General PTA Meeting

April 22, 2020 from 6pm – 8pm (via Zoom)

MINUTES

Welcome – PTA Co-president Abi Fenelon welcomed parents for the business portion of the meeting. She stated that the College Office was holding a webinar on “College and the LD Student” to be held on April 30^th by a former Beacon parent. Info to be sent out in weekly newsletter. In addition, Samilia Ghartey-Sam, Beacon’s social worker, is available for any families who need help. She is planning a parent support group to meet twice a week. A survey will be sent out shortly to determine interest.

Approval of Minutes – Motion was made to approve February 2020 minutes. Motion was approved.

Treasury Report – Jacqueline Deval

Fundraising is in good shape, with year-to-date revenue of approximately $350,000. We are anticipating $355,000 in revenue for the full year, plus anything that may be generated by the online auction.

Committee Reports

• Senior Celebration Committee – Plans are being made for celebrations for the 360 seniors graduating from Beacon this year. The committee expects that the funds collected for graduation will be used. Prom is separate from graduation in terms of funding and options are being discussed for a celebration party. Refunds for prom payment will be made if someone does not want to or cannot attend once a decision has been made.
• BDAT – The kid are still happy to be making art. David B is still teacking. They are designing a kids animation and a TikTok video will be made for the Freshman Project.

6:15-8pm – Guest Speaker – Ben August, Program Coordinator, The Beacon School

Ben August kindly agreed to attend the PTA meeting and answer questions that parents had about online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions were taking from the chat section during the Zoom meeting. A summary of the questions and answers has been compiled and edited and is included below.

Meeting adjourned at 8pm.

SUMMARY OF Q&A WITH BEN AUGUST

GENERAL COMMENTS:

• Silver lining is accessibility and distribution; our sense of community & effort & adapting quickly
• Goal is to give students as stable an experience as possible. Our top priority is that all our students are not disadvantaged… difficult to expect them to master everything.
• Learning process that all of us are going through together and we need to be patient as we work through the issues
• This is a very complicated public health crisis, at every turn I try to remind myself that what I see or hear may not be a true reflection of what kids are going through
• Patience & kindness  > always the best way for this current situation
• Part of our being here is all part of a bigger puzzle – trying to make sure students have the most human, caring & supportive learning environment even though they can’t go to school… really overwhelming the amount of energy everyone is putting forward.
• Concerns that students will be behind next year – it will be addressed; what do we need to have a plan in place to make sure they don’t suffer as a result of this
• All this distanced learning shows how we can operate as a good community and what we need to put into place; brought it all into sharp relief; teachers going beyond the classroom 
• Our school is focused on delivering learning to our students; amazing efforts by teachers and administration- encourage you strongly, try to connect with people thru the PTA. Gratitude for our teachers who have gone beyond the classroom to keep kids engaged. The history department (Moscow & Jacobs) did a school wide ‘learning’ scavenger hunt. And other teachers have done with their classes.. (Van Pelt) 

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Erdene Greene (parent coordinator):  egreene@beaconschool.org

Deb Heller (college counselor): dheller@beachonschool.org

Ben August (programming): baugust@beaconschool.org

GRADES: 

• Important that results we report relate to actual school work, evaluated on actual things they’re trying to learn. Pass/Fail direction. Risk polluting the grading process; waiting for guidance from the DOE; some suspect that DOE will want there to be a uniform grading policy. Pass – no credit – articulated exception or circumstance
• People are concerned that P/F grading punishes students who are doing well in a tough time. Shelters students but there are pitfalls in that it prevents students from their successes in their work. 
• P/F arrangement might dissuade students – it takes away any ability for students to perform and document high level of success
• Q3: can’t remain grade-driven? not possible, the rationale >> not all students are nec able to assemble at one specific time >> try to navigate that process; it would be impossible 
• Pass/fail: just because a grade > doesn’t mean that learning isn’t valuable, focus on learning… there is a way to see this as an opportunity
• Can we add qualitative comments to pass/fail grades so colleges can see the true capabilities of the students – the school has no capacity to edit transcripts; can’t control the format — we may be able to provide anecdotal comments on report cards but not transcripts
• The school is in touch with colleges to see their expectations. Their focus is being uniform across the school.

