LATEST TIME CHANGE UPDATE - 5-3-12, 12:00 pm
Congratulations & Thank You to all the parents who reached out and voiced your concerns at TWO community forum meetings & by phone & email to your School Board. The Transportation Dept. has opted to withdraw their proposal from the May 6th School Board meeting due to the need for further review & consideration of the stakeholders' needs (that's you!). To see the letter they submitted to the School Board, or to see any of the archived postings about this issue, please click here or navigate the top menu to the Parkway Schedule Change Archive. The blog page will also remain available should you wish to peruse it. We have been victorious on this issue for now - there will be NO schedule change for Parkway Middle School for 2014-2015. The Transportation Dept. will submit a new proposal for 2015-2016 after further research, so it's in our best interest to thank them as vigorously as we alerted them to our concerns. As soon as we have that contact info, we will share it.
Parkway logo shirts are still on sale - below or in the black box at school.
Parkway logo shirts are still on sale - below or in the black box at school.
LATEST UPDATE - 4-30-14, 6:30am
Last night, Mr. Mattair graciously held a second community forum meeting. If you were unable to attend, we wanted to inform you about what you missed. Mr. Mattair laid out some of the plans he has been working on to try to accommodate parent concerns if the School Board proposal to change our time to 9:15-4:15 is passed on Tuesday, 5/6. These plans included ideas about a possible morning academy, perhaps a 5:30pm activity bus with a 7th hour link to extra-curriculars, & maybe the creation of a school-based task force to consider these & other ideas more thoroughly. He is investigating what pick-up & drop-off times new bus routes would mean for the new schedule & is inquiring with the YMCA about how their after-care program would be able to adjust to the new schedule as well.
Most importantly, Mr. Mattair and the Parkway administration took notes on many more parent questions & concerns than were able to be addressed at last week's meeting. Many reiterated concerns about Parkway's uniqueness and the resulting damage to our programs & opportunities should the time change take effect. Some parents & teachers voiced concerns about the new morning & after school proposals that would limit opportunities to a select group of students. Others echoed concerns about rush hour traffic & extended (rather than shortened) travel times. There were not a lot of answers yet, because those answers are still unknown. The purpose was to collect as many of your concerns & questions as possible in order to submit them further up the line for review.
The vote is before the School Board on Tuesday, 5/6. The meeting begins at 10:15. The first round of speakers will be heard around noon. Although, the initial allowance of 10 speakers is full, the School Board is still taking names for the wait list. The wait list speakers may be heard at the discretion of the Chair. Parkway parents have filled 4 of the 10 speaker slots for this meeting. Your attendance at the meeting is important & could make a difference. This is not yet a done deal, and we (the parents) have the best chance at convincing the School Board to separate Parkway out from the group of schools facing this change because of our uniqueness if we show up in large numbers to give our support to the cause. If you have a Parkway shirt, please wear it. If you don't have one, we are in the process of placing a rush order for shirts featuring Parkway's beautiful logo that represents our 3 magnets: CITY, STEM & PA. If we are able to get this order in time, a POPP representative will be on site outside the meeting with shirts on sale for $10 each. You can also send your t-shirt order in to school to Mrs. Terl in the black box. The initial batch includes sizes M - L - XL - and XXL. You can also purchase your shirt here online just below the contact links, but please be aware that online orders include a $1.50 processing fee. If you order online, please identify your Parkway student so we can hopefully deliver your shirt on Monday.
Finally, please continue to email and call your School Board officials. Email your own District Member as well as these key Board Members who represent Parkway's District (Dr. Rosalind Osgood), the county At-Large (Ms. Robin Bartleman & Ms. Donna P. Korn), as well as Ms. Laurie Rich Levinson (a huge supporter of Broward's Gifted Programs). Don't forget to cc Superintendent Runcie with your opinions as well.
You can also click here to move to our parent blog with easy access to our talking points. Don't forget to view the comments to see other parents' additions to these talking points as well.
