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Coronado High School PTSA General Meeting December 5, 2011 Library AV Room The meeting was called to order at 11:40 Present at the meeting were: Adriana Fennell, Anne Sere Hernandez, Judith Ross, Mimmy Halperin, Lori Andrulis, Xavier Miranda, Vicki Yung, Jennifer Lambeth, Doris Goodman, Julie Cardwell, Shannon Adams, Holly Trubowitsch, Nelida Garcia, Nancy Skokan, Bert Blackburn, Melanie Mullings, Amy Marcus, Kelly Groves, and Kavita Boone. A quorum was established. President’s Report Mimmy thanked the Ms. Morales and the faculty and staff on behalf of the PTSA for a wonderful luncheon for the volunteers, all of the soups, salads and dessert were delicious! She also thanked Robin Krasne for her work on the newsletter. The questions and responses for the November Principal Q & A were distributed via the Timely T-Bird and will soon be available on the website. Vicky will begin distributing scholarship information in January. Mimmy thanked Miriam and Wilma for doing an amazing job with the Reflections competition, presentation and program.
Council News Nelida attended the last council meeting and reported that we have perfect attendance at the council meetings; however, we were missing a delegate at the September meeting and must have three representatives from Coronado for the remaining meetings in order to maintain the perfect attendance. Child Protective Services reported that they are in need of foster parents; they have about 92 children in need of placement at this time. There was also a report regarding the UTEP Summer Programs, which are available to children of all ages during the summer. Terry Jordan discussed the STAAR exam, which will be replacing the TAKS. The first year is a test year, with current 9th graders taking both the TAKS and the STAAR exams. There are no support materials for the STAAR exam available as yet. Many parents at the meeting expressed anger regarding the implementation of the STAAR exam. December 7th is the next meeting and Nelida and Susan Hjalmquist will attend. The winning Reflections entries will be delivered to the council at the December 7th meeting.
Recording Secretary Kavita made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 31st meeting, Jennifer Lambeth seconded the motion and it carried.
Treasurer’s Report Holly presented the report as Laura was unable to attend the meeting. The Mum sales were better than expected, with an income of over $2,000 more than budgeted. Laura wrote off the two checks for scholarships from three years ago, which were never cashed. The ending balance in the Operating account was $52,117.95 Melanie made a motion to move $18,103.84 from the Restricted Account into the Operating Account under the heading of Campus Improvement, with the stipulation that if there are funds remaining in this account at the end of the school year they should be carried over in the Campus Improvement account in future years until the funds are spent. Kathleen seconded the motion and it carried.
President Elect Nelida has volunteered to call individuals interested in sitting on the committee to determine how the campus improvement account funds will be utilized. The committee will investigate areas of need suggested by administration and parents, assess costs, and make recommendations for expenditures. The following areas have been mentioned: translation headsets, football stadium PA system, benches/picnic tables near cafeteria and around school, awning from A building to cafeteria, landscaping, and adobe flooring in the courtyard. Several years ago the school received a cast iron T-Bird statue as a senior class gift – the statue is under the bleachers in the gym and needs to be put on a stand and displayed outside the Fine Arts building
Corresponding Secretary The next newsletter is nearly ready for distribution – Robin is just waiting for the last two entries. This one will only be distributed online. It was suggested that the e-mails (Timely T-Bird) be stacked in one e-mail, however there is the fear that the e-mail will be deleted before the remaining entries are read, as recipients may not realize there are more entries below.
1st VP – Programs Doris has been receiving many program ideas and she will review them and move forward with a program choice in January. There were over 200 students present for the Lowell Graham speech in the Career Training and Education lecture series. Thank you to the parents who volunteered at this event. In January, the speakers will be form the FBI, CIA and K-9 unit. For teacher appreciation, goodies will be placed in the teacher boxes prior to finals. Doris thanked Miriam and Wilma for their hard work on Reflections – there were 157 participants this year. The teacher with the most entries was awarded with a spa day. Miriam thanked all of the individuals who helped them make this program a success. Last Monday, they displayed the entries in the library and on Friday had the awards ceremony. The first place winners were awarded $100 gift certificates, 2nd place $25 gift certificates to Cinemark, and 3rd place $15 gift certificates to Cinemark. Honorable Mention winners were also recognized. Vicky is working with Mr. Brink to introduce an online process for completing the scholarship applications. They will also try to have the judging take place online. It is possible that applications may need to be completed in the computer lab at school – they are considering holding workshops to assist students with the application process. They will hold their first meeting next week. It was mentioned that it would be nice to have a paper option still available to students, especially this first year of transition. Mimmy stressed the importance of increasing student awareness as to the availability of these scholarships. Kelly Groves suggested an all call to parents of seniors and adding it to the list of topics mentioned during Advisory.
2nd VP – Ways and Means Veronica will begin selling ads in February, and she will advise the purchasers that the ads will be in the newsletter. The spirit sales are going well, they will be winding down. They may consider purchasing sunshade visors for cars, Blues Brothers glasses, and scarves for the spring semester. The Prom will be held May 5th at the El Paso Country Club.
3rd VP – Membership We currently have 754 members – this is down 43 from last year. They will sell the remaining t-shirts (those purchased for teacher memberships for teachers who did not join) at a cost of $10. The staff holiday luncheon will be held this Friday, December 9th and they are in need of desserts – please drop off the dessert between 8 and 11:30 Friday morning. There was an increase in national dues this past year from $1.75 to $2.25, resulting in a payout of $4.50 for state and national dues. With student dues at $5.00, we only collect .50 per membership. Kathleen made a motion to increase the student dues from $5.00 to $6.00 and adult membership from $10 to $12.50. After discussion it was decided that adult dues should not be increased. Kathleen withdrew her initial motion and made a revised motion to increase student dues from $5.00 to $6.00, charge $7.00 for life members, leave individual memberships at $10 and leave family memberships at $25 effective April 1st. Jennifer Lambeth seconded the motion. The motion will be presented at the next general meeting for a vote. It was noted that life members are only exempt from the state dues and are still responsible for local and national dues. Holly is currently preparing the financial information for the past two years so that that a financial review can be conducted. Nelida is putting together a financial review committee, please contact her if you are interested in participating. The next meeting will be held January 23rd. The meeting was adjourned at 12:45.
