2 Russell Place Forest Hills, NY 11375   Tel. (718) 268-7230   Fax: (718)  575-3571 Email: PAmail@pa101.org

ONLINE BIO FORM

Parents’ Association Election Results

Since none of the Parents’ Association positions were contested, elections will not be necessary. All parents are invited to attend a P.A. meeting on Wednesday, May 27 at 8:45am in the Auditorium, where a single vote for this slate will be cast by the current Recording Secretary.

Here are your Parents’ Association parent representatives for 2009-2010:

President: Deb Dillingham
1st Vice President: Nancy Northrop
2nd Vice President: Marisol Catucci
3rd Vice President: Lili Chow-Cany
Co-Treasurers: Sameen Shariff and Dina Tanzer
Co-Communications Secretaries: Belma Hammond and Jennifer Mannion
Co-Recording Secretaries: Jacquie Silano and Tom Renna

School Leadership Team Elections

The open positions and candidates are as follows:

3 parent positions for 2009-2011 (Aram Arkun, Ann Kittredge, Shirley Moy, Marcia Parness)

The 3 candidates with the most votes will be elected into office. They will join the following parents previously elected:

Deb Dillingham (P.A. President), Jodi Freed (2008-2010), Nancy Northrop (2008-2010).

Why your vote is important

Your vote determines your representative in the decision-making process for your child’s school. Each parent or guardian is eligible to vote.

Where To Vote

Results

The tabulation of results will begin promptly at 7pm on the respective election days. Parents are invited to observe. The results will be announced via a letter to parents.

Get To Know Your Candidates

Wondering who the candidates are? Wondering who to vote for? Refer to the attached Candidate Information pages.

We hope to see you at the voting station!

Nominating Committee:

Joanne Lu, Leslie Green, Chavelle-Marie Skrastins, Rowena Rosini-Gold

Parents’ Association 2009-2010 Candidates 

President: Deborah Dillingham 

Grade(s) your child(ren) are in: one in 1st, 2 children in 4th

Current involvement in the school: President, Parents’ Association, School Leadership Core Member, Class volunteer 

What you hope to achieve while in office: I have served on the Parents’ Association and the School Leadership Team in some fashion since my children were in kindergarten.  I introduced (and currently chair) the Little Orchestra/Lollipops & Happy Concert Programs at Hunter College and Lincoln Center, the NY POPS at Carnegie Hall Program, the Winter Lights Concert (in conjunction with Ann Kittredge), & the Mother-Son/Father-Daughter dances.  I assist with most events including: the Halloween Party, Book Fair, Holiday Fair, etc., and oversee the financial operations with the Treasurer(s).  I currently sit on the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Committee representing global issues affecting P. A. s in District 28. I also attend leadership workshops, monthly Community Education Council and Presidents’ Council meetings to keep informed on what is happening in the district and the city with regard to education and the implications for our children. 

As P.A. President I have three goals:

The first and most important goal is to ensure that our children have a wonderful experience at our school by hosting events that promote “community.”  As a “home-away-from-home” I want all children to have wonderful memories of their time at P.S. 101Q.  The second goal is to advocate for students’ educational needs through the School Leadership Team.  As a parent, it is my intention to ensure that all of our students get the education they deserve whether it be through our General Education or Special Education programs.  The third goal is to raise significant funds to supplement the educational programs at P.S. 101Q.  The more funds we can raise, the more we can directly affect our children’s educational experience in a world of decreasing budgets.  The Arts, Sciences, and Technology programs have all been enhanced by the great work of P.A. volunteers, past and present.  This upcoming year’s goal is to acquire funds for a new playground through the help of our city officials or other grant, or to make enhancements through continued fundraising efforts.  Community Spirit is the goal for 2009-2010.
 

1^st Vice President: Nancy Northrop

2^nd Vice President: Marisol Catucci

3^rd Vice President: Lili Chow-Cany 

Co-Treasurers 

1) Sameen Shariff 

2) Dina Tanzer 

Co-Communications Secretaries:  

1) Belma Hammond 

2) Jennifer Mannion

 

Co-Recording Secretaries:  

1) Tom Renna 

2) Jacquie Silano

School Leadership Team Candidates 

2009-2011 (three openings) 

1)  Aram Arkun 

Grade(s) your child(ren) are in: Kindergarten 
Current involvement in the school: Co-chair Program Review Committee of P.A. 
What you hope to achieve while in office:  I'm an academic historian by profession, and so I'm very interested in education. I have taught courses at the university level. Until recently, I was co-director of an Armenian research center in Manhattan, and, among other things, organized community outreach events. Thus, I have some experience in dealing with a variety of individuals and groups concerning academic and educational issues. I would like to use that experience to improve relations between teachers, administration, and parents. I would work towards keeping rigorous standards of education in place, while allowing room for creativity and enrichment in our classrooms. My work on the Program Review Committee was a first step in this direction. One concrete change that I would like to promote is the return of the teaching of at least one foreign language class to our regular school curriculum.  I would also, insofar as this position allows, work for the fair distribution of resources to our school, and to all its students, during this period of economic crisis. I would encourage searching for more outside grants and program sponsors.
 
