MS 54 Booker T.
Washington Middle School
Larry Wood and Juanita Douglas, Co Presidents, Presiding
Meeting called to order at 7 pm
I. Co-Presidents welcome and introduction of Executive Board
II. Motion to accept previous meeting minutes of June 2005, approved by show of hands
III. Executive Board Report
a. Co-Presidents’ Report
i. We are one school. The PTA helps in a variety of areas. Important that parents volunteer time, even if you have limited availability. We would like to see more than the same handful of parents helping at events.
ii. Contribution of money to PTA, school also appreciated, in whatever amount parents can afford.
b. Treasurer’s Update
i. Budget is $55,000; slight increase in projected budget from last year
ii. Only current expenditure is parent guide that was put together over summer.
iii. Carry over of $31,000
iv. 8th grade graduation lunch raised additional funds of $700, donated back to PTA; this puts us almost halfway to our fund raising goal for the Back to School BBQ.
v. $120 yearbook sales came in over summer
vi. Eva Moskowitz donated $3,500 towards parent involvement, will show up in Galaxy
vii. Scott Stringer allocated $50,000 for capital improvements, earmarked for guidance suite
viii. There will be a more complete report at next meeting
a. September 29 is Back to School Night, starts 5:30 pm
b. BBQ September 25, please get your reservation forms in as soon as possible!
c. High School fairs are starting, 8th grade families, please make sure to attend. First fair will be in Brooklyn on 9/17-18.
d. Registration for After school program is going on now. Get the registration form in as soon as possible.
e. Presidents Council meeting 9/27 at 5:30 pm, with CEC meeting; Dennis Wolcott, Deputy Mayor and Joel Klein expected to attend. There will be a review of the district 3 admissions policy for elementary school. Parents may speak at the meeting if they sign up prior to start of meeting; will have 1 minute to speak.
f. CFE/AQE efforts continue. The courts awarded NYC $4billion, which amounts to $4-5,000/student, but it is not certain we will receive all of this money unless we keep the pressure on. It is particularly important to have parent participation. Please make sure to call/write our politicians when asked. Consider going to Albany in March.
g. Request for parents of children in the Charles Drew, Manhattan Valley or Morningside Heritage programs to meet with Juanita Douglas. Important to have participation from parents in those programs.
h. Can expect C30 committee to be convened later this year for Principal
i. Collection for victims of Hurricane Katrina under way. Anne Pejovich is collecting cash donations, which will be donated to the American Red Cross.
j. SLT elections were held last June, all positions are filled.
V. Election of Officers
a. Introduction of candidates for position of Treasurer (Bo Elfving) Assistant Treasurer (Pam Fairclough) and Secretary (Mary Beth Walsh). Motion to accept candidates for aforementioned positions; by show of hands motion carries.
b. Call for Vice Presidents for Manhattan Valley and Morningside Heritage; no volunteers at present.
VI. Principals Report
a. Ms. Elster is starting her 13th year at MS 54, 19th year in District 3
b. As of 9/15/05, school population is 1,020 students spread between 6th, 7th & 8th grades, with slightly lower number in 8th grade.
c. Four programs at MS 54:
i. Morningside Heritage, a bilingual transitional program. Includes one ESL class
ii.
Manhattan Valley, special education; 8 self-
contained classes. Largest
Special ed population in District 3 for middle school
iii. Charles Drew program, our general education program. Goal is to raise all children to grade level. There will be an accelerated after school in spring to help children succeed on regents exam.
iv. Delta Honors Program
d. Staffing; New hires as of this Fall:
i. 4th Assistant Principal, in charge of security, student intervention. Goal is to improve safety and tone of entire school
ii. Guidance now has three full-time, one part-time staff. Part time staff member will be responsible for high school articulation.
iii. Nine new teachers across programs:
1. Six Math teachers
2. 2 Science teachers
3. 1 English Language Arts
iv. Introduction of staff members attending meeting: Mr. McClean, Science Teacher for Charles Drew; Ms. Simioni, Manhattan Valley teacher; Ms. Goldfarb, Librarian, Ann Pejovich, Parent Coordinator
e. Principal’s Goals for the year/other items:
i. Increase reading and math scores for all programs
1. no double testing for 7th grade
ii. Increase attendance; currently 93.7% attendance, goal is to have 95% or better; parents are encouraged to get flu shots for their child(ren); Ryan Center is on premises and can provide this service.
iii. Yearly reading requirement has been raised to 40 books for the year (versus 25)
iv. Increase the number of students on honor role across programs
v. Increase rigor in all programs. Expect a minimum of 1.5-2 hours of homework per night; if your child says s/he is not getting homework, call the Program Director or Ms. Elster.
vi. Inter-program activities: the goal is to increase cooperation and improve relationships of children in all programs. Afterschool activities will be key part.
vii. Increase in parent involvement in all programs
viii. Target students needing social & academic intervention: Parents needed to volunteer! If you can help tutor a child, please contact school.
ix. Increase afterschool attendance, particularly for those children that are struggling academically. See Anne Pejovich for registration form if you do not have one. Most programs are free. Additional funds have been put into afterschool program; there are classes to assist children in improving reading and math skills.
x. Please be involved with your child’s education! Monitor their homework, keep involved!
xi. Code of conduct & dress code will be strictly enforced. The parent folder sent home day one has both codes. Please check your child’s attire before they leave for school & make sure it is appropriate for an academic environment.
xii. Student ID cards will be distributed soon.
xiii. All students needing bus passes should have received them.
xiv. Encourage ALL parents to attend back to school night on 9/29. 5:30 pm.
xv. Thank you to PTA for all their donations of time and money. It is particularly important this year as much of the school’s discretionary budget has been applied to new staff positions and after school.
xvi. There will be a memorial for Dean Carrington in the near future.
VII. Parent Involvement
a. Parent Safety Patrol: Important that all parents sign up for the afterschool safety patrol. If each family did one afternoon a year, we would have full coverage. Three parents per shift, one parent stays at school, two parents patrol a specific area making sure there are no problems. Very important for our children’s safety. Contact Bonnie Tchapraste, Connie Shapiro, coordinators. Or you can contact our parent coordinator, Anne Pejovich.
b. Please volunteer! Fill out the volunteer sheet in the parent packet sent home at the beginning of the year. Even if you have a limited time, you can help out. Our goal is to increase parent participation among all programs.
c. Class parents will be chosen by Back to School Night
VIII. Communications:
a. Please sign up for weekly email alert if you have not already done so. Send blank email to: btwms54pta-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
IX. New Business
a. New 7th grade retention policy in effect.
Meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm
NEXT MEETING DATES: Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month unless there is a conflict on the school calendar. Executive Board Meetings are at 6:00 pm and the General Membership Meetings are at 7:00 pm
October 20, 2005 March 9, 2006
November 10, 2005 April 6, 2006
December 8, 2005 May 11, 2006
January 12, 2006 June 8, 2006
February 9, 2006