Robert Seaman PTA Minutes

Robert Seaman Elementary School June 8, 2005 PTA Meeting

PTA Co-Presidents: Laura Gladstone and Edye Rosenbaum:
Laura and Edye welcomed everyone to the meeting, and extended a special welcome to all our new incoming Kindergarten parents, Schools Superintendent Hank Grishman, Mary Marks (Director of Public Information), School Board members Ira Checkla, Joe Lorentz, Barbara Krieger, and newly elected board member Claire Hochheiser. Congratulations were expressed to Barbara Krieger for her re-election to the board, and to Claire Hochheiser on her new position.

Laura and Edye thanked the school community for their strong support of the recently successful school budget vote.

Thank you’s were extended to this morning’s Hospitality Committee; Diane Frisenda and Susan Leist. Special thanks to Sheree Levy for decorating the school bulletin board and featuring many of the wonderful articles about the school that the Public Relations committee has had published recently in our local newspapers.

Ongoing thank you’s to the following committees; Newsletter, Public Relations, Publicity, Fifth Grade, SEPTA, Sunshine, Community Service, Island Harvest, and the Staff Appreciation Luncheon committee.

Our first Spring Sweatshirt Sale was very successful and will be held again next year. Jen Amodio did a terrific job on this “one-man” committee, and much appreciation goes to her for her hard work.

Laura and Edye reminded everyone that Field Day will be held on June 15th, and that this event is not open to parents. This event is for the children and teachers only. The only parents present at the event are those who have volunteered to hand out water. Four parents were asked to volunteer for the morning, as well as four for the afternoon.

After much discussion and deliberation by the Executive Board, it has been decided to cancel Pretzel Sales beginning next year. Pretzel sales have traditionally been held on Friday afternoons in the school cafeteria. This committee has been running at a financial loss for several years, and parents who are interested in selling pretzels are instead invited to help out the Fifth Grade committee with their fundraising sales. You do not need to be a Fifth Grade parent to help out – all are welcome!

A reminder that all leftover money from classroom funds must be turned into your Head Room Reps or directly to Beth Cohen as soon as possible. Everyone is also asked to turn in all Room Rep sheets for the fall, as well as Committee sign-up sheets.

Another reminder was given to all that existing phone chains are still in place through mid September. This will give us a chance to get the new Fall “05 phone chains up and running properly.

In the future, all parents are asked to write the name of the particular committee (ex: Fifth Grade, Plant Sale, Holiday Boutique, etc.) on all checks that are written to the PTA. This will help the treasurer track funds in a much more efficient, accurate way. Parents are also asked to include their home phone numbers on all checks as well.

Laura and Edye extended thank you’s to Mr. Ratner, Mrs. Singer, Mrs. Welsh and Mrs. Friedlander for our recent edition of Reflections, Seaman’s annual literary publication. Edye and Laura also thanked all of our teachers, both regulars and specials, for all their hard work throughout the year.

There are many families who will be leaving the school this June when their Fifth Graders graduate, so goodbyes and warm wishes were extended to the following families: Ackerman, Ballen, Boral, Bruy, Bush, DiGilio, Duggan, Feldberg, Feldman, Fern, Fried, Genatt, Ku, Li, Majeed, Marcus, Miao, Goldstein, Hochhauser, Hyams, Iyer, Kono, Konstantakopoulos, Paley, Pfau, Plunkett, Porges, Ripka, Rosenbaum, Rosenberg, Roth, Rucker, Sawhney, Schwartz, Seigerman, Shenker, Solomon, Suroweic, Tarasowsky, Tiffen, Valente, Weiss, Winterton, Zagelbaum, and Zwerling.

Edye and Laura also thanked the outgoing Executive Board for all their work throughout the past two years, and presented them with gifts.

Secretary’s Report – Diane Frisenda
Many teachers expressed their thanks for the recent Staff Appreciation Luncheon. Notes were received from: Mrs. Osroff, Mrs. Kaufman, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Bacher, Mr. Winnick, Ms. Reali, Mrs. Treiber, Mrs. Iaccarino, Ms. DeAngelis, Mrs. Horowitz, Mrs. Schaffler, Mrs. Schiesser and Mrs. Nieves.

Treasurer’s Report – Amelia Tils
The current balance is $13, 272 before expenses. Outstanding bills still to be paid are: Reflections, Fifth Grade Circus, School Supplies and Sweatshirt. Please remember to send in all receipts for reimbursement, along with your name, phone number, and committee name. Please leave your receipts in the PTA mailbox located in the main office, in an envelope clearly marked ATT: Amelia Tils.

Committee Reports:

Fifth Grade
One last fundraiser is being held this year, and proceeds will go towards next fall’s incoming Fifth Grade committee. It is a Ralph’s Ices sale, and will be held on Monday, June 13th. Ices are $3 apiece.
This year’s Graduation party will be at The George Washington manor on June 22nd.
Copies of the recent Fifth Grade Circus are still available on DVD for $25. Forms are available in the school office, or contact: Stephanie Bower, Lisa Goldstein, Randi Marcus, Michelle Roberts, and Kathie Bush.

PTA Luncheon
This year the luncheon will be on June 10th at Coolfish in Syosset. Everyone is welcome and invited to attend. The luncheon will be the same cost as last year at $28 per person.

SEPTA
The last meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday, June 14th at 7:30 pm in the Middle School Library. This last meeting is Recognition Night, and our own Mrs. Marcucci-Baum will be honored, as well as several others in the school community. Everyone is invited to come help honor her on this special night. Also, Edye Rosenbaum is welcomed as next year’s incoming SEPTA President.
Contact: Lisa Duggan and Laurie Lanz

Mr. Ratner’s Report
Mr. Ratner thanked Laura and Edye for tirelessly guiding a host of activities that provided parent education, embraced literacy and funded a literary publication, prized community service, crafted special programming, fostered a sense of participation, and enhanced parent-school communication. He thanked them for their exemplary service over the past two years, and said that no challenge was ever too much and no job too small to be accomplished by these two ladies who always had the best interests of all Seaman Children at heart.

Mr. Ratner welcomed Beth and Diane as the incoming Co-Presidents. He has worked with each of them before and knows that they will be a wonderful team.

The new slate of officers were then welcomed and installed in office by Mr. Ratner. They are:
Co-Presidents Beth Cohen and Diane Frisenda, Executive Vice President Sheree Levy, Vice President Sherry Cila, Vice President Theresa Snyder, Secretary Deborah Brody, and Treasurer Sandra Galu.

Mr. Ratner spoke about Circus Week at Seaman, which was held last week and we had our own Big Top going on in the gym. Before this week is out, all students will be receiving our professionally published literary magazine, Reflections, which is funded by the PTA and put together by students and Mrs. Singer, Mrs. Welsh, and Mrs. Friedlander. A piece of writing is included for every youngster in the school and the artwork from so many students is incredible.

Next week, the Jericho Public Library Children’s Librarians will visit with all grades, and we also look forward to Field Day. End of Year Picnics and Parties are all set, and Fifth Grade closing activities in the next two weeks will take much of our attention.

