BEACON PTA GENERAL MEETING

May 8, 2023 (6 PM)

[THE FOLLOWING WERE PRESENTED & APPROVED AT OUR JUNE 12, 2023 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING]

Agenda

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 – Gary Ramsay

Gary welcomed the attendees and reminded all of our PTA norms. 

3. PRINCIPAL REPORT – Brady Smith

• Certified Math Substitute in place now (to replace Dr. Johnson for the rest of the year)
• Inclusive classroom committee meets this week. Student reps reaching out to student leaders to facilitate presentation of inclusivity document to staff.
• Restorative Justice in schools – (‘SEE’) – plans for Beacon next year (eg peer mediation). 
• AP exams going on now. (some students from other schools hosted at Beacon also). 
• College acceptances occurring. Students should indicate their choices in Naviance. 

4. MINUTES – Nim Delafield & Monica McSharry, Recording Secretaries

• April 2023 general monthly meeting minutes presented for approval (Minutes 04/17/23)
• Nim shared the minutes in the Zoom chat. 
• Susan made a motion to approve the minutes. Shirley 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) presented new funding requests.

• Deadline for budget request submissions was May 5. Received 63 responses (over $400,000 of support requested). Will review in budget committee meeting at end of May and then to to 6/5/23 EB meeting and then to 6/12/23 general membership meeting (will also return to teachers for clarifications on requests). 
• Note – there is more income than is what is listed here.
• 3 new funding requests to vote on:
  • Track and Field coach (6 teams) ~$3,800 (already had budgeted/received $2,000 for Penn relays that just came up)
  • Climbing Club $1200 (already had budgeted/received $500, so asking for a total of $1700 for new trip)
  • Knitting Club $150 (already had budged/received $450)

7. BUDGET VOTE ON FUNDING REQUESTS

• Susan Kim made a motion to bundle the three requests; Caterina Bartha seconded. Motion PASSED.
• Robin Broshi made a motion to approve, Susan Kim seconded. Motion PASSED.

8. COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Melissa Magallanes & Jeffrey Marshall
  • Next DEI meeting on May 10 (see newsletter for zoom link)
  • May 18 – symposium for students/community on how to deal with law enforcement when stopped. In Beacon auditorium. First 50 families will get a copy of Cardiac Arrest.
• Auction / Morghan Richardson
  • Still items to sell + some new items coming for silent auction
  • $56,941 revenue from auction; ~$36,000 profit
  • (More ppl attended than estimated)
  • Q: how does this compare to previous years? Data coming. Maybe we want to adjust ticket pricing in the future.  But The past 2 years online raised ~$9,000. The net this year might be slightly lower than pre-covid auctions (2018 – $100K gross, 40K out)
• Fundraising / Kirsten Marino
  • Phone-a-thon netted ~$10,000 (worked well to spread over 2 weeks)
  • Launching a macbook raffle tonight and draw at next PTA general meeting (funds to senior class)
• Community-Building / Cathy Lang Ho & Judy Olsen
  • May 23: 11th/12th grade parents combined potluck in cafeteria
  • Neighborhood UES parents – Maybe May 25. Let Judy know if there are any conflicts. See PTA newsletter for details. Seems like there are indeed May 25th conflicts. Will find other dates.
• Merchandise / Lisa Starr & Toby Williams
  • Last merch sale was a big success
    • Still figuring out net profit
  • Next: May 19 Friday @ lobby (CC, cash, Apple Pay accepted)
• Special Education / Justine Keil & Isabel Santiago-Gordon
  • May 9th meeting rescheduled for in-person on May 25 (prob in Brooklyn). Details TBD.
  • Parents urged to complete year-end Survey on IEP/504 Services
• Communications / Kendall Gastelu & Kelli Henry
  • Facebook/instagram/PTA website – always looking for volunteers
  • Also happy to have someone shadow Kelli to learn what the newsletter position is all about – reach out to kelli.henry.phd@gmail.com 
  • Suggestion made to have a team next year for newsletter production so not on shoulders of one person every week.
• Hospitality / Jennifer Weisbord (Susan Kim presented)
  • Teacher appreciation week successful (staff/teachers lounges visited with snacks, etc)
  • Sports banquet approaching – please contact Susan Kim susankim711@gmail.com

9. SLT UPDATE – Robin Broshi 

• Next meeting – May 17 will be in person (Beacon library)

10. OTHER BUSINESS

• PTA Executive board roles for next year: Need 1-2 volunteers for mandatory roles of president, recording secretary and treasurer (candidates can self-nominate during meeting). Also email here if interested: beaconpta@beaconschool.org 
• We also need SLT volunteers (5 seats for parents/guardians)
• Parent volunteers are needed for the following school activities:
  • 5/13 Battle of the Bands: box office, merch, concession (three shifts from 2-9pm, sign up here)
  • 6/6 Sports Awards Banquet (4:30-7:30pm; watch for sign-up)
  • Bookmark our volunteer webpage for more
• May 9 (11:59pm) is the deadline to vote in the NYC Education Council Elections; click here for info on how to vote
• June 10 is Beacon’s 30th anniversary celebration; click here for info (this is also a fundraiser for PTA)
• Submit local/neighborhood community–building suggestions.
• Senior families, please pay prom dues ASAP; click here for info
• See Beacon’s website for working papers form for student summer jobs
• Please give to our annual appeal! Every donation, big or small, matters!

10. NEW BUSINESS – none raised

10. MEETING ADJOURNED

• Our next monthly meeting is 6/12/23 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 and the meeting was adjourned.

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• Questions? Email us at beaconpta@beaconschool.org
• Click here for more upcoming events.
• Bookmark our website and follow us on Facebook.

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

BEACON PTA GENERAL MEETING

April 17, 2023 (6:00 PM)

MINUTES

1. WELCOME  – Alberta Conteh, Robin Broshi & Gary Anthony Ramsay 

                         (PTA Co-Presidents)

PTA Co-VPs: Carole Fennell, Shirley Brady & Kim Youngberg

Alberta welcomed everyone back.

2. READING OF MEETING NORMS – Alberta Conteh

Alberta reminded us of our meeting norms that are in place for all to feel welcome.

3. PRINCIPAL REPORT – Brady Smith

Brady welcomed all back and mentioned a successful trip to Japan for ~120 students

Air quality update – our advocacy work brought testers in and the full report is available to anyone. No concerns with air quality were found. Recommended we change the filters regularly and use charcoal filters. If we have an issue when painting or solvents in the taxi stand we may still have to relocate. Supervisor of school facilities visits us regularly. NYC dept of buildings visited the Taxi. They feel we are harassing them. They are at the same time making neighborly attempts to avoid painting during school hours. It’s a complicated issue but there are positive results because of advocacy. Brady got a cease and desist letter from them and is getting support from the DOE.

Water quality: 4 fountains were replaced, some with quality issues, some with plumbing issues. All tested safe. 

Safety meeting: there will be 3 more evac drills. They are being scheduled and there is no advanced notice.

AP Exams are coming up. 

Chancellors day new students will come in for diagnostics. ~180 students have art in the art show. June 9 opening.

June 10, is the 30th anniversary reunion. 

Weekly updates cannot include EVERYTHING! Look to the PTA newsletter that covers even more activities. If Brady doesn’t acknowledge EVERYTHING he gets a lot of “what about me” and he takes care as much as possible so people feel they have been adequately “shouted out”.

Calendar change proposal. 

