Posts by Katherine Novello

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 38

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to final PTA meeting of the year
• Nathan
  read a “Thank You” note from the 5^th grade thanking the PTA for
  helping to fund their trip to the Baltimore Aquarium
• Nathan
  welcomed new Campbell families to the PTA meeting

II.    Year-in-Review:
Nathan Zee, President

• Nathan
  went over the highlights from the year:

• PTA Membership

§ 
We had over 210
members join the PTA – the most we’ve ever had!

o  
Advocacy

§ 
Maintained
Campbell as an Option School (carryover from last year)

§ 
Fought to keep
Campbell where it is and preserve our Outdoor Classroom focus, Connection to
the Nature Center, Economic Diversity (with almost no achievement gap) – WELL
DONE EVERYONE

o  
Community
Building

§ 
Family Game Night

§ 
Campbell Spirit
Wear Sales

§ 
School Movie
Night

§ 
100% success rate
in announcing Community Meeting agenda in advance of Community Meeting – never
been done before!

§ 
Wetlands Festival
– most well attended festival ever including the dunk tank return and new rock
climbing wall (never mind the fluke weather pattern that resulted in canceled
soccer games on a beautiful sunny day) – ~40 volunteers to pull this off!

o  
Enrichment
Highlights

§ 
Project Discovery
Fall/Spring – Jenny and Tammy deserve platinum medals for their efforts here

o  
Fundraising
Highlights

§ 
$14,500 –
Wetlands Festival (including expenses)

§ 
$14,100 – Fun Run
(including expenses)

§ 
$2,600 –
Restaurant Nights

§ 
$2,260 – Square 1
Art

§ 
 $1,900 – Amazon Link Money

§ 
$786 – Penny Wars

§ 
$500 – Box Tops

o  
Funding
Highlights

§ 
Outdoor Classroom
Coordinator – We funded over 100 hours of Ms. Christy’s time this year (hours
for May and June still to come!)

§ 
We helped to fund
many of the supplies for the lessons that Ms. Christy gives the kids – when you
see photos on the twitter feed, many of the veggies, fruits, etc. are funded by
the PTA!

§ 
We funded
landscaping crews to come clean up the Campbell grounds twice this year

§ 
All Kindergarteners
got to pick a book from the garden at the start of the year

§ 
Two retirement
gifts for retiring teachers were funded by the PTA

§ 
The following
Teacher Appreciation events were paid for by the PTA:

·        
Staff Breakfast
(September)

·        
Olive Garden
Lunch (October Conferences)

·        
Staff Breakfast
(December)

·        
Teacher
appreciation week which included activities every day!

§ 
T-shirts for the
Math Dice team

§ 
Supported Boys on
the Move and Girls on the Run

§ 
Supported the
Coat Drive/Holiday Drive at Campbell to offer winter wear and presents to those
in need at the school

§ 
Two Wellness
activities for teachers this year.

§ 
Donation to CCPTA
fund: we made a donation to the County Council of PTAs who uses these funds to
help even out the funding between all the schools in the county.

§ 
We paid for the
remaining books on the teachers wish lists after the book fair

§ 
We were able to
provide food, childcare and translation at all of our PTA meetings

§ 
5th Grade
Promotion (coming up!)

§ 
We funded the
following for each grade level:

§ 
Specials: Ukuleles
for the music department, Classroom puppets and training for the Spanish
Department, Supplies for the 5th Grade Musical

§ 
Kindergarten –
Lots of classroom supplies and a field trip to Discovery Theater

§ 
1st Grade – Field
notebooks

§ 
2nd Grade – Field
Trip to the farmers market including fruit and veggie purchases, purchase of
bags and additional veggies for the showcase and some supplies for the Campbell
Olympics

§ 
3rd Grade –
Helped to fund the bus to Harpers Ferry for Field Trip

§ 
4th Grade –
Funding the field trip to Great Falls

§ 
5th Grade –
Helped to fund the bus to the National Aquarium in Baltimore

§ 
Interlude –
Funded many incentives and rewards and a calming herb garden

§ 
And our biggest
funding item of the year was the PA system upgrade!

§ 
Even though it
was last year – one more shout out for the pond upgrade from two years ago

III.   Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Highlights from
May include:

• Collected
  about $8,000 this month from Wetlands Festival receipts
• $143 from Box Tops
• $121 from Amazon rewards
• $150 from Kona Ice (from
  Wetlands Festival)
• $275 from Silver Diner
  Restaurant Night
• $140 from Brick’s Pizza Night
• Main expenses were: Outdoor
  Classroom hours, Teacher Appreciation week activities, two Field Trips,
  some additional Wetlands Festival expenses, paid Project Discovery
  instructors, Interlude classroom supplies

·        
Funding request:

o  
$343 for 6 ft. recycled
plastic bench to replace the broken bench

§ 
Motion to
approve; seconded; approved unanimously

·        
Summer
budget/spending plan (from the time after the audit until the first PTA meeting
of the year in September:

o  
In accordance
with the draft budget, there will be money available to spend on Ms. Christy’s
summer planning hours and some grounds maintenance/work (about $1680 for
Outdoor Classroom hours and $800 for grounds maintenance)

·        
Q: Will there be
any money available for a Welcome Back breakfast for staff? That usually
happens before our next meeting.  A: We didn’t
have that in the summer budget last year, but we can add it in so that whoever
is coordinating the breakfast doesn’t have to wait two weeks for reimbursement.
Do we have a motion?

o  
Motion to
approve; seconded; approved unanimously

IV.  Campbell
Changes for Next Year: Maureen Nesselrode, Principal

·        
School Siting
discussion has been tabled for now, but will resume in the fall; there is a
broader conversation around the EL model, and confusion within the community
about whether ours is a well-defined model for an option program

·        
As these
conversations continue, remember to attempt to educate others in the community
about the EL model, which is nationally recognized and clearly defined

·        
Test scores are
solid

·        
We had many
engaging showcases and expeditions this year, including some new ones that
really focused on social justice, community, and sustainability

·        
Changes for next
year include:

o  
Four Kindergarten
classes, three at every other level, including 5^th

§ 
These two
additional classes necessitate the SpEd Pre-K relocating to Carlin Springs
Elementary school

o  
If we hit 500
student enrollment, we will receive additional funding

o  
Other grade
levels will have to be located on what is now the K-1 hallway because we’re out
of space on the other side of the building and we are not getting an additional
trailer for next year

§ 
Likely a 2^nd
grade class will move to K-1 hallway

o  
Parking will be a
challenge next year, so please keep that in mind and don’t have the expectation
that there will parking available on-site for every event

·        
Q: Did you mean
we should be engaging with APS about the EL model, or just with the broader
community during more informal discussion? A: The broader community; more
people need to understand what EL is and why our model is distinct.

·        
Q: Do you know
where this pressure to change or take away our option status is coming from? A:
Pressure to find seats.

·        
Q: Any way to
engage more fully with ACPD about those who continue to turn left out of the
parking lot despite the signage? A: Ideas are welcome, but I’m not sure there’s
much more we can do to encourage compliance; it’s a known issue and there
really aren’t any tools that we have not yet employed.

·        
Next year we will
be advocating for a 4-top “cottage” relocatable; it’s likely that all of Pre-K
will be placed in that relocatable cottage

·        
We did get more
staffing allocations for next year already; we will have two art teachers (one
who is full time and one who is almost full time, with 0.9 allocation)

o  
That means we
will look at providing gifted art groups for identified 4^th and 5^th
graders

·        
Open House will
be held on Thursday, 8/30 at 2 pm

·        
Q: Will there be
any summer library events this year? A: No, but I can check to see whether the
school library may be open for some limited hours for children to check-out
books over the summer

·        
Q: Where are the
Summer School students who will be at Campbell coming from? A: They are all
Campbell or Carlin Springs students

·        
Q: Did the budget
reduction in FLES affect Campbell? A: No, it did not. However, Ms. Valdez will
be returning to Bolivia. We have already hired her replacement (from Tuckahoe).
However, there could be further cuts in next year’s budget and Campbell could
be affected.

·        
Q: When will we
get teacher assignments for next year? A: Letters will be mailed in August.
Some other staff changes are that Mr. Schoenherr is relocating to his home town
and Ms. Sim will replace him as a 2/3 teacher. We will be hiring a new K-1
teacher to replace Ms. Sim.

V.    2018-2019
Committee Positions/Speaker Topics/Big Budget Ideas: Barbara Martinez, Incoming
President

• Barbara Martinez introduced herself and led us through
  an exercise where we identified what we were most proud of from 2017-18
  and what we want to see in 2018-19

• Highlights of what we’re most proud:

• Engaging with APS
• Outdoor classroom/Ms. Christy
• Support for EL
• Increased PTA participation
• Support for Field Trips
• Grade-level funding

• Highlights of what we’d like to
  see next year:

• Increasing teacher funding
• Food other than pizza at PTA
  meetings (we’ve tried this in the past, and it was not very successful)
• Keeping Campbell an option
  school on this site
• Outdoor white board/chalk board
• More Ms. Christy
• More diversity at PTA meetings
  (we have the Thursday morning parent group; working on ways to better
  engage the Ethiopian community; Claudia is our PTA Ambassador)
• More arts groups (NSO, Ballet,
  theater trips or visits to school)
• English classes for parents?
  Pairing up with parents who want to learn Spanish?

• Barbara summarized the
  status of key PTA positions for next year and encouraged folks to
  volunteer where they are able

• Looking
  for new individuals who want to be more involved in the PTA
• We have a number of open
  positions on various committees (see handout)

• New committee this year: Garden
  and Wetlands Maintenance Committee; will take over some of the
  coordination of this activity from Ms. Christy so she can focus on her
  lesson plans
• Wellness Committee will be
  changing and become broader in its scope
• We have a position for anyone
  who’s interested, and positions that fit with every level of time
  commitment and skill set/interest

• Q: Room Parent Coordinator, what
  is this position? A: In the past, we’ve used Room Parents for
  communication; the Coordinator would contact the individual Room Parents
  with messages that the PTA felt were important to push out (such as a reminder
  about a fundraiser or an event); we’re open to thinking about how this
  position might be leveraged in the future

VI.  Closing
and Celebration : Nathan Zee, President

·        
Wanted to take a moment to recognize Claudia
Cuellar, who was selected to receive the APS Honored Citizen award for all her
years of service to our community; let’s hear it for Claudia! Well done and
well deserved!

·        
I can't thank you
enough for the opportunity to lead our PTA the last two years and I feel quite
privileged to be part of such a fantastic community! Rock and roll!

