MECA HS PTA General Meeting March 20th, 2024

Virtual meeting (zoom)

Attendees: Josh Ehrlich (PTA President), Monica Soto (PTA Secretary), Shelby Banks (PTA Treasurer), Camille Danquah (parent), Ms. Patricia Edwards (School AP), Vivian Cruz (School Parent coordinator), Julia Tseng (parent), Skylar Jackson’s mom (parent), Maria Lema (parent). Galaxy S9 tablet, Ms. Ciara Diaz (School College Counselor), Tamika (parent), Yinette (parent).

PTA President Josh Ehrlich chairing the meeting. Monica Soto PTA secretary scribing the meeting notes.

1.      Approval of December minutes: Josh shared screen the PTA website Mecahspta.org to go over where to find the PTA meeting minutes. Josh shared the January and February meetings and made motions to approve each meeting minutes. The motion to accept both meeting minutes was approved without opposition.

2.      President’s report

Josh provided the following updates:

·         The planned for a Breakfast bar sale for March 22nd was postponed to a later day due to a conflict event. The new date is now Friday April 3rd. We are looking for parent volunteers to help us with the event. Please email us at ptainfo@mecahspta.org.

·         The materials shared during the last Parent workshop are now posted to the website.

3.      Treasurer’s Report: Shelby shared the following: There is no activity since December. We will wait for the fundraising event to present the next report. Shelby also asked of any parent that would like to donate funds. Ms. Cruz could receive the donations right at the school. The PTA will provide you with a confirmation letter that would inform of your donation. A reminder, donations to the PTA are tax deductible since the PTA is a non-for-profit entity. Any fundraising from the PA goes to a small scholarship and a teacher appreciation gift during the graduation event.

4.      Principal’s Report: Ms. Edwards, the school Assistant Principal, provided the following updates on Ms. Kaplan’s behalf.:

·         The school is requesting feedback from parents that attended Parent-Teacher conference with the new tool. Some parents commented the new tool was not helpful.

·         Reading and Intervention teachers will be calling 9th Graders on available Fridays.

·         During the next Parent-Teacher conferences Advisors will be calling to discuss if your student is on track for graduation. If off track, the teacher will be offering strategies to attain required credits.

A parent asked if the advisor will share the document of the Graduation track with the parent. Ms. Edwards replied that the school will try to send the document to parents.

Josh reminded that Ms Kaplan had other updates for parents on her email dated March 18th. Among those updates:

·         MECA is now offering Saturday Academy, and

·         asks parents to fill out the School Survey.

5.      Old business:

No new items.

6.      New Business:

Planning Junior College Night with Ms. Ciara Diaz

Shelby introduced the plan to scheduled a virtual College Day informational session for the MECA parents. Ms. Ciara Diaz, our college advisor, said she was open to hold the College night in person since she would like to meet Junior parents in person.

         Ms. Diaz plans to inform them:

·         What to expect this summer and during the Senior year

·         Tips for collecting tax forms early and help with the application process

·         Tips to identify opportunities and programs in advance.

·         Get familiar and start early with senior year tasks.

Ms. Diaz will need all the support from PTA to promote and communicate the event, and provide feedback about the slides contents.

         Executive Board members election

Shelby made a plea to parents to join the executive board. We need to have 3 members in order for the PTA not to be dissolved. PTA can help in so many aspects and will make a large impact in the school. Plis the time commitment is minimum.

With that the meeting adjourned without any more questions.

Please reach out via email to ptainfo@mecahspta.org