PS26 Jesse Owens PTA Executive Board meeting with Principal

August 8, 2023

Present: Sam Posner, Rachel Hills, Sophie Richards, Michelle Choi, Principal Funtleyder, Assistant Principal Spence

Introductions from PTA board and administration:

• Principal Funtleyder spent her first year as Acting Principal sitting back, watching, and learning. Now that her position is permanent, she is putting her ideas into practice. These include:
  • Making the Pre-K dual language program permanent, with the goal of expanding it through second grade over time.
  • Bringing in a full-time ESL teacher, to cater to the school’s growing Spanish- and Arabic-speaking populations.
  • Hiring a second guidance counsellor, with competency in Arabic.
• Enrollment grew from 159 to 198 through 2022-2023, expanding the school’s funding.
• There was a 10% growth in reading and math grades last year, with particular improvement in Kindergarten.

PTA plans for 2023-2024:

• Sam said that last year he was focused on understanding the machinations of the PTA. This year, one of the key focuses is on figuring out how to better connect families.
  • Sam is creating a survey to collect parent contact information, to be distributed from the Open House on August 30th onward.
    • Michelle suggests having a PTA table at the Open House, so that people can connect and ask questions after the event.
    • Principal Funtleyder notes that the Curriculum Night (in September?) might also be a good opportunity to distribute the survey and collect information, especially if we are able to hold it in person.
  • Rachel is investigating best practices on class parents and Whatsapp groups, including a clear set of responsibilities so that people understand the role.
  • AP Spence said that when she worked at Brooklyn Friends, parents hosted regular potluck dinners that helped to connect the school.
    • Could PS 26 do something similar for Thanksgiving this year? If so, when would be best to host it?
  • Principal Funtleyder says that it would be great to be able to have parent/teacher interviews in person this year, to facilitate stronger connections between families and teachers.
    • Rachel says she would also like to see more dialogue between families and teachers at PTA meetings. Teachers have deep knowledge of the school, students, and their needs, so can be helpful in shaping PTA fundraising goals, and what we spend the money we raise on.
  • AP Spence says the school used to host movie nights pre-pandemic, but has been hard to do with COVID restrictions. Rachel suggests reaching out to the community garden on Malcolm X, as they have hosted movie nights for Madiba Prep before. Principal Funtleyder says she has a good relationship with the person who runs the garden.
  • AP Spence said she would like to see the school community connect out and into the street.
  • AP Spence referenced that a former PTA president used to have an event around multi cultural food tasting and Hispanic heritage month.

Communication:

• SWOT analysis (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats) from last year brought up that Communication was a learning and opportunity for growth.
• AP Spence says that it would be good to be more intentional about communicating school events, so that it’s easier for parents to participate/get time off.
• Schedule things that happen consistently for each month in advance.
• Sam suggests sending out a calendar for the whole fall so that people aren’t waiting for the next month’s calendar to know important dates.
• Principal Funtleyer is excited to have June planned by the end of September.

After school care:

• Principal Funtleyder is planning to divide after school enrichments and programming for the school around two “Academies”: 3K-2 Academy and 3rd-5th Academy.
  • This will help to match activities to the needs of different age groups, and make sure that testing periods for upper grades are a priority.
  • Can we analyze data we gather from families along these lines, to better understand how to support these two groups?

Other:

• Grant from Eric Adams means the school now has four 3D printers.
  • Bring in parents on a Saturday to work with them?
  • Idea of possible family events to engage with technology.
• The prom was hectic. Too much food ordered. Host at an outside venue this school year.