Hamden PTA Council Alive and Well

We were trying out the diggs at Ning for the last year, but no one took that much of an interest. So we're going to post here about events and thoughts and link this with our Facebook account. Be sure to friend us! Stay tuned...

Address to Hamden Town Council & Audience

The Hamden PTA Council respectfully asks that the Town Council fully fund the Board of Ed’s budget request. We trust Superintendent Rabinowitz’s judgment implicitly and would ask the Council to do the same.

You know full well, as parents and grandparents, that education is an investment and a cornerstone of our town’s economic well-being. It is no co-incidence that Hamden is the 33rd best place in America to start a small business and our high school is ranked 32 out of 139 Connecticut public high schools. Education and economics go hand in hand and that balance must be handled with great care.

Thank you to all who have come with your PTA and family to speak truth to power. Showing your children how to be an advocate for others is one of the greatest lessons you can teach them.
However, your voice should not go silent after tonight’s hearing. The funding issues the Board of Ed and the Town are dealing with stem from the State and Federal level.

I encourage this audience and legislative body to continue to contact our state delegation. Ask them to keep their promise to send ECS funding, at or above last year’s level, which the Federal Stimulus Bill should allow them to do. Ask them to honor their commitment to Wintergreen by giving us a break on the 55% rule, which could mean a $2 million infusion to Hamden.

In addition, our Federal legislators, especially Rep. DeLauro and Sen. Dodd, will be instrumental in making dramatic changes in No Child Left Behind. They will be looking to hear from you, to guide them in crafting that legislation.

If we apply this same amount of pressure at the Federal level, when NCLB is reauthorized it will no longer be a punitive system aimed at dismantling public education, but a program that will enable all educators, students and schools to do their best work.

I have great faith in this vision; mere hours after the 2008 election the National PTA President, Jan Harp Domene, was called to meet with the Obama transition team. Change is definitely coming and PTA will be vital in making sure our elected officials keep their promises to us and our children.

On behalf of Hamden PTAs I’d like to thank the residents, parents and students, who have accepted our invitation to speak. Democracy is NOT a spectator sport and we appreciate your coming out to play.

It's Working!

The Hamden Town Council is truly feeling the pressure from their constituents this year. We are sure to have a record turn out of parents and townspeople concerned that inadequate funding for the Board of Ed will force them to lay off several teachers, cut programs and maybe even close a school.

The PTA is vehemently opposed to any such measures and encourages those in agreement to speak at tonight's hearing.

You will need to arrive early to sign up to speak; signup isfrom 6 – 6:30.

For those unfamiliar with the process, the hearing will be in Council Chambers in the Town Hall, on corner of Whitney and Dixwell. The Council will hear comments but not respond. They will continue to deliberate and massage numbers until mid May.

Continue to write and call your state legislators about funding and the "55% rule"*; that’s working, too. You can find them at http://www.cga.ct.gov/ or call 800-842-8267.

Thank you for your efforts to be involved and involve other parents inthe process. Please keep up the good work and I’ll see you allWednesday night.

Marjorie

*The 55% rule governs how much money per pupil Hamden gets for students we send to Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School (WIMS). The State gives other districts $8000 per pupil, but Hamden only gets $3000 per pupil, because Hamden students make up more than 55% of the student body. At last count there are five different bills between the CT House and Senate that would give Hamden the additional $5000 per pupil as long as we worked to reduce our participation in the next year or two. At 400 students, that equals $2 million of funding.

S.B.464 - Sponsored by Sen. Crisco
S.B.476 & S.B. 481- Sponsored by Sen. Looney
H.B. 5047 - Sponsard by Rep. Jankowski
H.B. 5766 - Sponsored by Reps. Sharkey, Esty, Villano & Staples.
More info at www.cga.ct.gov

Board of Ed April 15 Hearing

Thanks to all the PTAs for organizing and parents and teachers for partipating in the Emergency PTA meetings that have been going on the last week or so.

Your involvement is our greatest guarantee that your school and the rest of the Hamden Public School system will make it through whatever setbacks come our way.

As you have all now discussed, teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, elimination of many programs and redistricting, are just a few possible sacrifices we may be asked to make if the Town Council does not fully fund the Superintendent's recommended budget.

Here are actions we need you to take:

Stand with those that feel a strong public school system is a "must fund" investment on Wednesday, April 15 at Town Hall at 7PM, where there will be a public hearing for the Board of Ed budget.

