Your May PCN update is here

Parent Council Network Update

May 2017

Please join us for the FINAL meeting of the 2016/2017 school year

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Meeting will begin at 7:00 pm and is held at the Community and Education Center (CEC) located at:

8550 Woodfield Crossing Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46240

BRING A FRIEND! If you know someone who is concerned about how education at the national and local level affects Washington Township bring them to a meeting!!!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Here are the dates for 2017-2018 meetings:

August 16
September 20
October 18
November 15 (at North Central)
December – NO MEETING
January 17
February 21
March 21
April 18
May 16

Next Meeting:

Wednesday, May 10, 7-9pm

Let's Talk about Recess

This month we will:

1) Hold a Recess Forum Discussion:

The Recess Forum, a town-hall style discussion, concludes the first semester of work by the PCN Innovation Study Committee. The committee chose recess as a study topic because of parent interest in current research in this area which has shown the benefits of regular, active recess include improved attention and academic performance. The goal of this forum is to provide parents with a better understanding of current MSDWT policy, guidelines, and procedures for recess, discuss the role of Playworks within our district, and share ideas for possible improvements or enhancement of the current recess guidelines/procedures. Our panelists will include MSDWT elementary teachers and administrators as well as other professionals in the area of child development and education.

If you would like to submit a question ahead of time, please email it to [email protected] with the subject line of "PCN Recess Forum". We will also take questions from the audience as time permits.

2) Vote on the 2017-2018 slate of candidates for Washington Township Parent Council Network Executive Committee (see more below).

Committees will NOT meet on May 10.

~~~SLATE INFORMATION~~~

Here are the nominated Executive Officers for the 2017-2018 academic year:

President: Taryn Greaser (Fox Hill/Westlane)

Immediate Past President: Kristina Frey (Fox Hill)

President Elect: VACANT

VP, Communications: Kelli Baumgarn (Crooked Creek/Westlane)

Secretary: Kay Memmer (John Strange/Eastwood)

Treasurer: Shelley Clark (Eastwood)

VP, Development: Eric Broemel (Fox Hill/Northview)

VP, Operations (1): Scott Russell (Crooked Creek)

VP, Operations (2): Kristen Dobbs (John Strange/North Central)

Duties are listed below:

President: The President shall be responsible for the activities of PCN and, as such, shall have general supervision of the affairs of PCN. The President shall preside at all meetings of PCN and serve as an ex-officio member of all PCN committees.

Immediate Past President: The Immediate Past President shall serve on the Executive Committee and shall carry out responsibilities as assigned by the President.

President Elect: The President Elect shall assume the office of President at the appropriate time if elected by the membership, discharge all of the usual functions of the President if the President is not present, shall have such duties and powers as the President shall determine and shall have such other powers and duties as the Bylaws may describe.

Vice President of Communications: Vice President of Communications shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President and President Elect. The Vice President of Communications leads the communications committee and is responsible for external and internal communications functions.

Vice President of Development: Vice President of Development shall be responsible for leadership development among the membership, recruiting candidates for Executive Committee, and outreach to under-represented groups.

Secretary: The Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept in the books provided for that purpose the minutes of the meetings of PCN; shall duly give and serve all notices required to be given in accordance with the provisions of these Articles; shall be custodian of the records of PCN and attest to all documents; shall maintain the official PCN roster; and shall perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary.

Treasurer: The Treasurer shall have charge and custody of, and be responsible for, all funds and securities of PCN and shall deposit all such funds in the name of PCN in such banks or other depositories as shall be selected by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall perform all other duties as assigned by the President.

Vice Presidents of Operations (2 seats): Each Vice President of Operations shall chair one committee and carry out any other responsibilities as assigned by the President.

**WTPCN Executive Committee meets the first Wednesday of every month to plan for the upcoming meeting as well as future meetings.**

There is a place for everyone and we need all hands on deck to be able to Inform, Collaborate, Influence and Advocate!!!

ALL PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS FROM ALL WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS ARE WELCOME!

Note: After the formal meeting, we invite parents to gather at Big Lug Canteen for social time. It's good food (and beverage) and great conversation. All 21 and over are welcome!

TWO. HOURS. PER. MONTH.

Do you know someone who would be an excellent delegate/ambassador/representative/contributor for any of the schools in Washington Township? Bring them to a meeting. The more the merrier!

We would love to have more parents JUST LIKE YOU from all of our wonderful schools to regularly attend our monthly two-hour meetings.

Parent Council Network is the perfect volunteer opportunity for parents who can't volunteer at school during the work day .(Think PTO for the ENTIRE district).

NOTE: Committees meet the same night as Parent Council Network meetings to accommodate busy schedules.

TWO. HOURS. PER. MONTH. That's it! We have just nine meetings during the school year. 18. HOURS. PER. YEAR.

We value diverse opinions, perspectives and skills to help us work on issues that matter to Washington Township parents and students across our entire district.

April Meeting Minutes/Recap

What a treat to hear a Superintendent update from Dr. Woodson and another School Board Recap from our liaison John Fencl! We also heard a Public Policy update which included a special guest appearance from John Ruckleshaus, State Senator for District 30. We concluded our meeting with a brainstorming session of meeting topics for 2017-2018 and introduced the Parent Council Network slate of officers for 2017-2018. Voting takes place at the May meeting. Click the links below for more detailed information.

Click here for the audio from last month's meeting.

Click here for the written minutes from last month's meeting.

Want to read what's next regarding the Referenda?

Click here for a 1-page FAQ.

Why Is Parent Council Network Relevant?

Having an active, independent parent-driven advocacy group in Washington Township demonstrates to the Administration, School Board and entire community that we care about our schools, teachers and kids. By providing information to parents and caregivers, we empower them to be leaders in our community. With our active committees, we enable them to have an impact on issues that matter and ultimately affect the quality of the public education experience for all families in our district.

In addition, we are a useful, supportive group in two key ways: 1) by serving our district in an advisory capacity on many different issues and 2) by being active in support of our schools at the local and state levels.

Meet Your Current Leaders:

Interim Executive Committee

*WHY Interim? In August 2016 the decision was made to change the MSDWT Parent Council 501(c)3 to the Washington Township Parent Council network 501(c)4. Here are your leaders until a vote takes place.

President: Kristina Frey (Fox Hill)

President-Elect: Taryn Greaser (Fox Hill)

Secretary: Kay Memmer (Eastwood)

Treasurer: Shelley Clark (Allisonville)

VP, Nominations: Liane Hulka (Westlane)

VP, Communications: Kelli Baumgarn (Crooked Creek/ Westlane)

You can email us anytime at [email protected] .

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