Judy Jacobs - Parkway PTA Meeting Minutes

April 4, 2017

9:30 a.m.

The meeting was called to order.

The March 2017PTA Minutes were approved.

REPORT FROM MR. SCESNEY

  • The Kindergarten Curriculum was discussed. The word walls are continuing. In math, children are learning subtraction and they are playing subtraction bowling.In writing, they are doing opinion writing and distinguishing between facts and opinions. In science, they are learning about the five senses associated with spring. Guided reading is continuing. In Fundations, they are learning about long vowels, tricky e and digraphs (ch,sh,wh,th). In STEAM, they are focusing on fairy tales, e.g., building a house for the three little pigs that the wolf can’t blow down.
  • The First Grade Curriculum was discussed. The children are learning non-fiction writing by researching animals. In math, they are regrouping. They are using terrarium plants and toads for STEAM. Guided reading continues and children are encouraged to use strong, descriptive words.
  • The Second Grade Curriculum was discussed. In math, they are focusing on three digit addition and subtraction. They are learning about communities and are making posters and models of communities. They are working on reading and writing non-fiction and are using chrome books. Guided reading groups continue and for STEAM, they will be doing bubble wands after the break.
  • The Third Grade Curriculum was discussed. The students are learning about force and friction in STEAM. They are comparing/ contrasting fiction v. non-fiction works. In math, they are studying elapsed time. They are also learning about cultural diversity. After the break, butterflies will be arriving.
  • The Fourth Grade Curriculum was discussed. The students are working on biographies. In Social Studies, they are studying the American Revolution and Colonization. In Science, they are studying ecosystems and solar energy. In Math, they are learning geometry and angles and will soon begin the study of polygons and quadrilaterals, Guided reading continues.
  • The NYS ELA Exams took place on March 28th through March 30th. All went well.
  • The NYS Math Exams will be administered from May 2nd though May 4th.
  • Reading Day will take place on Friday, April 7th and will focus on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Mrs. Dennis has does a wonderful job preparing for this event for the children’s enjoyment and has created treasure chests, pirate hats and eye patches.
  • Groundbreaking for the new instructional space will take place onApril 6th at 4:00pm. The construction will continue through August. A temporary wall will be constructed so that the workers will never have to be in the building. Mr. Scesney will create “blackout dates” for construction when there are significant events taking place in the school (e.g. Graduation and Fitness Day). The space behind the PE office (old locker room) will be reconstructed.
  • The Applebees Pancake Breakfast was held on March 19th and was extremely successful and raised about $3,200. It was in honor of Mrs. Linda Lippolt and to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Mrs. Bezzina and Mrs. Castle worked very hard on it to make it such a successful event that was enjoyed by all.
  • Imagination blocks arrived and the children will be using them very soon.
  • Fidget devices- Children should no longer bring them to school.
  • Discussion regarding allocation of $1,100 in budget to cover the cost of the storage unit for new imagination blocks resulted in a motion to table the vote.
  • Vote to increase Library Budget by $100 to cover Reading Day and E-Book Challenge expenses was successful.

REPORTS FROM OFFICERS

Co-President’s Report - JoAnn Ciccarella

BOE Meeting Is April 5th @7:45 (Budget Adoption)

Groundbreaking for new instructional space will take place on April 6th@4:00pm

Reading Day – April 7th

Spring Break April 10th-April 14th

Judy Jacobs- Parkway Family Night – April 21st @ 6:30pm

Judy Jacobs-Parkway Parents’ Night Out – April 28th

School Supplies – Orders are due April 21st

Treasurer -Melissa Shenkman

  • The balance is approximately $27,000

VP Communications - Steve Weiss

  • The website is up to date with the minutes and the forms.

VP of Fundraising - Hilary Starr

  • Plant Sale will take place in May. We are still waiting for Panera to provide the total amount of money raised. Mixed Bags are coming in soon and school supply forms will be distributed soon.

VP of Arts in Education - Kristin Pilatsky

  • On April 6thPetra Puppets will be performing for the 3rd to discuss the human body.
  • In May, the 3rd graders will enjoy the Planetarium.
  • Leslie Sattler will be working with each class on a recycling project that will result in a Kindness Mural.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Site Based–There will be construction done in the old locker room area over the summer.Starting next year, there will be a college scholarship for a 12th grader in honor of Mrs. Linda Lippolt. Another security guard has been added to the school and he will be here every other day. Next year we will have a security guard daily. Walkie-talkies have been used in the building and are extremely helpful for communication in the event of an emergency. For night meetings, all entry must take place through the rear cafeteria doors. May 12th is Fitness Day. There will be two sessions. Grades 2-4 will participate in the morning and Grades K-1 will participate in the afternoon. Snow Make Up Days are as follows: May 26th is Day 1; April 18th is Day 2; and April 17th is Day 1. Next year the lunch periods are as follows: 3rd and 4thgraders at 11:35am and K-2 at 12:35pm. The next Site Based Meeting is May 15th.

Nominating Committee – Forms are due Friday, April 7th

Nutrition –Bids are being solicited for food vendors because the Whitsons contract will expire in June.

Transportation–The committee is working on bus routes for next year. In safety, they are finalizing a unified system to enter every building.

Motion to Adjourn

The next PTA Meeting is presently scheduled for May 10th at 9:30 a.m.