JOIN US TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 6:00-7:00PM ON Google Meet

 

Parents and staff together are a powerful voice for action at Mays. All Mays parents, guardians, and staff are invited to join us for the PTA Meetings. 

The Mission of the PTA

• To support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children.
• To assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children.
• To encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of this nation.

The Purpose of the PTA

• To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship.
• To raise the standards of home life.
• To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.
• To bring into closer relation the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.
• To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social, and spiritual education.

PTA Meetings Scheduled for 2021-2022

• Tuesday, September 14, 6:00-7:00pm
• Tuesday, December 15, 6:00-7:00pm
• Tuesday, January 11, 6:00-7:00pm
• Tuesday, April 12, 6:00-7:00pm
• Tuesday, May 10, 6:00-7:00pm

For PTA Meeting Minutes and more information visit the PTA section of the Families page.

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The Mays PTA (Parent Teacher Association) met on Tuesday, May 18. The Mays PTA meets regularly to plan for the future and discuss ways to enrich the education and community at Mays. PTA Minutes for the May 18 Meeting.

 

This month we discussed:

• 5^th Grade Recognition
• Transition to Middle School
• End of Year Celebrations
• PTA Recruitment
• Summer Programs
• Family TikTok Challenge

 

Some of the highlights of the meeting:

• PTA will be designing and purchasing t-shirts to recognize the 2021 5^th grade class. They have also joined a team of teachers and staff to plan for the 5^th Grade Recognition.
• Extension to June 4 of the Family TikTok Challenge sponsored by Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood (SPPN). Watch the staff videos, have fun practicing with your family, tape your family and submit your video to enter a chance to win a $25 Visa gift card.

 

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PTA is parents and teachers gathering together to support our children and education at Mays. At our April 27 meeting we looked at:

 

• Our meeting started with a community check-in
  • people were feeling "full," "unresolved," "heavy," "unsure how I am feeling"
  • It is hard to keep children from hearing about and seeing the shooting and trial because of social media.
  • White co-workers try to be supportive but are not genuine, they don't understand.
  • Every month there is a Restorative Practices Parent Circle. Next one is May 13. These Circles are led by Grace Yang and are a good way to connect with other adults and talk about parenting, tips, how things are. Mrs. Yang does a great job of leading the circle.

• End of Year Celebrations. Can these occur in classroom groupings with parent outside? Perhaps in a park or on the playground? Parents would like ot be involved in end of year classroom gatherings to recognize their children and clebrate the year of learing.
  • the school is waiting to hear more direction on gatherings from the district. Information on gatherings will be delivered to teachers (and from them to parents)
• May 3 Art & IB Showcase/Year in Review event
  • What is needed to participate?
    • just access to Google Meet and something to write with (pen, pencil, markers, crayons) and write on for the group art project

• Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-7
  • PTA is providing a hotdog lunch and supporting the candy (kisses) and coffee & donuts (hot cups and cocoa packets).
  • PTA will send out a Google Form for families to submit a "kudos" to their teacher. Parents and kids can participate. 

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At our January 12 Meeting we:

• played Celebrity Babies
• planned our upcoming National African Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) Monday, February 8
  • Ti-Esha Williams-Vaughn, Coordinator
  • Assembly 12:00-12:45
  • invite parents to read to their child's classroom
  • Dr. Turner presentation on being an African American father and growing up in the Rondo neighborhood
  • videos from parents/teachers - celebrating African American role models
• learned about the PTA Reflections program. Lindsay Walker is incorporating it into the IB work our 5th grade students are doing on How We Express Ourselves. Reflections theme is "I matter because...."  watch this brief video introduction of the theme https://youtu.be/7CVcoU228-M
• discussed PTA fundraising and resource partnerships - what might that look like for our community
  • Art sale or sponsorship
  • Silent Auction
  • What is our goal (money/resources)
  • PTA Membership drive
  • teachers nominate/suggest/invite parents to participate 
    • room parents?
• People can post questions that they have regarding the transition to in person learning 
  • questions  https://forms.gle/RVQG8ae7Mmu57mmU9

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At our December 8 PTA Meeting we:

• played Name That Tune
• looked at the Mays SCIP (School Continuous Improvement Plan) implementation 
• discussed What's Working Well 

The Slideshow for the SCIP Impementation & Review can be found here.

