Wendy Ramos shared the upcoming school events.

• High School pep rally.
• Upcoming Regents exams.
• Noted that the last day for high school students is early next week.
• Middle school proms are also taking place.
• High school graduation will occur earlier than usual due to a scheduling agreement with the museum.
• Wendy Ramos inquired if the Board Chair plan to speak at the graduation.

Nikolas Weiss shared:

• High School Talent Show was filled with positive energy.
• Staff is excited and looking to wind things down for summer.
• Melissa Azar is promoted to the AP of High School.
• Book fair results were shared, noting a surplus of books and the ease of making recommendations.

• Dr. Karen Valbrun introduced Rocio Zumaya, a parent of four New Heights scholars, as the new Parent Association President.
• Rocio Zumaya introduced herself and expressed enthusiasm about serving and supporting the school community.
• Dr. Valbrun shared the vision of evolving the Parent Association into a Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) and outlined plans to build a full parent association board and increase teacher involvement.
• Emphasis was placed on the importance of parent engagement in school activities and student recruitment efforts.
• Board Member Angel Vasquez inquired about the progress of building the Parent Association; Dr. Valbrun noted it was a significant effort to elect Rocio and that the next step is building out the board.
• Angel Vasquez also asked if Rocio would be joining the school board.
• Nicky Sunshine asked about opportunities to involve parents in student recruitment.
• Dr. Valbrun affirmed the focus on family referrals and emphasized the ongoing need for parent-driven outreach.

Student Reflections – High School Seniors

Dr. Karen Valbrun introduced two graduating seniors, Rachely Garcia and Roxanna Marmolejos, to share their experiences at New Heights Academy Charter School.

Rachely Garcia:

• Attended New Heights for eight years, transitioning from middle school to high school.
• Shared that the school has had a strong influence in shaping her as a person.

Roxanna Marmolejos:

• Transferred into New Heights during high school and felt immediately nurtured and supported.
• Announced she will be attending SUNY Oneonta and will room with Rachely.
• Expressed gratitude to the school, saying it helped her become a better person.

Board Member Questions and Student Responses

Nicky Sunshine asked about their college application experience:

• Students praised the support from college counselors, specifically highlighting Mr. Mantin and Ms. Duran for their guidance and encouragement.
• Noted that underclassmen are fortunate to have such a dedicated college team.

Angel Vasquez asked what they will miss most about New Heights:

• Students responded they will miss Ms. Palmetier, describing her as incredibly supportive and deeply loved.

Dr. Karen Valbrun presented the following: 

Academics and Instruction

• Regents exams are approaching.
• Honors event took place yesterday.
• A school-wide professional development training is scheduled for June 5.

Operations and Staffing

• Operations team has identified a candidate and is ready to extend an offer for the HR position.
• Compliance audit has been completed with no findings.
• Risk management update: school is not out of compliance.

Student Engagement

• Talent show was held and well-received.
• Softball team earned second place in their league.

Community and Family Engagement

• Parent Association President presented updates (see Parent Association section for details).

Innovation and Growth

• Planning is underway to launch a 12:1:1 program; still in development with an estimated two to three more weeks of planning needed.

Public Relations and Marketing

• Working on an alumni event was held as part of ongoing engagement and outreach efforts.

Leadership

• Ms. Melissa Azar will assume a new leadership role as High School Assistant Principal. 

Data Review

• Reviewed school dashboard metrics with the board.

Financial Report

• Li’Esha Garcia presented an update on the school’s financial position.
• Reported a positive net equity position, with a noted impact from the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) payment.
• Reviewed the balance sheet, including an overview of current and short-term assets and liabilities.
• Highlighted the financial effects of under-enrollment and the need to accrue summer salary expenses.

Attendance Reporting

• Wendy Ramos discussed the ongoing process of reporting attendance data to the state.
• Noted the operational challenges associated with managing and verifying large volumes of student data for compliance.

Middle School Update – Presented by Nikolas Weiss

Staff Updates

• Dr. Crystal Joye is recovering from surgery; advised to rest.
• Nikolas expressed appreciation for staff perseverance during a busy time.