Respectfully Submitted, Kavita Boone, Secretary
Coronado High School PTSA General Meeting October 31 Library AV Room The meeting was called to order at 11:40. Present at the meeting were: Adriana Fennell, Anne Sere Hernandez, Judith Ross, Mimmy Halperin, Lori Andrulis, Xavier Miranda, Vicki Yung, Jennifer Lambeth, Doris Goodman, Julie Cardwell, Sharon Adams, Holly Trubowitsch, Nelida Garcia, Nancy Skokan, Bert Blackburn, Melanie Mullings, Amy Marcus, Kelly Groves, and Kavita Boone. A quorum was established. President's Report Mimmy thanked the Ms. Morales and the faculty and staff on behalf of the PTSA for a wonderful luncheon for the volunteers, all of the soups, salads and dessert were delicious! She also thanked Robin Krasne for her work on the newsletter. The questions and responses for the November Principal Q & A were distributed via the Timely T-Bird and will soon be available on the website. Vicky will begin distributing scholarship information in January. Mimmy thanked Miriam and Wilma for doing an amazing job with the Reflections competition, presentation and program. Council News Nelida attended the last council meeting and reported that we have perfect attendance at the council meetings; however, we were missing a delegate at the September meeting and must have three representatives from Coronado for the remaining meetings in order to maintain the perfect attendance. Child Protective Services reported that they are in need of foster parents; they have about 92 children in need of placement at this time. There was also a report regarding the UTEP Summer Programs, which are available to children of all ages during the summer. Terry Jordan discussed the STAAR exam, which will be replacing the TAKS. The first year is a test year, with current 9th graders taking both the TAKS and the STAAR exams. There are no support materials for the STAAR exam available as yet. Many parents at the meeting expressed anger regarding the implementation of the STAAR exam. December 7th is the next meeting and Nelida and Susan Hjalmquist will attend. The winning Reflections entries will be delivered to the council at the December 7th meeting. Recording Secretary Kavita made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 31st meeting, Jennifer Lambeth seconded the motion and it carried. Treasurer's Report Holly presented the report, as Laura was unable to attend the meeting. The Mum sales were better than expected, with an income of over $2,000 more than budgeted. Laura wrote off the two checks for scholarships from three years ago, which were never cashed. The ending balance in the Operating account was $52,117.95 Melanie made a motion to move $18,103.84 from the Restricted Account into the Operating Account under the heading of Campus Improvement, with the stipulation that if there are funds remaining in this account at the end of the school year they should be carried over in the Campus Improvement account in future years until the funds are spent. Kathleen seconded the motion and it carried. President-Elect Nelida has volunteered to call individuals interested in sitting on the committee to determine how the campus improvement account funds will be utilized. The committee will investigate areas of need suggested by administration and parents, assess costs, and make recommendations for expenditures. The following areas have been mentioned: translation headsets, football stadium PA system, benches/picnic tables near cafeteria and around school, awning from A building to cafeteria, landscaping, and adobe flooring in the courtyard. Several years ago the school received a cast iron T-Bird statue as a senior class gift - the statue is under the bleachers in the gym and needs to be put on a stand and displayed outside the Fine Arts building Corresponding Secretary There was an increase in national dues this past year from $1.75 to $2.25, resulting in a payout of $4.50 for state and national dues. With student dues at $5.00, we only collect .50 per membership. Kathleen made a motion to increase the student dues from $5.00 to $6.00 and adult membership from $10 to $12.50. After discussion it was decided that adult dues should not be increased. Kathleen withdrew her initial motion and made a revised motion to increase student dues from $5.00 to $6.00, charge $7.00 for life members, leave individual memberships at $10 and leave family memberships at $25 effective April 1st. Jennifer Lambeth seconded the motion. The motion will be presented at the next general meeting for a vote. It was noted that life members are only exempt from the state dues and are still responsible for local and national dues. The next newsletter is nearly ready for distribution - Robin is just waiting for the last two entries. This one will only be distributed online. It was suggested that the e-mails (Timely T-Bird) be stacked in one e-mail, however there is the fear that the e-mail will be deleted before the remaining entries are read, as recipients may not realize there are more entries below. 1st VP - Programs Doris has been receiving many program ideas and she will review them and move forward with a program choice in January. There were over 200 students present for the Lowell Graham speech in the Career Training and Education lecture series. Thank you to the parents who volunteered at this event. In January, the speakers will be form the FBI, CIA and K-9 unit. For teacher appreciation, goodies will be placed in the teacher boxes prior to finals. Doris thanked Miriam and Wilma for their hard work on Reflections - there were 157 participants this year. The teacher with the most entries was awarded with a spa day. Miriam thanked all of the individuals who helped them make this program a success. Last Monday, they displayed the entries in the library and on Friday had the awards ceremony. The first place winners were awarded $100 gift certificates, 2nd place $25 gift certificates to Cinemark, and 3rd place $15 gift certificates to Cinemark. Honorable Mention winners were also recognized. Vicky is working with Mr. Brink to introduce an online process for completing the scholarship applications. They will also try to have the judging take place online. It is possible that applications may need to be completed in the computer lab at school - they are considering holding workshops to assist students with the application process. They will hold their first meeting next week. It was mentioned that it would be nice to have a paper option still available to students, especially this first year of transition. Mimmy stressed the importance of increasing student awareness as to the availability of these scholarships. Kelly Groves suggested an all call to parents of seniors and adding it to the list of topics mentioned during Advisory.
