Shirley Brady
March 15, 2022
Beacon PTA meeting minutes – Feb. 2022
Beacon PTA General Membership Meeting
Feb. 14, 2022 (6pm, Zoom)
Zoom link: Click here.
Note: This meeting was recorded.
MINUTES (Approved at March 2022 general meeting)
Quorum was met (minimum 6 non-EB parents in attendance)
PTA EB members in attendance:
Shirley Brady PTA Co-President
Katherine Bruck, ass’t treasurer
Spencer Green, treasurer
Karen Jolicoeur, VP fundraising
Justine Keil, VP communications (also covering as secretary today)
Diana Mahiques, VP merchandise
Nancy Molesworth, PTA Co-President (also meeting chair)
Gary Ramsay, VP diversity, equity & inclusion
Karen Stonely, VP community-building
Jennifer Weisbord, VP hospitality
Windell Williams, VP diversity, equity & inclusion
Kim Youngberg, VP & on auction committee
Natasha Zaretsky, VP community-building
1. WELCOME
Shirley Brady & Nancy Molesworth, PTA Co-Presidents
2. PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Meghan Cohen, teacher, graduation team
- Provided an e-payments update which has occurred as a result of a change in the chancellor’s regulations. This is important for senior dues.
- PTA is looking at how this will work as the funds are funneled through PTA but need to be kept separate.
- Spencer and Katherine will follow up with Ms. Cohen.
Brady Smith
- Cheer squad is out in force this week plus the new school mascot to celebrate the boys and girls varsity basketball teams making the PSAL Manhattan borough playoffs. Cheer squad will attend all games in school and outside school.
- Monthly safety meeting today (Carole Fennell attended as our parent rep) – four drills coming in the spring.
- Planning for summer programming has begun. July 6 is likely day 1 of summer school.
- Students will be able to take 45 hours of pre-calculus over the summer. At the end of the 6-week session they will do a placement diagnostic which will determine whether they can take regular or AP Calc in the Fall.
- CR grade conversion forms have been re-sent to students on 2/13.
- Wi-Fi update is in progress throughout the building to create more spots where students may work; work will continue over the break.
- Students are asked to clean out their lockers before the Feb. break.
- School budget is paying for the curtain in the dance room.
- Parent conferences are April 7-8 – Brady is asking all teachers for comments to be provided to advisors for all students. Students who are struggling should receive anecdotals.
- Student-led conferences approach – peer training taking place to expand this program.
- National Honor Society – Shirley has details of parents interested and will follow up with Brady as need to spread the word to launch a chapter (a staff advisor is needed, and NHS is open to all students).
- Some students were suspended after the physical altercation in the cafeteria last week. All students owned their behavior. Restorative justice work is ongoing.
- Community Service update –
- Brady and Kevin Jacobs are still looking at data gathered from the PTA survey, Student Gov and advisors. Not all students have responded but based on what they know so far, they will focus on the estimated 22% of 11th graders who don’t have a CS site and the 80+% of 10th graders who don’t have a site (Brady notde that we’re only a week or so into the spring semester, so it’s early days yet for 10th graders and CS).
- Kevin and Brady met on Monday 2/14 and Brady said additional adjustments may be made but they don’t want to move too far away from the current parameters of CS at Beacon (i.e. in-person).
- New goal: A CS site must be identified for all students now lacking one by the end of May.
- Deadline for completing hours may be extended towards the end of the summer if needed.
- The school is looking into hiring a p-t CS coordinator over the summer, which could be Kevin; TBD.
- 11th Grade additional support will be made available beyond Advisory to those who don’t yet have sites.
- 10th graders: A buddy system between 10/11/12 graders will be implemented so 11th graders can “hand off” their current CS sites.
- Brady said there may be an in-school session for students needing CS sites.
- Follow-up questions:
- PTA Co-president Shirley Brady suggested that students could pass on their CS sites (make recommendations/introductions) when they’ve finished their hours to 10th graders (or introduce them if there are spaces available now). She encouraged allowing hybrid CS – on site and online. Brady said it is not off the table.
