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Minutes were read and approved. Discussion about light at 450 and Belair. Thanks to Lynn Bieber for her efforts. Unfortunately, ten seconds that were added have been revoked?
Treasurer's report:
Bowie Blade-News will run article about After Prom.
Mr. Roberts spok on behalf of the National Honor Society's upcoming Book Fair to be held 3/11/00 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the multi-purpose room. Donations of all used books, except periodicals, are being accepted. Advertising on cable channel and in the Blade-News for this event. Flyers will be distributed to solicit parent/community support. Funds being raised for senior class.
Mr. Burt not able to attend meeting, but provided summary about the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Presentation about the Internet Safety Program by U.S. Attorney's Office. Information packet provided to those present. Website = http://www.usadoj.gov (for information on press releasese concerning convicted offenders, etc.)
Representatives from the FBI, Don Neily and U.S. Attorney's office, and Steve Dettelbach were present to address the upcoming trial (2/29/00) on the cross burning incident. All but one individual admitted guilt.
Information about new boundaries for Ardmore HS can be accessed online.
Hall sweeps have increased. ID checks are done at that time -- 2nd period and after 6th. Any student caught not wearing ID for a 5th time will face suspension.
SRIC facilitator is Ms. Polk. There is also an assistant. Meetings have started to ID students for the program. Students will meet in Rm. 208, which will accommodate about 15 students who will attend because of misdemeanors. Guidelines will be developed by Ms. Polk and BHS administration.
State money is available to place probation officers in schools.
COPS program, where officers are teachers, is upcoming? If implemented, hopefully, the officer assigned will be retained.
Roxanne has resigned as President. Brenda Thomas will now hold this office.
Ms. Hosey will present next month with updates on testing.
Computers will be coming to each classroom at BHS.
Meeting adjourned at 8:51 p.m.
Minutes prepared by Crystal Thomas, Secretary
Mr. Burt will speak at next general meeting. Topic: National Technical Certification.
Meeting 1/12/00, 7 pm at Ardmore ES to discuss boundaries for new HS. Lynn [Bieber] reports that school should be ready for Fall 2000 opening. Also shared information about possibility of it being a science/math magnet or similar to Eleanor Roosevelt HS. Additional meetings about boundaries will be held 1/20, 1/26, and 2/2. Final vote by board on 2/24.
Additional time of 10 seconds was added to light at route 450 and Belair Drive has effectively improved traffic at that intersection.
Middle States review update: numerous repairs have taken place, with more to come.
After Prom budget to date: total is $3035.17
PTSA balance (re-membership dues) = $1396.38
Status of SRIC (in-school suspensions) was questioned. Dr. Morgan suggested speaking with Ms. Polk regarding this.
Correct Web address for the marquee was provided. Discussion about ways to advertise address resulted in the following ideas: include on school letterhead, cable channel, PTSA bulletin board.
Lauren [Jacob] briefed board about her site visit to the cruise boat. Most important difference is larger floor space than last year.
Meeting adjourned at 8:17 pm.
Minutes prepared by Crystal Thomas, Secretary
Ms. Brooks reviewed MD School Performance summary for BHS as it compares to other schools. BHS is 3rd largest in county. Performance data will be shared at the Jan. 2000 meeting.
Millenium baskets will not be done this year.
The board discussed options for effectively communicating information to parents: advertise on marquee, use web page, put web address on marquee (http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Lane/4110).
The placement of fire extinguishers in areas that are not readily accessible was questioned. Extinguishers were removed from hallways as a safety precaution, so they would be out of students' reach (potential weapon). No mention of firecode violation has ever been made during inspections.
Three teachers have signed up to assist with the After Prom event. Students will participate in a cruise departing from Baltimore harbor. Approximately 5 buses are being reserved. Fundraising ideas were shared by a few members (e.g. auction, on board casino-style game or activity).
R.A.P. sessions, addressing the topic of respect, were conducted in a number of classes on Tuesday, 11/30. They seemed to be well received by students and teachers for the most part. Student attendees offered ideas for modifying presentations, presenters, length, etc., for future sessions.
Bruce Butler, coordinator of the Talbot County SAVE program, is unable to present at the January general meeting. Roxanne will check with February presenters to see if they can switch. If so, Crystal will see if the SAVE presentation can be done in February.
Mary advised board of Leo Green's effort to appeal the "weapons-free zone" proposal.
Meeting adjourned at 8:27 p.m.
Minutes prepared by Crystal Thomas, Secretary
Back to School Night is Wed., 9/15. PTSA will have 2 tables: 1 in the lobby and 1 at the cafeteria/main hall junction. Dr. Morgan will advise as to need to reserve space for lobby.
Inservice date: Mon., 10/11. PTSA will provide refreshments for staff (200). Kathy will contact Einstein's and Starbucks about obtaining bagels, coffee, etc.
Schedule of PTSA Meetings/Topics:
The summer reading program will be addressed at the 10/99 general meeting. Hopefully the PTSA will have input from Barbara Landefeld, Nancy Maxwell, and/or Ms. McKinley prior to, or at, this meeting. Dr. Morgan will check into this further.
Leni Stern will be attending the PTA/PTO coalition meeting 9/9.
The Tech Dept. is seeking parent volunteers to assist in computer classes. PTSA will advertise in Bowie Blade and announce at Back to School Night.
Problem issues disussed:
Board members are asked to brainstorm about topics for Feb. and Mar. meetings.
Member/volunteer forms will be left in classrooms or in teachers mailboxes as a follow-up to Back to School Night.