2nd VP - Ways and Means Veronica will begin selling ads in February, and she will advise the purchasers that the ads will be in the newsletter. The spirit sales are going well, they will be winding down. They may consider purchasing sunshade visors for cars, Blues Brothers glasses, and scarves for the spring semester. The Prom will be held May 5th at the El Paso Country Club. 3rd VP - Membership We currently have 754 members - this is down 43 from last year. They will sell the remaining t-shirts (those purchased for teacher memberships for teachers who did not join) at a cost of $10. The staff holiday luncheon will be held this Friday, December 9th and they are in need of desserts - please drop off the dessert between 8 and 11:30 Friday morning. There was an increase in national dues this past year from $1.75 to $2.25, resulting in a payout of $4.50 for state and national dues. With student dues at $5.00, we only collect .50 per membership. Kathleen made a motion to increase the student dues from $5.00 to $6.00 and adult membership from $10 to $12.50. After discussion it was decided that adult dues should not be increased. Kathleen withdrew her initial motion and made a revised motion to increase student dues from $5.00 to $6.00, charge $7.00 for life members, leave individual memberships at $10 and leave family memberships at $25 effective April 1st. Jennifer Lambeth seconded the motion. The motion will be presented at the next general meeting for a vote. It was noted that life members are only exempt from the state dues and are still responsible for local and national dues. Holly is currently preparing the financial information for the past two years so that that a financial review can be conducted. Nelida is putting together a financial review committee, please contact her if you are interested in participating. The next meeting will be held January 23rd. The meeting was adjourned at 12:45. Respectfully Submitted, Kavita Boone, Secretary
October 2011 Parent Coffee Questions 1. Why did incoming freshmen have to register for school twice (once in Spring and again in August)? In the spring, the 8th graders select their courses for their 9th grade year. Then at registration, they register and make sure all the paperwork (emergency cards, utility bills, vaccinations, etc.) is current for incoming freshman. We have to do this to keep kids from falling through the cracks.
2.
What is the plan to improve registration process for returning
students? 3. What is policy for acceptance of transfer students? The policy recently changed. Right now, upcoming IB and AG students are accepted, but they are frowning upon letting siblings in unless they are in one of those programs. Students who are freshman elsewhere can also transfer in for their sophomore year, but IB paperwork must be completed during their 9th grade year. This information can be found on the IB website. Applications for current 9th graders go up in January 2012 and are due in March 2012. Applications for 8th graders are already up and are due December 15, 2011, by 4 p.m. 4. How are student files stored? Is there proper security in place to protect students ID information?
Coronado keeps paper copies of student files on site for 3 years. After
that, they are microfiched at pupil services and stored there. This practice is not acceptable. Please email Ms. Morales or Ms. Speaker to let them know who is doing this. If there is a pattern of a student wanting to repeatedly go to the restroom, then the teacher should talk to the student and parent about this. 6. Is it true that sophomores cannot have parking passes even though they have legal driver’s licenses? If so, I am very concerned that CHS is creating a rule that is forcing new driver’s to park on the busy street when there are plenty of empty spaces in the lots. Every year we wait until all junior and seniors have been given a chance at parking places because they have seniority. We are currently counting available spaces in upper AG, and we will be opening those up to sophomores on a first come first serve basis. 7. What are the consequences for a dress code violation? What is the procedure that teachers follow? The dress code policy is available for review in the tri-fold folder that all upper classman received or in the freshman survival guide. It is also available in the orientation packet available on the PTSA website (www.coronadoptsa.org ). Hit the blue registration icon to the left and then scroll down to the red CHS orientation materials icon. The packet comes up and dress code is on the 6th page. If students are sent down for a violation, they must sign a clipboard that informs them that they must serve after school detention (usually held on Wednesdays). If he/she fails to serve detention, then the student will be assigned to ISS. We have talked about a uniform, but we will see where that goes. 8. Is there any update on the progress of getting our schedule changed for either next semester or next year? CHS clubs and student groups are having a very hard time getting meetings handled at lunch, so they have had to go to afterschool, which is a time that many kids can’t participate because of sports. Our current schedule is forcing kids to drop out of extracurriculars and minimize their schedules to lower level classes so they can still keep up with all they want to do. We have not been in contact with Mr. Anderson in the high school divisions. There is a principal’s meeting on Thursday, and Ms. Morales will check on the status. If you would like to address concerns or questions about this issue, please email Mr. Anderson. Regarding club meetings, Ms. Morales would like to encourage clubs to meet at 8 a.m. since there are so many things going on. 9. Is there a school policy about test retakes? In the past, it was allowed for regular classes. It seems that some of the Pre-AP and AP teachers have this option available. Does each individual teacher have the option of whether to adopt this policy or not? We only have one school wide policy and that applies to freshman taking regular classes. In 9th grade, freshman in regular classes may retake an exam to improve their grade, but they must meet conditions (attending tutoring, completing a review packet, etc.) to do that. Pre-AP may opt to do this, but it is not mandated. 10. With the addition of an extra class this year, is it possible to have a policy regarding homework assigned in elective classes? It would be most helpful to have these classes finish all their assignments during class. We are not comfortable mandating that elective teachers do not assign homework. This would send the message that these classes are not as important as other classes. Because these electives are part of student’s graduation plan requirements, they are just as important to giving a student a well-rounded education. Students need to prepare for these classes as they would for any other one. That being said, elective teachers should provide advanced notice for activities which are required after school. 