Franklin Avenue Students Captivate Pearl River School Board

The Franklin Avenue Elementary School Garden Club briefly supplanted the Pearl River Board of Education members at the start of Tuesday night's meeting in Pirate Cove.

The group of fourth graders, under the tutelage of their teacher Janet Fenton, explained the intricacies of how they beautified the courtyard at their school with plants, flowers with the hard work of 52 students.

Superintendent Dr. John Morgano indicated that this was the initial installment of a program to bring students to the board meetings.  He commented,

“We can’t forget why we are here," Morgano said. "We are here for the kids.”

The board also discussed plans for four new classrooms which will be added to the high school with a planned completion date of September 2012.  The firm of Clark Patterson Lee will be handling the architectural and mechanical renovations, which need to be approved by the state before work can begin.

For their efforts, the company is slated to receive ten percent of the overall cost of the project.  The space will become available when offices currently occupied by Pearl River District administrators are moved to their new home in at the former location of the Africa Inland Mission on Crooked Hill Road.

In financial matters the board noted that an additional $429,000 has been set aside to settle any upcoming tax challenge cases.

• The district is continuing its relationship with M & R Energy to purchase gas for interruptible accounts because of the cost savings that have been realized.

• In lieu of a second reading of more than 20 board policy revisions, information packets were made available to the public at the meeting. Two readings of each policy change are required before the board can approve them.

• The Pearl River  School District’s PTA’s are partnering with I Donate Goods to hold their second used clothing, textiles and toy fundraising drive. People can bring clean, used clothing, linens, stuffed animals and toys to the Pearl River High School Pirate Cove on Friday, October 21, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. and Saturday, October 22, between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.  For additional information, contact spreston12@aol.com or Stacey Maher at irish693@aol.com.

• The Pearl River School District’s Parent University will hold its first parent education workshop for the 2011-2012 school year on Tuesday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m.  Sue Wheeler, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, will present Every Pearl River Student Can and Will Learn: What It Means for Your Child. In the session, Wheeler will focus on what success looks like for each individual child and how the student, school and parents interact to foster that success. everywhere. Pre-registration is not necessary. For additional information, contact the Pearl River School District Continuing Adult Education Office at 620-3921 or log on to www.pearlriver.org.

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