Parents' Association  of P.S.144Q

93-02 69th Ave.

Forest Hills, NY 11375

MINUTES FROM MEETINGS

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PA of PS 144 – Board Meeting
2/9/09 – Minutes

Present: Jeanne Kwok, Amy Woo, Sue Izeman, Caroline Walters, Sue Chin-Louie, Nikki O'Sullivan, Tricia Kampton, Lisa Brody, Kim Ramazan, Maria Cognata.

Meeting called to order at 6:10 p.m.

Book Fair Update - Lisa Brody and Tricia Kampton will attend a Scholastic Book Fair meeting on 2/24 to learn about having a book fair at PS 144. The last book fair held at the school was in 2003.

Website - A parent suggested a Frequently Asked Questions section to be added to the website for new parents. Some possible questions were suggested (who to contact for busing issues, After school program, when pre-k applications will be available, why isn't the playground open). Questions for the FAQ should be emailed to Lisa Brody (kitzelkat@mac.com ).

Fundraising – Amy Woo reminded everyone of the need to mindful of the economy and its impact on people's ability to contribute to fundraisers, as well as the risk of tapping out the same group of volunteers. Different events cater to different people. The PA needs to assess each fundraiser to see if its impact is worth the time and energy. We need to spread out events over the course of the year and prioritize the events. All fundraisers should be discussed at the PA Board meeting. Upcoming fundraisers are the Auction, the Plant Sale and, possibly, an Atlas Park Day.

Insurance – Kim Ramazan discussed the need for liability insurance for the PA. The After School Program has added gymnastics and feels there is a need for liability insurance. The money for the insurance will come out of the After School Program budget. It will include the fee to join PTO Today, general liability for PA sponsored events as well as liability protection for PA board members.

Sex Offenders Notices – Discussed people's concerns about the notices being sent home in the children's folders. If the principal has an obligation to send out the notices (especially since not all families have email addresses), then the PA would prefer that the notices are in sealed envelopes and maybe have the teacher emphasize that the notices have nothing to do with the students, to discourage the children from opening the notices.

Vote on Programs Funding – A vote was held to spend $500.00 for an assembly for the entire school. The assembly would be Afro-Irish music and dance. The vote was 10 to 0 to spend the money.

Auction Update – Tricia Kampton will send out a spreadsheet of all the donations to the auction. Nikki O'Sullivan's in-laws donated $500.00 to the auction. The Auction will be held on Saturday, March 14. It will begin at 2:00 pm and admission will be free.

Reminder – All notices sent out on PA letterhead must be approved by one of the PA presidents.

SLT Update – The Halls of Science will be held around May 18th, after the 4th grade Science Test. It is still unknown what budget cuts are ahead for the school. Despite parents at PS 101 saying that they are overcrowded and their CTT and G&T classes should be sent to PS 144, it is the Office of Portfolio Development that makes the decisions based on what is needed in what schools.

Minutes from the January PA Executive Board meeting were approved by email of the Board members on January 28, 2009.

Next meeting – March 16, 2009. Meeting adjourned at 7:02 p.m.