Methacton School District Home & School Council
April 12, 2010 Meeting Minutes
Arcola Intermediate School
In attendance: Jenny Anderson, Manisha Baman, Cathleen Barone, Lisa Connolly, Linda Fisher, Sue Gabriel, Melissa Gorla, Laurie Grabenstein, Diane Hengemihle, Cheryl Kelly, Diana Kernop, Judy Landis, Sandy Leistensnider, Jane Martin, Janeen Marzewski, Sherry Cain-Ordway, Jenn Papp, Tara Ricci, Lois Robinson, Shawna Rondeau, Jason Sorgini, Carole Staats, Cathy Stratoti, Kim Woodring, Susan Wozniak, Ralph Murgia, Carla Tuhacek, Christine Capece, Sherry Polidore, Gail Goldberg, Christine O’Donnell, Aliza Zebrowski, Dana Leahan, Carol Davidson
Welcome:
Thank you to Arcola H&S for hosting tonight’s meeting. Dr. Quinn, Joyce Petrauskas, and Michael Simeone could not attend this meeting due to a last minute School Board meeting.
Minutes:
Linda Fisher made a motion to approve the March minutes. Laurie Grabenstein seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.
District Council Update:
a. Year End Review
· There is a Woodland family suffering with several family tragedies. A fundraiser will be held to benefit the Gonzales family on June 4. Arcola staff members have already raised $932 by participating in a Dress-Down Day.
· Kim thanked everyone for participating in this year’s District Council. It was a successful year. Goals were set and accomplished. There will be vacancies on the District Council Board next year. Anyone interested should contact Kim or Sue.
· Kim and Sue thanked Past President Sherry Cain-Ordway for her participation in the H&S for over a decade. Sherry will continue to work on the Post Prom Committee next year.
b. Student Loan Fund – no report
c. Post Prom
· The decorating committee continues to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 – 9:00PM.
· The Community Walk-Through will be held on May 22 from 6:30-8:00PM.
· The Golf Outing will be held on July 18.
School Board – No Report
Administration Reports
a. Superintendent - Dr. Quinn (via Dr. Martin): Negotiations continue and while they are still apart on some items, they are working to close the gap. They continue to scrutinize the budget.
b. Asst. Superintendent - Dr. Martin: Training continues on the new SAS (Standards Aligned System). The curriculum framework is being redesigned.
c. Director of Pupil Services – Dr. Robinson: There are new guidelines in the Nurse’s department. All medications must now be administered by a nurse. This means that nurses must be sent on any field trips with students who must receive medication. The Counseling Department (7-12) received in-service training on Making Data Work. A high school advisory council is being developed. In Gifted Education, teachers attended a conference on Goal Setting and the Gifted Student. In Special Education, work continues on Early Intervention. 15 new Kindergarten students have been tested and IEP’s are being written.
d. Director of Safety/Activities – Janeen Marzewski: Thank you to everyone (teachers, nurses, staff) who participated in the Safety and Wellness Fair. The Safety and Wellness Committee continues to monitor policies. All schools should send Janeen their lists of activities for the upcoming school year and fill out the Facility Use Forms. The summer community education information is online.
e. Director of Communications – Angela Linch (via Jane Martin): An online edition of the newsletter will arrive soon. The planning of the grand opening and dedication of Skyview is underway.
Teachers’ Report – Diana Kernop
The staff does respect the level of volunteerism that the parents provide. While negotiations continue, they are working hard not to negotiate in public. Teachers are not supposed to talk to the parents about the negotiations. At the end of March they took a strike vote, but they are not planning to exercise it. Teachers are actively involved in giving PSSA’s
School Reports
a. Jenn Papp and Cheryl Kelly- Eagleville is wrapping up PSSA’s. The Staff Appreciation Luncheon is on May 12. The Father/Daughter Dance and Career Day are on May 14. Field Day is on May 26.
b. Carole Staats - At MHS parents have stepped up to chaperone dances, Mr. Methacton and the Film Festival . Judy Landis - Graduation will be held on June 16th with a rain date of June 17th. The Senior class trip was cancelled, but a Senior Picnic will be held on the day that Seniors receive their yearbooks. Ms. Landis thanked the H&S for everything they did this year.
c. Cathy Stratoti – Skyview has been busy, and they thank all of the elementary schools for their help with paperwork, e-alerts, etc. Committee chairs are in place. There was a t-shirt contest, which was won by an Arrowhead student, and forms for these shirts will be coming home soon. They are currently working on the by-laws, the budget, and activities for next year. Transition Day will be held on May 21. Melissa Gorla has enjoyed meeting with the parents to discuss all of these new H&S matters.
d. Cathleen Barone – Woodland has sent the yearbook to print. The 4th graders are preparing for PJ, Popcorn, and Pillow Night. There will be a Family Game Night as well as a Swim and Gym. Outdoor Ed starts April 28. Congratulations to Dr. Reddish for completing her degree.
e. Shawna Rondeau – Worcester held a Family Game Night, and May is packed with activities. Outdoor Ed begins May 3. The 5th Grade Breakfast will be on June 5th. 4th graders will celebrate at Mermaid Lake on June 4. An Outdoor Movie Night will be held in June.
f. Jenny Anderson & Manisha Baman – Arcola thanks everyone for attending tonight. The Girls’ Chorus sang at a Sixers game, and they raised $1000. The Read-a-thon raised $10,000 for the Cancer Society. The money was donated in Mrs. Cindy Bean’s name. The H&S held its first blood drive and collected enough blood to help 180 patients. Arcola will be hosting the Bus Driver Appreciation Breakfast tomorrow. They are recruiting officers for next year. The Staff Appreciation Luncheon is May 6, and the 8th Grade Dinner Dance is June 11.
g. Sue Wozniak and Linda Fisher – Arrowhead will be having a 4th grade social with a magician and games on May 21. The 5th graders leave for Outdoor Ed on June 2. The H&S thanked the HS Honor Society for its help with the Chick-fil-A nights. There is an online petition to save the T-1 program, which is on the budget cut list. They are asking that the program be saved, but if it must be cut, they are asking for it to be phased out over 2 years.
h. Lisa Connolly and Diane Hengemihle – The Audubon Art Show will be on April 14 with a bake sale benefitting the 5th graders. There will be an Alex’s Lemonade Stand on Field Day. There will be an assembly, “Wild About Animals,” on April 30. The new officers are in place for next year. Lisa has also received calls concerning the T-1 program.
Old Business:
· As a follow-up to a question posed at the March President’s meeting – The amount for the donation from each H&S to the start-up fund at Skyview was decided upon at a meeting over the summer. Arcola decided to donate more than what was agreed upon.
· Information is available on Pennies for Peace, a program that builds schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
· High school students are looking for community service hours if H&S’s need assistance with activities.
· Everyone is encouraged to attend the School Board meetings. Few attend and even fewer speak out. It is important to stay informed.
· Updates on the budget and negotiations can be found on the website.
Adjournment
Reminders – Up Close and Personal for April is Audubon and for May is Arrowhead.
Forward the names of new officers to Kim Woodring.
Look for a District Council activity planned for August.