LIVE VS. OFFLINE INSTRUCTION: 

• Sometimes teachers feel it’s better to approach the lesson in a way that students can learn at their own time & place.
• Some students are feeling resentment: don’t feel experience is responsive to their needs. 
• Class time is departmentally-based to minimize time conflicts.
• Alternate time schedule: each teacher gets specific blocks of time throughout the week; some of our teachers need a lot of contact time; unusual, but some kids have schedule conflicts; helpful to let us know what the conflicts are if they happen – contact Ms Greene.
• Can’t replicate the exact same schedule as when in school, level of blocked times for students — we’re giving them everything we think most students can be successful with. 
• Trying to balance so kids getting the right amount and not too much
• Real-time teaching is valuable, when possible; beyond educationally — I hope all students are getting opportunities getting opportunities to engage with that
• Hopefully every student is getting reasonable access to live instruction; probably not possible to give to all students all the time. 
• Sometimes being able to attend a class live is out of the teacher’s control. We need to respect the issues teachers are facing as well.
• Teachers are experimenting with what makes most sense; students are entitled to that work, teachers have pulled out all the stops to support these young people — a lot of people said that was impossible
• The goal is for r-t teaching is to have as much as teachers can deliver and students can take advantage of; hard to know what realistic expectations can be right now; it’s very difficult; the transparent answer is we tried to mandate r-t teaching but it’s not always possible.
• I hope that teachers are communicating their expectations; it is our goal to make sure that teachers are giving the clearest and most concise instruction as possible; if there are unclear instruction, reach out to the teacher, Advisor, Guidance Counselor 
• We have more than 68 teachers at Beacon, which is our strength … One drives 30 mins to teach to get better internet access… such variation in what people are going thru right now; the teachers are no different and need empathy too.

CLASS TIME/SCHOOL DAY:

• Made the decision to not start the day at 8am. There are other pressures on families besides school work and the school is trying to balance all of it.
• Hesitant to make the hours longer; we don’t want students to be in front of screens all day… it’s just a difficult one to navigate; all the demands on students have a cost; mediating the demands of students.
• DOE is not likely to extend the school year given budget cuts and other restrictions, though no official word on that.

SAT AND ACT REQUIREMENTS: 

• College Office has launched a brand new website
• Look at the College Office website, Naviance newsletters; some of the tests are online
• SAT/ACT: numerous accommodations and changes happening.

IF YOUR STUDENT IS STRUGGLING: 

• Overwhelmed with one particular class – reach out to that teacher; if overall, contact the Guidance Counselor, or Advisor; Ben happy to be included as well. Reach out to Ms. Greene if you don’t know your Guidance Counselor.
• Never wrong to provide feedback; if there are specific teachers you want to provide that feedback, reach out directly or to the Advisor or Guidance Counselor.

HOME/SCHOOL WORK:

• Students should establish regular routines of going thru Google classroom — good habits, check emails — don’t allow anxiety to creep up and ignore it
• Baseline expectation for DOE schools is 2 hours/day… some seeing more or less; more than 500 high schools in NYC, all of us going through this crazy transformation; we all come here in the spirit of working together; I am so grateful that our school is executing the way we are, some schools are really struggling to function
• Amount of HW differs from class to class: doesn’t mean there’s more productivity necessarily.
• Strict expectations are not reasonable to enforce and teacher’s may need to lower their expectations.

IEP/SETTs:

• SETTS providers available on a frequent basis
• IEP services being delivered; I trust you have a good point of contact. If not, reach out.

ELECTIVES/PE:

• 3rd quarter elective classes are continuing for Freshman through the end of the year. New curriculum and content coming soon; teachers know they need to close that gap with their students; big challenge to create a 2nd half curriculum at the last minute.
• Law still requires students to have PE each week. Implications for PSAL athletes that need to be figured out; reduced opportunities for them to get physical exercise. PE credits TBD; look on PupilPath and see which credits they’re enrolled right now and if they are getting credit.

ATTENDANCE/ENGAGEMENT:

• Ben will be sending the attendance email everyday at 11am.
• Trying to make sure that the rate of absence and level of engagement is consistent. 
• Will follow up with students that are repeatedly not engaged.
• School attendance does have to be reported so this is the best way to follow it.
• Daily “attendance” is very high.  65 was the highest number of students “absent” so far one day.

