November 2024 Monthly PTA Meeting Notes

11/14/2024 9:45 pm

Takoma Park Elementary School (TPES)

Piney Branch Elementary School (PBES) 

Parent & Teacher Meeting (PTA)

Tuesday, November 12, 2024: 7 - 8pm on Zoom 

 

 

Agenda will include: 

(1) Upcoming TPES and PBES Dates and Announcements

(2) Mrs. Oberdorf

(3) Dr Gadsden

(4) Treasurer’s Reports 

Spanish Translator: N/A

Amharic Translator: N/A

 

 

7:00 PM: Meeting Kick-off 

Chris Campbell, PBES VP Communications

  • Intro to topics to be discussed
  • TPES and PBES will present on the Gifted and Talented (G.T.) Screening process, the Center for Enriched Studies (CES), and magnet programs.
  • Treasurer Updates

7:05 PM: Upcoming Dates & Announcements

Ken Scudder,  TPES VP Communications

Chris Campbell, PBES VP Communications 

 

TPES Upcoming Dates & Announcements - Ken Scudder,  TPES VP Communications

  • Dolphin Drive (All of November)
    • It’s time for our annual fundraising Dolphin Drive. You can make a tax-deductible contribution of any size by visiting the Dolphin Drive page on the TPES PTA website. Our goal is to raise $10,000 this month. Again, any donation helps. $10 can buy a teacher a meal during Teacher Appreciate Week. $50 gets a bean bag chair for the sensory room. And so on. Help our school meet its education goals by helping us meet our financial goal. 
    • Donations can be made at https://tpespta.net/dolphin-drive/.
    • You can also find a link to the Dolphin Drive 2024 donations on the TPES PTA website under the tab "Donate."  Thanks for supporting the school!!
    • Flyers and donation envelopes should be in send home student folders by Friday, Monday the latest!
  • Photo make-up day on Nov 15: 
    • Did your child miss school photo day last month? Did they have a huge stain on their top that you didn’t notice, or they didn’t have, when they left the house? Or did they make “that face” in every shot? Salvation is at hand. Make up portrait day at TPES is scheduled for Friday, November 15.If you are interested in having your child photographed again, please send an email to the teacher, Ms. Paz and Ms. Hottel-Cox. If your child was enrolled after September 25th, you don’t need to send any communication, your child will be photographed on that day.
  • Parent-Teacher conferences - MONDAY, November 25 
    • Learn your child’s progress with the first parent/teacher conferences of the 24-25 school year. You should have been contacted by your child’s teacher to schedule these virtual meetings on the afternoon and evening of Monday, September 25. The attached flyers (English and Spanish) will help you prepare for the meetings.
  • Thanksgiving week schedule
    • November 25-26: School closes at 1:20p (early dismissal)
    • November 27-29: School closed

PBES Upcoming Dates & Announcements - Chris Campbell, PBES VP Communications 

Panther Appeal is November 6-December 6!

  • Panther Appeal is our largest fundraising event of the year. The funds we raise in this time are crucial to the PBES budget, and allow us to maintain much needed programming such as STEAM Night, literacy support, staff and teacher appreciation, after-school clubs, the Rainbow Club, Cultural Heritage Night, lifeguards for P.E. swim lessons, community events like our Black History Month Celebration and Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration and so much more. Without meeting our goal of $10,000 we will not be able to provide all of our planned programming!
  • THANK YOU to all that have donated to-date!
  • Donation Link: https://pineybranchpta.membershiptoolkit.com/panther-appeal 
  • Winterfest
    • The PBES Winterfest is on Saturday, December 7th from 2pm to 5pm!  Please note that the date in the PTA and school newsletters was incorrect (it is Dec 7 NOT Dec 6) 
    • Winterfest is a holiday market and celebration at the VFW (6420 Orchard Ave., TKPK) to thank all our Piney Branch families and friends for your continued support. It will include food and beverages, kids’ activities, a gift market featuring local artisans, and live music. This is a public event so make sure to invite your friends & neighbors!
    • If you have any questions please contact aprilacockerham@gmail.com
  • Spring Soccer Game Volunteers Needed
    • This spring the TPES and PBES PTAs hope to hold another joint soccer game fundraising event to bring together our school community and raise money for the various programs that the PTAs support. Last year was a hit! 
    • If you are interested in helping to make this happen, please reach out to Sara Lewis (serowe@gmail.com).
  • PBES SGA Food Drive 
    • We are asking everyone at Piney Branch to help ensure families in Montgomery County have enough to eat over the holidays!  How can you help?  Students may bring in nonperishable foods to be donated to Manna Food Center by placing them in one of the bins around the school. The SGA sponsored Holiday Food Drive will continue through Monday 11/18.  
  • Report cards will be distributed on Wednesday (11/13).
  • Parent Teacher Conferences are ongoing- if you have not received a sign up link from your teacher, please reach out to them to make sure you get a slot to discuss your child’s progress!