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 27

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to second-to-last PTA meeting
• Wetlands
  Festival results:

• Successful
  event by every measure
• Raised
  around $16,000, with about $2,000 in expenses
• Huge
  turn-out/attendance
• Events
  and activities were very popular
• Raised
  more money than we spent on food (donations vs. fee worked well)
• We
  have a series of lessons-learned to turn over to next year’s planning
  team
• Thank
  you to all volunteers!

• Teacher
  Appreciation this week events/activities:

• Thank
  you cards and messages all week
• Massages
  for teachers yesterday
• Flowers
  and breakfast today
• International
  Luncheon Friday (volunteer slots still available via the Sign-Up Genius
  here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084bafad2da1ff2-teacher )

• Reminders:
  

• Final
  Restaurant Night is coming up on 5/22 at Chipotle at the Columbia Pike
  location, between 4-8 pm

• Informal
  Picnic at the Campbell playground to follow, weather contingent

• Looking
  for a Restaurant Night coordinator to take over for next year
• This
  Friday is the last Community Meeting until 6/8 because of SOL testing
• Rising
  Kindergarten Orientation will be held on Wednesday, 6/6, at 4 pm at
  Campbell

II.    Officer
Election, Beth Cavey, Nominating Committee Chair

• Proposed
  slate was introduced at our last meeting
• We
  are taking nominations from the floor, if anyone else would like to be
  considered for a position

• No
  additional nominations were offered from the floor

• The proposed PTA Officer Slate will be voted on as a whole.
  The nominees are:

• President – Barbara Martinez
• VP
  Programming – Paige Hamrick
• VP
  Fundraising – split between Julia Ahumada
  (General Fundraising) and Christy Hiers (Wetlands Festival Chair)
• VP
  Communications and Outreach – Kathy Evans
  Cordon
• Treasurer– Amanda Lowenberger
• Secretary – Shana Brown

• Do we have a motion to adopt the proposed slate?

• Motion
  to adopt; seconded; approved unanimously

• Congratulations
  to our new Executive Board!
• Everyone, please consider a more active role in the PTA. It
  will pay-off for you in a lot of ways. There are leadership positions
  beyond the Executive Board, such as Restaurant Night Coordinator, so
  please consider taking on such a role
• Nathan:
  Official transition of Officers is June 12^th, except for
  Treasurer, which happens after the PTA audit

• We
  need at least one at-large PTA member to volunteer to be part of the
  Audit Committee; the audit will be held in early July, exact time and
  date TBD. Please consider if you are available.
• New
  Treasurer will become official once the audit is completed, after which
  point we will visit the bank to change over signatories to the account

III.   Counseling
Advisory Committee, Kate Sullivan, School Counselor

·        
Another way that
you could become involved at Campbell would be to join the newly forming
Counseling Advisory Committee

·        
We are forming a
Counseling Advisory Committee to help align Campbell’s counselling program with
the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) model

·        
ASCA model for a
comprehensive school counselling program includes:

o  
Foundation:

§ 
Beliefs, vision, and
mission statement

§ 
Domains that are
covered by the counseling program are: academic, social-emotional, and career,
with a heavy focus on social-emotional, in alignment with the whole-child
philosophy

§ 
Ensure that
everything is aligned with the ASCA standards and competencies (like Standards
of Learning for counseling lesson plans)

o  
Management
System:

§ 
Use of data:
collected data early in the year through a survey to better inform counselling offerings

§ 
Use of time: track
activities throughout the year with reports and

§ 
Creation of an
Advisory Committee (for next year), to help make sure that all of these things
I’m doing align with best practices and community needs

o  
Delivery System:

§ 
Preventative Classroom
curriculum for K-5 (Second Step and Mind-Up lessons)

§ 
Individual
student planning (mostly Middle School transition)

§ 
Responsive
Services, as needed

§ 
Indirect Student
Services (referrals to outside community resources, consultation with parents
and teachers, collaboration with all staff)

o  
Accountability:

§ 
Action Plans and
Results Report

§ 
Counselor
Performance Evaluation

§ 
Program Audit

·        
The Counseling
Advisory Committee will:

o  
Be a
representative group of stakeholders that reviews and advises the
implementation of the school counseling program

o  
Be diverse in membership
to accurately reflect Campbell’s values, concerns, and interests

o  
Be 8-14 members and
will include counseling staff, parents, administrators, and teachers (lead,
assistant, and specialist teachers), and possibly (older) students

o  
Attend 3 meetings
held throughout the first year of committee formation

§ 
Introductory
meeting,

§ 
Early-year
meeting to set goals

§ 
End-of-year
meeting to review and evaluate program’s success and challenges

o  
 Subsequently, there will be only two committee
meetings each year

·        
If interested in
joining the Counseling Advisory Committee:

o  
Email: kate.sullivan@apsva.us

o  
Phone: (703)
228-8444

o  
Twitter:
@MsSullivan_APS

IV.  Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Highlights include:

• Operating
  expenses so far this year were $37,000 and we took in $55,000 in income,
  not including the Wetlands Festival
• We’ve hit
  our income goals and are looking pretty good
• In April
  we:

• Took in $7,400
  in Project Discovery Payments; Instructor payments will go out this week
• Received $61 from Square 1 art
• Received $83 from Amazon rewards
• Received $7,671 from Wetlands
  Online Auction payments; more to come in May
• Made the $785 deposit from the Penny
  Wars fundraiser
• Spent $400 for Odyssey of the
  Mind registration reimbursement
• Spent $216 for Musical
  Reimbursement
• Spent $262 – Outdoor
  Coordinator hours
• Spent $366 on purchases for
  Expedition Support
• Spent $173 on Outdoor Classroom
  supplies
• Spent $98 for Math Dice
  T-Shirts

• In May look forward to:

• Additional Project Discovery
  payments
• Wetlands Festival income
• Expense to subsidize 3^rd
  and 5^th grade Field Trip charter buses from grade level line
  items

• Q: Have any of the grade levels
  not used their allocation of the grade-level funding? A: 1^st
  and 2^nd Grades have not used their line item funding;
  Expedition Support line item money also remains available

·        
Funding request
from Ms. Ammons for gifts for two retiring Staff members:

o  
$400 to cover
items for Ms. McMahon and Ms. Sananikone, which are TBD

o  
Ms. Ammons will
coordinate purchase

o  
If approved, the
money must be spent, and receipts sent to PTA, prior to 6/30 in order to be
reimbursed

o  
Motion to
approve; seconded; approved unanimously

·        
Q: I can’t figure
out from the budget exactly how much cash we have on hand. Can you clarify? A:
We have a few significant expenses pending, but current bank balance is about
$74,000. We’ll be around $60,000 once those expenses clear.

·        
Q: Any
big/expensive projects we’re taking on? A: We intentionally have not solicited
ideas for a large project this year given the uncertainty around the Elementary
Planning/Boundary Initiative.

V.    Elementary
Boundary Initiative Update: Nathan Zee, President

• Campbell was first to realize the
  implications of this initiative back in December

o  
We lobbied School
Board members, spoke at School Board meetings, sent in 52 letters, had members
on walkability task force, FAC, etc., all providing their input

o  
We’ve had several
surveys that we’ve shared via Announcements including Campbell walk zone
survey, and a survey asking what criteria should be considered in school siting

• Other PTAs began doing the same
  and there has been significant pushback as to how APS has handled this
  process, resulting in delayed timelines
• Arguably,
  the message that resonated the most with the School Board and Staff
  appears to be related to diversity. Staff appears to have heard our very
  real concerns about what happens to diversity at the current Campbell site
  if the building becomes a neighborhood school filled to 101% capacity with
  kids in the walk zone; most students from this theoretical walk zone would
  be economically disadvantaged. In their latest document, Staff has
  acknowledged that student outcomes are negatively affected by the
  diminished resources available to an economically disadvantaged community.
  They have acknowledged that their stated focus on student success and achievement
  is placed at risk by creating situations in which economically
  disadvantaged students are concentrated in any given school.
• Our
  formal PTA stance is that we are not advocating for or against any other
  schools or communities to be changed; we are strictly speaking about why maintaining
  Campbell in its current location is imperative to the program, and serves
  the overall APS goals
• Late-breaking news is that the
  community feedback session has been moved back from 5/9 until 5/30 (7-9pm
  at Swanson Middle School)
• Please
  send me any questions you think APS staff should answer at the 5/30
  meeting. I will compile the questions and submit them
• We
  will look at what (if any) PTA letter to send in after the 5/30 meeting
• Nathan
  opened the floor
  to questions and comments. A robust discussion ensued.

VI.  New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

·        
Any New Business?

o  
Jenny Morris, Project
Discovery Coordinator:

§ 
This is the last
week of Project Discovery for classes that meet on Thursdays and Fridays

§ 
Next week is the
last week of Project Discovery for classes that meet on Wednesdays

VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• Final
  PTA meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, 6/12. We'll have a recap,
  celebration, and transition discussion (plus any updates on the Elementary
  Planning Initiative).
• We’re
  looking to schedule our annual audit the weekend after the July 4^th
  holiday. This will allow us to change signatories on our bank account and
  formally complete transition. Let Jenny Morris know if you would like to
  participate as part of the Audit Committee.
• We've
  begun work on developing our 2018-19 PTA budget. If you have feedback or input,
  please send it to Barbara Martinez or Amanda Lowenberger.

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 32

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to the PTA meeting and read a Thank You letter from Ms.
  Berg’s 2^nd grade class, thanking the PTA for purchasing books
  from the Teacher’s Wish lists during the Book Fair
• Reminders:
  

• Brick’s
  Pizza Night tomorrow night, 4/11, order between 4-8 pm; a reminder email
  will be sent out over Announcements with the flyer attached
• Garden
  Work Day is coming up on 4/21, 9 am -12 pm
• Wetlands Festival is coming up
  on Saturday, 4/28, from 4-7pm

• Please volunteer to help with
  the festival using Sign-Up Genius: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084aada723a5fe3-2018
• Please consider a parent
  donation to the auction (dinner, item, event, etc.; contact Sean Doyle
  for ideas)
• Please consider donating an
  item to the class basket(s), any grade

• Spirit Days will be held leading
  up to the Wetlands Festival on 4/25-27; W – Superhero Day, Th – Crazy
  Hat/Hair Day, F – Class Color Day:

• Pre-K – Purple
• Kindergarten – Orange
• 1^st Grade – White
• 2^nd Grade – Yellow
• 3^rd Grade – Blue
• 4^th Grade – Red
• 5^th Grade – Green

• The Outdoor Lab Trip previously
  scheduled for Sunday, 4/22, is postponed until next
  year
• Julia
  Ahumada will take the lead for Teacher Appreciation week (May 7-11) since
  Mecca Keller will be unavailable. Thank you, Julia!
• Elementary
  Boundary information will be updated this Thursday evening during the School
  Board Work Session – stay tuned!