CLASSES FOR NEXT YEAR:

• We cannot run the same process as in prior years for testing into APs. Just wouldn’t be fair; looking for students to respond to a prompt, which combined with grades, will guide the placements.
• Student preferences survey for next year will be emailed Fri/Mon; multi step process; all part of a longer-term strategy 

APs:

• 2020 AP exams adjusted; 45 minutes, conducted online; scores should be returned faster;
• All of those details are on the college office website and the college board website. Understand the requirements
• Free AP streaming tutoring

PBAs:

• Graduating aspect of PBA – students not required to pass all 4 aspects of PBAs in order to graduate; all waived like the regents.
• Will still happen on the educational side

CLUBS/EXTRACURRICULARS:

• Connect with their peers; not any formal process — talk to student leaders of particular clubs; or ask advisor — talk to other members of the club
• They are working on additional volunteering opportunities.

Meeting adjourned.

General PTA Meeting

February 10, 2020 from 6pm – 8pm

MINUTES

Welcome – Abi Fenelon and Bonnie Scarborough welcomed parents for the business portion of the meeting.

Approval of Minutes – Motion was made to approve January 2020 minutes. Motion was approved.

Treasury Report – Jacqueline Deval

Fundraising is in good shape, with year-to-date revenue of $311k compared to the budget of $391k. January activities in Treasury included onboarding a new technology platform for the auction called GiveSmart, which will save us approximately $4k.

There were two new requests for funding: $750 for a new climbing club (10 students) and $800 for the Nuyorican Poets Cafe workshop for the 11th grade. Both motions were approved.

Expedited Election for Open Executive Board Positions

The following open positions were voted on for the Executive Board:

• 1 Member-at-Large (freshman) – Robin Broshi was elected
• 2 Auction Co-Vice Presidents – Positions still open

Committee Reports

• Diversity – Reported that they had a good meeting and created sub-committees.
• Fundraising – Diana Mahiques announced an event with the Atlantic Theater Company for 3/9/2020 at 7:30pm.  Diana discussed the 2020 Auction/Gala which will be held on Friday 4/3 at the Cutting Room. Auction donations are needed to make this a successful event (parent services, restaurant gift certificates, tickets to plays/musicals, unique experiences). Volunteers will be needed leading up to the event and the day of. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Diana (dianamahiques@gmail.com).

6:30-8pm – Guest Speaker – Dr. Jerry Bubrick, Child Mind Institute

“When to Worry About Your Child’s Worries: When are Children’s Worries a Sign of Anxiety?”

Dr. Jerry Bubrick is a senior clinical psychologist at the Anxiety Disorders Center and Director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Service at the Child Mind Institute. He discussed anxiety in teens and when parents should be concerned that their children have anxiety and how to effectively treat it. Presentation slides will be made available through the PTA weekly newsletter.

Meeting adjourned at 8pm.

General PTA Meeting

January 13, 2020 (6pm – 8pm)

MINUTES

Welcome – Abi Fenelon, PTA Co-President

Abi welcomed parents to the meeting, and requested that any parents who were representing the press please identify themselves. It is important that this is a safe space for all parents and important to let everyone know if the press is at this meeting.

Motion was made to approve minutes from the December 2019 meeting, and motion was approved.

Treasury Report – Karin Polo Barrett

Year-to-date revenue is at $240,342 with year-to-date expenses running at $171,061. Our cash balance as of December 1 was $378,147            and our closing balance as of December 31, was $379,670. The year-end fundraiser, which was framed as a countdown to New Year’s Day, was successful. From December 26-31, we brought in $23K with $14K coming in on December 31^st alone. Our expenses are running higher than last year due to higher college office expenses, earlier timing of some payments (BDAT, dance, Naviance), higher sports costs, and higher credit card fees. The Treasurer team is submitting the PTA’s required interim budget report to the DOE by January 31, 2020.

School Leadership Team Election – Robin Broshi

Robin Broshi was introduced. The election was held for an open position on the SLT that will run through the end of the year. Information about the open position and the election was disseminated to the parent community, and interested parents attended. In addition, interested parents were able to nominate themselves from the floor at this meeting.

Lisa Shatz, a current parent member of the SLT, was introduced. The SLT position is open due the fact that a Beacon family that needed to move mid-year and the parent therefore gave up their position. The SLT meets once a month, usually on a Thursday. There are 5 seats for parents on the SLT, in addition to the PTA president or a representative from the PTA.

Robin Broshi introduced the candidates, and each was asked to make a one-minute statement. There were three additional people to those listed on the ballot who nominated themselves from the floor at the meeting. Candidates were: Angelina Fisher, Angela Zagoren, Deborah Lifshey, Dexter Braithwaite, Michael Eskin, Mark, Harriet Cole, and Sergio Silvera. Parents were reminded that there would be more seats opening up on the SLT when the 2020-21 SLT parent members were elected in May. The results of the vote were that Harriet Cole was elected. Harriet has a daughter in the 10^th grade and is a communication specialist and the author of 7 books.

