Staten Island Federation of PTAs Delegate Meeting
Petrides Conference Center
October 17th, 2011

Meeting called to order at 9:32 AM followed by the Pledge

Schools not in attendance: PS 1, 13, 16, 18, 20, 21, 25, 26, 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 44, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60, 80, 373, IS 2, 27, 49, 61, 63, 75, HS Concord, LaVelle Prep, Hungerford, McCown, McKee, Petrides, Pt. Richmond, So. Richmond

Mission Statement Read
Minutes of Sept. 19th 2011 were read and a motion to accept was made by Lillian Cipoletti Seconded by Vera Miceli Minutes accepted

Presidents Report- We have a vacancy to fill for Treasurer. Cathy Carlson, Michele Faljean and Sue Dietrich looked through the books and due to inadequate recording keeping Karen Malone was asked to step down as treasurer which she did. Reading of the By-laws for filling open spot: candidate must have served on Federation or been Treasure of their PTA.
We still have positions open on Special Ed. and Academic Excellence- please let us know if you would like to volunteer.

PTA Officers Workshop- if you were unable to attend we have handouts of the information discussed
Request for assistance forms have been motified

Common Core Standards- At the CEC meeting a Power Point presentation was shown. www.cec31.org (click on the link to open), www.nysed.gov (click on Common Core Standards). Joan McKeever-Thomas also has handouts from her workshop.

P.S. 14- School at risk of closing. Will now go into process to reevaluate, which can take 2-3 years, to see if the school can be turned around. Cathy went to their PTA meeting and the principal wanted to know where the help was in the last few years? There was no money support, no teacher training support but a lot of parent support. PS 14 test scores from 2009-2010 did not improve but they also did not go down. Hopefully now they will get the support they need. PTA President (Iris Perez) gave her support to the school. They have Learning Leaders working in the school. Vera has a handout- How has budget cuts affected your school? Write out your concerns so they can be presented.

The Center for Arts Education- please see flyer and get your voice heard. This is a federally funded program that should not be taken from the students.

DLT- in the process of putting together a liasion list- once finished it will be sent to SLT in your school. They are there to support your SLT

Vice Presidents Report-Director of Division of Family and Community Engagement held an open policy discussion on the CCS. HTTP;//pta.org./4446.HTM
Martin Krongold stated that the CCS is looking for more non-fiction in Language Arts and more indepth problem solving in math. Cathy stated that the CCS is looking for a deeper thought process for fewer subjects. In years to come testing will be looking for deeper answers.
At the officers workshop it was stated that the parents want a grant writing workshop to be presented-Martin Krongold has agreed to help

Food Drive- Please bring food for the drive that will be conducted at our Nov. and Dec. meetings. Food for humans and pets. Please see flyer for needed items.

Corresponding Secretary Report- Please look through your presidents packet and return all forms with the needed information : delegate alternate, elected PTA, Budget forms, Relay form.

Title I- Claudia stated that by the end of the month, your school should have had a meeting to form your Title I committee. There will be a Title I meeting after the Presidents Council meeting. If unable to make this meeting and you have questions please see or e-mail Claudia.

Transportation- Lisa Giangrande stated that parents are still pushing for the return of yellow school buses for our students. Packets are being made with community/life issues etc. to be sent to the DOE. Please e-mail personal stories to Lisa at coffeetalk517@aol.com

501c3- Deadline is Nov. 15th Cathy will be at the Presidents meeting and will answer questions regarding IRS filling.

Marie Castelucci- Borough Family Advocate- stated that as a DOE member she respects us very much. She hopes your schools are talking about the CCS.There is a lot of information at engageny.org. Also go to the DOE website and hit the search box for Common Core Standards. Superintendents are already in the schools.
Easiest way to reach Marie is through e-mail mcastel2@schools.nyc.gov phone 718-420-5624. Now in room 141. Zulma took ill recently. Please keep her in your prayers.