II.    Anxiety
in Children: Cassie Class and Dr. Meg Michel, School Psychologists

·        
Ms. Nesselrode
introduced the Student Services team

o  
Kate Sullivan,
School Counselor: Tier 1 topics and schoolwide preventative interventions that
are part of Mind-Up/Second Step curriculum, facilitates small groups and
occasionally sees individual students as need arises

o  
Cory Bradley,
School Social Worker: helps families access community resources

o  
Cassandra Class,
School Psychologist: does all student evaluations, facilitates social skills
groups, and provides primarily Tier 2 support

o  
Dr. Meg Michel,
School Psychologist, Interlude: primarily interacts with Interlude students and
provides Tier 3 support

·        
Ms. Class began
the presentation on Anxiety in Children and provided hand-outs with detailed list
of resources and strategies for dealing with anxiety

o  
What is anxiety?

§ 
Anxiety is
something we’ve all experienced. It is a normal reaction to situations that we
perceive to be dangerous.

§ 
It is an adaptive
response that increases our arousal and alertness that allows us to prepare to
combat danger.

o  
When is anxiety a
concern?

§ 
When it is
experienced to a level that interferes with daily functioning and well-being

o  
Anxiety in
childhood:

§ 
Anxiety is most prevalent
psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents (3-25% of all children
experience anxiety to a diagnostic level)

§ 
Median age of
onset is 6 years old, peaking between 8-10 years old

§ 
Frequency of
disorder is equal between genders during elementary years, adolescent females
have an increased frequency (2 to 3 x more likely than male adolescents)

§ 
80% of youth with
a diagnosable anxiety disorder do not receive mental health treatment (includes
both counselling and Special Education identification or educational accommodations)

§ 
Childhood anxiety
is correlated with a variety of mental health disorders in adulthood, including
depression (children with anxiety are 8 to 10 x more likely to have depressive
disorder as an adult)

§ 
Important to
identify anxiety early because there are very effective treatments; if children
receive those treatments, the prognosis is very good

o  
In terms of how children
with anxiety present, they tend to:

§ 
Fear that future
events will have negative outcomes

§ 
View minor events
as potentially threatening

§ 
Engage in a
variety of avoidance behaviors to reduce exposure to perceived threat
(tantrums, for example)

§ 
Have worry that
is either unrealistic (e.g., an imagined threat) or out of proportion to the
situation

§ 
Anxiety in
children younger than 8 tends to be very specific, such as fear of the dark,
fear of dogs, fear of separation

§ 
Anxiety in
children aged 8 and older tends to be more abstract and more social, such as
fear of rejection, fear of poor school performance

o  
Signs of anxiety:

§ 
Elementary-aged
children often report somatic complaints (upset stomach, headaches, sleeping
problems, nausea, rapid heart rate)

§ 
They may request
to see the nurse on a frequent basis

§ 
May also display
thinking or learning challenges, such as attention or memory problems

§ 
Might display
restlessness, fidgetiness, rapid speech, withdrawal, perfectionism, and/or
failure to complete tasks

·        
The different
types of childhood anxiety disorders are described in detail on the hand-out;
in the interest of time I will not go into them all

·        
The types of
anxiety we see most frequently at school are generalized anxiety disorder,
which is a pervasive worry covering many broad areas of one’s life, lasting for
a prolonged time and interfering with daily activities, and social anxiety disorder,
which is an intense fear of social and performance situations and can present
as selective mutism

·        
Lately there has
been more attention given to anxiety resulting from trauma, PTSD

·        
We also see some
school-refusal behavior, which is usually a result of separation anxiety or
fear of an aversive situation at school

·        
When should you
seek professional help?

o  
Every child will
experience some level of anxiety, so it’s really looking at when it’s
interfering with daily functioning, when it’s excessive, and when the worry is
about something that is not developmentally appropriate

o  
Q: What about
phobias? I know adults who are still afraid of heights. Should they be seeking
help? A: Well, you must look at whether it’s impacting their daily life. For
example, if a veterinarian is afraid of animals, that would be a problem. If
your fear is being in public places, that could certainly interfere with
functioning. But if it’s a fear of heights, you can probably find ways to get
around that fear and still lead a typical life. If it was something an
individual wanted to work on, there are treatments available if someone felt it
was necessary to take those additional steps

·        
We have many
supports available at Campbell for students experiencing anxiety

o  
Classroom lessons
with Ms. Sullivan (Mind Up curriculum, steps for calming down, emotional
regulation) available to all students

o  
Anxiety groups
facilitated by a member of the Student Services team for students with
school-performance anxiety

o  
“Take a break”
spots in every classroom

o  
Counselling staff
available for check-ins with students as-needed

o  
We have some
students who require additional support than what is available to the general
population, so there are students who have IEPs or 504s with accommodations for
their anxiety

·        
Ms. Cass turned
over the floor to Dr. Michel to discuss strategies for dealing with anxiety

·        
Dr. Michel
discussed anxiety from the parents’ perspective

·        
Things for
parents to keep in mind:

o  
The goal isn’t to
eliminate anxiety, but to make it manageable

o  
Don’t avoid
things that make your child anxious (can become a learned coping mechanism;
exposure in some gradual fashion is a part of treatment for most anxiety)

o  
Avoid minimizing
or magnifying fears

o  
Model coping
skills

o  
Limits and
structure are important and serve to reduce anxiety

o  
Advance
preparation can help, perhaps keep period of anticipation short enough that
it’s manageable for your child

o  
Ask, “What’s the
worst-case scenario?” to talk through situations that are causing anxiety

·        
General
strategies for managing a child’s anxiety include:

o  
Give them a job
to do or put them in a “helper” role

o  
Make sure they
have activities where they can feel confident and competent, even chores

o  
Give them
creative outlets to experience mastery over their fears (e.g., writing,
drawing, drama, play)

o  
Use bibliotherapy

o  
Don’t forget
about the anxiety-reducing benefits of exercise

·        
Specific
strategies and mindfulness:

o  
Help children
judge the “size” of their worries (small, medium, large, or on a scale of 1-10)

o  
Worry tree:
worries are the leaves, bigger ones to the top, smaller to the bottom; can use
sticky notes so that as worries change over time they can be moved around on
the tree or maybe removed all together

o  
 “Mind in a jar” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2SqvqcQ__o)

o  
Meditation or
body scans

o  
Deep breathing
(“take 5” and box breathing)

o  
Yoga, progressive
muscle relaxation

o  
Aromatherapy

o  
Teach children to
use sensory details in their environments to ground themselves in the present
moment (e.g., looking for a specific color or shape, identifying 3 things they
can see, hear, or feel around them)

o  
Teach awareness
of how their bodies feel when they’re anxious vs. calm

·        
Q: Is the worry
tree a good technique to use to see if there’s an issue that’s causing anxiety
that you may not be aware of? Or is it better to wait until you know there’s
something worrying your child, because could this make them worry about
something that they weren’t worried about before?

o  
A: It’s a good
strategy for any kid, because they all have worries, even mundane ones, so you
aren’t doing harm with this technique. This may be a way to get at kids who
don’t express their worry/anxiety in more apparent ways.

·        
Q: Anger and
oppositional behavior, you mentioned those as possible signs of anxiety?

o  
A: Yes, these
behaviors, and irritability, are often signs of anxiety. It’s important to try
to understand what’s causing the behavior and sometimes the reason is that they
are feeling out of control and are trying to exert some control or gain some
control back, that’s fairly common for children who have trouble verbalizing
their anxiety. There’s an article here that talks about why disruptive behavior
can be a sign of anxiety: https://childmind.org/article/how-anxiety-leads-to-disruptive-behavior/

·        
Q: What kind of
professional development is APS offering to teachers to help them deal with
anxious students in the classroom? How is APS addressing this?

o  
A: There’s been a
recent focus on the idea of the “whole child” and a lot of attention is being
paid in that sense to the social/emotional aspect of a child’s education. The
new strategic plan that’s just been released includes an increase in
social/emotional curriculum opportunities, so I believe that aspect is going to
be developed within curriculum. We have some of those pieces now, but this
would be a broader curriculum. They have increased staff allocations for our
department (counsellors, psychologists, etc.) over the past couple of years to
provide more support in the schools, so that we can be supporting teachers. The
lessons we provide in the classroom are done with the teachers present, so they
are benefitting from the lessons, too. Occasionally there are presentations at
Staff Meetings. If teachers have a concern about a particular student, there is
a referral process and then the team meets to talk about case management.

·        
Q: What about a
scenario when one child in your family has anxiety and the other does not? What
are the best strategies for dealing with that?

o  
A: Well, you
probably don’t want to do a lot of comparing between your children and pointing
out differences in the responses to stressors between an anxious and a typical
child. As a parent, you can employ modelling, but with siblings, because of sibling
rivalry, this strategy might not work as well. As a parent, the things you can
do to help your anxious child are the same strategies that your less anxious
child can use when they do encounter the inevitable worry, even if it’s not as
frequent or as intense an experience for them as it is for your anxious child.
Any of the strategies we’ve listed on the handout are great for every child. The
mindfulness techniques could be done as a family. Incorporating these techniques
into your routine could benefit all of you. For instance, doing relaxation breathing
techniques before bedtime, or guided meditation. I would approach it as
something you’re going to do as a family because the mindfulness and
self-soothing strategies can be used by every child to calm down, whether they’re
anxious, angry upset, or winding down for bedtime.

·        
Q: Over the course
of your careers, have you noticed a change in the types of anxiety or the
incidences of anxiety?

o  
A: Yes, the
incidence seems higher over time. As for the types of anxiety, I’ve noticed
more anxiety related to school performance. Also, the prevalence of anxiety in
females ages 8-12 has increased and something we’ve noticed.

·        
Ms. Nesselrode: The
roll-out of additional mental health experts is a budget item that’s discussed nearly
every year during the budget proposal season. After Parkland, it was one of the
things discussed a great deal at the national level. One of the recommendations
discussed nationally is for all schools to have the type of support we
currently have, so that school psychologists aren’t spread too thin and don’t
have to spend all their time testing and going to meetings. By having more staff,
the psychologists can serve more kids, even those who don’t have an IEP or 504
or other formal plan. And sometimes they are even able to help a student avoid
needing those plans, because they’re able to intervene and extinguish a behavior
earlier on. We’ve noticed that the increased staff has been a tremendous improvement.
We’re also able to tell students that if they are in distress, they can go down
to the counselling suite and, because there are four staff members there, they
will be very likely to find someone who can see them right away.

