Moorestown High School Home & School Meeting January 11, 2017

Moorestown High School Home & School Meeting – January 11, 2017

The meeting was called to order by MHS H&S chair Carin Troy at 9:30 am. The December 2016 minutes were approved. Carin thanked Kathy Coffey for organizing the staff cookie exchange.

Board of Education President Kathy Goldenberg– During the annual re-organization meeting, new members were welcomed and Kathy and Brandon Pugh were re-elected President and Vice-President, respectively. Over $500,000 of revenue was already generated for this school year, and additional sponsorships and opportunities are still being pursued. Moorestown is considered innovative compared to other districts in this endeavor.

Kathy explained her role with the Garden State Coalition of Schools and the NJ School Board, which advocate for districts and let legislators know the difficulty districts have meeting escalating expenses. She and Dr. McCartney are doing a lot to help Moorestown get more state funding. Historical state funding formulas have not always been applied, resulting in some districts getting more than they should and Moorestown receiving less.

Superintendent Dr. Scott McCartney – Dr. McCartney explained how snow day decisions are made. He consults with the facilities director, transportation director and other local superintendents in the wee hours of the morning to assess the situation. Safety is key. However, he understands that the decisions do not please everyone. School calendar start and end dates are determined by a committee of administrators, teachers and parents on a three-year cycle. We are in year 2 of this cycle now. In year 3 they will decide the calendar for the next three years.

Dr. McCartney also addressed the school budget. Under NJ’s 2% cap, the budget can be approved by the Board and not the taxpayers if the increase year over year is under or at 2%. However, the cap is usually exceeded by the growth in salaries and benefits alone. For Moorestown that increase is about $1.1 million. He is working with the school principals to identify ways to control costs while maintaining the same level of programming. He will continue to give updates on the budget at Home & School meetings; however, the Board of Education meetings are the best source of information for interested individuals. He is also available for questions.

Student Council President Jack Goettle – The Student Council has been planning the Martin Luther King, Jr. assembly, focused on following your dreams. He asked if Home & School had suggestions for the beneficiary of the Starbucks fundraiser; he was encouraged to poll the student body for a cause about which the students are passionate. In response to a question, he noted that the Interact Club and Student Council have not worked together a lot in the past.

Teachers Barb Young and Erin Todd, freshman and sophomore class advisors, updated the parents on the Freshman/Sophomore Cotillion that will be held in the MAC on 2/3/17. The advisors’ goal is to try to change the culture and get the students excited about activities at school. They solicited ideas to try to encourage student attendance at the dance.

Principal Drew Seibel – A video conferencing systems has been installed, which has been used in several of the business and science classes.

PARCC information was just received. Next year the test may be later in the school year, which may conflict with AP testing. This year it will be 4/3-4/6. Freshmen must take PARCC in order to graduate; however, they don’t have to pass it. “Passing” will be defined by the state for the current eighth graders, which will need to pass in order to graduate from high school. Students who are not scheduled for PARCC or who are exempted will have study hall those days.

Mr. Seibel expanded on Jack Goettle’s comments about Student Council working with other clubs. Previously the council was grade-focused, but now it is taking a broader school perspective. He clarified for parents that clubs meet during 12th period, so they do not conflict with sports.

The seniors leave on 4/1/17 for the class trip. Luggage check will be around 1 or 1:30 pm, and flights will depart around 6 or 6:30 pm. Students return 4/6/17 but land late in the evening.

Nationally known speaker Mike Smith will conduct a session for parents the evening of 2/7 and will present to the student body on 2/8. This will not be like anti-bullying messages in the past. Peter Van Buskirk will present to parents on “The Admissions Game” on 3/14. He will talk about how to make yourself look best for the college you desire.

In response to a follow-up from last month’s meeting, Mr. Seibel is working to ensure all teachers have their email addresses posted online.

The midterm schedule is English/Math on 1/25, Science/Language on 1/26 and Social Studies on 1/27.

MHS Home & School Vice Chair Kate Wilson thanked everyone for responding to the survey about H&S meetings. She said there were about 150 respondents, roughly split between those who attend meetings and those who do not. Meeting time was a top concern. She encouraged everyone to attend an evening meeting if one is scheduled to provide an alternative for those unable to attend day meetings. Content was another hot topic. Topics considered valuable in order of preference were guidance/principal updates, curriculum, superintendent updates and Board of Education updates. Future agendas will be planned taking this into consideration. The biggest reason survey respondents cited for not coming back to meetings was individuals who monopolize discussion with issues pertinent only to their child. Chair Carin Troy has already reminded meeting attendees that questions should apply to the betterment of all children.

A motion to adjourn was made by Kim Twomey and seconded by Pam Fallows. The meeting adjourned at 10:54 am.

Respectfully submitted,

Carole Wehn

HS H&S Secretary