Minutes of the Northwood HS (NHS) PTSA Meeting
I. Date:
November 19, 2013
II. Opening: Meeting called to order at 7:30pm by PTSA President Liz Dunn with approximately 25 parents,
teachers and students in attendance.
III. Secretary’s Report: Summary of October 2013 Minutes were reviewed; a motion was made to approve
the Minutes. Motion was seconded and approved by a majority of members.
IV. Student Interview: PTSA VP Brad Sperber conducted an interview with senior Sam Kebede of the
Politics, Advocacy, and Law Academy. One of the things Sam really enjoys is the mock trial competition. This
is an extra-curricular activity in which students from NHS compete against students from other schools in
conducting mock trials.
V. Principal’s Report: Ms. Charley-Greene discussed and provided the following information:
a.
1st quarter report cards have been sent home with students. Unlike elementary and middle school,
there are not parent-teacher conferences at the high school level. If a parent wants a meeting, the parent
should contact either the teacher and/or the student’s counselor directly. Counselors at NHS are assigned on
an alphabetical basis, and the counselor remains with the student all years the student attends NHS. Go to
NHS website and click on Counseling tab at top of screen for the counselor assignment list.
b.
Upcoming events include the following:
- Fall Sports Award Night on 11/20
- Community Day with Dr. Starr on 11/21
- Early Release Day on 11/27
- Thanksgiving Holiday on 11/28 & 11/29
c.
Ms. Charley-Green discussed the Capital Improvements to the Board of Education, which highlighted
the unique needs of DCC schools.
d.
Ms. Charley-Green discussed the fall production of the musical “Annie” which was performed on the
evenings of Nov 14, 15 & 16. All students were able to attend a teaser of the musical during the school day on
Nov 15. There was a cast party celebration and Ms. Charley-Green sent thank you notes to all cast and crew
members to recognize the hard-work and dedication of putting on such a wonderful production.
e.
Ms. Charley-Green provided class by class statistics on the grades at the end of the 1st quarter.
Overall there are 1489 students, with 58 (4%) earning all A’s; 494 (33%) on Honor Roll; and 1,178 (80%) of
students Eligible. Ms. Charley-Green and staff will have an ice cream social for honor roll students. Academic
intervention programs are being implemented to assist struggling students and a .5 Resource teacher has
been hired. A goal is to increase participation in rigorous courses. Exam Review days are Jan 9 & 10. First
semester Final Exams are Jan 13-17, 2014. The exam schedule is on the website. If a student does not have
an exam the student does not need to come to school. If a student does come to school when not taking an
exam, there will be adult supervision for the student in the gym, media center, or other location. The buses
will run on a regular schedule.
VI. Presentation on How to Advocate for Your Student by Mr. Charles Alexander, Northwood AVID
Progam. (AVID = Advancement Via Individual Determination)
Mr. Alexander gave a dynamic presentation that included highlights on the following issues:
Teach your child organizational strategies
Checking Edline
Asking your child questions
Review of student rights
Teaching your child how to self-advocate
Communicating with the teacher and counselor
Administrators, counselors, teachers and parents are partners committed to the same goal, the
success of the student.
VII. Principal’s Report
Liz noted two Academic Resources available to students.
1. On Tues & Thurs at lunch in Room A215 there is tutoring from students in the National Honor
Society.
2. Writing Center – experienced peer tutors and composition assistants are available to help with
writing assignments.
Liz discussed the reasons for fundraising which include NHS scholarships, staff appreciation, AfterProm. The plan is to have the After-Prom party at Dave & Busters. Students love this and PTSA needs to raise
funds to cover the expense. Montgomery County is sponsoring a student video contest against drunk driving.
1st place price is $1,000 (prize goes to school).
Liz noted that the Mixed Bags fundraiser earned $818 from catalog sales; sales from online
participants pending.
VIII. Committee and Communications Reports
a. Fundraising Chair Jim Burke reported on ongoing and upcoming fundraising activities, including the
Honey-Baked Ham fundraiser, Snider’s receipts and online shopping through eScrip Online mall. The link for
the eScrip Online Mall is on the NHS website, at the bottom-right of the screen.
b. MCPPTA Delegate Andrea Abrams reviewed the Minutes of the MCPPTA meeting. Items of note include:
1.MCCPTA Multicultural and ESOL Committees goal of identifying and increasing the involvement of
multicultural families in the PTA. A survey is available to all parents to provide baseline statistics for
planning purposes. To take the survey either go to www.mccpta.org/Multicultural_Awareness.html or it may
be taken onlone at www.surveymonkey.com/s/LMQZVVJ .
2. MCCPTA wants to have more Resource Officers (police officers) in high schools.
3. Later school start time for high school issue. A meeting on this issue will be held on Mon. Feb 10 at
7:00pm at Blair HS.
c. Northwood Cluster Coordinator, Julie Grimes, reported on her testimony to the BOE Hearing on Capital
Improvement Projects on Nov 11. Testimony included requests to improve the auxiliary gym, updates to the
gym entrance and bathrooms in gym, updates to NHS’s substandard athletic fields to bring them up to par
with other MCPS high schools, and to expand the dance studio. Julie encouraged all parents to attend the
hearings in Annapolis on Jan 10, 2014.
d. Diana Combs reminded members of NHS’s form of communications, including Facebook, listserv,
brochures, Ms. Charley-Green’s twitter.
X. Adjournment
Liz stated there will not be a PTSA meeting in December but there will be a social at a local restaurant. The
January PTSA meeting will feature Ms. Gill to discuss Northwood’s Internship program. Meeting was
adjourned at 9:05pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Susan Luck