·        
Ms. Sullivan: We
mentioned the staff referral form earlier, but I’d like to remind everyone that
there is also a parent referral form available online if you feel that you need.
The form comes straight to me and if it’s not suited to me, I would then refer
it to the appropriate staff member. You can access the form here: https://campbell.apsva.us/counseling-referral-form/.
Students in 3^rd-5^th grade can also refer themselves by submitting
a form and putting it in the locked mailbox on our door. Students have been availing
themselves of this opportunity and that’s a good thing, because the more we
normalize reaching out for help, the better.

III.   Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Highlights for this
month include:

o  
Paid
$305 for the K Field Trip to Discovery Theater

• Spent $855
  to purchase remaining items on teacher book wish lists
• Paid $735 for the Outdoor
  Coordinator February hours
• $200+ for PTA meeting expenses
• Spent $130 for the Online
  Auction website fees
• Spent $150 for Magna Tiles for
  Ms. Sim's classroom
• Spent $16 for Bunny supplies
• Spent $100 for journals for the
  1st graders

o  
$2,080 in Project
Discovery income

o  
$175 in Amazon
rewards income

·        
No questions

·        
No new funding requests
this month

IV.  PTA
Officer Nominations: Beth Cavey, Nominating Committee Chair

• The proposed PTA Officer Slate is:

• President – Barbara Martinez
• Treasurer– Amanda Lowenberger
• Secretary – Shana Brown
• VP
  Programming – Paige Hamrick
• VP
  Fundraising – split between Julia Ahumada
  (General Fundraising) and Danielle Quist (Wetlands Festival Chair)
• VP
  Communications and Outreach – Kathy Evans

• We
  are taking nominations from the floor, if anyone else would like to be
  considered for a position

• No
  additional nominations were offered

• Do we have a motion to adopt the proposed slate?

• Motion;
  seconded; approved unanimously

• Nathan: To confirm, that was not the vote to elect officers.
  The vote will be held at next month’s meeting (May 8^th), so if
  folks are still interested, we will take nominations from the floor as
  part of the voting process during the May PTA meeting.

V.    Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• No
  New Business, so we’re able to end early tonight
• Remember
  to sign-up to help during the Wetlands Festival: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084aada723a5fe3-2018
  
• Thanks
  for coming and that’s a wrap!

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 25

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to the PTA meeting
• Reminders:
  

• No
  Community Meeting on Friday because of Parent/Teacher conference make-up
  events; next Community Meeting will be on 3/23
• Meeting
  this Friday at 8:45 am at Campbell (in the Conference Room) for Wetlands
  Planning finalization
• Meeting
  this Sunday at 1 pm for Auction planning at Sean Doyle’s house; contact
  Sean if you’re interested in helping out (doylesm@gmail.com)
• Project
  Discovery registration closes on Friday, 3/16

• We
  had a successful Restaurant Night at Silver Diner
• APS
  will be paying for the new Library furniture, so we have a surplus of
  funds that can be reserved and put towards other uses next year or in the future
  
• Quick
  thank you on a successful Penny Wars event, which raised around $800; we’ll
  announce the winner at the next Community Meeting

II.    Beth
Cavey, Nominating Committee Chair

• We
  will be presenting an official slate at our next meeting and voting in May
• Actively
  seeking nominations for all six PTA Officers (President, Treasurer, VP
  Comms, VP Programs, VP Fundraising, Secretary); we need a nearly full
  slate of new officers; Paige Hamrick has agreed to run for a second term
  as VP Programs
• If
  you are interested, please let me know
• There
  are two-year term limits, so Nathan, Jenny, Barbara, and Katherine cannot
  keep their current positions
• Come
  be part of what makes our community so special
• We
  will send out official position descriptions after tonight’s meeting so
  that anyone interested has them

III.   Youth
Culture Survey, Maureen Nesselrode, Principal

·        
Questionnaire/survey
about student risk behaviors, given to 6^th, 8^th, 10^th,
and 12^th grade students by APS in partnership with DHS (Arlington Partnership
for Children, Youth and Families)

o  
Look at trends in
risk-taking behavior among students in Arlington schools

o  
Questions ask
about: sex, drugs and alcohol, smoking, relationships, stress, mental health,
domestic violence, abuse, etc.

o  
Elementary-High School
students receive age-appropriate questions

·        
Q: Has the questionnaire
been updated to ask about juuling/vaping? A: Not yet.

·        
Ms. Nesselrode
then explained what those terms mean:

o  
Juuls are devices
that allow for vaporized/smokeless delivery of tobacco and/or marijuana; they
look like USB flash drives and can be charged by plugging them into a laptop, so
they can be easily concealed at schools; “juuling” is using a Juul brand vaporizer

o  
“Vaping” is inhaling
tobacco or marijuana vapor through a device such as a Juul or an e-cigarette

·        
The presenter
from the Arlington County Partnership for Youth and Families was unable to
attend this evening as previously scheduled, but the results from their survey
can be accessed online at: https://apcyf.arlingtonva.us/youth-risk-behavior-survey-2017-results/

·        
One of the outcomes
from this survey is the newly adopted Child Protection Unit, which Ms. Sullivan
will now describe

IV.  Child
Protection Unit Initiative, Kate Sullivan, School Counselor

·        
Produced by
Second Step (this is the social-emotional curriculum that APS already uses for
Tier 1 classroom lessons, in combination with Mind-Up curriculum)

·        
After Spring
Break, I will deliver one lesson per class at every grade level for the Child Protection
Unit

·        
Being delivered
countywide in age-appropriate ways for kids K-5

·        
Why the need for
CPU?

o  
National statistics
about abuse and risk factors are very concerning

o  
APS-specific data:

§ 
Nearly 50% of female
students in grades 8-12 report being harassed at school

§ 
20% of those female
students indicated a dating partner made unwanted sexual contact

·        
Learning
objectives:

o  
Every grade level
will be expected to distinguish between safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches

o  
Grades 1-2 will
be able to identify the Touching Rule:

§ 
Touching Rule: A
bigger person should never touch a child’s private body parts, except to keep
him or her healthy

o  
Grades 3-5 will
be able to identify the Private Body Parts Rule:)

§ 
Private Body
Parts Rule: private body parts are private. No one should ever touch yours (except
a doctor or a nurse), ask to see yours (except a doctor or a nurse), or make
you look at his/her/or anyone else’s private body parts. And never touch anyone
else’s private body parts.

o  
Q: What vocabulary
will you be using to describe private body parts? A: We will be discussing it
in general terms, not naming every specific body parts. We will call “private
body parts” any part your body that would be covered by a bathing suit. I will show
them a picture of a child wearing a bathing suit so that they understand what
area is being indicated when I say “bathing suit area” or “private parts”; the
lesson is highly scripted and does include the terms, “breasts,” “penis,” and “buttocks”
when I initially introduce the picture of the areas that will henceforward be called
the “bathing suit” area or “private parts.”

o  
Grades 3-5 will
be:

§ 
Identifying the “Never
Keep Secrets” Rule: Never keep secrets about someone breaking the private body
parts (or touching) rule

§ 
Learning how to
apply assertive reporting skills in response to scenarios when someone has broken
the private body parts (or touching) rule

·        
Q: Do you talk
about who are the safe/appropriate people to report to? A: Yes, we do.

·        
Timeline:

o  
February: School
counselor presented CPU to Campbell staff at staff meeting

o  
March: CPU letter
sent home to parents. Ms. Sullivan is available to meet with any parent who’s
interested in learning more about this lesson

o  
April: Ms.
Sullivan delivers CPU lessons to K-5 classrooms; home links sent home with
students following lesson delivery. K-2^nd lessons will happen during
first week of April; 3-5^th will be given the lesson during the
second week of April; each lesson is approximately 30 minutes

·        
Classroom
teachers and the school psychologist will be present during the lessons. I will
follow-up with any students who have difficulty with the lesson or who didn’t
meet learning objectives

V.    Elementary
Boundary Initiative Update: Nathan Zee, President

·        
Latest news:

o  
We lobbied School
Board members, spoke at School Board meetings, sent in 52 letters, have members
on walkability task force, FAC, etc., all providing their input

o  
We’ve had several
surveys that we’ve shared via Announcements including Campbell walk zone survey
(open until 3/16), and survey asking what criteria should be considered in
school siting

o  
Other schools
have been lobbying their positions as well

o  
It is unclear
what specific transportation changes may be coming as APS looks to reduce transportation
costs, but there is a possibility that “Courtesy” busing to Campbell could be
lost

o  
Campbell will
likely be receiving an additional (fourth) Kindergarten next year, and two
additional trailer classrooms to accommodate expected growth as APS moves
towards expanding/maximizing all Option Schools’ enrollment

o  
In April, Staff
will make recommendations about what schools are being considered to move, but
will not indicate what program will move where; that decision will be made next
fall in conjunction with the Elementary School boundary process

o  
Depending on the recommendation
in April, we will be ready to continue to engage

VI.  Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Highlight this month
include:

o  
$77.65 from Game Night
concessions; $507 in expenses

o  
$458 in Outdoor
Classroom expenses, coordinator hours total $507

o  
$515 in Project
Discovery income

o  
$210 in Amazon rewards
income

o  
$250 from Girl Scout
Troop Donation to update recess supplies

o  
Two Funding
Requests, which do not require votes because they’re within grade level budgets:

§ 
5^th
Grade Field Trip assistance, $1,000

§ 
Kindergarten:
$129.99 for Magna-Tiles for Ms. Sim’s class choice time

o  
With these
requests, all line-item funding for K and 5^th grade has been exhausted

VII. New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

·        
Any New Business?

·        
Ms. Christy,
Outdoor Learning Coordinator:

o  
The proposed APS budget
includes proposed cuts to the Assistant-to-Teacher program

o  
This program enables current APS Paraprofessionals who qualify to participate in a
partially funded program to obtain a Virginia teacher license. 

o  
The loss
of this program would have a significant negative impact on Campbell, as there
are current Campbell Assistant Teachers in this program who would not be able
to continue in their programs without this continued financial assistance

o  
Nathan: talking points will be shared for those who would like to
express support for the program to the School Board. Miss Christy will be
speaking at the March 22^nd School Board meeting

VIII.        Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• Teacher
  Appreciation Week coming up during second week of May

• Our
  Committee Chair will be out-of-town during that week, so we need a
  volunteer to step-in to coordinate/plan the events and we also need help/volunteers
  to execute those plans; let me know if you’re interested and available to
  help

• Next
  Restaurant Night will be Brick’s Pizza Night on April 11^th (4-8
  pm)
• Thanks
  for coming and that’s a wrap!