As this year is closing, we are already gearing up for next year. If you did not take part in the PTA pre-purchase of general grade by grade school supplies, you can obtain a general supply list by grade on our website before school ends. While many will vacation and re-energize this summer, much still needs to be accomplished in the next three months to provide a program next year that is as rigorous as it is enjoyable, and as challenging as it is engaging.

Mr. Ratner closed by wishing everyone the happiest and healthiest summer, and thanked everyone for the privilege of being the principal of the Robert Seaman School.

 

Robert Seaman Elementary School May 11, 2005 PTA Meeting

PTA Co-Presidents: Laura Gladstone and Edye Rosenbaum:
Laura and Edye welcomed everyone to the meeting, and extended a special welcome to our
Guest Speaker; Mark Steinberger, Director of Educational Technology.
A welcome was also extended to Jericho Schools Superintendent Hank Grishman, school board members Barbara Krieger and Hilari Cohen, and Mary Marks, Director of Public Information.

Thank you’s were extended to this morning’s Hospitality Committee; Lenore Schiff, Gina Levy
and Rhonda Leighton. Ongoing thank you’s to the following committees; Newsletter, Public Relations, Publicity, Fifth Grade, SEPTA, Sunshine, Community Service and Island Harvest.

Our first Spring Sweatshirt Sale was very successful and well received, and we can expect delivery of our orders in approximately two weeks. Next year, our Spring Boutique Night will be moved to the beginning of December in time for holiday shopping, and the Carnival will take place in January instead of April.

Edye and Laura reported that last months Programming presentation of “Jambo” was absolutely phenomenal, and our recent Plant Sale, “Wild West” Carnival, and 5th Grade Bowling Night were all very successful and well run.

Laura and Edye thanked the school board, Mr. Grishman and Dr. Colvin for doing everything possible to encourage voter turnout on May 17th for the school budget vote and elections. As well as the budget vote, there are five candidates running for two open school board positions; Barbara Krieger, Sandra Bernstein, Jack Feldman, Claire Hochheiser, and Jesse Bachrach. Laura and Edye reminded everyone of the importance of voting and supporting our school budget.

Mr. Grishman spoke briefly about the problem of voter apathy and the lack of turnout. He said the absence of male voters especially is incredible, and hopes that this year’s extended voting hours of 6:00am – 9:00pm will give more people easier access to the polls. He asks that we all encourage our friends and neighbors to vote. There is still time to apply for absentee ballots at Dr. Colvin’s office in the district’s administration offices.

The PTA Nominating Committee presented a new slate of officers for next year. They are:
Co-Presidents Beth Cohen and Diane Frisenda, Executive Vice President Sheree Levy,
Vice President Sherry Cila, Vice President Theresa Snyder, Secretary Deborah Brody, and
Treasurer Sandra Galu.
Congratulations were extended to all. The new officers will be installed in June.

Edye and Laura reminded everyone to please attend the last Seaman PTA Meeting of the school year on June 8th at 9:00 AM, as well as the PTA Luncheon held at Coolfish on June 10th.

Guest Speaker Mark Steinberger, Director of Educational Technology.
Mr. Steinberger discussed the school district’s move towards paperless communication. This is being done to both facilitate communication and to save money for the district. Parent contact sheets were sent home in May in order to facilitate this move. All contact information will now be accessible online, and the school is requesting email addresses for parents.
Currently, the school district website holds only public information, and can be accessed by anyone. In the future, parts of the website will become accessible only by a very secure in-house system requiring a student ID number, a user ID number, and a password.
This will include class directories containing personal information such as phone numbers, individual photos of students, and confidential online folders which can be updated whenever necessary by parents and will also contain test scores and report cards.
Mr. Steinberger states that he is aware of concerns about exactly how much information will be on the website, and anticipates further discussions regarding this.

Committee Reports:

Family Night-Picnic
This year the picnic will be held on June 7th at 5pm. Bring the whole family for a fun evening!
Contact: Kathie Bush, Laurel Fried, Abbe Levine, Randi Montanez, Andrea Valente, and
Debra Waller.

Notepads
These bright yellow pads are ideal for home/school office communication. Pads cost $2 each, and are available all year.
Contact: Dawn Johnson, Rhonda Leighton, and Debra Waller.

PTA Luncheon
This year the luncheon will be on June 10th at Coolfish in Syosset. Everyone is welcome and invited to join us. Flyers will be sent home shortly with details. The luncheon will be the same cost as last year at $28 per person.

Relay for Life
This year a Relay for Life event is being held at Syosset High School on Saturday, May 21st. It will be an afternoon event, not overnight as it was last year. This is for a terrific cause, and promises to be a fun afternoon, so please join the Jericho team and show your support.
Contact: Lisa Goldstein

Staff Luncheon
The Staff Appreciation Luncheon is being held on Thursday, May 19th. Contributions of appetizers, entrees and desserts are still welcome – please contact a committee member. This is a great opportunity to show your appreciation to our Seaman staff, so please participate.
Contact: Stacy Garber, Debbie Kallif, Donna Levine, Jill Miller, Randi Montanez, and Andrea Valente.

SEPTA
The next meeting will be on May 24th at Jackson at 7:30pm. The guest speakers are Dr. Barry McNamara and Francine McNamara, who will be discussing “Attention Deficit Disorder: Understanding the Problem”.
Contact: Lisa Duggan and Laurie Lanz

Mr. Ratner’s Report
Mr. Ratner presented the New York State Education Department Report Card for Seaman, which is based on last year’s data. There are three parts to the report card: an overview of school performance in ELA, mathematics and science, a comprehensive information report (number of teachers, etc.), and an accountability status report.
Mr. Ratner was very proud to give Seaman’s outstanding report, which was;

In Grade 4 ELA, 60% of our students exceeded that state standards, 38% met the standards, only 2% needed extra help to meet the standards, and no students at all had serious academic deficiencies.
To compare this to the state level – only 15% exceeded the standards, 48% met the standards, 32% needed extra help, and 6% had serious academic deficiencies.

In Grade 4 Mathematics, 72% of our students exceeded the state standards, 28% met the standards, and 0% needed extra help or had serious deficiencies.
To compare this to the state level – 29% exceeded the standards, 50% met the standards, 17% needed extra help, and 4% had serious academic deficiencies.

In Grade 4 Science, 91% of our students exceeded the state standards, 9% met the standards, and none of our students needed extra help or had serious deficiencies.
To compare this to the state level – 37% exceeded the standards, 42% met the standards, 16% needed extra help, and 5% had serious academic deficiencies.

Mr. Ratner also spoke about the busy month we have had: PTA Carnival, Incoming Kindergarten Parent Orientation, Incoming Kindergarten Student Orientation, the State Mathematics Test in Grade 4, and getting ready for the State Science Test in Grade 4.

He shared some upcoming events: the PTA Staff Recognition Luncheon, the May 12th Spring version of the Grade Four/Five Band, Orchestra and Chorus Concerts. In early June, Grade Five students will visit the Middle School and there is still articulation going on between Seaman staff and staff from the MS behind the scenes. As we are diligently planning to smoothly transition our Fifth Graders, we are also working to gain information and get to know our incoming Kindergartners.

With respect to all of our grades, our professionally published literary magazine funded by the PTA and put together by students and teachers at the direction of Mrs. Singer, Mrs. Welsh, and Mrs. Friedlander, is at the printers. We can’t wait; a piece of writing is included for every youngster in the school and Mr. Ratner knows that the finished product will be magnificent and make you feel so proud of all of our students.

