Montclair Kimberley Academy

May 2007

Dear MKA Families,

Before I even begin telling you what an awesome year we had I would like to thank you, the volunteers.  We are blessed with parents who care about their children and The Montclair Kimberley Academy.  These same volunteers are continuing to work diligently on PAMKA’s behalf even as the 2006-2007 school year is coming to the end. 

I must also thank the PAMKA Board of Officers.  To Ellen Culbreth, Louise Trabka, Lisa Amato, Eve Schaenan, Deborah Hirsch, Priya Ghorpade, Gail Kingsley, Elizabeth Bozik and Lori Yanes….thank you.  You all put so much effort into everything that you do.  The MKA community is very lucky to have you as volunteers.

Our unique relationship with the school is something to be cherished and enjoyed.  Thank you to Tom Nammack for our monthly meetings and his openness to our ideas, suggestions and criticisms.  Thank you to Judy Polonofsky, the one person who will tell it like it is, to Debbie Kozak whose dedication made our job so easy, to Debbie, Carolyn, Joanne and Diane who made my job so much easier with their smiles and commitment.

Everything we do each year will directly affect our children, the faculty and the school.

Thanks to the success of our fundraisers…the Book Fair, the Gift Wrap, the Tuition raffle and the Spring Fundraiser, PAMKA was able to fund the Wish List items that the school provided to us.  We were able to impact all three campuses, the libraries, the athletic department, and my favorite, faculty endowment, to the tune of $330,000. 

PAMKA is not only about our fundraisers.  My report would be over at this point if this were the case.  We are a vibrant, well rounded organization…

We are a social organization hosting the PAMKA coffees, the Holiday luncheon for the PAMKA slate, the Cougar Coffee and the Annual Meeting.  We clowned around at Cougar Pride Day, hosted numerous new family events, held a new transition day for the old and new slate, and had our first Tri-Campus game night.

We support our faculty with gifts for the new faculty, refreshments for conference days, Faculty and Staff appreciation days and Faculty Trust Grants to seven of our faculty so that they could fulfill a dream that they have.

We communicate with our parents through the PAMKA Press, the weekly Blast e-mails and the Website.  I would like to stress the importance of the Website…..all of our information is posted and ready for your review.  Please go there first…


We are community oriented with two lectures in the fall that were open to the entire community.  We have drives at all three campuses that benefit a multitude of community organizations and a Community Well-Being workshop, which benefits our own parent community

We are about our volunteers.  We hope that each of you feels that the commitment that you give to PAMKA is appreciated and what you receive in return is more than what you have put into that volunteering. We host the coffees and the annual meeting to help you see the friends that you never see and to hear our thank you.

We are about the school.  Our Campus Vice Presidents help keep the school events running smoothly. Our presence is everywhere…whether it is with the school plays, the concerts, the book store or survival shop, within the classrooms, on class trips or within the College Counseling Office.  We are in the front lines at all times.

We are about our children.  The relationship that we have with the faculty, the administration and each other only enhances our impact for our children.

Finally, I would like to give a huge thank you to our secretary, Ellen Culbreth.  She is truly my right hand.  She has kept me on track, asks amazing questions, and is one of the most diligent people that I know.  Her attitude, dedication, and graciousness make my job so easy. Her job is truly one of organization…she carries out PAMKA correspondence, prepares invitations to the coffees and the holiday luncheon, prepares and revises bylaws, coordinates the transition meetings, writes the minutes for the Board meetings, updates the Board manual and finally, organizes all the reports for the Annual Meeting.  Thankfully she is one of the most organized people that I know.

I think that what I truly love most about this job are the people that I get to meet and know.  Thank you for allowing me to be your President.

Respectfully submitted,



Shelley Phillips

The Finance VP has oversight of the Treasurer and is responsible for the following committees of PAMKA: Book Fair, Spring Fundraiser, and Faculty Trust Grants.

The Book Fair, with a theme of “MKA Goes Wild For Books”, ran from November 3rd through November 8th. All three campuses continued to be involved with Judy MacGregor as the overall Book Fair Chair and Abigail Metzger and Karen Ross as the Tri-Campus Co-Chairs. Evie Colbert (PS), Zandi Nammack (MS) and Tricia Paolucci (US) led the individual campuses.  Alex Nolan was the Book Fair Treasurer. Total book sales amounted to $143,981. PAMKA realizes 25% of this amount as gross profit. Pam Nedzi chaired the Author Luncheon, which was held on November 3rd. The event was again well attended and contributed approximately $15,000 to the Book Fair profits. This was followed later that afternoon by the Faculty Tea. The MKA Rainforest Cafe was held on November 5th and was coordinated by Maryellen McEwen and Toni Arena. In addition to the luncheon author, we had six authors visit who lectured and/or autographed books during the Book Fair. The Upper School had author visits prior to & after the Book Fair. Gift-wrap, under the direction of Amy South, generated sales of $21,949. PAMKA realizes 50% of this as profit. Total Book Fair revenue was $201,193; expenses were $155,763 and net profit was $45,430.

