June PTO Minutes

Read all the news from the June PTO meeting!
 

Read all the news from the June PTO meeting!
 

Lincoln-Eliot PTO Meeting – The Final Meeting!
Monday, June 15, 2009, 6:30 PM in the Library
 
 

1) Welcome & Introductions
17 people attended
Michele Kfouri – PTO co-president
Agi Sardi – PTO co-president
Vicki Ritterband, PTO secretary
Katie Charner-Laird, L-E principal
Barbara Phelan, 2rd grade teacher and faculty representative
Lupe Gueye, 3rd grade teacher and faculty representative
Maria Greenberg
Heather Kelly
Melanie Varady
Sherly Jean-Baptiste
Elaine Smith Purcell
Richa Mukherjee
Liz Adler
Melissa Fang
Sherri Meek
Stacey Horsik
Alison Leary-Mooradian

2) Principal Updates – Katie Charner-Laird                                           

Katie said that she has begun mapping out next year’s calendar and has a few additional events she’d like to add or modify:

1) In the spirit of the Respect for Human Differences committee, which has been inactive in recent years, she would like to have “celebrate our differences” gatherings four times a year. The gatherings may take different forms, including a bilingual poetry reading by students, discussion of an interesting article, etc. It would not involve having to make a commitment to being on a committee, but simply be an opportunity to celebrate L-E’s diversity a la international night.
2) Monthly parent coffees. Katie would like the first four or five to be curriculum-focused.  She will invite the district’s curriculum coordinators to talk about their specific areas. This will give parents a chance to learn more about the social studies or science curriculum, for example, and the thinking behind what our kids are learning.
3) Two all school “sings” – informal concerts– where students present a few of the songs that they have learned to each other and parents.
4) MCAS information night will focus on third grade families since 4th and 5th grade families are more familiar with MCAS and are less likely to attend.

Staffing update:  Three new teachers have been hired.

1) 2nd grade: Jason Raisner. Mr. Raisner taught second grade in Randolph and Bedford for 8-9 years. He then served as a principal for 6 years in Brookline and another town, but decided that his passion was in the classroom, so he is returning to his roots.

2) 3rd grade: Kristina Anderson. Ms. Anderson has worked at L-E in many capacities, including as a 3rd and 4th grade aide and a 4th grade student teacher.  She is very passionate about L-E and its students.

3) 4th grade: Johanna Liias. She currently teaches at the Paul A. Dever School in Dorchester where former L-E principal Vivian Swoboda is now principal, but was not rehired because of budget cuts.  Ms. Liias worked as an aide at L-E last year. Katie described her as a “very reflective and thoughtful person.”

Lunch attendants, a.k.a lunch mothers: Because of Newton budget cuts, most of the lunch attendants district-wide will lose their jobs next year. Starting in the fall, lunch coverage will be provided by the building aide, a Northeastern Co-op student and inclusion aides on a rotating basis. The schedule will be set and remain consistent.

3) Lunch coverage for farewell lunch for lunch attendants – Michele Kfouri
The teachers are holding a farewell lunch on Wed., June 17 and need parent volunteers to cover lunch duty from 12-2 p.m. Michele asked for volunteers.

4) Class sizes next year – Melanie Varady –
A small group of L-E parents have begun a campaign to call attention to the large class sizes that our kindergarten, first and fourth grades will have next year. While there are other elementary schools facing equally large classes, the group’s contention is that L-E has a much more diverse group of learners than other schools and that makes the negative impact of large classes much greater. The group’s main message is “equality isn’t always equitable, ” and are asking that L-E be assigned an additional classroom aide or part-time teacher.

The group has written a letter to the superintendent and other top administrators and spoken at the school committee’s meeting (with about 25 L-E parents and teachers in attendance to lend moral support. Mom Alicia Matos was the spokesperson and spoke eloquently about the problem). Two school committee members are scheduled to visit the school Friday to see first-hand how this year’s classes function with such large numbers. The group will have a representative speak again at the next school committee meeting on June 22 at 7 p.m. and are in the process of scheduling a meeting with assistant superintendent for elementary education Pat Kelly.  The group urges parents to attend the June 22 school committee to show their support.

5) The 2009-2010 budget of $27,920 was unanimously passed.  (see attachment of budget). Before we passed the budget, Katie was asked to talk about what sorts of things the principal’s discretionary fund ($1,000) is spent on. She said lunch and an ice cream social for staff in August, babysitting at PTO meetings, new walkie talkies for the school, field trip scholarships, fifth grade camping trip scholarships, backpacks and school supplies for kids, saltines for kids who forget snacks, office supplies and a fanny pack filled with first aid supplies for the school.
(Note that the PTO is not the exclusive source of funding for the principal’s discretionary fund.  The principal also receives donations from the LE photographer and parents.)

6) The PTO is still looking for a few good men and women to step up and fill some very important positions. Please let co-president Agi Sardi know if you’d like to help out. Her email is agi.sardi@gmail.com.

The positions include:
• a co-president to share the joy with co-president Agi Sardi
• a VP of Activities
• a VP of Fundraising
• an organizer of the 10/17 yard sale
• a spring family portrait day: Vicki Ritterband volunteered
• a Spiritwear sales organizer
• Lincoln-Eliot Leader editor: Heather Kelly has volunteered. Heather said that one of the things she’d like to add to the current L-E Leader is a kid’s page that might include L-E students’ artwork, writing and jokes.  The page might also include questions the kids write in to principal Katie, which she then answers. 
 
7) Retiring PTO co-president Michele Kfouri graciously thanked a lot of the folks who have helped out with the PTO this year and made this year such a great one. The full "thank you" text was published in the L-E Leader.