Some of the comments and ideas that came out of the meeting:

• students need time to meet virtually with their classmates for fun
  • Counselors could facilitate groups for new students to meet and form relationships (suggested by our counselor Ms. Berkas)
  • Maclaren Michalski, first grade teacher, commented that she had not considered this but thought it was a great idea. She will look at starting this with her students.
  • Idea will be brought to Mays Leadership Team
• The virtual environment has worked well for my son in that he can move when he needs to and can mute himself if he wants to shout out answers. Control over the environment has been good for him.
• Working with high needs children in distance learning I find myself collaborating with parents and providing them with ways to support their children more than I would in the classroom setting.
• The technology learned and used during distance learning will be useful in school, work, and life. We are all learning new skills.
• One-on-one Meets work well to engage students.
• Dedicated workspace helps children focus.
• Parent teacher communication is strong. Parents prefer texts and emails to phone calls.
• Virtual Meetings allow for more participation. It is easier to come and go. It is easier to make the commitment to attend.
• The meal boxes have become more diverse and varied. Is there a way to give feedback to Nutrition Services?

To comment on the SCIP Implementation or on What's Working Well follow this link.

 

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Thank you to the Parents, staff, and community members who attended our PTA Meeting Tuesday, September 15, 2020. We talked about the new school year and how to support our children in Distance Learning. We celebrated the start of the year and the many things that means especially the increased chance for our children to see and interact with their teachers and other students during Distance Learning 2.0. Many expressed the hope to be in-person soon.

Questions were raised regarding:

• taking attendance in Distance Learning
• academic rigor
• work/school balance
• support for multilingual families
• technology issues
• classroom schedules
• additional academic support for students
• school and district synchronous learning requirements
• list of office hours for all classroom teachers
• PTA supporting families through a document of parent-to-parent tips
• how do parents and teachers meet in a Distance Learning environment

Action determined:

• communication around attendance expectations
• the rigor will increase after the rituals and routines of Distance Learning 2.0 are established
• ongoing Professional Development for teachers and staff
• seeking the support of multilingual parents as interpreters for PTA events
• Google Meet live support of technology on our website
• posting classroom schedules in a uniform format on the website
• posting classroom office hours on the website
• creating a tip sheet

Considering:

• Tutoring opportunitites through Google Meet
• events and opportunities to build relationships with families during Distance Learning

 

Please join us December 8, 6:00-7:00pm for our next PTA meeting.

 

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Our last two meetings of the 2019-2020 school year were held virtually with great attendance and discussion.  During the last meeting we discussed Wonderings & Wishes as we provided feedback for the Title I Budget, Family Engagement Plan, SCIP and Compacts. Some of what was shared:

 

• What are our priorities?
  • ASD family friendly events
  • Support for new/inexperienced teachers
  • Support in the K-2 classrooms (Teacher's Assistants)
  • Continuing focus on academics and RP/PBIS 
  • Transition events and Family events were prioritized (but ALL partnership events were important)
  • Good Communication is important
  • Phonemic Awareness & Phonics development in early grades particularly
  • Rigor across all subjects
  • Cultural support, cultural approach to teaching, cultural events
  • More direction, communication, from Administration during Distance Learning
  • Communicate
  • Collaborate
  • Encourage partnership with parents (listen to ideas and create spaces to share)
  • Support students (RP and PBIS particularly)
  • Differentiate (meet students where they are at)
  • PBIS store 
  • Opportunities for parents/families to come to school outside of the regular school day as well as during the school day
• What we would like to see at Mays:
• What Mays does well:

 

During the April Mays PTA Virtual Meeting, we connected about struggles and we reflected on what makes us laugh. A common struggle was juggling work, family, and personal time when sharing limited space. This can be particularly challenging for families with young children. We agreed that setting a schedule and embracing the moment (the moment when the toddlers are rolling around the floor laughing, or siblings are squirting water at each other in the bathroom) can help us through the challenges.

 

Remember to smile. Remember to laugh.

