December 10, 2021 / 9am ET (Virtual Meeting)
There were 49 participants.
Kenny welcomed all and showed pictures of the Debate team.
A Word from Administration:
Debate team – The PS31 Debate team placed 2nd in the district’s Debate competition that took place last weekend. There where over 300 participants and we are all very proud of our team.
Complaints via social media – Principal Scarlato reminded the community that the school has an open-door policy. She encouraged everyone to talk to their teachers about any concerns and to also engage the school administration if needed. She and Ms. Gallo are available to discuss any issues parents might want to bring.
New logo – P.S. 31 student Summer won the competition for a new District 14 logo. Congratulations Summer!!
Deck the Halls competition – thanks the PTA for that idea/initiative! All classes are decorating their doors and hallways. Teachers and students alike are having a lot of fun.
New chancellor – as you know, we have a new Chancelor. His mantra is that “he will turn the DOE upside down.” We don’t know exactly what this means or how it will affect our school.
Vaccination – the vaccination pop up site yesterday went much smoother than last time. There isn’t a vaccine mandate yet. We ask that you send in your child’s vaccination status to Ms. Dawn.
Inter reading – it’s our new reading program. Children are reading at their level, but also developing sophisticated skills.
New parent coordinator- Principal Scarlato announced that the school will have a new Parent Coordinator starting on January 3: Kara Manber!!! We are so happy that Kara is taking on this new opportunity and we look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role. Congratulations Kara!!!
PTA Updates:
Board Composition- despite the resignation of PTA co-President Kara to start a new position as Parent Coordinator, the PTA Board decided not to fulfill the vacancy this year. We do have all positions necessary to effectively run a PTA Board and in June there will be new elections for new Board members.
Virtual chess- will start in January and we have sent out a registration link for students from 2nd to 5th grade. Ms. Gabby is the teacher. Parents Lisa and Lesley will co-chair the Chess committee.
Winter Shop- kids loved it and were amazed with everything we had on display. Given that we still have inventory, we will have a couple of extra days of Winter Shop on December 21 and 22. This year we also had a Book Swap, so no kids left empty handed. We also had several families who sponsored a Little Shopper. Thank you so much for your generosity!
November raffle- we profited $1,970
Picture Day– we profited over $5,000. Retake day will be on January 18.
Candy Cane / Toy drive – we are collecting new, unwrapped toys, for P.S. 31 families in need.
Scavenger hunt – this end of year competition calls for the entire class to work together. We winner is not only the class who found all items, but also the class with higher participation. There will be a pizza party for winning class.
Little Library- we started the Little Library in the Garden. Drop a book and take a book for free!
Coat drive for kids- from December 13 through the 23 we will be collecting new or like new kids size winter coats and will display them on a rack at the entrance for families to grab one if they need.
Committees
Class Parents: briefly discussed End of Year Teacher gifts, Holiday Parties, Virtual Mystery Reader and the Deck the Halls competition
Green Wellness: Little Library, Coat Drive, Waste Warriors and Green Team
Merch Committee: we have a new chair – Flavia Correa!! Thank you Flavia! You’ll hear more about the new Merch Committee soon!
Budget Committee and Spring Auction Committee: we are looking for volunteers!
PTA Book Club: will meet on January 27 to discuss the book Circe by Madeline Miller. Please email [email protected] if you are interested.
Happy Holidays!!!!
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