You will need to sign up to speak between 6 and 6:30. Expect there to be a line to sign up, so get there even earlier.

The hearing starts at 7 PM. The council will not be answering back, but simply hearing comments on the Board of Ed's budget and arguments to give the BOE as much funding as possible.

Feel free to bring your children and show them what being an advocate really means. However, be aware that this event could go well past 9 PM.

If you can't go, sign the petition at www.supporthamdeneducation.org or contact your local representatives www.hamden.com/content/43/default.aspx. You could also have your children write letters or draw pictures to send to council members.

April 15 is just the beginning of the deliberation process, so continue to be in touch with your councilperson(s) over the next several weeks. There will be other opportunities for public comment and you will be notified of those events.

In addition, please contact your state representatives. While the local government is working on their budget, the state is working on their's, which is not due until mid June. Every call or email represents several dozen more. Remember that they work for you and will vote based on what they hear from their constituents. They won't know what you think if you don't call. Find and contact your reps at www.cga.ct.gov.

Finally, once the Board of Ed has it's allocation from the town in mid May, they will begin the process of figuring out where to spend that money. Your input in that process is greatly appreciated. All meetings of the Board of Ed are posted at www.hamden.org. They are held at 60 Putnam Avenue and, with the exception of the executive session, are open to the public to listen and comment.

If you have questions or comments about anything regarding our public schools, Superintendent Rabinowitz has an open door policy and welcomes your calls and emails. She can be reached at 407-2090 or frabinowitz@hamden.org.

Thank you for your attention and participation,

Marjorie Clark
President, Hamden PTA Council
http://www.hamdenpta.com
http://www.hamdenpta.ning.com (Join Your PTA's Group)
288-6831
marjorie@littlefishstudios.com

Hamden / North Haven Camp Fair

Parents Get Ready for Summer!
Come Check Out the

4th Annual PTA Council Summer Camp Fair

Saturday, April 4th, 2009
11:00 am until 2:00 pm
Hamden Middle School
2623 Dixwell AvenueHamden, CT 06518

One-stop shopping for camps and programs for kids in grades K - 12!

Learn about the many different sporting, enrichment, academic, fun and adventure options available in Hamden, Connecticut, New England and beyond.

Stop by to pick up information and speak with camp representatives.
Already on the list of attendees…
· Awosting & Chinqueka
· Camp Farwell
· Camp Kaizen
· Camp Mohawk (YMCA)
· Camp Mt. Laurel (YMCA)
· Camp WA-KLO
· Camp Woodstock (YMCA)
· Choate
· Creative Arts Workshop
· Dance Unlimited
· Eli Whitney Museum
· Foote School
· Girl Scouts
· Hamden Park & Rec
· High Rock
· Incarnation Camp
· Mantis Kung-Fu
· Neighborhood Music School
· North Haven Park & Rec
· Peabody Museum
· Schooner
· SJ Ranch
· South Shore YMCA
· Tennis Central
· The Basketball Factory

Admission is free and open to the public.

Questions? Email PTA Council, VP Mary.Clough@yale.edu

How to Make Lemonade - Hamden PTA Idea Bank

The faculty basketball game between Dunbar Hill and Shepherd Glen was an “off-the-hook” success.

Who’s pairing up next?

The following is the start of a list of fundraising/family fun ideas:

• Inter-district ball game


• Bottle collection/return


• Crazy hair / clothes / hat days


• Skate party
• Duckpin bowling
• Collect receipts – Big Y, Shaw’s
• Faculty and student waiters at Applebee’s, TGIF’s
• Hamden / School Pizza Night – get a bunch of area pizzerias to pledge 10% of bills from HPS families one or two nights this year
• Walk-a-thon / Dance-a-thon / Read-a-thon
• Talent show – parents, teachers, kids, pets
• Silent Auctions
• Movie Night
• Game Night
• Father / Daughter Dance
• Themed Festival or Fair
• Bingo
• Alumni event
• Local Pro Baseball, Basketball, Hockey Games (Sun, Bluefish, Wildcats, college)
• Coco Keys (at Waterbury Holiday Inn) – discounted rates while they are building clientele
• ESPN free tours

More ideas at:

• www.pta.org/pta_great_idea_bank.asp


• www.ptoideas.com/category/1/Fundraisers


• www.globalideasbank.org/site/home/

Remember to have a membership table at all events

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Make Lemonade

If you are being kept awake at night by the fact that your PTA fall fundraiser only brought in half what it did last year, you need to come to our next meeting, on Thursday, November 6.