Q: Do we want press coverage on the air quality issues? A: This has been going on for 10 years without a final resolution. Work was done in a less noticeable way because of the impact on admissions. 

Q: How can parents help? What about copper sulfate? A: Brady saw the test but doesn’t have the expertise to read the result he will look into it. Brady has worked with teachers and seen the readers with elevated levels and supports working through the system. Everyone is frustrated. Results from apps aren’t official. “Stash app” 

Q: Registration for summer pre-calc? A: Has to staff the position and they are now looking to fill it. Usually are able to create enough seats for any 11th graders that were in Algebra 2 who want to take it.

Q: Comments about the impact on the students with the air quality issues. Parents should not have to feel they just sit on their hands. Letters? Petition? How else can we get the parent voice heard? A: Teachers are speaking internally, not all faculty have relocated from the basement. Brady bought the air quality monitors that were used. One solution would require capital investment – & that’s on a 3 year cycle. The taxi stand does not plan to move in the near future. Advocacy can lead to unintended solutions. 

Q: Is there a problem with getting a real time reading of air quality? A: Charcoal filters are an acknowledgment of the issue and the proposed solution. This is an incredibly challenging and intractable issue. We are part of the gentrification of midtown, zoning issues, OSHA issues. This is a true dilemma. We are seeing some movement.

Q: Is the superintendent involved? A: Yes. But we never got a bad result from the official testing; however they have recommended the charcoal filters which feel significant symbolically and try to leverage this. 

Q: How long will we run with the filters? A: If baseline filters say it’s fine…they have acknowledged that SOMETHING is going on.

Other comments from participants:

Advice re press: let’s think hard about bringing press in because that can create a distraction. Real-time testing could arm us with more data because their tests say there are no problems. Maybe the DOE would allow the PTA to do its own testing; some kind of standing testing device the PTA could invest in. 

Q: Why back off the issue due to admissions? Can the PTA help get the meeting with elected officials? A: There has been slow movement on this for over 10 years and we must be careful because the report says the air is fine. We may be a summer school site. Lots of moving parts to leverage strategically.

Q: Are the rescheduled Italy trip dates signed off? A: Yes

Q: Is there summer school? A: No. Pre-calc is not part of summer rising, rather, it’s enrichment.

Q: A parent has offered use of an air quality firm to help with testing. A: Noted. But this would have to be approved. We have been waiting 7 months for approval for air quality monitoring. Brady will follow up.

Q: Has there been a meeting with all the stakeholders (students, etc). A: Noted. New info will be communicated.

4. Vote on PROSE

Calendar change request: as a school we have a PROSE agreement. Staff have blanket approval; we may need to change dates to support PBAs. We want to request 4 half days (as we do in parent conferences). Trying to move closer to state waiver requirements. It’s a challenge since we are a very large school. June PBA is only 5 days (in years past we had 7), we have 360 grad level PBAs. This calendar change for half days would help teachers and grad seniors prepare.

5/25, 5/30, 6/5, 6/13. (PBA days are June 14,15,16, 20, and 21).

Caterina Bartha made a motion to vote, Elizabeth C seconded. Participants voted. Motion passed. Change is approved.

5. MINUTES – Nim Delafield & Monica McSharry 

• Mar. 2023 general meeting minutes presented for approval (click here) 
• James O’Neill made a motion to vote, Carol Fennell seconded. Participants voted. Motion passed. Minutes are approved.

6. 2023 BUDGET PROPOSALS – James O’Neill (Treasurer), Caterina Bartha (Assistant Treasurer); budget update; Budget Committee

JO gave an update. 3 items:

1. Update on budget to date, gala and phonathon has pushed up the income
2. Funding request from Brady for NYTimes digital subscription for all students & staff unexpected expense but PTA has funded it in the past. We have raised a small amount but we still need additional funding (request is for $3600 but the final will be lower due to fundraising). This will be through November (annual). 

Shirley Brady made a motion to vote, Judy Olsen seconded. Participants voted. Budget request approved.

3. CB made participants aware that the 23-24 budget is being worked on now to plan instead of waiting for September. This will be sent to teachers and committee heads.

Q: Do we have any other final requests before year end summer bridge, sports banquet. A: Yes for summer bridge but the goal is to get requests from everyone. We have not spent everything requested yet.

7. BUDGET VOTE – vote on new funding requests – see above 6.2

8. COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Fundraising / Kirsten Marino [MacBook Air raffle reveal; phone-a-thon]
  • Shirley gave an update they are hard at work on auction deadline is 4/19 for donations. Only 19 tickets left for the Gala. May need more musicians. We have an auctioneer and an emcee. Grade gift baskets are looking good. We have some very good big ticket items. We can give an update in the newsletter.
• Auction / Morghan Richardson [volunteers needed]
  • See above
• Community-Building / Cathy Lang Ho & Judy Olsen
  • Judy noted we had a Bklyn and LES meetups recently. Grade wide 9th grade zoom is coming up. All parent event is planned in Cobble Hill. 11/12 gathering in school. See the PTA newsletter for all dates. You don’t have to live in the neighborhood you may attend any you want.
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Melissa Magallanes & Jeffrey Marshall
  • Jeffrey gave an update: DEI meeting this week, Keeping Score podcast is being discussed. Creating a student-led workshop to engage students. Working on awareness building. In May at Beacon about how to survive an encounter with police. There will be 50 books given to the first 50 families that attend.
• Special Education / Justine Keil & Isabel Santiago-Gordon
  • Isabel noted the first in-person event will be a screening of the documentary film The Disruptors open to all Beacon community members. The topic is ADHD. Dr. Elizabeth Cohen will emcee a discussion after the film. Some members of the Special Ed student union will be there.
• Hospitality / Jennifer Weisbord
  • No update
• Merchandise / Lisa Starr & Toby Williams
  • No update – next lobby sale is 4/28 will be in the newsletter
• Communications / Kendall Gastelu & Kelli Henry
  • Kendall reminded everyone to join the beaconparentassociation on Instagram

9. SLT UPDATE – 

• No update; called a subcommittee meeting for 4/18 to review the community service program

10. OTHER BUSINESS

• June elections (PTA/SLT) Nominating Committee – parent volunteers
  • 3 people stepped up more people are invited to join
• Other volunteer needs (bookmark our webpage)
• Submit local/neighborhood community–building suggestions
• AP test fees are now on the school store or AP teachers can collect
• Beacon school website working papers 
• Please give to our annual appeal! Every donation, big or small, matters!

11. NEW BUSINESS

• No new business

12. MEETING ADJOURNED

Susan Kim made a motion to adjourn. Gary Ramsay seconded. Participants voted to adjourn.

Click here for more upcoming events.

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Click here to subscribe to PTA emails and our weekly newsletter. 

Bookmark the Beacon Family Handbook.

Questions? Please email us at beaconpta@beaconschool.org.

The following minutes were presented and approved at the Beacon PTA April 17, 2023 monthly meeting:

THE BEACON SCHOOL PTA MONTHLY MEETING

March 13, 2023 (6:00 PM) on Zoom

1. WELCOME  

PTA Co-Presidents: Alberta Conteh, Robin Broshi & Gary Anthony Ramsay

PTA Co-VPs: Carole Fennell, Shirley Brady & Kim Youngberg

2. READING OF MEETING NORMS – Alberta Conteh

• Alberta Conteh read the norms for the attendees.