Here is that contact info again:
Dr. Rosalind Osgood, School Board Member
754-321-2005
[email protected]
Robin Bartleman, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2009
[email protected]
Donna P. Korn, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2008
[email protected]
Laurie Rich Levinson, School Board Member
754-321-2006
[email protected]
Robert W. Runcie, Superintendent of Schools
754-321-2600
[email protected]
Most importantly, Mr. Mattair and the Parkway administration took notes on many more parent questions & concerns than were able to be addressed at last week's meeting. Many reiterated concerns about Parkway's uniqueness and the resulting damage to our programs & opportunities should the time change take effect. Some parents & teachers voiced concerns about the new morning & after school proposals that would limit opportunities to a select group of students. Others echoed concerns about rush hour traffic & extended (rather than shortened) travel times. There were not a lot of answers yet, because those answers are still unknown. The purpose was to collect as many of your concerns & questions as possible in order to submit them further up the line for review.
The vote is before the School Board on Tuesday, 5/6. The meeting begins at 10:15. The first round of speakers will be heard around noon. Although, the initial allowance of 10 speakers is full, the School Board is still taking names for the wait list. The wait list speakers may be heard at the discretion of the Chair. Parkway parents have filled 4 of the 10 speaker slots for this meeting. Your attendance at the meeting is important & could make a difference. This is not yet a done deal, and we (the parents) have the best chance at convincing the School Board to separate Parkway out from the group of schools facing this change because of our uniqueness if we show up in large numbers to give our support to the cause. If you have a Parkway shirt, please wear it. If you don't have one, we are in the process of placing a rush order for shirts featuring Parkway's beautiful logo that represents our 3 magnets: CITY, STEM & PA. If we are able to get this order in time, a POPP representative will be on site outside the meeting with shirts on sale for $10 each. You can also send your t-shirt order in to school to Mrs. Terl in the black box. The initial batch includes sizes M - L - XL - and XXL. You can also purchase your shirt here online just below the contact links, but please be aware that online orders include a $1.50 processing fee. If you order online, please identify your Parkway student so we can hopefully deliver your shirt on Monday.
Finally, please continue to email and call your School Board officials. Email your own District Member as well as these key Board Members who represent Parkway's District (Dr. Rosalind Osgood), the county At-Large (Ms. Robin Bartleman & Ms. Donna P. Korn), as well as Ms. Laurie Rich Levinson (a huge supporter of Broward's Gifted Programs). Don't forget to cc Superintendent Runcie with your opinions as well.
You can also click here to move to our parent blog with easy access to our talking points. Don't forget to view the comments to see other parents' additions to these talking points as well.
Here is that contact info again:
Dr. Rosalind Osgood, School Board Member
754-321-2005
[email protected]
Robin Bartleman, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2009
[email protected]
Donna P. Korn, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2008
[email protected]
Laurie Rich Levinson, School Board Member
754-321-2006
[email protected]
Robert W. Runcie, Superintendent of Schools
754-321-2600
[email protected]
BUY YOUR PARKWAY LOGO SHIRT HERE:
LATEST UPDATE - 4-25-14, 10:00 pm
Please note we've now added a blog page for you to easily share your own talking points, questions and concerns in an effort to facilitate the conversation between parents who wish to participate. This blog is not meant to be a conduit for communicating directly with any member of the School Board, but rather a place where you can share your thoughts with the entire parent community expressing interest as they prepare their own speaking roles & email correspondence. Please remember this is a public site dedicated to supporting a Parkway Middle School of the Arts magnet program; and therefore, we ask you to please keep your comments professional & appropriate in tone & language. Thank you. You can click here to reach the blog, or navigate there using the menu above.
If you haven't yet called to ask to be placed on the agenda for the May 6 meeting, we suggest you do so on Monday. Call 754-321-2390. Scroll to previous posts for more details.
If you haven't yet called to ask to be placed on the agenda for the May 6 meeting, we suggest you do so on Monday. Call 754-321-2390. Scroll to previous posts for more details.
LATEST UPDATE - 4-25-14, 11:45 am - PLEASE READ
Parents,
Please pardon the confusion. Mr. Mattair & teams ARE in talks to consider alternative scheduling possibilities that will both meet the district's goals & your concerns. There will be a new community forum meeting at Parkway this coming Tuesday, 4/29 (time forthcoming), during which Mr. Mattair will share new possibilities & updates. HOWEVER, since as yet we have no idea what those new possibilities might be, & in light of the rule which requires you call the School Board 5 days in advance (we assumed business days) to ask to be placed on the agenda for the 5/6 meeting, & next Tuesday's meeting will be after this deadline, we are no longer asking you to hold off your contact. If you are worried about the impact a schedule change will have on your child's educational experience, you can take action now.