Before very long, Circus Week; a visit to all grades by the Jericho Public Library Children’s Librarian; High School Youth Decide Students to visit our Second Grades; Middle School youngsters from SADD to visit our Third Grades; FLEX performances and celebrations in Grade Three; Field Day; grade picnics; a Kindergarten party; a Fifth Grade International Luncheon; and closing activities. And these are just the highlights! We have little more than six weeks to go and so much to do.

Finally, Mr. Ratner appreciates all your efforts, collectively and individually, in seeking approval of the school district budget. Please remember to vote on May 17th.

Robert Seaman PTA

Robert Seaman Elementary School April 6, 2005 PTA Meeting

PTA Co-Presidents: Laura Gladstone and Edye Rosenbaum:
Laura and Edye welcomed everyone to the meeting, and extended a special welcome to our
Guest Speakers; Mr. Henry L. Grishman, Superintendent of Schools, and Dr. Joan Colvin, Assistant Superintendent of Business Affairs. A special welcome was also extended to school board member
Mr. Joe Lorintz, and to Ms. Mary Marks, who is responsible for public information for the school district.

Thank you’s were extended to this morning’s Hospitality Committee, Amelia Tils, Theresa Snyder and Cherie Buller, and to Jennifer Amodio for all her hard work on the Spring Sweatshirt Sale.

A Relay for Life is being held in the Syosset school district this year. If you are interested in participating, contact Edye, Lisa Goldstein or Jane Zwilling.

Edye and Laura reminded everyone to please attend the next Seaman PTA Meeting on May 11th
at 9:00 AM.

At the conclusion of the meeting a motion was passed by the Robert Seaman PTA in support of the proposed 2005/2006 school budget.

Guest Speaker Dr. Joan Colvin, Assistant Superintendent of Business Affairs.
Dr. Colvin discussed the results of the school board’s recent Financial Forums, and addressed the many concerns that the district is facing in order to sustain current educational programs, and continue to grow in the future. Dr. Colvin explained the many factors that determine our school taxes, and the impact of property value and recent assessment changes.

Dr. Colvin utilized a visual presentation explaining district level expenditures, such as Co-curricular and Athletics ($1,790,000), Community Service Programs ($120,000), BOCES Programs ($400,000), Technology ($1,500,000), and Pupil Personnel Services ($800,000). Student Transportation ($4,371,000), Employee Benefits ($12,484,000), Operations and Maintenance ($4,485,000), Bond Payment and Interest on TAN ($2,445,000), Insurance and BOCES Administration ($893,900), and Central Office Administration ($2,423,000).

Projections need to be made based on expected enrollment by the year 2009 and future district finances. Enrollment is expected to slightly decrease over the next few years, but this is not a guarantee, and the growth in enrollment that began in the late 1990’s will continue to impact our secondary enrollment until 2009. Future finances are determined by current employee contracts that extend until June 2007, the likelihood that state aid will remain flat at it’s current level, heating and fuel oil increases, increased benefit payments to the state, and capital improvements that will need to be addressed.

Many attempts have been made to hold the budget down in the past few years, yet despite varied and widespread cost containment measures, the expected budget growth is approximately 7% for the next several years.

A proposed budget had been adopted by the Board of Education, and will be voted on in May by the residents of the district. This proposed budget would increase the tax levy for residents to 7.76%.
In the event that the school budget is rejected, the Board of Education is empowered to adopt a second budget for voting. If the school budget is rejected by the voters twice, the school board must adopt a contingent budget. Education law, however, places a computed dollar cap on this amount, and a contingency budget for 2006 may not be greater than 3.24% above the prior year’s budget amount.

If a contingency budget must be adopted, widespread areas of the school district will be adversely impacted; instructional, non-instructional and administrative staffing, K-12 class size, foreign language instruction in the elementary schools, teaming in the middle school, middle school exploratory programs, learning center and support class size, high school electives, intramural and athletic teams, co-curricular activities, after-school late buses, driver education, field trips, equipment (except for emergency replacement), all pupil supplies such as notebooks, planning books, pens, pencils, musical instruments, and art supplies, financial support of the cafeteria program, and charges would have to implemented for the use of school facilities by outside groups.

Dr. Colvin explained that the challenge in developing the proposed budget was not only to ensure the success of “many”, but rather to ensure the success of “all”, both now and in the future.

Guest Speaker Mr. Henry L. Grishman, Superintendent of Schools.
Last year, the Jericho school budget received the largest “No” vote it ever has, and only 6% of all eligible residents actually voted. The district is concerned about these facts, and is trying to reduce costs wherever possible. Jericho does not want to get to the point of having to cut programs such as those outlined in the contingency plan. We do not want to impact core educational programs.

We are a nationally recognized district for a reason – we have a philosophy that we adhere to, which is that every single child will receive the education that they should and deserve to get.

Even though minor enrollment growth is predicted for the future, our current enrollment of 3,300 has grown enormously from only ten years ago, when enrollment was 2,300.

Every attempt is being made to encourage residents to vote in support of the school budget. Applications for absentee voting ballots will be made available on the school website, and also in the school office. In order to vote by absentee ballot, you must attest to the fact that you are not available to vote in person, but the process itself is very simple. A voter fills out the application and mails it in to the school district. A ballot will then be mailed back to you, which you fill out and mail back in.

Voting hours have been extended from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Mr. Grishman would like everyone to know that he is always available to discuss your concerns and answer any questions you may have. He welcomes your phone calls and emails.

Board of Education member Joe Lorintz spoke at the meeting also, and stated that the school board’s response to resident’s concerns about rising taxes has been to show restraint. We need to find ways to encourage voter turnout, and wants everyone to know that they are welcome to offer their suggestions.

Committee Reports:

Carnival
The Carnival will be held on April 16th, and the theme is “Wild, Wild West”.
The committee reminds everyone that if you are a Room Rep, it is required that you work at this event.
Volunteers are still needed to work 2-hour shifts.
Donations of wonderful raffle prizes have already surpassed prior years.
Contact: Kevin Brody, Kathie Bush, Sherri Cila, Kim Fields, Randi Montanez, and David Tolkin.

Cookbook
Cookbooks are still available, $15 for one / 2 for $20.
Contact: Nancy Biancanello, Donna Levine, Jodi Pliskin, Rosanna Sa and Shari Yardeni.

Notepads
These bright yellow pads are ideal for home/school office communication. Pads cost $2 each, and are available all year.
Contact: Dawn Johnson, Rhonda Leighton, and Debra Waller.

Plant Sale
The Spring Plant Sale will be held on Friday, May 6th – just in time for Mother’s Day! Please support this terrific sale, and stock up on some beautiful flowers for gifts and spring planting.
Contact: Amy Josephson, Kerri Lewis, Shari Serchuk, Abbe Spector, Jill Wachtell, and Mylene Wildstein.

PTA Luncheon
This year the luncheon will be on June 10th at Coolfish in Syosset. Everyone is welcome and invited to join us. Flyers will be sent home with details.

