Posts by Katherine Novello
PTA Meeting Minutes 6.13.17
Campbell PTA Meeting
June 13, 2017
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate
# of Attendees: 28
I. Welcome
and Introductions: Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
welcomed everyone to the meeting and read a Thank You letter from Ms. Brewer
and Ms. Cornejo for the area rug and carpet protector funded by the PTA
for their Preschool classroom - They
are very appreciative and think it makes the room look warmer and cozier
II. Review
2016-2017 Accomplishments: Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
highlighted what a good year we’ve had - Good
feedback from the PTA survey - Great
year from a community-building perspective: - Successful
Back-to-School picnic - First
Outdoor Movie Night; well-received despite weather delay and resulting holiday
weekend conflict/cold weather - Penny
Wars (combination of programming and fundraising success); we got a lot
of good feedback on this event - Annual
School Dance - First
Fit-and Fun Run was a huge success and participants loved it - New
activities at the Wetlands Festival (Dunk Tank, K-9 demonstration,
face-painting); great feedback on new activities as well as repeat ones
(like the live music, a perennial favorite) - Second
DC United event; had 27 kids participate in the high-five tunnel - Too
many Spirit Days to name them all (including the extra one students
earned through Fit-and-Fun Run success: color wars) - PTA
Membership increased by over 5% - PTA
received an award for increasing PTA membership - Successful
from a Fundraising perspective: - Raised
more than expected - Fall
Pledge Drive exceeded goal - Fit
and Fun Run exceeded goal - Square
One Art exceeded goal - Wetlands
exceeded goal - Penny
Wars raised an unexpected amount - Amazon
affiliate link exceeded projections - Able
to fund numerous teacher support projects, including some that we’ll
present for approval tonight - We’ve
spent almost $25,000 on teacher support ideas (including pond redo) - That’s
a lot of funding that we were able to provide to support the kids at
our school - Good, involved, supportive PTA
with well-attended PTA meetings - Thank you to our members for a
wonderful year; we’re looking forward to another great year - Thank you to Jessica Haney, for
her work Wellness Committee and for spearheading new events like the
apple tasting and the teacher wellness event; she’s stepping down from
her role so we’re looking for someone to take over the Wellness Committee
next year; there are big shoes to fill
III. Review PTA Survey Results: Nathan Zee,
President
- Good
number of responses, about 60 including a few of the Spanish version - The
responses to our survey give us lots for us to think about for next year - If
you have feedback, it’s welcome anytime (you don’t have to wait for a
survey) - Based
on current feedback about Programming, possible changes we’re considering
are: - Movie
Night moved indoors (challenging to hold an event outdoors at this time
of year, but warmer seasons present challenge of light until too late for
a movie for young children) - We’re
going to look at the School Dance trying a new direction; possibly
replacing with a new event - No
DC United game next year because they’re moving stadiums; highlight of
this event was the community-building aspect so we’re going to try to
take the fun from that event and transfer it to a new event (possibly
another sporting event, but maybe not) - We’re
looking at a doing Spirit Week rather than having Spirit Days throughout
the year - Based
on feedback about Fundraising: - Wetlands
Festival is a definite, but we may make some tweaks to specific events
based on feedback - We
will not be doing a Fall Pledge Drive; we’re going to shift what people
liked about Pledge Drive (the no-fuss aspect) to the Fun Run, which will
take place in the Fall and become one of the two main fundraising events,
the other event being the Wetlands Festival in the Spring - Thought/questions/comments?
o Q: Why do away with the Pledge Drive when many
of us like the no fuss aspect and gave positive feedback, and participated in
the event? A: The main reason was the feedback we received, not all from the survey.
The Fun Run will have the no fuss component going forward. We’ll make it very
clear moving forward that you can “just write a check” for the Fun Run in the
same way you might have for the Pledge Drive last year.
§ Comment: We’ll need to communicate the No Fuss
option very clearly, that you won’t need to go online to register or send out
links and all that. You will be able to “just write a check” for this event.