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 80

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to the PTA meeting
• Nathan
  introduced the guest speaker, Tannia Talento, School Board Member

II.    Tannia
Talento, School Board Member, Campbell Liaison

• Ms.
  Talento introduced herself and thanked our PTA for our input and feedback
  regarding the Elementary School siting process
• Ms.
  Talento provided an update on APS/School Board happenings:

• New
  School Board Member, Monique O’Grady, has taken office
• School
  Board Member Barbara Kanninen will be up for reelection
• Pre-K
  and Kindergarten registration is underway
• Activities
  for Black History Month are culminating in a celebration at Gunston Middle
  School; “Arlington: Past and future Excellence” will be held from 6-8 pm
  on 2/28
• School
  Board Advisory Councils and Committees are seeking new members. For more
  information, visit: https://www.apsva.us/school-board-advisory-councils-and-committees/
• New
  Middle School Boundaries were adopted in December; they will go into
  effect in Fall 2019
• The
  APS Calendar for 2018-19 was adopted

• One
  change to look for is that Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held over
  1 ½ days rather than 2 full days

• Adopted
  the first of two Acceptable Use Policies for student devices; second
  policy will be discussed at the March 22^nd School Board
  Meeting
• Option
  and Transfer Policy Revisions:

• Sibling
  preferences maintained for Elementary level; waiting to update Secondary
  level sibling policy until after boundary revision process is complete
• All
  option programs became Countywide admission
• Student
  must re-apply every year to remain on waitlist after this year

• Preparing
  for new schools to open
• Visit
  Board Docs for upcoming School Board meeting agendas about the CIP for FY
  2019-2028

• 3/8:
  AFSAP monitoring report on projections and capacity utilization due
• 3/22:
  CIP framework (informational item)
• 4/5:
  CIP framework (action item)

• Strategic
  Plan:
• In
  January, we gathered community input on draft mission and vision
  statement 
• FY
  2019 budget hearings will be held on 2/22 and 2/24

• Have
  a deficit for the coming fiscal year and we don’t anticipate the county
  being able to close all the gaps because their budget is also projecting
  a shortfall

• Reed
  Elementary school BLPC process underway
• Career
  Center Working Group meetings will be held from February until August;
  still able to accommodate the growth of Arlington Tech as planned for
  2018-2019
• Education
  Center offices are relocating to Syphax Building; Instructional Focus for
  seats at the Ed Center site TBD

• Ms.
  Talento gave an update the timeline for the Elementary School Planning
  process; details are available online at: https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Handout_ES-Planning-Initiative_FINAL-ENGLISH-Updated-Feb-18.pdf

• Winter
  2018: approved process and scope
• Spring
  2018: designation of neighborhood and option schools (decision about
  where programs may move will not be made, just whether they should be
  moved)
• Fall
  2018: adoption of Elementary School boundaries

• Policy
  considerations:

• Efficiency
• Proximity
• Stability
• Alignment
• Demographics
• Contiguity

• Ms.
  Talento opened the floor to questions and comments. Extensive questions
  and comments were taken. Some highlights include:

• Comment:
  We are concerned about Campbell being moved, especially if the only
  consideration is density of students nearby.

• Response:
  I don’t know whether Campbell would be named. We have to find out how answers
  to a number of unanswered questions (seats gained? cost? disruption to
  programs?). We’ve heard your feedback and are thankful for your comments
  that will help inform our decision. Campbell has not come up
  specifically in our discussions about possible program moves
• Staff
  will present the possibilities at the 4/10 work session, and community
  engagement about that proposal will begin on 4/11

• Comment:
  Our program was built by our parents. The time to engage with the
  community is now, because there are so many considerations that aren’t
  being talked about yet.
• Comment:
  Also, consider many of our students are transfers from Barcroft because
  of the alternative calendar. What is going to be done about that
  calendar, which is not appropriate in a neighborhood school (because it’s
  different than all the other schools, shouldn’t it be an option?)

• Your
  comment about Barcroft’s calendar should be emailed to the Engage
  website

• Comment:
  FAC Meeting on 2/28 will discuss what criteria other than walkability
  should be considered
• Comment:
  Moving choice schools out of South Arlington is not acceptable.
• Comment:
  With such little information about what might be proposed, it’s hard to
  give appropriate feedback.
• Comment:
  Don’t understand why we’re considering the cost of moving schools when
  we’re under such tight budget constraints; programs must be considered
  individually and more than just walkability must be a factor.
• Comment:
  Staff and School Board Members should come tour our school (and other
  option schools) before making any recommendations or decisions. They
  should see EL in action and understand how much we utilize our location
  and surroundings for instruction.

• Response:
  I will take that feedback to the School Board Members.

• Comment:
  Our instructional focus is tied to our location and can’t be replicated
  elsewhere.

• Response:
  We’re looking at boundaries and countywide programs because some may not
  be strategically placed. This is just a proposal that staff is bringing
  forward. Then the School Board must weigh whether it will cost too much
  to move the program in terms of instruction, community impact, financial
  cost. We are trying to make an informed decision. 

• Comment:
  Our children have built and care for a lot of the outdoor spaces at
  Campbell. From a whole child perspective, moving our program could be
  detrimental to them.  
• Q:
  Where should we be sending our feedback? A: Send emails to Engage@apsva.us; these emails go to Staff
  directly.
• Q:
  How was this process initiated? A: Staff made the proposal and the School
  Board voted to consider their proposal.
• Comment:
  Since the decision was made to make all option schools countywide, you
  should consider that Campbell is located pretty close to the N/S split
  and provides good accessibility; seems like a good way to keep option
  transportation costs down.

• Ms.
  Nesselrode shared that in her discussions with staff in the Central
  Office, she has been making the case that Campbell isn’t a good candidate
  to move for the following reasons:

• Instructional
  Focus good fit for current location (Outdoor Classroom, Wetlands, walking
  Field Trips to Long Branch Nature Center)
• Interlude
  Program colocation
• Diversity
  of student body might be compromised if we were moved to a less central
  location
• Will
  continue to advocate until proposal is put forward in April

III.   Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• No
  time to go through funding requests; they were all within our previously
  approved budget. We don’t need to vote to approve, but for transparency, I
  will send out details by email.
• Kate
  Sullivan, School Counselor: Please try to keep the discussions about
  program/school locations and potential moves to yourselves and try not to discuss
  with or in front of your children, to save the students from undue anxiety.
  

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 20

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to the PTA meeting
• Nathan
  reminded everyone:

• The
  Coat Drive was a booming success; PTA spent about $1,300 of the $3,000 we
  had approved because we received more donations of actual coats than
  anticipated (from a church in McLean); we were able to provide hats, gloves,
  boots, shoes, gift cards, etc. to supplement the drive
• Added
  a Restaurant Night, on 3/8 at the Silver Diner; more info to follow
• Nominating
  Committee still engaged in search for potential PTA officers; chair will
  be reaching out to members to find those who might want to serve on the
  board next year

• Nathan
  introduced the guest speaker, Carole Goodloe, Outdoor Lab Board Member

II.    Outdoor
Lab: Carole Goodloe, Outdoor Lab Board

• Ms.
  Goodloe introduced herself and gave a brief history of the Outdoor Lab

• A
  non-profit that partners with APS to provide access to science and
  outdoor education for Arlington students
• Founded
  by former APS science teachers; celebrated its 50^th
  Anniversary this year
• 225
  acres of pristine woods in Prince Willian County, exclusively for APS use
• Currently,
  they are able to accommodate grade level trips at 3^rd and 7^th
  grade, as well as an overnight trip for 5^th graders
• Curriculum
  and staff coordinate lessons with APS science curriculum; opportunity for
  kids to engage in science curriculum in natural setting

• Facilities
  are being strained by APS student population growth

• Trying
  to work with APS to expand staff, facilities, and transportation to
  continue to provide same level of access
• AOEA
  committed to rebuilding the cottage
• Please
  talk to the School Board, Science Staff, Superintendent to support this
  vital resource (advocacy sheet distributed for talking points)

• Summer
  Camp opportunities:

• Three
  sessions (for rising 5^th, 6^th, and 9^th
  graders)
• Includes
  three overnights, lots of hiking, fishing, boating, and science
• Can
  sign up through the APS Summer Course Catalog that will go home during
  March conferences

• Ms.
  Goodloe opened the floor to questions:

• Q:
  As the opportunity for Outdoor Lab has shrunk, how has the community
  responded? A: APS considered cutting it all together, but community
  outcry staved that off. Now we’re at the point of slow accretion; 5^th
  grade overnights would likely be the next thing to fall by the wayside.
• Q:
  When you say this might be cut, how soon? A: Not imminently, but I am
  worried that there’s so little wiggle room for scheduling the schools and
  all the students that something will have to give

• Nathan:
  When we do our schoolwide trip on 4/22, it will be PTA subsidized, but
  we’ll be asking for donations to supplement our visit to the Outdoor Lab

• Q:
  What other challenges do you face? A: We always look for opportunities to
  acquire more land as a buffer between our natural space and the
  surrounding area, which becomes less natural every year; we need a
  significant capital fund to do this as well as fund other projects.
• Q:
  What is this Campbell event on 4/22? A: Campbell has
  reserved the Outdoor Lab for the day. Students and their families will
  have the opportunity to take a bus to the Outdoor Lab. The bus will
  depart from Campbell and return here at the end of the day on Sunday,
  4/22; we’re doing this so that kids who might not get to go to the
  Outdoor Lab during the year have a chance to visit. If you are unable to
  attend, there is an open house sponsored by the Outdoor Lab for all APS
  students on May 5^th

III.   Benefits of Title 1: Maureen Nesselrode, Principal

·        
What is Title 1?

o  
Part of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

o  
Provides
financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high
numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure
that all children meet challenging state academic standards

o  
Federal funds are
currently allocated through four statutory formulas that are based primarily on
census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each state

o  
For more info: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/title1parta/index.html

·        
Arlington has six
Title 1 schools, all over 60% free/reduced lunch

·        
The Funding is
used for:

o  
Additional reading
teachers

o  
Professional
Development for teachers (on and offsite)

o  
Purchasing
instructional materials

o  
Classroom
libraries

o  
Summer programs
(such as: summer mailbox, summer school, summer enrichment)

o  
Parental
involvement events (Multicultural Night, Fall into the Arts, for example)

·        
Money cannot be used for:

o  
Supplanting
something that other schools already get (they intend for kids to get MORE than
their advantaged peers)

o  
Furniture

o  
School supplies

o  
Food (unless its
for a Parental Involvement event)