School Supplies
Forms have been sent home so that grade specific school supplies can be ordered for next fall. Please send in your orders as soon as possible.
Contact: Allison Katz, Lenore Schiff, Cynthia Simoncic and Meredith Steiglitz.

Spring Boutique
The Spring Shopping Boutique is scheduled for the evening of April 20th. Many terrific vendors are going to be there, and all vendors are donating items for raffle prizes. Children are welcome at this event, so please feel free to bring them and enjoy an evening of springtime shopping.
Contact: Stacey Boral, Laura Cervoni, Susan Leist, Argie Neri, Randy Schwarzbaum and
Holly Warman...

Staff Luncheon
The Staff Appreciation Luncheon is being held on Thursday, May 19th. Volunteers are still needed to help out that day, and to provide entrees, salads, desserts, and more. This is a great opportunity to show your appreciation to our Seaman staff, so please help out.
Contact: Stacy Garber, Debbie Kallif, Donna Levine, Jill Miller, Randi Montanez, and Andrea Valente.

Mr. Ratner’s Report
Mr. Ratner wished everyone a good morning. He said that the school is diligently planning a smooth transition for our Fifth Graders to Middle School, and is also working to gain information and get to know our incoming kindergartners. In addition to an in-depth screening process during orientation,
we are visiting some of the pre-schools to gain further insights into the abilities and personalities of future students. If anyone knows of any students who have not yet registered in any grades, especially K, 1, and 2, please remind them. Incoming Kindergarten parent orientation is next Wednesday night, April 13th.

Long Island continues to be rich in experiences in history. Next week, our last class of Fourth Graders will tour the Brookville one-room schoolhouse from colonial times, two Fourth Grades will visit Teddy Roosevelt’s Sanctuary, and our Second Graders visit the Huntington Historical Society’s Conklin House. On Friday, our Second Grade will also present their annual oral reports on Famous Americans.

Everyone is looking forward to the upcoming PTA shows of “Jambo” and the African Artifacts Displays that will follow.

Our Third and Fifth Graders are taking the TONYSS testing this week and next. Next year, Grades Three and Five will join with our Grade Four in experiencing statewide testing.

Mr. Ratner always presents the State School Report Card at a spring PTA meeting, and he anticipates presenting this important information at the May meeting. He looks forward to sharing this and more news at that time.

Robert Seaman PTA

Robert Seaman Elementary School March 30, 2005 PTA Meeting

PTA Co-Presidents: Laura Gladstone and Edye Rosenbaum:
Laura and Edye welcomed everyone to the meeting, and extended a special welcome to our Guest Speaker, Thomas J. Ferraro, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist.

Three volunteers were asked to participate in our PTA nominating committee for next year. This committee will help select next years PTA officers. Four members of the current Executive Board are on the committee already. PTA members Joan Carter, Randi Montanez, and Jennifer Amodio volunteered to be on the committee as well.

Thank you’s were extended to Hospitality, Community Service – for their wonderful Valentine’s Day concert, PARP – for the terrific week of activities, especially author Doug Florian, Book Fair – which was very successful, Public Relations, Calendar, Island Harvest, Sunshine, Cookbook, Health and Safety – for the Fair and Show they presented last month, SEPTA, Newsletter, Fifth Grade Yearbook, Sports Night and Boxtops.

Edye and Laura reminded everyone to please attend the next Seaman PTA Meeting on April 6thth at 9:00 AM, when Mr. Grishman and Dr. Colvin will be on hand to discuss the upcoming school budget vote and answer any questions you may have.

Laura urged everyone to sign up online at our district website, if they have not already done so, in order to receive all news and information concerning the school, as well as the monthly PTA minutes.

A reminder to everyone that it is crucial to support the school budget by voting on May 17th. Next year’s budget will affect Seaman in many ways: the amount of field trips the children will go on has been cut, and clubs have been reduced from 16 weeks to 8 weeks. We do not want to incur any additional cuts in services or programs. Your support, and the support of every household member over the age of 18, is very important.

The next Board of Education Meeting is on April 21st at 7:30 PM at the Middle School Library,
and the next SEPTA Meeting will be held on May 24th at 7:30 PM at Jackson.

Guest Speaker Tom Ferraro, Ph.D, Clinical Psychologist
The topic that Dr. Ferraro addressed was “The Current State of the American Family: Competitiveness, Stress and Burnout”.

Dr. Ferraro spoke about how our current lifestyle in America, the electronic revolution, and pop culture exposes us to too much and leads to enormous amounts of stress. Our country is the most advanced in the world in terms of wealth, education, and personal freedoms, yet depression is on the rise. The typical adolescent today is confused about their identity and is somewhat depressed. Twenty percent of all adults and adolescents have a diagnosable emotional illness or disorder. These disorders include: excessive anxiety, depression, and personality disorders such as unstable self-image, moodiness and confusion about long-term goals.

Studies have shown that culturally, Americans differ greatly in terms of their values. Other cultures throughout the world tend to be extremely family-oriented, to the point that family, not self, comes first. American values differ in that we are a nation of individuals – we possess a strong individual drive to succeed, have great ambition, and the “self” comes first. We tend to be workaholics and over-achievers, are overly aggressive and super competitive. These traits cause us to get ahead both individually and as a nation, yet these are the very traits that cause us problems. We are over-stressed, over-worked, and over-burdened. Americans suffer from an epidemic of psycho-somatic disorders, such as headaches, physical pains and ailments, and skin, sleep and digestive problems.

What should we do about this? Dr. Ferraro suggests that Americans as a whole need more rest. We need to take more vacation time. Currently, Americans take the least amount of time off from work than any other advanced nation. It is also very important to connect ourselves with others, and to network socially and not just professionally. In the home, turn off the TV and spend time with family.

In summary, we need to slow down and learn to “enjoy the day”.

Secretary’s Report – Diane Frisenda
Thank you cards and letters were received from :
- Mr. Smith and Mrs. Bacher for the PTA’s help at our annual Jump-A-Thon event, and to all the parents who helped out at the 5th Grade Sports Night.
- Mrs. Mele, for condolences sent to her on the loss of a family member.

For all the wonderful events held during PARP week, and the gifts of classroom books from the PTA, thank you letters were received from:
- Mrs. Stanco and her class
- Mrs. Sherman and her class
- Mrs. Treiber and her classroom aides
- Mrs. Kaufman, Mrs. Molinski, Mr. Winnick, Mrs. Lynn, Mrs. Gladd and Mrs. Osroff
- All of our teachers in the Learning Center
- Very special handwritten thank you letters were received from every student in Mrs. Weinstein’s class, as well as from Mrs. Weinstein.

A reminder to everyone to please sign attendance sheets at PTA meetings.

Treasurer’s Report – Amelia Tils
The current balance is $10,280 before expenses. Please remember to send in all receipts for reimbursement, along with your name, phone number, and committee name. Please leave your receipts in the PTA mailbox located in the main office, in an envelope clearly marked ATT: Amelia Tils.

Committee Reports:

Boxtops
Please continue cutting boxtops from your pantry items, and send them in to the PTA mailbox. This
year we have earned approximately $300-400 so far through this effort.
Sign up online at: Boxtops4education.com, and specify the Robert Seaman School. Once you sign
up, whenever you shop online, many retailers will donate a percentage (as much as 10%) of your total
purchase to the school. Your privacy is assured – no one knows how much you spend, and no names are ever given to anyone – Boxtops just sends us a check periodically. This is a very easy way for the PTA to raise money that does not cost you anything. If you shop online, please do it through Boxtops!
Contact: Deborah Brody, Laurel Fried, and Wendy Sheftel.