Old Business- Resolution in Support of the Jessica Tush Act. Jessica Tush Act, prepared by Joan and Dina, read by Cathy.Cathy called for a motion to send resolution as written. I, Bernadette Bueti, make the motion to send the resolution as written. Seconded by Veronica King. All in favor. Passed

New Business: Copier needs to be replaced. Sue: lease (5 years, $150 a month $9000 total) buy-$8000. Discussion followed I, Claudia, make a motion to lease a copier for the office. Seconded by Cathy Nicosia All in favor Motion passes. A copier will be leased for the office.

Treasurers Report- Can not balance by $67. Need to go month by month to find the diffrerence. Submitted to Gloria from Cathy for audit.Motion to accept report as changed made by Erin Shiffman. Seconded by Vera Miceli All in favor passed

Audit Committee- need members. Vanessa Burel from PS22 and Kathy Boyer have stated that they will sit on the committee. They will meet after todays meeting.

Joan McKeever-Thomas- Thank you for passing the Jessica Tush Act. Have several handouts please pick them up and share with your schools. This Saturday Oct. 22 will be the second Annual Parent Conference. Please bring your children. There will be child care.

Guest Speaker- Danielle Eakins from the Staten Island Skating Pavilion spoke about fundraising opportunites at her facility. Nov.12- free skate RSVP and bring a canned good for your entrance fee. Pavilion.org

Erminia Claudio- Thank you for all your hard work. Any time you need help please tell the Board and they will get back to me with your concerns.

Jason Cohen and John Deluca- Staten Island Yankees- Fund Raising opportunities. Will come to your school with Scooter and help sell the event to your students.

Open Agenda- Suggestion made for the Mighty Milers to come to one of our delegate meetings.

Jackie Tripoli- mentioned that Parent to Parent will be holding a meeting on Oct. 24. Please read about this on the relay.

Motion to adjourn made by Dawn Longo at 12:00 pm. Seconded Meeting adjourned

Respectally submitted,
Gloria Blake-Stirton,
Recording Secretary

Staten Island Federation of PTAs Delegate Meeting
Petrides Conference Center
October 17th, 2011

Meeting called to order at 9:32 AM followed by the Pledge

Schools not in attendance: PS 1, 13, 16, 18, 20, 21, 25, 26, 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 44, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60, 80, 373, IS 2, 27, 49, 61, 63, 75, HS Concord, LaVelle Prep, Hungerford, McCown, McKee, Petrides, Pt. Richmond, So. Richmond

Mission Statement Read
Minutes of Sept. 19th 2011 were read and a motion to accept was made by Lillian Cipoletti Seconded by Vera Miceli Minutes accepted

Presidents Report- We have a vacancy to fill for Treasurer. Cathy Carlson, Michele Faljean and Sue Dietrich looked through the books and due to inadequate recording keeping Karen Malone was asked to step down as treasurer which she did. Reading of the By-laws for filling open spot: candidate must have served on Federation or been Treasure of their PTA.
We still have positions open on Special Ed. and Academic Excellence- please let us know if you would like to volunteer.

PTA Officers Workshop- if you were unable to attend we have handouts of the information discussed
Request for assistance forms have been motified

Common Core Standards- At the CEC meeting a Power Point presentation was shown. www.cec31.org (click on the link to open), www.nysed.gov (click on Common Core Standards). Joan McKeever-Thomas also has handouts from her workshop.

P.S. 14- School at risk of closing. Will now go into process to reevaluate, which can take 2-3 years, to see if the school can be turned around. Cathy went to their PTA meeting and the principal wanted to know where the help was in the last few years? There was no money support, no teacher training support but a lot of parent support. PS 14 test scores from 2009-2010 did not improve but they also did not go down. Hopefully now they will get the support they need. PTA President (Iris Perez) gave her support to the school. They have Learning Leaders working in the school. Vera has a handout- How has budget cuts affected your school? Write out your concerns so they can be presented.

The Center for Arts Education- please see flyer and get your voice heard. This is a federally funded program that should not be taken from the students.

