PS130M Parents Association General Meeting Minutes - September 19, 2013

Meeting held at PS130M Auditorium on September 19, 2013 at 9:00am.

Parents Association Board Members 2013-2014:
Co-Presidents: Sau Yee (Lulu) Yuen
Co-Vice Presidents: Leslie Ng and Dorothy Shu
Co-Treasurers: Nathaniel Conan and Pooi C. Mok
Co-Secretaries: Xuan Sue Huynh and Sonali Mistry

Parents Association Events Coordinator: Lisa Wong

Parent Coordinator: Diane Chong

Parents Association Email: ps130mpa@yahoo.com

Parents Association Website: http://ps130pa.blogspot.com


Principal’s “Welcome Back to School” Message

 Introduction of 2013-2014 Board Members

 UPCOMING EVENTS

*All events are fundraisers for the school.  Volunteers are needed to help:
            - Candy Sale – October 1^st - 25^th.  Orders are due on October 25^th.
            - Photo Days – October 2^nd & 3^rd.  Individual school and class pictures.
            - Halloween Dance Party – October 25^th. 6:30PM-8:30PM (Admission is $10 for adults 
               and children)
            - Book Fair – November 8^th -15^th.  Children can purchase books for their home
               libraries. We will accept gently-used books as donations to sell to children who can’t afford 
               the new books. 
           - Annual Benefit Banquet – May 16^th.  This is our largest fundraiser and supports all of the
              arts programs the children enjoy in school.

 FUNDRAISING SOURCES

- Used books, empty toners, ink cartridges, cell phones (drop off outside the PA room)

- Box Tops are collected in the box near the security guards desk.  School gets 10 cents for every    
  Box Top clipping submitted
- Target – Parents can help the school by using “Target” credit card at Target’s. Just designate  
- “PS130 Manhattan” as the recipient and every time you use the Target card, Target will make a    
   donation of certain percentage to the school!
- Amazon – Go to PS 130’s website first and then access Amazon.  The fundraising through
  Amazon works the same way as the Target credit card.  Once you register the school, each time    
   you buy through Amazon, a donation from Amazon is made to the school.

 - Volunteers are needed for Photo Day and the Book Fair.  Signups are in the PA Room 101.

 UPDATES

 - PS 130 was granted an extension this year – Free Lunch Status for all kids in the school

(Breakfast and Lunch) regardless of family income.  This will change next year when all 
families will have to complete lunch forms.

- Unfortunately larger classes this year due to a very tight budget.  This is because of the high teacher retention rate (which results in higher salaries) and the fact that our school does not qualify for additional funds because we are doing well.  Classes from Grades 1 through 5 have been organized with 32 students in a class and one class had to combine students from Grade 1 and Grade 2 to form a “bridge” class.  Instruction for these two lower grades is very similar whereas curriculum and instruction for Grades 3, 4, and 5 are much more specific because of testing.

The school is asking the Parents Association to raise money for one teacher’s salary so that we can “un-bridge” this class to make a separate first and second grade class for these children.  If we can, the numbers in the regular classes on Grades 1 and 2 will be reduced from 32 to possibly 28-30.

-Good news: PS 130 ranks 99 out of 2,264 elementary schools in NYS (top 4 ½%)!

 INTERVENTION APPROACH FOR THIS YEAR

 - Muffin Club will begin in 2 weeks.  This is “special time” with the teacher to address particular children’s needs.   Letters will go out next week to inform parents as to which children have been selected for the first cycle (cycles are about 8 weeks long).

- Because of the fact that this year’s State exams are expected to be more difficult than last year, the school will be trying to provide additional help to as 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade students as possible.  As of February 1^st, kindergarten, 1^st and 2^nd graders will not be coming to Muffin Club.  All teachers will be helping 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th graders to prepare for the State Exams.  Once the exam is over, the school will resume Muffin Club for the lower grades.  This extra help will be in addition to an Extended School Day program (for children who scored a Level 1 and 2 on last year’s exams) on Tuesdays and Thursdays that will start after the Parent Teacher Conferences/Report Cards in November.

- ELA exam is before the Easter Break this year and the Math exam is after the Break.

MISCELLANEOUS:

- Guest speakers from Fidelis and Eternity Tutoring Center.