Don't Get Shut Out from the Forum on Bullying/ School Climate Awareness

A repeat posting to remind everyone that the forum on bullying in our schools will be on September 28th. Entrance is free, however pre-registration is required and the seats are filling up. Bring a friend and come down and get informed on what is going on in schools, what the experts think and learn how you can help your children.
See below for details.

POB Parents Concerned about Bullying


POB Parents Concerned about Bullying
is a committee of concerned parents and other representatives formed to bring community awareness to the seriousness of bullying. We invite you to attend a forum on bullying on Tuesday, September 28th, from 7:30pm - 9:30 pm at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library.


Due to limited space

YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND

. Registration will be done on a first come - first served basis. Each registrant will receive an email confirmation and you must have this confirmation to attend. To register please email your contact information to

pobpcabreg@gmail.com

. If you have additional questions you can also
contact Patrice Finkelstein at dandpfinkelstein@hotmail.com or 516 639-4921.



The objectives of the forum include:

* Communicate concerns about the bullying situation as it currently stands in the POB school district.
* Discuss the implementation of a district-wide anti-bullying policy and school climate reform.
* Present to Administration and the Board of Education a list of recommendations, action items to further prevent bullying in the POB school district and community.

Agenda



7:30pm-7:45 pm Welcome and Opening Remarks



7:45pm –8:00pm POB Parent Testimonies



8:00pm – 8:15pm Overview/Update- Dignity for all Students Act (DASA, NYS Anti-bullying

Legislation) Samantha Frederickson Esq., Director Nassau County Chapter New

York Civil Liberty Union



8:15pm- 8:30pm POB Parent Testimonies



8:30 pm-9:00pm School Climate Reform: “A data driven strategy to prevent bullying, promote upstander behavior and create

even safer, supportive, engaging and responsible schools" - Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., Co-founder and

President National School Climate Center (formerly, the Center for Social and Emotional Education)



9:00pm- 9:15pm Questions & Discussion



9:15pm- 9:30pm POB Parent Testimony / Closing Remarks



The discussion session will encourage brainstorming between attendees about the best direction to discourage and deal with bullying in our schools and community. We look forward to working together to create a kinder community, one where our children are more aware of the rights and feelings of others and will be less prone to victimize each other and more apt to defend those that are victims.

Safety First?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "First Day at POB and and the Disappointments Start...":

Author-Please Post this as a New Thread

Can anyone else comment on the Bus Transportation plan for this school year? Did anyone else get the "Efficiency" story?

My child is 10 years old attending 6th grade at POB Middle school and her late bus stop is slotted to stop on OLD COUNTRY RD.(entrance to my development) My child has to cross 2 streets at approx 4PM, a busy bank on the corner , on a block where cars cut off Old Country Road into the development where we live from 3PM on. My child will need to walk and cross this street where cars race in and out. Safety First or Efficiency? The stop on OCR is not at all visible from my home, so I will not see her get off the bus. It takes 3 minutes for the bus to come in one end of the development and out the other side back onto OCR. This is how it has been in the past 4 years. I called Transportation 2X and they refuse to change the stop: Citing that is "More efficient for the bus to go this route" I cited "the districts policy on the safety of our children being first priority." They still to date refuse to change the stop.

So my question is this: Who do I go to now? This is a BIG safety issue for any 10 year old especially in Bad Weather. I pay alot of money in school taxes, wo why cut here and compromise the Safety of my Child?- All for what "Efficiency? If they bothered to look at the amount of traffic and the flow of traffic at the 4PM time, the transportation department would see that the way they had it in prior years was more timely!
I'd like to know with all the other waste I have seen in this district everwhere: What is the financial savings here? Why do I need this aggravation?

BOE, Where are you now? Who gave this directive?

Teacher Evaluations May Be Coming to a State Near You

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/magazine/05FOB-wwln-t.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

The start of the school year brings another one of those nagging, often unquenchable worries of parenthood: How good will my child’s teachers be? Teachers tend to have word-of-mouth reputations, of course. But it is hard to know how well those reputations match up with a teacher’s actual abilities. Schools generally do not allow parents to see any part of a teacher’s past evaluations, for instance. And there is nothing resembling a rigorous, Consumer Reports-like analysis of schools, let alone of individual teachers. For the most part, parents just have to hope for the best.
The start of the school year brings another one of those nagging, often unquenchable worries of parenthood: How good will my child’s teachers be? Teachers tend to have word-of-mouth reputations, of course. But it is hard to know how well those reputations match up with a teacher’s actual abilities. Schools generally do not allow parents to see any part of a teacher’s past evaluations, for instance. And there is nothing resembling a rigorous, Consumer Reports-like analysis of schools, let alone of individual teachers. For the most part, parents just have to hope for the best. ......
- use the link above to finish the article

What Do You Think is Fair?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Vote with Your Wallet in Mind; It's Time for some ...":

Maybe we could start a new thread on this blog. Several people on this blog have said that teachers are "overpaid" It might be informative to hear what people think is fair compensation for teachers at various points in their careers. What do you think is fair for a 1st year teacher, a 5th year teacher with a masters degree, a 10 or 15 year teacher with a masters degree plus 60 in service credits and a teacher at the end of their career with 25-30 years service? no name calling, no talk about greed, just numbers and conversation.