Commack PTA Council Voice

"Working Together...
Coming together is a beginning,
Keeping together is progress,
Working together is success."

Upcoming Events

Founders Day
February 2

Nutrition Week
February 27- March 2

Towers Basketball Game
March 9

Islanders Game
March 10-7pm

Disabilities Awareness Week
March 12-16

Meet the Candidates
May 10

Relay for Life
May 11-12

Click here for Founder's Day Honoree Photos

HELPFUL WEBSITES:

www.suffolkpta.org - The legislative link provides a directory to contact your local, state, and federal elected officials.
www.nyspta.org - The website of the New York State PTA
www.commack.k12.ny.us - Under the Parent Resources Link- Your Legislative Representatives

Dear Friends and Families of Commack PTA,

It's a new year, and time for a fresh start! I'm hoping you will all resolve to support PTA Council's continuing efforts of child advocacy. This will be especially important during the upcoming budget season, with the implementation of Governor Cuomo's tax cap. The tax cap is a threat to our academic and extracurricular programs, and may change education as we know it in the foreseeable future.

Thank you to all those who served on PTA Nominating Committees, and warm congratulations go to all our Founders Day honorees. Council wishes to announce its honorees this year, Paul Infante and Risa Sidrane. Your contributions to our students, programs, and our schools go 'above and beyond' all expectations. THANK YOU!

On Wednesday, January 4, 2012, Governor Cuomo delivered his annual State of the State address. If you have not had an opportunity to hear/read his remarks, you can find the speech at the following site: www.governor.ny.gov/assets/documents/ . While outlining his agenda for the coming year, the Governor made some disturbing remarks as he took issue with lobbyists; “The only group without a lobbyist? The students. Well, I learned my lesson. This year, I will take a second job – consider me the lobbyist for the students. I will wage a campaign to put students first, and to remind us that the purpose of public education is to help children grow, not to grow the public education bureaucracy.” "NYS PTA has been a ‘lobbyist’ for students for 115 years. That we prefer the term ‘advocate’ in no way diminishes the work we do to put all children first," said NYS PTA President Maria Fletcher. I agree! Yes, property taxes are too high! Yes, we need relief! How about increasing state aid to schools instead of foisting it on the backs of property owners? That would make a lot more sense if you're advocating for children! While imposing a tax cap and pushing it through the legislature (what were they thinking?) raised his numbers in the polls, it's not a good thing for our children.

I urge you to attend the upcoming budget workshops to understand what will occur in our schools under this new legislation, and to see how we can help to maintain the integrity and excellence of the education our children receive in this school district.

The Parent-Teacher Associations seek to bring together the home, the school, and the community in order to develop the cooperation necessary to secure for every child the highest advantages in physical, mental and social education. The PTA will continue to advocate for all students, to ensure that continues.

Our PTA Budget Committee will be posting updates as meetings take place. They will be posted on this website. As always, the Executive Committee and I are available to answer your questions.

Sincerely,

Jacki Fleischhacker

PTA Council President

Congratulations to our
Founders Day Winners!

Tuesday, February 2, 6 p.m.
at the Watermill

Disabilities Awareness
Committee Report

Each year the Commack PTA Council graciously donates funds to the Primary and Intermediate schools to help supplement their PTA's Disabilities Awareness budget. PTA Disability Awareness Representatives from individual units research programs to bring into their school.

To kick off Disabilities Awareness week, on Friday, March 9th, the CHS PTA will be sponsoring a basketball game between the New York Towers Basketball team (the members of this team are all little people) against Commack High School staff and students. Last year's event was very successful and it was a wonderful family night for all who attended. We hope you can join us!

During the week of March 12th, all of our schools will be participating in Disabilities Awareness programming to encourage tolerance and acceptance.

At the middle school, Mr. John Robinson will be addressing the students. He was born a congenital amputee and, through his remarkable tenacity, talent and faith, has succeeded in business and in building a family in a way that few may have expected from the outset. John’s inspirational story teaches those of us with and without disabilities that, with the aid of a strong education and a few caring individuals, we can achieve that which may initially seem impossible.

At Sawmill and Burr, Mrs. Cathy Sparacino will be conducting workshops called “Hands That See.” Students will work with ceramics from the perspective of a person who is visually impaired, fostering a better understanding and acceptance of the challenges the visually handicapped.

Rolling Hills Primary School welcomes the Coalition For Disabled Musicians, a group of individuals with varied disabilities. The message: people should not be defined by their disabilities. Also at RH, Rita Whitman Steingold, author of “Taking Visual Impairment to School” will teach students about Louis Braille and the Braille alphabet.

Wood Park Primary School students will be introduced to varied disabilities and investigate the workings of wheel chairs, crutches, and canes during their physical education classes. There will be simulations of what it feels like to be blind or hearing impaired, and they will learn about the Braille machine and sign language. Janice Buckner will be performing her show "Songs of the Differently Abled."

Indian Hollow hosts Brittany Maier, a blind and autistic savant pianist. Along with the concert, Brittany's mother will share Brittany’s story with the students.

North Ridge students will see Patricia Shih perform her program “Big Ideas About Disabilities,” which teaches understanding and compassion for those differently-abled, using sign language, movement, theatre, and more. High school American Sign Language students will visit grades K-5 to read a pre-selected book in sign language to the students, and teach some basic sign language skills. The Guide Dogs are also scheduled to visit Rolling Hills, MSIS and Burr.