The School Board will be meeting on May 6th at 10:15am at the KC Wright Building located at 600 Southeast Third Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. If you have concerns & want your voice to be heard on this subject, there are 2 very important things you can do:
1. Call the School Board Office at 754-321-2390 and tell them you wish to speak at the May 6 meeting about concerns you have over the proposal to change Parkway Middle School's hours. YOU MUST CALL AT LEAST 5 WORK DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. The more people who call & ask to be placed on the agenda, the better the chance that the School Board will take our considerations under review. Parents and students can call separately & can each individually ask to be placed on the agenda. (Once at the meeting, each speaker is limited to a 3 min speaking time).
2. Call AND Email the School Board & Superintendent Runcie directly with your concerns. Be sure to cc Mr. Runcie on any email you send to the School Board Members. These are the School Board Members to whom you should reach out:
Dr. Rosalind Osgood, School Board Member
754-321-2005
[email protected]
Robin Bartleman, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2009
[email protected]
Donna P. Korn, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2008
[email protected]
Laurie Rich Levinson, School Board Member
754-321-2006
[email protected]
Robert W. Runcie, Superintendent of Schools
754-321-2600
[email protected]
Thank you for standing with us!
The Patrons of the Parkway Players
Please pardon the confusion. Mr. Mattair & teams ARE in talks to consider alternative scheduling possibilities that will both meet the district's goals & your concerns. There will be a new community forum meeting at Parkway this coming Tuesday, 4/29 (time forthcoming), during which Mr. Mattair will share new possibilities & updates. HOWEVER, since as yet we have no idea what those new possibilities might be, & in light of the rule which requires you call the School Board 5 days in advance (we assumed business days) to ask to be placed on the agenda for the 5/6 meeting, & next Tuesday's meeting will be after this deadline, we are no longer asking you to hold off your contact. If you are worried about the impact a schedule change will have on your child's educational experience, you can take action now.
The School Board will be meeting on May 6th at 10:15am at the KC Wright Building located at 600 Southeast Third Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. If you have concerns & want your voice to be heard on this subject, there are 2 very important things you can do:
1. Call the School Board Office at 754-321-2390 and tell them you wish to speak at the May 6 meeting about concerns you have over the proposal to change Parkway Middle School's hours. YOU MUST CALL AT LEAST 5 WORK DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. The more people who call & ask to be placed on the agenda, the better the chance that the School Board will take our considerations under review. Parents and students can call separately & can each individually ask to be placed on the agenda. (Once at the meeting, each speaker is limited to a 3 min speaking time).
2. Call AND Email the School Board & Superintendent Runcie directly with your concerns. Be sure to cc Mr. Runcie on any email you send to the School Board Members. These are the School Board Members to whom you should reach out:
Dr. Rosalind Osgood, School Board Member
754-321-2005
[email protected]
Robin Bartleman, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2009
[email protected]
Donna P. Korn, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2008
[email protected]
Laurie Rich Levinson, School Board Member
754-321-2006
[email protected]
Robert W. Runcie, Superintendent of Schools
754-321-2600
[email protected]
Thank you for standing with us!
The Patrons of the Parkway Players
LATEST UPDATE - 4-25-14, 10:40 am - PLEASE READ
Parents, PLEASE HOLD OFF your communication to the School Board. Your voices have been heard & teams are meeting right now to consider alternative schedule plans that might better meet Parkway's needs. There is going to be a new community forum meeting at the school at a time & date still yet to be determined. Expect it to be Monday or Tuesday. A meeting Monday night will still give us plenty of time to call the School Board to ask to be placed on the agenda for May 6th. Let's please WAIT until this new meeting time is announced so that we are able to hear the new proposal aimed at making the change more palatable to Parkway's unique educational needs. We will keep you up to date on all news as it becomes available. BRAVO for standing together for Parkway!
Thank you!
Patrons of the Parkway Players
Thank you!