Calendar
Shelly Bloch must receive notice of any event to be listed in the yellow PTA calendar no later than the 15th of the month preceding that calendar.
Email information to her at: Shelly_Bloch@nyc.yr.com.

Carnival
The Carnival will be held on April 16th, and the theme is “Wild, Wild West”.
The committee reminds everyone that if you are a Room Rep, it is required that you work at this event.
125 raffle prizes have been collected so far, but donations are still being accepted.
Contact: Kevin Brody, Kathie Bush, Sherri Cila, Kim Fields, Randi Montanez, and David Tolkin.

Community Service
Contact: Stefanie Bower, Cathy Cronin, Stacy Garber, Geeta Galani, Amy Henin, Gina Levy,
Janice Nodell, and Jane Pepe.

Cookbook
Cookbooks are still available, $15 for one / 2 for $20.
Contact: Nancy Biancanello, Donna Levine, Jodi Pliskin, Rosanna Sa and Shari Yardeni.

Fifth Grade
All events are culminating for the year. Sports Night was very successful, and a great time was had by all. The yearbook is at press and will be ready soon. April 17th will be Bowling Night. Bowling Night is held in conjunction with Jackson and Cantiague schools.
Please support the Fifth Graders, because as we all know, one day you will have a Fifth Grader too!
Contact: Stefanie Bower, Lisa Goldstein, Randi Marcus, Michelle Roberts, and Kathie Bush.

Jayhawks
Beanie Baby style mascots available for $5 each.
Contact: Dawn Johnson, Rhonda Leighton and Debra Waller.

Newsletter
“Seaman Sez” is published 4-5x per year. Please submit information in a timely manner. The goal is to have another issue distributed the first week in June, so please submit your articles by May 15th.
Contact: Deborah Brody, or send your information to: SeamanSez@yahoo.com.

Notepads
These bright yellow pads are ideal for home/school office communication. Pads cost $2 each, and are available all year.
Contact: Dawn Johnson, Rhonda Leighton, and Debra Waller.

Plant Sale
The Spring Plant Sale will be held on Friday, May 6th – just in time for Mother’s Day! Please support this terrific sale, and stock up on some beautiful flowers for gifts and spring planting.
Contact: Amy Josephson, Kerri Lewis, Shari Serchuk, Abbe Spector, Jill Wachtell, and Mylene Wildstein.

PTA Luncheon
This year the luncheon will be on June 10th at Coolfish in Syosset. Everyone is welcome and invited to join us. Flyers will be sent home with details.

Publicity
7-10 days notice is required for Marlene to do flyers.
Contact: Marlene Cacciola.

School Board
The 2005-2006 budget was set at approximately 83 million. This represents a 7.4% increase over last year’s budget, and translates into an approximate 9% increase in home school taxes. Please remember to vote on May 17th to support this budget. Last year, only 6% of our school community participated in the school budget vote.
Contact: Gina Levy and Jess Rudolph.

School Supplies
Forms are being sent home so that grade specific school supplies can be ordered for next fall. This is not a fundraiser, but a service to the school community.
Contact: Allison Katz, Lenore Schiff, Cynthia Simoncic and Meredith Steiglitz.

SEPTA
The next meeting in on May 24th at 7:30 PM at Jackson. The guest speaker will be Dr. Barry McNamara, and the topic will be “What’s New in ADHD?”
The committee is currently working on programming for next year, and a nominating committee is being formed. Volunteers are needed for this committee.
Contact: Lisa Duggan and Laurie Lanz.

Spring Boutique
The Spring Shopping Boutique is scheduled for the evening of April 20th. The committee is still accepting vendors for the event, so please contact them if you know someone who would be interested.
Flyers will be sent home with details as we get closer to the event.
Contact: Stacey Boral, Laura Cervoni, Susan Leist, Argie Neri, Randy Schwarzbaum and
Holly Warman..

Spring Sweatshirt Sale
A quick turnaround of approximately 4 weeks is promised on all items ordered.
Contact: Jennifer Amodio

Staff Luncheon
The Staff Appreciation Luncheon is being held on Thursday, May 19th. Volunteers are still needed to help out that day, and to provide entrees, salads, desserts, and more. This is a great opportunity to show your appreciation to our Seaman staff, so please help out.
Contact: Stacy Garber, Debbie Kallif, Donna Levine, Jill Miller, Randi Montanez, and Andrea Valente.

Mr. Ratner’s Report
Mr. Ratner wished everyone a good morning, and began a review of the March calendar. The month started with our wonderful schoolwide PTA Health and Safety Fair and Chip Bryant’s amazing “Lungs at Work”. The Fair booths were fabulous, and Mr. Bryant was both informative and zany.

The month continued with the PTA Book Fair, PARP Week, and Grade Five Sports Night. Activities during PARP “ReadStrong” and Book Fair week included: “Magic is Real”, our inventive assemblies on Monday; author Doug Florian, who met with each grade on Tuesday; D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) times on Wednesday; the “Game Show” on Thursday, and our Community Read-In on Friday morning.

Our Fourth Grade boys and girls had their Adolescence Nights at the start of the month. In terms of trips, our First Graders visited local businesses, our Fourth Graders attended “1776” and the One Room Schoolhouse, Grade Three visited Safety Town and Grade Five attended a performance of “Anne Frank”. Lastly, our Fifth Grade students learned a tremendous amount at the DNA Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor.

Planning continues behind the scenes to accomplish tasks and create activities for later in the school year. Among others, the Fifth Grade, Yearbook, Sports Night and Carnival committees are all very busy. Our Compact Team is working on a May reunion of fifth graders from 1997-1998 who are graduating High School this year. The month closes with an evening SEPTA meeting tomorrow night, March 31st.

Many exciting things are still planned, and there is much to do in the weeks and months ahead.
Mr. Ratner looks forward to sharing the news with you.

Robert Seaman PTA

Robert Seaman Elementary School February 9, 2005 PTA Meeting

PTA Co-Presidents: Laura Gladstone and Edye Rosenbaum:
Laura and Edye welcomed everyone to the meeting, and extended a special welcome to our
Guest Speaker, Karen Fleiss, Psy.D., who is the Coordinator of Clinical Services for the NYU Child Study Center.
Special thank you’s to Hospitality - which was provided this morning by Lisa Goldstein, Randy Marcus and Michelle Roberts: Community Service – for their successful Toy Drive in December and Breakfast Drive in January; Holiday Boutique – whose final numbers were fabulous;
Family Night – along with Mr. Ratner, Mr. Winnick and all the Fifth Graders who assisted the committee: and a very special thank you was extended to Joe Cacciola for the auditing of our PTA books.
Thank you’s to ongoing committees: Public Relations, SEPTA, Calendar, Island Harvest, Newsletter, Sunshine and Boxtops.

