PTSA General Meeting Notes, January 12, 2015

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Meeting called to order at 7:05 pm (Terry O’Toole)

  • Brittany Mills, DSA student, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Old Business (Lyn Brown)

  • Minutes from previous meeting were unanimously approved.

Treasurer’s Report (Terry O’Toole)

  • Total income to date equals $33,421.31
  • Total expenses to date are $9,514.44
  • Remaining funds are $23,906.87

President’s Report (Terry O’Toole)

  • Volunteers logging the most volunteer hours for the first semester were acknowledge and received a gift card. Recipients included: Mary Cash, Irenea Seufort, and Tina Dumas.
  • Dance Concert is this weekend. Volunteers are still needed.
  • Call for members interested in serving on the Nominations Committee to fill Executive Committee positions for the 2015-2016 school term. There are 5 positions (and two alternates) to be filled. Teresa Fosque and Sherry Stabler have volunteered to serve.
  • Next General PTSA meeting will be held on February 9th.

Legislative Update (Allyson Gevertz)

Three important items to stay informed about:

  1. Superintendent Search: Thurmond’s contract ends June 30, 2015. At today’s Board of Education meeting, Dekalb CEO, Lee May, made a plea to BOE to create a selection committee comprised of community stakeholder to participate in the search process for the new superintendent.
  2. City of Atlanta Annexation: This is a controversial issue as it will split the Druid Hills school cluster. Thurmond is opposed. Hopeful for a positive resolution. Parents are encouraged to stay informed and attend community meetings.
  3. SPLOST 4 Funds: Prior plans to consolidate DESA and DSA have been abandoned. The question remains how the funds will be spent while keeping within the boundaries of legalities of the language around the SPLOST 4 agreement. There will be a series of hearings planned. Parents are encouraged to attend those meetings and provide community input.

Student Performance (Dean Williams)

Danielle Marshall and Alexander Williams performed an excerpt of Firebird that will be featured at the Winter dance concert.

Administrative Update (Mr. Nealer)

  • Acknowledgement of faculty present for the meeting.
  • Ms. McCauley was not present as she was attending the BOE meeting where DSA student, Tom Cowen, is being recognized for his achievement as Eagle Scout.
  • Mr. Winchester was visiting area middle school sharing information about upcoming New Student application process.
  • No school and office closed on Monday, January 19th in observance of MLK, Jr. Day
  • There are five information sessions scheduled with regard to New Student application process. Deadline for applications is 2:00 pm on February 6th. Detailed information is available on the school website.
  • JADD (Just Another Dance Dance) sponsored by SPA will be held on January 24th.
  • Eighth grade advisement with Dr. Crosslin will be held on January 28th at 5:30 pm
  • Mock Trial Regional Competition will be held on January 31st.
  • Six DSA students continue to the audition process for the Governors Honors Program.
  • Transition to Outlook 365 email will be complete within the next month. Thank you, parents, for your patience during the process.
  • Next Parent/Teacher/Student conferences are schedule for February 11th.
  • Package and message drop off in the front office will be delivered between classes. Classroom instruction will not be interrupted to deliver messages, lunches, homework, etc.
  • Kleenex and hand sanitizer are in great need. Please send in your donations asap.
  • College Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI), formerly known as AYP, results are in. DSA scored 95.5 for middle school and 94.5 for high school. The composite score of 94.7 ranks DSA second highest in the DeKalb Co. School District.
  • Production credit update came home with first semester report cards. If you have not received the report for your student please contact Mr. Nealer.
  • Major/Minor student meetings will be held this Friday, Jan 9th. Students will go to their respective major department, complete forms indicating their classes taken this year, plans for next year. These reports will be reviewed by department heads and will be used in planning for next year. This is the time to change major and minors, too.
  • Arts reviews will be held in April.

Meeting Adjourned at 7:54 pm. (Terry O’Toole)