Help increase Magruder PTSA membership!

The PTSA is considering some changes in the pricing of membership. Our goal is to increase the number of PTSA members. For each member, the PTSA pays approximately $5 for state and national dues. The remainder is profit for the Magruder PTSA. Membership is one of our few fundraising activities during the year.

Please provide feedback regarding the membership topics listed below.

This past year the membership dues were $15 for a single membership and $25 for a family membership (directory included).

• This question is for current PTSA members: Would higher dues have discouraged you from joining this year?
  
• If you are currently not a member, would lowering the individual dues to $10 encourage you to join?
  
• If you are currently not a member, would the addition of a directory to the $15 membership fee encourage you to join?
  
• Under the current plan, anyone, including non-members, can purchase a directory for $5. Do you feel that it would increase membership if school directories were provided only to PTSA members?
  
• What other kinds of products or other incentives do you think would encourage people to join the Magruder PTSA?
  

(Posted at the request of Linda Kuserk, PTSA VP)

Just click where it says 'comments,' below, and a box for your comments will appear. You can choose to post comments anonymously or you can sign them with your name. Thanks!

What topics would you prefer to see covered at PTSA meetings?

Several possible topics for upcoming PTSA meetings are listed in the survey above. Please vote for the topics that you find most appealing. If you have ideas for other topics, please make suggestions by adding your comments here. Thanks!

Where should graduation be in spring 2008?

MCPS has offered Magruder the use of the Comcast Center next year for our graduation ceremony, if we are willing to raise $5,000 to offset the increased cost to MCPS. What do you think? Is DAR Constitution Hall too small? Too inconvenient? Is the Comcast Center too large to foster a dignified ceremony? Are we willing to raise the additional money? Please post your comments here. They will be used to help make a decision for next year. Anyone wishing to serve on a committee to help with next year's graduation decisions should contact Martha Schaerr.

Lunch Scheduling for 2007 - 2008

Mr. Evans is seeking input from parents and students on the lunch schedule for next year. In years past students ate lunch with their grade, but this year lunches were mixed. Mixed lunches have the advantage of making class scheduling easier, and there have been fewer altercations this year in the cafeteria. Grade level lunches (1) allow students time to socialize with friends in their grade, (2) make it easier for teachers to offer lunch time support (3) allow class officers and sponsors time to communicate with the whole class.

Please post your comments on the lunch schedule here. It will be a convenient place for MHS staff to gather community input.

Update: Grade level lunches are back in place for the 2007 - 2008 school year.

Educational Foundation to be established at Magruder

Recognizing that the community is eager to support Magruder's educational programs, the Magruder High School PTSA has approved formation of an ad-hoc committee to form an independent, public educational foundation. The foundation will enable the community (primarily parents and local businesses) to make tax-deductible contributions that will support major enhancements to educational programs at Magruder.

While establishment of the Educational Foundation is a PTSA project, the foundation itself will be an independent organization, governed by an elected board.

At this time, we are asking for volunteers from the Magruder community (parents, teachers, staff, students, and local business owners and managers) to serve on a committee that will define the foundation's goals, determine rules for accepting and disbursing funds, establish policies for recognition of contributions, and draft bylaws for the foundation. Committee members should be able to meet approximately once every two weeks for eight weeks (four meetings) to develop the foundation's bylaws, and then continue to meet occasionally until the foundation is formed and the foundation board is elected.

We are pleased to report that legal professionals who are parents of Magruder students have already volunteered to perform (pro-bono) the legal services that are required to establish the foundation.

Those interested in volunteering to serve on the foundation establishment committee and those who have questions about the foundation plans should contact Louis Wilen, louis.wilen@verizon.net, or by telephone at 301-551-3636 (home).

Questions and comments about the proposed foundation are welcome on this forum.

Standing Rules Committee

We hope to use this venue as the primary meeting place for the Standing Rules Committee to do our work. We hope this will reduce the need to have meetings and will expedite the completion of the first set of Standing rules. Please review the documents linked below.

Resource documents include:
MHS PTSA Bylaws, MD PTA Bylaws Approval Letter, MHS PTSA Standing Rules Draft (4/15)

If you have interest in this process, please contact Joe Stewart at Joe@Stewart.cc.