Instruction & Academics

• Writing across all subjects has increased significantly.
• ELA department push is showing positive results.
• Newcomer students are demonstrating strong academic progress (e.g., receiving “Most Improved” awards).
• Typing during testing improved student comfort and editing capability.
• Fatigue and stamina during testing remain concerns, considering strategies to build endurance.

Student Engagement & Projects

• Students highly engaged in project-based learning (e.g., 7th-grade advisory).
• Science Fair was well received; students demonstrated enthusiasm and ownership of their work.
• Shout-out to 7th grader Jimena for solo Spanish song performance at the talent show.

Professional Development

• Continued partnership with The Collaborative for PD.
• PDs from The Collaborative rated highly practical, actionable, and effective.
• Staff attended and benefited from offsite PD sessions.

Newcomer Support & ESL/MLL Initiatives

• Notable improvement among students who were newcomers last year.
• Translation tools (e.g., ChatGPT) have eased challenges.
• Karen Bo (Student Support Services) registered for MLL programming course to help improve ESL supports.
• Re-evaluating intervention structures using the Data Wise Framework:
  • Considering shift back to homogeneous homerooms to better support students.

End-of-Year & Transition Planning

• Grade-level teams will create rosters for the incoming school year based on student needs.
• Learning Strategists to complete IEP snapshots for teachers.
• Student Support Services finalizing CSE files.
• NYSESLAT testing just completed; data being processed.
• Many newcomer and IEP students invited to Summer Soar enrichment program.

Curriculum & Assessment

• No major curriculum changes planned for next year.
• Considering shift from i-Ready to MAP testing (alignment with high school assessments, particularly NWEA MAP).
• Continuing STEAM focus for future curriculum planning.

High School Update – Presented by Fred Givens

Celebrations & Events

• Softball team finished 2nd in the championship; trophy arriving soon.
• Rising Eagle Ceremony held for juniors transitioning to seniors:
  • Students received new shirts with a motivational slogan.
  • Ceremony boost student morale and senior-year readiness.

Academics & Testing

• Students completed AP exams; national technical issues were resolved.
• Regents and IAs ongoing; final results will determine summer school placement.
• Students scoring 70 or below flagged for potential summer school.
• Planning in place for timely updates to graduation eligibility.

Curriculum Updates & Expansion

• New: AP Computer Science Principles to be offered to all 10th graders.
  • Teachers to attend training sessions.
• College Now program with City College launching:
  • Students can take Biology (in-house) and Freshman Seminar for college credit.
  • Estimated 50 students to participate.
• Ongoing review of curriculum across subjects to integrate STEM and 21st-century skills.

Graduation & Transition

• Anticipate continued high graduation rate in June.
• Some students will need to complete August exams to finalize graduation.

General & Policy Updates – Angel Vasquez, Board Chair

Cell Phone Policy (Statewide Mandate Discussion)

• NY State law requires all schools to restrict student cell phone use by August 1.
  • Enforcement policies must be posted publicly.
  • Schools may apply for funding (~$10 per student) to implement the policy.
• Key Considerations:
  • Exemptions for medical needs and translation services.
  • Emergency contact protocols must be clarified for families.
  • Avoid over-disciplining marginalized student populations; data collection required.
• Implementation Ideas:
  • Yondr pouches and central collection stations (seen in other schools like Yonkers).
  • Parent education workshops (suggested collaboration with Apple Store for digital literacy and control).
  • Communication of policy already started with incoming families.

Summer Planning – Dr. Karen Valbrun, Executive Director

• Summer school begins July 1.
• Students invited based on academic need and support requirements.
• Summer Soar includes enrichment activities; past participants reported enjoying the program.

Board and Operations

• Discussion on holding a team-building/retreat-style board meeting in June.
• Need for clarification on public notice timeline:
  • Meetings should be posted on the website at least three days in advance.
  • Upcoming update will include remote attendance options for the public.