A reminder was given to all parents concerning child safety. There is a website available for anyone
to join, www.ParentsforMegansLaw.com, which will notify registered members in the event that a sex offender is living in or moves to our area. The PTA supports Megan’s Law, but keep in mind that the decision to sign on to this website is completely up to each individual family. Also remember that this should not take the place of good everyday vigilance and supervision of our children.

Edye and Laura reminded everyone to attend the next Seaman PTA Meeting on March 9th at 9:00AM, the next Board of Education Budget Workshop Meeting on February 10th at 7:30 PM at the Middle School Library, the Board of Education Meeting on March 17th at 7:30 PM at Jackson, and the next SEPTA Meeting, which is being held on March 31st at 7:30 PM at Seaman.

Laura and Edye urge everyone to please make the time to attend a Board of Education meeting.
Every resident is always welcome, and the meetings are always very informative. The School Board welcomes all input from parents, and the meetings are your chance to make your voice heard.

Guest Speaker Karen Fleiss, Psy.D, Coordinator of Clinical Services at the NYU
Child Study Center:
The topic that Ms. Fleiss addressed was “Will Your Child Listen Better if You Say it Differently?” The issue of compliance is important to every parent. How do we get our kids to do what we want? How do we accomplish this in the most effective way? How do we give directions to our children to increase the likelihood of compliance? These are the main areas that Ms. Fleiss addressed. Children often do better when they know what is expected of them. The most important factor is to not assume that our kids know what we expect from them – we need to be specific.
Giving good instructions can be broken down into very simple steps:
a) Be direct.
b) Be specific in your request or direction.
c) State your request only once.
d) Follow your request with 10 seconds of silence, which allows the child to focus his attention and gives him a chance to comply.
e) Be polite, and do not use a begging manner.
f) Establish eye contact when giving instruction.
g) Reduce distractions before giving instruction.
h) Instructions need to be “do-able” – break larger requests into smaller pieces. For example, do not just tell a child to clean their room, since this is a vague request. Rather, tell them to “make their bed”, then give the next instruction, such as “pick up your toys off the floor and put them in the toy chest”.

The NYU Child Study Center is dedicated to improving the treatment of child mental disorders and psychiatric illnesses through scientific practice, research and education. The Center focuses on key mental health problems facing children and adolescents and is built around eight research-driven Institutes; The Institute for the Study of Anxiety and Mood Disorders, The Institute for Prevention Science, which includes an Infancy and Early Childhood Development Program, the Institute for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity (ADHD) and Behavior Disorders, the Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience, The Institute for the Study of Tourette’s and Movement Disorders, the Institute for Trauma and Stress, and the Institute for Learning and Academic Achievement.

For further information, guidelines and practical suggestions on child mental health and parenting issues, visit the NYU Child Study Center’s website at www.AboutOurKids.org.

Secretary’s Report – Diane Frisenda
Thank you cards and letters were received from :
- Mr. Winnick’s and Mrs. Horowitz’s Fourth Grade classes for arranging the Native American program held on November 4th.
- Mrs. Verone, for the flowers she received at the Winter Concert.
- Mrs. Cheryl Blumberg, Mrs. Eileen Fitton, Mrs. Kathryn McCann, Mrs. Roseann Bramante, and Mrs. Kathy Bliss for holiday gifts that they received from the PTA.
- Ms. Joan Alpers, Director of the Child Life Program at Schneider Children’s Hospital, for presents that were sent to children in the hospital over the holidays.
- Ms. Rose Buffalino, chairperson of the Jericho Community Blood Drive held on November 15th, for our contribution to their very successful drive.
- Mr. Michael Manzer of Island Harvest, who thanked us for food donations given during their 2004 Turkey and Trimmings Campaign.

A reminder that PTA minutes will no longer be sent home with the children, but are available online at our school website, www.jerichoschools.org. A very limited number of printed copies will be available each month in the school office. For safety and privacy reasons, phone numbers for committee members will not be posted online, but are printed in the blue PTA Handbook. These Handbooks are always available in the school office.

Treasurer’s Report – Amelia Tils
The current balance is $12,800 before expenses. Please remember to send in all receipts for reimbursement, along with your name, phone number, and committee name. Please leave your receipts in the PTA mailbox located in the main office, in an envelope clearly marked ATT: Amelia Tils.

Committee Reports:

Book Fair
Preview Night will be on March 7th, so please feel free to come with or without your children and make
purchases. The Book Fair will then take place on March 8, 9, and 10. Flyers will be sent home with
individual class schedules.
Contact: Stacey Boral, Jill Caspe, Beth Gitler, Susan Leist, Cherie Serota and Abbe Spector.
Boxtops
Please continue cutting boxtops from your pantry items, and send them in to the PTA mailbox.
Sign up online at: Boxtops4education.com, and specify the Robert Seaman School. Once you sign
up, whenever you shop online, many retailers will donate a percentage of your purchase to the school.
Contact: Deborah Brody, Laurel Fried, and Wendy Sheftel.

Calendar
Shelly Bloch must receive notice of any event to be listed in the yellow PTA calendar no later than the 15th of the month preceding that calendar.
Email information to her at: Shelly_Bloch@nyc.yr.com.

Carnival
The Carnival will be held on April 16th, and the theme is “Wild, Wild West”.
The committee is asking for volunteers to work at the Carnival, and reminds everyone that if you are a
Room Rep, it is required that you work at this event.
Raffle donations are still needed, and anyone with an item to contribute is asked to please contact the
Committee.
Contact: Kevin Brody, Kathie Bush, Sherri Cila, Kim Fields, Randi Montanez, and David Tolkin.

Community Service
The committee reminded everyone that when they hold food drives, it would make a huge difference if every family would contribute just one item. We tend to forget sometimes that our individual small contributions add up, and really do quite a lot to help needy families in our area.
The next Community Service project is on Valentine’s Day, when children from the school will be visiting the Westbury Senior Center to sing songs and brighten the seniors’ day.
Contact: Stefanie Bower, Cathy Cronin, Stacy Garber, Geeta Galani, Amy Henin, Gina Levy,
Janice Nodell, and Jane Pepe.

Cookbook
There is still time to order a cookbook if you act quickly, and forms are available in the school office.
Contact: Nancy Biancanello, Donna Levine, Jodi Pliskin, Rosanna Sa and Shari Yardeni.

Fifth Grade
Work on the yearbook is almost complete. Photos for the yearbook are still welcome, however, and anyone who would like to contribute some snapshots of Fifth Graders is asked to please send them in or contact a committee member.
Fundraising is going very well – the Bake Sale held during Family Bingo Night was very successful, and the Valentine Chocolate Sale was a big hit as well. Krispy Kreme sales are still ongoing, and during Health and Safety Week, the committee will be selling First Aid kits and fire extinguishers for your home.
March 11th is Seaman’s Sports Night and April 17th will be Bowling Night. Bowling Night is held in conjunction with Jackson and Cantiague schools.
Please support the Fifth Graders, because as we all know, one day you will have a Fifth Grader too!
Contact: Stefanie Bower, Lisa Goldstein, Randi Marcus, Michelle Roberts, and Kathie Bush.

Health and Safety
The committee thanked the parents for their safe driving in the school lot, especially during pick-up time at the end of the day.
The School Health Fair will be held on March 3rd. This event is not open to parents, but is only for the children. Please look for your child to come home with a “goody bag” on that day.
Contact: Cathy Cronin, Lisa Goldstein, Glorian Leicht, and Roseanna Sa.

