September 15, 2008
MINUTES
Call to order
Executive board members met in the outer cafeteria at 7 PM. Lisa Trollbäck called the meeting to order at 7:10. Executive board members introduced themselves to one another. Because of the unforgiving acoustics, Principal Melanie Woods suggested that we meet in a classroom. Meeting participants subsequently relocated to K-211.
Review of summer expenditures and activities
Lisa reviewed summer expenditures and activities, including approval of After School cell phones, a transfer of $1,000 from the PTA account to the school’s operating account, and a new Small Business American Express account for the PTA. Cardholders are Lisa Trollbäck, Nina Jalowayski, and Melanie. Lisa noted that Nectar generously sponsored the staff luncheon and the PTA sponsored a staff breakfast, both for 80 people, during the last week of August, and the PTA-sponsored grade welcome breakfasts are ongoing this week. The PTA also will provide Curriculum night meals to the faculty.
Treasurer’s update
Providence Hogan, co-treasurer, introduced a new PTA money handling procedure. Providence has a green accordion folder inside the SLT mailbox in the school’s main office. She’s placed a datebook with a pen attached inside the folder. When one receives funds to be deposited into the PTA account, one should take the datebook from the folder and record the deposit on the current date. Place checks into the green folder. If you have cash to deposit, record it in the datebook but place the cash in an envelope and give it to the school secretaries to be put in the school safe. Be sure to specify in the notebook what the source of the money is and, if relevant, how it must be allocated.
Lisa Trollbäck recommended that the PTA purchase a laptop for use by the PTA co-treasurers as they currently share a laptop with the afterschool program. Providence presented an estimate for $1,700 for an HP notebook with Windows for Nonprofits and an extended warranty. It was noted that the laptop will also be available to Board members for other PTA business, when needed.
The Board voted to approve the purchase.
Principal’s update
Melanie Woods began by thanking everyone for coming together as a community during the heartbreaking week following Zander Toulouse’s death.
She continued by reviewing upcoming school events and developments.
(a) PS 29 is part of a Garden-to-School Café pilot and will be bringing in food grown in the school’s vegetable garden for a Harvest Lunch Celebration on Friday, September 26, 2008, to which parents also will be welcomed.
(b) Fifth graders will begin American Ballroom Theater Company’s Dancing Classrooms ballroom dancing program on Tuesday, September 16, 2008. The program runs twice a week through Thanksgiving, and is made possible through a generous grant from the John N. Blackman, Sr., Foundation. The fourth graders may also have a chance to participate in ballroom dancing in the spring.
(c) On October 7, the Metropolitan Opera Guild (the “Met”) is meeting with first-grade teachers to discuss a potential collaborative program between the Met and PS 29.
(d) PS 29 received a grant from Borough President Marty Markowitz to renovate the auditorium. The grant, which is $743,000, will include the new sound system for which funds were previously earmarked.
(e) Nina Chan Jalowayski indicated that the Arts Committee will be meeting on Friday, September 19th and that the Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music’s (BQCM) Music Partners Orff-Kodaly Music and Movement Program will be starting this week for pre-k to third grade students. BQCM Band/Instrumental and Chorus instruction will begin later in the month. Annie Montgomery, former co-president of the PTA, renewed the school’s New Victory Theater membership, which will allow four of our grades to attend 2008-2009 New Victory performances, for $2 per student. A pilot, 5-week in-school New Victory residency for 5th graders, provided by the New Victory at no cost, is also likely to be arranged.
Grants
Lisa Trollbäck and Nina Chan Jalowayski have worked hard this summer securing grants for the school. The PTA has received the following grants:
(a) $3,000 from the MetLife Foundation
(b) A $1,000 Target grant
(c) $3,000 from the John N. Blackman, Sr. Foundation
(d) A $600 Citizens Committee for New York City Mollie Partnis Dress-Up-Your-School grant for the front flower garden.
(e) A “Picturing America” grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
(f) A grant from New York State Assemblywoman Joan Millman to cover the third graders’ participation in a Prospect Park History and Science Day event that took place in June, and was organized by Nancy Henry.
School Website
Neil Wehrle has been working with a PTA website developer called schoolhub.com to develop a new, more dynamic and useful website for the school. He showed us a demonstration of the website in development.
The website is free and earns money through local and regional advertising. We have a 50/50 profit sharing opportunity if we secure advertisers for the site. We can also veto regional ads that compete with out local sponsors.