 “Treasure The Experience”, our largest fundraiser, was held at the Pleasantdale Chateau on Friday, April 13th under the direction of Beth Milke and Cassie Wait. With silent & live auctions, basket & tuition raffles, a performance from the Upper School Musical, Cabaret, dinner and dancing, the evening was a resounding success.  The silent & live Auction items brought in revenues of approximately $181,338, tuition raffle $41,100, ad journal $25,635, basket raffle $4,740  & donations/contributions of $14,331. Pam Nedzi was responsible for the introduction of an online auction. Approximately 85 items were offered solely online. The online auction generated bids totaling $45,145.  Total income amounted to $392,239 while expenses are estimated to be  $121,378 for a profit of $270,861.The positive financial results of the SFR are due to the generosity of our volunteers, donors, attendees, bidders and advertisers.

Pat Connell chaired the Faculty Trust Grants committee, presiding over the meetings, distributing information as needed and organizing a history of the grants, which was distributed to each of the campuses. This year, eleven teachers applied for Faculty Trust Grants, totaling $56,291. The committee awarded seven teachers grants, with a total cost of $36,502. The trips funded included a trip to Spain to study the mathematics of tessellations, summer Jazz School in Edinburgh, travel by cargo ship to Spain to study art & architecture, exploration of Muslim and Jewish Spain, a “Great Escape” to the geographical and cultural landscapes of Italy and Switzerland, visitation of China & the study of Daoism, and a trip to Israel to study the effects of terrorism on students and to learn more about the interactions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Ellen Skibiak, our Treasurer, once again, did an excellent job of keeping the PAMKA records in order, paying the bills, recording deposits, doing analyses of expenditures, consolidating accounts, contributing to the budgeting process, etc. PAMKA’s total income for the year is forecast at $686,428 with total expenditures of $379,894. Thanks to your volunteer efforts and the support of the entire MKA community, PAMKA raised approximately $306,534 during 2006-2007. Therefore, PAMKA is able to gift to the school $330,000 to be used for various projects, programs, supplies and enhancements to benefit both the students and faculty. These items are detailed in the “Gifts to MKA” handout.

The overall proposed budget for next year (2007-2008) is as follows:
Income: $553,750    Expenses: $341,785        Net Income: $211,965
The Book Fair’s Net Income is budgeted at $26,400 and the Spring Fundraiser is set at $200,000.

Thank you one and all for your time and effort!


Louise Trabka

Download attached PDF to view the 2007-2008 PAMKA budget.

It has been a great pleasure to serve as Communications VP this past school year. In this capacity I have had the opportunity to work with a long list of engaged and able individuals, including the PAMKA Board of Officers, led with energy and eternal good humor by our President, Shelley Phillips; the many different PAMKA committee chairs and volunteers; John Zurcher and his wonderful staff in the Office of Admissions; Judy Polonofsky, Debbie Kozak and the helpful staff in External Affairs; and our Headmaster, Tom Nammack. As Communications VP, I was responsible for the PAMKA Press, the PAMKA Directory, PAMKA general mailings and PAMKA’s website and weekly email blast.

The PAMKA Press arrived bi-monthly in all MKA homes due largely to the assistance of my three campus editors: Susan Dunn at the Upper School, Mary Szumski at the Middle School, and Renee Rivlin at Brookside. These women gathered the stories that kept our community apprised of PAMKA-related events and activities, as well as school functions and performances. Debbie Kozak provided unfailing editorial guidance as well as many of the photographs that helped Press stories come alive.

Jaji and Luther Flurry dedicated vast quantities of time and energy to producing this year’s PAMKA Directory. Together with Admissions and External Affairs, they collected, formatted and proofed the necessary information for this invaluable document. They also handled the distribution of additional Directory preorders and sales at PAMKA’s back-to-school coffees in the fall. Remaining Directories were available for purchase throughout the year at campus bookstores.

