EXCITING NEW FEATURE FOR PARENTS!!!!

BIG NEWS!!!

As of today, you can now connect from this MCSM Parents' page directly to another Internet site that will contain information and documents of interest to all parents. By clicking on the line that says "Information for MCSM Parents" in the gray-blue box on the lower right of this screen, you will be linked directly to a Yahoo Groups site containing archives of PTA meeting minutes, documents relating to the Con Edison toxic contamination removal project, past MCSM Quality Review, Parent Survey, and School Progress Reports, and many other items as we can add them.

To download and read these documents, simply click on the Information for MCSM Parents menu choice. When the Yahoo Groups screen appears, type mcsmparent into the Yahoo ID box and 260pleasant into the Password box. Do not use any capital letters! Most likely, the next screen that appears will be the home page for a Yahoo Group called mcsm-parents. At the upper left side, click on the menu choice called Files and you will see a long list of documents we have placed there for your convenience.

We hope to make this location a one-stop shop for parents to obtain many different kinds of news and information about MCSM.

You will also note that this blue-gray section of the page includes links to other websites that may be of interest to you, from the MCSM webpage maintained by the NYC Department of Education to blog sites of parent advocates for improved public school education. Check some of them out!

Parents Invited to Join Students for Inspirational Speaker (March 4, 10:30 A.M.)

Parents are invited to join MCSM students for a special guest speaker presentation by Erik Weihenmayer on Tuesday, March 4 at 10:30 a.m. in the school auditorium. Mr. Weihenmayer is known around the world as the first blind person to climb Mt. Everest, the world’s highest mountain. He is also the only blind person ever to have climbed the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.

Health Corps’ Samata (Sammie) Kamireddy has been instrumental in bringing Erik Weihenmayer to MCSM to speak to the students. She has also secured several hundred copies of Mr. Weihenmayer’s memoir, “Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See.” Many MCSM students have been reading the book in class in advance of our guest speaker’s arrival.

By all accounts, Erik Weihenmayer is an extraordinary inspirational speaker with an important message for our kids about persevering and achieving great things even against seemingly impossible odds. The back cover of his book tells part of his story:

“Mr. Weihenmayer was born with retinoscheses, a degenerative eye disorder that would leave him blind by the age of fifteen. But Erik was determined to rise above this disability and lead a fulfilling and exciting life. [In his book,] he shares the struggle to push past the limits imposed on him by his visual impairment – and by a seeing world….[H]e tells the story of his dream to climb the world’s highest peaks and how he is turning that dream into an astonishing reality – something fewer than a hundred mountaineers have done!…this is a story about daring to dream in the face of impossible odds. It is about finding courage to reach for that ultimate summit and transforming your life into something truly miraculous.”

Many thanks to Ms. Kamireddy and Health Corps for their diligent efforts in making this inspirational presentation possible. Parents who would like to read Mr. Weihenmayer’s book in advance of his talk can obtain a free copy by contacting Steve Koss at mathman180@aol.com.

Nominating Process Begins at March 11 PTA Meeting for Next Year's PTA Officers

At our next PTA meeting on March 11, we are required by our Bylaws to form a nominating committee of 3-5 parents in support of the spring election of PTA Officers for the 2008/2009 school year. The responsibilities of this committee are to solicit candidates for each position, distribute notices of upcoming meetings pertaining to the nomination or election process, ensure that all members have an opportunity to make nominations (including self-nominations), prepare ballots and tally sheets, supervise the election, count the votes and report the results, and have the Principal certify the results following the election.

If no such committee can be formed, the full committee can be replaced by two PTA members NOT running for office to conduct the nominations and election process. These two individuals must be approved by a vote of the membership present at the PTA meeting.

On March 11, we must either create a nominating committee or the two-person committee to administer this Spring’s PTA officer nominations and election. In addition, we will begin taking nominations for each officer position on March 11 and again at our April 8 regular PTA meeting.

This year’s PTA elections will take place at our regularly scheduled PTA meeting on May 13, 2008 (6:00 in the MCSM Library).

