Pierce School PTO Minutes - December 12, 2007

Attendees: Josh Frank, Rhodinne Wang, Brian Pesetsky, Nicole Lapidus, David Weinstein, Deb Abrams, Lisa.Grace, Eileen Regis, Valerie Emerich, Laurence Mailot, Charlie Walsh, Deborah Costolloe, Dawn Gallolo, Ellen Rottersman, Karen Sutton, Karen Victor

COCHAIR REPORT:

Dr Lupini meeting: 1. discussion of Override vote in May; 2. Amy Martin curriculum review

OUTREACH-MOVIE NIGHT:

TREASURER’S REPORT:

• $475 approved for school wide Jeopardy
• $1163 3rd grade science: ‘Why Buildings Don’t Fall Down’ speaker
• $290 Kindergarten—all three classes ‘Mother Goose’ speaker
• $250 ‘Marie Curie’ speaker for 6th grade

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT:

Guest speakers that were in today for 3rd grade & kindergarten.

Fiddler on the Roof

District reinstated NU aide money (half the funds back to pto)

Shattuck Shelter project is wrapping up today—3rd grade collected and wrapped items for this shelter.

Artwork project that gets printed on cardstock and sold (hopefully will eventually replace the magazine drive)

HOMEWORK DISCUSSION:

Summer homework was discussed last month, will begin this meeting with reviewing homework survey and then open discussion to attendees to discuss homework during the school-year.

Question arose about who is the go-to person for summer homework. (Suggested summer homework coordinators—Mary Matthews (L. Arts) and Angela Allen (Math). It’s okay to begin with your child’s teacher regarding flexibility with the summer homework.

Discussion & ideas came about from several parents:

full plate every night, the need to focus on posters and coloring (6-7 grade), work that needs to be made up when someone is out sick, suggestion for more homework free weekends, coordinate around teachers so that not all subjects have homework, homework passes.

Teacher expressed that teaching now is different with No Child Left Behind—children being assessed and tracked from first grade onward...

Ms. Wang wanted to explain why she gives homework: time savings in class (cutting out cards), reading to prepare for a lesson, and to reinforce a lesson.

Suggestion about the student writing the note as to why homework wasn’t done (vs. the parent).