·        
Requirements for
Title 1 schools:

o  
Staff must be
highly qualified (assistants must pass an exam or have college degrees)

o  
Additional
documentation required (staff reports, parent attendance at events)

o  
Must meet testing
targets or risk sanctions

o  
Must develop a
school plan

o  
Additional
oversight/support from the Central Office

·        
Ms. Nesselrode
opened the floor to questions

o  
Q: Is Title 1
based on a percentage of economically disadvantaged students? And is it only
elementary schools? A: Yes, Arlington has decided to allocate its Title 1 money
to elementary schools where 60% or more of the students receive free or reduced
lunch.

o  
Q: Can you
explain the difference between a Title 1 school and a Focus school? A: This is
changing because ESEA is changing, but in the past, the difference was that Focus
Schools were Title 1 schools that did not met their testing targets (targets
set by the state). They receive additional scrutiny and additional support to
help them meet their targets. Campbell was briefly a Focus School at the
beginning of my tenure here (2011) based on a drop in test scores, but our
scores have improved significantly each subsequent year without a lot of test
prep, which is something I am very proud of. We’ve been testing above target
since the 2013-2014 school year.

o  
Q: Are the class
sizes in Title 1 smaller? A: Good question. Title 2 is the reason we have extra
staff, which leads to a lower student/teacher ratio. You can be Title 1 and not
have the Title 2 designation. Title 1 requires that we stay one below the
countywide maximum number of student per class. However, Title 2 means we get
additional staffing, so the student/teacher ratios are more favorable even if
class size doesn’t appear to be so different.

o  
Q: Will our class
sizes be affected by the new lottery that will be administered by the Central
Office? A: Possibly, though we do have that hard cap based on Title 1.

o  
Q: So kids will
be able to enter at any grade? A; Yes, if there is space. We don’t really know
how we might be affected. We’ll have to see what is stated at Kindergarten
Information night as to the lotteries. We do know that parents will be able to
apply to the lottery online.

o  
Q: How many
additional students might we get? A: Maybe as many as 40, if we maxed out across
the school.

o  
Q: Could our
Title 1 status be lost depending on who enters the lottery? A: It’s possible,
ultimately. My best guess would be that the people who currently apply here
would continue to apply, and that covers a wide spectrum of economic status.

o  
Comment: We’re
under the radar, so it will take a few years I think before that might happen.
People don’t even know we’re here.

o  
Comment:
Transportation is a wild card, as we’ve never provided it to North Arlington;
it may change who applies over time.

o  
Q: Will current
wailing lists be carried over? A: The current wait lists will be grandfathered
for one year. After that, there will be a different process.

o  
Comment: This
change will also be more equitable for families who are more transient or who
move to the area after Kindergarten, like military families. They had almost no
shot at the lotteries in the past. 

o  
Q: Will our
Montessori classroom be moved to the new Montessori building at the Henry site?
A: It’s a possibility. Not all classrooms will be moved there, but some might,
so it is a possibility. 

·        
Kate Sullivan,
School Counselor:

o  
As of yesterday,
rising 6^th graders can apply for neighborhood transfers to Kenmore
and Jefferson Middle Schools; applications are available online. They are due
Friday, January 26^th. The HB Woodlawn lottery deadline is January 19^th.
Information sessions are being held at all Middle Schools this month; Middle
School counselors will be going over course options and electives for next year
with rising 6^th graders on February 5^th.

IV.  Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Highlights from December:

o  
Fun Run donations
totaled over $10,000

o  
Four Courts
Restaurant Night earned $700

o  
Amazon rewards
earned $ 353

o  
Zumba earned $280

o  
Took in our Project
Discovery payments and paid out instructors

o  
Expenses included
a new lamp for the Turtle Tank, Kindergarten Field trip support ($49), Teacher
Appreciation prior to winter break ($350), Outdoor Classroom expenses, VAPTA
and CCPTA dues paid, duct tape expenses, wellness event for the teachers ($78)

o  
Movie Night broke
even

o  
Spanish
Department bought puppets and subscription to a music website with their
allocated funds

o  
Any questions?

§ 
Q: How far back
does the Amazon rewards program look back? Does this include holiday sales? A:
No, there’s a lag time of about two months, so holiday shopping done on Amazon
will be reflected in future rewards payments.

·        
Funding requests:

o  
Ms. Berg, $100
for t-shirts for the Campbell Math Dice team

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

o  
Ms. Dooley, $200 for
positive classroom behavior support incentives for Interlude

§ 
Students earn
points for positive behavior and can trade those points for tangible items; teachers
have been paying for these items out of pocket, and we don’t want that to
continue

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

·        
As many of you
know, we’ve raised more money than expected this year and we’d like to identify
a larger or longer-term project. We’ve discussed the idea of Library Furniture
replacement. Thoughts, questions, comments?

o  
Comment: Looking
at more modern furniture that is also more adult-friendly, that can accommodate
ease of moving it and that is more flexible in terms of use for seating. Some
wobble-type pieces, and some pieces that are larger and better sized for older
ES kids and the adults who frequently use this furniture.

o  
Comment: If the
school purchases the furniture, must use an approved vendor from a list APS
provides; PTA would have more flexibility in vendor.

V.    New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

• Wetlands
  Planning

• Next
  meeting will be held next Tuesday evening, 1/16, at Barbara Martinez’s
  house at 6:30 pm, look for an email reminder shortly
• We’ve
  signed contracts for the Dunk Tank, Rock Climbing Wall, and two Face
  Painters for the Festival

• Paige
  Hamrick reminded everyone about Family Game Night on Friday, 2/2 at 6:30
  pm

• Limited
  beverages and snacks will be available for purchase

• Penny
  Wars will take place mid-February
• Tammy
  Bewitz:

• Reminder
  that the spring session of Project Discovery begins on 4/4

• Any
  parents who have a special skill, interest, or expertise and who may
  want to lead a class, please get in touch

• Something
  to think about: would Campbell be interested in the idea of partnering
  with a local CSA (Campbell would be the pick-up location for food)? This
  is a vendor we’ve worked with for a Project Discovery class. The CSA is
  called The Common Market.

• Could
  we do a trial run to gauge parent interest?
• Maybe
  have an information booth at the Wetlands Festival?
• Tammy
  Bewitz will gather additional information and report back

VI.  Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• Remember:
  Tannia Talento will be our guest speaker at the February meeting.
• Thanks
  for coming and I hope to see you then! 

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 24

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to the third PTA meeting of the year
• Nathan
  reminded everyone:

• Restaurant
  Night at Ireland’s Four Courts on 11/15 from 5-8 pm
• Square
  One Art deadline packets will be coming home in this Thursday’s folders;
  opportunity to order your children’s artwork on various products (make
  great gifts)

• Nathan
  introduced the guest speaker, Mr. David McBride, Principal of Kenmore
  Middle School

II.    Kenmore
Update: David McBride, Kenmore Principal

• Mr.
  McBride introduced himself and his Assistant Principal, Ms. Christine Joy

• Mr.
  McBride is in his second year as Principal, but has been at Kenmore for
  11 years
• Ms.
  Joy has a teaching background (14 years classroom experience)

• Mr.
  McBride conducted an ice-breaker exercise called Myth Vs. Truth
• Mr.
  McBride noted that one of the great challenges of educating Middle School
  students is that they are prone to testing boundaries, therefore at
  Kenmore they try to:

• Meet
  each student where he/she is
• Provide
  needed support and structure
• Model
  appropriate behavior and boundaries
• Are
  proactive about messages pertaining to this age group’s boundary-testing (things
  like sex, drugs, alcohol, violence, etc.)

• Mr.
  McBride opened the floor to questions

• Q:
  I’ve heard about increased drugs in the county, things like drug-sniffing
  dogs and bathroom doors off the hinges. Have you noticed an increase and
  what are you doing to prevent? A: We have a Prevention Counselor,
  celebrate Red Ribbon week, and are ramping up prevention efforts. This is
  a nationwide concern, particularly the abuse of prescription medication
  and heroin, not necessarily specific to any one school in APS. We work
  with parents and encourage you to begin talking about these issues as
  early as Elementary School, to develop a plan/network of fellow parents,
  and to remain vigilant about preventing addiction.

• Ms.
  Nesselrode: The March Campbell PTA meeting will be devoted to discussing
  the Arlington County Partnership for Youth and Families survey regarding
  risk-taking behaviors

• Q:
  How do you promote the integration of your diverse student body, stop
  cliques from forming for instance? A: We have student “teams” comprised
  of diverse groups of kids. Each team has its own TA and Guidance
  Counselor to promote unity within the team. We see most of this “clique”
  type behavior taking shape online and outside of school hours, but it can
  still affect the school, so we talk a lot about character development in
  the homeroom classes to build a culture of kindness.
• Q:
  Is there cyberbullying happening? A: Yes, it happens and it’s a challenge
  for schools because a lot of it happens outside of school.
• Q:
  Are non-school-issued electronic devices allowed during school hours? A:
  No phone use is allowed in classrooms or hallways; children are permitted
  to use school-issued iPads at lunchtime; IT staff is trying to do a
  better job of filtering access to inappropriate content
• Q:
  How hard is Middle School? I’ve heard some students saying it’s so hard,
  while other complain about being bored. So, is it easy or rigorous? A:
  APS doesn’t have an “Honors” track per se, so some students are going to
  need more challenge and find coursework easier, while others will find it
  challenging. It depends on the student.
• Q:
  Is there a lack of afterschool activities at the school? A: We have as
  many afterschool activities as the other middle schools. We have Act 2
  and the Check-In program, as well as intramural sports. Many of our activities,
  like Lit Mag and Screenwriting, meet during school hours. We can have as
  many clubs and activities as we have sponsors, interested students, and
  space, so if you or your child have a great idea let’s talk.
• Q:
  How do you support LGBTQ students? A: We are a diverse community and we
  respect all our students. We have LGBTQ students currently enrolled, as
  well as staff who identify LGBTQ. We are an accepting community and we
  work on being accepting in our anti-bullying program
• Q:
  Being such a big school, isn’t there not enough spots for all children to
  participate in various activities? A: Yes, that’s a challenge that
  exists.
• Comment:
  In terms of clubs/activities afterschool, everyone should consider that
  teachers may not be getting paid for that time if it’s outside of their
  contract hours. Also, clubs are supposed to be student-led (students can
  create or petition for a club that they want to start). Response: Yes, we
  do need students to want a club for it to be successful.
• Q:
  Now that transfers aren’t being allowed, will the pride be lost if nobody
  can choose Kenmore? A: Well, that’s not necessarily true. The STEAM
  certificate program is a school initiative and wasn’t sanctioned by APS,
  but that doesn’t mean that it won’t be. There is an “academic” track at
  Kenmore; our STEAM focus is well-suited for our diverse community because
  Art is a universal language and Technology is an equalizer; we have more
  opportunities/courses for Art and Technology minded students than other
  schools, but it’s not forced and any student can do well here.