Committee & Vice President Reports

• Auction & Fundraising – The Gala is scheduled for April 3^rd. The Auction team is looking for donations (forms can be found in newsletter and on website) as well as volunteers to help enter donations into the database. This can be done from home. Please reach out if you have time.
• Community Building/Relations – Sari Gabay reported that the 11^th Grade Parent Potluck held on January 7^th was a great success with 60 junior parents in attendance. Lindsay Peyton from the College Office presented on the college process, and answered questions from parents. The 10^th Grade Parent Potluck will be held on January 23^rd. Brooklyn will have a neighborhood meet up on January 31^st and the Upper East Side will have a neighborhood gathering on February 3^rd.
• Merchandise – The merchandise team will hold a lobby sale during lunch bands on January 31^st.  Parents are needed to help out, there will be a volunteer sign up form in the newsletter.

PARENT DISCUSSION ON DIVERSITY AT BEACON – Dawan Julien & Gary Ramsey
All parents in attendance introduced themselves. A parent discussion on diversity at Beacon was led by Dawan Julien and Gary Ramsey, co-Vice Presidents of the PTA’s Diversity Committee.

Dawan Julien and Gary Ramsey stated: “Tonight we only have an hour, so we won’t be able to accomplish it all. Let’s approach this as the beginning of a longer conversation, a conversation between parents to determine what we can do to support our students and make progress. What role do we play? The framework for tonight is an expansion of what was discussed earlier in the evening at the Diversity Committee meeting. We want you to be able to take risks and speak honestly. Use any moments of discomfort to dig deeper. What is said here, stays here. What we learn here is what we want to share with the community. Things might be said with good intentions, but be received with a bad impact. Take responsibility for the impact of your words regardless of your intentions. Expect and accept a lack of closure.”

Parents broke up into smaller groups to discuss and reconvened later. Parents who were at the meeting agreed to the following action items/goals:

• Creating a safe space for students (BUU students) to speak to parents (PTA Diversity or smaller group) about their concerns at Beacon (demand list).
• Getting a permanent Diversity/Equity/Inclusion (DEI) or restorative justice person at Beacon so that students have someone to speak with when they don’t feel safe and to handle issues before they get out of hand.
• Professional Development research. Sub committee will be set up to pursue getting all staff trained on handling DEI issues. Eventually, they would like to see something of substance added to the curriculum as well.
• Accountability and Transparency. Follow up with Ms. Lacy and DOE to find out what school agreed to, what they won’t do and why, and what is the timeline for executing promises made. (Letter, phone call, face-to-face)
• Wider Community Engagement. Have direct conversations with OUR kids about their views about DEI issues at school. (After PBAs) Talk to parents we know who are not on the committee and invite them to join committee and/or advocate DEI goals.

The meeting adjourned at 8pm.

General PTA Meeting

December 9, 2019 from 6pm – 8pm

MINUTES

Welcome – Abi Fenelon & Bonnie Scarborough, PTA Co-Presidents

Treasury Report

Fundraising is catching up to last year with recent campaigns. As of November 30th, we have raised approximately $205,000 and $216,000 as of last week, so we are making progress. A request was made for $700 for a fashion club for a sewing machine and other supplies. Motion was approved.

Expedited Election for Executive Board Positions

The following candidates were uncontested and were approved with a show of hands:

• Co-Vice President of Community Building/Relations – Shamel Flowers
• Co-Recording Secretary – Katherine Bruck

SLT Report – Windell Williams

There is one open position on the School Leadership Team (SLT). An election to fill this position will be held at the next PTA General Meeting on Monday, January 13 at 6pm in the Library. The SLT is comprised of parents, school administrators, teachers and students. The SLT meets monthly to discuss and develop educational policies. All parents interested in the position should email Jonathan Spears (jonathan.spear@gmail.com) or attend the PTA meeting.

