MINUTES OF THE MEADOWBROOK PREPARATORY SCHOOL
PTA MEETING
Held on TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2015
Present:
There were sixty one (61) persons in attendance. A register was taken and has been placed on file.
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7.40 a.m. by Mrs Michelle Isaacs.
Prayer
Following the chorus “There’s a Sweet Sweet Spirit in This Place”, the prayer was offered by the Principal, Miss Gloria Francis.
Welcome
The PTA Secretary, Mrs Michelle Isaacs, extended welcome to everyone and a special welcome to the new parents, Director, Principal and teachers to the first meeting for the academic year 2015-2016. She informed the meeting that the PTA President, Rev. Sadikie Lyttle Forbes had migrated and she would be acting in the position until the Annual General Meeting takes place in January 2016, at which time a new PTA Executive would be elected.
Apologies
Apologies for absence were tendered on behalf of the Vice President Mrs Karla Francis and the Assistant Secretary Miss Shakira Campbell who had work commitments.
Heritage Trust Fund
Ms Joan Buchanan from Heritage Trust Fund made a presentation on the offerings from her institution. She highlighted the benefits of saving for our children’s tertiary education through the Heritage Trust Fund.
Confirmation of Minutes
Subject to the following amendments, the Minutes of the Meeting of June 2, 2015 were confirmed on a motion by Mrs Gwyneth Davidson and seconded by Mr Arnaldo Bolt.
Page 2, paragraph 2, line 2 – change ‘The stated the following’ to ‘He stated the following’
Paragraph 3, line 5 – change ‘find’ to ‘fund’
MATTERS ARISING
CCTV: The meeting was informed that there was a balance of Sixty Three Thousand, nine hundred and sixty dollars ($63,960.00) to be paid for the CCTV. Mrs Isaacs indicated that funds would have to be raised for the final payment to be made to Inter Global Technology. She also stated that the camera in the parking lot had not yet been grilled and the assistance of the parents was being sought in raising the funds to complete the project.
Bathroom Repairs: The repairs have not yet been carried out in the bathrooms. Mrs Isaacs noted that an offer was made to do the work free of cost, by a parent who is a plumber. The offer has not yet been taken up. A check will be made of the items that were donated and exactly else would be needed.
Grade 3 Diagnostic Test: The meeting was informed that there was full mastery for the Grade Three Diagnostic Test which was administered in June 2015.
School Fee: There was an increase of seven thousand dollars ($7,000.00) in the school fee with took effect from September 2015.
GSAT Data Analysis: Mrs Isaacs expressed gratitude to the three parents who had volunteered to analyse GSAT data along with the Principal, in order to create a flyer for the promotion of the school. The flyer was created and has been placed on the Meadowbrook Preparatory School website.
Special Needs Class: The advertisement/promotion of the special needs class has not been done, as additional work is to be carried out.
The school was congratulated on the advertisement that was placed in the print media following the release of the GSAT results in June 2015.
PRINCIPAL’S UPDATE
The Principal, Miss Gloria Francis, used the opportunity to welcome all new parents to the MPS family and expressed her hope for a long and rewarding experience.
Prize giving: The prize giving ceremony was held on July 2, 2015 where twenty nine (29) students graduated.
GSAT 2015: Twenty nine students sat the GSAT exam. The results are outlined below:
13 achieved averages of 90 – 98%
9 achieved averages of 80 – 89%
4 achieved averages of 70 – 79%
3 achieved averages of 60 – 69%
Teachers Workshop: There was a workshop during the first week of September on the following:
i. The teaching of Mathematics and
ii. Assessment in teaching
The Principal stated that MPS will place more emphasis on the improvement of academics in all classes going forward.
Grade Four Literacy 2015: All students achieved full mastery in the 2015 Grade Four Literacy Test.
Performing Arts: Meadowbrook Preparatory School continues to excel in the performing arts. There were five (5) entries in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission dance competition where the school won two (2) gold medals, two (2) silver medals and one (1) bronze medal.
Extra-Curricular Activities: The school will be offering a number of extra-curricular activities during the 2015-2016 academic year including chess, dance, spelling, track and field, school challenge quiz and steel band. Karate has been added to the list and the cost will be circulated.
Two students will participate in the Annual Gleaner Spelling Bee competition in October 2015.
Pick Up: Miss Francis reiterated that following dismissal, teachers are asked to remain with the students for a one hour period. At the end of that hour, if students have not been picked up, they are sent outside to play where they are unsupervised. Parents were urged to pick up their children in a timely manner.
School Enrolment: The enrolment is currently at one hundred and forty five (145) students and of this amount, twenty eight (28) were new students. Six (6) students transitioned from the Pre-School to the Prep School. The average class size is twenty two (22) students.
School Secretary: The meeting was advised that Mrs Harvey, the school Secretary, had submitted her resignation letter, so the school will need to hire a Secretary to fill the position.
Pre-School: The Meadowbrook Pre-School celebrated its first year of operation on September 1, 2015. It was pointed out that daily rates were available for parents who were interested.
MPS 55th Anniversary: The school will celebrate its 55th anniversary in January 2016 and a number of activities are being planned. Parents were invited to assist with the planning of the events.