• Ms.
  Nesselrode discussed her positive perspective on Kenmore

• Mr.
  McBride scrolled through the Kenmore Twitter feed to give a visual
  representation of a typical day at the school
• Q:
  Is Kenmore becoming Spanish Immersion? A: That’s not on the table any
  longer and our focus will remain STEAM.
• Education
  for this age group has improved as a whole; we have an excellent and
  committed faculty at Kenmore.
• Q:
  STEAM certificate will still be offered? A: Yes, until they tell us
  otherwise.
• Q:
  Do you offer Latin? A: Yes, we currently offer it online, but we’d like
  to grow this program as student interest grows.
• Q:
  Are you still a Kennedy Center CETA (Changing Education through the Arts)
  Partnership school? A: Not exactly. Due to budget cuts to their program
  we are no longer an official CETA partner school, however, individual
  teachers continue to work with them for professional development.

• Kate Sullivan, Guidance Counselor
  reminded everyone that there is a Middle School transition “one-pager”
  available. Highlights include:

o  
APS will decide
whether transfers are allowed after the MS boundary decision is made

o  
Process for the
transition will not change; there will still be Information Sessions held at
each school, as well as an Orientation prior to the start of the year

o  
Your Child’s
teachers will recommend levels for your children’s core classes and you’ll be
walked through elective choices

III.   Wetlands Committee: Nathan Zee, President

·        
Planning begins
in about a month; first meeting likely will be held on 12/12 if you’re
interested in joining us look for
more information via announcements and Facebook

·        
Festival will be
held in April

·        
Activities likely
include:

o  
Rock-climbing
wall

o  
Dunk Tank

o  
Silent Auction

o  
Live Bands

o  
Food

·        
May change time
to move away from the dinner hour to earlier afternoon; would then change menu
from dinner foods to snack-type food to accommodate. Consider this and email me
your thoughts.  

IV.  Nominating
Committee: Nathan Zee, President

·        
Beth Cavey and
Stacey Zee have graciously agreed to be on this committee; we need one or two
more individuals to round out the committee

o  
Amanda Lowenberger
volunteered to join committee

·        
Motion made to
approve Nominating Committee of Beth Cavey, Stacey Zee, and Amanda Lowenberger

o  
Motion seconded;
motion approved unanimously  

V.    Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Highlights from
October:

o  
Dog Fish Head
Restaurant Night earned us $1,400

o  
Fun Run donations
this month equaled $4,200

o  
Collected money
for Spirit Wear

o  
Project Discovery
payments made

o  
Expenses included
previously approved PA system upgrade ($9,900),

o  
Any questions?

§ 
Q: When will we receive
Spirit Wear? A: Possibly this Friday.

§ 
Q: Where can we
purchase car magnets? A: We have them in stock. See Heidi Heim after the
meeting if you’re interested.

·        
Funding requests:

o  
Ms. Bradley, the
school Social Worker, $195.29 for Lego therapy set

§ 
Q: Is it a
specific set? Because we have a lot of Legos in the PTA closet. A: It may be a
specific set; we can approve the money and then loop back with her to see
whether it’s something specific. If she can use what we have, she won’t spend
the approved money.

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

o  
Ms. Ammons, $49 to
offset the cost of Claude Moore Colonial Farm Kindergarten field trip

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

·        
As many of you
know, we raised approximately $4,000 more than expected/budgeted during the
recent Fun Run fundraiser. At our last Executive Board Meeting we discussed
what that money should go towards. Campbell has identified a larger need in our
community for coats, boots, gloves, hats, scarves and other winter gear. We’d
like the PTA to consider contributing to this event. Ms. Monica Castillo helps
to organize this event every year; it’s run sort of like a pop-up shop on the
last day before Winter Break. The donations typically come from a local church combined
with donations of clothing/toys/games/other gifts from individual Campbell
families and surrounding neighbors who wish to donate during this season of
giving. We’d like to help round out the donations/fill any gaps with some of
our excess money earned through the Fun Run campaign. We’d like to approve funding up to $3,000
toward this goal. Thoughts, questions, comments?

o  
Comment: Purchasing
these items individually must be difficult to coordinate. There is no physical
space to store things here at the school, so most of the shopping will have to
happen at the last minute. It would be helpful to have a set amount of money to
better coordinate this event and make sure the needs are met.

o  
Q: What about a
Giving Tree? We could be more organized if we knew the exact needs/wants
beforehand. A: This is how we’ve organized the event it in the past, but that’s
something to consider.  

o  
Comment: I don’t
think we should use PTA money for this, because it’s for a select group of
students rather than all students.

o  
Comment: We fund
specific requests for individual teachers for specific items that won’t be used
by everyone all the time. I don’t see how this is different.

o  
Comment: These items
will benefit students’ instructional needs indirectly. Students don’t need only
books and classroom supplies, they have socioemotional needs, too.

o  
Comment: This is
a unique, one-time thing we’re doing. This isn’t a recurring PTA event. It’s a school-run
event and our PTA has had a one-time windfall. What better way to spend that money
than to turn around and spend it to support those in need in our own community?

o  
Comment: This is
a schoolwide event, so it’s not just benefitting one specific family.

o  
Comment: This is
good service modelling.

o  
Comment: Our
community should support our own.

o  
Comment: Perhaps
we should create guidelines or a framework with how we spend excess money in
the future; a set of parameters for what are and are not appropriate asks?

o  
Comment: Setting
aside the charitable aspect, barriers to education affect all students in a
school, not just the ones particularly affected by being cold or hungry, so an
activity like this is for the benefit of all students.

o  
Comment: This is
in direct alignment with our PTA mission

·        
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously

VI.  New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

• Nathan
  called for any new business
• Paige
  Hamrick reminded everyone about Movie Night on 12/8

• Pizza,
  beverages, and snacks will be available for purchase (no pre-orders for
  pizza)
• Cars
  3 will be shown

• Ms.
  Nesselrode informed us that new bottle-fillers had been installed in the
  hallway water fountains, and a new TV at the entrance displaying the
  Campbell Twitter feed was installed

VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• Remember:
  we won’t have a December PTA meeting.
• Thanks
  for coming and see you in the new year! 

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 24

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to the second PTA meeting of the year
• Nathan
  read two Thank You notes

• Thank
  You letter from Ms. Peterson thanking the PTA for supporting the Music
  Department by funding the purchase of ukuleles  
• Thank
  You letter from the Fifth Grade Team thanking the PTA for the Welcome
  Back Breakfast provided on the first Friday of the school year

• Nathan
  reminded everyone:

• We’ll
  be forming a nominating committee to identify potential new Executive
  Board Members at next month’s meeting
• The
  Fun Run is less than two weeks away on 10/20; mark your calendars
• The
  first Box Top deadline is coming up at the end of October, so be sure to
  send them in if you have them
• Restaurant
  Night at Dogfish Head Ale House on 10/17; more info to come home in
  Thursday folders

II.    Counselling
Parent Survey: Kate Sullivan, School Counselor

• Ms.
  Sullivan introduced a survey of Staff, Parents, and current 3-5^th
  grade students to identify the greatest areas of counselling needs

• Paper
  copy of the Survey available tonight, available in English and Spanish
• Survey
  was previously distributed via the listserv, Facebook, and Twitter
• Looking
  for discrepancies between what the various stakeholder groups (Staff,
  Parents, Students) report

• So
  far, responses are closely aligned
• That
  means staff is in tune with students’ needs

• Data
  gathered from survey will help inform how staff and resources are
  allocated/utilized

• Please
  note that:

• Someone
  is available for walk-in students at all times
• Referral
  forms are always available (discretely) to students, parents, and
  teachers
• Any
  questions?

• Q:
  Will you be working with all grade levels? How will you prioritize you
  time? A: Yes, Tier 1 services are school-wide initiatives that will be
  provided to all grade levels. Anti-bullying is an example of a Tier 1
  service. Tier 1 interventions will follow the Mind-Up curriculum and
  will be provided in classrooms during Morning Meetings, or during a
  Specials block depending on the class schedule. Tier 2 interventions are
  those where a specific need is identified, and are not meant to be
  preventative but rather responsive to a particular situation or
  student(s). For example: typically, there aren’t many students who enter
  Campbell in the upper grades, but this need was identified for third
  graders this year, so a group formed to ease that transition in response
  to the specific need.

• If
  you ever have any concerns, I am happy to check in with your student

III.   Site-based Survey Results: Maureen
Nesselrode, Principal

·        
Ms. Nesselrode first
presented a community-building exercise for the attendees. The exercise is one presented
to Kindergarten students, and served as an example of an activity that can be
differentiated for Gifted students to go beyond the Kindergarten curriculum

·        
Ms. Nesselrode
then discussed the Site-based Survey:

o  
Given every two
years; APS Systemwide Survey is conducted in alternate years

o  
Highlights
include:

§ 
In previous
years’ surveys, parents had not indicated that they felt the instructional
model was strong

§ 
In response, we
made some tweaks and improved fidelity to the Expeditionary Learning Model

§ 
Also made efforts
to communicate and educate the community about EL education

§ 
This year’s
survey showed much higher number of parents who indicated a strong
curriculum/instruction at Campbell

·        
Ms. Nesselrode
then introduced another community-building “game” based on Campbell’s survey
results

o  
The game is an
example of something being done in Math Workshop at Campbell , where students
work in small groups with the teachers facilitating

o  
Q: Do we have
benchmark data to compare Campbell to itself and other APS schools? A: Yes,
that’s all available online. What we worked to address were areas for greatest
improvement, based on responses to our previous survey: strength of
instructional model, more regular communications (like Newsletters).

o  
Q: How do you get
to the why behind the data? A:
Through informal conversations, the team/staff tries to drill down to find
areas of improvement and to figure out where to focus more effort.

o  
Q: Are students
objective/fair reporters? A: Yes, 5^th graders are particularly
reliable reporters.

o  
Q: What about
bullying: is it widespread? A: Even if it’s only three students, it matters,
and we need to get to the bottom of it. Classroom lessons are important, and we
have some work to do in this area.