The PAMKA mailing committee emerged this year as an efficient and well-oiled machine under the cheerful leadership of Margie Cassini. Margie and a crew of volunteers drawn from all three MKA campuses processed a great number of mailings for various PAMKA events, including the Book Fair, the Spring Fundraiser, and Cougar Pride Day.

PAMKA’s weekly email blast appeared every Friday in inboxes throughout our community as a result of tireless efforts by Shelley Phillips and Debbie Kozak. Debbie was also responsible for maintaining the PAMKA website as an ever-evolving reflection of PAMKA’s efforts and initiatives.

It has been a terrific year, and I look forward to continuing as Communications VP in 2007-2008!

Respectfully submitted,


Eve Schaenen

The Community Outreach committee worked in conjunction with the MKA tri-campus Service Learning Coordinators, Campus Heads, and the Director of Student Services throughout the year. It was a unanimous decision to bring in speaker, Rachel Simmons to facilitate a pro-active parent/school partnership in empowering our girls to overcome peer pressures and confidently make healthy choices. Ms. Simmons, the author of Odd Girl Out and Odd Girl Speaks Out, spoke at MKA on October 14th to a crowd of over 475 parents, students and faculty.

As promised, we hired Dr. Michael Thompson, author of Raising Cain to explore our concerns regarding raising boys. Dr. Thompson will spend the day at MKA on Tuesday, November 27, 2007. This coordinated effort between PAMKA and the MKA Administration is the new format for Academy Forum speaking engagements. Peggy Santoro drafted procedures for each campus head to share with his/her faculty to facilitate hiring speakers for student, faculty and parent programs.

On December 4th, Community Outreach and the MKA Athletic Department hosted a coaching clinic and community presentation on "What it Takes to be Great" led by US Olympic Volleyball Coach, Dr. Carl McGown. Almost 350 guests were in attendance from the Montclair community.  Dr. McGown received mixed reviews regarding his views on “deliberate practice” but we were thrilled to host so many adults and students from the extended Montclair area.

On March 2, the Community Well Being Committee, a joint venture between PAMKA and the Director of Student Services, hosted 8 speakers to participate in "Captivating Conversations.”  This committee was chaired by Marla Higginbotham. Mr. Nammack facilitated a discussion titled “In Diversity There is Strength” and Dr. Rob Gilbert welcomed students and parents to his presentation “The Winner’s Workshop: How Sports Psychology Can Make You a Champion in Life.”  Other topics discussed were: youth in philanthropy, the organized student, the power of positive play, talking to your child about sex, children and stress and the trials and tribulations of bedtime in a 24/7 world! “Captivating Conversations” was attended by 120 parents and students.

This is the first year that the coordination of the TEAM Academy parent tutoring program is a PAMKA responsibility. Although Michelle Reiter has been responsible for this effort since it’s inception, this year she graciously chaired the program for PAMKA. In addition to MKA Upper School students tutoring TEAM Academy students after school, there are 17 parents tutoring Monday through Thursday during lunch. The TEAM Academy committee also coordinates the MKA commitment to TEAM at our annual Book Fair. Michelle also ran a Ski Drive at MKA in order to get TEAM the clothing needed to start a Ski Club. Eight large bags of ski apparel were collected from all three campuses.

Tri-Campus Outreach:
All three campus chairs worked as a team on the respective campus initiatives.
The organizations benefiting from MKA Drives are:
The American Red Cross, Oasis Women’s Shelter, Montclair Child Development Head Start, Choices, St. Joseph’s Hospital Network, Human Needs Food Pantry, and the Montclair Women’s Club.