§ Comment: The timing of last year’s Fun Run
made it difficult to communicate a clear message about the event because there
were overlapping fundraisers (Penny Wars and Square One); the objective of
revamping the timeline of events is to smooth this all out so we’re not
overloading everyone with fundraising messages.
o Q We like the incentives from the Pledge Drive,
can we move them to the Fun Run? A: Good feedback; we can consider it.
o Comment: I really like consolidating/simplifying
it to just two big fundraisers per year and applaud this change.
·
We don’t want
donors to get fatigued, so we may switch up the events again in the future to
keep things fresh without making people feel uncomfortable about how frequently
we’re asking for money.
·
Square One Art:
moving it back to November, so people can order and receive the products before
the Winter holidays.
·
Penny Wars: We’ll
do it again next year, tentatively scheduled around the same time of year:
Lincoln’s birthday.
·
Feedback about Communications:
o No major surprises in the feedback
o Most people get their information from
Announcements, with Thursday Folders being the second most popular source.
Facebook was also mentioned as a main source of information.
o Got email addresses from new parents at Kindergarten
Orientation and will add them to Announcements this evening.
·
Thank you for the
responses, we’re working on incorporating your feedback in our planning. Any
questions or comments? No.
IV. Feedback
on School Initiatives: Maureen Nesselrode, Principal
·
At the beginning
of the year, I shared school plan with our goals for the year. I thought we’d
circle back tonight and look at the highlights.
·
At the end of
last school year, I surveyed parents to help inform our plans for this year. From
the survey, I learned that Outdoor Learning, evenness, equity was major concern.
o
233 Outdoor
lessons last year, so we set target of 300 for 2016-2017 school year
o
Ms. Christy
completed 374 lessons; broken out by grade level, it averaged about 50 per
grade level to ensure greater equity across the school
o
Teachers also
noted when they did Outdoor lessons without Ms. Christy; there were 37
additional Outdoor lessons beyond the 374 lessons
o
Countywide goal
of adoption of Writer’s Workshop model; we implemented it earlier and are
farther along in meeting this goal, including using writing to identify
giftedness
o
Changed the
homework model to be just some math, plus reading and writing in journals
o
While it wasn’t
part of the school goal per se, we did leverage our relationship and proximity
with Long Branch Nature Center by having them here more and by taking more
walking Field Trips to Long Branch
o
Outdoor Community
Meeting twice this year
o
Created schoolwide
electronic Google calendar
o
4th/5th
Grade intervention, is a countywide initiative but we implemented it in our own
way and it went very well in terms of supporting student achievement
o
4th
Grade Big Bad Basil Expedition won a Green Action Award
o
Ms. Norwood
developed an artist-in-residence program
o
PTA-funded Poet
for 4th and 5th grade students; will be having a poetry
slam
o
Student-led
conferences in K-5
o
Updated number of
expeditions to meet high bar that the EL model sets
o
Renewable energy,
concepts of social justice incorporated into expeditions
o
iPad initiative:
we’ve found a way to incorporate technology in a meaningful way
o
Student
achievement is increasing, not through drill-and-kill but rather through
engaging, meaningful work
·
What’s new for
next year?
o
Ms. Christy will
be full-time next year, PTA will continue to pay her for lesson planning
o
Reader’s workshop
may be adopted countywide; we’re already doing it to some extent, but we’d
increase implementation to meet county expectations
o
Expanding our movement
furniture (for instance: pedal desks)
o
Interlude would like
to infuse more Outdoor Learning/project-based learning into their program
o
Montessori
teacher will be incorporating more Outdoor learning into their program
·
Feedback/Questions/Comments?:
o
Loved the
consistent trips to Long Branch
§
Yes, agree. Even
at the youngest levels, it’s teaching them so much more beyond just getting out
of the classroom. It’s been amazing.
§
Response (Ms.