DLT- in the process of putting together a liasion list- once finished it will be sent to SLT in your school. They are there to support your SLT

Vice Presidents Report-Director of Division of Family and Community Engagement held an open policy discussion on the CCS. HTTP;//pta.org./4446.HTM
Martin Krongold stated that the CCS is looking for more non-fiction in Language Arts and more indepth problem solving in math. Cathy stated that the CCS is looking for a deeper thought process for fewer subjects. In years to come testing will be looking for deeper answers.
At the officers workshop it was stated that the parents want a grant writing workshop to be presented-Martin Krongold has agreed to help

Food Drive- Please bring food for the drive that will be conducted at our Nov. and Dec. meetings. Food for humans and pets. Please see flyer for needed items.

Corresponding Secretary Report- Please look through your presidents packet and return all forms with the needed information : delegate alternate, elected PTA, Budget forms, Relay form.

Title I- Claudia stated that by the end of the month, your school should have had a meeting to form your Title I committee. There will be a Title I meeting after the Presidents Council meeting. If unable to make this meeting and you have questions please see or e-mail Claudia.

Transportation- Lisa Giangrande stated that parents are still pushing for the return of yellow school buses for our students. Packets are being made with community/life issues etc. to be sent to the DOE. Please e-mail personal stories to Lisa at coffeetalk517@aol.com

501c3- Deadline is Nov. 15th Cathy will be at the Presidents meeting and will answer questions regarding IRS filling.

Marie Castelucci- Borough Family Advocate- stated that as a DOE member she respects us very much. She hopes your schools are talking about the CCS.There is a lot of information at engageny.org. Also go to the DOE website and hit the search box for Common Core Standards. Superintendents are already in the schools.
Easiest way to reach Marie is through e-mail mcastel2@schools.nyc.gov phone 718-420-5624. Now in room 141. Zulma took ill recently. Please keep her in your prayers.

Old Business- Resolution in Support of the Jessica Tush Act. Jessica Tush Act, prepared by Joan and Dina, read by Cathy.Cathy called for a motion to send resolution as written. I, Bernadette Bueti, make the motion to send the resolution as written. Seconded by Veronica King. All in favor. Passed

New Business: Copier needs to be replaced. Sue: lease (5 years, $150 a month $9000 total) buy-$8000. Discussion followed I, Claudia, make a motion to lease a copier for the office. Seconded by Cathy Nicosia All in favor Motion passes. A copier will be leased for the office.

Treasurers Report- Can not balance by $67. Need to go month by month to find the diffrerence. Submitted to Gloria from Cathy for audit.Motion to accept report as changed made by Erin Shiffman. Seconded by Vera Miceli All in favor passed

Audit Committee- need members. Vanessa Burel from PS22 and Kathy Boyer have stated that they will sit on the committee. They will meet after todays meeting.

Joan McKeever-Thomas- Thank you for passing the Jessica Tush Act. Have several handouts please pick them up and share with your schools. This Saturday Oct. 22 will be the second Annual Parent Conference. Please bring your children. There will be child care.

Guest Speaker- Danielle Eakins from the Staten Island Skating Pavilion spoke about fundraising opportunites at her facility. Nov.12- free skate RSVP and bring a canned good for your entrance fee. Pavilion.org

Erminia Claudio- Thank you for all your hard work. Any time you need help please tell the Board and they will get back to me with your concerns.

Jason Cohen and John Deluca- Staten Island Yankees- Fund Raising opportunities. Will come to your school with Scooter and help sell the event to your students.

Open Agenda- Suggestion made for the Mighty Milers to come to one of our delegate meetings.

Jackie Tripoli- mentioned that Parent to Parent will be holding a meeting on Oct. 24. Please read about this on the relay.

