Calendar finalized, fall party changes approved

Principal Brian LeCrone and PTA President Barb Peterson announced this week that parents approved the schedule for classroom parties and family fun nights for the 2010-11 school year.

In a telephone survey and e-mail voting in June, 61 percent of parents supported the calendar suggested by Mr. LeCrone and the Executive Board.

The calendar became the subject of a fair amount of discussion among parents who objected to the most notable change in the calendar: replacing the annual costume parade and classroom Halloween party with a back-to-school party in late September and incorporating a costume party into the Fall Family Fun Night in October.

In their note announcing approval of the calendar, Mr. LeCrone and Mrs. Peterson further explained the reason for the change:

Hello Brookdale Families,
We want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have provided feedback about the proposed PTA events schedule. The responses we have received have been passionate and insightful regardless of the stance. In keeping with board policy, the PTA Executive Board met on Thursday, June 17th to discuss the results of the survey for the event proposal as well as the written/verbal feedback you provided. The survey indicated that of the 123 families who responded, 75 families (61%) are in favor of the proposal and 48 families (39%) are not in favor of the proposal. After reviewing all of the input, we have decided to adopt the proposed schedule as is. Certainly, the most significant amount of conversation has centered on the decision to move the Fall Classroom Party to September 24th and eliminate the Fall Costume Parade from school hours. A great deal of thought has been invested in these decisions and they are based on the following:

• There are safety issues associated with the parade.


• We will preserve classroom instructional time by eliminating the parade from school hours.


• Not all families recognize Halloween (and the associated costumes) as a child-friendly event.


• Not all families have the means to acquire a costume for use at school.

Many of you have raised concerns about other school activities as they relate to some of the concerns outlined above. The PTA Executive Board does not want to minimize your concerns and we will be more than willing to address them during the school year. The Costume Parade, however, is the only joint Brookdale PTA-School event that collectively presents safety risks, negatively impacts instructional time and is exclusive to some students. Thus, we felt compelled to make the change.
The PTA Executive Board and Brookdale staff members understand the importance of tradition and celebration. With that in mind, you will notice that the proposal continues to offer students three classroom celebrations during the year and we will explore the possibility of implementing a replacement activity for the Costume Parade that does not pose the same concerns. Hopefully, we will be able to establish a new tradition that is equally engaging and fun.
Thank you again for your attention to this matter and enjoy the remainder of your summer.
Sincerely,
Brian H. LeCrone
Principal

Barb Peterson
PTA President