7:15 PM: TPES Spokesperson - Dr. Gadsden

  • The topics will include information on the Gifted and Talented (G.T.) Screening process
  • Process begins in 2nd grade, process is currently underway - takes many months, decisions come out in May. Any programming related to this decision will happen at PBES.

Link to presentation: SIPPI Process FY 25

 

Q&A

Q: Does the letter come in paper or via email?

A: Dr G thinks they went out electronically. Will be able to get info at parent teacher conferences too.

 

Q :Could you share the link again to the information on the gifted and talented program?

A: We will share link with notes.

 

Q :Did you say that ALL kids with IEPs are not eligible, or just those with cognitive impairments? And is ADHD considered a "cognitive impairment?" 

A: Only students with alternate learning outcomes (significant learning issues) - no children at PBES and TPES fit into that category - all students will be assessed. 



Q: Forgive us if this is misinformation, but we had heard from other parents that there are more TPES students identified as GT than PBES has capacity for so the GT spots are lotteried. Is that true for 2024/2025 and beyond? If so, what proportion of students identified as GT at TPES end up in GT classes at PBES?

A: G&T and CES are different.

 

7: 30 PM:Mrs. Oberdorf

  • The topics will include the GT Screening process, Center for Enriched Studies (CES), and magnet programs.

Link to presentation: PTA 11.12.4 - MCPS Screenings

 

 

All 3rd graders this year will be taking the CogAT.

The GT designation indicates need for enrichment.

For CES - all students are universally screened (3rd grade). All students meeting criteria for CES are put into wait-pool. Lottery pulls out of wait-pool for CES class (1 class). Students not selected by lottery will receive literacy enrichment.

There will be a presentation in spring regarding programming at PBES.

Same process is currently happening for 5th graders for middle school magnet programs: Math & Science at TPMS, Humanities at Eastern

Presentations for these programs are available online

During Dec-Jan there are  assessments, Notification in Feb.

 

Q&A:

Q: Can you elaborate on the statement "we don't typically give the CoGAT?" Is this year an anomaly or will it be given to future third graders as well?

A: Typically given in 2nd grade but they were unable to give it last year so they wanted to make sure those students got it this year. Dr G confirm.s

 

Q: Why is there only one class offered if there are more children eligible?

A: CES is county-wide. PBES is unique in its size so we are a local center. If CES is offered around the county, there needs to be equity in access to the program across the district. AEI can articulate this better.

 

Q: How many CES spots are typically available relative to the size of the wait pool? Also, how does the curriculum for non-CES enrichment compare to the CES curriculum?

A: Current CES class size is 29 for 4th and 5th.

The CES curriculum is completely different for ELA, science, social studies. DOES NOT INCLUDE MATHEMATICS.

 

Q: Can you share those numbers, please? (Number of students eligible that are not in class - students in wait-pool) 

A: The number of students in the wait-pool varies each year. Last year there were about 25 students.

 

Q: My child was identified as gifted and talented in at the end of 2nd grade, so should I be seeing enrichment or differentiation for my child in 3rd grade at PBES?

A: You should be able to communicate with teacher regarding enrichment. 



Q: Do the middle school magnet programs also operate on a lottery system?

A: Yes.

And please note, participating in CES program does not provide advantage to getting into magnet program.

 

Q: So would a child then go to Eastern MS vis TKPS MS? If they are in the Humanities Magnet.

A: If the child gets a spot in Humanities magnet, and they accept, they would go to Eastern Middle.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/middle/humanities

 

Q: Is there a CES program in Grade 6 as well?

A: No

 

Q: So if you don’t make the lottery then you can only get in if someone drops out? And is it possible to share at a later time once you have this data how many qualify but don’t make the class?  And for the middle school magnet program, there is only a science and math program at TK middle school? There is no humanities magnet?

A: If someone declines, it opens up lottery. If someone moves, also pulls from lottery.

See above for middle school magnet information.

 

Q: Is the lottery weighted?

A: No. Selection is random.

 

Q: Are only academic and behavioral factors considered for the CES pool?

A: It is just MAP tests, report card grades, academics. Not behavioral.

 

 

 

7:45 PM:  PTA Business

  • Treasurer’s Reports and Budget Votes
    • Amy Swift, TPES PTA Treasurer

 

  • Rachael Pierotti, PBES PTA Treasurer
    • Rachael was  traveling and wasn't able to share the report in time. Budget update is included below

8:00 PM: THANK YOU & Next Steps - Chris Campbell

lNext PTA meeting will be on December 3rd at 7 PM 



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