·        
The Survey data
also helps to put things into perspective for the School Board, who typically
only hear complaints from the squeaky wheels

IV.  Fun
Run Update: Sean Doyle, VP Fundraising

·        
Fun Run is one
week from this Friday

o  
We’re behind on
our fundraising goal

o  
Please remember
to register your student and send out links to friends and family

o  
If you don’t want
to hassle with registering your student online, you can also just write a check
and put it in the PTA mailbox

o  
We set an
ambitious goal of raising $10,000 since we reduced the big fundraisers from
three down to two

o  
A reminder flyer
will go home in Thursday folders this week

o  
Q: Do you need
parent volunteers? A: Yes. Set-up will happen the evening before, and we could
use help. Parents are welcome to participate with their students on the day of
the event, and can help as need arises on the day of (passing out water,
cleaning up, etc.)

·        
Paige Hammrick,
VP Programming:

o  
Reminder that
Spirit Week will be held next week leading up to the Fun Run

§ 
W: Pajama Day  

§ 
Th: Sports Day

§ 
F:  Class Color Day

·        
Pre-K: Purple

·        
K: Orange

·        
1^st:
White

·        
2^nd:
Yellow

·        
3^rd:
Blue

·        
4^th:
Red

·        
5^th:
Green

·        
Nathan Zee,
President:

o  
Reminder about Fundraising
Incentives:

§ 
Schoolwide: at
$6,000-10,000 level

§ 
Individual: at
$250 = 25 raffle tickets for Wetlands Festival; at $500 = one free Project
Discovery class and guaranteed placement

·        
Q: Are incentives
by family or by individual? A: By family. if a family raises $250, they get 25
raffle tickets. But if they raise $500, the only get one Project Discovery
spot, even if there are two children in the family.

·        
Q: How much does
Campbell get from Restaurant Nights? A: It depends on the restaurant.

·        
Q: Where can I
find the Campbell Amazon affiliate link? A: It’s on the Campbell Elementary PTA
website, and we’ll send a reminder email out again soon.

·        
Barbara, VP
Communications:

o  
Reminder about
Sqaure One Art: will take place before the holidays this year; order forms will
go out around Thanksgiving

V.    Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Jenny explained how
to read the budget (copies provided to all members in attendance)

·        
Highlights for
the year so far:

o  
Collected $2,000
in dues (for 200 members)

o  
Collected money
for Spirit Wear

o  
$600 from Amazon  

o  
Expenses
included: garden clean-up, ukuleles, and Teacher Appreciation breakfast

o  
Any questions?
No.

·        
Funding requests:

o  
Ms. Drabyk, $158
for activity sets for Kindergarten

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

o  
Ms. Hill, $75 for
RIF books for Kindergarten

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

o  
Increase to
funding for the Book Garden for Kindergarten students

§ 
Previously
approved up to $400, but the actual cost was $625.57 and books have already
been purchased, so the ask is to approve an increase to the funding amount to
cover the additional expense

§ 
Falls under the
Literacy Initiatives line item in budget

§ 
Any questions or
comments?

·        
Q: Why did this
happen? A: Not sure, but doing our due diligence to find out.

·        
Q: How were the
books selected? A: The librarian and a parent volunteer selected them. They
were purchased through Amazon.

·        
Comment: I’m not
happy about the overrun and we should put a better system in place for next
time so that this doesn’t happen again. Perhaps a cap on price per book would
be helpful.  

·        
Comment: Isn’t
our budget above what we need, so I’m not worried about it. Response: We’ve had
some good fundraising years, but we have planned to spend down reserves in this
budget. We need to stick to the budget. If we spend more than what’s budgeted
for a particular item, it cuts into funds available for other things and other
students. It sets a bad precedent.

·        
Comment: These
are very nice books. Maybe increase the budget for this for next year.

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously after extensive discussion

VI.  New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

• Project
  Discovery starts tomorrow; there are 158 students registered and there are
  four Odyssey of the Mind teams, two Primary and two Secondary

• Thank
  you to Jenny Morris and Tammy Bewitz for their hard work on Project
  Discovery
• Thank
  you to Staff and Parent volunteer teachers for these classes

• Order
  Forms are available for Spy School Books to coincide with the upcoming
  Stuart Gibbs author visit to 4^th and 5^th grades
• Please
  enjoy some salsa, made with ingredients from the Campbell garden

VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• Remember:
  your donations are tax deductible in almost all cases and the PTA can
  provide you with a receipt if needed
• The
  Amazon affiliate link does NOT work on the Amazon APP
• Next
  month’s meeting will feature Dave McBride, Principal of Kenmore Middle
  School
• There
  will not be a meeting in December
• January’s
  meeting will feature Judy Collins from the Outdoor Lab
• February’s
  meeting will feature our School Board liaison, Tannia Talento
• March’s
  meeting will focus on Youth Culture/substance abuse
• Thank
  you for coming!

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 54

I.     Welcome
and Introductions/Ice Breaker: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to the meeting and initiated an ice-breaker
• Every
  attendee introduced themselves, their children (ages and teachers), and
  shared why they chose Campbell

II.    Overview
of 2017-2018 Plans: Nathan Zee, President

• Nathan
  introduced the topic and turned over the floor
• Programming
  highlights (Paige Hamrick, VP Programming)

• Paige
  introduced herself and briefly described her role, then highlighted the
  main programming events that are planned for this school year:

• Garden
  Work Day (Saturday, 9/16)
• Back-to-School
  picnic (Friday, 9/22)
• Spirit
  Week (three days prior to the October Fun Run)
• Movie
  Night
• Family
  Game Night (new this year; will be held in lieu of school dance)
• Class
  Colors (also new this year, colors won’t change)

• Pre-K: Purple
• K: Orange
• 1^st: White
• 2^nd: Yellow
• 3^rd: Blue
• 4^th: Red
• 5^th: Green

• Volunteers
  are welcome and needed to assist with events; attendees invited to
  sign-up for any volunteer roles they’re interested in; this is the FUN
  committee)

• Fundraising
  highlights (Sean Doyle, VP Fundraising)

• Two
  main fundraisers:

• Fit-and
  Fun Run, coming up on 10/20

• Can donate online or by check
• There will be school-wide and individual incentives

• Wetlands
  Festival in the spring

• Dunk tank, bands, food, silent auction

• We’ll
  need volunteers to help organize and staff these events
• Also
  looking for opportunities for community partnerships
• Other
  fundraisers that are coming up are:

• Restaurant
  Nights (10/17 at Dogfish Head, 11/15 at Four Courts)
• Square
  1 Art (in December)

• How
  to Get Involved (Barbara Martinez, VP Communications)

• Sign-up
  on Announcements to get communications
• Sign-up
  to volunteer on a committee

III.   State of the School: Maureen Nesselrode,
Principal

·        
At the beginning
of each year, I like to share our school plan and our goals for the year. Here
are the highlights:

o  
435 students
enrolled

o  
Low staff
turnover

o  
Additional
student services support

o  
Updated carpet
and paint (work done over the summer)

o  
SOL scores
improved again; closing achievement gaps

o  
Ms. Christy is
full time at Campbell this year; we’re increasing Outdoor learning time

o  
Outdoor Garden
Orientations are underway

o  
Countywide adoption
of TC Reader’s Workshop model; we were already doing it to some extent, but
we’ll increase implementation to meet county expectations

o  
Additional
Reading Specialist support (Title 1 funded); Reading Specialists help with
enrichment and build classroom libraries

o  
Installed
additional Smart Boards,; replacing Bulletin Board w/Flat Screen TV for
announcements/Twitter Feed at entrance

o  
New format for
Back-to-School Night

o  
Sound System
upgrades being installed this week (PTA funded); may use it at this Friday’s
Community Meeting

o  
Updates in APS
include

§ 
Reorganization of
Central Office

§ 
Canvas (a
Learning Management System) is replacing Blackboard

§ 
School Talk (text
message alerts) is being updated  

§ 
Revised School Boundaries:
new schools are opening and lotteries are being redesigned; more information
can be found on the APS website under “Engage with APS”

IV.  2016-2017
PTA Audit Review and Vote: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Over the summer,
members of the PTA Executive Board met with members of the Audit Committee and
conducted an audit of our PTA’s finances

·        
Members received
an electronic copy of the audit last week, and tonight we need to vote on
whether to approve the audit

o  
Motion to approve
audit; seconded; approved unanimously 

V. Budget Review
and Vote: Nathan Zee, President

·        
We’ve had a
successful few years

·        
We’re budgeted at
a loss this year to spend down some of our surplus funds

·        
Budget highlights
include:

o   Reduced PTA amount going to Outdoor Learning
Coordinator because she’s now fulltime through APS

o   Paid for upgraded Sound System

o   Increased amount for teacher appreciation and
teacher support

o   Outside experts and Outdoor Classroom amounts
increased

o   Changed budget to grade-level support to
encourage teachers to spend the money we’re making available across all grade
levels

·        
Any
questions/comments?

o   Q: Why was VPI line item funding decreased? A:
Because they are well-funded through the Early Childhood initiative and
therefore don’t need as much

·        
Motion to approve
2017-2018 Budget; seconded; approved unanimously

·        
Funding requests:

o   Ms. Decker, School Librarian: $400 for First
Reader books, one for each Kindergarten student (for a “Book Garden” for
incoming students, based on last year’s successful “Book Garden” for graduating
5^th Graders)

§  Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
unanimously 

o   Ms. Dooley, Interlude: $225.29 for sensory
toys, a room divider, headphones

§  Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
unanimously 

o   Ms. Peterson, Music teacher: $140 for five new
ukuleles

§  Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
unanimously 

o   Funding request: $230 to neuter Paige, the
school bunny

§  Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved

VI.  New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

• Membership
  reminders will wind down in about a week
• The
  Back-to-School Picnic will be held next Friday evening
• Reminders:

• Dogfish
  Head Restaurant Night coming up on 10/17
• Fun
  Run to be held on 10/20
• Four
  Courts Restaurant Night coming up on 11/15
• Thursday
  Morning Parent Group meetings are open to all; they’re conducted in
  Spanish, but English translation is available

• We’ll
  identify a nominating committee in November to begin the process of identifying
  the next set of PTA officers; four Executive Board members’ terms will
  expire at the end of this school year, so we’re looking for people to step
  into these roles
• Any
  new business from anyone else?

• Q:
  Can you talk a little bit about the process of bringing forward new
  business or idea/suggestions? For instance, how will we identify what we’re
  hoping to focus on this year as a PTA? Will you conduct a survey? A: We
  conducted a survey last May, and this year’s priorities, events, and
  budget are based on the results of that survey. We are always open to new
  suggestions and all are invited to provide comments/input at any time. We
  want to be as inclusive and transparent as possible.

VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• Thank
  you for coming! .