11. Could you please reiterate what the exam exemption policy is for all grades. Is anything changing with the introduction of the Staar Tests vs. TAKS? Is the policy different for kids in advanced classes (pre-AP, AP, IB Prep, IB)? And do the kids in advanced classes have to maintain at least a 90 as well, or would it be an 80 or an 85 since the classes are more rigorous and depending on the weighting of the class. Also, is that 90 average from only the 2nd 9 weeks of the semester, or from the overall average for both 9 weeks of the semester? The final exam exemption policy can be found in the upper classman’s tri-fold folder, the freshman survival guides, and in the orientation packet you received at orientation. You can find it at www.coronadoptsa.org; click on the blue registration icon to the left; scroll down to red icon that says CHS orientation information and click on it. The packet will come up. Final exam policy is on page 3. Here is a general overview: In the fall, only seniors (with a 90 GPA for the semester and no more than 3 absences) are exempt. Sophomores and juniors will follow TAKS exemption guidelines in the spring for courses over which TAKS tests are given. They must have a 90 GPA and must meet standards on TAKs with a passing grade in regular classes. In pre-AP/AP classes, they must receive commendation to be exempt. The current freshman class is the first to follow the STAAR/EOC exams. Things are still up in the air from the state regarding this test. We may not get results until June, we don’t know what the passing rate will be, etc. We are planning on following the same guidelines as TAKS for final exemption, but we should know more in January. The plan for now is that freshman will only be exempt in English and Math, even though they will be tested in world geography, but we don’t know for sure yet. 12. It is very frustrating to drive the area in front of CHS in the morning. There seems to be so many more parents ignoring the no drop off zones and impeding the flow of traffic. Can we get the city police to have a bigger presence there? Or can we assign CHS security or parent volunteers to wave parents on? (We have a freshman attending Coronado High School this year. My husband was cited for stopping on Champion Place at the crosswalk to let out my son. We had seen other parents doing this and we have been dropping him off here for the last 7 weeks. Where is the designated drop off zone? This was not discussed during Freshman orientation. The drop off and pick up policies can be found by going to: Policy and Downloads Registration Forms #4- School Administration #4F- CHS Drop Off and Pick Up Policies Do not drop off students on Champions Street. The El Paso Police Department will ticket drivers who are stopping in a no stopping zone. These zones are usually in school zones, but you can look for the signs on the sides of the road around CHS that say no stopping or parking. The areas on the perimeter of CHS are no drop off zones. If you drop off your child before 7:45, you may drop off in the parking lot in front of the school; after 7:45, this area is designated for staff parking and special needs drop off. After 7:45, drop off is in the parking lot between D and E Buildings on the curb that borders these buildings. Exit by the Fine Arts Building. You can also drop off in the stadium or AG lots. Some parents also drop their children off in the shopping area that is across the street from Coronado. If you do this, warn your child to use the crosswalks, or they may be ticketed for jaywalking ($75.00) if EPPD is out. Because of liability issues, security and volunteer parents are not allowed to direct traffic at these areas. Regarding parking and drop off frustrations, the construction that is being done on Cloudview is going to cause traffic and parking problems. We do not know how long the construction will take, but it will run all the way up Cloudview…taking street parking and possibly the dirt parking lot by the tennis courts. We encourage carpooling during this time. We will try to get more of a police presence during construction to keep traffic moving. 13. I would like to request that she implement the “no homework” policy on Thursday game nights, like is done for open house night. If you think about it, most of the students are at home while the parents are at open house, so it would be okay (maybe even keep them out of trouble!) to have some homework. But for game nights, you have 185 band students, 50 football players, 20+ cheerleaders, and a bunch of students at the game. Except for the students, the others can’t leave campus after school so they can’t start their homework until they get home from the game – 10:30 or 11:00. These Thursday games are KILLERS! We agree that Thursday night games are tough on everyone. However, we ran the numbers, and only 15% of our population participates in these games as either a player, a band member, audience, or a cheerleader. This percentage is not enough to mandate a no homework policy for the whole school. That being said, the band director said he would allot band class time on Thursday game days as homework time, and the football coaches will allow for early release on Thursday game days so players can go home and get some work done in advance of the game. Also, Thursday, Novemeber 3rd is our Westside Bowl game (vs. Franklin). Because more students attend that, we will be encouraging teachers not give homework that night. Please note that teachers are not trying to torture students with homework; they are often just trying to make sure the mandated material is covered. There was also the suggestion that we have Saturday night games rather than Thursday night games. This would be nice for varsity, but it is difficult to sync all districts. Ms. Morales will ask that question to the athletics’ division. 14. My son is in the IB Program and my husband and I are concerned about the absence of an IB coordinator. At the beginning of the year, some students had no history books and they were told that the order could not be submitted because it was lacking the signature of an IB coordinator. Has a process to hire a new IB Coordinator been started? If students have a question or concern regarding any of their classes, who do they need to talk to in the meantime? Ms. Nancy Rivera is the new IB Coordinator. You can reach her at nmhoover@episd.org. She is located in Mrs. Kotarski’s old office. The PO order for the history books was signed by Mrs. Kotarski; however, because the district changed their policy, the books are delayed. This is a district issue, not a campus issue. We are hoping it will be resolved soon. Also, regarding textbooks, there was the suggestion that we have an electronic option for our textbooks. Starting next year with the new science adoption, there will be a pilot program. TEA will dictate what happens. You can contact Charlie Geach at EPISD with your comments or questions. We would love to see electronic books at CHS. Other important information: 1) The next parent coffee will be Tuesday, November 8th. We will not be having a December coffee. 2) Please make sure that when your child comes in late, he/she signs in at the attendance office. Also, if they leave early, they need to be signed out by a parent at the attendance office. 3) Pictures will be during social studies on 10/12. 4) 9 weeks test will be on 10/13 and 10/14. Thursday will be odd classes (1, 3, 5, 7) and Friday will be even classes (2,4,6,8). 5) We encourage all students to enter the Reflections fine arts contest. You can ask your English teachers for extra credit if you enter. There is a booth with applications , or your English teacher may have them. 6) Homecoming week is October 17-21. Spirit days are as follows: MONDAY = Decade Day (9th-50s; 10th-60s; 11th-70s, 12th-80s) TUESDAY = Expelliarmus Eastwood! (Harry Potter) WED = Game on! (9th-sports; 10th-cards; 11th-board ; 12th-video –no violent) THURS – Game of Life (9th-kids; 10th-awkward teen; 11th-midlife crisis; 12th-senior citizens) FRIDAY – Blue and Gold ****Students may not wear masks, and costumes must not be more revealing than dress code allows.
Parade is Wednesday at 6 p.m. Dance is Saturday from 8-12 at the Centennial Club. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. Parents are welcome as chaperones. Please contact Kelly Groves at 834-2471 or kegroves@episd.org if you are interested in chaperoning. You will receive a gate pass to enter Biggs Field.
Dance tickets and mums are sold before school, during lunch, and after school in C building. Westside Bowl t-shirts are also available for sale.
