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General PTA Meeting - March 10th, 20096:45 p.m. in Cafeteria

Welcome:

PTA President Felicia Eve welcomed all of us, and then got right tobusiness.

Scholastic Book Fair:

The books arrived today, and on Monday, March 16th will be the fair. The bookfair will be all week, especially during Parent / Teacher Conference. There will be somechild-care during that time( i.e.: arts, crafts, reading, etc.), so parents can have theirmeetings with the teachers alone. An e-mail blast will be going out this week with moredetails.There was a discussion and vote tonight on whether or not to continue usingScholastic as our book fair supplier. Aviva Shapiro presented "Book Smart" as ouralternative source. Here is a brief list of the pros and cons as discussed during themeeting.Pros: Huge selection of excellent, high quality children's literature20 years of experience in the private school sectorWill custom design fair to suit our schools needs and desiresThere are no toys nor computer games, just booksWill complete teachers book list of whatever they are teaching in classWarehouse in Chelsea, NYC. Easy access and accommodatingFlexible with delivery options, can do it ourselvesClose-out process based on honor-system, not like ScholasticsAuthor visits and signings at fairHuge selection of diverse cultural & language booksOld time booksellers, based on quality not marketingCons: Prices may not be as cheap as ScholasticsThere are no toys nor computer games, children need to be informed25% of sales to school, where as Scholastics is 30%There will be a "Book Smart" fair on April 28th at the Nightingale School and oneon May 4th at the Packard School. If anyone is interested in checking it out let Aviva orFelicia know.Vote was taken and the result was a unanimous yea. We will be sending in acheck for $250 to reserve our dates.

Arts Day:

Felicia introduced the organizer for the event, Ms. Linda Schmidt. It will be heldon Saturday, March 28th from 12 - 4 p.m.. There will be weaving, arts & crafts, music,dance, cookies, costume building, and Trash to Treasure to name a few. The art auctionwill include the silent auction this year, and "Day of a 1000 Drawings" is still happening.Please send in something that can fit in an 8" x 11" sleeve,it can be jewelry, a chachkee,a drawing, a pot holder, anything arts & crafts like for "1000 Drawings". All items will besold for $10, (you can buy your child's item before its posted) so come and show off yourchild's design. A flyer will be distributed soon with more details.We still need volunteers, shifts are from 12 - 2 & 2- 4, but fill-ins are very muchwelcomed.

Field Day:

Will be May 14 & 15 at The Parade Grounds at Prospect Park. K- 2nd will be onthe 14th. 3rd-5th will be on the 15th. All parents are encouraged to come.

4th Grade Philadelphia Trip:

Will be 2 weeks after Field Day, on May 29th.

Proposal from Mr. Michael:

We need housing for our xylophones. 2 Stands will hold 4 each, for a total cost of$1600. Parents asked our president if we had enough money, and we were assured thatwe did. The vote was taken and it was an unanimous yea.

REPORTS

Parent Coordinator, Roxanna Velandria:

Please fill out the learning survey that is being sent out soon to all parents city-wide. Look-out for the GREEN ENVELOPE that went home in back packs.You also canfill it out on line at www.nyc.gov/schools/Surveys These surveys have a direct impacthere, not just city-wide. Mr. Arty and the S.L.T. use these surveys to make changes andimprovements in our school, hard data to get the support we need.“The Learning Environment Survey invites parents, teachers, and middle and highschool students to evaluate four key aspects of their school environments:1. Academic Expectations

2. Communication3. Parent, Teacher, and Student Engagement4. Safety and RespectOver 800,000 parents, teachers and students—one in every ten New Yorkers—filled outthe survey in 2008. Of those eligible, 55% responded. This amounts to the highestresponse for any survey on record other than the US Census”.On March 19th applications will be accepted for CEC representatives of District 15and District 75. Two of our 5th grade parents were the reps, but now their term is up.PLEASE toss your name in the hat to represent our school. It's hard work, but incrediblyimportant to represent and support us.To read 2007-2008 learning survey results:http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/15/K372/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htmMiddle school principals in districts of choice (like D15) have been asked to interviewmore students than ever before. Parents are advised to investigate all the schools intheir district of residence and attendance. Changes to the process and information willbe shared at a Middle School Meeting led by guidance counselors, Gillian Williams andStephanie Scheiner Friday March19 at 8:30.There will only be one round in the selectionprocess this year.General Ed, non-sibling Pre-K students must reapply for a Kindergarden spot nextyear. No waivers has been granted by the D.O.E. Principal Artie has spoken to thoseaffected, and he is working with OSEPO officials to resolve the situation.The lottery date has not been set,... yet. Information will be posted as received.

UFT, Steve Quester:

A UFT campaign for IEP compliance will be rolled out, city-wide, later this month.The campaign is a response to the special education review that Chancellor Klein hasappointed Garth Harries to undertake. The UFT President believes the point of thereview is to cut costs in special education. The chancellor's office said "of course not,but if we can save a few bucks, why not?". Why not? First of all, special ed. compliancemust be fulfilled by the DOE for every child with an IEP. If the DOE says there is nomoney for that service, the UFT says no excuse, you must provide it. Steve will providethe web address and telephone hotline to place a complaint with the UFT if your child isnot getting the service s/he needs at the April PTA meeting. If the DOE does not providethe service within 10 days of receiving the complaint from the UFT, the union goes to theState Ed. Dep't with the problem.The Children's School needs a liaison between the UFT chapter and the parent body