Garden City PTA
Middle School PTA Meeting

January 12, 2016

Middle School Auditorium

Call to order: 9:30AM by T. Palmer.

Handouts: Agenda, Comedy Night flyer, PTA Membership flyer/application

MS Robotics Team presentation - M. Kupferman and A. Piersa introduced the MS Robotics teams.

  • Students provided an overview of the First Lego League (FLL) program as well as their “Trash to Treasure” projects for this year’s competition: compost program and playground made of recycled materials.
  • Parent questions:
  • Has a location been found for the playground? Team member responded: no location yet; thinking within GC community.
  • Has a budget been determined for the playground? Team member responded: no budget as of now; should be relatively inexpensive since most of the materials are recycled.
  • Could you explain the various components required for the competition? Team members research a real-world problem and develop a solution for it.
  • Is Robotics available for all grades? M. Kupferman responded Robotics is only for grades 7 and 8.

Guidance Reports –Scheduling packets have been sent out. Note that any scheduling concerns must be submitted, in writing, to the Guidance Office by May 2, 2016. Parents should not assume that last year’s requests will be honored.

  • 6th Grade - M. Ingoglia reported:
  • Students to provide six (6) elective choices based on their interest level.
  • Accelerated placement meeting will be held March 21, 2016 at 7pm to educate parents about the accelerated program in order for them to make an informed decision for their child.
  • Parents can contact M. Ingoglia with any questions.
  • 7th Grade - R. Weiner reported:
  • Students going from 7th – 8th grade have more electives choices.
  • Students taking accelerated Science in 8thgrade; Earth Science Lab counts towards one elective.
  • Music (Band, Chorus, Electronic Music and Orchestra) is optional for 8th grade. Students continuingwith Music in 8th grade; Music counts towards one elective. Students need to take music in 8th grade in order to continue on in High School.
  • Quarter 2 ends January 22, 2016. Midterms begin week of January 25th. Students should be receiving review/study packets to help them prepare.
  • National Junior Honor Society – students can apply at end of 3rd quarter. Information can be found on the GCMS website and the Student Planner.
  • GC Cares community service initiative runs from December 11, 2015 through April 20, 2016. Information sent home via email; in addition, it can be found on GCMS web site.
  • Parent question: Do midterms count as one exam grade or two? Dr. Osroff responded that midterms count as any other exam during the year. Dr. Osroff also commented that MS is trying to reduce pressure students feel during midterm week, not increase it.
  • 8th Grade -V. Tumminello reported:
  • Scheduling meeting held last week in MS auditorium. HS Course Description guide distributed to 8th graders. 9th grade elective forms (white sheet) due January 29, 2016.
  • HS Open House held on January 7, 2016 – presentations by HS Principal, N. McLaughlin, as well as Curriculum Coordinators. Tours were also provided.
  • Parent chats taking place this week (M-T-W) – introduction and transition to HS. MS students/parents should contact V. Tumminello with any HS-related questions.
  • Next year, V. Tumminello will be Guidance counselor for incoming 6th graders. Incoming 6th Grade Parent Orientation meeting scheduled for January 28, 2016 at 7pm in MS auditorium.
  • Parent questions:
  • How many 8th grade students continue on to GCHS? G. Christel, Director of Guidance, responded: generally, 40-70 students leave for private/parochial schools. G. Christel will discuss any concerns parents might have in making the decision to send their children elsewhere; there are advantages/disadvantages in either case.
  • When are HS Guidance Counselors assigned to 8th graders? V. Tumminello responded - last two weeks of August.
  • How are students transitioned from the 8th grade accelerated program to the HS? R.Weiner responded that Regents scoreswill determine placement into the Honors section of the accelerated track.

Committee Reports – T. Palmer noted committee reports can be found on back of agenda. Budget/Legislation and Curriculum asked to report:

  • Budget/ Legislation: M. Kaiserman reported. Purpose of past few years was to make Budget/Legislation information relatable to parents. Budget season is upon us – parents need to understand that School Districts must adhere to regulatory constraints when planning. M. Kaiserman also discussed how building relationships with other school districts as well as our legislators have helped strengthen our advocacy initiatives.
  • Curriculum: G. Madigan encouraged parents to contact MS Curriculum Reps with curriculum issues. G. Madigan explained that MS Curriculum Reps meet with Dr. Osroff throughout the school year. In addition, all school Curriculum Reps, along with L. McDonald, PTA VP of Curriculum, meet with Dr. E. Cannone throughout the year.
  • T. Palmer announced PTA Executive Committee open positions for next year. Parents interested in any positions or would like to nominate someone should contact D. Muldoon at .

Principal update – P. Osroff discussed the following:

  • Accelerated placement meeting: March 21, 2016 - MS makes recommendations to place students in accelerated program; it is ultimately the parents’ decision.
  • Electives: Accelerated Science Labs is an elective slot. Same for Math and ELA support. Reason students are asked to provide multiple choices is in case of scheduling conflict. Certain classes are only offered at specified times so students might not get first choice electives due to scheduling issues.
  • 6th Grade Parent Orientation: January 28, 2106 – Encourage all parents to attend. MS philosophy is explained.
  • Teachers asked to share collection events that took place during December: food drive, toy drive, pet toys/items drive. Possible upcoming drive: donation of used shoes to local podiatrist office.
  • Midterms: students should not stress over the tests. Students are given study packets for review; review takes place in certain classes. Build on study practices in MS to prepare students for HS.
  • Finals: Grade 6 – not cumulative. Grades 7 and 8 – are cumulative.
  • Math-a-thon underway – last year, GCMS was second in country in total amount raised.
  • All-County: this weekend, 20 GCMS students will be participating in All-County.
  • Social media – if parents have concerns, please share with the school. Give Dr. Osroff the opportunity to discuss issues; what parents might read/hear about might not be accurate. GCMS cannot address issues/concerns if they are not made aware.

Upcoming events – T. Palmer announced the following:

  • January 12, 2106 – Board of Education Meeting at 8:15pm in HS Library: Library/Media presentation
  • February 25, 2016 – Parent University
  • April 14, 2016 – PTA Dinner. R. D’Antonio announced that the Dinner Committee is looking for volunteers. T. Palmer has Dinner Committee contact information for anyone interested.

SEPTA – M. Sutcliffe announced the following:

  • January 22, 2016: “Preparing for your Child’s CPSE/CSE meeting” - 10:15am in the Stewart School auditorium.
  • January 11, 2016: “The Impact of Mindset on Learning”was well attended (65 people). M. Kaiserman announced the presenter, C. Goldrich, would be speaking at Parent University on a different topic.

Meeting adjourned 10:35 am

Joyce Turner, Secretary

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