Jayhawks
Beanie Baby style mascots available for $5 each.
Contact: Dawn Johnson, Rhonda Leighton and Debra Waller.

Newsletter
“Seaman Sez” is published 4-5x per year. Please submit information in a timely manner. The goal is to have another issue distributed the first week in March, so please submit your articles now.
Contact: Deborah Brody and Michele Rothman, or send your information to: SeamanSez@yahoo.com.

Notepads
These bright yellow pads are ideal for home/school office communication. Pads cost $2 each, and are available all year.
Contact: Dawn Johnson, Rhonda Leighton, and Debra Waller.

PARP
Preparation for PARP is almost complete, and this year’s program is anticipated to be one of the best. PARP runs from March 7th through the 11th. The week begins with a terrific show called “Books – The Magic is Real”. This program uses the art of illusion to bring books to life.
Tuesday, March 8th feature’s this year’s author, Doug Florian. Doug writes wonderful children’s poetry and will appeal to all grade levels. His books will be available for purchase so please fill out your order forms and return them by February 11th. Extra forms are available in the school office.
The end of the week brings the infamous Game Show back to Seaman, and the last day is reserved for the community read-in. An educational, good time will be had by all.
Contact: Cherie Buller, Dana Kossoy, Rhonda Leighton, Sheree Levy, Liz Salerno and
Theresa Snyder.

Publicity
7-10 days notice is required for Marlene to do flyers.
Contact: Marlene Cacciola.

Public Relations
The committee has been working very hard throughout the year, and to date 24 articles out of 30 submitted have been printed in our local papers. Both papers have been great at printing all the photos submitted, and Seaman is lucky to have had many full pages this year.
The committee asks any parent who goes on a school trip to please bring your camera. If you are a head room rep, please remind the parents in your class to bring their cameras. It is impossible for the committee to cover these trips, but would still like to see them covered in the papers. Please feel free to contact any committee member with any questions you may have regarding this, or to contribute your photos.
If anyone needs order forms for our two local papers, please contact a committee member and they will be happy to provide them.
Contact: Amy Josephson, Susan Leist, Sheree Levy, Robyn Levy, Erika Lipetz, and
Blanche Solomon.

School Board
The Boy’s High School Varsity Soccer Team was honored for their NYS Division League win.
The Seaman Student Council reported, and discussed the success of the new tri-fold posters used in the election, as well as their plans for working as partners with the PTA in all Community Service Drives. This includes, food, toy and coin drives. They said the assembly “Little People with Big Hearts” was a big success and raised approximately $1,500 for tsunami victims. They announced a lollipop sale to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation which will be held in February.
Seaman’s Fifth Grade students will be visiting Commerce Plaza in the spring to learn about different job opportunities, including LIPA, Mayor’s Office, Accounting, Reporter, Doctor, etc.
The Third Grade students sang as a preview for their Valentine’s Day Concert at the Westbury Seniors Home. They were joined by the Fifth Grade NYSSMA singers, and all did a wonderful job!
The school budget for 2005-2006 was reviewed, and is available online.
Contact: Gina Levy and Jess Rudolph.

SEPTA
The next meeting in on March 31st at 7:30 PM at Seaman. Their guest speaker is Dr. David McCowsky, and his topic will be “Making Friends – The Tools for Success”.
Contact: Lisa Duggan and Laurie Lanz.

Spring Boutique
The Spring Shopping Boutique is scheduled for the evening of April 20th. The committee is still accepting vendors for the event, so please contact them if you know someone who would be interested.
Flyers will be sent home with details as we get closer to the event.
Contact: Stacey Boral, Laura Cervoni, Susan Leist, Argie Neri, Randy Schwarzbaum and
Holly Warman..

Spring Sweatshirt Sale
A brand new committee has been formed to accommodate the many requests we have had for more great Seaman/Jericho logo clothing. Samples are anticipated to be ready by the time of spring conferences, and a quick turnaround is promised. This is a terrific opportunity to purchase some camp clothing, and we all look forward to seeing the great new designs.
Anyone who is interested in working on this committee, please call Edye, Laura or Cynthia Halperin.

Mr. Ratner’s Report

Mr. Ratner wished everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day, and a Happy “Hundredth Day of School”. Last week, everyone enjoyed Family Night Bingo, and also last week the Fourth Graders completed the State English Language Arts Assessment. Benchmarking of all students will continue in ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies during the months ahead.

Parent-Daughter Adolescence Night, a video and question and answer session with a pediatrician, has been rescheduled for March 3rd and will be held at Cantiague. The Fourth Grade boys will have their meeting at Jackson on March 2nd.

As part of the transition to Middle School, the MS Counselors will be visiting with our Fifth Graders in early March.

Public workshops are ongoing as we take a financially prudent look at next year’s budget; the next two meetings are tomorrow night in the High School auditorium and the evening of March 10th in the Middle School library. Both meetings will be held at 7:30 PM.

As you are aware, the Stay Put (Safety Drill) will be held next week. The school staff practiced in an after school simulation last month, and Mr. Ratner is very confident that they can complete the drill efficiently and with very little angst.

PTA planning continues behind the scenes to accomplish tasks and create activities for later in the school year. The Health and Safety, PARP, Community Service, Fifth Grade, Yearbook, Sports Night and Carnival committees – and others – are all very busy. In short, many exciting things are planned and there is much to do in the weeks and months ahead.

Mr. Ratner looks forward to sharing the news with you in March.

Robert Seaman Elementary School December 8th, 2004 PTA Meeting

PTA Co-Presidents: Laura Gladstone and Edye Rosenbaum:
Laura and Edye welcomed everyone to the meeting, thanked Lisa Ripka and Sheree Levy for setting
up refreshments, and extended a special welcome to Jericho School Superintendent Mr. Hank Grishman, Board of Education member Mr. Ira Checkla, and Ms. Mary Marks, Director of Public Information and Community Relations.

Special thank you’s to various committees: Publicity – to Marlene Cacciola for her ongoing dedication and hard work; Public Relations – for a terrific job in placing so many school articles in the local papers; Boxtops, Island Harvest, Calendar, Sunshine, Fifth Grade, Community Service, Holiday Boutique, Class Photos, Programming and Sweatshirt. A request was made for all committees to keep ongoing notes on all work that is done, and these files turned over to the following year’s committee members. This will help members who might be working on a committee for the first time, and ensure a smooth transition from year to year.

A very special thank you to Mr. Ratner for his attention to the parking lot situation and our safety concerns regarding traffic patterns. His help in this matter has made the afternoon pick-up, especially, much safer for everyone.

Edye and Laura reminded everyone to attend the next Seaman PTA Meeting on February 9th at 9:00AM, the next Board of Education Meeting on December 16th at 7:30 PM at the Middle School Library, and the next SEPTA Meeting, which is being held on January 25th at 9:30 AM at Jackson.

The new Student Council was introduced to the PTA: President Austin Boral, Vice-President Anjeli Song, Secretary Zachary Cohen and Treasurer Britney Lee Goldstein.