Committee Reports

• Diversity – Gary Ramsay reported that the Diversity Committee has chosen the book “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi for its Book Club. All Diversity Committee meetings are open to all parents at Beacon, and parents of all backgrounds are welcome. Two upcoming Diversity meetings will be held on January 6 (book club meeting) and January 13 (Diversity Committee) from 5-6pm in the Library.
• Merchandise – The merchandise sales were so successful that we are completely out of merchandise. New items will be ordered in January.
• Hospitality – Elle Malevar reported that the Hospitality Committee provided lunch for teachers and staff during the parent-advisor conferences in November.
• Community – Sari Gabay reported that neighborhood gatherings took place in Brooklyn, Queens, the East Villiage, the UWS and Staten Island. If your neighborhood is not represented, please email Sari Gabay to be a rep for your area. The 10^th Grade Potluck Dinner is scheduled for 1/23/2020.
• Fundraising – Diana Mahiques announced that the first fundraising event of the year, a Winter Wine Tasting was held on Saturday, December 7 was a big success. The event sold out and wine sales are still open for another week.  Beacon will receive 10% of the wine sales. She is working on a potential event with the Atlantic Theater Company for 3/9/2020.  The Fairway Community Partners card is an easy way to give to the school as Beacon receives a percentage when you shop (totally about $6000/year).  The committee is looking for other similar programs.
• Auction – Diana Mahiques announced plans for the 2020 Auction/Gala which will be held on Friday April 3 at The Cutting Room. Donated items are needed for the Auction, examples include parent services, restaurant gift certificates, tickets to plays/musicals, unique experiences. A parent who is a fashion/portrait photographer has offered a photo session. Volunteers will be needed leading up to the event and the day of. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Diana (dianamahiques@gmail.com) or Bonnie (bonnie.scarborough@gmail.com).

Meeting adjourned at 6:30pm

6:30pm – 8pm – Presentation on Performance/Project Based Assessments (PBAs)

Beacon program chair and English teacher Ben August, along with teacher Brian Traglio and three students, presented on PBAs.  They discussed what they are, what can be expected both in January and in June, and how to help your child prepare. 

General PTA Meeting

November 13, 2019 from 5pm – 8pm

MINUTES

Welcome – Abi Fenelon & Bonnie Scarborough, PTA Co-Presidents

Approval of Minutes – Motion was made to approve June 2019 and October 2019 minutes. Motion was approved.

Approval of MHSPC Designee – The Manhattan High School President’s Council (MHSPC) meets once a month. PTA presidents can attend themselves or assign a designee to attend and vote on behalf of The Beacon School. The Co-Presidents will not be able to attend all MHSPC meetings, and would therefore like Robin Broshi to be designee. Motion was made to approve Robin Broshi as MHSPC designee. Motion was approved.

Approval of SLT Designee – The School Leadership Team (SLT) meets once a month on Thursdays at 4pm. The PTA President is an ex officio member of the SLT. Because neither Co-President is able to attend at that time, they have asked Vice President Windell Williams to attend in their place. Motion was made to approve Windell Williams as SLT designee. Motion was approved.

Treasury Report

Cash Opening Balance – Oct 1, 2019 – $301,506

Cash Closing Balance – Oct 31, 2019 – $338,948

Fundraising is at about 80% of what we had raised at this time last year, so we are making progress. Currently, we are at 35% of our fundraising goal for the year.

Teacher Rebecca Dashka requested $500 to start a new Dungeons & Dragons Club which has 42 students already enrolled. Motion was made to allocate $500. Motion was approved.

Committee Reports

• Diversity – Windell Williams reported that the Diversity Committee has chosen the book “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi for its Book Club. All Diversity Committee meetings are open to all parents at Beacon, and parents of all backgrounds are welcome. Two meetings to discuss the book will be held on January 6 and January 13 from 5-6pm in the Library.
• Merchandise – The first lunchtime merchandise sale was a big success, with total sales of over $4000. Merchandise was also sold at the 9^th grade parent potluck. The next sale will be at the Parent-Advisor Conferences on November 21-22. Volunteers are needed to help with the sale. PTA was asked if it was possible to set up Mobile Pay, which we will look into; currently Square is used to accept credit card payments.
• Fundraising – Diana Mahiques announced the first fundraising event of the year. It will be a Winter Wine Tasting to be held on Saturday, December 7 from 7-10pm. The event will be held at freshman parents’ Historic West Village Townhouse and will feature tastings of 6 award-winning wines from OneHope Wines. Beacon will receive 10% of wine sales, plus $45 per person ticket price capped at 50 people for insurance reasons.
• Auction – Bonnie Scarborough and Diana Mahiques announced plans for the 2020 Auction/Gala. Auction items are needed, examples include parent services, restaurant gift certificates, tickets to plays/musicals, unique experiences. A parent who is a fashion/portrait photographer has offered a photo session. The Gala venue will be the Cutting Room, NYC. Volunteers will be needed leading up to the event and the day of. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Diana (dianamahiques@gmail.com) or Bonnie (bonnie.scarborough@gmail.com).
• Hospitality – Elle Malevar reported on the activities of the Hospitality Committee. They will provide lunch for teachers and staff during the parent-advisor conferences on November 21-22. Volunteers are needed to help with set-up and clean up.
• Community – Sari Gabay reported that the 9^th grade parent potluck was a huge success with over 100 parents attending! Acknowledgements to the 9^th grade class representatives for the hard work they put in. Three neighborhood gatherings are planned for the next week, in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side on November 14 and in the Upper West Side of Manhattan on November 19. If your neighborhood is not represented, please volunteer to lead.
• Communications – Abi Fenelon acknowledges all the hard work and professionalism that Rose Arce and Shirley Brady have put into creating our beautiful new newsletter format (Applaus!). Rose stressed the importance of timely submissions from executive board members and Abi encouraged parents to submit news about the sports teams and clubs that their children participated in. We will start including links in newsletter to articles from the student online newspaper, the Beacon Beat. Photographs of student activities and sports events are requested, if parents have any, please forward. It was suggested that the afterschool Photography Club get involved in taking photos for newsletter.