September 2011 Parent Coffee
1.Last year at one of the coffees, you outlined the new AP grading policy, where students who earn a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam get a 5 point GPA bonus, and they also get bonuses for certain averages in the AP classes. Could you explain that policy again? Also, will registrars automatically work those bonuses in, or do students need to request them with their test scores? The entire policy is available on line. Follow this procedure: 1) Go to episd.org; 2) Hit board of trustees icon; 3) hit policy manual icon; 4) on the right hand side of page, hit the online website icon; 5) in the search box, fill in academic achievement and class ranking; 6) hit EIC (local), and the policy will appear. A shortened rendition is as follows, but please review the online complete policy: The following bonuses will be given to AP/IB/Dual Credit classes: 1) If final average is 75%-79%, +5 pts. are given; 2) If average is 80% or higher, +10 is given; AND 3) If student gets qualifying score (3, 4 ,5) on AP exam or 4-7 on an IB exam, he/she gets another +5. Thus, students could get up to +15 added if they did well in the class and on the exam. For pre-AP, IB-Prep, students are given +5 if they get a 75% or higher final average. (NOTE: Human Geography (given freshman year) and World History (given sophomore year) are AP exams and will apply +5 if a qualifying score is achieved; thus, those students doing well on both the exam and in the class, could earn up to +10 points for that class. NOTES: 1) Registrars will automatically apply all extra GPA points; 2) Anyone can take an AP exam whether they are in an AP class or not; 3) Because the extra points for a qualifying score on AP exams do not apply to seniors since the scores come in after graduation, some juniors opt to try their junior year for a qualifying score on senior year exams (i.e., English IV exam) to raise their GPA; 4) These GPA points do not show up on report cards; 5) Your child’s AP or pre-AP teachers (in World History and Human Geography) will let your child know when and how to apply for testing and when study sessions are available. Testing is in May. 2. Many of us are very upset by the new schedule. Students are rushed, stressed, and on overload (the backpacks included) with 8 classes of work and then homework. Their learning/test scores are certainly being compromised and many students are considering dropping high level classes in favor of regular or dropping sports to deal with the additional stress. What we are doing isn’t working. It feels like we are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. What are our options at this point? Can we switch back to seven classes or go to block next semester? Can we get extra time on the end of the day? If the district won’t allow the extra time, do you plan to stay with the current schedule? Last year, the district mandated that we had to teach 8 classes because they wanted all high schools to offer 8 classes (which the block high schools were already doing). We had a district wide meeting in February 2011 to address the option to go until 4 p.m. That option did not materialize, and we are still working on it. We are not considering block because test scores go down with block. We have tracked 5 years of data with 2 EPISD schools (CHS and another block schedule school), and the data shows that our AP scores always outrank other local high schools as well as state and global scores. PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS RECEIVING 3, 4, or 5 on AP exams
Also, Ms. Morales issued a staff survey about which schedule they would prefer. The results so far are: 1) 8 teachers responded that they would like the schedule extended to 4 p.m.; 2) 69 responded that they like current schedule; and 3) 8 teachers liked the 7 period day. Although the block schedule was not listed as an option, 6 people wrote in the comment section that they would prefer that option. We are still in communication with Central Office regarding the extension to 4 p.m. If you would like to send an email expressing your support for that option, please email Mr. James Anderson (in the high school division) at jdanders@episd.org. The schedule is different from last year in the following ways: 1) Lunch went from 44 to 41 minutes; 2) Passing time went from 5 to 4 minutes; and 3) Class time went from 47 to 45 minutes with 8 periods instead of 7. Some EPISD schools are transitioning back to traditional schedule. Right now, lunches in the EPISD high schools range from 35 minutes to 60 minutes. All teachers must be provided a 30 minute duty-free lunch. This is still a work in progress, and we will have to see how it all plays out. 3. Thank you for making the announcements available online. Since announcements are difficult to hear in some classrooms, this is a huge help. However, they seem to fall several days to a week behind. Is there any way to update them daily? Maybe we could get a PTSA volunteer to help out with posting those? Ms. Groves said that she emails the announcements as soon as they are made to the PTSA webmaster and the Coronado website webmaster. After that, it is up to them when they post it. If you aren’t having luck finding timely information on www.coronadoptsa.org, you may want to see http://coronado.episd.org/. Also, you can follow CHS on twitter at coronado_high or follow us on Facebook at Coronado High School (profile picture is a Tbird). 4. When are we going to appoint a new director for the IB program? The interim director is Nancy Rivera. She has great experience in both AP and IB programs through her position in advanced academic services. You may email her at nmhoover@episd.org or call her at 834-2460 (ext 2080). Central Office just closed the job posting for this position yesterday. Now Ms. Morales will interview candidates, and a committee at Central Office (with Ms. Morales, Ms. Speaker, and an IB parent) will make a decision on the candidates. We are not sure how long this process will take. 5. What is the policy for dropping an AP or pre-AP class? How long do you have to do it? Do you take your grade with you? Are there any conditions which must be adhered to? Students have until the end of the 4th week of school to drop an AP or pre-AP class. The only requirement during that time period is that parents send a note confirming that they are aware the student is requesting the drop. After that, students can drop at ANY time during the semester, but they do take their grade with them. For this drop, the long form is required, which requires tutoring, parent conference, and meetings with the teacher. 6. My questions are about parking. Is it possible to paint large arrows in the parking lot by the football field? (not the ag lot, not the fine arts lot, the one in between that, there may be another name for it, but I don't know) While there are signs posted for entrance only and exit only near this lot, they are often not regarded and traffic gets unsafe in that lot in the mornings and especially in the afternoons. One way arrows would designate the flow of traffic to correlate with the entrance/exit, and that would facilitate safer traffic for students and parents. I also was not aware of certain lots being designated as "senior lots" for example. Is it possible to post that? We have been requesting attention to our parking lot from Central Office ever since Buildings D and E were built. We need resurfacing, lining, and painting. If you would like to request help in getting that done, please email jdanders@episd.org and tkjordan@episd.org. The senior parking lot is the one behind the funeral home. There are some PTSA spots that will be removed there, but there are also reserved spots for the presidents of the senior class, NHS, and Student Council. There is also one reserved for Mr. Tbird and Ms. Tbird.