3. PRINCIPAL REPORT – Brady Smith

• Tutoring schedule has been shared now (students also have in email)
• Admissions offers have been sent out (it has been a competitive year)
  • Waitlist varies every year (many factors involved)
  • 113 students have to decline to start looking at waitlist.
• AP test fees have been posted on Beacon’s e-payments store (if students already registered in AP classes do not have to pay late fees) – there are possibilities of fee waivers. Can pay at school store (on Beacon website) or in class to AP teacher.
• 10th grader substitute took a position elsewhere, so using a long-standing sub. Position must remain open for now as per policy and use per diem subs. 
• March 14 – Junior college parent night
• Wednesday is inclusive classroom day
• Friday – Beacon band performances in the cellar
• March 20 – Shubert foundation Broadway special performance (B’DAT’s Mean Girls)
• March 30-April 1 – ‘Alice by Heart’ musical
• April 4/5 – parent-teacher conferences 
• Students should fill water bottles at home or refill in cafeteria
• Vaping in the bathrooms – there are no bathroom monitors (not enough staff & safety agents can’t enter bathrooms) – thus, this is a big challenge. See committee updates for full story. 
• JumpRope – so far effective for attendance. Teachers are increasingly using it for grades. Only 60% of Beacon families have activated the account.
  • Can send an alternate email address to school if you have another 
  • Email Brady and Ms. Greene (egreene@beaconschool.org) for questions

4. MINUTES – Nim Delafield & Monica McSharry 

• February 2023 monthly meeting minutes (Click here.)
• James asked for a motion to approve, Carole seconded, attendees voted, motion PASSED and minutes APPROVED.

5. TREASURERS REPORT & BUDGET REQUESTS 

James O’Neill (Treasurer) & Caterina Bartha (Assistant Treasurer)

• No new funding requests this month. 
• $171K raised so far this year (52%) – last year we were 75% of the way there at this time.
• All are welcome to participate in upcoming budget committee meetings to help shape the 2023-34 PTA budget. 

6. COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Fundraising: Kirsten Marino
  • No update
• Spring Gala – Morghan Richardson
  • Meeting tomorrow of spring auction & gala committee.
  • Venue is still to be confirmed; hosting at Beacon would require a temporary liquor license (working with Brady on DOE application).
  • Auction gala date is confirmed as May 3
  • People can start soliciting auction items now; forms and details are here.
• Community-Building: Cathy Lang Ho& Judy Olsen  
  • April 2 – 3-6:30 177 Henry Street. Neighborhood meet up on LES. Families are welcome. Food/Drink available for purchase
  • March 14 – Bike-bus program webinar
  • More Beacon parent community events (neighborhood and grade-level) are noted here
• Merchandise: Lisa Starr & Toby Williams
  • March 17, April 1, April 28 – upcoming merch sales 
  • Add to school calendar so students know
• Special Education: Justine Keil & Isabel Santiago-Gordon
  • Some students might be at school but not at class
  • Students might not be able to go to tutoring because of scheduling
  • April 18, 5:30pm Special Ed Committee will present a free film screening in Beacon auditorium – The Disruptors
• Hospitality: Jennifer Weisbord
  • No updates
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Melissa Magallanes & Jeffrey Marshall
  • March 20, 6-7:30PM Samilia Ghartey-Sam & Tyler Brewster will present an in-person event in the Beacon auditorium: A Mother’s Right (dance documentary)
  • Multimedia group – student-led event after Spring Break, student/parents/admin – “state of the state” meeting
  • Inclusive classroom committee: created a living document to be part of every classroom this spring (set of behavior expectations)
  • Looking for volunteers – sign up!
• Communications: Kendall Gastelu & Kelli Henry
  • Our Instagram account is now reactivated

7. SLT UPDATE – Robin Broshi 

• No updates
• Meetings noted here

8. OTHER BUSINESS

• Volunteer page on PTA page – sign up here! (including phone-a-thon)

• Give to our annual appeal

• Items and experiences are needed for spring auction; donate here

9. MEETING ADJOURNED – Carole moved that we adjourn, James 2nded. 

• Kendall made a motion to adjourn, Elizabeth seconded, APPROVED.

Future meetings:

• Our Calendar of Events for the 2022-2023 school year is here.
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and bookmark our website.

CONTACT: 

beaconpta@beaconschool.org

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.

Click here for the recording

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.

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Questions? Email us at beaconpta@beaconschool.org

Bookmark our website and follow us on Facebook.

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. 

 BEACON PTA MONTHLY GENERAL MEETING – MINUTES

Date: January 9, 2023 (6PM, Zoom)

Minutes approved at 2/13/23 monthly meeting

AGENDA (click here)

1. WELCOME  – Welcomes from Alberta Conteh (PTA Co-President)

2. READING OF MEETING NORMS – Alberta Conteh

3. PRINCIPAL’S REPORT – Brady Smith

• January PBA is week coming up (Sunday update includes details)
• Wed/Thur assessment schedule being settled (making sure accommodations are in place)
•  ELA Regents Tue/Wed/Thurs
• Friday is a short school day  
• Students only need to come in when they need to come in.
• On Friday, students will learn about their schedules (they got a blank form in advisory, but they can pick up another blank from the main office.)
• Spring schedules are being settled now (still finishing up Arts).
• Will get schedules within the next week or so.
• E-payments are now available on the school website (connected to school (not PTA), launching with collecting prom and senior dues
• Sports wins:
•  Last Saturday – girls basketball team won!
• Feb 16^th – Black Excellence Show (parents invited) & recruiting students now
• Feb 8 – Beacon students can attend the HBCU event at Barclays Center
• Jan 19/20 Beacon Choir Show (check out Instagram!)
• March 23 – Social Justice teach-in returns (first half of Friday) – focus on Black History/Women’s History/Climate (parents invited to submit recommendations for facilitators)
• Thursday will be the first ‘Senior late night’ in school
• Jan 20 – S-Heal advisory sessions will begin
• Jan 22 – Lunar New Year
• Jan 16 – no School MLK Day
• Jan 9 – first admin training on JumpRope (real time attendance; grades to come). Training sessions to come

4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES –

December 2022 monthly meeting minutes presented for approval (click here).

Carole Fennell moved to approve. Elizabeth DeLaBarre seconded motion. Approved.

5. TREASURERS’ REPORT – James O’Neill & Caterina Bartha

Funding requests (only 1): Teensy magazine ($1500) §  Gary Ramsay made a motion to approve, Carole Fennell 2nded. Approved

6. COMMITTEE REPORTS

·   Fundraising (Rosemary Wagner & Kirsten Marino)

o   Raised > $10K in 2 weeks with year end campaign. $52K with online donations only. $70K all in donations.

o   This is far below last year. (plus our budget is down $300K from last year when we had the COVID-19 ARPA relief funds)

o   More events to come

·   Gala – Morghan Richardson

§  To occur late April or early May

§  Looking for volunteers (sign up here)

·   Diversity Equity & Inclusion (Melissa Magallanes & Jeff Marshall)

§  Wed 6PM DEI Multimedia Club will discuss ‘Keeping Score podcast

§  Feb 1 – next DEI Committee monthly meeting

·   Merchandising (Lisa Starr & Toby Williams)

o   Jan 19, 10:30AM-1PM is the next Beacon Merch sale. (cash/cc)

o   Website store is up and running (click here)

o   Looking for volunteers for upcoming sales

·   Special Education (Isabel Santiago-Gordon & Kristen Keil)

o   Jan. 10 at 6PM monthly meeting (introduction to Beacon College Counselor Valerie Mitchell to discuss college admissions for students with IEPs/504s)

o   March 2 – Zoom meeting – neurological and educational testing info.