 

Allison Thielen, Mays Learning Lead, led us through a review of the Mays SCIP (School Continuous Improvement Plan). The Mays SCIP has goals in Math, Literacy, IB, and School Climate (PBIS and RP). She spoke to some of the goals and how we have monitored implementation through Walk Throughs (when administrators and coaching staff visit classrooms looking for specific classroom actions related to the SCIP), weekly teacher team meetings with coaches and support staff (PLCs), weekly all-staff meetings, and weekly administration and coach meetings. A highlight of the discussion was participating in a classroom activity, “Which one doesn’t belong?” We got to explore how this helps our students justify their thinking. Click here for the full presentation and a chance to look at two samples of "Which one doesn't belong?" with your family.

 

Grace Yang, Mays PBIS and Restorative Practices Coach, shared the PBIS Matrix for Distance Learning. We discussed the importance of maintaing (and creating) routines. 

 

Jolene Mason, PTA President, pointed out the importance of keeping iPads safe and charged during Distance Learning. They are critical links to school.

 

We discussed how parents are involved in the SCIP. Parents are critical in the development of the Grade Level Home School Compacts which can be found on the Grade Level page in the Classroom section of the Mays website.  The Compacts provide specific ways for parents and teachers to partner over the SCIP goals. Parents and teachers were also invited to the next SCIP discussion on May 21 which will focus on reviewing our current SCIP and planning the SCIP for 2020-2021. The May 21 gathering will also be the Mays Virtual Art Show. 

 

Mays will also be putting a survey out to families to get their feedback on the SCIP, Compacts and Family Engagement Plan (FEP).

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Please join us for our PTA general meetings, the calendar for the 2019-2020 school year is below. At PTA we plan events and review school goals for the benefit of all students. We welcome all parents and staff members.

  

The Mission of the PTA

• To support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children.
• To assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children.
• To encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of this nation.

The Purpose of the PTA

• To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship.
• To raise the standards of home life.
• To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.
• To bring into closer relation the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.
• To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social, and spiritual education.

 

Mays PTA (Parent Teacher Association) Meetings 2019-2020

Tuesday, September 10

Tuesday, December 10

Tuesday, January 14

Tuesday, April 14

Tuesday, May 12

Fall Festival, Friday, September 27, 5:30-7:30

Mays CAFE, Thursday, October 24, 5:30-7:30

Mays CAFE, Thursday, January 23, 5:30-7:30

 

All meetings are held in the Red Atrium from 6:00-7:00. A light dinner and chidcare provided.

 

During our Tuesday, December 10 meeting (6:00-7:00pm), we took a closer look at the Mays SCIP (School Continuous Improvement Plan). The SCIP is our roadmap to academic success. It outlines action steps that the school will take to improve literacy, math, IB and school climate. During our meeting, we looked at how the SCIP has been implemented so far this year. We reviewed the Family Friendly SCIP. 

 

Walkthroughs are a way to review implementation of our SCIP. During Walkthroughs, administrators and coaches enter classrooms with a Walkthrough Form to collect data on what is happening with regards to our SCIP goals. Walkthroughs are performed for Math, Literacy, and RP (Restorative Practices). PTA reviewed the Walkthrough Forms and looked at the most recent Math Walkthrough data which found the following:

• Students are given opportunities to make connections to prior learning or experiences. Noted in 15 out of 18 classrooms (83.3%)
• Students are given opportunities to explain/justify their mathematical thinking. Noted in 16 out of 18 classrooms (88.9%)
• Teacher asks open-ended questions to facilitate student discussion. Noted in 18 out of 18 classrooms (100%)
• Strategies that elicit student discourse are observed (i.e. Turn & Talk, Stand & Talk, Number Talk, etc.). Noted in 16 out of 18 classrooms (88.9%)

Data collected from Walkthroughs are shared with staff during Leadership Meetings (weekly) and teacher PLC meeetings (weekly). Walkthrough data informs what professional development needs to be done.

 

After looking at the Math Walkthrough data, we engaged in a Words Their Way phonics lesson. Mays has new phonics curriculum for K-2 and 3-5. The 3-5 grade curriculum is Words Their Way. PTA looked at word patterns in a list of words and then played a brief game of charades based on homophones (words that are spelled differently but sound the same).