7. One of the main reasons for moving to 8 classes was to eliminate the need for zero period. Why do we still have zero period? We currently only have two zero period classes offered. One is for CDL, the child care class where the little ones arrive at 7:30. The other class is a psychology class which is offered at that time to afford kids who have jobs, athletics, etc. the ability to take this class. 8. If we must keep 8 classes, what needs to be done to allow students to have a study hall instead of an 8th class? Unfortunately, a certified teacher must teach that class, and the district cannot afford that at this time. Current teachers cannot teach during the conference/prep period because they are mandated that time to prepare, run copies, hold conferences, etc. Again, you might want to email Mr. Anderson (jdanderson@episd.org) to see if there is any solution to how we could get study halls. 9. I believe that not issuing textbooks for up to 3 weeks after school begins is seriously harming our student's ability to learn. I understand one of the reasons that books are handed out after school begins is to have tighter control and decrease losses. If students are issued their ID's before school begins, then why can't students with IDs receive their books before school begins? Also, picking up textbooks before finals makes studying for them difficult. Isn’t there a better way to do this? This year, our biggest concern was getting IDs made for all students, and that took up a lot of time. Each student then checked out their own books to their individual ID number. All classes except for freshmen will keep that ID until they graduate, so we won’t have the ID hold-up in future years. Thus, we are looking at issuing text books at registration next year Regarding turn-in time, the district has an audit that is before the end of the year, so we have to take up books early. Teachers are supposed to take this into account and provide notes, handouts, etc. for finals. We will see if we have any other options here. Please tell your child to put his/her name in his/her textbooks. Next year, we may have an electronic option. Regarding IDs, all students must wear them at all times. If they are not wearing one, they will owe $5 for a new one to be made (even if they have it at home). 10. Many teachers tend to assign more homework based on having less instruction time; one more class of homework really does make a difference. Is there any way to control the amount of homework a teacher gives (some give 2+ hours per night) or require electives to be non-homework if we are going to keep 8 classes per day? Ms. Speaker will be sending out a “mercy” email, reminding teachers that students have 8 classes now and to emphasize quality over quantity in homework assignments. If you have a concern about the amount of homework a teacher is giving, please email Ms. Speaker at tkspeake@episd.org. 11. I have an issue with varsity athletes being told that they cannot take Pre-Ap or AP classes and also compete because of the time missed in class & the make-up work is difficult to get from teachers, as well as time allowed to make up work missed. Teachers and coaches will be reminded that this discussion is not appropriate. A student is the only one who can decide if a load is appropriate or not, not a coach or teacher. If a coach is saying this, please let Coach Brooks know. If a teacher is saying this, please let Ms. Morales know. 12. Travel time between classes is extremely stressful - no time to go to restroom, many teachers will not excuse students for this purpose, no time to talk to teachers about problems or makeup. What can be done about this? Travel time was reduced by one minute. 13. What is the policy regarding teachers and their episd emails? If a parent wishes to use this as a means of communication instead of a conference, it is extremely difficult to get the teacher to respond, in many cases. Teachers should get back to you within 24 hours. If they don’t, please resend the original email to the teacher and CC to Ms. Speaker at tkspeake@episd.org 14. Other important information: · The next parent coffee is Tuesday, October 11th at 8:00. Questions can be submitted via email to bkapplebaum@sbcglobal.net · Cloudview St. (next to Buildings D and E) and Champions Place (in front of the school) ARE NOT drop-off zones. These are NO stopping areas, and you will be ticketed if you drop your students off there. You can drop students off in front of the school in the parking area before 7:45 a.m. You can always drop off and pick up between Buildings D and E. Ms. Morales will ask that the security guards that work out front wave on parents who are trying to stop there. · Ms. Morales wanted to thank the PTSA for the work that they do for the school. Registration and textbook issuing could not be done without them. Their work is immensely appreciated by the staff and administration.
Coronado PTSA General Meeting Minutes Draft September 26, 2011 Coronado Library
The meeting was called to order at 11:36 am. Present at the meeting were: Mimmy Halperin, Amy Marcus, Laura Pople, Lori Andrulis, Adriana Fennell, Kathleen Coleman, Judith Ross, Holly Trubowitsch, Julie cardwell, Linda Fruithandler, Wilma Hernandez, Nancy Skokan, Julie Armendariz, Bert Blackburn, Doris Goodman, Melanie Mullings, Nelida Garcia, Terry Gutierrez, Diana Calhoun, Jennifer Lambeth, Cindy ???, Lori Mundell, Nancy Harlow, Vicki Young, and Kavita Boone.
President’s Report Mimmy thanked Melanie Mullings for introducing the Timely T-Bird e-mail correspondence system to Coronado and for doing such a wonderful job distributing information to our students and parents. She also thanked Holly, Anne Sere and Kathleen for their continuing hard work recruiting members and Robin Krasne for an awesome job putting together the newsletter. The newsletter should be ready for mailing early next week. A Spanish version will be available on the PTSA website. Mimmy also expressed gratitude to Tina, Sharon and Maria for their hard work in the mum room.
A quorum was established.
Recording Secretary Kavita made a motion to approve the minutes from the August 29th general PTSA meeting. Nancy Skokan seconded the motion and it carried.
Treasurer Laura presented the current treasurer’s report. There was a beginning balance of $44,478.34, income of $2,640.75, expenses of $6875.51, and an ending balance of $40,243.58. There have been expenses to replenish the inventory for the T-Bird shop. There has been some Project Graduation income as a result of the membership forms collected during registration. Laura had vouchers available for those needing reimbursement for expenses. The yardstake sales are going very well. The ending balance was $40,253.58. The issue of requiring the Project Graduation chairperson to raise $19,000 this year was raised. It was explained that in the past several years the Project Grad committee has been raising $19,000 to about $25,000 so based on this historical information it was decided to set the budget at $19,000. It was stated that this puts a great deal of pressure and will make it difficult to find a chairperson for the project. Why does the PTSA not contribute more funding? It was explained that due to the high cash balance at the end of last year, the PTSA, as a group, wanted to put some of those funds back in the school through Project Graduation ($5500) and other programs. This will result in a net loss for the year of approx 20,000. The loss does not factor in the possibility that the district may decide not to provide the $5500 in funding that it has given in previous years due to the budget cuts the district is facing. This issue will be further addressed.
Faculty Representative Mr. Miranda mentioned that the WATCH D.O.G.S. program has been implemented. So far only about 5 gentlemen have volunteered and they are hoping to increase that number in October. He urged everyone to speak with male role models and encourage them to volunteer their time for this program. He is a member of the District Wide Education Committee and encouraged everyone to demand to have input in rewriting policies and regarding financial aspects in the district. ???? He would also like to have a forum of educational legislation with Dee Margo to discuss recent legislative changes. He is looking for assistance in organizing this event. He also questioned whether there is a possibility of holding a PTSA meeting on a Saturday morning, after school or in the evening at a community center so that many who are interested in participating in PTSA but unable to attend the daytime meetings, could become involved. He also would like to reach out to the Spanish speaking community and Mimmy mentioned that next year they will try to hold an orientation in Spanish.
President – Elect Nelida mentioned that Michelle Blumenfeld is available to assist with volunteer needs. The next Principal Q & A will be held on Tuesday, Oct 11th. Kirsten Applebaum asked for everyone’s patience in the distribution of the results of the meeting as she must wait for administrative approval before they can be distributed.