·   Communications (Kendall Gastelu & Kelli Henry)

o   Efforts focused on recruiting volunteers for subcommittees (including communications)

·   Community-Building/Relations (Cathy Lang Ho & Judy Olsen)

o   Jan 17^th Tue – next book chat “Building Connections”, hosted by Schrey family

o   Jan 30, 6PM, Parent grade reps meeting

o   Feb 13^th neighborhood grade reps meeting

·   Hospitality (Jennifer Weisbord)

o   Ongoing hospitality events in school thanks to a great group of volunteers

7. SLT UPDATE (Robin Broshi) – haven’t had any meetings since last semester, so no updates for now

• Jan 18^th next meeting 4PM (click here for Zoom info)
• Focus is on updating bylaws

8. OTHER BUSINESS

• Parent volunteer sheet is live on the PTA website – Shirley
• NYC Education Council elections – Robin
  • Community Ed Councils – (CECs) – Parent leadership has input on school policy. Parents can run to serve on the CECs. Decide if you want to run now. 
  • Click here for more information and sign-up

9. ADJOURNMENT – James O’Neill makes motion to adjourn; Judy Olsen seconded.

• Bookmark our website and follow us on Facebook.

• Click here to subscribe to PTA emails and our weekly newsletter. 

• Questions? Please email us at beaconpta@beaconschool.org.

The following minutes were presented and approved at the January 2023 Beacon PTA monthly general membership meeting:

BEACON PTA MONTHLY GENERAL MEETING – MINUTES

December 12, 2022 (6PM, Zoom)

Click here to see a recording of this meeting.

AGENDA (click here)

1. WELCOME  – Welcomes from Alberta Conteh (PTA Co-President) who reads PTA meeting norms and expectations & introduces co-chairs and Principal Brady

2. PRINCIPAL’S REPORT – Brady Smith

·   December 16, 2022 Winterfest concert – still looking for parent volunteers

·   December 20-22 Dance Concert – coming up in the Kim Elliott Dance Theater

·   E-payments through the Beacon website is moving forward

·   There are still 2 paraprofessional vacancies that are being filled. Two people (bilingual Spanish-English & bilingual Mandarin-English) are in the pipeline getting certifications.

·   SAT/PSATs at school will take place on March 1, 2023 (no make-up dates possible). If you can’t make this date, Beacon will work with you to schedule in another school. (9^th/12^th graders will not have class that day)

·   Jan 24-27, 2023 PBAs. (note – Jan. 23 is a reg day). Jan 24 is ELA Regents day. Students will be notified when they should come in on Jan 25-27 for PBAs.

·   Many students still need to take the DOE’s Fitnessgram (if they have the PE waiver).

o   They will need to come in during SGI.

o   If student has medical exemption, they don’t need to take Fitnessgram

·   Monday Dec, 21: Staff holiday cook-off & PTA-sponsored end-of-year Holiday staff party

·   Jan 30, 2023 – no school (Chancellor’s Day)

·   We may be close to having a new grade reporting system to replace PupilPath; stay tuned

·   Community Service – some students still struggling to get a position – there is still time and supports to get a spot. Students should see Mr. Jacobs/their advisor if they’re struggling to find a CS placement.

·   Tutoring schedule now posted – there are ~50 opportunities posted (in school near elevators). Call Beacon’s IT helpdesk for password issues

·   School safety town hall – looking at dates in the spring. Agenda items will be collected from community.  

3. PARENT COORDINATOR’S REPORT – Erdene Greene  – n/a

4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES –

November 2022 monthly meeting minutes were presented for approval (click here) (Note: published.)

Judy Olsen made move to approve. Marcy Keltai seconded motion. Approved.

5. TREASURERS’ REPORT – James O’Neill & Caterina Barth

·   New funding requests:

o   General requests – new clubs (~$10,000)

o   Senior requests – (~$30000) to cover senior dues (to support ~16% seniors) + support costs of senior trip (e.g., note busses are a major expense) – the senior trip is to Dorsey Park (see link).

§  >>Note: senior parents are already prepared to fundraise for ~$20,000 of this $30,000 – so this ‘ask’ is actually closer to ~$10,000)

§  Note – the PTA has a large reserve that is meant for these purposes

o   Vote on – general requests for new club

§  Motion made by Shannon Lorraine, seconded by Morgan Richardson. Motion is passed.

o   Vote on – senior costs

§  Motion made by Shannon Lorraine, seconded by Judy Olsen. Motion is passed

6. COMMITTEE REPORTS

·   Fundraising (Rosemary Wagner & Kirsten Marino)

o   Several emails sent out re: Annual appeal. We are behind on fundraising. ~$45,000 raised so far.

o   Need volunteers to help with email blasts, events, etc.

o   Also need volunteers for spaces, weekend homes, etc for auction.

o   Morgan Richardson offered to help out with Auction/Gala committee.

§  Need volunteers to with organization/location/solicitation from businesses (even if you don’t want to sign on for the committee but you have some ideas, please let them know).

o   MacBook Air raffle (raised $5,000) drawing: Lauren Merkin won!

·   Special Education (Isabel Santiago-Gordon & Kristen Keil)

o   2^nd committee meeting on Tuesday Dec 12 at 6PM (Zoom will be sent out via PTA)

§  Google Classroom for Special Education families

§  How parents can best reach out with concerns

§  Tutoring program

§  Staff shifts for supporting students

§  Developing subcommittees to include program events/workshops/newsletter/college resources.

·   Diversity Equity & Inclusion (Jeff Marshall & Alisa McGowan) – no report; more to come after the holidays

·   Community Building/Relations (Cathy Lang Ho & Judy Olsen)

o   In Fall, neighborhood reps successfully held local meet-up events.

o   Also, parent grade reps for all four years held in-school potlucks.

o   11^th grade potluck, for example, featured Beacon College Office reps. If you missed this, reach out to PTA for info.

o    This coming Wed Dec 14 (7-9PM), a Beacon parent will host a book discussion (‘The Teenage Brain’ by Jensen) in Long Island City

o   Path to Calculus will be held in summer; more info is forthcoming.

·   Communications (Kendall Gastelu & Kelli Henry)

o   Please see the newsletter for calls for volunteers

·   Merchandising (Lisa Starr & Toby Williams)

o   In-school merch sales are going well

o   Also trying to look at establishing a variety of price points for merch

o   Online Beacon merch store is being relaunched

o   Looking at Jan 19^th for next in-school merch sale

·   Hospitality (Jennifer Weisbord)

o   Teacher appreciation events are planned for every month

§  This month, hot chocolate bar

§  Dec 21, PTA is hosting the Beacon staff holiday party at McQuaids.

7. SLT UPDATE

·   SLT parent rep David Gould highlighted that 2 meetings held in November (had to submit comprehensive education plan by end of month – was successful in submitting)

10. NEW BUSINESS – none

11. ADJOURNMENT – Gary Ramsay makes motion to adjourn; Carole Fennell seconded.

Questions? Please contact beaconpta@beaconschool.org 

BEACON PTA GENERAL MEETING

November 14, 2022 (6-7 PM)

MINUTES (APPROVED)

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 reminded attendees of our meeting norms to remind everyone that this is a respectful, equitable, and inclusive space.

3. PARENT COORDINATOR UPDATE – Erdene Greene

Erdene sent information to remind Beacon parents and guardians to update their email information and described how to make updates so that families get the relevant emails. Erdene stressed that this is very important. 