PTA Plans Database of Parent Email Addresses

In order to improve communication with our school’s parent community, the PTA is planning a new initiative to collect parents’ telephone numbers and email addresses. At all future PTA meetings and other events where parents are present, such as Parent Teacher Conferences, we will be asking you for this information so we can create a database of parent contact information. We will also be asking what grade your child currently attends so we can take your name off our list when he or she graduates.

Please be assured that this information will only be used for school-related communications and will not be made available for any outside use. We hope that by having this information, we can better keep you informed of school news that may affect your child, update you on school events, distribute requests from school administrators and teachers for parent assistance, and provide you with announcements about upcoming PTA meetings, parent/teacher committee meetings, and other events open for parent participation.

Communication with parents is an essential part of making MCSM work for you and your child, and the MCSM PTA plans with your help to take a lead role in increasing this communication.

Ashley Farms Fundraiser, February 12 - 25

MCSM PTA is kicking off its first fundraiser of the new year with premium baked goods from Ashley Farms at our next PTA meeting on Tuesday, February 12. Samples of several Ashley Farms products were distributed to parents at January's PTA meeting for a tasting, and the verdict was a BIG thumb's up!

These baked goods arrive on the date of delivery frozen and will remain frozen for about six hours. They can be refrozen without any loss in quality and can remain frozen for months! Ashley Farms' products include stacked pizza, NY cheese pretzels, cookie doughs, cakes, pies and their renowned cheesecakes, to name a few things offered. All order forms and payments must be turned in to the PTA by February 25; checks and money orders should be made out to MCSM PTA. The items ordered will then be delivered for our next PTA meeting on March 11.

If you are unable to make it to the February 12 PTA meeting (and you really don't want to miss it -- we have two important guest speakers that you really need to hear), our Parent Coordinator, Julia Valentin, has graciously agreed to keep a supply of Ashley Farms's beautiful brochures in her office for anyone, including your child, to pick up and bring home to you.

You can also see the delicious products Ashley Farms has to offer in this sale by clicking on the following text: Ashley Farms Broadway Cafe. Please note that this sale only includes the Ashley Farms items shown on the Broadway Cafe menu. If you would like to order any of these items, please contact Parent Coordinator Julia Valentin (by phone at 347-563-5163, by email at jvalentin2@schools.nyc.gov) or PTA Co-Vice President Deirdre Rose at birdrose12000@yahoo.com.

This is a great opportunity to ask family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, your hairdresser, auto mechanic, mail carrier -- anyone and everyone -- to support your child's school by purchasing a product that you won't be embarassed about on the date of delivery! You will be givng them a product they will ask you about in the future, if past fundraisers with this company are any guide. So remember that the holidays are coming up, and that these products freeze and keep very well for an extended period of time. Stock up, and tell others to do the same!

Be sure to remind the people you approach to buy these products that MCSM was recently awarded a Silver Medal Silver by U.S. News & World Report magazine as one of the top 3% of high schools across the United States, putting our school in the top 500 from over 18,000 schools surveyed. We need to keep our school strong, especially with Mayor Bloomberg's recent 1.75% budget cuts in education that will cost MCSM approximately $140,000.00. So sell, sell sell! SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S SCOOL - SUPPORT YOUR PTA!

Please do not allow your child to do any door-to-door selling alone, without an adult. We know they seem to be able to take care of themselves, BUT they are still children, and we do not want any of our children put at risk.

Sell lots of goodies and help your PTA help support the programs and efforts of our school!

IMPORTANT NEWS!! NY City Councilperson to Speak at February PTA Meeting

East Harlem City Council Representative Melissa Mark Viverito will be a guest speaker at a joint MCSM/Isaac Newton PTA meeting on Tuesday, February 12 at 6:00 pm. Ms. Viverito, who happens to be a member of the City Council's Environmental Protection Committee, will address the Con Edison toxic contamination issue at our school's building site and answer parent and community questions on this matter.

In addition, Mr. Bernard Orlan from the DOE's Division of School Facilities will present the results of preliminary air quality tests he conducted at MCSM on Saturday, December 22. Mr. Orlan will explain the testing that has taken place so far, describe additional testing planned for the February midwinter recess, and answer parent questions. He will also discuss past reports of asbestos contamination in our school building.