Student directory
95% of the student information has been gathered for the directory. Forms will be backpacked so families can give consent to have their information published in the schoolwide directory, and on the password-protected pages of the website. The parent handbook will be incorporated into the student directory.
Currently, all the directory information is on an Excel spreadsheet that links with an Access database. Laurie is having software-compatability problems, and Neil offered to have a look.
The role of class parent
There was intermittent discussion about better defining the role of class parent as classroom contact and organizer. It is hard to get upper grade families together, and the class parent can play a vital role in encouraging participation and disseminating information. Class parents are volunteers who have demonstrated a willingness to be active participants at school, and are a great potential resource. Natalie Green Giles will serve this year as the new Class Parent Liaison.
Creative new business development
Caroline Petersen reviewed some new funding sources she has attracted for the school. When production companies film in the neighborhood they are required to make a donation to a neighborhood nonprofit. The PTA is just such a nonprofit and we have begun to receive funds for filming.
Caroline is also developing a sponsorship packet, with feedback from others on the Board and fundraising committee, to attract fiscal sponsors for the PTA’s big events.
Afterschool program
Susan Panepento reviewed registration for aftershool. Enrollment was excellent and overall everyone was pleased with the lottery system for registration.
Scholastic Book fair
Jeanmarie Giordano is running the book fair again this year, October 2nd-10tH, with Claudia Bedrick as her co-chair. They still need volunteers and team leaders to take shifts and staff the book fair. If anyone has creative ideas with respect to helping to make teachers’ wishlists available to parents, please contact Jeanmarie!
Atlantic Antic
Providence Hogan needs volunteers to take two-hour shifts at the PTA table for the Sunday, October 5 event. The PTA will be funrdraising by selling merchandise, coffee (whole beans and/or ground) and one-of-a-kind jewelry created by Antic co-chair Kathleen Cavalaro, among other items. There will also be face painting and cupcake decorating.
Pie Social, Bake Sale, Bocca Lupo and Brown Bag Lunch programs
The pie social will take place on Sunday, November 2 and will be chaired again this year by Elizabeth Armstrong.
Two days later, on Tuesday, November 4, the election day bake sale will run from 5:30 AM to after 9 PM. The PTA needs bake sale volunteers and it promises to be a long, high volume day. Susan Panepento will again serve as chair.
Bocca Lupo will sponsor another Parents’ Night Out, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 18. Chairperson will be Monica Gutierrez-Kirwan.
Frank Thomas announced plans for a Brown Bag Lunch Series program for which parents or members of the community will come in during a lunch hour to make presentations about their passions (e.g., a passion for the law; sea kayaking; heliskiing; medicine; magazine publishing) to interested students. This promises to be an interesting program that not only encourages parent participation at school but promotes diversity at PS 29. A form will go home soon in backpack mail and will be available online. If you have a passion or know someone who’s espeically passionate about something, get in touch with Frank Thomas.
Frank also informed the PTA that the school purchased and has already begun using the Renzulli Learning Differentiation Engine, a new online program that matches students interests and learning styles to many different opportunities designed to provide enriched, challenging learning.
The students have been filling out their Renzulli profiles in the media center and will get detailed information about their interests and passions.
Zander Toulouse
On Sunday, September 21, there will be a butterfy release, organized by a group of PS 29 families, in memory of Zander Toulouse. All third graders and their families will be invited.
Notes
Lisa and Nina are using a new gmail account for PTA emails. The address is ps29pta@gmail.com. Please feel free to use this as a PTA contact email address.
Block Party
The Block Party has no chair people. Please encourage anyone interested to volunteer.
Respectfully submitted by,
Ariane Ben Eli
September 16, 2008
In attendance:
Officers
Nina Chan Jalowayski, Co-President
Lisa Trollbäck, Co-President
Jeanmarie Giordano, Vice President
Lynn Mirabito, Vice President
Providence Hogan, Co-Treasurer
Elizabeth Kiem, Co-Treasurer
Ariane Ben Eli, Co-Secretary
Laurie Redmond, Co-Secretary
Directors
Elizabeth Armstrong
Jessica Delaney
Monica Gutierrez-Kirwan
Celestine Lee
Aricka Martinez
Susan Panapento
Caroline Petersen
Sarah Ross
Amy Sirot
Lisa Van Tassel
PS 29 Staff
Melanie Raneri Woods, Principal
Frank Thomas, Assistant Principal
Kim Brockway, PTA Teacher Representative
Lisa di Liberto, Parent Coordinator
Guests
Natalie Green Giles, Class Parent Liaison
Neil Wehrle, PS 29 Website Administrator