4. PRINCIPAL REPORT – Brady Smith

Brady and team are working hard to ensure seniors have accurate reports on the MyStudent system, especially those applying for early action & early admission. Brady updated us on team sports, debate team, B’DAT play and encouraged everyone to join the upcoming PTA potlucks. 

CIEE, a vendor that provides travel experiences (90 Beacon students participated last summer), now considers Beacon a Global Navigator school. If we can raise $50K, they will provide funding that could support up to 70 students so that any student that wants to participate is able to.

We do not have a replacement for PupilPath yet, but Brady hears it’s close and there have been improvements. Now we are using Google Classroom.

Brady noted that the lockdown from a week ago was an error—a reported safety concern that did not turn out to be a concern once it was investigated. Safety first always. There will be 2 more soft lockdown drills this year, with efforts to make them as least triggering as possible will be taken.

5. MINUTES – Nim Delafield & Monica McSharry 

• Oct. 2022 general monthly meeting minutes presented for approval (click here to view) 
• Alberta Conteh made a motion to approve the October minutes, it was seconded, and the minutes were approved.

6. 2022/23 BUDGET PROPOSALS – James O’Neill (Treasurer), Caterina Bartha (Assistant Treasurer)

James shared that we have one funding request this month. It’s from the Student Government asking to increase the amount to the same as years past (from $500 to $1000). No questions were asked.

James shared the budget vs actual and noted that it is still early in the year with regard to expenses or revenue.

James will share how this year’s budget compares to last year. He explained the School Expense line item includes: Academic Support (largest portion), Bridge Program, DEI, Mental Health programs, School Planners, Sr Grad Committee, Sports Banquet, Staff appreciation

7. BUDGET VOTE – 

James O’Neill made a motion to approve, Gary Ramsay seconded it, the motion passed and the budget was updated.

8. COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Communications / Kendall Gastelu & Kelli Henry
  • Keep an eye out for targeted fundraising campaigns
  • Newsletter redesign is in progress
  • Looking for a volunteer to help with the website
• Fundraising / Kirsten Marino & Rosemary Wagner
  • Macbook Air raffle info will launch today
  • New See’s Candy online fundraiser
  • Minted.com fundraiser
  • Farm to People fundraiser has had very low participation
• Special Education / Justine Keil & Isabel Santiago-Gordon
  • Meeting tomorrow to go through committees
  • Working on an issue that came up this week that a new mode of communications via Google classroom was not well-received by parents. Privacy concerns were raised, although it does conform to DOE privacy standards.
  • High volume of questions about Special Ed Gary R wanted to make clear that new portal will not allow shorter response times 
  • Gary R gave an update of the many actions have been taken and still scale remains an issue. Not enough time to both talk about the work and do the work. Three weeks from today there will be a face-to-face with AP Crews. Justine asked to include the student reps and a rep from the SLT in this meeting.
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Melissa Magallanes & Jeffrey Marshall
  • No update this time
• Community-Building / Cathy Lang Ho & Judy Olsen
  • Thank you neighborhood reps for 5 different events. The gatherings with parents are popular but student attendance has been low. Wear blue to find each other! 
  • Grade reps have been active holding potlucks (merch sales will happen to coincide)
• Hospitality / Jennifer Weisbord
  • For Halloween had donuts for teachers
  • Asking for volunteers and ideas. Event for Valentine’s Day? Holiday party for the teachers?
• Merchandise / Lisa Starr & Toby Williams
  • Merch tables will be at potlucks. Thanks to the volunteers!
  • School wide sale will be on Friday 12/2 (these will happen monthly)
  • Popular items are in stock
  • Working on bringing up the online store
  • Volunteers are welcome

9. SLT UPDATE – Natasha Zaretsky

No update.

10. OTHER BUSINESS

No new business.

10. MEETING ADJOURNED

Alison made a motion, Susan seconded it, meeting adjourned.

Our next monthly meeting is 12/12/22 on Zoom. 

CONTACT: 

beaconpta@beaconschool.org

BEACON PTA GENERAL MEETING

October 11, 2022 (6-8 PM)

ZOOM DETAILS:

CLICK HERE to register to receive the Zoom link 

MINUTES

(approved at Nov. 14, 2022 PTA 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 read the norms and the attendees accepted by a show of hands.

3. PRINCIPAL REPORT – Brady Smith

• 88 clubs are underway! New clubs are found on the website under the Student Support section. Our clubs are student-driven.
• Info about 10/13/22 Beacon Cares Clothing Drive was shared.
• NYSCA info was shared to facilitate communication, with 10/17 the expected date for when grades will be visible in NYCSA as part of the DOE’s new online gradebook rollout.
• Community Service planning is underway.
• Columbia Universityundergrads will provide health education for 9th graders in Advisory.
• Winter sports tryouts are coming up; don’t forget the PSAL forms required to try out.
• Tryouts for Battle of the Bands are underway (taking place Friday 10/28 after school in the Beacon Live Hall)
• Potlucks are being planned including arranging for guest speakers
• New Faculty handbook was shared on Monday; new Special Ed and Family handbooks will be shared soon.
• HS admissions open on 10/12/22; Beacon uses the Consortium screened-school process, same as last year. Open houses are scheduled via Zoom to allow for all interested families to have access.
• Vaping prevention is being addressed & shifting resources to pay more attention to student bathrooms (please see Brady’s 10/10 Community Update for details)
• Some attendee questions:
  • SAT in School Day will be in March for 11th graders during the school day (the PSAT will be offered)
  • On 10/17, grades should be visible via the DOE’s parent portal (in MyStudent in NYCSA)
  • What is the protocol for students caught vaping? Refer to Brady’s note on Oct. 10
  • Will info beyond just grades be provided at Parent-Advisor Conferences? Anecdotal info will be provided only for students that aren’t meeting expectations. Teacher time is available – 50 periods throughout the week – for any students who need tutoring.
  • Beacon does not participate in National Merit Scholarships, but qualifying scores are registered.

4. MINUTES APPROVAL – Nim Delafield & Monica McSharry 

• Sept. 2022 general monthly meeting meeting minutes (click here)
• Motion was made to accept the minutes; seconded; motioned passed.

5. 2022/23 BUDGET PROPOSALS – James O’Neill (Treasurer), Caterina Barta & John Scott (Assistant Treasurers)

• Reviewed budget & revenue
• Presented funding requests, with history of funding from the past, and the net impact was reviewed. 
• Questions:
  • New funding request for the debate team (advisor was unable to put in a funding request for the team).
  • Beacon Student Government hasn’t submitted their funding request; send to the treasury email to make the request 
  • President of Beacon Model Congress advocated for their budget and answered questions
  • President of Beacon Debate Club also advocated for their budget and answered questions

6. BUDGET VOTE – (PTA Co-Presidents)

• Motion made to decide to vote on all budget requests as one slate; the motion was seconded; passed
• One last chance to ask questions was offered
• Motion made to add the debate team budget request to the slate, seconded; motion passed
• Last chance for questions
• Motion made to pass the budget requests, seconded; funding requests were passed

7. EXPEDITED ELECTION for open EB positions – PTA Co-Presidents

• Member-at-large (max. 3; all must be current 9th grade parents) 

• Shannon Lorraine
• Morghan Richardson
• Allison Weiss
• Nominees from the floor

• Fundraising (max. 2) 

• Auction (max. 2)   

• NOTE: This agenda item was moved before the Committee Reports to allow for more attendees to participate and vote
• Member-at-large vote:
  • Gary made a call for additional nominations from the floor
  • Stravros Tripi added as a nominee from the floor
  • Nominees made brief statements
  • Attendees voted via Zoom poll and the 3 2022-23 member-at-large results were:
    • Shannon Lorraine 
    • Morghan Richardson
    • Stavros Tripi
• Fundraising & Auction elections deferred to a future meeting.

8. COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Hospitality / Jennifer Weisbord
  • Volunteers needed for events like back-to-school staff & teacher breakfasts, banquet & sports awards, new ideas are welcome
  • Contact info is jenweisbord@gmail.com
• Special Education / Justine Keil & Isabel Santiago-Gordon
  • Form shared for those who would like to get involved
  • There will be a special ed handbook available shortly
• Fundraising / Kirsten Marino & Rosemary Wagner
• Community-Building / Cathy Lang Ho & Judy Olsen
  • Upcoming events such as neighborhood meetups, grade meetups, and potlucks were discussed
  • Staten Island, The Bronx could use more reps
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Melissa Magallanes & Jeffrey Marshall
  • First meeting is this week
  • Subcommittees were discussed and a book club is being planned
• Merchandise / Lisa Starr & Toby Williams
  • Successful sale in Sept another planned for Oct
  • Hoping to restart online sales
• Communications / Kendall Gastelu & Kelli Henry
  • Priority is to find a volunteer that knows WordPress to help maintain and refresh the PTA website
  • 2nd is for a volunteer to maintain the Facebook page
  • Both roles are currently filled by Shirley Brady, who has a senior and less time to be involved this year.
  • Contact beaconptanewsletter@gmail.com to volunteer; training will be provided
  • Suggestion to add an Instagram feed for the PTA in addition to Facebook.

9. SLT UPDATE – Natasha Zaretsky

• Key areas of discussion at last month’s SLT meeting: the unexpected scanning, changes to remote curriculum night and family conferences; changes to skills classes at Beacon
• The next SLT meeting is Oct. 19 at 4pm on Zoom 
• Further meeting dates have been confirmed, but not the modality (i.e. on Zoom, in person or hybrid)

10. OTHER BUSINESS

• No new business

11. MEETING ADJOURNED

Our next PTA monthly meeting is Nov. 14 at 6pm on Zoom. 

Other upcoming meetings and events are noted below.

Motion to adjourn: Jennifer Weisbord, Susan Kim seconded, meeting adjourned

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

• 10/12 & 14 Boys Varsity Basketball Tryouts (2:30pm-4:30pm, Gym 702) 

• 10/12 & 14 Girls Basketball Tryouts (4:30pm-6:30pm, Gym 702) 

• 10/13 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee meeting (5pm, Zoom)

• 10/13 PTA Special Education Committee Meeting (6pm, Zoom)

• 10/18 Beacon School Leadership Team meeting (details TBD)

• 10/18 Brooklyn Parents’ Meet-up (6:30pm, Pig Beach)

• 10/21 Beacon Merchandise Sale (all lunch bands, Lobby)

• 10/21 & 28 Boys JV Basketball Tryouts (4:30pm-6:30pm, Gym 702) 

• 10/25 Downtown Manhattan Parents’ Meet-up (6:30pm, Brass Monkey)

• 10/27 SAT/ACT Info Night for Junior Families (6pm, Zoom)

• 11/14 Next Beacon General PTA Meeting

CONTACT: 

beaconpta@beaconschool.org

BEACON PTA MONTHLY GENERAL MEETING MINUTES

September 19, 2022 (6PM, Zoom)

ZOOM DETAILS

Registration was required for this Zoom meeting.

PTA Meetings

AGENDA (click here)

The following minutes were presented and approved by vote at the Oct. 11, 2022 Beacon PTA monthly meeting.

1. WELCOME  – Welcomes from Gary Ramsay (PTA Co-President);

Robin Broshi, Albert Conteh, & Gary Ramsay, co-presidents

Note that Shirley Brady had to step down for personal reasons. Much gratitude to Shirley for her service.

Welcome from Gary, who reads PTA meeting norms and expectations & introduces co-chairs and Brady

2. PRINCIPAL’S REPORT – Brady Smith

·   Safety concerns

o   Graffiti found in boys room (protocols initiated by school; Brady & school aides working with 2 neighboring NYPD precincts)

o   Surveillance cameras being upgraded/repositioned this week

·   DOE messaging system (attendance, messaging & grading) – issues being resolved

o   System should become visible to parents shortly if not now (check on NYSA account)

·   Sept 23^rd and 30^th) – summer reading share occurs (9,10,11 graders) in advisory Transcript readiness. Seniors will receive transcripts – time to fix errors prior to being sent out to colleges.

·   Sports:

o   PSL waivers will be issued shortly for PE credit.

o   Forms to approve ‘Outside physical activity’ to serve as PE requirement being sent out shortly.

o   Seeking JV basketball coach. Fencing coach position filled.

o   Question: Why was there no JV soccer? Answer: Maybe because varsity team was larger + difficulty finding coaches and space (Will ask Simmons and give update).

·   Clubs

o   Sept 30, Club fair after school

o   Oct 3 – Clubs start

·   First bake sale held (Sept 19) today for girls volleyball.

·   Sept 29 – Supporting materials will be sent home

·   Program meeting held today – managing scheduling challenges.

o   AP environmental science section added.

o   Space in PE classes opening as PE waivers come in

o   Shifts occurring in skills classes (for students with IEPs)

o   Many more teachers will be available for tutoring periods throughout the week soon

·   Admissions – we’re on target this year with incoming first-years (target # 360)

o   Hopes PTA has an admissions subcommittee.

·   Funding

o   Now have guidance counselor for students with IEP (Valerie Mitchell)

·   30^th anniversary of Beacon occurring this year. Ruth Lacey will participate in the celebration.

·   Peer health educators program “S-Heal” available at school (9^th grade advisories for 9 sessions) (free program)

o   Brady submitting a funding request to PTA to cover background checks.

·   Is there a budget cut this year? Not exactly. Last year, we had access to a 1-year ARPA bump. We do not have access to it this year; therefore, we have $320,000 drop compared to last year (when we had the extra funds)

·   Secure Storage: If items don’t fit in lockers, school has extra storage space (e.g., instruments, skateboards).

3. PARENT COORDINATOR’S REPORT – Erdene Greene 

·   NYC school accounts: On curriculum night, Erdene will be there to help parents with all the letters OR Erdene will give letter to student at school to bring home. (Note Erdene can reset the students’ passwords).

4. TREASURERS’ REPORT – James O’Neill & Caterina Barth

·   $266,000 revenue

·   $395,350 expenses approved

·   (We’ve made a choice to run on a deficit).

·   $360,000 accumulated surplus.

·   25 Funding requests have come in

o   They are fairly consistent with the existing line items.

5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES –

June 2021 monthly meeting minutes presented for approval (click here ).

Kelly Henry made move to approve. Gary seconded motion. Approved.

6. COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Fundraising (Rosemary Wagner & Kirsten Marino)

·   Plea for more volunteers re: fundraising.

·   Farm-to-people – we have everything ready now.

o   $981 raised (10 families participated)

o   Hoping to raise $2500 or more if we start in the next few weeks.

·   New revenue generating events (click here) to be voted on (we don’t need to vote on items that are already in budget). (Reminder that any changes to budget have to be approved by general public)

o   VOTE: (Kathleen made a motion to bundle. Anna Z made a motion to second it. Vote passed to bundle all revenue generating plans.)

o   VOTE:  (Mary Chan made motion to approve the bundle of revenue generating sources for the budget. Alexia White seconded. Vote passed to approve revenue generating sources).