Presentation on Mood Disorders and Adolescent Mental Health

Windell Williams announced that Dr. Karen Schwartz of Johns Hopkins will be speaking to teachers, staff, and students about mood disorders and mental health in adolescents. Dr. Schwartz will also be available to speak to parents. Her visit was originally scheduled for December 5-6, 2019, but due to health issues, she will have to reschedule for the spring.

Introductions

Abi asked each parent in attendance to introduce themselves and say a little about their child and their interest in getting involved in the PTA. Shamel Flowers, 9^th grade parent, stated that she would be interested in the open position of Co-VP for Community Building/Relations. An expedited election will be held at the December PTA meeting to fill this position.

Meeting adjourned at 6pm

6pm – 7:10pm – Screening of the movie “Screenagers”

7:10 – 8pm – Talkback with Rose Arce and Shirley Brady

Welcome – Abi Fenelon, PTA President

Motion was made to approve September 2019 minutes. Motion was approved.

Treasury Report – Jacqueline Deval, Treasurer

Cash Opening Balance – Sept 1, 2019 – $297, 031

Cash Closing Balance – Sept 30, 2019 – $301,506

Budget

Our current Revenue goal: $391,350

Expenses Planned: $458,765

There will be a Net Loss of: $67,415

Revenue raised YTD (Sept 30): $43,385. Revenues are coming in at about 50% compared to last year. We will need to recommend budget cuts if revenue does not pick up. Clubs will be cut.

Request for Funding: Motion was made to approve$20,000 to fund a guidance counselor for the college office. Motion was approved.

Next Steps

• Talking to past PAs for ideas on fundraising
• Matching Funds Program
• Setting up a brainstorm session
• Using Donor’s Choose or Amazon Wish Lists to meet teacher requests

Questions

• Does Beacon use Donors Choose ever or do requests just go directly to the PA?
  • Only teachers themselves can set up Donors Choose accounts. There is a fair amount of reporting required on the part of the teacher. Some teachers use it, but not so much last year.
• If we need to eliminate clubs due to budget problems could we begin with those with small memberships?
  • Every club is required to have a minimum of 15 members.  All clubs may need to be eliminated because there may be no fair way to determine which clubs should stay or not.

Committee Reports

• Diversity – Windell Williams
• Merchandise – Tali Mermelstein & Jeff Rosenblum                          

The first lunchtime sale will be held on Friday, October 25^th.  Prices range between $30-$35. Offering new styles of hoodies, sweatpants, and bags. Need volunteers to help sell.  A sign up sheet will appear online in the newsletter.

• Community – Sari Gabay

                Promoting Beacon community in different neighborhoods. 

EXPEDITED ELECTION

The first vote was held to fill the following Executive Board Positions where candidates were running uncontested. A motion was made to approve the following slate for the Executive Board. The motion was approved.

• Co-President – Bonnie Scarborough
• Co-Recording Secretary – NO VOLUNTEERS
• Auction Committee Co-VPs – NO VOLUNTEERS
• Communications Committee Co-VPs – Rose Arce & Shirley Brady
• Community Building/Relations Co-VP – Tes MacPherson
• Diversity Committee Co-VP– Gary Anthony Ramsey
• Fundraising Committee Co-VPs – NO VOLUNTEERS

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE ELECTION

Originally, there were 4 candidates for the 3 member-at-large positions. However, Diana Mahiques graciously agreed to run for the position of Fundraising Co-VP instead. The second vote was held to fill the following Executive Board positions where candidates were running uncontested. A motion was made to approve the following slate for the Executive Board. The motion was approved.

