Shirley Brady
March 13, 2023
Beacon PTA Meeting Minutes – February 2023
THE BEACON SCHOOL PTA GENERAL MEETING
February 13, 2023 (6 PM)
The following minutes were approved at 3/13/23 Beacon PTA general monthly meeting.
1. WELCOME – Alberta Conteh, Robin Broshi & Gary Anthony Ramsay (PTA Co-Presidents)
PTA Co-VPs: Carole Fennell, Shirley Brady & Kim Youngberg
2. READING OF MEETING NORMS – Alberta Conteh
Alberta welcomed the attendees and reminded all of our PTA norms.
3. PRINCIPAL REPORT – Brady Smith
Brady’s update:
- He’s been impressed with our PTA norms and feels they keep our space safe and equitable
- He encouraged all to come to the Black Excellence Show on 2/16
- This is Respect for All week
- Working on schoolwide class norms and expectations
- School trips are coming up on March 1st, including taking 9th graders to “The Woman King” and seniors on local trips with history techers (permission slips are going out)
- Spring parent-teacher conferences are confirmed: Apr 4 (5:30-8pm) and Apr 5 (Noon-2:30pm)
- Don’t forget to activate your JumpRope account
- PE waivers have been finalized
- The school’s operating budget this year has decreased for a variety of reasons. Beacon has hired 4.5 new roles, the cost of which is based on the average salary of $109K, plus other costs have gone up related to admissions, clubs, etc.
- The school’s internet bandwidth was updated from 400 MB to 500MB (now at 100% capacity from 7am-7pm each day)
- Happy Valentine’s Day to all!
- Brady opened it up to questions:
- Q: If a staff member leaves, does their salary stay in the school budget in addition to the salary for the replacement teacher?
- A: Depending on the type of leave and length; in the past we have received a prorated amount 6 weeks after. This is in line with the DOE’s HR process, which is a bit bureaucratic.
- Q: Can we have an update on the incident in the 10th grade class that upset students last week?
- A: It is under investigation. We have identified staff interested in developing schoolwide norms and expectations for inclusive classrooms. Parents who are PTA DEI committee members and B’SaGA students will also collaborate in this work.
- Q: How will 10th graders’ academics be impacted by this teacher’s absence?
- A: This is a new situation and we have been working on it for only 10 working hours. 4 teachers have stepped forward to cover these classes, but need to find a certified long-term leave replacement.
- Q: Update on Dr. Johnson’s leave?
- A: Some leaves are harder to predict when we don’t know the duration. We hold the position so the person can return when the leave ends.
- Q: What about security after the shooting that happened near our school at 5:30pm recently?
- A: On 3/13/23 from 5:00-6:00pm before the March PTA meeting we will have a Safety Town Hall and officers from the police precinct will attend. Terminology and processes will be explained, along with how safety information will be shared with parents and guardians if there is a need.
- Q: Parent pointed out that grading may not be up-to-date when teachers leave suddenly.
- A: Noted and working on solutions to these concerns.
- Q: Could the teacher from the 10th grade incident possibly come back based on the investigation?
- A: That is correct.
- Q: Any updates on Beacon’s summer ‘23 pre-calculus course?
- A: No. It depends on the DOE’s summer school announcement, although it may possibly be July 5-Aug 12; stay tuned.
4. MINUTES – Nim Delafield & Monica McSharry
- Jan 2023 general monthly meeting minutes presented for approval (Minutes 01-09-23)
- Alberta shared the minutes in the Zoom chat.
- Susan Kim made a motion to approve the minutes. Kathleen Wolf seconded the motion. By a show of hands in Zoom, the minutes were approved.
6. 2023 BUDGET PROPOSALS – James O’Neill (Treasurer), Caterina Bartha (Assistant Treasurer) present new funding requests
- 2 new funding requests:
- Biology lab & investigation materials $500
- English $900 for a book to support sci-fi and fantasy senior elective
7. BUDGET VOTE – vote on the 2 new funding requests
- Both requesrs were voted and passed by a show of hands.
8. COMMITTEE REPORTS
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Melissa Magallanes & Jeffrey Marshall
- Melissa asks for a parent to help at the Black Excellence Show
- Documentary “A Mother’s Rite” will be screened this spring
- Shout out to ask for parents to participate in the next DEI Commitee monthly meeting on 3/1/23
- The next DEI multimedia club meeting is on 3/8/23
- The DEI Committee is forming a subcommittee on community norms for the classroom that will inform the school’s collaborative process
- B’DAT play “School Girls“ will be presented as part of the upcoming Shubert Foundation High School Theater Festival on Broadway along with plays from LaGuardia, PPAS and other schools.