Patrons of the Parkway Players
updated 4-24-14, 9pm
UPDATE FOLLOWING TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE MEETING -
THANK YOU to those of you who were able to come out to Parkway's auditorium tonight for the meeting. THANK YOU to those of you who stood up & asked to be heard. THANK YOU to those of you who want to know how to get your voice heard and what to do next.
The School Board will be meeting on May 6th at 10:15am at the KC Wright Building located at 600 Southeast Third Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. If you have concerns & want your voice to be heard on this subject, there are 2 very important things you can do:
1. Call the School Board Office at 754-321-2390 and tell them you wish to speak at the May 6 meeting about concerns you have over the proposal to change Parkway Middle School's hours. YOU MUST CALL AT LEAST 5 WORK DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. The more people who call & ask to be placed on the agenda, the better the chance that the School Board will take our considerations under review. Parents and students can call separately & can each individually ask to be placed on the agenda. (Once at the meeting, each speaker is limited to a 3 min speaking time).
2. Call AND Email the School Board & Superintendent Runcie directly with your concerns. Be sure to cc Mr. Runcie on any email you send to the School Board Members. These are the School Board Members to whom you should reach out:
Dr. Rosalind Osgood, School Board Member
754-321-2005
[email protected]
Robin Bartleman, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2009
[email protected]
Donna P. Korn, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2008
[email protected]
Laurie Rich Levinson, School Board Member
754-321-2006
[email protected]
Robert W. Runcie, Superintendent of Schools
754-321-2600
[email protected]
The talking points we've compiled so far are below, followed by yesterday's post about the meeting. Tonight you heard the representatives from Transportation talk about how 32 middle schools are already making it work on a 9:30-4:30 schedule, but that is not accurate. Exactly 3 schools work on that schedule, 2 of which are schools which cater to grades 6-12. All other middle school on our proposed new start time of 9:15 end at 3:45. Most middle schools operate on a 6.5 hr day. Parkway has been different because we share buses with Dillard, which allows us to also share activity buses with them. Tonight Mrs. Terl suggested the possibility of considering a new start time that aligns with other middle schools as the district hopes, but still affords the distinctly unique magnet programs that Parkway has to offer the ability to conduct their essential after school activities without losing access to Dillard's activity buses. The suggestion was to look at other middle school schedules, such as 9:00-3:30 or 8:45-3:15, (8:30-3:00 would be perfect, however that particular one isn't currently a schedule for Broward middle schools). Any of these would allow after school activities to end at 5:00, in time for Dillard's activity buses to come to Parkway after collecting the high schoolers. Please share your concerns and thoughts for possible solutions with the School Board officials listed above. Parkway isn't your average middle school - we are unique because the county made us unique when they placed multiple high-achieving magnet programs on our campus. We should be recognized as having special needs and addressed accordingly. And, we need as much parent and student support as possible to get our message out there.
Thank you for standing with us!
The Patrons of the Parkway Players
The School Board will be meeting on May 6th at 10:15am at the KC Wright Building located at 600 Southeast Third Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. If you have concerns & want your voice to be heard on this subject, there are 2 very important things you can do:
1. Call the School Board Office at 754-321-2390 and tell them you wish to speak at the May 6 meeting about concerns you have over the proposal to change Parkway Middle School's hours. YOU MUST CALL AT LEAST 5 WORK DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. The more people who call & ask to be placed on the agenda, the better the chance that the School Board will take our considerations under review. Parents and students can call separately & can each individually ask to be placed on the agenda. (Once at the meeting, each speaker is limited to a 3 min speaking time).
