Minutes of the DHS PTA Meeting

October 4, 2006

 Call to Order and Introductions

The meeting was called to order at 7:31 by PTA President Laurie Rollins. All those in attendance introduced themselves.

Laurie explained that in the past there was a PTA Council in Davis, and the idea of starting one again is being discussed amongst the parent leaders in town. Tsui helped get a DCN listserver for a newly formed group, PTCouncil made up of the PTA/PTO and association presidents from all the Davis met last week. This forum provides an opportunity for the presidents to communicate and share ideas.

Laurie mentioned that there is a box of supplies that were used for the newsletter, including three electric staplers and an alphabetizing strip. She asked the group to be thinking of things to use them for.

Concerns that have been brought up by parents in the last month include the issue of Mandarin 3, the home auto dialer, and Senior Portraits. Senior portraits are taken in Elk Grove, which is very inconvenient. Kathy Magrino brought up a concern about long practices for the cheerleading group.

Laurie asked everyone to keep track of the hours that they spend volunteering for Davis High School and write them on the sign-in sheet when it comes around.  It is important to track all volunteer hours, not just for PTA members, but for all of us.

Approval of September Minutes

Susan Lovenburg moved to approve the minutes. Someone seconded. Approved.

Student Report

Charlotte Krovoza reported for the class presidents that the classes are all working on building floats for homecoming. The sophomores finished yesterday, and are finalizing a few things today. Everything is going well for the juniors, who are making an Austin Powers float. The seniors have had really good attendance at the float-building sessions. There was a door decorating activity today, and Student Government judged. There was an assembly last week and everyone seemed to think that it went really well. There is a committee for royalty and halftime show, and the winners of the royalty will be announced at halftime. The winners will get sashes and tiaras. There is a homecoming parade on Friday. Someone asked about the route for the parade and it was explained that it begins near the farmer’s market, goes downtown and ends at the high school. No one knew the exact route. The parade is at 1:00 p.m. There will be homecoming t-shirts for sale at the game. It was suggested by a parent that students should be made to feel welcome at float building, rather than be told that they weren’t needed.

Teacher Report

Gabrielle Jimenez-Tabor reported that the World Language Fair will be on Saturday, November 18, 2006. The language teachers are really excited because this event as it is a great way to recruit students into the languages. She reported that money is needed for entertainment. The fair started three years ago as a way for students to get information about foreign languages. Students do presentations, sing songs, and play instruments. There are cultural displays and food samples. Tsui reported that in the past there were representatives from UCD with information about their departments. Someone suggested that there could be some representation from foreign exchange programs. Laurie suggested that information about the fair be submitted to the newsletter.

Treasurer and Membership Report

Shelley reported that there are 840 members as of October 3, and there have been $9150.00 in donations. The membership numbers are up from last year. There have been expenses for one newsletter mailing submitted. Laurie explained that the student planners are paid for by student government. Parents are asked to pay for the planner so that there is more money for the student government to use. Shelley suggested that next year the money for the planner needs to stay with the forms. Laurie talked to the three junior high PTA presidents about ideas for managing the logistics of planner distribution and payment. None link the planners with their membership forms. Kathy Magrino moved to accept the treasurer’s report. It was seconded. Approved.

Principal’s Report

Mike Cawley reported that there is a shortage of bike parking this year. Consequently, the driveways for district vehicles are being blocked. He has located places for more racks, and is trying to locate bike racks. There is a problem with the home calling for attendance problems, because the system hasn’t been working. Attendance is a problem. There are students who miss a class here and there, in addition to students missing all day. Enrollment is up by about 90 students this year. The total is over 1700, but Mike Cawley did not know the exact number. Some classes are over-enrolled. The athletic teams are all doing really well. Kathy Magrino again expressed her concerns about four hour practices for the cheerleaders, and asked for information about the policy.

The school board reinstated secretarial time at the school sites, and DHS got four hours of clerical time back. Of those four hours, one will go to the bookkeeper. There will be an additional clerical position, and the person will float.

Mike Cawley said that his impression was that no local photographers put in a bid for the senior portraits. The contracted photographer has in the contract that they will take some photos locally, but they don’t offer that option to families so most students have to go to Elk Grove.  The current contract is expiring in November. There was a discussion about TP-ing and vandalism during homecoming. There are some incidents such as egging that have happened. It was suggested that students should be reminded that it’s a crime.