Back to School Church Service: As is customary, Meadowbrook United Church will host a special church service on Sunday September 27, 2015 at 10.30 a.m. All parents and students are invited to attend and students should be dressed in their uniform.
The Director Mrs Winsome Reid was invited to bring greetings. Mrs Reid extended a warm welcome to all parents, returning and new, and urged parents to continue to provide the positive support that was exhibited throughout the last school year. She noted that parents played a critical role in ensuring that the school improves. Mrs Reid stated that at the start of operation at the Meadowbrook Pre-School, ten (10) students
were enrolled and seven (7) have transitioned to the Prep School. Since September 2014, the number of students enrolled in the Pre-School has doubled. She indicated that a new project would be announced following its approval by the School Board.
In closing, Mrs Reid encouraged parents to continue to make Meadowbrook Prep the school of choice and to make recommendations to friends and family.
NEW BUSINESS
Mrs Isaacs advised that there were two events on the school calendar for the Christmas Term – (i) Heritage Breakfast and (ii) Christmas Concert. She explained that the Heritage Breakfast was first held in October 2014 to raise funds for the purchase of the CCTV.
Heritage Breakfast: Mrs Isaacs admitted that the pre-ordering did not flow as smoothly as anticipated but assured the meeting that the upcoming event would be better organized. Parents were encouraged to place orders ahead of the event but this did not happen. For 2015, orders which are placed in advance will be handled before orders placed on the day of the event. The proposed date for the Heritage Breakfast is October 30, 2015 and the cost for the tickets will remain at $500.00, provided that parents assist by contributing items.
The following parents volunteered to assist with the planning of the event:
Ron Francis Domonique Lewis Rosemarie Heath Sharon Swaby
Mrs Grindley Paulette McKay Karen Swannack Ms Drysdale
Mrs Fox Morris Miss T. Campbell (Teacher Rep.)
Heritage Celebrations: Miss Campbell informed the meeting that the school would be hosting its Heritage Celebrations on Friday October 16, 2015. The event will commence with a concert. There will be sampling of different foods as well as fun and games in the school yard. The theme for this year is ‘Out of Many One People’
Christmas Concert: The second fundraising event for the Christmas Term will be the Christmas Concert on December 10, 2015. Parents were urged to support this event which is usually an excellent one.
Evening of Excellence: The school will provide an opportunity for students to showcase their talents during an Evening of Excellence which will be planned for April 2016. Meadowbrook United Church and Meadowbrook High School will be invited to perform. The following parents volunteered to assist with the planning of the event:
Teena Miller, Claudette Pious, Hopal Brady.
Stephanie Butterfield Miss Gloria Francis (Principal) Miss T. Campbell (Teacher Rep.)
Mrs N. Braham (Teacher Rep.)
Grade Representatives: Each class is required to select a grade representative and those individuals will sit on the PTA Executive. The selection should take place during the Grade meetings which are scheduled for October 2015.
PTA Executive: Mrs Isaacs advised that there were a number of vacancies on the PTA Executive and encouraged parents to offer their services when the election is called in January 2016 at the Annual General Meeting.
- President position vacant
- Vice President Karla Francis
- Public Relations Officer position vacant
- Treasurer position vacant
- Secretary Michelle Isaacs
- Asst. Secretary Shakira Campbell
- Teacher Representative Tavianna Campbell
Co-Opted Member Ron Francis
With regard to the vacant posts, Michelle Isaacs will act in the post of President and Shakira Campbell will act in the post of PR Officer.
Special thanks were extended to Mrs Hillary Davis and Mrs Gwyneth Davidson for monitoring the MPS website and blog. The blog can be accessed at meadowbrookpreptajamaica.blogspot.com.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Parking: Parents were again reminded to use the parking area when they are dropping off or picking up the children. The danger of parking on the sidewalk outside of the school was emphasized, particularly for individuals exiting the school compound.
GSAT Teacher: Special thanks and commendations were extended to the GSAT Teacher, Miss Sutherland, for the tremendous work that was done with the students.
School Capacity: There was a concern that the school population at Meadowbrook Preparatory School had fallen below 50% of the total capacity. Reference was made to another prep school where the numbers had also dwindled but the school took the decision to lease/rent a portion of the school property in order to earn an income. The question was put forward as to what was the vision for improving the number of students for the school.
The Principal advised that there is a marketing plan in place and asked that parents assist in the marketing of the school.
Positive School Vibes: Parents were urged to have constant dialogue with the teachers and in the event that there was a problem, it should be addressed quickly to prevent it from becoming a calamity. Further, all parents were encouraged to continue to build a positive vibe at the school, as it has been said that Meadowbrook Preparatory School is ‘The Best School Ever’ based on a comment from a past parent.
In closing the meeting, Mrs Isaacs used the opportunity to express her gratitude on behalf of the Parent Teachers Association to the former PTA President Rev. Sadekie Lyttle Forbes and former Treasurer Raquel Chin, for their contribution to the Meadowbrook Preparatory school and the PTA Executive. She wished both individuals all the best in their new endeavours.
Adjournment
The meeting ended at 8:50 a.m. on a motion moved by Mr Ron Francis and seconded by Mrs Teena Miller.
Recorded and prepared by Mrs Teena Miller
No comments:
Post a Comment