This correction in the economy is an opportunity for us as an organization to lead by example about what’s truly important. To quote Suzy Orman, “People first, then money, then things.”

Even though we act in the best interest of children, that may not be what is perceived at the unit level. Parents who do not sit on committees, or are constantly involved, only see the fundraising flyers. Even if they are involed, myself included, when the message from the larger world says to conserve, they recycle the flyer instead of getting out their check book.

So now that we’ve experienced a couple months of the new economy, let’s put our heads together and share strategies for how we’re going to keep our commitments to the children of Hamden.

We will also discuss a communication strategy for PTAs to get our message to parents, politicians and taxpayers, in advance of budget season. If you thought last year was tough, just wait.

I’ll see you at the Middle School, Thursday, November 6 at 7 PM. Please bring your current budget and some low-cost-high-fun-factor ideas to share with everyone.

Election Day Opportunity

I hope everyone is working on their Election Day Bake Sale plans. The CT Secretary of State, Susan Bysiewicz, says that 2 million voters are now registered in CT (out of 3 million people) and that she expects turnout to exceed 90%.

Needless to say, this is a huge economic opportunity.

Please have healthy choices available - local apples and pears. Perhaps even harvest decor like pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn. http://www.buyctgrown.com/

If you have not yet reserved a space at a polling place, please send your request, in writing to the Registrar of Voters, Peggy Rae at PRae@Hamden.com and follow up by phone at 287-7081.

October 2 - CMT/CAPT Forum Recap

Thanks to Supt. Rabinowitz for enlightening us about the CMT/CAPT exams, numbers and process. Those that took the 6th grade math primer now have a much greater appreciation for our children's stamina and test scores.

We will make it through these lean times, but our success is only guaranteed if we work together.

Have a great Halloween and Election Day and I'll see you on November 6, 7 PM in the Middle School cafeteria.

CMT/CAPT Forum October 2

Have you ever wondered how to interpret your child’s CMT or CAPT scores?

Why are these test scores so important?

How are they used to shape my child’s education?

At the next Hamden PTA Council meeting, on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 7 PM in the Hamden Middle School Cafeteria, Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz will answer these and any other questions you have about the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT). We will no doubt touch on No Child Left Behind and the effect its mandates have on school choice and what options parents' have.

We are so grateful for Fran's willingness to help parents understand the public education process. Between the news stories about "failing schools" and parents' worry about "teaching to the test," this kind of honest dialog is an incredibly valuable resource.

We look forward to seeing you then!

Marjorie Clark

PTA in Transformation

The new National PTA CEO, is Byran V. Garrett, not only a man, but an African American.

In addition, the new national president-elect is a Charles J. Saylors. For the first time, since it's inception, PTA will be run by a dad. Considering that a child is 40% more likely to earn A's if a male role model is involved in their education, I think it's a great thing.

To that end, I would encourage all units to specifically invite dads and the male adults in your school community (uncles, grandfathers, etc.) to contribute time to your schools. Have them read a story, run a car wash or chaperon a baseball game: stuff they’re comfortable doing that doesn't require a lot of meetings. :)

National PTA has launched a new initiative called PTA MORE — Men Organized to Raise Engagement to help units with this idea.

If you haven't already guessed, this is NOT your mother's PTA. It is no longer a gaggle of moms who sit around gossiping over tea in the afternoon. In fact, nationwide, PTAs are finding it increasingly difficult to get members together to talk about what's going on or about getting organized. Our time is divided by multiple jobs, school and/or aging parents; a two hour meeting in the middle of the week, ten times a year is more time than most parents can afford. Not only that, but it's a relatively poor use of their time. After all, Rome wasn't built by having meetings, right?

Our children's generation is the first to never have experienced life without iPods, cellphones, IM, email, Ethernet and social networking. Our adaptation of these tools for running our organization will not only give us the technological knowledge to keep up with our kids, but keep us relevant as an organization.

This is the moment when we evolve or become irrelevant.

Hamden Public Schools has created a space for all Hamden PTAs on their website, www.hamden.org. The hope is that units and HPS will use this platform as a way to keep the vital link between children, family, teachers, administrators, school board and town strong. Please subscribe to their newsletter to be notified of happenings and emergencies via email.

And the winner is...

