PTA Newsletter: March 2002

SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL VACANCY ON PTA EXECUTIVE BOARD

The next PTA general membership meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 20 at 6 PM. There will be a special election to fill the vacant office of 3^rd Vice President. Emma Sosa has resigned from that position. The 3^rd Vice President represents the PTA off-Island to the Community School Board and the Parent Council of School District 2, and reports to the other officers and arranges communication to parents regarding District meetings, workshops, and special events. Any parent who wishes to be considered for this position should call the PTA at 980-0294, ext. 2108, drop off a note, or just come to the March 20 meeting.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The general meeting on March 20 will be followed by a PTA Executive Board meeting at 7 PM. As always, all parents are invited to stay for the Board meeting. The next meeting of the School Leadership Team will take place on Tuesday morning, March 19 at 7:30 AM. The team alternates between morning and evening meetings. Again, all parents are invited to attend. The team has begun developing a Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP) for the 2002-2003 school year. This is the primary responsibility of the Leadership Team, which includes teachers, parents, and the school administrators. The CEP is then reviewed by School District 2 to ensure that the school is providing the highest quality education that it can.

The School Leadership Team recently distributed questionnaires to all parents asking for comments on a variety of topics, including parents’ opinions of the subjects being taught, homework assignments, lunchtime and dismissal policies, and the parents’ level of satisfaction with these and other issues. About 95 parents responded, and their comments are being carefully evaluated by the Leadership Team as it prepares the CEP. The team welcomes additional comments, and will be redistributing the questionnaire during the teacher-parent conferences, which will be held on the afternoon and evening of Wednesday, March 13. If you didn’t return a questionnaire in the original distribution, please be sure to get one and complete it on March 13. The more parents who respond and offer their comments, the more effectively the Leadership Team can develop an educational plan.

One of the issues raised in the questionnaire was many parents’ interest in attending more workshops on such topics as math, reading with your child, and other issues. These workshops have been very successful in the past, and the PTA and the administration will be developing more workshops in the coming months. Watch for announcements.

CAREER DAY ON MARCH 22

Our 8^th annual Career Day will take place on Friday, March 22. As in past years, parents, neighbors and friends will meet with students in the 6^th through 8^th grades to describe their careers and hopefully spark some interest in these youngsters in possible career choices. Anyone interested in participating should contact guidance counselor Susan Cohen at 980-0294, extension 2422. Career Day has always been a great success, and a great opportunity for many Islanders to share their life experiences with our students.

BOOK FAIR MARCH 20-22

Our next Book Fair will be held beginning on Wednesday, March 20 and continuing through Friday, March 22. Please remember to give your child a few dollars on those days to purchase a favorite book or two. As in past years, each class will have an allotted time to visit the Book Fair, and children will also be able to stop by during free time as they enter and leave the building. The Book Fair is always a popular event among our students, and is also an important fund-raiser for the PTA. Rose McCarthy is working with Scholastic on this latest event.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

We reported a couple of months ago that the lower grade teachers were working with the District 2 professional development staff to develop an enhanced curriculum, known as inquiry-based learning. We want to congratulate the 2^nd grade teachers, who have done a great job in developing their program. If you want information on this and other school activities, please come to the next PTA general membership meeting, where you can ask questions of Principal Sherry Gregory or other school officials.