Susan Dunn, the Upper School Chairperson ran 2 blood drives. At the November Blood Drive there were 37 donors/13 were students. At the April Blood Drive, there were 31 donors/21 were students. Susan also successfully established an Upper School Voter Registration initiative. Twenty-seven students have already completed their voter registration forms as a result of this initiative. New to the Upper School this year is Brian Kelly’s Diversity Film Series. Susan worked closely with Brian in support of this program. Susan was also instrumental in the coordination of the Freshman Day of Service at The Van Vleck House and Manor. The Van Vleck grounds suffered major devastation from the July 2006 storm. The Freshman class spent the day doing yard work and painting!
Nicole Spain, the Middle School Chairperson, was responsible for the 7th Grade Community Service project at the Montclair Child Development Head Start. Nicole arranged for every 7th grade homeroom to spend 2 ½ hours volunteering at Head Start in the following capacity: reading to the children, assisting the teachers, beautification of the classrooms and raking/sweeping the exterior. Nicole and Elizabeth Bozik organized the refreshments and volunteers for the annual   Students vs. Faculty Charity Basketball Game.  In December, the Middle School participated in a “Giving Tree.” The hats, mittens and scarves were delivered to the Baldwin Street Head Start by the 4th graders as part of their community outreach project initiated by Nicole. The 4th grade will be going back to Head Start on May 14th to spend time in the classrooms.
Valerie Roseboro, the Brookside Chairperson, was responsible for the following drives: Coat drive, 233 coats and 83 jackets were collected, Food Drive, 56 bags of groceries were collected, “Giving Tree”, over 300 scarves, hats and mittens were collected, and the Book Drive, over 3200 books and 100 DVDs and videos were collected. Valerie brought the service learning component to the drives by asking students in the 2nd and 3rd grades to “volunteer their time” during recess to help count and sort the items collected. Valerie also worked with Regina Elberg in getting the children to understand the significance of the drives and who the recipients are. Valerie also has the third grade going to Head Start at the end of May to deliver books that the third graders themselves specifically chose from the book drive to benefit the Head Start library.

Lastly, Community Outreach sponsored the first Tri-Campus Game Night on April 24th in celebration of TV Turnoff Week. The most exciting news about this event is that is was truly a “family night.” There were approximately 200 parents and children in attendance to play BINGO, Connect Four, Chess, Cards and Scrabble. Upper School students played games with the younger children and sold refreshments. The proceeds from refreshments were $450 and will be donated to Montclair Head Start to put toward an item on their Wish List.

Respectfully submitted,


Lisa Amato

It has been a great privilege to serve on the PAMKA board in the role of Membership VP for two years.   Working alongside the volunteers of the MKA community is among the most rewarding experiences of my life. 

This year began with the warm and able leadership of Caryn Robbins and her campus chairs Wendy Renshaw-Lewis, Jackie Kahan and Kathy Casella in their important roles as New Family Liaisons.  In my estimation, helping families orient quickly and fully to our community is among the most important work we do. I am very grateful for these four women and the many families who volunteered to host our new families. 

Thank you, too, to the thirteen hosts of the thirteen grade socials whose hospitality offers a unique opportunity for parents in each grade to mingle. 

Thank you to the leadership of Alex Nolan and the Nominating Committee, Alison Thomas-Cottingham, Tracy Fontao, Mary Stuart Gephart, Charmaine Gonsalves, Angela Privitere, and Mary Ann Roses. The Nominating process begins with our parent volunteers, you, suggesting who you would like to propose for some seventy leadership positions for the next school year.  Don’t forget to fill out your Nominating form when it is mailed in December!

With so many PAMKA roles, the nearly 70 volunteer positions that we slate, and the scores of volunteers that run our fundraisers, outreach projects, and social events, along the way we began to think that a more appropriate name for this job is Volunteer Coordinator Vice President.  It is the responsibility of this position to accurately record the data from your volunteer form, to communicate your name, contact information and expressed interest to the appropriate committee chairs.  Whether you are a chair or a “line” volunteer, you can find the information you need from your Volunteer Coordinator VP. 

With the help of the PAMKA board and committees, we continued to update the Volunteer Form to more accurately describe volunteer opportunities, their scope, their time commitments, etc., and to seek more information about your special talents and interests.  We encourage parents who work outside the home to look over this form and to make note of events that are best suited for your schedules.

With a wee bit of sadness, I bid goodbye to the PAMKA President, Shelley Phillips and the current Board, because I have learned so much from them, and the passionate dedication they have for their work. I encourage all of you to get to know more about the PAMKA organization.  The more involved you are, the more you will appreciate your and everyone’s contributions to the school.  I know that I will happily go about working as a volunteer until my children’s’ last days here, because we all make a difference!

Respectfully submitted,

 
Deborah Hirsch

The 2006 – 2007 school term proved to be an exciting year with many well attended events. It has been a year of learning and personal growth for me.

We had a team of extremely capable Special Events Chairpersons. Jennifer Ladda (Brookside), Terri Breen (MS) and Patty Perl (US) worked hard to ensure that every event, from the Fall Coffees to Conference days to Faculty Appreciation day were well planned and truly memorable. It has been especially gratifying to hear our wonderful faculty members express appreciation for their effort. In March, the Well–Being committee hosted a Captivating Conversation discussion at the Middle School. The attendees enjoyed a delicious breakfast, which was generously supplemented by the committee members, making it a truly delightful affair.

