PS 130M - PARENTS ASSOCIATION
Minutes to PS 130M General Meeting October 16, 2025
Attendance: Lisa Wong, Yvonne Moy, Amy Hu, Alice Chen, Joseph Li, Michelle, Angela Mui, Tammy Yin, Mr. Fong, Ms. Thomas, Carmen, Yuki, Moe, Kevin, Manya, Ana, and 15 other participants (see sign in sheet, in person)
Meeting Commence: 8:47am Joseph Li – Co-President
Joe – Good morning, let’s get the meeting started. This is our second meeting of the year. Mr. Fong and Mrs. Thomas are not here because they are attending a meeting, but he wanted me to tell you that we received a $15,000 grant from Rosie Theater Kids.
Today we have a special guest from I.S. 131, Principal Benjamin Geballe.
Principal Benjamin Geballe – Good morning, everyone, I’m the principal of I.S. 131 for 8 years, before I was the principal I was a social studies teacher. I have 4 boys, first 1 is in college, 2nd one is high school, 3rd one is an eighth grader, and my 4th one is in 6th grade. Let’s talk about transition because I have been here 4 times. Middle school is a real change, a change in relationship, the change in their independence. In the beginning all the parents are there at drop-off and pickup, in the middle of the year; maybe half the parents are still at drop-off and less at pickup, by the end of the year maybe 6 parents are still at drop-off. There is a lot more technology out there and I recommend holding off phones till they are older. There is so much screen time and scrolling that happens with phones. You could get smart watches which would work the same without all the scrolling. I had to take the phone away from my son due to this problem. This is my advice. In school the kids travel from class to class, they have different teachers for each subject. It will be more rigorous, and the children figure out a system to work for them. They will also get to know their teachers more. Your parent /child relationship will change; it might seem like they will not need you, but they do, just in different ways. They will not need or want you to go on class trips any more. Don’t stress about the lottery numbers, most schools in district 2 are great. I went to the same meeting Mr. Fong is going to today but last week. Across the board it’s the same curriculum, they all learn the same stuff. Some schools are bigger, and some schools are smaller, some have more sports teams. Big school different students, small school, more of the same students. Distance is another factor in MS school decisions. My child travels to LGA high school, it’s harder to meet up with his friends, whereas my child who goes to school closer to home can meet with his school friends more. I.S. 131 is a dual language school, which is mandarin, most schools have Spanish. Some schools have advanced programs; we are one of those schools. PS 130 5th graders will be touring our school soon, please join them and visit our school. You can see for yourself how our school is, whether it’s on your list of Middle school choices.
Kevin – Hi everyone, I’m a proud parent of 2 boys, 1 is in in kindergarten and 1 is 14 months old. I worked in Non-profit and things changed during covid. Now I’m ready to get back into it.
Carmen – anyone would like to self-nominate or nominate anyone for the co-president position?
Manya – Good morning, I’m Manya Ellenberg, I have 3 kids, Aya in second grade, Zivi in Pre-k and Lenny. I grew up in the neighborhood and I’m excited to help out.
Carmen – we have Moe for Co-vice president. – Moe would like to say something.
Moe – Hi, I’m Moe, my daughter is in 3rd grade. I was born in Burma and raised in Japan. I’m here to help, I’m here to help change the school for the better, I’m here to help support and I admire the work the PA does.
Halloween party is at the end of this month, parents go get your costumes, get your kids costumes and come join the party and have lots of fun.
Parents’ Association opening & Review.
Here are last month’s meeting minutes to be reviewed and approved. They will be posted on the PA Blog site.
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These are the minutes for review and to be approved from our last meeting in September; 12 people approved the minutes; minutes are placed on record. Thank you!
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This is the treasury report for review and approval; 10 people approved the treasury report. The Treasury report is placed on record. Thank you!
These are the ongoing fundraising throughout the school year.
- Bake Sale
- Candy Sale
2. The PA Funds these Programs and more
Here are all the costs of the arts programs the PA funds, as you see all the art programs are not cheap. All our fundraising efforts go back to the school and our students.
Thank you! You can always come by the PA room 101 to chat with us, come to with any ideas, suggestions, or issues; our door is always open. You can also reach us by emailing us at PS.130pa@yahoo.com or by phone – 212-226-8072 ext 101 or reach Lisa at 917- 821-7056 or visit our blog site at http://ps130pa.blogspot.com/ for more information.
Closing time – 9:20am