·   Special Education (Isabel Santiago-Gordon & Kristen Keil)

o   Google Group established

o   Oct 13^th, 6PM on zoom First Spec Ed meeting

o   Asst Principal Cruz creating Spec Ed guide. (available Sept 28^th)

·  Diversity Equity & Inclusion (Jeff Marshall & Alisa McGowan) 

o   Oct 13 – first DEI meeting.

o   Book club continues (process to be discussed on Oct 13 meeting)

·  Community Building/Relations (Cathy Lang Ho & Judy Olsen) 

·   We have more than 20 neighborhood representatives – aiming to get more so all neighborhoods are represented

·   Family survey sent out last week to learn more info about families to ensure that we have neighborhoods representatives.

·   Oct 2 at 2PM first family meet up (Riverbank State Park).

o   Note that all families can attend all meet ups

o   Save the date – Oct 13 for another family meet up (time/place TBD)

·   Goal to increase membership of class google groups

·  Communications (Kendall Gastelu & Kelli Henry)

·   Newsletters due 10PM Mondays; Published on Wednesdays

·   Dedicated google account beaconPTAnewsletter@gmail.com

·   Considering the name of the newsletter

· Merchandising (Lisa Starr & Toby Williams)

·   Sept 23 – 10:30AM-1:00PM first Merch Lobby sale

·   Will occur 1X/month

·   Appeal for volunteers at table (email via PTA).

·   Hospitality (Jennifer Weisbord)

·   Co-VP had to step out for position, so appeal for volunteer.

9. SLT UPDATE (Robin Broshi)

·   NYS sanctioned bodies – therefore, has to be open to the entire public  (see explanation here)

·   Sept 21, 5:30PM on zoom – first SLT meeting.

10. NEW BUSINESS

·   Rotating order of committee reports (Gary Ramsay makes motion to approve rotation; Robin Broshi seconded). Motion passes. (but will keep financial report at the top of the meeting so more people will be present)

·   Member at large elections (‘expedited election’): By-laws call for up to 3 9^th grade parents/guardians to be elected as members at large to serve on exec board. Now seeking these individuals. Oct 11 is the expedited election. Those present at this meeting will vote.  (if 3 or fewer volunteer, no need to vote).

11. ADJOURNMENT

Questions? Please contact beaconpta@beaconschool.org 

Beacon PTA Monthly Meeting 

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 (5:30pm, Zoom) 

Final 2021/22 meeting & 2022/23 elections

Zoom link: Click here.

This meeting was recorded; click here.

MINUTES (approved 9/19/22)

WELCOME – PTA CO-PRESIDENTS

Welcome & meeting norms  

Nancy Molesworth (chair), Shirley Brady & Robin Broshi  

REVISED BYLAWS   

Robin Broshi [presentation & vote]

Vote outcome:  Bylaw revision APPROVED (majority vote)

Draft bylaws that were presented are here.

Updated bylaws (as approved at this meeting) are here.

BUDGET REVIEW  

Spencer Green (Treasurer – info is here; updated: final budget is here)

• 2021/22 YTD budget review and final funding requests vote  – Income approx $290K; expenses approx $380K, $90K from reserves as was planned to bring school back after Covid.

End-of-year funding requests:

• The following requests were APPROVED by a majority vote:
  • Summer Bridge (Samilia Ghartey-Sam) – $4,000  
  • IEP-focused College Counselor (Deb Heller) – $36,500 [½ of salary recommended, school paying the other ½ of this role’s salary]
  • Art end-of-year show installation overage (Beacon Art) – $150  
  • Total: $39,650.00
• Following funding requests are tabled for the fall/next EB to revisit:
  • Girls Ultimate Frisbee Club – $1,900 
  • Violence prevention training for students by Prepare Inc – $7,500 [Not recommended at this time as proposal only benefits 40 students. EB recommends request to be considered more thoroughly in September.]
  • 2 clubs requested $2,000 each (Advisor for both: Ms. Talbert-Bain): Art Activism Club and Diaries of Women of Color Club [EB recommends revisiting in September; both clubs did not submit an itemized list; also wait for other clubs’ funding requests to come in.]

• 2022/23 Proposed PTA budget review & vote – Total revenue to be approx $260K, accumulative arts fund to be divided up in fall between arts clubs – total is $73K, which is a big cut for the arts, lots of discussion re cuts and lots of kids come to beacon for the arts; sports – each club got a little less funding and making boys and girls equal for every sport, discussion re publications to be print vs. digital, HBCU summit – next year will pay for half and receive a grant for the other half.  Discussion re ways to increase fundraising and parents and kids to take responsibility for fundraising and for clubs to come up with individual ways to fundraise.Issue as to criteria used for budget cuts. PTA co-presidents reiterate the importance of having a budget in place so PTA can continue to write checks over the summer.   

Vote outcome: Budget APPROVED as presented  

Motion: Spencer Green

Seconded: Kathleen Wolf

Amendement: Additional $70,000 funding for Beacon Arts programs was APPROVED after a discussion and motion during New Business, below.

Updated & approved 2022/23 PTA budget:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vKXQ2TqruahDQ8CDbJnY6aX-0VnYGg4v/view?usp=sharing

PTA/SLT ELECTION  

Lauren McGrail (Nominating Committee chair)

Voting procedure:

• To make identifying eligible voters easier during this meeting, we ask current Beacon parents to change their Zoom screen name to their student’s first and last name.

• Non-administrative Beacon staff should add “STAFF” before their Zoom screen name if they plan to vote.

• All current Beacon parents and guardians are eligible to vote but incoming 9th grade parents are not.  

Voting outcome:

• Vote 1: 2022/23 PTA Executive Board officers [uncontested vote]

The following slate of candidates APPROVED by majority vote as follows:

Co-Presidents: 

• Robin Broshi (2023)  
• Gary Ramsay (2023)  
• Alberta Conteh (2025) 

Treasurer: 

• James O’Neill (2025)  

Assistant Treasurers: 

• Caterina Bartha (2024) 
• John Scott (2025) 

Recording Secretary: 

• Nim Delafield (2025)  

Assistant Recording Secretary: 

• Monica McSharry (2024) 

Vice Presidents of the Association: 

• Shirley Brady (2023) 
• Carole Fennell (2023) 
• Kim Youngberg (2024) 

Co-VPs, Communications: 

• Kendall Gastelu (2025) 
• Kelli Henry (2024)  

Co-VPs, Community-Building: 

• Cathy Ho (2025)  
• Judy Olsen (2023)

Co-VPs, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: 

• Melissa Magallanes (2024) 
• Jeffrey Marshall (2024) 

Co-VPs, Fundraising: 

• Kirsten Marino (2024)  
• Rosemary Wagner (2024)  

Co-VPs, Hospitality: 

• Robin Krugman (2024) 
• Jennifer Weisbord (2024)   

Co-VPs, Merchandise: 

• Lisa Starr (2024)   
• Toby Williams (2025)  

Co-VPs, Special Education (new position) 

• Justine Keil (2023)  
• Isabel Santiago-Gordon (2025) 

• Vote 2: 2022/23 School Leadership Team parent reps [contested vote]  

Vote outcome: The following parents were APPROVED by vote. Note that the first 4 are elected and guaranteed parent spots on the SLT; and the 5th is provisional due to DOE regulations stating tat the number of parent and teacher roles on an SLT must be the same. The incoming SLT can vote on that spot during its first meeting in September.