Nesselrode): Yes, EL is all about consistent Field Work, so this aligns with
the principals of EL
o
Wolftrap artists
and Pre-K collaboration was great
o
I like the electronic
Google calendar. Can we put notifications of new events into it?
§
We’ll look into
it
o
Kinesthetic
furniture: maybe it could be incorporated somehow into the Simple Machine
expedition, by having testing out the furniture and comapring?
§
Can we ask students
for feedback about the kinesthetic furniture we have before we purchase more?
To see what kids like/prefer? Response (Ms. Nesselrode): Yes, we can explore
this.
·
Wanted to share
some information about a topic that keeps coming up, Field Trips:
o
Baseline: each
class budgeted for two Field Trips, one per semester; PTA assists with
additional trips
§
This year, every
grade level took between 4-9 Field Trips
o
Field Trips are
meant to support the curriculum and enhance learning; most of ours are tied
into expeditions
o
We are going beyond
what is expected from APS w/ regard to Field Trips, and it’s asking a lot from
teachers to have as many as 9 per year because of the amount of work each
teacher must do for each trip (planning, collecting permissions slips, money,
etc.)
o
We’ve done
virtual Field Trips via Skype
§
Comment (Ms.
Hill): experts do come here for learning and enhanced student experience, so
while it may not be a “trip,” it’s still special and people coming here from
the field supports learning, too
§
Comment: I’m a
teacher at the HS level and the paperwork for Field Trips is onerous; we do one
per year in my class. Field Trips are hard for teachers and if there isn’t an
educational component to the trip, it’s a waste.
§
Q: What are the
field trips for each level, are they consistent? Does the same grade level
usually have the same number of Field Trips? A: Yes, many are consistent year
over year. Sometimes additional opportunities come up that add to the number.
§
Comment (Nathan
Zee): The general PTA stance is that we want to support and fund any teacher
requests for Field Trips, but not force teachers to take Field Trips they don’t
want.
o
One of the most
difficult parts of planning a Field Trip is worrying about funding, so PTA
support certainly helps with this. We just need to be reasonable with our
expectations. Also, from a culturally competent perspective, overnight trips
are not a typical experience. That’s one of the reasons we don’t tend to do many
Field Trips that require an overnight stay.
§
Comment: Parents coming
in to present their foods and cultures to kids in classroom at First Grade was
wonderful.
§
Comment: I didn’t
realize how many in-school activities were taking place (experts coming in from
the field), so really the kids are being exposed to more than I even thought.
§
Question: Do we
typically have enough chaperones? A: Yes, we often have more volunteers than
there are spaces for and turn people away.
§
Comment (Ms. Christy):
Thank you to the PTA for supporting me, financially and otherwise, for the past
three years. I’m happy and thankful that the PTA will be relieved of much of
this expense for next year. If there’s anything you need from me, I am here and
open to new ideas, so come find me or get in touch.
V. Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer
·
As of May 30th,
the highlights for the month:
o Paid for Teacher/Staff Appreciation week
activities and gifts ($30 vouchers to each teacher for miscellaneous expenses
they had during the year)
o Paid for a bunch of the approved teacher funding
requests
o Paid for DC United tickets
o Received $1400 from Square One Art
o Paid for Penny Wars class incentive prizes
o $144 from Amazon sales this month; $2,500 for
the year
·
Any questions? No
questions.
·
Funding request:
o $10.99 for a six pack of reusable K-cups for
the Staff Room Keurig Machine
§ Ms. Hill read a sample of persuasive letters
that her Kindergarten students wrote in support of the reusable K-cups to
protect the environment
o Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
unanimously
·
Funding request:
o $159.50 for reusable BPA-free plastic water
bottles for Kindergarten students to take home at the end of the school year
(to celebrate completion of their Water expedition)
§ Comment: Would prefer non-plastic bottles be
used. Can we purchase stainless steel ones instead?
§ Comment: Can we look at a grant to fund
pricier reusable water bottles in the future?