• Members-at-Large – Spencer Green, Katherine Bruck, and Julie Harding
• Fundraising Committee Co-VP – Diana Mahiques

Speaker: Diana Martinez, MD

“It’s Time To Talk About Mental Health and the Challenges that Impact High School Students”

Diana Martinez, a Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University who also conducts neuroscience research and is mother to a Beacon Senior, will discuss neurobiology and the mental health of teenagers. Dr. Martinez will also discuss the neuroscience of depression, anxiety, suicide, and addiction—including warning signs and preventative measures—in teenagers.

General Parent Teacher Association Meeting 9/16/19

Student Speakers: Abi Fenelon, PTA President, introduced student speakers. Students described how they had been introverts when they came to Beacon and that joining student clubs (funded by the PTA) provided an opportunity for them to come out of their shells and take more risks. They excelled in the clubs, which gave them self-confidence and increased their self-esteem. Students reported that their experiences and accomplishments in clubs helped them to be better students and better people overall. It changed their lives for the better.

Abi Fenelon, PTA President: Abi shared that she is also on the DOE Community Education Council representing the needs of student with IEPs (individualized education programs). Her daughter is a senior at Beacon and she give Beacon credit for awakening her daughter’s love of science and giving her plenty of opportunities and support to explore a future in the sciences. Abi explained that the donations that families give to the school help support the teachers, the clubs and the other activities. This year the PTA will focus on three initiatives:

1. Fundraising
2. Parent Engagement
3. Community Building
   

Windell Williams, PTA Vice President: Windell has a junior and a freshman at the school. As Vice President, his two main responsibilities are:

1. Reading the emails that parents send to the PTA and addressing their concerns. This email is available on the Beacon website (beaconpa@beaconschool.org).
2. Programming. The format of the monthly PTA General Meeting is that we discuss matters concerning the PTA for the first hour. During the second hour, we bring in professionals to discuss issues of special concern to parents. Last year, topics included the health risks of vaping and Juuling, managing stress in teenagers, understanding executive functioning, and grief counseling.

If you are a parent with special or professional experience on subject matters that would be relevant to our community, please let us know. The parents of our community make the best speakers because they are intimately involved with what information is important to us.

Last year Windell was very active in the Diversity Committee and would like other parents to consider getting involved. Dawan Julien is Co-Vice President of the Diversity Committee this year and she is looking for someone to co-chair the committee with her. The Diversity committee will meet about 4 times this year and is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion at Beacon. Come join us.

Public school dollars don’t cover everything that makes The Beacon School unique, such as clubs and special classes. The goal of the PTA is to raise $400K this year. Beacon is special. Please support the school by donating. I hope people are inspired tonight. There is no time like the present. Thank you for coming.

Introductions were made to the following members of the 2019-2020 PTA Executive Board:
Treasurers – Jacqueline Deval and Karin Polo
Secretary – Marti Quinones- McCarthy
Diversity – Dawan Julien
Vice President – Nancy Lee Molesworth
Hospitality – Elle Melaver and Katherine Williams Merchandise – Tali Mermelstein and Jeff Rosenblum
SLT members – Sandra Blackwood, Katie Miller, Lisa Shatz, Jonathan Spear, Inci Ulger
Parent Coordinator – Erdene Greene

Sari Gabay, Co-Vice President, Community Building/Relations: Thanks for everyone’s contributions today. Another way to help is with your time. We are currently looking for a Co-Vice President for the Community committee as well as Neighborhood Representatives. Now that our kids are in high school, there are less opportunities for parents to come together to build a community. Our Neighborhood Representatives help create that community by creating Beacon events in individual neighborhoods and bringing parents together in a purely social environment outside of the school.

We are also looking for Grade Representatives to represent each grade from 9-12. Grade Representatives will help to communicate ideas and the needs of your grade to the PTA.

Make sure you are reading your PTA emails. We have some events coming up, including a 5K fun run on October 20th. Regular pricing for the event is happening until 10/19 with a small increase for those who sign up on the day of.

Ruth Lacey, Principal: The students have had the chance to speak about their Beacon experience. Ruth will focus on what it is like to be a parent of a high school student. Just because they are in high school: Don’t Let Go. They need to know that they have you behind them. Some kids do feel stressed. Parents too. We have learned a lot about the social emotional piece of being a teenager and they still need your support.