Motion to adjourn made by Dawn Longo at 12:00 pm. Seconded Meeting adjourned

Respectfully submitted,
Gloria Blake-Stirton,
Recording Secretary

Staten Island Federation of PTAs Delegate Meeting
Petrides Complex Building B
Monday, November 14th 2011

Meeting called to order at 9:37AM followed by the Pledge of Alligence

Schools not in attendance: PS 3, PS 4, PS 6, PS 8, PS 13, PS14, PS16, PS 18, PS 20, PS 21, PS 25, PS 26, PS 29, PS 31, PS 35, PS 36, PS 38, PS 39, PS 41, PS 48, PS 52, PS 54, PS 55, PS 56, PS 57, PS 58, PS 60, PS 69, PS 373, IS 2, IS 34, IS 51, IS 61, IS 63, IS 72, IS 75, HS Concord, Hungerford, McCown, McKee, PT. Richmand, SO. Richmond, LaVelle Prep

Recording Secretary: Minutes of Oct. 17th 2011 read. Motion to accept minutes as read made by Cathy Nicosia, Seconded by Sharon Opalecky All in favor Minutes accepted

Treasurers Report: Motion to accept Treasurers report made by Maria Collica Seconded by Claudia Tedeschi Sheiman All in favor Report accepted
There is a new Exemption Purchase Certificate that you may pick up and keep in your files until needed.

Please send in your completed Delegate/Alternate form. The members stated on the form are the members with the right to vote.

Presidents Report: At the Executive Officers Meeting, Cathy Carlson asked Claudia Tedeschi Sheiman to step in as Treasurer for the remainer of the 2011-2012 school year. Approval from the delegate members is needed. The floor was opened to anyone who would like to put their name in for treasurer. No one came forth. I, Jackie Tripodi make a motion to approve the appointment of Claudia Tedeschi Sheiman as our new treasurer Seconded by Veronica Camgemi. All in favor. Motion approved. Congratulations Claudia.

Joan McKeever-Thomas- There will be a budget meeting on Nov. 29th at PS 58 from 7:00-9:00 PM. Please fill out the form that were sent to your school and that is also available here at the front table. We want the room to be filled with concerned parents and interested parties. Anyone can fill out the forms. All Staten Island legislators have been invited to this meeting. We will be forming groups of 10 to visit the officials at their offices in the near future. Cathy: Ask for this issue to be added to your school agenda.

Vice Presidents Report: Michele stated that on Nov. 3rd at the high school subcommittee Ms.Simoni discussed the current progress reports for our schools. How the grades were arrived at and how schools were placed within their peer groups. On the High School level there is no longer a general diploma. Now all students must pass five regents with a 65% or better. Most high schools stayed at the same grade they acheived last year. Hopefully there will be changes made on how a school gets into a certain peer group and how the grades are formed. Progress Report Overview- Go to schools.nyc.gov and link to site.
Where are you now report- available to Principals not to general public. 75% of graduates go to a CUNY school. Michele is in the process of switching our website to new software.

Corresponding Secretary report- Please send in your information from the Presidents packet. We need to have all names on report for voting purposes.

Committee reports- Marie Pallante is not present but she wanted it known that there will be a DC 31 President's Council meeting this Friday and that an E-Chalk presentation will be made.

Cathy Carlson stated that 501c3 is due tomorrow with a date stamp of Nov.15th. Cathy has filed for a three month extention for Federations filing. This was so the work could be done completely and unrushed. Afterwards please send a copy of your form to Cathy so she has proof that the paperwork was filled out and sent in.

Jackie Tripodi- Scholarship: The luncheon will be June 4th at the Hilton. E-mail for luncheon: FederationScholarship@gmail.com
Theme: Technology and Change
Quote: Older people sit down and ask,'What is it?' but the boy asks, 'What can I do with it?' Steve Jobs
PTA Presidents will be sent a timeline of upcoming events. Art Scholarship will be sent out by Nov. 18th.

Grant Writing Workshop: Michele stated that hopefully this workshop will occur the first week of January. Martin has volunteered to help with this workshop.

Joan McKeever-Thomas: " I was given the honor to select one person who has given of herself above and beyond. I am proud to present this plaque from the UFT, Power of Parents, to Laura Cavalleri for all of her hard work towards getting a dyslexic teaching program into our schools.
Laura thanked all for listening over all these years. Cathy stated that because of Laura we how have a pilot program in several SI schools. Now need to get it as an issue for the IEP.

Guests: Josephine Marino, Health Plus - Would like to bring a Health Fair to your school. This can consist of anything from eye exams to mammograms.

Marie Castelucci- New office procedures- stop at the security desk where the guard will call to see if Zulma and I are available. There is a high level of confidential information in our new office space that we must respect.

