Welcome from the PTA President
- Nicole welcomed everyone in attendance and introduced Executive Board members.
- Handout of Executive Board members and positions read through.
- Reviewed the goal for the PTA for the 2015-16 school year. Emphasis on the role that community participation has on meeting our mission.
Welcome from the Principal, Artie Mattia
- Mr. Artie welcomed everyone back, thanked them for being a part of the community, looking forward to a great year.
- Sheri & Mr. Steve, ESL; Ms. Rosa & Cathy Vice Principals; Ms. Barbara, IP; Ms. Yvette, Parent Coord.; Ms. Maura, Busing: any questions, please find them in Room 101 for Rosa, Cathy and Barbara. Ms. Shari in ESL on early childhood wing. Ms. Maura has her office in the cafeteria near the nurse.
- Getting services for children involves a series of steps and takes at least 4-6 weeks; will keep parents posted to the status, hopefully by early October.
- Please do not park/block 1st
- School alarms will be installed in next 4-6 weeks. Notices will go home. Please abide by rules. This is for the safety and well-being children.
- If you have any concerns in classroom, please speak with your child’s teacher first, then administration. We need to build relationships with classroom teachers.
- Curriculum meeting will be held during the course of the day. Notifications will be sent out soon.
- School hours are from 8:20 to 3:10
- Partitions in cafeteria were removed, temporary walls will go up, unsure of the time frame. Permanent walls will be built for privacy.
- New sound system (PA) will be installed in every classroom, gym, and cafeteria. Spring-Summer 2016, but trying for sooner.
- General Response Protocol soft/hard lockdown; There will be drills. You will be notified prior; age/grade appropriate instructions. Every school must do these and it is taken very seriously.
- Permission slips are vital. Please sign and return promptly. We cannot take permissions over the phone at the last minute. Need written permission.
Welcome from Parent Coordinator, Yvette Bautz
- School start time 8:20, dismissal 3:10.
- Pre-K & K parents, please do not go to classrooms before 8:15am.
- Do NOT park on 1st Street; do not block bus lane; DO NOT park on sidewalks!
- 23 & 24 next week are holidays. NO SCHOOL.
- 5th grade will have a mini-middle school fair this Friday morning. The big middle school fair will be held in October.
- Yvette is at ASD site on Thursdays. She will always be back to help with ICT dismissal unless she is at a conference.
- September 25 is Childhood Cancer Awareness. Asking students/staff to show support by wearing gold.
PTA President, Nicole Krieger
- Nicole asked for nominations for New Family Member-At-Large position. No takers. Will ask again next month if there are still no interested parties by the end of the meeting.
- Nicole discussed the PTA and Executive Board and functions, goals for the PTA, with references to power point presentation. See outline right below:
What is a PA/PTA?
A Parent Association (PA) or Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is the official organization of the parent body in a school. Every New York City public school is REQUIRED by the State Education Law and DOE’s Chancellor’s Regulations to have one, and all parents of children in a school are automatically eligible as members. Because of their guaranteed rights and responsibilities, PA/PTAs can be the most direct vehicle for parent involvement in the schools, allowing parents to serve as partners both in their children’s educations and in the schools themselves.
The Executive Board
The PTA’s executive board provides PTA leadership, administers all programs run by PTA. MOST IMPORTANTLY – serves as the parents’ voice and agent for action. Parents elect board officers to represent their interests and act on their behalf, and the board must consult with them regularly and hold votes on important issues and decisions. CR A-660 is clear that a PTA’s board must be inclusive of the entire parent body, and is responsible for encouraging and facilitating parental involvement.
What can the PTA do?
Through PTAs parents can become active, effective participants in their children’s educations and schools, and in the educational system generally. For example, PTAs can EMPOWER parents to:
- organize, and take action on issues
- provide input on school policies
- advocate for their children
- partner with school administration and staff
- collaborate with community members and elected officials
PTAs can support students’ educations directly by:
- educating parents about school curricula, school rules and procedures – Example: PTA works with School to publish school handbook
- providing opportunities for parents to become involved in classroom and out-of-classroom activities – Communication and Events
- participating in decision-making on the School Leadership Team – PTA President and/or delegate on SLT
- sponsoring numerous enrichment programs and activities – Academic & Enrichment Items on Budget
- running after-school programs – We oversee after school
- fostering cooperative relationships between school staff and parents – We now have a teacher representative on the Executive Board
- raising funds to supplement the schools’ budgets
How can we do it?
The best way to further our mission as outlined above is to get participation in some form from every member of our community. Spearheading this will be Anne Baker and Cheri Anderson, Co-VPs of Community Building.
Co-Vice President Community Building, Anne Baker
- Sign-up for Class Parent Liaison is in front of classrooms or on-line. Sign-up going well but the more the merrier. Community begins in the classroom.
- Kick-off meeting for Class Parents Liaisons is Tuesday, September 22, 8:30am.
- We also need help in school events/join committees. Sign-up on inclusions.
- New Families Picnic and Book fair are first events coming, please sign-up to help with Book Fair!
Financial and Fundraising Report – lead by Treasurer, Radha Korman
- Plan to give a financial update at every meeting
- Sarah & Stephen are Co-VPs of Fundraising – They will take the lead on Pizza Friday back-end work, Annual Appeal and the Silent Auction which are the 3 biggest sources of funds for our PTA.
- Michelle & Rafael are taking over running Pizza Fridays. First Pizza Friday is October 9. Information will be sent home in homework folders as well as e-mail notice. Please sign-up to volunteer. Volunteers make this program successful.
- Radha went over budget handout. Budget is transparent, fluid, and a best guestimate based on previous year. Last year’s performance in something is not necessarily a predictor of this year’s performance so we need to continue to be vigilant even after very successful years.
- It is important to participate in each event to make sure we do as well as we can.
- Annual Appeal is a direct donation and has the lowest overhead of all fundraising activities. First drive will be in October.
- Radha can usually be found in PTA office or contact via email at treasurer@ps372pta.org.
Final wrap up:
- Upcoming Events went over briefly and a handout with date for events will be coming soon.
- New Student Picnic 9/19 1-4pm Potluck
- Class Parent Liaison Orientation Meeting 9/22 8:30 in cafeteria
- Arts Committee Meeting 9/25 3:15 in dance room; need parents on this.
- Book Fair (early November) Nina Crews
- Roots & Community 11/14 Anne Baker
- New Family Member At Large: Meredith Finn-Beers agreed to sign on to the Executive Board. Thanks Meredith!!!
A copy of the budget is available in the PTA/Family Office
in the ICT Site main building.
