Grace Church School

Parents Association Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, January 24 2006

Welcome

Thank You

Wendy Brewer for a successful Holiday Shopping Day

Upcoming Events/Updates

•  Photo Re–shoot Day – January 25 th

•  Used Uniform Sale – January 25 th

•  Diversity Meeting – January 26 th

•  GCS Sunday – January 29 th (11:00 AM service and reception to follow)

•  Mayfair Haul-It Day – February 1 st

•  Auction – Ellen McElduff

This year's auction theme is Havana Nights/Cuba.   There will be plenty of music, food, and mojitos.   All are invited to get involved.   Sign up sheets are on the PA Bulletin Board.   Donations are also welcome.   Donation agreements are available in the PA Lounge.

•  GO Project – Bob Martin

The GO Project offices are expanding into a larger space below our historic office, just off of Seymour Close.   You are invited to stop in and see our new home.

State of the School – George Davison

•  Construction has begun on the new gym.

•  GCS Exchange Program:   A group of 7 th and 8 th graders will go to India during spring break.   A different group of 7 th and 8 th graders will go to Japan in June.   Additionally, groups are being planned to go to China in March 2007 (Nick Young is coordinating with a boarding school in Beijing).   The goal is to develop an internationalist curriculum at GCS.   GCS desires to add one more country into the cycle so that every interested 7 th and 8 th grader has the opportunity to participate.   Each student who wants to participate must take an extra class.   Students are selected based on a number of accumulated points.   Families can host visiting exchange students, and receive extra points toward their child's total score.   Financial aid is available.

•  Spring Break:   The vacation calendar is almost finalized and will be sent out with report cards.   Winter and spring breaks will begin a week later next year because of the way the holidays fall.

•  Admissions Season:   A number of wonderful families and terrific kids have applied.   Because of the large number of applicants, admissions will have to make hard choices for various reasons.

•  Capital Campaign:   Right on schedule, going well with contributions exceeding $10 million.   Everyone in the GCS community will be asked for money

Guest Speaker – Diane Mickley, MD, Eating Disorders

Past co-president of the National Eating Disorders Association and the founder and director of the Wilkins Center for Eating Disorders

We live in a culture that gives children the message that there is a stigma associated with being fat.   Parents want what's best for their children, and want them to be thin.   The message becomes that food is “bad” and starving is “good,“ which leads to restrictive eating and physical awareness.

In puberty, boys go from 18% body fat to 15% body fat.   On the other hand, girls increase from 18% to 25% body fat.   The average girl gains 40 lbs. during puberty because of a physiologic need.   This creates a problem for girls in our society.   They don't set out to develop eating disorders; they set out to be conforming to the culture to be “thin.”

There is a potent genetic vulnerability (linked to chromosome 1 and chromosome 10) that explains two thirds of the etiology of anorexia.   In a subset of genetically vulnerable children, dieting could set off a dangerous cascade, which may include anxiety, body obsession, depression and perfectionism.  

Anorexia manifests as weight loss.   Weight either falls off the growth chart or height shoots up but weight never changes.   No periods are also a symptom.   90% of eating disorders occur in females, but boys get them as well.  

Anorexia is serious because it is associated with the highest mortality of any other mental illness.   However, there's a high cure rate.   The goal is to help children before they have full blown anorexia nervosa.   Be proactive and intervene.   To lower the risk, teach your children that people come in all shapes and sizes – and that teasing hurts.   Don't let on to your kids that you are concerned about your own weight, or have interest in other peoples' shapes and bodies.  

Encourage your children to be active rather than attempt to over-control their eating.   Teach your kids self-respect, and what they need to be healthy and run their bodies.   Parents need to have the conversation with their kids.   Be aware that girls in gymnastics, ballet, equestrian sports, and modeling are predisposed to anorexia because of the situational pressure to be thinner.   The website www.nationaleatingdisorders.org can provide valuable information.