- Gary Ramsay reports that the HBCU event at Barclays Center was wonderful and encourages all to be involved in the DEI process. It’s an ongoing process that requires our voices.
- Auction / Morghan Richardson
- Morghan shared the dates for the auction gala meetings, which will be followed by fundraising meetings.
- Looking for a location for the in-person spring auction & gala event – this is an important first step for all the other planning activities
- Once a venue is confirmed, the donation forms will be shared widely.
- Unsure if we can store donations at the school. Morghan will investigate and ask Ms. Greene.
- Fundraising / Kirsten Marino
- Today marks the launch of a new MacBook Air raffle. The winner will be announced 3/13/23 live during our March PTA meeting
- Kim Youngberg reports that they are trying to put together a band with teachers and parents who are musicians and/or singers. Anyone interested can contact her husband Rob (robinternational@nyc.rr.com)
- Community-Building / Cathy Lang Ho & Judy Olsen
- Judy reported that the event planning will kick in after the February break
- Grade-level events for parents & guardians will be at the school and span grades so parents can help each other
- Neighborhood local events for parents & guardians will pick up in the spring after the February break too.
- The Community-Building committee was asked to, and will, support the fundraising committee
- The class/grade Google groups are monitored and concerns passed on to Brady
- Note: the PTA doesn’t sponsor or monitor the Whatsapp groups, which are not under the domain of Beacon School; Same with the Facebook groups
- Merchandise / Lisa Starr & Toby Williams
- Toby reported that sales in school have been going well.
- One concern: many students say they were unaware and looking for ideas to raise awareness, such as morning PA announcements (one parent suggested a whiteboard/noticeboard in the school lobby for upcoming events too)
- The next merch lobby sale is 3/3 from 10:00am to 1:30pm during all lunch bands
- Difficult to do in-person sales outside of the school but the team is exploring in-person sales at events
- Lisa & Toby have been organizing the inventory in the PTA office.
- Looking for in-school activities where we can sell this inventory.
- New designs are being developed and more inclusive sizing will be available soon.
- The online merch store is now up and running too.
- Special Education / Justine Keil & Isabel Santiago-Gordon
- Isabel reports that the Feb committee meeting had a lot of discussion on Professional Development for teachers (such as a lunch and learn event) and fundraising to support IEP/504 student college counselor Valerie Mitchell, whose salary is underwritten by the PTA.
- 2/15 parent talk will address relieving stress in the college admissions process with Dr. Elizabeth Cohen
- 2/28 College Office coffee talk for parents of students with IEPs and 504s will feature guest speaker Sherri Maxman
- 3/2 webinar will address neuropsychological and education testing
- 3/7 at 6pm is the next Special Education Committee monthly meeting
- Communications / Kendall Gastelu & Kelli Henry
- Kelli made a call for volunteers to help with the newsletter (e.g. scan for events, proofreading, test links)
- Hospitality / Jennifer Weisbord [Kelli Henry to share update]
- Kelli reports that a team of volunteers will bring Valentine’s Day treats to the Beacon staff lounge, including home-baked cookies
- Thanks to our hospitality team of volunteers, the lounge also has a new Keurig coffee machine and hot chocolate.
9. SLT UPDATE – Robin Broshi
- Robin reports that the SLT meeting on 2/15 will feature Kevin Jacobs talking about Beacon’s Community Service program (in response to some students’ struggles to find opportunities to volunteer in-person)
- A parent commented that students with IEPs, who may need more time on homework, may find Community Service a challenge.
- SLT bylaws were found to be out of compliance re: decision-making. A subcommittee has made recommendations that will be presented.
- Robin explained that School Leadership Teams are mandated by the DOE and made up of elected teachers, students and parents plus the principal. Anyone can observe these meetings. This group’s primary focus is working on the school’s Comprehensive Education Plan.
10. OTHER BUSINESS
- Beacon Family Town Hall on Safety is 3/13 (questions welcome in advance)
- Parent volunteers needed for Black Excellence Show box office support on 2/15 & Social Justice Workshop leaders on 3/23 (apply by 2/28)
- The DOE has extended the deadline to apply for a NYC Community or Citywide Education Council seat to 2/23
- If you need help accessing or using JumpRope, click here
- Please give to our annual appeal! Every donation, big or small, matters!
- Click here for upcoming events.
10. MEETING ADJOURNED
Our next monthly meeting is Monday February 13 at 6pm on Zoom.
Other upcoming meetings and events are noted below.
Alberta called for a motion to adjourn. A motion was made and seconded. Meeting adjourned.
Questions? Email us at beaconpta@beaconschool.org
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