Our new Student Council was elected one month ago. This year, Student Council members will be working as liaisons to the Community Service committee in order to promote involvement of all students in these projects. Student Council members have already been working on different ideas for the coming year, including an Adopt a Soldier program, a Shoe Drive, and sending cards to veterans in local hospitals. They announced their first projects, a Food Drive to benefit Island Harvest, and an ongoing Toy Drive with the toys being donated to Schneider Children’s Hospital.

Secretary’s Report – Diane Frisenda
There was no correspondence to report.
A reminder to everyone to please sign attendance sheets at PTA meetings.

Treasurer’s Report – Amelia Tils
The current balance is $19,147 before expenses. The bill for the Sweatshirt Committee has been paid, but Gift Wrap and Holiday Boutique are still outstanding. Please remember to send in all receipts for reimbursement, along with your name, phone number, and committee name. Please leave your receipts in the PTA mailbox located in the main office, in an envelope clearly marked ATT: Amelia Tils.

Committee Reports:
Boxtops
Holiday shopping can be done online through the Boxtops website, which has links to almost all your
favorite stores.
Please continue cutting boxtops from your pantry items, and send them in to the PTA mailbox.
So far this year, $200 has been raised through pantry Boxtops, and $100 has been raised from online
shopping benefits.
Sign up online at: Boxtops4education.com, and specify the Robert Seaman School. Once you sign
up, whenever you shop online, many retailers will donate a percentage of your purchase to the school.
Contact: Deborah Brody, Laurel Fried, and Wendy Sheftel.

Calendar
Shelly Bloch must receive notice of any event to be listed in the yellow PTA calendar no later than the 15th of the month preceding that calendar.
Email information to her at: Shelly_Bloch@nyc.yr.com

Community Service
Starting to plan next year’s projects, and welcomes all input. Please contact this committee if you have an idea you would like to share with them.
Contact: Stefanie Bower, Cathy Cronin, Stacy Garber, Geeta Galani, Amy Henin, Gina Levy,
Janice Nodell, and Jane Pepe.

Cookbook
Thank you to everyone for sending in your recipes. A flyer has been sent home with instructions on ordering books. They must be pre-ordered and paid for in advance. A few extra cookbooks will be available, but you are not guaranteed a book if you do not pre-order one. Please do this before the holidays to make sure you have a copy!
Contact: Nancy Biancanello, Donna Levine, Jodi Pliskin, Rosanna Sa and Shari Yardeni.

Family Night
A family Bingo Night is planned for February 4th. All are welcome, and encouraged to attend.
It will be a fun night, with lots of prizes and giveaways for the kids, as well as a Bake Sale benefiting
the Fifth Grade.
Contact: Kathie Bush, Laurel Fried, Abbe Levine, Randi Montanez, Andrea Valente and Debra Waller.

Fifth Grade
Thanked everyone for their continued support of Fifth Grade fundraising activities.
A reminder for all Fifth Grade parents to send their Yearbook Booster forms in ASAP.
Contact: Stefanie Bower, Lisa Goldstein, Randi Marcus, Michelle Roberts, and Kathie Bush.

Jayhawks
Beanie Baby style mascots still available for $5 each.
Contact: Dawn Johnson, Rhonda Leighton and Debra Waller.

Newsletter
“Seaman Sez” is published 4-5x per year. Please submit information in a timely manner.
You can email your information to: SeamanSez@yahoo.com
Contact: Deborah Brody and Michele Rothman.

Notepads
These bright yellow pads are ideal for home/school office communication. Pads cost $2 each, and are available all year.
Contact: Dawn Johnson, Rhonda Leighton, and Debra Waller.

Pretzel Sale
Pretzels cost 5 cents each and are available every Friday in the cafeteria during both lunch periods. Please sign up to help sell pretzels.
Contact: Deborah Brody, Jill Miller, and Randi Montanez.

Programming
There will be an all-day program for Fourth Grade after the vacation, “Journeys into American Indian Territory”
Contact: Jill Landow, Jill Miller, Jodi Pliskin, Nancy Shanker, Lenore Schiff, and Jill Wachtel.

Publicity
7-10 days notice is required for Marlene to do flyers. Please make sure to give her the time needed.
Contact: Marlene Cacciola.

School Board
At their last meeting, the Board officially recognized many awards received, including; The National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, The Nassau County Girls Tennis Doubles Title Winners, New England Regional Finals – Siemens Westinghouse Competition, of which there were 10 entrants including a national finalist. They also recognized the Jericho HS Soccer Team as State Champions.
An external auditor has completed a review of Jericho’s School District financial records, and has found the district to be in full compliance with all programs.
Contact: Gina Levy and Jess Rudolph.

SEPTA
The next meeting in on January 25th at 9:30 am at Jackson. The guest speaker is Ms. Mary Rocchio,
a certified social worker and retired Jericho Middle School teacher. The topic will be “Deciphering Symbols, Signals and Signs: The Hidden Social Curriculum”.
Contact: Lisa Duggan and Laurie Lanz.

Spring Boutique
The second annual Boutique will be held on April 20th. Approximately 25 vendors have already expressed interest in selling at the Boutique, but the committee is always interested in finding new, exciting items. If you know of vendors who would be interested, please contact the committee.
Contact: Stacey Boral, Laura Cervoni, Susan Leist, Argie Neri, Randy Schwarzbaum, and
Holly Warman.

Mr. Ratner’s Report
There are several important dates coming up in the December and January calendars. December activities still to come include our Grade Four/Five Winter Concert this evening, Grade Five’s visitation to the Whaling Museum and the Jericho Library for an author seminar, Grade Four’s trip to Long Island Discovery, and our Faculty-Student Volleyball game.

January will bring DNA Labs for our Fifth Graders, our Adventures in the Eco-System Fair on the evening of January 12th, a Grade Three trip to the Landmark Theater in Port Washington, and Grade Two to the Goudreau Museum of Mathematics, both on January 19th, the Seaman Jump-A-Thon for Grades Four and Five, and a Board of Education Meeting on January 20th spotlighting our Student Council, our Third Graders, and our new Show Choir.

December and January are busy months for faculty and staff as well. We are continuing to provide simulated practice, benchmarking, for the Grade Four English Language Arts Assessment at the beginning of February with both teacher-created and published material. Next year, all students in Grades Three through Eight will face ELA and Mathematics Tests in January and March respectively. Accordingly, this year we are replacing the TONYSS ELA Test for Grade Three with a better predictor.

December is also a budget month for us with much planning for the 2004-2005 school year. Many building items need attention: three year replacement of rugs in Grades Four/Five, and the annual refinishing of both the cafeteria and gym floors. Regular budget items include money for textbooks and science equipment and supplies; texts; fiction and non-fiction reading material; art and music supplies; a-v equipment; library books; health office funding, and so on. All of us are keenly aware that there needs to be a delicate balance between district needs and impact on taxes. And, as in the past, all requests must be justified both orally and in writing and are scrutinized very carefully by Central Administration and the Board of Education. Lastly, Kindergarten registration will start the week of January 5th.

Obviously, we have many exciting things planned and much to do in the weeks and months ahead. I look forward to be able to share the news with you. And on a personal note, best wishes for the happiest of holidays and the healthiest and most peaceful of new years.

Robert Seaman Elementary School November 10th, 2004 PTA Meeting