 

We concluded our SCIP review with a discussion about Restorative Practices (RP) Circles. As a partner of Mays, our PTA President had recently attended a RP training with the district. She led the group in a RP Circle to start our evening and referred back to it during our discussion. Mays is in its second year of RP and has received a grant to continue the RP work. This means there will be additional staff support for RP during the 2020-2021 school year.

 

PTA members left with an understanding of what our SCIP was and how it was implemented at the school as well as getting a feel for some of the new curriculum and initiatives at Mays. It was a wonderful evening of learning and fellowship.

 

We had a wonderful start to our new school year at our September 10 meeting. We began with general introductions and discussed ways to be involved at Mays, including: upcoming Take Your Parent to School Days, the Fall Festival, and Mays CAFE. We also discussed the Mays open door visiting policy. It was pointed out that you do not need to undergo a background check if you are volunteering in the classroom and supervised by school staff. The school does require background checks for people who volunteer on a regular basis (weekly) or for chaperoning field trips when volunteers will be supervising students. We finished up the evening by writing Hopes & Dreams letters to our students which were delivered to the classroom the next day. What a thrill to receive a letter from mom/dad/grandma at school! This was a great way to share with teachers what we hope for our kids. Please join us at the next PTA meeting Tuesday, Deccember 10, 6:00-7:00 and at Fall Festival and the Mays CAFE in the coming months.

 

Below you will find a recap of the 2018-2019 school year. This provides a good idea of the PTA's role at Mays.

 

Our last general PTA meeting of the year was Tuesday, May 22. We reviewed the School Continuous Improvement Plan (SCIP) for Mays for the 2019-2020 school year and talked about Track & Field Day and Mays Moves. We look forward to welcoming new parents at the start of the next school year.

 

During our April PTA Meeting, Principal Morris presented the proposed 2019-2020 Benjamin E. Mays IB World School budget. PTA members were pleased to see that their were no cuts in staff, but concerned over the budget for classroom supplies, and food and transportation for events. PTA members suggested that teachers should reach out to parents throughout the year, letting them know what the classroom needs are. PTA members also suggested seeking donations. 3M and a couple of other organizations already supply classroom supplies and backpacks. Paper/copying is the biggest on-going supply need of the school.

 

During our January meeting we discussed and planned for the following upcoming events: Mays CAFE, National African American Parent Invovlement Day (NAAPID), and Mays Movie Night.

 

At our December meeting we looked at: What are we doing at Mays to reach our goals in reading, math, and school climate? We learned about SCIP implementation and provided feedback. Our SCIP (School Continuous Improvement Plan) states goals in math, reading, and school climate for Benjamin E. Mays IB World School. It also offers strategies to meet these goals. Please click on the presentation below for more information on the SCIP and it's implementation at Mays. If you have questions or comments regarding the Mays SCIP, contact Karen Shanahan at (651) 325-2492 or karen.shanahan@spps.org. We value parent feedback.

 

Mays SCIP Implementation and Evaluation Presentation

 

Durig our September meeting we reviewed the Mission of the Mays PTA and talked in depth about the gifts we bring to our school community. This provided feedback for PTA involvement with the Mays CAFE on September 25. Mays CAFE is one of the core ways PTA partners with Benjamin E. Mays IB World School to bring parents, teachers, and the community together.

 

At the May 15, 2018 meeting, the following people were elected PTA Officers for a two year term May 2018 through May 2020: Jolene Mason (President), Tayler Johnson (Vice President), Karen Shanahan (Treasurer), Lindsay Walker (Secretary). Thank you to EVERYONE who participates in PTA at Mays! Please stop by our table at the Meet & Greet back to school event Thursday, August 30 (4:30-6:00) to find out more about PTA.

 

 

The PTA is a vital part of Mays and sponsors the following events:

• Meet & Greet (to ease transition into the new school year)
• Fall Festival (a celebration of community)
• Mays CAFE (two CAFE events during the year to focus on partnership between home and school)
• NAAPID - National African American Parent Involvement Day (parntership building)
• Scholastic Bookfair (oportunity for parents and teachers to add to their home/school libraries)
• Movie Night (a community celebration in conjunction with the Postive Behavior Interventions & Supports team at school)
• Staff Appreciation
• Mays Moves and other health initiatives at school

 

 

We welcome all parents and staff members!

For PTA Meeting Minutes and more information visit the PTA section of the Families page.