Zulma Cruz- Looking into dates for SLT training dates.
DFACE- Division of Family and Community Engagement FACE @ schools.nyc.gov
New phone # 1-212-374-4118

Katie Jo Righi, Special Olympics
Overview, 50,000 athletes are involved with the Special Olympics. World Games in July Polar Plunge Dec. 4th Great Kills Park. Doug Patterson spoke about what a great fund raiser the Polar Plunge is for the Special Olympics. Please come out and support us. You do not have to get into the water. Volunteers can earn community service hours.

Kevin Joyce- Lifestyles for the Disabled. A great program for everyone involved. Please come to our Holiday Store at The Coral Island Shopping Center Monday through Friday from 9-5 PM. Items will include products from their Woodshop, Greenhouse, Arts & Crafts and Jewelry Program. Please see flyer for times and dates.

Open Agenda- Kathy Boyer wanted to know if Federation could send a letter to the DoE requesting a copy of the curriculum for sex education in our schools. It was stated that there is DoE training and that Cathy would look into the matter for the following meeting.

Joan- Handed out flyers for Hotline Against Bullying. Please get this information to your schools and have it posted.

Motion to adjourn made by Jackie Tripodi Seconded by Sharon Opalecky Meeting adjourned at 11:10 AM

Respectfully submitted,
Gloria Blake-Stirton
Recording Secretary

Staten Island Federation of PTAs Delegate Meeting
Petrides Complex Building C
Monday, December 12th 2011

Meeting called to order at 9:45 AM followed by the Pledge of Alligence and the reading of the Federation Oath

Schools not in attendance: PS 1, PS 6, PS 16, PS 18, PS 19, PS 20, PS 21, PS 22, PS 23, PS 25, PS 26, PS 31, PS 35, PS 36, PS 37, PS 38, PS 39, PS 41, PS 46, PS 48, PS 52, PS 54, PS 55, PS 56, PS 58, PS 60, PS 65, PS 69, PS 373, IS 2, IS 7, IS 27, IS 34, IS 61, IS 63, IS 72, IS 75, HS Concord, Curtis, Hungerford, McCown McKee, Pt. Richmond, So. Richmond, LaVelle Prep

Recording Secretary: Minutes of Nov. 14th 2011 read. Motion to accept minutes as read made by Lillian Cipoletti Seconded All in favor Minutes accepted
Treasurers Report: Motion to accept the Treasurers Report made by Sharon Opelecky Seconded All in favor Report accepted

Presidents Report:
Sex Education Curriculum: Cathy Carlson asked her SLT/Principal about the curriculum for the sex education classes that will be beginning soon. They were unable to hand her a guildline for these classes. She will continue to seek information and will make a formal request to the DoE if unable to gather this information
.
Discretionary Funding for the PTAs: as of Nov. 28th 2011 Councilman Vincent Ignizio monies should be in your Galaxy account.
You need approval of your membership as to how to use this money. It is PTA money.

SI Federation Audit/ Procedure Manual: we need to sit down the first week of January. Goal: produce a manual to address Treasurer questions.

PS14 (Phase -out): In Sept 2012- there will be two principals working within the same building. One principal will continue with the final grades of PS14- third, fourth and fifth. The new principal will be in charge of Pre-K through second grade. PS 14 will be phased out in three years. The new school will now occupy the former PS 14 site. Please attend any and all forums for PS 14 because these actions have not been finalized. There is a parent meeting tonight with the superintendents. Joan McKeever-Thomas stated that Feb. 9th at the PEP meeting this issue will be voted on. Once there, the decision will not be overturned. There will also be a Parent Forum in January. A date has not been decided upon.

Budget meeting sponsored by CSA, UFT and Federation-Follow-up: Only one official attended this meeting(Debi Rose) Joan McKeever-Thomas: The meeting took place Nov. 29th with about 100 people in attendance. Our purpose was to show the amount of budget cuts our children are dealing with and how it is affecting our childrens school experience. Our next step is to meet with each elected official at their office and state the facts to them and try to open up lines of communication. We want to add the new message of Thank you for passing the Tax Bracket Reform. If you would like to be a part of these meetings please see Cathy Carlson or JoanMcKeever-Thomas for further information. The next meeting will be with State US Assemblyman Matthew Titone Dec. 20th at 10AM. Any further dates will be on our relay.