As the Cougar Coffee and Annual Meeting Chairperson, Joan Barrett provided an elegant and scrumptious spread of baked goods, which was enjoyed by more than a 100 attendees. At the Cougar Coffee, Mr. Nammack presented the State of the School Address, where he spoke about the parent survey and took questions from the audience. The feedback from parents was very encouraging.

Cougar Pride Day chairs Paula Tuffin and Terri Borden displayed outstanding leadership by putting together an excellent committee of working parents. The “Circus” theme was a big success and Cougar Pride Day experienced its highest attendance this year.

The Special Event team is thankful to the families who were generous in volunteering their time and donating food for the Faculty Tea in the fall and Faculty Appreciation Day in the winter. New parents Rob and Lisa Frungillo catered the delicious Holiday Luncheon. Terri Pisack and chef Mike from Flik were very accommodating in helping us with the beverages.

The maintenance staff was always patient and helpful, whether setting up tables for various events, moving hundreds of bottles of water or unloading thirty pounds of sand for Cougar Pride Day.

My sincere Appreciation to Judy Polonofsky and Debbie Kozak and to the staff in    
External Affairs who have always been very helpful and encouraging.

None of what we achieved this year would have been possible without the constant   support and dedication of my fellow Board members. Thank You for a very successful year.


Respectfully submitted,


Priya Ghorpade

The 2006-2007 school year has been a wonderful year for Brookside. Five outstanding grade reps – Anne Stanton, Pam Nedzi, Leigh Klenke, Karen Klinkman and Sangeeta Shah-Dutta, along with their class parents, worked tirelessly throughout the year on class parties, parent socials, and organizing volunteers (as well as volunteering themselves) for many special events and trips held throughout the school year. Holiday parties, writing celebrations and cast parties were all wonderfully planned and executed by these devoted grade reps and their class parent volunteers.

In September, the Brookside PAMKA coffee got the year off to a great start, and allowed both new and returning parents to hear about the many volunteer opportunities available to them. Thank you to Jen Ladda, Special Events Chair, for organizing this Coffee, as well as graciously supplying food for faculty on conference days. The biggest “special event”, Faculty Appreciation Day, was held in February and had a Tuscan theme. Thanks to Jen and many volunteers, teachers and staff enjoyed a wonderful luncheon and time out of their classrooms to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Val Roseboro, Brookside’s wonderful Community Outreach Chair, organized and executed all of Brookside’s drives, which were some of the most successful drives in Brookside’s history. Val brought new meaning to Community Outreach this past year by involving the kids; by counting and sorting the food, books and coats collected, the children were more involved in these projects then they have ever been before.

All of the class parties, beginning with Halloween in October, were a big hit with the children. Class parents, grade reps and parent volunteers put much time and effort into organizing crafts, snacks, stories etc. for these parties, and their efforts were much appreciated by both the children and their teachers.

In November, PAMKA helped with Brookside’s Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day.  A concert was given by the children, and grandparents and special friends spent time in the children’s’ classrooms. A wonderful morning was enjoyed by all.

All of the third grade parents join me in thanking Cathy Asher, who has worked tirelessly for months on the beautiful Third Grade Memory Book. Cathy has worked to make the Memory Book all about the children, and parents and children will surely treasure this book for years to come.

We look forward in the next few days and weeks to Cougar Pride Day and Field Day, wonderful days for the children which could not take place without the dedicated parents who volunteer to staff them.

It has been a privilege to serve as the Brookside Campus VP for the past two years. I have always said that this was the best job in PAMKA, due largely to the great friend and partner we at PAMKA have in Ginger Kriegel. Brookside is truly Ginger’s life work, and she has graciously allowed the parents to share in every aspect of our children’s experience here. It has been an honor and pleasure working with Ginger, and I am proud to call her my friend.

Respectfully submitted,

Lori Yanes

The 2006-2007 school year was a successful and wonderfully busy one for the Middle School Campus.  Parent volunteers supported many great events at the campus this year.

I worked with a terrific group of Grade Representatives.   JoAnn Pavel 4th grade, Diana Fennelly 5th grade, Teresa Calandra 6th grade, Mary Dana 7th grade and Mary Szumski 8th grade teamed with a strong group of class parents.  They tirelessly coordinated parent socials, organized field trip volunteers, lined up treats for band and chorus concerts, contributed to teacher appreciation day, worked with faculty on plays, costumes, cast parties and took on many extra volunteer jobs themselves.   I would like to thank both grade reps and class parents not only for their commitment throughout the year but their great support and positive attitude. They were simply a joy to work with. 