Congratulations to Roxanne!: a new baby is on its way (4/1/99 - really?). Roxanne may not attend the March or April meetings.
Meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm.
Minutes prepared by ?
The PTSA made arrangements for the Bowie Chamber of Commerce to hold a job forum while the PTSA meeting was being held. Student participation was very good.
Mary Nusser presented the Treasurer's report.
Roxanne Calloway gave an update on the After Prom party.
Mary Nusser gave a BRAVA update. BRAVA has received a $2 million grant from the state of Maryland for the auditorium with a commitment from the governor to find another $1 million.
Roxanne requested volunteers for the nominating committee. Election of officers will be held at the May general meeting which will be the final general meeting of the school year.
Leni Stern gave an update on school boundary changes. There are no changes that will affect Bowie High School students. She stated that communities will be forming community clusters to look at boundary changes. Ardmore High School will have its own cluster. The Boundaries Office has a tentative plan for the new Ardmore High School, but they are waiting for community involvement. Leni is chairperson of the Community Planning Team.
Dr. Morgan stated that the school needs parent volunteers for the front desk, especially on Fridays.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm.
Minutes prepared by Betty Dorsey, Secretary
Mary Nusser gave the Treasurer's report. PTSA balance is $1,849.44. After-Prom Party balance is $440.07.
Mrs. Hosey gave a presentation on the new high school assessment program which consisted of an overview of the new assessment tests that high school students will be required to take. She stated that many major decisions are yet to be made at the state level, such as how the new assessment tests will be linked to the high school diploma, and what will happen if a student fails a test. These questions should be answered over the next few years when field testing results are reported. Field testing will begin in the year 2000 with English 1, followed by Algebra, Geometry, Government and Biology in 2001. Actual tests will be given to 9th grades beginning in 2002. There will be a total of 10 tests -- multiple choice, and short and long essay formats.
Roxanne Calloway stated that elections for PTSA board members will be held in May and asked for volunteers for the nominating committee.
The City of Bowie will sponsor a job forum at the next general meeting on April 20, 1999.
Plans for the After-Prom Party are proceeding well. The party will be held on the "Spirit of Washington" from 1:30 am to 5:30 am. The committee is working on making transportation arrangements from the school and from Martin's Crosswinds.
Mary Nusser gave a BRAVA update.
The PTSA donated $100 to Mrs. Taylor to purchase materials for the Career Center. The money previously had been earmarked, but not used, for the STAR program.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.
Minutes prepared by Betty Dorsey, Secretary
Pat Richards from Pupil Services Office gave a presentation on P.G. County's Service-Learning Graduation Requirements. She discussed the two parts of the requirements which are Curriculum Infusion and Direct Service (36 hours). She brought handouts that include examples of activities that qualify as direct service credits and also brought a list of facilities where students may volunteer to obtain Direct Service credits. Ms. Richards stated that a copy of the list of facilities should be available in the school's Guidance Office. In addition, Ms. Richards brought copies of forms that students must submit to the Guidance Office to verify completion of service hours.
Ms. Brooks stated that due to mid-year staff cuts, Mr. Fax (administrator) was being transferred to Kettering Middle School. His caseload, which was very heavy and included substitute teachers, will be divided among other administrators. Bowie was not the only school affected by mid-year cuts, but was one of the first to experience staff cuts. School Board Representative Robert Callahan spoke out about the timing of the transfer at the School Board Meeting. Ms. Brooks state that she expected the transfer to happen at the end of the school year. She further stated that this transfer places an additional burden on the administrative staff to provide a safe and orderly environment and also keep up with student achievement.
Roxanne Calloway stated that the PTSA could send a letter to School Board members expressing concern about the transfer. Mary Nusser suggested e-mailing Robert Callahan [rcallahan@fcref.org] to thank him for his support.
Beth Jacob gave an update on the PTSA web site. The web site will be publicized in School Matters and the Pacesetter.
Roxanne Calloway gave an update on the After Prom party, which will be on a cruise ship in DC.
Bryan McReynolds made an appeal again for intramural sports at Bowie. Ms. Brooks stated that the Board passed a bill last week to put intramural sports back into middle schools. She stated that the major problem with having intramural sports is space. [Interested in putting together intramural activities during lunch time? Contact Bryan at (301)464-7878.]
Ms. Brooks reported that 60+ computers (386s) from Park & Planning will be installed by the end of the week.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.
Minutes prepared by Betty Dorsey, Secretary
Mary Nusser presented the Treasurer's report. Current PTSA balance is $3,027.09. $1,525.39 of the balance is being held in reserve for After Prom activities. In addition, $211.00 is due for insurance.
Kathy Kauffman invited Joanne Brown, Prevention Coordinator from PG County Health Department, to speak on substance abuse prevention. Mrs. Brown showed a video on substance abuse prevention which discussed risk factors, signs, symptoms, and stages of substance abuse. She also brought literature on substance abuse prevention.
Roxanne Calloway stated that she had obtained an abridged copy of the budget and would make a copy available to anyone interested in reviewing the budget or in attending the budget hearings.
The PTSA will be giving Valentine Thank You cards to all teachers and staff.
Another SAT Strategy Session has been scheduled for March 16, from 7:30 to 9:00. It will be presented by the Princeton Review Group during the PTSA meeting. Ms. Hosey will be speaking as well.
Vounteers are needed for the After Prom Committee.
Robert Callahan will be at City Hall at 7:00 on January 28.
Mary Nusser discussed boundary issues and the impact boundary changes may have on Bowie schools.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.
Minutes prepared by Betty Dorsey, Secretary