I was born and raised in Forest Hills, so I am committed to the well-being and prosperity of the neighborhood. As a public school graduate myself (though I have to confess here that I am a graduate of P.S. 144, I did also attend Russell Sage J.H.S. in Forest Hills, as well as Stuyvesant H.S.), I understand the value of public schools. As a father of a kindergartener in 101, I want to see our school and our children flourish.

2) Ann Kittredge 

Grade(s) your child(ren) are in: Pre-K, 3^rd grade

Current involvement in the school: Co-Chairwoman for F/D and M/S Dances for past 3 years; Class Parent for 3 years, PA Class Parent Coordinator for 1 year, Directed curriculum-based plays in 2^nd grade as well as directing numerous performances for children K-2 throughout the years (worked in collaboration with teachers on all these projects); Co-Chaired community out-reach fundraiser Winter Lights last year and will be Chairwoman of the Autumn Lights this coming November;  Initiated and coordinated effort for the theatrical lighting system in the school’s auditorium and for events in the gym.

What you hope to achieve while in office: First and foremost, I am so grateful and proud to be a part of the PS101 community – ours is a very good school with a quality teaching staff and a vibrant and involved parent base. If elected, one of my goals will be to represent the concerns of our parents as effectively as possible, encouraging open lines of communication.  I believe it is vital now to nurture and invest in relationship-building between our teachers and parents so we can find the healthy balance to work together constructively and take advantage of each other’s strengths.  As good as our school is, I am concerned that in the past few years there has been too much stress and pressure placed on our children in response to the City grading system and No Child Left Behind. I feel we are losing our perspective.  Grading systems are flawed and not the end-all in evaluating the quality of our children’s education. Our children will benefit greatly when we find a better balance between helping each of them reach their academic potential while also honoring their childhood.  We can instill not only a quality education, but also a love of learning. It is doable, it is my goal, and any programs adopted to enhance the curriculum and class experience will make our already wonderful school so much more valuable if we can work together -- parents, teachers and administrators -- with respect and determination. 

3) Shirley Moy 

Grade(s) your child(ren) are in: Kindergarten
Current involvement in the school: Co-chair Program Review Committee of P.A.

What you hope to achieve while in office: Professionally, I work as a public administrator managing the design process of renovating over 50 subway stations in the city. I manage diverse teams of public employees and consultants on multiple projects in the range of $40 to $100 million. I have worked in all neighborhoods of the city, coordinated with multiple city agencies, and maneuvered these projects from idea to reality. As a project manager, I have goals, schedules, and budgets. 

If elected, as a member of the SLT, I wish to apply my experience towards setting goals, team building, and problem solving with respect to the Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP).   

In December 2008, I was appointed by the PA to chair the Program Review Committee (formerly the Curriculum Committee) to analyze the academic programs at our school. The committee researched and analyzed the test scores for ELA and Math comparatively with our peer schools and other school districts. In particular, we focused on ELA and differentiated instruction in the classroom. In April 2009, we presented our findings to the school community pinpointing areas for improvement, and voiced the concerns of parents. I propose to continue this work with the SLT of comparing best practices from other successful schools in the city towards the betterment of education for all children at P.S. 101. 

I have been interested in educational issues and public policy since my college days. I have taught ESL classes in immigrant communities. I have worked for university educators researching gender differences in the classroom. Having lived in diverse cities such as Cambridge, Los Angeles, Chicago, and NY, there are noticeable differences in education in the inner cities versus the surrounding suburbs. I am interested in techniques to bridge the difference such as applying more technology in the classroom, and other programs so that our children are prepared to be educated global citizens. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

4) Marcia Parness 

Grade(s) your child(ren) are in:  Kindergarten, 3^rd

Current involvement in the school: Current SLT member, class parent for both children’s classes, Box Top Coordinator, Head Check Team, regular attendee at P.A. meetings and volunteer for various P.A. events 

What you hope to achieve while in office: Having served on the SLT Committee for the past two years, I hope to continue to work effectively with the parents, teachers and administration to evaluate and improve the quality of the school’s educational program. I want to make certain that the school’s academic programs in all subject areas best promote our children’s competencies and enable our children to reach their potentials. I will also continue to be a strong advocate for better school-home and parent-teacher communication (via grade newsletters, feedback on homework, rubrics, presentations, etc.) so that parents can help support their children’s progress. I believe my skills as a trained social worker with a background in group work are invaluable to the Team in its efforts to make decisions collaboratively.