Thank you to all who made our annual Hamden PTA Council Dinner a tremendous success:

• the executive committee: Mary Clough, Melissa Stasiak, Karen Leeper and Cheri Brooks
• CT PTA executive officers: Presdient, Melissa Johnson, 1st VP, Marne Usher and VP of Legislation, Mike Taylor
• Hamden Lights for Life and the Saint Raphael Foundation
• Mary Marrindino, Hamden Partnership for Youth
• Stephen Beck, 1000 Friends of CT
• Jim Pascarella, on behalf of Mayor Henrici, Hamden Town Council and Hamden Education Foundation
• Superintendent Rabinowitz and Assistant Superintendents, Dr. Portia Bonner
• Kelly Reilly, Nancetta Walker Scholarship Award Winner

Congratulations to all the Meg Nowacki Hamden PTA Council Recognition Award nominees. We are a greater school system because of all of your accomplishments and contributions. Thanks to the nominators for such heartfelt and compelling nomination speeches. The nominees were:

• Cathy Crowe, Bear Path School
• Sue Foraker, Dunbar Hill School
• Melissa Tommaselli, Hamden Middle School
• Jennifer Marchand & Susan Martinez-Sendroff, Ridge Hill School
• Andy DeBenedet, Shephard Glen School
• Evelyn Neuber & Elizabeth Shack, Spring Glen School
• Ruth Croll, West Woods School

And the winner is....

When asked about the nominee, one of her students said this:

“She’s really good at math. She’s always fair. She’s really into birds. She makes learning fun with math and spelling games. She knows when to give the right test to each kid.”

Mrs. Ruth Croll has been teaching at West Woods School since its opening, starting as a 3rd grade teacher in 1974. In those 34 years, she’s also taught 2nd grade, a readiness class and a combination 1st and 2nd grade class. But she’s been teaching 1st grade for 27 years. It’s her favorite grade because she loves to watch the kids grow, as they learn how to read and write and be part of the West Woods School family.

Since the beginning of her tenure at West Woods, she has been a representative from the teaching staff to the PTA. Whatever we ask of her, the usual response is “No, I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all.” In return, we supply her with as much bird seed and field trip money as we can afford.

As an avid bird enthusiast Mrs. Croll, or “The Bird Lady” as many students know her, has instilled in our children an appreciation for the natural world and all its wonders. Almost twenty years ago she joined forces with naturalist Flo McBride and integrated her bird watching and feeding habit into the fabric of life at West Woods.

The courtyard in the center of our school is the ultimate observatory for Project Feeder Watch, coordinated by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, to monitor the distribution and abundance of winter bird populations. She and her fledgling bird watchers have sent their data from November to March to Project Feeder Watch for the last ten years.

In addition, Mrs. Croll heads the Bird and Nature Club, a group of 3rd to 6th graders, which meets in the trails behind our school every Thursday morning. Not only does she lead the group in enjoying the natural classroom, but also helps them to maintain the trails.

The first graders are one of the most mobile classes in our school. Mrs. Croll and the other Oak Teachers always make good use of their PTA allotted funds and free transportation. The children annually go to:

• Lighthouse Point Park for the fall hawk migration
• the local fire station
• The Peabody Museum
• East Rock Park / Mill River for spring bird migration
• The Beardsley Zoo

Mrs. Croll’s class also has a thriving publishing company, producing 20 class books per year about their travels, family traditions and curriculum projects, with each child contributing a well written sentence or two and thoughtful illustration.

Lastly, here are five more reasons why the West Wood PTA recommends that Mrs. Croll be given the Meg Nowacki Hamden PTA Council Recognition Award:

1. She’s dedicated to her students and school (arriving at 7 am, often not leaving until 7pm), and to our PTA, attending nearly every meeting.
2. She balances curriculum requirements with the learning abilities of each student. It is a fortunate child who has benefited from an individual educational plan with Mrs. Croll.
3. She shows her classes how to practice gratitude. One PTA member put it best by saying “I'm going to miss those nice ‘thank you’ notes her classes always write us!”
4. She has taught parents, as well as their kids, how to identify a sharp shinned hawk from a red tailed hawk and a barn swallow from a chimney swallow. (Just wait, that skill will come in handy one day!)
5. Mrs. Croll is retiring this year and we feel this honor is fitting for a woman who has given our school, our children and our PTA so much of her passion, knowledge, integrity and dedication. The West Woods PTA’s relationship with Mrs. Croll is the epitome of what all parent/teacher relationships should be: a shared involvement in our children’s education, doing whatever it takes to help them achieve great things.

Congratulations, Mrs. Croll!