- PTA VP Jennifer Weisbord had information about Community Service opportunities with Digital Grandparents, which is currently in-person but may pivot to online if circumstances in NYC change. She also volunteered to serve as a parent volunteer to help vet and find more CS sites.
- Honors for CS question: Brady will confirm the exact number of hours required.
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Shirley Brady presented (standing in for Anju Gupta, who is traveling)
• Jan. ‘22 regular membership meeting minutes (click here)
4. COMMITTEE REPORTS
- Auction: Carla Miller, Kim Youngberg
- Kim Youngberg – date set for online silent auction April 6th-14th. Deadline for donations March 18. Please donate!
- Communications: Justine Keil – no report
- Community Building: Karen Stonely, Natasha Zaretsky
- Parent rep meeting for spring planning is this week. Sp Ed meeting in the works with Ms Crews.
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Gary Anthony Ramsay, Windell Williams
- Next DEI general meeting March 8, bookclub March 15. Next discussing parts 5&6. Work around Black Heritage Month.
- Equitable Funding: Windell, Shirley
- Open meeting is March 1st at 5pm. This will be a working meeting with breakout groups.
- Fundraising: Karen Jolicoeur, Alison Overholser
- We have outpaced expenditures so far with donations.
- The Magic of Coby netted close to $700
- Farm to People just a few hundred dollars so far.
- Next event – Beacon alum parent Judy Gold, a comedian, will host an in-person comedy event on April 27 @ Stand Up NY.
- Beacon’s after-school Comedy Club will have the opportunity to perform at the same venue on a different afternoon.
- Hospitality: Jennifer Weisbord – no report.
- Merchandise: Diana Mahiques, Julie Harding
- $2700 in sales on Feb. 11
- Next in-school merch sale will be March 11.
5. TREASURERS’ REPORT
Spencer Green, treasurer; Katherine Bruck, assistant treasurer.
- Budget update & funding requests (scroll down)
- Budget: Approximately $500K in the PTA bank account.
- We are 74% of where we wanted to be in terms of revenue but expenses are still going up and funding requests still coming in.
- New funding requests: Presented the following four items as a slate; APPROVED by a vote (quorum met).
- Note: Teacher (Ms. Ford) request to cover honorarium for speakers will be reviewed as unclear if there is a precedent for that.
6. OTHER BUSINESS
- School Leadership Team – no update
- Nominating Committee: Parent volunteers needed for Spring elections (can’t run for EB but can run for SLT)
- PTA bylaws review – Robin B. will update next steps for reviewing our bylaws in light of new Chancellor regulations, need to change PTA name from DBA currently, etc. Meeting date TBD.
- Upcoming PTA meetings:
- Upcoming community webinars:
- 2/17 LGBTQIA student support (6pm, Zoom; questions on the link)
- May date TBD: PBA info session for families – Brady has agreed that we will plan another PBA session (separate from a regular meeting) as there will be more info on June PBAs by then.
- June date TBD: Webinar on pronouns and gender inclusivity (Carole suggestion): We could partner with B’SaGA or a community org such as The Center.
- We will also support speaker and programming ideas in partnership with the school and the DEI Committee, which is gathering ideas here.
7. NEW BUSINESS
None.
8. MEETING ADJOURNED
7:54pm
APPENDIX:
Treasurers’ report – Feb. 2022 funding requests:
| Request # | Amount | Item |
| 1 | 925.00 | Club: Muslim Student Union (Advisor: Ms. Ghartey-Sam) |
| 2 | Club: Girls Ultimate Frisbee (Advisor: Ms. McCreary) – minus $625 or half uniform cost | |
| 3 | 3,600.00 | Assistant to Parent Coordinator Ms. Greene |
| 4 | 359.00 | Club: Film Analysis |
| 5 | 2 speakers honorariums (Teacher: Ms. Ford) Removed from slate/vote | |
| Sub-total | 7,509.00 | APPROVED in a vote as a slate (quorum met) |