§ Comment: Metal dents easily, maybe plastic is
preferable for this reason?
§ Comment: EPA staff told our class that single
use K cups and plastic single-use water bottles are the worst environmentally
§ Comment: In the future, we could buy them from
Square One and give one to each student
o Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
unanimously
·
Funding request:
o $300 for outdoor recess kits; purchased in partnership
with GS Troop 3090, who is donating $300 of their proceeds from Cookie Sales to
provide the recess kits to Campbell
o Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
unanimously
·
Funding request:
o Not to exceed $400 for hanging book garden (about
40 books for graduating 5th graders, in celebration of their
promotion and to encourage summer reading)
o Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
·
Sound System
Update:
o Ms. Nesslerode: Nothing wrong with the
components we have (speakers, equalizer, etc., but the experts from APS
recommend wireless lavaliers for performances and a new corresponding receiver,
at a cost of approximately $10,000
o Sound quality would be improved, in the sense
that kids won’t be passing a handheld mic back and forth, but quote is more
expensive for a smaller scope than expected and would not be a complete
overhaul of the system
o In our research, we learned that other schools
have purchased similar sets
o We’ve also learned that many sound problems we’ve
had at Community Meeting are not about the hardware in the current system (like
the most recent Community Meeting when the issue was the Zumba song file was
corrupted and would not play)
o We’re looking at getting 8 total mics: 7
lavaliers and 1 upgraded handheld wireless mic, plus jacks for regular mics
o Offered us the option of a completely portable
system for around $8,000, but I’m not comfortable spending that much for a new portable
system as we’d be less able to secure it
o Current portable system will still have to be
used in any areas outside of the multipurpose room
§ Comment: Maybe we should get fewer mics to
save money? Response: Passing around the mic is part of the problem we’re
hoping to solve, so we need an adequate number of lavaliers; also, the bulk of
the cost is the receiver and not the mics, so it wouldn’t really save that much
to get fewer.
§ Comment: I am in favor of this just because of
the school musical, having just seen this year’s musical which was very hard to
hear.
§ Q: What do you and Karen want? Do you feel
that this is a valuable endeavor? A: I feel that it will improve the sound, but
it’s a lot of money, and to be frank, I thought we’d get more for the money.
·
Q: Is there
another expense you’d rather we fund? A (Ms. Nesselrode): Not really. We’re
well funded and I can’t think of another big item that we desperately need.
·
Q: Nathan, what
do you think? A: I think we should do it. Having wireless mics would be great
for Community Meeting and the Musical. Other schools have them, and it’s what
the experts recommends. I think it will be an improvement.
§ Q: Since new system won’t work outside of the multipurpose
room, could we move the location of the Promotion Ceremony? A: We’re looking at
logistics (if we can work out adequate seating, etc.), but open to the idea.
§ Q: How long will the old system components
last? Are they getting too old? A: Expert didn’t seem to think those items need
replacing in the near term.
·
Nathan: We’d do
this “not to exceed $10,000;” work would be done over the summer. Quote is
$10,200 and includes installation but we think we can negotiate, so we’re only
asking for up to $10,000.
·
Motion to approve
funding for up to $10,000 for upgrade to Campbell Sound System; seconded;
approved unanimously
VI. Review Draft
Budget: Nathan Zee, President
·
We have a draft budget for 2017-2018
but we’re not going to go through it tonight because we’ll be making tweaks
over the summer; however, I will present the timeline and our current thoughts
·
If you have
thoughts/questions/comments, please send them to me or Jenny Morris prior to
our Executive Board Meeting on 8/29
·
At Executive Board Meeting on 8/29 we’ll
vote to approve the draft to be presented for a vote at the first PTA meeting
in September 2017
o
Highlights of changes:
§
Plan to spend $20,000 more than we
plan to take in, with $10,000 earmarked for Sound System upgrade (plan to spend
more due to our surplus funds rolling over)
§
Change to allocate funding on a per
grade level basis
§
Increase in EL budget line item to
support Field Trips
·
Q: Better to do it by grade level or
teacher? A: In theory, we’d like this money to be used for things that everyone
at the grade level will do/experience have access to; perhaps we might consider
doing it by teacher in the future depending on how this works
·
Comment (Ms. Christy): The Wetlands
need to be tended to annually, Colonial Garden will need to be maintained
annually. Response: We have the Wetlands CIP fund to draw from. We need to talk
about the Colonial Garden issue more in depth in the future. Can you summarize
your thoughts and send them to me in an email?