2. Call AND Email the School Board & Superintendent Runcie directly with your concerns. Be sure to cc Mr. Runcie on any email you send to the School Board Members. These are the School Board Members to whom you should reach out:
Dr. Rosalind Osgood, School Board Member
754-321-2005
[email protected]
Robin Bartleman, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2009
[email protected]
Donna P. Korn, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2008
[email protected]
Laurie Rich Levinson, School Board Member
754-321-2006
[email protected]
Robert W. Runcie, Superintendent of Schools
754-321-2600
[email protected]
The talking points we've compiled so far are below, followed by yesterday's post about the meeting. Tonight you heard the representatives from Transportation talk about how 32 middle schools are already making it work on a 9:30-4:30 schedule, but that is not accurate. Exactly 3 schools work on that schedule, 2 of which are schools which cater to grades 6-12. All other middle school on our proposed new start time of 9:15 end at 3:45. Most middle schools operate on a 6.5 hr day. Parkway has been different because we share buses with Dillard, which allows us to also share activity buses with them. Tonight Mrs. Terl suggested the possibility of considering a new start time that aligns with other middle schools as the district hopes, but still affords the distinctly unique magnet programs that Parkway has to offer the ability to conduct their essential after school activities without losing access to Dillard's activity buses. The suggestion was to look at other middle school schedules, such as 9:00-3:30 or 8:45-3:15, (8:30-3:00 would be perfect, however that particular one isn't currently a schedule for Broward middle schools). Any of these would allow after school activities to end at 5:00, in time for Dillard's activity buses to come to Parkway after collecting the high schoolers. Please share your concerns and thoughts for possible solutions with the School Board officials listed above. Parkway isn't your average middle school - we are unique because the county made us unique when they placed multiple high-achieving magnet programs on our campus. We should be recognized as having special needs and addressed accordingly. And, we need as much parent and student support as possible to get our message out there.
Thank you for standing with us!
The Patrons of the Parkway Players
pms_schedule_talking_points.pdf | |
File Size: | 35 kb |
File Type: |
URGENT - REGARDING THURSDAY's 6pm MEETING -
PARKWAY MIDDLE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM -
TO DISCUSS THE SCHEDULE FOR 2014-2015
Parents,
Recently, you've received a lot of potentially confusing information about next year's schedule at Parkway. As explained in the letter that went home Tuesday, the School Board is currently considering a proposal to change our hours to a 9:15/9:30 - 4:15/4:30 schedule for next year. The letter went on to detail the benefits & selling points the district wants you to know about, but it didn't include some potential concerns you should know about. By talking to teachers and parents, we've quickly compiled some talking points for you to help share our concerns over what such a change might do to the performing arts magnet at Parkway that we all love.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - we cannot stress enough how important it is to have a strong parent turnout at the meeting Thursday night, 4/24 at 6pm. We need the voices of parents of all students, including those whose children are moving on to high school. If we have any hope at all of convincing the School Board to consider our concerns, we need to stand together.
In addition, whether or not you are able to attend the meeting, please take the time to call or write to key School Board personnel with your own thoughts and concerns on the issue. We have conveniently listed their contact info for you here. Talking points follow below, & are also attached as a PDF. Please look at them & come ready to ask questions!!
Thank you so much for standing with your Parkway Players Family!!
WHO TO CONTACT:
Dr. Rosalind Osgood, School Board Member for District 5 (Parkway's District)
754-321-2005
[email protected]
Robin Bartleman, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2009
[email protected]
Donna P. Korn, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2008
[email protected]
Dr. Desmond Blackburn, Chief School Performance & Accountability Officer
754-321-3838
[email protected]
Recently, you've received a lot of potentially confusing information about next year's schedule at Parkway. As explained in the letter that went home Tuesday, the School Board is currently considering a proposal to change our hours to a 9:15/9:30 - 4:15/4:30 schedule for next year. The letter went on to detail the benefits & selling points the district wants you to know about, but it didn't include some potential concerns you should know about. By talking to teachers and parents, we've quickly compiled some talking points for you to help share our concerns over what such a change might do to the performing arts magnet at Parkway that we all love.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - we cannot stress enough how important it is to have a strong parent turnout at the meeting Thursday night, 4/24 at 6pm. We need the voices of parents of all students, including those whose children are moving on to high school. If we have any hope at all of convincing the School Board to consider our concerns, we need to stand together.
In addition, whether or not you are able to attend the meeting, please take the time to call or write to key School Board personnel with your own thoughts and concerns on the issue. We have conveniently listed their contact info for you here. Talking points follow below, & are also attached as a PDF. Please look at them & come ready to ask questions!!
Thank you so much for standing with your Parkway Players Family!!
WHO TO CONTACT:
Dr. Rosalind Osgood, School Board Member for District 5 (Parkway's District)
754-321-2005
[email protected]
Robin Bartleman, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2009
[email protected]
Donna P. Korn, School Board Member At Large (County-wide)
754-321-2008
[email protected]
Dr. Desmond Blackburn, Chief School Performance & Accountability Officer
754-321-3838
[email protected]