Principal David Jimenez will be on hand to discuss issues relating to the recent DOE school budget cuts and our efforts to requalify as a Title I school.

This is an important meeting for all parents, and it is your chance to meet with and express your concerns to our local City Council Representative. Having met Ms. Viverito previously, this writer can attest to her concerns over brownfield contamination issues in New York City as well as her for the health and well-being of Manhattan Center and Isaac Newton students, teachers, and staff.

Please plan to attend.

Be informed -- voice your concerns -- get your questions answered.

Meet Our New Principal

Now that David Jimenez has been officially appointed Principal of Manhattan Center, this seems like an appropriate time for a fuller introduction. Even if you have had the pleasure to meet and chat with Mr. Jimenez, you may not know much about his background.
Mr. Jimenez brings with him an academic and professional background well suited to the educational focus of MCSM, beginning with his Batchelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from City College. He began his education career as a math teacher and attendance coordinator at Manhattan’s High School for Fashion Industries.

Ten years later, he moved on to the High School for Environmental Studies on West 56th Street in Manhattan, where he served as Assistant Principal for Mathematics, Physical Education, and Special Education from 2001 to 2007. Most notably among his accomplishments at Environmental Studies, David oversaw a math department whose student passing rates in Math A Regents exams increased from a dismal 38% in 2001 to 98% in 2006 and from 48% in Math B (2001) to 88% (2006). His first experiences as a Principal came at Environmental Studies in the Spring of 2003 when he served as Acting Principal during the Principal’s medical leave.

Mr. Jimenez brings to MCSM strong convictions about putting children’s education first and a solid track record of educational accomplishments in racially mixed school settings. As if his commitments to children’s education were not already time-consuming enough, David also serves as an elected member of the School Board in Leonia, NJ where he resides with his wife and family. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to stop and introduce yourself to Mr. Jimenez the next time you visit MCSM. You can reach him by email at djimene2@schools.nyc.gov.

Three Seniors Win Posse Scholarships

Three MCSM seniors -- Andy Sanchez, Christine Valentin, and Rukshana Tuli -- have earned Posse Scholarships to three prestigious private colleges. Mr. Sanchez will be attending Brandeis University in Boston, Ms. Valentin will matriculate at the idyllic campus of Vermont's Middlebury College, and Ms. Tuli will study at New York's own Hamilton College. Posse Scholarships are sponsored and funded by the Posse Foundation, a national college scholarship organization headquartered here in New York City.

For those who never heard of Posse Scholarships, the following description is excerpted from their website (www.possefoundation.org):

The Posse Foundation identifies, recruits and trains student leaders from public high schools to form multicultural teams called “Posses.” These teams are then prepared, through an intensive Pre-Collegiate Training Program, for enrollment at top-tier universities nationwide to pursue their academics and to help promote cross-cultural communication on campus. The Posse Program has exhibited great success over the past 18 years placing 1,850 students into colleges and universities. These students have won over $175 million in scholarships from Posse partner universities and are persisting and graduating at 90 percent—a rate higher than the national averages at institutions of higher education. Posse currently has sites in six major cities across the United States: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C. and its newest site in Atlanta.

The concept of a Posse works for both students and college campuses, and is rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented students—a Posse—carefully selected and trained, can serve as a catalyst for increased individual and community development. As the United States becomes an increasingly multicultural society, Posse believes that the leaders of this new century should reflect the country’s rich demographic mix, and that the key to a promising future for our nation rests on the ability of strong leaders from diverse backgrounds to develop consensus solutions to complex social problems. One of the primary aims of the Posse Program is to train these leaders of tomorrow.

Students and parents interested in learning more should see Mr. Winston in the College Office (Room 126) or click on the following text: Posse Scholarship.

Ling Lin Is NY Times Scholarship Semifinalist

Senior Ling Lin was named in January as a semifinalist in the New York Times Scholarship program. From nearly 1,400 applications citywide by high school seniors, the Times chooses roughly 150 semifinalists who are then narrowed to some twenty finalists. Those so honored will receive four-year college scholarships, summer internships, mentoring, and introductions to cultural and civic activities.

Congratulations to Ms. Lin from the PTA and best wishes for her success in becoming a finalist.