Corresponding Secretary The newsletter will be back from the printers by the end of this week and help will be needed in labeling and stapling so they can be prepared for mailing. Please send any information that needs to be placed on the website to Diane Flanagan so it can be updated. Updates of activities your students are involved in and for those who are committee chairmen, updates in those areas also.
1st VP – Programs Doris mentioned that Mark Osborn of Kemp Smith spoke regarding the Law profession and they had about 70 students come to the presentation. On October 25th the speaker will be Mark Heins, owner of the Greenery Restaurant, and he will discuss opening and operating a business. Then on November 15th Zuill Bailey and Ida Steadman will address careers in the music world. The Reflections due date is October 30th and the theme is “Diversity Means”. At this time the entries will be collected and given to the judges, who will have about a week and a half to conclude the judging. From November 28th to December 1st the entries will be exhibited in the library, December 2nd will be the awards ceremony and then the winning entries will be taken to the EPISD council meeting for district wide judging. Scholarship forms may be placed online for easier access for students. This year the applications will be submitted by student ID number and the name will not be present on the application. The Friends of Rachel club is just getting up and running. There are support materials available from the Rachel’s Challenge organization, which were not purchased last year as it was so close to the end of the school year when the program was presented. Nancy Skokan made a motion to purchase the support materials from Rachel’s Challenge at a cost of $1195, Kathleen Coleman seconded the motion and it carried. Doris is open to suggestions for programs for this school year.
Student Activities Director Kelly Groves mentioned that University Behavioral Health held a drawing for a presentation of Rachel’s Challenge and Coronado won the drawing. The program was presented to the ninth grade students. The seniors were given information regarding ordering announcements, cap and gown and class rings. Herff Jones will be at the school on Wednesday and Saturday to take orders. Homecoming will be the week of October 17th, with the parade on Wednesday, the game on Friday and the dance on Saturday at the Centennial Club. The students need to bring ID’s, car insurance and be sure that the inspection sticker is up to date. Float building will begin Sept. 28th. All of the Exec’s have elected their officers and will meet with Kelly on Friday. Spirit Week – all students will have B-lunch. Please encourage freshmen to stay on campus. Monday – Decade Day (9th– 50’s, 10th- 60’s, 11th-70’s, 12th-80’s) Tuesday – Expeliarmus Eastwood – Harry Potter theme Wednesday – The Games (9th-Sports, 10th-Cards, 11th-Board, 12th-Video) Thursday – Generations (9th-Little Kids, 10th-Awkward Teens, 11th-Midlife Crisis, 12th-Senior Citizens) Friday – Blue and Gold Day This Thursday they have a football game at the SAC and they are kicking off a Breast Cancer Awareness program and have asked everyone to wear pink. Those wearing pink will be allowed to eat at the tailgate at no cost. There will be a blood drive this Wednesday.
2nd VP – Ways and Means Judith mentioned that the merchandise sales are going very well and that they are now selling on Thursday and Friday during lunch. They have also been selling at some sporting events. They are still in need of volunteers to help with the sales. They ordered new white t-shirts and are getting ready to order sweatshirts and long sleeved shirts. The mum workshops are really behind schedule and are in desperate need of volunteers. There is work that can be taken home if you are unable to come during the work day. Beginning next week they will be in the mum room every day. Ads were placed in the newsletter for the businesses which bought advertising space on the ID cards. 51 Yardstakes were delivered to Adrianna and she will be delivering them soon. She is still taking orders for those who wish to purchase one.
3rd VP – Membership Holly and Anne Sere sent e-mails to those who were previously members to encourage them to join again this year. We currently have 690 members (508 parents /students and 190 faculty). Last year the membership totaled 797 (575 parents/students and 222 faculty). We are eligible for many awards this year, including Student Membership Achievement, MARS(Men Are Really Super), 500 Club Achievement, and the Early Bird Award. The parent teacher conferences will be held on Oct. 26th, the teachers will be provided with goody bags containing water, fruit and snacks.
The students will have early dismissal Wednesday, Oct. 5th at 12:45 for staff development. Mimmy thanked everyone for their hard work. Meeting adjourned at 12:32 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Kavita Boone, Secretary
Coronado High School PTSA General Meeting Minutes Draft
August 29, 2011
The meeting was called to order at 11:40.
A quorum was established.
Present at the meeting were: Xavier Miranda, Lori Andrulis, Sally Filler, Adriana Fennell, Holly Trubowitsch, Carolyn Waller, Mimmy Halperin, Kavita Boone, Julie Cardwell, Robin Krasne, Michelle Blumenfeld, Doris Goodman, Cindy Ramos-Davidson, Amy Marcus, Kathleen Coleman, Nancy Skokan, Judith Ross, Tina Gute, Shannon Adams, Dori Fenenbock, Suzanne Lozano, Anne Sere Hernandez, Jackie Heins, Linda Fruithandler, Christine Rook, Jon Schwartz, Tracy Schwartz, Melanie Mullings, Anat Reiter, Laura Salome, Beth Bokal, Alejandra Hobbs, Benny Rojo, Diana Mrochek, Patricia Romagosa, Nelida Garcia, Martha Bohnaker, Lisa Eisenberg, Lori Mundell, Diana Calhoun, Terry Gutierrez, and Vicki Yung.
Principal’s Report Ms. Morales welcomed everyone back to school. She mentioned that lunch has been extended by 5 minutes, with school now ending at 3:50, and the new bell schedule can be found on the Coronado website. They are still working to extend the school day until 4:00 to allow more time for lunch but there several issues to deal with, such as transportation and teacher work hours. The central office for book distribution for EPISD has stated that there are book shortages at all of the high schools. Ms Morales had Mr. O’Hara go to the warehouse and pick up Algebra II and Chemistry books. They anticipate that there will be a similar shortage next year with this same class in Physics and Pre-Calculus books. Ms. Morales has relocated her DEC meetings for September and October so the AV room will be free for the making of mums. The T-Bird store may utilize the empty bookshelves to store their merchandise. She thanked everyone for their help and support.