·
Q: What about the front of the school?
A: Fence is coming down. Work Order through APS; we can talk about additional
beautification at a later date.
·
Q: What about the marquee? A: Got an
answer from Facilities: marquees cost between $30,000-$50,000, so we’ll have to
look at options. APS is not paying to install them any longer.
VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President
- There’s
no new business. - Reminders:
- Rising
Kindergarten playdates are scheduled for 7/22 and 8/19 at 10 am here at
Campbell - PTA
Audit schedule for 7/26 - Executive
Board meeting on 8/29 - Next
year, PTA meetings will revert to being held on the second Tuesday of the
month; there will not be a December meeting - Ms.
Nesselrode: I forgot to mention earlier in our list of accomplishments
this year, the start of the Latina Parent Group, which has been a great
success. Thank you to Claudia Ramirez Cuellar for the wonderful idea! - Nathan:
That’s a wrap. Thanks everyone for a wonderful and successful year! See
you next year.
PTA Meeting Minutes 5.16.17
Campbell PTA Meeting
May 16, 2017
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate
# of Attendees: 17
I. Welcome
and Introductions: Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
welcomed everyone to the meeting; noted that Ms. Nesselrode was unable to
attend due to a schedule conflict (countywide APS awards ceremony), so Ms.
Anselmo attended in her place - Nathan
read a Thank You letter from Ms. Boni and Ms. Al Majeed - They
were very thankful for all the teacher appreciation gifts, meals, and
activities from the PTA; felt celebrated and appreciated and offered
their gratitude - Nathan
presented a package full of letter from Ms. McAleer’s students thanking
the PTA for funding the purchase of bean bag chairs for their classroom - Nathan
read a letter of congratulations from Dr. Murphy for increasing our PTA
membership by 5% - Campbell
received a certificate from the NOVA district PTA at the last CCPTA
meeting; Katherine Novello, CCPTA rep, will bring it in to the school - Q:
Given our increased membership, do we have a quorum here this evening to
vote? A: Yes, we only need 10 members, and we have 17 present tonight. - This
evening’s speaking topic has been rescheduled for the June PTA meeting,
6/13, when Ms. Nesselrode will be present; topic will be: changes that
occurred this past year, and soliciting feedback on some of those changes
and possible tweaks as we move into a new academic year.
II. Vote
on Slate for 2017-2018 PTA Officers: Chandi Krohl, Nomination Committee
- Call
for nominations from the floor; no nominations offered from the floor - Chandi
presented the proposed slate for a vote: - President:
Nathan Zee - VP
Programming: Paige Hamrick - VP
Fundraising: Sean Doyle - VP
Communications/Outreach: Barbara Martinez - Treasurer:
Jenny Morris - Secretary:
Katherine Novello
- Motion
to confirm the slate. Motion seconded. Motion approved unanimously. - Nathan:
Congratulations to our new officers. The by-laws that were updated and
approved last year included moving the timing of the vote to elect PTA
officers to May (moved timing of vote up from June to allow one month of
transition time for a smoother turnover of responsibilities), however
terms officially commence in June.
III. Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer
- For
the year, we’ve been doing great on our fundraising goals; we are about $15,000
above projected fundraising goals, and expenses have been a little lower
than expected as well - Made
approximately $15,000 at the Wetlands Festival; had budgeted $13,000 - Made
approximately $8,000 at the Fun Run; had budgeted $3,000 - Made
approximately $7,000 from the Fall Pledge Drive; had budgeted $5,000 - Made
approximately $1,000 from Penny Wars; had budgeted no income - Square
One Art made more than anticipated - Amazon
sales made more than anticipated, so all those things add up - Highlights
for the month: - Approximately
$8,000 from Fun Run with very low expenses - $1,700
from Square One Art - This
month we had the following expenses - First
Grade Field Trip to National Geographic Museum - Spent
money we approved at our last meeting for Special Ed resources - Paid
for work that was done on the Wetlands area; the updated balance in the
Wetlands Capital Improvement Fund is now $3,763.40 - Any
questions? - Q:
Is the $200 for Community Building Other the budget that the popsicles
for Campbell Olympics comes from? A: Yes. - Q:
And what is that $90 of expenses for? A: The apple tasting event in the
fall. - Comment:
(Ms. Hill) In their writing unit, my Kindergarten students are writing
persuasive letters, and we’re focusing on “water” for our expedition, so
we have been talking about the Pond. I’m using the concept of the pond
re-do that the PTA debated and ultimately funded last year to inspire
their persuasive letters, so don’t be alarmed if your students talk about
the pond update as if it hasn’t happened yet, or if you hear rumors that
the Pond is going to be filled in, this is probably the reason.
IV. Funding
Requests: Nathan Zee, President
·
We put out a call to teachers for additional
funding requests, and here’s what came in since our last meeting:
o
Ms. Johnson: $47.96 for hard case
pencil cases
§
Q: Why does she need them? A: To
organize communal table supplies
§
Motion to approve funding; seconded;
approved unanimously
o
Ms. Brown: $113 for supplies to create
scenery and costumes for 4th/5th grade play
§
Q: Has she already spent the money? A:
Yes, this is for reimbursement.
§
Q: What would happen if we didn’t
approve? A: She’d just be out of pocket for the items.
·
Executive Board will be discussing
putting a mechanism into place for next year (funding built into the budget,
separated by grade level), that would be available to teachers for items such
as this
§
Motion to approve funding; seconded;
approved unanimously
o
Ms. Norwood: $250 to support Field
Trip for Third Grade classes to visit the Torpedo Factory to follow up on printing-making
by artist Veronica Kelly
§
Motion to approve funding; seconded;
approved unanimously
o
Ms. Oviedo: $619 from SpEd Team for math classroom
resources: Touch Math Kits 1,2, and 3 for grades K-2, downloadable “green”
version
§
Q: Is the “green” version for the
iPad? A: No, it’s printable, not digital
§
Q: Does the Department of Instruction
not provide adequate funds to SpEd Department? Where does the school’s SpEd
budget go? A: Most of budget goes toward testing protocols
§
Q: Any consistency issues with using
this program? A: No, it’s a widely used program within APS, but the county
hasn’t adopted it officially due to its expense
§
Motion to approve funding; seconded;
approved unanimously
o
$247.06 x 2 for FloorTex polycarbonate
carpet covers for Trailer Classrooms (for the areas under the art center tables)
§
Motion to approve funding; seconded;
approved unanimously
o
Ms. Kim: $54.99 for Shark speaker portable
boom box with wireless speakers (to replace broken one)
§
Motion to approve funding; seconded;
approved unanimously
o
Ms. Brewer: approval to spend up to $400
for an area rug (she may not want to buy it this year, but IF she does decide
to purchase it now rather than waiting another year, I’m asking us to
provisionally approve the amount, for this year only, in case she decides to
move forward before the end of the school year)
§
Q: Does Ms. Kim also need new carpet?
