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Fund-Raisers Family Socials School Governance & Parental Involvement SCC Committees School Leadership Team |
Fund-Raisers PS 3's music and clay programs and many of its community-building social events depend entirely on funds raised by the School Community Council. As a result, the year is marked by fund-raising rhythms, launched each year with the Direct Drive, in which each family is asked to make a contribution to help fund the year's activities, particularly the enhanced arts curriculum. The gala Fall Festival, a remarkable effort on the part of many hard-working parents, follows in November. In February the school hosts the industry-renowned Greenwich Village Antiquarian Book Fair, followed in March by the Scholastic Book Fair. A variety of smaller projects such as magazine and pie sales fill out each year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Socials The school hosts several gatherings that are strictly social. One highly successful new tradition is the fall Parent-Teacher Pot-Luck Supper in the Auditorium. Each April the school holds a Friday night Square Dance complete with dinner and professional caller and musicians. This event welcomes neighborhood residents as well as the school community. In June, incoming families are invited to join current families for a rooftop picnic. Fourth-grade parents host a party for the class of graduating fifth graders, providing students with an opportunity to wish their classmates well as they head off to middle schools around the city. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . School Governance and Parental Involvement PS 3's decision-making structure is unique. Instead of the more familiar parent-teacher association, PS 3 has a two-tiered governing body. The larger of the two is the School Community Council, or SCC. All families, teachers and staff are automatically members of the SCC, which meets several times each year. Within the SCC is a smaller governing body known as the Executive Committee or EC. This is a group of parents/guardians who, along with teacher representatives and the principal, make the commitment to attend regular monthly meetings. The EC addresses school needs and policies and determines how funds are raised and distributed. At its spring meeting each year, members of the SCC have the opportunity to join the EC for the following year. New families can join at the first SCC meeting in the fall. The EC and the school administration work in close partnership. Parents are strongly encouraged to become involved by attending both the SCC meetings (also known as All-School Meetings), which often begin with a presentation or talk on a topic of general interest, and the monthly EC meetings, which are working sessions. Committee work is another great way to become involved and have a voice. The EC consists of two or three Co-Presidents, two or three Vice Presidents (including one for New Families), a Treasurer and often an assistant; Recording and Corresponding Secretaries; and additional elected general members. It holds monthly meetings at the school, usually on the first Tuesday evening of the month. Meeting dates are posted in the newsletter, the Parent Coordinator's weekly e-mail note and in the Community Room. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend and express their views, though only members may vote. A quorum, based upon that year’s membership, is required before a vote on a given proposal can take place. Child care for school-aged children is available during the meetings. Much of the work of the EC is accomplished by standing committees and an occasional ad-hoc committee, which meet separately and report on their progress. Parents who are EC members are expected to serve on at least one committee. Parents who are not EC members are also welcome to join committees, which can be described as the engines of school governance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SCC (or Parent Run) Committees Here is a brief summary of each committee's work. For meeting dates and contact information, refer to the bulletin boards in the lobby and outside the Main Office and Community Room.
School Leadership Team Each public school is required to establish a School Leadership Team whose tasks involve developing an annual Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP) and reviewing the budget to ensure that it supports the plan. The SLT consists of five staff members including the principal, guidance counselor and UFT union representative; two classroom teachers, and five parent representatives including one co-president of the EC and four elected parent members. It meets regularly, posts minutes from its meetings and reports on its activities at each EC meeting. |