd from 7-9pm at City Hall and will be filmed live by KCOM-TV and broadcast on Comcast cable channel 27.

The event will be rebroadcast for two weeks following the event. Additionally, residents may borrow a VHS or DVD copy of the meeting from KCOM-TV after it has aired. Featured speakers will be Constance Hubbard, Superintendent of Piedmont Unified School District and Briony Bax, Chair of the Instructional Calendar Committee.

Parents are encouraged to submit any questions about the calendar and the instructional calendar development process in advance. Please e-mail all queries and concerns by Tuesday, October 16th to piedmontcalendarcommittee@yahoo.com or mail them to APCP Calendar Committee, PO Box 11139, Piedmont, CA 94611.

Please note that the purpose of this meeting is to review the Calendar Development process, the Committee’s recommendations and to hear parent input. This is not a meeting to announce the new calendar for 2008/09.

Coaches Field Lighting – October 1st

Piedmont City Council is conducing a public hearing to consider field lighting for Coaches Field. The meeting is October 1st at 7:30pm 120 Vista Avenue.

Two options are being considered. Staff reports are available on the city website. Send written commnets to aswift@ci.piedmont.ca.us or by mail to Piedmont City Clerk, 120 Visat Avenu, Piedmont, CA.

Curriculum Council Meetings

The PUSD Curriculum Council meetings for the 2007/2008 school year will focus on the subject of math. Meetings will be held on the following Thursdays from 3:30-5:00 at PMS Multi-Purpose Room (note this change).  Here are the dates: 9/27/07, 10/18/07, 11/15/07, 12/13/07, 1/17/08, 2/28/08, 3/20/08, 4/24/07 and 5/22/08.

Upcoming Dates In The PUSD Seismic Project

Upcoming School Board meetings will feature a variety of reports and other agenda items related to the PUSD Seismic Project:

Sept. 26, 2007 Regular Board Mtg / 7 pm / City Hall Council Chambers
The Board will be presented with proposed guidelines to use in developing the Program Implementation Plan which “will be presented to the various bond committees, parent and community groups for input and discussed more fully by the Board beginning on October 10.”

Oct 10, 2007 Regular Board Mtg / 7 pm / City Hall Council Chambers
*Wildwood Investigative Report
* Discussion (adoption?) of guidelines to use in developing the Program Implementation Plan

Oct 24, 2007 Regular Board Mtg / 7 pm / City Hall Council Chambers
*Havens Concept Designs & Cost Estimates for Hybrid Option
*Beach Design Concepts & Cost Estimates

Nov 14, 2007 Regular Board Mtg / 7 pm / City Hall Council Chambers
*PHS Design Concepts & Cost Estimates for all buildings
*Wildwood Preliminary Concepts & Preliminary Cost Estimates
*PMS Design Concepts & Cost Estimates

“On November 28, a special board meeting will be convened, where CPM and murakami/Nelson will present a Draft Program Plan that integrates feedback received on the individual Project Concept Design Options and incorporates recommended guidelines provided by the Board to use in developing project scopes and phasing, and project and program budgets and financing.”

This information comes from the September PUSD Bond Newsletter. You can sign up here (http://www.pusdbond.org/news/index.html) to receive it.

GATE Committee.

P.U.S.D. is looking for parent participants for this year’s series of Gifted And Talented Education (GATE) Advisory Committee Meetings. The first meeting will be held at the PHS Library on Thursday, October 4, 3:30-5:00. If you plan to attend, please email David Roth, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services at droth@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

Thanks to Tim Rood for this information.

New Whole Foods to Open 9/26/07

The new Whole Foods Market at Harrison and 27th is set to open Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. See http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/pressroom/pr_09-24-07.html for details.

I went this a.m.  It was quite an event.  I spied Sarah Smith and Sophia Bucheli, but was running too late to stop and chat.  I’ve never seen so many people just wandering around a market not shopping.  It was also a very “corporate” opening with way too many whole foods personnel on hand adding to the congestion.  The market is pretty much what you’d expect – a giant version of their other stores.  A lot of space is given to prepared foods, but it also has a much bigger produce section than Berkeley.  There is also clothing.  I’ll be interested to see how that works out.  I wasn’t overwhelmed with the layout – market in the round – the fish was nowhere near the meat and the entrance is on the produce side, so you have to go halfway around the store to get to the heavy stuff you want to put in your cart first.  Other quibbles:  the wine section seemed smallish for the size of the store and it seemed like all the deals were on expensive wine, they didn’t have the one thing I was looking for hand packed ricotta that they dish up for you at the cheese counter, and oh yeah, the prices are ridiculous.  I probably won’t make this Whole Foods my first stop market, but they’re open from 8-10 7 days a week, so I’m sure they’ll get their fair share of our grocery dollar.

Drew

City Meetings Week of 9/17

There is a City Council Meeting on Monday 9/17.  The regular agenda  is listed below.

On Wednesday 9/19 is  a Recreation Commission meeting to discuss use restrictions on Beach Field. New restrictions includ closing the field to public use during school hours, not opening the field until noon on Sundays and a very broadly worded restriction on group use that might restrict all pick-up soccer, impromptu team practices, etc.

Both meetings are at 7:30 in the City Council chambers.

The City Council Regular Agenda is:

4. Announcement regarding the election timetable for the Regular Municipal Election on March 4, 2008

5. Public Hearing regarding the proposed street closure for the “Every 15 Minutes” program

6. Public Hearing regarding an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision to approve variances for a remodel at 575 Crofton Avenue

7. Consideration of a New Construction Survey Policy recommended for adoption by the Planning Commission

The full agenda and staff reports can be found at http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/

Mulberry’s Market Looking For “Wine Guru”

Laura Pochop says:

“Our dream wine guru would be a Piedmont/Bay Area resident with a wine industry past and the ability to create and manage our wine section on a part-time basis for the next year, beginning in early October.

If you know someone like this, PLEASE encourage him or her to get in touch with us at ideas@mulberrysmarket.com”