SLT Training: There will be a training session Jan. 10th from 4-7PM at New Dorp High School. This training will satisfy your SLT hours for Jan.

CPAC Update: Michele Faljean- Jesse Mojica spoke about Parent Academy and came to the meeting to pick a parent to sit on a committee for three weeks. Please see the handout about DFACE and how to testify at the Dec. 15th hearing. A resolution passed stating that PCB light fixtures should be replaced within two years of being discovered. We would like to have a written testimory including the following: What schools are in each cluster, contact information for whom to speak to about various situations. Parents should have been involved with the original pre proposal planning, DFACE should do the training inhouse. I, Claudia Tedeschi Sheiman, make a motion to have a written proposal from Federation be sent to DFACE. Seconded by Marisel Cruz All in favor Passed.

Cathy Carlson- reading of passed Resolution of CPAC. Marisel Cruz made a motion to pass resolution as written seconded by Henry Decker All in favor passed as written. Also motion made that at co-location sites charter schools should rent the space at cost not one dollar a year. Motion made by Mary Perry seconded by Steven McCrimmons All in favor Passed

Henry Decker- Capital Plan (new schools): Construction, once all requests are submitted they are addressed in order of importance(top 5 projects)There are three new schools currently being worked on, PS/IS 71, PS59, PS 62. With these new schools there will still be a need for 44 more seats.

Superintendents Aimee Horowitz and Erminia Claudio- Spoke about PS14- we are just the messengers. Discussion followed.

Marie Castelucci and Zulma Cruz- Your schools SLT by-laws need to be updated. PTAs also need to send in an updated version of their by-laws to Zulma Cruz. PTA by-laws needed: PS 2, PS 3, PS 6, PS 8, PS 14, PS 16, PS 18, PS 20, PS 21,PS 22,PS 23,PS 26,IS 27,PS 29, PS 31, PS 32, PS 35,PS 36,PS 38,PS 39, PS41, PS 45, PS 51, PS 54, PS 55, PS 56, PS 57, PS 58, PS 60. IS 61, PS 65, IS 72, IS 75 Rosters are also needed for PS 44, IS 72, PS 74 .There will be SLT training Jan 10th still need DFACE to confirm time and place. This training is not mandatory but will include new material. You do not need to be on your SLT to attend this training.
mcastel2@schools.nyc.gov

Staten Island Museum- Claire Aniela Arthurs- stated that your schools Title I monies can be used to access the museum. You can go to them and/or they will come to your school. Also a creative writing essay contest was announced. Please sign up and the materials will be sent to you. The essay writing is open to fifth grade through high school. Deadline is March 2nd.
Food Drive- was a success. Thank You.

Grant writing workshop Jan 18th. Please see flyer.

Vera Miceli- Need email address for our new gmail account. Cathy Carlson sent a letter to Jesse Mojica introducing Federation to him and also inviting him to one of our meetings. A letter was also sent to Dan Donovan.

Presidents Council- Marie Castelucci will present: How to get into your PTA email account. Meeting is on the 16th.

Laura Cavalleri, Academic Excellence- Citywide Council on Special Ed- should be getting the first quarter report soon. Target the SE students within your school and it will help the entire school community.

Wendy Ramos. Wished for Literacy- wants to provide workshops for dyslexia /tutoring centers/ teacher training

Joan McKeever-Thomas- Jan 7th noon at IS51 media event for anti- bullying workshops about to begin for the 6th and 8th graders.
March 6th 31 Ideal Stand up and Lead at 7PM location to be announced.

Next meeting Jan 9th with guest presenter for the DA Office- topic-Cyber bullying

Motion to Adjourn made by Michele Faljean Seconded Meeting adjourned at 11:50 AM

Respectfully submitted,
Gloria Blake-Stirton
Recording Secretary