Teen Center was supported this year by a fantastic team of volunteers.  Michelle & Michael Friezo, Mary Beth and Mark Chase and Nancy & Guy D’Andrea kicked off the Teen Center season with the parent/student barbeque followed by three highly successful Teen Centers.  Each of these nights gave 7th and 8th grade students an opportunity to socialize with classmates in a fun and informal setting.  I am so grateful to the Teen Center chairs for all of their behind the scenes hard work to pull off such great parties.

The Third Annual Faculty/Student Charity basketball game was held this year.  The students won this exciting tiebreaker.  Parent volunteers greeted students, sold tickets, helped sell t-shirts, served pizza and worked the bake sale.  I would like to thank Lisa Amato and Nicole Spain and Priya Ghorpade for their tremendous help in promoting and organize such a successful fundraiser.  All proceeds from the evening were donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Fund.

Lauren Meyer served as Bookstore Volunteer Coordinator for this school year.  Lauren did a wonderful job scheduling and organizing PAMKA volunteers throughout the year.  The Bookstore provides a great opportunity for parents to volunteer at the Middle School Campus.  I want to thank Lauren for all her efforts that kept things running smoothly throughout the year.

This year the Presidents’ Room took on a festive Italian theme for Faculty Appreciation Day.  Middle School Special Events Chair, Terri Breen, along with Special Events Vice President, Priya Ghorpade, coordinatined beautiful centerpieces, Italian music and outstanding entrees and desserts.  My thanks to Terri and Priya and all the parents who made it truly a special day.

I am grateful to PAMKA for the opportunity to serve as Campus Vice President for the last two years.  I have enjoyed working with the many wonderful parent volunteers. It has been a privilege to serve on the PAMKA Board with such outstanding women.  I treasure the friendships.  I would like to thank Judy Polonofsky and Debbie Kozak for their never ending support, kindness and all the laughs.
                               
Respectfully Submitted,
                               
Elizabeth Bozik

The 2006-2007 school year was a huge success.  Parents spent countless hours dedicating their time to benefit the Upper School and its students. Special thanks to the following individuals who provided leadership for committees, programs and events:

Grade Representatives—The grade representatives did a fabulous job this year.  Gertrude Silen 9th, Betsy Thomas 10th, Claudia Placentra 11th, and Roz Anderson Flood 12th   should be commended for organizing the socials, supporting the students at Newark Academy/ MKA Day and Homecoming, and recruiting volunteers for the various Upper School events.
Book Fair—Tricia Paolucci did an outstanding job bringing authors and rain forest excitement to the Upper School including a delicious fountain of chocolate!
College Counseling Office Workshops—Laura Phillips chaired the committee that coordinated the various workshops for the Upper School parents and students.  PAMKA supported the College Counseling Office with funds and volunteer power to provide three workshops—Junior parents and students in November, Freshman/Sophomore parents in February, and a Junior (students only) interviewing workshop in May.  Mary Stuart Gephart should also be thanked for organizing and cataloging summer opportunities for the students.
High Teas—Lois Deenihan organized three well attended gatherings for students and faculty.  The students and faculty were provided with snacks and treats and given the opportunity to socialize informally during the school day.
Project Graduation—Marcia DeOteris and her committee have organized a fun filled evening for the senior class after the graduation ceremony June 10th.
Special Events—Patty Perl did an awesome job organizing the PAMKA Upper School Fall Coffee, coordinating breakfast and snacks for the conference days, and planning an incredible Faculty Appreciation Day providing the Upper School Faculty and Staff with breakfast and lunch!!
Survival Shop—Tara Vayianos, Dawn Frankel, and Audrey Stern did an amazing job supplying and staffing the survival shop.  Many dedicated parents volunteered to keep our students (and faculty) happy and well fed.
Community Outreach—Upper School Community Outreach was chaired by Susan Dunn this year.  Susan worked with Lisa Amato and Brian Kelly to provide meaningful opportunities for the students and faculty.  Susan coordinated the Leigh Vanderklein Memorial Walk for Breast Cancer, two blood drives, and a voter registration campaign.

I am very grateful for the tremendous support from the Head of the Upper School, Dave Flocco, members of the administration, staff, faculty and students.  A huge thank you also goes to the maintenance staff who were always available to lend a helping hand and to the entire food service staff who cheerfully provided refreshments at the various PAMKA meetings and events.  Many thanks to all the parents that support the events and activities throughout the 2006-2007 school year.

Respectfully submitted,


Gail Kingsley

To download the full PAMKA Annual Report click the attachment below.