Take the Phones Away: Kids are addicted to their phones. They are up all night with their phones and coming into school tired and less ready to learn. They are not letting the freedom of the mind rule.

We offer experiences here at Beacon. Kids come up with ideas for new clubs. 500 of our students participate in sports. At least 500 participate in clubs. They need to find the balance between their extracurricular activities and their school work.

Finally, Feed Them. Make sure they are eating breakfast or have a plan for lunch. It makes a difference. These are the things that we see on this side. Everyone should feel free comfortable to come to the school with questions. We aim for robust parent/teacher engagement. Thank you. Good Luck.

Introductions of School Administration and Teachers:
Ann Lennon – New Vice Principal who has been teaching math at Beacon. She is familiar with the school and the students.
Erdene Greene – Parent Coordinator
The Counseling Team – Three dedicated counselors for the 9-11 grade and one dedicated to the Senior class. There are now 2 social workers, and a fully functioning College Office.
Joanne Cimato – Drama Teacher. She is an arts scholar and History teacher. B’DAT is grateful for the generosity of Beacon parents. Their contributions have allowed students to have access to specialists in the arts field. Can’t wait to meet parents and kids. Be the Scholar Athlete Artist. Be all of it.
Ben August – Teacher also involved in the PTA. Supervised the Model Congress Club.

Call to Action, Abi Fenelon: We need you to donate money. We need you to volunteer.

Closing Remarks: Participate and engage with the PTA. Make sure you are on our mailing list and getting our emails. Find whatever way works for you to connect with us. If you can’t come in person to meetings, make sure to build a relationship with your child’s advisor. They can help you navigate the maze. Erdene is another great resource to help you help your child. Thank you for coming. We welcome you to Beacon.

Minutes from General PA Meeting on June 10, 2019

Introduction – Lisa Shatz

May 2019 General Minutes – Minutes were approved.

Treasurers Report – Jacqueline Deval and Karin Polo Barrett presented the treasurer’s report. Cash opening balance was $386,818 and the closing balance was $345,820. Total YTD revenue $452,512 and Total YTD expenses $332,054. May revenue was $20,313, a combination of ticket sales, donations and merchandise sales. May expenses were $61,308, which went to admissions, college office, diversity committee, science class supplies and auction fees. YTD Net revenues is $120, 457.

Request for funding: Chris Mott in the Chemistry department is requesting $1,200 to cover the additional cost of chemistry supplies.  90 kits are needed for the Chemistry PBA. Motion for funding was approved.

A GoFundMe page has been set up in memory of Francesca Morris-Perez. The funds will be used to fund a graduate of Beacon to study Psychology and Theater. The PA would like to donate $1,500 to the fund. Motion for funding approved.

Proposed 2019-2020 Budget: According to the PA bylaws, the PA is required to approve a budget for 2019-2020. Requests have been submitted by all of the teachers and a proposed budget has been created. There should be no concerns about approving a budget at this time because our budget is fluid, changing month to month. The point of approving the budget early is to avoid a shortfall in the fall.

Of some concern, we do not have a committed fundraising committee right now. Historically our auction has been up and down, so $75K seems like a fair budget goal. Teacher requests have been mostly met. Once the budget is approved by the PA, it will be presented to the administration to make sure it is in line with their goals as well. Budget for 2019-2020 was approved.

Expedited Election: Due to the resignation of one Co-President, the PA is holding an expedited election. The motion was made to approve the following candidates: Abi Fenelon as Co-President, thereby vacating her position as Vice President. Windell Williams as Vice President, thereby vacating his position as Co-Vice President of the Diversity Committee. Motion to elect Abi Fenelon and Windell Williams into these positions was approved. Dawan Julien would welcome a new Co-Vice President for the Diversity Committee.

Guest Speaker – Lisa Zeitz, LMSW

Lisa spoke about how to help families support young people in times of trauma and loss. She has worked in the field of death, dying and bereavement since 1985. Lisa has experience in inpatient settings, in outpatient hospice, and for the last 20 plus years has specialized in bereavement.

Lisa is currently affiliated with the Bereavement Center of Westchester, where for over 21 years she has co-led the Tree House, a support program for families grieving the death of a parent or child. For many years, she has been particularly focused on working in schools and community groups, both in the wake of a tragedy and by providing readiness training on how to handle “when death comes to school.”