Prior to the main PTO meeting, Liz Marshall met with all the room parents to review the status of classroom holiday gifts and volunteering in the classroom. Most room parents reported that their rooms were very generous and that they were able to purchase many items on their teachers’ holiday wish lists. On the subject of parent volunteers in the classroom, most room parents agreed that, while there seemed to be a sufficient number of volunteers in general, additional messages from Amy Kelly and the room parents to the Franklin community would help encourage more parent engagement during the school day. Particular concern about parent volunteers for Franklin specialists was noted.
Following the room parent meeting, the main PTO meeting started off with an icebreaker based on “time and space” from Liz Marshall.
Deb Rooney then reviewed the PTO budget year to date. The budget is in “very good shape” so far, having collected over $12k in PTO dues and being generally on target with expenses. The dues overage, combined with a surplus from prior years, a $10k anonymous donation from a Franklin family, and a $10k contribution from last year’s 5th grade has allowed the PTO to contribute $40k to technology at Franklin.
A review of the PTO business also included a debrief on Circus Smirkus by Gail Guerrero, which successfully performed at Day Middle School on January 13th to a nearly sold-out audience. Liz Marshall talked about Multicultural Night, which was originally scheduled for March 6th but will need to be rescheduled due to an election day conflict. The new date for Multicultural Night will be announced in the coming weeks.
Alyce Kukilinski updated everyone on the Spring Auction, which is to be held on March 31st at the Post 440. Auction fundraising is currently underway and communications to the Franklin community, as well as the ‘Bidding for Good’ online auction will be coming in early February. This year’s auction will most likely include a Casino Night type of event, in addition to the traditional silent and live auctions from past years.
Following the conclusion of the PTO business, Trish Kelleher, Franklin’s IT Specialist, and Leo Brehm, Director of Institutional Technology for Newton, gave presentations on how technology is used in Franklin and other Newton schools and on the state of the Newton schools technology funding.
Trish presented an impromptu video of Franklin teachers and students talking about how technology is used in Franklin classrooms and what it means to them. Highlights included:
- Using technology in the classroom teaches kids independence
- Having laptop carts in the classroom every day gives teachers a resource they can depend on
- Technology adds excitement and interest to math and writing
- Laptops and software provides additional resources for struggling students
- “ELMO” document cameras allow teachers to share student work on the fly
- Computers teach kids organizational skills and allow them to work at their own pace
Leo gave a talk on his role in the Newton schools and discussed the state of technology at Franklin, his plans for the future, and the budget. Key points included:
- Introducing technology into schools is about “developing a teaching and learning plan that includes integration with technology, not a technology plan”
- Working with technology at the elementary level builds good habits that are reflected later in students’ lives
- 85% of technology in Newton schools comes from PTO budgets
- The Newton IT budget cannot make up the gap between the financially well and less endowed Newton schools
- Leo’s department is developing a 3 year plan to try to address the technology needs of Newton’s least equipped schools
- The high level goal is to put audio, video and computer/tablet equipment in each classroom
- Part of the IT plan includes standardizing and streamlining infrastructure in order to squeeze more money out of the budget