A: No, Ms. Brewer is only requesting a new area rug to be used for Morning
Meeting
§
Motion to approve funding; seconded;
approved unanimously
·
Big Picture Item that we’ve been
researching: Sound System upgrade, not to exceed $10,000; we’re not voting on
this item tonight, but laying the groundwork for a vote at the June meeting
o
Current Sound System is 10 years old
(installed in 2007), and not optimal for all our various needs
o
Ms. Anselmo and Ms. Nesselrode met
with two gentlemen from APS to talk about what our school needs are from a
Sound System: mics for Community Meeting, Weather Bugs, school play, etc., (7-8
wireless mics); ability to play sound through speakers for movie night and
other similar events, like Multicultural Night
o
APS reached out to an outside expert about
upgrading to system to include those capabilities; we think it might be in the
ballpark of $7,000-$8,000 to start but don’t have a quote from an expert yet
§
Sound System could be customized based
on our budget and needs; based on our budget and what we’re hoping to achieve,
we feel it would be reasonable to set aside $5,000-$10,000 for this, but we
need a hard number from a subject matter expert before we take it to a vote
§
When we do vote, it will be
“not-to-exceed” an amount that is slightly higher than quote we’re given, in
case there are some unforeseen circumstances (this is how we handled the Pond
Re-do last year)
§
Ideally, work will be done over the
summer, so we’ll need to approve in June
o
Questions and comments?
§
Q: Will APS help with maintenance? A: Maybe,
to some extent, as they are able, such as by doing minor maintenance, but
probably not with bigger issues.
·
Comment: In that case, we should
earmark some of the budget for annual system maintenance.
§
Q: Would APS say that they wouldn’t
help with maintenance if the PTA paid for the system to be installed? A: No,
once it’s installed they don’t ask who paid to have it installed before fixing
it.
§
Q: Have any other school done this
recently? A: Yes.
§
Q: Will drywall repair be needed after
installation? A: No, the system is in a box that is already installed behind
the curtain on the stage, this would just be an upgrade/addition to current (box)
system.
o
Nathan: before we go any further, does
anyone have a stringent objection to this idea?
§
Q: Is this the priority for spending? If
we weren’t spending the money on this, what would we be doing instead? Could we
get all new carpeting installed for the school? A (Ms. Anselmo): That isn’t a
PTA expense—that’s for APS to fund. We’re in line to get new paint and carpet
installed; it was not approved in last year’s budget, but we’re a top priority
for this year and we’re just waiting for final word as to whether it’s in the final
budget.
§
Nathan: We’ve had multiple meetings
and calls for suggestions, but the upgraded sound system is the one large
near-term expense that keeps bubbling up. Given our successful fundraising this
year, we thought it would be a good time for a project like this.
§
Comment: I’ve observed that the fence
in front of school is an eyesore, and it’s broken and might be a safety issues
as well. Can we get that fixed? Or remove it? Can we also concentrate on beautifying
and maintaining the front of the school, or getting a marquee? Response (Ms.
Anselmo): APS has an approval process for these items. We have requested a marquee
sign for the front of the school in our MCMM requests, but it has yet to be
funded. We can ask about the fence, and about either removal or replacement, but
even if the PTA were committing the money and/or manpower, we’d have to wait
for approval from APS Facilities to move forward.
·
Nathan: Assuming we do move forward
with the Sound System upgrade, the idea is that we could look forward over the
next 2-3 years, to what the next big project may be that we’ll need to save up
for. The executive board would like to establish a long-term strategic funding
plan for these, and other, items that are appropriate for the PTA to fund in
coming years.
§
Comment: I think the Sound System
upgrade is needed. I’d also really like to see a marquee installed because it
would be such a great communications tool.
§
Comment: I’d like us to consider an
alternative to the fence: a rock wall. Maybe it could incorporate an art
project and students could paint the rocks.
§
Comment: The PTA has talked, over the
years, about this area, but has chosen to focus more on the other entrance as
it’s the one more frequently used. This area is a more neglected area of
the school that we could turn our attention towards.
§
Comment: I’d like us to focus on
what’s sustainable and realistic to maintain in this area, should we move
forward with any changes to the front of the school.
