Rose Tree Media School District s1

Rose Tree Media School District Penncrest High School Minutes of the October 13, 2014 PTG Meeting

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:10pm.

Welcome: Debbie Saylor-Brown welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Guest Speaker: Joseph Fuhr, Simon Youth Academy (SYA) Principal : Mr. Fuhr gave a tour of the SYA facilities which are now located in the Penncest building.  SYA students include those with anxiety disorders, previous truancy issues, full-time jobs, and those transiting back into school after a concussion.  Students may choose from two different shifts (9:00am-2:30am or 10:30am-4:00pm) for their school day. Starting the day later than the 7:30 PHS start time helps to have more successful students.  There is a separate school entrance for the SYA students.  French is now offered to the students who would like to take a foreign language.  The students set their own goals which are kept in the classroom on laminated cards for them.  The graduation rate is the highest in Pennsylvania, with 100% of seniors graduating last year.

Principal's Report: Mr. Gregg was not at the meeting due to a band concert. There was a principal’s coffee prior to the meeting. The following items were discussed:

 Parents stated that they were very impressed with the excellent communication and options provided by Jen Rankin and the Penncrest H.S. Career Center.  A parent asked Mr. Gregg if teachers were okay with students missing school for school sponsored trips. Parents get the impression by many teachers and coaches that the teachers are not happy with it and students sometimes get penalized. Mr. Gregg stated that teachers have to be okay with these trips because they are school sponsored. He expressed his view that these trips are educational and provide experience and education in addition to what is learned in the classroom.  A parent asked whether the number of students who actually pass the AP exams is considered when Penncrest is graded/ranked by the various organizations that have ranked us to be a difficult or outstanding school. He stated that they do take in account how many students take the AP exams as well as how many pass them.  A parent inquired as to why students are allowed to miss any class except gym class when going to visit the colleges that are visiting our school for the day. Mr. Gregg was not aware of this rule and was going to look into it.

Secretary's Report: Minutes of the October 13, 2014 PTG meeting were unanimously approved (motions to approve: Bob Schultz and Susan Howe). Treasurer's Report: The PTG currently has about an $8,400 of spendable cash left from last year. Some of this will possibly be used to add benches and a patio in the courtyard. The collection of dues is low this year. The PTG’s first tax return was filed but still has yet to be approved by the IRS. We may have an accountant review the taxes for this year. Treasurer’s report was unanimously approved (motions to approve: Mary Beth Orens and Julie Bond).

Committee Reports: AM Prom - (Julie Bond): The committee has met and decided on a theme.

Faculty Report:

From Chris Grouzes: The Improv Club set a date for this semester's show: December 3 at 7 pm in the auditorium.

Emanon's annual Readers Theater was a huge success, utilizing the talents of 33 students. Every student in the building saw the show, and the positive reactions were some of the best that Emanon has seen in recent years.

From Craig Snyder The Roaring Lions Marching Band captured the Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championships in group 4-A competition on October 25th.

From Jen Clarke The annual JV show benefiting the Junior Class will be on Thursday, November 13th and Saturday, the 15th. The show beings at 7PM and is the largest single fundraiser for the Class.

From Theresa Long -All students are adjusting nicely to daily PE classes. Fitness tests are showing much improvement due to daily activity. - A reminder that 11th and 12th grade students in first semester PE must turn in their portfolio to pass the course. -All Health students will hear a presentation from Women Against Rape on December 1st for the first semester students. The date is yet to be announced for the 2nd semester students.

From Chrissa Kuntz and Mark Samilenko Penncrest Envirothon was honored Thursday, November 6th with the Organizational Stewardship Award by the Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association.

From DeAnn Scherer and Lori Rice-Spring The Penncrest National Honor Society inducted 51 new juniors and 12 new seniors during the induction ceremony in October. Our dynamic guest speaker was Lisa Lobitz.  In October, the NHS sponsored the first annual fundraising event in cooperation with homecoming week festivities. One dollar of every homecoming dance ticket was donated to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, along with the proceeds of a penny war totaling $646. Our homecoming charity efforts concluded with a day of service in Philadelphia this past Sunday in which 13 NHS members participated in two charity walks. Our students raised $470 for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in the morning and raised additional funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the Light up the Night walk in the afternoon. The day of service ended with fireworks on the parkway by the Art Museum.

School Board Meeting Report (September 23, 2014)-Provided by Joanne Torillo:

Old Business:  PTG School Directory – November 15th is the final day to get your family information into the Penncrest school directory. As of now, we may not have enough families included to make the directory.

 We will always accept your PTG dues, so please pay if you haven’t done so already.

New Business:  The maintence department has approved the placement of the previously mentioned benches in the courtyard outside of the library.

Meeting Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 8:21p.m.

**The next PTG meeting will be on January 12th @ 7pm. Our guest speaker will be Mr. Jim Wigo, Superintendent, Rose Tree Media School District** (Please note - there is no December meeting.)