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December 4, 2007December PTA Meeting December 4, 2007 6:30-8:00 pm, Irvington School Library Attendance sheet filed with the PTA secretary Agenda Items 1. Committee reports and updates will be written and available at the PTA meeting and online on the school website- www.irvingtonschool.com. This will allow us to have more time to talk about all the agenda items during the meeting and finish on time. If there are questions there will be time allotted later in the meeting to ask them. See attached PTA committee updates. 2. Andre Jackson, Sr., the PPS director of volunteer/community engagement, came to explain his role and to discuss two tools available to Irvington School. The first is a volunteer web based system to sign in and organize efforts. It allows the community to be better informed. If we want it we just need to ask for it and the district will supply a dedicated computer. The school determines where it should be located (most likely in the main office). Volunteer coordinating tool manages the volunteer needs in the district. It can be used to post volunteer opportunities and needs, manage schedules and sign-ups. The information posted is visible district wide. The benefits of the computer and software are that they help to tighten up who is in our classrooms and buildings. Some schools have very recently implemented the tools- Alameda, Beaumont, Jefferson, Fernwood and Sellwood are some examples. Celebrate, a district-wide school fair, will take place on February 3rd from 10 am to 3pm. See http://www.pps.k12.or.us/depts/communications/celebrate08/ for more information. 3. Extracurricular committee Kris Anderson explained the scholarship process. This year there were 38 applicants and despite the fact that almost all of them were approved only half of the students took advantage of the scholarships. In order to increase accessibility, the committee will pilot a $25 flat fee per class per term and the PTA will cover the rest. This should not require more funding. If anyone would like to talk more about the issue contact Kris Anderson and she will hold a separate meeting. The new extracurricular packet will come out on 12/14 with class information and more comprehensible information about scholarships. Anyone who qualifies for free or reduced lunch qualifies for an extracurricular scholarship. 4. Auction update There is a need for an alumni coordinator. If you are interested in coordinating a project to organize information about former Irvington School students contact Rachel Reich. Classroom projects will be completed by each classroom. This year there will be more silent auction entries to allow for more people to purchase a piece of classroom art. In addition, last year some classes earned more donations through the silent auction than the live auction. If you haven’t heard about the project your child’s class is working on, ask your child’s teacher or contact Meghan O’Rourke for grades K-3 and Megan Barrett for grades 3-7. Next Auction meeting is 12/11 at Rachel Moloney’s House, 3036 NE 13th Ave., at 6:30 pm. 5. Traffic Issues People have asked the PTA for help with three traffic issues- stop signs at Brazee and 12th Avenue and 14th Avenue, Disabled Parking Spot (s), and the size of the island on 15th and Thompson. Is anyone willing to take on this project? If so, please speak with Irma to get all the relevant information. Steve Zich has looked into getting a stop sign at 12th and Brazee before but was told it will take multiple requests. 6. Irma solicited people to help move a printing press. Further information is needed and Ms. McLeod will look into the issue. 7. Treasurer’s Report Ed distributed a copy of the budget. We are doing well on our fundraising and have slightly more funds than projected and spending is a bit lower than projected. There will be a budget request form available on the website soon, but in the meantime requests should be emailed to Ed at ed@sppproperties.com or placed in the Treasurer’s mailbox in the main office. Shadow project is an incentive program that resource room teachers use to encourage and reward student progress. 8. Differences between the PTA and Site Council Site Council serves as a place for management, parents and community to make long term policy decisions on staffing and curriculum. They meet once a month and the times are listed in the red school calendar. The meeting is open to anyone wishing to attend. The meeting notes are available on the school website. The focus for the last two years has been the transition to K-8. The council has worked on how to allocate insufficient resources to make the transition successful. There has been a large effort made to survey the community about issues surrounding the transition. They are also focusing on the determining factors for parents and children when they decide to stay or transfer out of Irvington. The main responsibility is the School Improvement Plan including achievement, assessment and discipline. Members include teachers, staff, the principal, community members and parents. This year’s members include Dick Cherry, Cherie Allbaugh, Deborah O’Kelly, Michaela (community member and business owner), Jay Hoover, Kris Anderson, and Erika Rosser. An issue is a site council issue and not a PTA issue when parents aren’t effective in driving the change. Class size, allocation of staffing funds, and curriculum fall under the site council’s administration. Parents are representatives at site council, not decision makers. Discussions and Questions 1. It was asked whether or not the meeting days and times could be staggered, or changed to a weekend day to allow more people to attend. Cynthia is unable to attend on Saturdays. In the past the PTA tried two meetings a month, one during the day and one at night. That wasn’t a good option because it ended up that there were two entirely different meetings with different discussions and decisions. We could do a survey in Friday folders to get ideas. If you have ideas about meeting days and times that would be better, contact Irma. 2. There were two 7th grade boys chasing each other and a woman was severely hurt. Ms. McLeod and Dr. Barry talked with all the 7th graders about safe and appropriate behaviors and being aware of themselves in relation to others. They discussed the safety factors of chasing each other and grabbing back packs. The child was remorseful and aware of the seriousness of the issue. If you see children roughhousing, you can remind them of appropriate behaviors. 3. Helping older students be responsible- Are younger children matched with an older buddy? It is up to the classroom teacher to decide whether or not to use buddies. Could they be safety monitors both in and out of the building- “Safeties”? 4. There has been no decision made about Pre-K for next year. 5. Diversity There was a discussion about how to increase diversity and representation of people of color within the PTA. Andre Jackson works with PTAs to increase diversity. Communication is important and it is important to address barriers and use different communication tools for different communities so that everyone is coming to the table. Ideas included: -Personal invitations to people as opposed to just posting notices -Tasks as opposed to meetings. Tasks are easier to complete and some people don’t like or have time for meetings -Encourage others to join using a “come with me” approach. - Meetings through conference calls so people can join and be involved from wherever they are. - Send PTA members to Head Start to encourage early connections. -Having food/dinner at meetings. 6. Library money is unspent because the district may improve the library. In the spring the district will determine if they will improve the library. Money was raised during the early stages of the transition to K-8. 7. Thank you to Carolyn Dascher and all those who worked on the school directory. 8. Reminders for December 10th about scrip and the fundraiser at A Children’s Place Bookstore. 9. If you have clothing for the PTA Clothes Closet you can leave it on the Meilinger’s porch at 2837 NE 10th Avenue up until December 14th. This date has been extended. If you have questions, call Lisa at 503-493-2345. 10. November meeting minutes approved. Last updated by lmeilinger on Oct 24, 2008 at 01:33 PM |
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