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Pittsburgh Public School's Take Your Dad to School Day

Kickoff Rally, May 29, 2003
School Day, Friday, May 30, 2003

All male adult role models can participate in these activities. Participation in 2002 was 1,787.

Personal Reactions of Mark Rauterkus to the April 3, 2003 Planning Meeting

PR Matters

PR is important. Trinkets, gifts and doorprizes are nice. However, I want to get way beyond those external decorations and get to the meat of the matter -- being stronger parents for successful students.

Pondering the Proud Dad's model

See: www.ProudDads.com. Hogan is a friend who did visit Pittsburgh last year.

The Proud Dad approach, it seems, is much unlike what seems to be happening here. Dad's need time to be supportive with other dads. There isn't a hint of this happening in this district's event(s).

Perhaps we could do a "debrief" after the event. When the school sponsored the PRINCIPAL for a DAY program, they had funding -- and they had FOLLOW-UP. I can live without the funding. The debrief should NOT be just for the planning committee. Rather, all the participants could be part of this optional gathering. For the Principal for the Day event, all the principals and all of the guest principals had a meeting in one location (at Station Square) to the later part of the same day.

I could do this as a volunteer.

Shared, Central Well of Knowledge

Central Administrators need to help build or else facilitate others for our PUBLIC, common, shared, knowledge base. There should be a web page (at the least) for the Take Your Dad To School Day. We should have an email discussion group.

I could do this as a volunteer.

Dad's Do

Dad's crave "projects." We want "outcomes." To be "productive" -- we should be more with purpose and deliberate in our activities.

Just being at the school is not to be discounted. However, there can be massive contributions with real thinking, real sharing, real learning and engagement -- IF -- some "outcome package(s)" were the focus and/or theme.

A bit of an 'agenda' that weaves into the experience should be part of the efforts. And, these elements need to come from the HEADQUARTERS. Leaders set these courses. That means folks at the administration building.

I could do this (with others) as a volunteer.

No Thanks

Take Your Dad To School Day does NOT need to be a big bake sale with celebrities.

As mentioned at the meeting, our school community is robbed of the involvement of our dads as the kids grow up. I think the conventional wisdom is that the dad's of high school students are never there.

I think it is time for the event, Take Your Dad To School Day, to grow up itself. In its fifth year, the PR issue shouldn't be such a heavy burden. No way. That battle to establish the event has been won.

I'd predict > 5,000 parent participants if the event grew into a deliberate purpose. Otherwise, the long-term health of the event could implode on itself. Let's not brand this event as a bunch of guys milling around, skipping work, and tailgatting for give-a-ways.

Reactions Welcomed

As always, public replies to Help-Desk@CLOH.Org, are welcomed and will be posted here.

Jim Carmine

Some wonderful ideas as always. I am particularly pleased that you are willing to help with the email publicity regarding the Rally and the ultimate TYFSD event. I agree there is always room to expand on good ideas. Still, the more dads who know about these two particular events the better. Also this creates ever more opportunities to accomplish your specific recommendations. Oh, thank you for including me in this discussion.

Danna Vlassich, PPS

Mark: That was no problem having your children there. However, I felt that your attention to what we were discussing was not focused with us. We acknowledged the need to do something after the big day, however, as I said last night, that is an individual school activity, not a district wide responsibility. Please feel free to recruit other fathers for support groups. We welcome those meetings at any of our PERCs. Just as we have a growing Second Time Around Grandparents Support Group which took some time to create, I believe that with the right leadership and commitment for involvement, a Father's Support Group would be wonderful. I will hold you to volunteering to organize one.

To address some of your other points of concern:

1. Being that you weren't a part of the planning last year, you wouldn't have known that in fact there was a debriefing meeting after the event. I plan on doing the same this year;

2. I do not believe there is a PR problem. I want to expand on what has been done in the past. You can certainly help by e-mail to those addresses that you have the information about the Rally and the actual day.

3. Please give examples of what "projects" you are referring to. Again, this may be an individual school activity, not a district wide one. I can suggest things for schools to do.

4. We can discuss the Web Page and its contents. If you are willing to do this, that may work. I can't from here.

Would you like to design the flyer for this event?

Dino Daddy Lands

Dinosaurs will appear across Pittsburgh as public art to celebrate our reputation for scientific excellence. Carnegie Museum of Natural History is the main sponsor. The Grable Foundation funded Phillips Elementary School's entry into DynoMite Days. The students, under the directon of Art teacher Carl Goldman, painted Alphabetasaurus.

A reception will be held from 4 to 6 pm on Wednesday, April 9, 2003, at the Java River CafÈ on Bingham and 14th Street. You are all invited to attend and you will also get to catch a glimpse of the colorful stegosaurus at the reception. RSVP for this event by calling 412-488-5190.