Feb. 3 B-W Council of PTA Meeting Notes

The met at the  auditorium on Feb. 3.

Some of the highlights from the meeting are as follows.

After some housekeeping by the council, led by President Sandy Costantino, including the approval of minutes from the council's January meeting, this writer was invited to give a brief presentation on behalf of the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch.

Part of the B-W Patch's presentation was a call for volunteers for its Moms Council. PTA Council member Christina Gruber has already joined the B-W Patch's Moms Council and will be a columnist every week on Patch.

The B-W Patch's Moms Council, which will be a source of information and advice for the B-W Patch editorial team, currently consists of three members. More members are very welcome.

The Moms Council will not hold any official meetings, so time requirements will be minimal. Most Moms Council conversations will occur via email. All Baldwin-Whitehall parents, including fathers, are welcome to join the council. Everyone's efforts and support are very kindly appreciated.

The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch, led by this writer and editor, is proud to serve the B-W community. This writer is .

Baldwin-Whitehall school district Superintendent Dr. Lawrence C. Korchnak then gave a presentation.

Korchnak spoke about the school district's upcoming Keystone Exams tests for students. He said that students' Keystone scores may be listed on their transcripts. The goal of that policy is to raise test scores.

More information on the Keystone Exams is available in a PDF located above (below the photo of Paynter Elementary).

Korchnak also spoke about the B-W school district's attendance policy.

"I believe our attendance policy is ridiculous," he said, noting that every school in the district seems to have its own procedure with handling tardiness and absences, both excused and unexcused. "We need to get to one procedure that everyone will follow."

Korchnak said that he wants to institute a universal policy in the school district that enforces the illegality of any student totaling more than three unexcused absences in any school year.

Korchnak's aim is for "clearly defined boundaries."

"We expect [students] to be in school," he said. "This is also for parents [to share responsibility].

"The state law allows us to hold kids accountable for attendance. The more students are in school the better they learn."

On another topic, some members of the council expressed dissatisfaction with 's lack of a Future Business Leaders of America chapter. The high school used to have an FBLA chapter, though one hasn't existed at the school for many years.

Korchnak cited the reason for that is that no teachers have come forward with a desire to moderate the organization. He did offer, though, that a parent could possibly moderate the FBLA.

The council is promoting its Founders Day Dinner, to be held this year at  on Curry Road on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the cost per plate is $30. You must RSVP by Friday, Feb. 11, by calling Tina Rothermel at 412-885-3527.

The council will honor this year's recipients of its Pennsylvania Lifetime Membership awards at that Founders Dinner.

The next Baldwin-Whitehall Council of PTA meeting will be held on Thursday, March 3, at Baldwin High School's Room 322 at 9:30 a.m.

The council has special instructions for its BHS meetings. The council asks that you arrive at the high school's pool entrance by 9:15 a.m. (located in the South Lot). A security guard will meet the meeting's attendants there as a group and then escort them to Room 322.

If you arrive after 9:15 a.m. or you see that the security guard is not at the South Lot, you must still park in the South Lot but must enter the high school using its main entrance. Once there, you must sign in with a security guard and proceed to Room 322 yourself.

Either way, your vehicle must be out of the South Lot by 1:15 p.m. to allow the entrance of school buses.

The  includes , the  and the . The council invites anyone to attend its meetings.

To learn more about the Baldwin-Whitehall Council of PTA, visit its website here.

PTA stands for Parent-Teacher Association.

The Feb. 3 meeting adjourned at 12:34 p.m.