Putting a new face on the Roosevelt PTA
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer

Some of the newer faces in Roosevelt's PTA include Vindhia Gordon (l-r), Meredith Murray, John Yang, Silvia Raines and Kacie Mixon.

ROOSEVELT - Children whose parents and guardians actively participate in school functions usually have a better educational experience and receive better grades than other students.

This is the Roosevelt PTA's mantra, but if it isn't reason enough to get more parents and guardians involved at Roosevelt Public School (RPS) this year, the group has a plethora of others. In fact, the PTA is not just focused on getting parents more involved, but the community at large as well.

For the past couple of years, the PTA's membership started dwindling as some members simply left the group, some had children who aged out of RPS, and others, like treasurer Kelly Yang, went to work for the Board of Education. But new parents have come together now to reinvigorate the group and are seeking fresh members and ideas for the upcoming school year and beyond.

Kacie Mixon, a new PTA member who has a child in first grade, said, "We're trying to do new things and [are] really trying to open up to new people."

The PTA's mission has always been to help promote and pay for extracurricular activities at the school, including teacher-appreciation luncheons, winter and spring concerts, a talent show and the winter carnival. The organization will continue to do what it has historically done but will put a new focus on building community among parents.

John Yang, Kelly's husband, joined the PTA this year. The Yangs already have one child at RPS and another who will enter the school's new prekindergarten program in the fall.

"Children perform better when parents are more involved," Yang said. "As a new group, we talked about being welcoming and open for new parents to get involved."

On the first day of school, which is Sept. 6, the PTA will host a coffee for parents and guardians to attend to get better acquainted with the school and the PTA.

Parents and guardians can commit to whatever level of PTA participation they think is right for them, according to Meredith Murray, a PTA member with two children at RPS.

"We always welcome people to help in any way that they can," Murray said. "People can get involved at different levels at any time."

Mixon said that she has a personal interest in helping the school go green and decided to help coordinate three events relating to the environment. As a result, the PTA will assist the children this year in recycling and raising funds by selling gently worn clothing, collecting printer cartridges and promoting the purchase of goods by fair-trade craftsmen with help from www.globalgoodspartners. org.

"It's going to be a good year, and we're going to be very active," Yang said. "We have new initiative and new ideas."

This year, the PTA will also make an effort to develop a more extensive e-mail list to let parents know when and where events are happening. Mixon said she may even try using e-vite. In addition, the PTA has taken advice from the Monmouth County PTA in terms of restructuring the organization with various committees for membership and parent education.

The PTA hopes to sponsor parent education nights as well, which would take place during a portion of the regularly scheduled PTA meetings. The educational sessions may cover topics such as parent-teacher conferences, different learning styles and Internet safety.

"Our goal is to help parents," Mixon said.

"The most important part of the PTA isn't business or fundraising, but the community and parents feeling that they belong to something that's bigger than themselves," Murray said.

Vindhia Gordon, who has two daughters at the school, said she recently joined the PTA to keep herself involved - to have her voice heard in what the group does and what is going on at the school in general.

"The more voices that there are," she said, "the more ideas there are."

Being a member of the PTA allows parents greater involvement in their children's affairs and also reveals what goes on behind the scenes at the school, Gordon said.

"It's like getting to see behind the curtain," she said. "When it comes to the kids' activities, everything looks pretty, but when you are involved you get to see what's really going on and [can] see things in a different light."

Gordon said that before she became involved in the PTA, she thought the school's teachers did all the extracurricular and fundraising project work.

With regard to the PTA's fundraisers, Gordon said, "I never understood why I would want to buy gift wrap for $7 when I can buy it at the dollar store for $1. Now, I understand that there is a purpose behind each of those seven dollars."

Gordon said that she moved to Roosevelt from Staten Island, N.Y., because of the school system.

"The owner of the house we bought told us that there were 15 students per teacher," Gordon said. "In New York, you're lucky if you have 30 students per teacher, and the students don't get individual attention because of that."

To keep the school community close-knit and up to par, Gordon said the community has to acknowledge that it does "take a village to raise a child." She added that she hopes to get the community's senior citizens more involved with activities at the school.

"I think everyone wants to help the school," Mixon said. "It's essential to the town."

Mixon said that many who visit the school commend RPS for its diversity, openmindedness and small classes.

Murray said, "I really value the size of the school and the fact that it added a pre-K last year. Within the first two weeks of school, some of the special subject teachers like the art and gym teacher knew my kids' names."

Murray said she appreciates that several RPS teachers live in town or close by and that Principal Shari Payson has a good rapport with the students and parents.

Every year, the PTA updates a community phone book that it sells to residents as a means of fundraising. Those who would like to be listed in the book can call the school. The book will go on sale in October.

The PTA's first meeting of the new school year will take place at Roosevelt Public School at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19. Those interested in joining can attend the meeting or call the school at (609) 488- 2798.