Two RCS schools, PTAs recognized for ‘excellence’

ROCHESTER — The National Parent Teacher Association has designated Meadow Brook and North Hill elementary schools as 2015-17 National PTA Schools of Excellence.

The program, according to National PTA officials, was launched in 2013 to help strengthen family-school partnerships across the country and make measurable progress in the areas of education, health and safety, and arts and cultural exploration.

To be recognized as a National PTA School of Excellence, PTAs must evaluate their current family engagement strategies and submit a goal for school improvement. Throughout the year, schools must improve upon their family engagement strategies while focusing on their goal. The National PTA School of Excellence designation is awarded when families feel the school has achieved a high level of engagement, or when the PTA and school have made substantive, positive improvement in families’ perceptions since the beginning of the year.

The National PTA awarded the School of Excellence honor to 124 schools representing 33 states and one Department of Defense school in Turkey. Together, the schools serve more than 93,500 students.

Two of Michigan’s three schools that received the honor are within Rochester Community Schools.

Meadow Brook Principal Seth Berg said the Meadow Brook community is proud to have received the distinction.

“This award speaks to the partnerships that drive teaching and learning in our school community, which is so important for student success,” he said in a statement.

Meadow Brook PTA President Jennifer Windeler said the PTA was very excited to learn it had received the award, which it earned for improving family engagement and education, speaking up for every child, and sharing power with administrators.

“We have always had a very high participation rate in that particular building. Compared to when I go to state events and see what other schools are doing, we are above and beyond. We have a nice support network. It’s a great way to advocate for your children and stay informed, so I encourage everyone to support their PTA,” Windeler said.

North Hill Principal Dave Murphy echoed similar comments, stating that the school’s staff and PTA are thrilled to be recognized by the National PTA as a School of Excellence.

“The strength of North Hill Elementary is in our relationship with families. Our community is committed to supporting their local school, and that support is vital in helping students reach their full potential,” Murphy said in a statement.

North Hill PTA President Sharon Bosley said the school has around 300-400 PTA members who worked hard last year to achieve the designation.

“We did a survey at the end of the year last year to find out what our parents are looking for. Then over the summer, we incorporated that into questionnaires, and then we took the top 10 and worked on those over the summer. We came up with certain things that the parents wanted to see — a school action plan being one of them,” she said. “We were excited we could be considered a School of Excellence. We are very proud of our school.”

Samantha Phillips, president of the district’s PTA Council, said the district’s PTAs do much more than raise money.

“We host enrichments, we are resources for our families, we host clubs, we host events … we have provided grants to our schools. The great thing about PTA is we don’t exclude anybody,” she said.

The district has PTAs in 19 of its schools, with overall membership of around 8,000 parents and teachers.

“We in Rochester have an incredible PTA. We are extremely well-represented throughout all of our schools, but we also have really incredible leaders at each of the schools,” Phillips explained.

Laura Bay, president of the National PTA, said more than 40 years of research shows that when families and schools work together, student achievement increases, schools improve and communities grow stronger. 

“National PTA Schools of Excellence are true examples of what can be accomplished when schools and families collaborate. We are pleased to recognize these schools and PTAs for their leadership and commitment to partnering to support student success and continuous improvement,” she said in a statement.