The 2022/23 SLT parent reps elected by majority vote (poll):

• Maud Abeel
• David Gould
• Nigel Hewett
• Natasha Zaretsky
• Gina Zucker (provisional 5th spot)

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT  

Brady Smith  – Prom was a success!  Grad rehearsal is tomorrow and graduation is Thursday.  CR conversions for seniors will be by June 27th and other students will follow.  

• Arts budget – school pays salary for teachers and procession for after hours for art teachers. Beacon has 6 ½ art teachers including Kate Reed (half-time, film & English teacher) is returning in September. Beacon pays average teacher salaries, annual procession for teachers is $381K – not just for arts but all teachers. Initial school budget has been given by NYC.  
• Admissions: Total 1,500 students next year, 360 of whom are incoming 9th graders. 4,800 students now on waitlist for fall.  
• ICT classes will be provided next year at Beacon, bringing additional funding due to extra services provided for students with IEPs. 
• Beacon’s 2022-23 budget is no worse than it was last year. Expected cut in ARPA Federal COVID-19 funds, which must be spent by August 31, 2022.
• Brady discusses vision, focus and plans for next school year:
  • Academic supports will be increased next year, ongoing partnerships will continue, including restorative justice work. 
  • Guidance counselors will be assigned per grade level for next year (not alphabetically as in years past). 
  • Advisory curriculum being shifted next year, including more circle-keeping. May renew Advisory relationship with Peer Health Exchange or another service provider.
  • New family handbook in progress; should be ready by August.   
  • Faculty handbook will also come out by the end of summer – will include a more consistent grading policy across subject areas.       
  • New health education for next year’s 9th graders 
  • Community service for 10th graders only next year
  • Equity work to be expanded as led by BUU, which has new leadership identified for next year, Respect For All posse, year 2 of district equity work.  
  • New DOE system for academic progress will replace Pupil Path and be integrated into the New York City Schools Account (NYCSA), so everyone, please sign up! It will report grades and attendance. Still in development and will provide an array of communications options (so no more family updates from Mailchimp).  

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Anju Gupta, Recording Secretary

Presented May 2022 monthly meeting minutes (click here) & vote

Vote outcome: APPROVED.

Motion to approve by: Nancy Molesworth

Seconded by: Carole Fennell

COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Auction: Carla Miller, Kim Youngberg – no report

• Communications: Justine Keil – please share suggestions with new communications team for what to do differently/better next year  

• Community-Building: Karen Stonely, Natasha Zaretsky – 

Special Education committee and 2 new VP’s for Special Education, had 2 parent potlucks last month which were a huge success.  Final IEP meeting tomorrow night at 6 pm

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Gary Ramsay, Windell Williams – 

Issue re body shaming by sports teams addressed immediately by Brady, HBCU event was a huge success – 299 registered, only 4-5 EB board members were present, students discussed ongoing microaggressions at beacon.  Admissions did not progress as much as hoped for next year.  Budget committee will continue working on equitable funding (including new funding request form) next year. Goodbyes to some senior parents. DEI is part of education at Beacon – respect and remembrance is important.   

• Fundraising: Karen Jolicoeur, Alison Overholser – 

Update re suggestions for next year’s fundraising team.  

• Hospitality: Jennifer Weisbord, Robin Krugman- 

End of year sports banquet was a huge success as athletes felt appreciated.  

• Merchandise: Diana Mahiques, Julie Harding – 

Raised close to $8K over the last 4 events – open houses etc.  

NEW BUSINESS 

• ARTS discussion – music, film, B’DAT, photography, arts and dance.  New PTA arts budget represents a 50% cut from previous years. Arts programs serve over 1,000 students, which is approx. ⅓ of the school.  Many of the arts will disappear (i.e. shows, etc.) if we cut arts to that extent.  
• Beacon Theatre/B’DAT director Jo Ann Cimato speaks on behalf of the entire Beacon arts dept. and does not want a “pay to play” model. Begs the PTA not to start next school year with such a deficit. Teachers (and teaching assistants) will need to be fired with this new budget, which is already in a $60K budget deficit (dipping into the PTA’s reserve funds). 
• Discussion that arts are often first on the chopping block when there are budget cuts. Point raised regarding upcoming recession and soaring inflation. Need to figure out where money will come from if we increase the arts budget. Discussion that money has to come from somewhere (such as grants, targeted fundraising, more corporate matching).    
• Nancy Molesworth makes a motion to put a placeholder to increase the art budget by an additional $70K to keep arts going for next year; Kathleen Wolf seconds the motion; APPROVED and budget amendment passes to add $70K for the arts department funding in the 2022/23 PTA budget; additional funds added in link below:
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vKXQ2TqruahDQ8CDbJnY6aX-0VnYGg4v/view?usp=sharing 

MEETING ADJOURNED

Motion to approve by: Jennifer Weisbord

Seconded by: Carole Fennell

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2022-23 Beacon PTA Executive Board candidates

[uncontested election; vote will be on entire slate of candidates]

Co-Presidents: 

• Robin Broshi (2023)  
• Gary Ramsay (2023)  
• Alberta Conteh (2025) 

Treasurer: 

• James O’Neill (2025)  

Assistant Treasurers: 

• Caterina Bartha (2024) 
• John Scott (2025) 

Recording Secretary: 

• Nim Delafield (2025)  

Assistant Recording Secretary: 

• Monica McSharry (2024) 

Vice Presidents of the Association: 

• Shirley Brady (2023) 
• Carole Fennell (2023) 
• Kim Youngberg (2024) 

Co-VPs, Communications: 

• Kendall Gastelu (2025) 
• Kelli Henry (2024)  

Co-VPs, Community-Building: 

• Cathy Ho (2025)  
• Judy Olsen (2023)

Co-VPs, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: 

• Melissa Magallanes (2024) 
• Jeffrey Marshall (2024) 

Co-VPs, Fundraising: 

• Kirsten Marino (2024)  
• Rosemary Wagner (2024)  

Co-VPs, Hospitality: 

• Robin Krugman (2024) 
• Jennifer Weisbord (2024)   

Co-VPs, Merchandise: 

• Lisa Starr (2024)   
• Toby Williams (2025)  

Co-VPs, Special Education (new position) 

• Justine Keil (2023)  
• Isabel Santiago-Gordon (2025) 

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2022-23 School Leadership Team candidates 

[contested election for 5 parent seats]

• Maud Abeel (2025) 
• David Gould (2024) 
• Dorine Grollman (2025) 
• Nigel Hewitt (2025) 
• Sarah Sidi (2024) 
• Natasha Zaretsky (2023) 
• Gina Zucker (2025) 

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Thank you to our 2021-22 Beacon PTA Executive Board members!

Co-Presidents: Shirley Brady, Robin Brosh, Nancy Molesworth

Secretary: Anju Gupta

Treasurer: Spencer Green

Assistant Treasurer: Katherine Bruck 

VPs: Carole Fennell, Robin Krugman, Kim Youngberg

VPs, Fundraising: Karen Jolicoeur, Alison Overholser

VP, Communications: Justine Keil

VPs, Community Building: Karen Stonely, Natasha Zaretsky

VPs, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Gary Ramsay, Windell Williams

VP, Hospitality: Jennifer Weisbord

VPs, Merchandise: Diana Mahiques, Julie Harding

Members at Large: Marisol Cruz, Tali Mermelstein, Carla Miller

Questions? Please email beaconpta@beaconschool.org.