President’s Report Mimmy mentioned there were handouts with future meeting dates; the PTA mission, values and purpose statements; as well as an information sheet regarding mum workshops on the sign-in table. She encouraged everyone to volunteer in the workshops as that is our primary fundraiser for the school year. There will be a meeting to assess the registration and bookroom distribution procedures with those who were involved with the process this year. There will be a college night on September 6th. Almost all of the students have ID’s now. This year the advertising on the back of the card was done using stickers instead of being printed on the card. This has become a problem as the stickers are rubbing off of the cards. Students are being placed in ISS if they are not wearing their ID cards. They must be worn on a lanyard. There is a new program named Watch D.O.G.S. which has been implemented in the Freshman Academy, which encourages fathers to come and monitor the hallways during the school day. At this time there is still one major position open, that of Project Graduation Chair. Parking permits are available for PTSA volunteers in the security building. Parents can park anywhere but visitor parking when using the permit. It was also suggested that parents not park in the senior parking lot. Parent members of the CIT committee include Jody Mullings, Susan Hjalmquist, Amy Marcus, and Mimmy Halperin. Our website is in dire need of updating, there is information from 2008 still on the website. Please send any updated information, such as announcements and photos to Diane Flanagan. The links to other websites may also need to be updated. Parent portal is up and running. If you have any problems with the site you will need to contact the school. You will need to be cleared through the school if you are a fist time user of the system.
Recording Secretary Kavita made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 23rd PTSA meeting, Nancy Skokan seconded the motion and it carried.
Treasurer Laura distributed copies of the proposed PTSA budget for 2011-2012. A few changes she noted were a decrease in revenue for prom to $20,000, and a decrease in the class donation for Project Graduation to $3,000. We will be operating at a net loss this year because we are trying to put previous years fund raising dollars back into our school to benefit our students in addition to paying for last year’s approved expenditures. There will be balance of approximately $20,000 to begin the next school year. The proposed tax free days will be august 10th and the day of mum distribution. Jennifer Lambeth made a motion to approve the proposed budget as presented, Amy Marcus seconded the motion and it carried. Nancy Skokan made a motion to use August 10th and the mum distribution day as our two tax free days, Julie Cardwell seconded the motion and it carried.
President –Elect Nelida stated that Kirsten Applebaum has agreed to be in charge of the Principal Q & A once again. We do not have a date for the first session as yet. Mr. Miranda sent out an e-mail regarding the Watch D.O.G.S. program.
Corresponding Secretary Melanie mentioned that pen House will be August 31st. A new system is being utilized this year for the PTSA e-mail distribution. Recipients have the option to unsubscribe if they wish to do so. Melanie made a motion that anyone who requests to be part of the database be included regardless of whether they are a PTSA member. Linda Fruithandler seconded the motion. Holly requested that she be allowed to send non-members a membership application to give them the opportunity to join PTSA and it was agreed that this was permissible. The motion carried. It was suggested that we give parents an incentive to join. There are actually such incentives in place and it was suggested that this information be compiled and made available to parents. It was mentioned that we need to consider presenting our information in Spanish also and there may be a committee established to translate the orientation packet. The use of Google translator was also suggested. The first newsletter will be mailed to student homes, and the remaining newsletters will be distributed digitally. Robin requested that anyone with information they would like to have included in the newsletter should send it to her at rkrasne@aol.com or to Melanie Mullings. They may try to have a Spanish version available on the website. She is hoping to get all of the information this week, put the newsletter together next week and then send it to the EPISD printer in the hope of distributing the newsletter by the end of September. Jackie Filley, the historian has a website, chshistorian@gmail.com if anyone has pictures they would like to send for the scrapbook.
1st VP – Programs Doris thanked Dori Fenenbock for agreeing to take the position of Programs Chair. Cindy Anderson has asked Mark Osborn, a trial attorney with Kemp, Smith to speak at the first session of the Career Training and Education lecture series. This will take place on Sept. 20 in the speech auditorium and pizza will be served. Parents are welcome to attend. On Reflections, Miriam and Wilma are awaiting information about this year’s theme. The participation last year was low and we are hoping increase it this year. Thank you to Jennifer Lambeth, who has been busy organizing and working the bookroom distribution. The process was complicated by the unexpected illness of the bookroom clerk. They are hoping to complete the distribution by Thursday and they should complete distribution of books for the core subjects today or tomorrow. They are trying to ensure that students have their ID’s as well as their books. Jennifer thanked everyone who has come to volunteer. They may consider issuing books during registration next year. It was mentioned that the books are picked up prior to finals at the end of the school year and this makes it difficult for students to study properly for finals. Jennifer will look into this issue and see if it is possible to pick up books at a later date. For teacher Appreciation, Chellie and Jeanie passed out animal crackers to the teachers based on a zoo theme. For the program this year, it was decided that we will continue the Friends of Rachel program and Doris will order the necessary materials. Scholarships committee usually does most of its work in the fall.
2nd VP – Ways and Means Judith mentioned that prom will be held on May 5th at the El Paso Country Club. The theme has not been determined as yet. All of the slots on the ID ads were sold, however, the use of stickers is an issue. Several options were discussed to rectify the issue, including distributing another card with the ads imprinted on it, give advertisers the option of ads in the newsletters, or offering a refund if the options are not satisfactory. In the T-Bird shop, Sally and Julie did a great job with sales during registration. They will be selling on Fridays during A and B lunch and are considering selling on another day of the week also. They are looking for volunteers to work during the lunchtime sales. The mum workshops started today and will be held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 3. Tina, Maria and Sharon have done a great job getting the mum workshop going. They are very much in need of volunteers to help in making the mums. There is also work that can be taken home for those unable to make it to the workshop. Approximately 40 yard stakes were sold during registration. Adriana will sell during the Open House on Wednesday and put in the order by the end of the week.
3rd VP – Membership Kathleen thanked Holly Trubowitsch and Anne Sere Hernandez for their hard work with membership recruitment. She also thanked Ana De Santis and Susan Hjalmquist for doing a wonderful job on the orientation packets, Julie Freund for organizing the back to school breakfast, the volunteers who brought items for the breakfast, Angela Munro and all her volunteers for being such a big help to the counselors during registration, and all of the volunteers who helped out during registration!
. Project Graduation is still in need of a chairman.
Mimmy mentioned the following dates: Monday, Sept. 26 – the next PTSA meeting Oct. 26 – Parent-Teacher conferences
The meeting was adjourned at 12:50.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kavita Boone, Secretary
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