Minutes of Parent Representatives’ Meeting
Marymount School
Wednesday, September 23, 2009, 8:30 am

Guest: Tanya Williams, President of Marymount Parent Association

Carmen Knoepffler, JSA President, welcomes attending parents. Discusses duties of parent reps, including attending meetings (generally Wed. mornings; students meet on following Thursdays).  Carmen urges parent reps to please get to know student reps for their school.  JSA will report attendance.  JSA likes every school to take a leadership role in one event per year.

Helena Park, Treasurer, financial update: Annual dues are $350 per school. Current bank balance is $13,466. Schools need to send in dues. Dues have been received from Brearley, Dalton, Marymount and Nightingale. Usually the PA chair is contacted. Reps ask who receives JSA literature, and discussion commences about broadening JSA mailing list to PA chairs, developing contacts at schools, and encouraging students to join with friends to increase participation. 1-2 students to take lead and represent their school. Number of schools participating is 18 (not all active).

Monique Pettit, Corresponding Secretary:  All communication should be directed to Monique for distribution or to be posted on the JSA website. Reps are asked and agree to update information asap on PA heads, community service contacts  and faculty  at schools and also to notify JSA of any date conflicts (i.e. PSATs, etc., ).  Information should be emailed to corresponding secretary.  The service coordinator at school could provide calendar to JSA.  Also, students are able to post and access non-JSA activities through a link on the website. Monique will email the updated  roster to all parents.

Martha Leitner, Community Service Coordinator, Barbara Wallner from Dwight and Wendy Van Amson and Karen Frank from Nightingale:  Service Saturday, Sat, Oct 24th, 1-5 pm, Nightingale. Open to all student reps to volunteer, for 4 hours of community service credit. Students need to start collecting toiletries!!! Karen Frank: Estee Lauder has committed to donate 350 women’s gift bags for this event. Volunteer Schools: Dwight, Nightingale, Spence.
Wendy and Barbara  worked on it last year and spoke as well Karen Frank. It's an assembly-line endeavor:  kids collect toiletries and bag them for recipients who are pre-screened (hospitals, Ronald McDonald House, etc.).  Very social event for the volunteers.
Flyers will be edited to include an Upper School JSA MISSION STATEMENT to educate parents, students, faculty in community. Two flyers, instead of one could be mailed.

Discussion on how events are decided for the year and possibility of giving students community service credit for attending meetings. Rep asked how events are determined for students and answered that JSA asks students what they are interested in benefiting. Meeting discussed giving students a script for upcoming JSA events, in order to help them clarify and also to be mindful that we differentiate Upper School JSA from MS.    Meeting discussed giving students a more comprehensive involvement which gives comm. svc. credit (students are recognized for attending 3 meetings) because although the comm. svc. piece is the compelling issue, students are incredibly busy and want to be acknowledged for their participation. Instead of just showing up to volunteer, they are the organizers, and recognition of this will motivate them to remain engaged.  Suggestions included inviting comm. svc faculty members to a meeting in order to engage them more.

Michele Jeffery (Chapin) suggested that the minutes of the meetings go to community service faculty contacts and also making a personal pitch at PA meetings.  Jill Abrams (Dwight) and Kathy Soll (Columbia Prep) suggest reps recruit PA heads and faculty community service contacts at member schools and ask schools what they need from JSA for students to participate. Both reps volunteer to help launch this effort.

Michelle Swarzman (Chapin) suggested Super Saturday partner w/ "Teen Chrons" - and offered to act as liaison between the groups. CCFA Director, Michele Prypyszny 212-679-1570.

Colleen Pike Blair:  Independent Voices and Independent Visions: Already have a date for Voices: Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Center, Friday April 23, 2010   Both the Poetry Anthology and Photo Exhibit are well established JSA traditions, and faculty are actively included which creates a continuity w/in school (although only Art and English Depts are notified. Other depts can be included as well -- if JSA has contacts).  Wendy suggested JSA mass market via eblast to everyone on list, every other month, to update. Parent reps can work on "trickle-down" basis. Also mentioned Jack and Jill event on 10/17 which includes wkshops, educational topics, etc. (RSVP to Barbara North jjbnorth@aol.com)

PubliColor - Reps discuss PubliColor: should it be taken off list and make it a privilege?

Community Service Outreach -- Parents reps to research organizations to provide space for an event just in case students need one.
Next Meeting: The Spence School. Joint Parent -Student Rep Meeting. Thursday, October 22 at 4:15pm