Counselor Report

Linda Preciado thanked the PTA for having the letters of recommendation forms on the website, and said that it was extremely helpful in the process. The lunchtime workshops for colleges were well-attended and very successful. There are still handouts in the counseling office for those who are interested.

The counselors are working on having year-long English classes for seniors so that students don’t end up having two English classes one semester and none the other.

There will be a student success workshop November 2, 2006 at 7:00. Students who received Ds or Fs on progress reports will be invited. Handouts of “Making the Grade” will be distributed, but all students are welcome.

The new school profile came out today and was distributed by Linda. It was asked if the profile is on the website. Tsui said that the old profile is on the DHS website, and she suggested that the new one be posted on the DHS PTA website.

Vice Principal Report

Sheila Smith reminded everyone that the PSAT signups are next week. She said that they still need volunteers for the lunchtime registration, and anyone interested can call Patty Smith. The test is on October 21^st, and if students are busy that weekend, they are responsible for finding another site for taking the test. She assured everyone that the world language department is working on offering Mandarin 3 next year.

Sheila announced that the after-school program will start soon. It is called Increasing Student Success. Students can enroll and earn some elective credit. There is a credentialed teacher there and also U.C.D. tutors. Students can work on organizational skills, study skills and get help with homework. This program is often a suggested intervention in the SST meetings. Sheila expressed gratitude for the snack money that PTA contributes to the program.

 
Parent Ed Updates

Kris Inouye reminded everyone that a survey was distributed last meeting to present choices for Parent Ed . The topic in which the most interest was expressed was College Admissions, followed by Testing Overload and Teenage Driving. Other topics that were suggested included sports injury prevention, suicide, and drug and alcohol use/abuse.  It was suggested that some of these issues that will not be addressed in the Parent Education night sessions could be addressed by way of a newsletter article.

Susan Lovenburg reported that the Parent Ed sessions will take place after the PTA meeting. The meeting will start at 7:00, and the education session will begin at 7:30. The November meeting will feature Sally Springer and Marion Franck. The session in April is not yet booked, and Susan asked for suggestions of speakers to address the issue of testing overload. It was suggested that the career center would have information, and the counseling office could be contacted for information about the topic.

Susan Lovenburg clarified the publicity for the Parent Ed night. The information should be forwarded to Lisa and she will take care of the publicity. Someone suggested that the junior highs should be notified, as well.

UnFundraiser

Eileen reported that today was the deadline for proposals from the DHS  staff. Approximately $39,000 in funding has been requested. On Monday, a committee will meet to discuss the feasibility of the proposals. A vote will be taken at the November meeting after which a letter will go out to the parents requesting donations.

Da Vinci

Kathy Magrino reported that there will be an auction in October, a carwash on November 11, and a holiday feast on December 12.

Curriculum and Instruction

Kathy Magrino reported the following: The committee approved Race and Justice in US History as a year-long class, but it still needs school board and UC approval. It is a course that will be taught from the perspective of minorities, and would count for regular U.S. History credit, if approved. The committee also approved Floriculture as a fine arts class, not for UC, but will meet fine arts requirement for graduation. At the end of the course, students will receive a certificate and will be qualified for work in a flower shop. A plan for Japanese 5 AP was discussed.

 
School Site Council

School Site Council was cancelled this month. All SIP money will be spent by December, and new funding will be coming in. There will be a focus on the students who are struggling. Susan Lovenburg asked about the results of the SSC rep election, but Mike Cawley didn’t know. Susan is the PTA representative to the School Site Council.

 
Special Ed

Kathy Magrino attended SKIES meeting. The speakers were Mila Spengler, from DJUSD and Camillle Giometti-May, from SELPA.

 
GATE

Laurie reported that she found a parent to attend the district GATE meetings, Jan Carmikle Dwyer who is the parent of a tenth grader.  There was nothing at the meeting that pertained to the high school.

Leadership

Kathy Magrino reported that at the meeting, the focus was on the struggling students and she suggested that perhaps this should be taken into account when deciding what to fund for the UnFundraiser.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 p.m.