§
Comment: I support the upgraded Sound
System because I think it would more directly benefit our kids and support
their education. Beautification projects, while not discounting them, to me,
don’t have as much direct impact on students or learning.
o
Nathan: So what I’m hearing is that we’re
in agreement on prioritizing the Sound System upgrade, and that we’d like to
discuss improvements to the front of the school, not in lieu of the Sound
System upgrade, but rather as the next item we take on.
§
Q: So how much do we have to spend
this year, setting aside money for all of next year’s needs, given our
excellent fundraising? A (Nathan): So to answer that question, the first draft
of the budget that Jenny and I put together has us planning to spend $20,000, including
the $10,000 set aside for the Sound System, based on what we’ve raised this
year. This is a first cut of the budget and neither the Executive Board nor Ms.
Nesselrode has had an opportunity to weigh in.
§
Comment: So that leaves us with
$10,000 after the Sound System? I’d love for us to consider doing both the
Sound System upgrade and front entrance beautification in that case.
§
Comment: While I’ve enjoyed this
discussion, I think we need to shelve it for now until Ms. Anselmo has some
answers for us from Facilities.
§
Comment: I like the idea of the
Marquee and beautifying the entrance, but I’d also like us to look at the
experiences we’re funding for students and looking at how much we spend on
funding field trips and at which grade levels and seeing how we might want to
make sure there’s equity in terms of how we’re spending those funds and also
talk to teachers about experiences we’d want Campbell students to have (such as
seeing an orchestra, or going to Mt. Vernon)
§
Comment: I don’t know who funded it,
but the Summer Reading/Library program is great and I’d like to see that
continue or even be expanded. Response: That was not funded by the PTA. I think
it should be happening again this summer.
§
Q: Are the wireless mics handheld or
lapel mics? A: Wireless lapel mics, but we’ll still have jack for handheld
mics, so it will be a combination of mic types.
·
Nathan: Thank you for approving all the
short-term funding requests and thank you all for a lively discussion around
the Sound System and potential other big-picture items down the road, while
remembering that we don’t want to lose track of experiences and equity.
V. Upcoming
Events/PTA Survey: Nathan Zee, President
·
Upcoming events:
o
Reminder: No Community Meeting for the
next 3 weeks; Community Meeting will resume on Friday, 6/9, and we’re hoping to
have it outdoors. And it will be Pajama Day.
o
DC United Game this Saturday, 5/20
o
Executive Board Meeting on 6/6
o
Next PTA Meeting on Tuesday, 6/13
o
Campbell Olympics on 6/14
o
PTA Survey re. Programming/Fundraising:
please complete it online by 5/25; paper copies will be available in the office
if you need one
VI. New
Business: Nathan Zee, President
·
We’re updating our Volunteer form
prior to New Family Orientation on 6/13; will capture email addresses from new
families at Orientation (we’ll have a table set up)
·
We’re firming up 2017-2018 Committee
Assignments, we’ll do our best to have it filled out prior to the end of the
school year
·
Executive Board will be approving the
draft budget, which will be voted on in September
·
Working on scheduling the Rising K
playdates
·
We’ll look at the Survey results to
plan the year from a Programming/Fundraising perspective
·
Audit after end of Fiscal Year on
6/30; no spending is allowed from the end of the Fiscal Year until after the
Audit process is completed, so get your receipts for reimbursement in now
·
Ms. Christy will be full time next
year; PTA will continue to fund lesson planning and invoices, garden work days,
and summer hours but her line item in the budget is reduced accordingly
·
Q (Heidi): Will
we be taking T-shirts orders for New Families at the Orientation or over the
summer? A: It’s your call if you want to take that on.
VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President
- That’s
a wrap. Thanks everyone. See you next month for the final PTA meeting of
the year.
PTA Meeting Minutes 4.18.17
Campbell PTA Meeting
April 18, 2017
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate
# of Attendees: 22
I. Welcome
and Introductions: Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
welcomed everyone to the meeting gave a brief update on the Transfer and
Enrollment policy revisions - Not
much to update about specific to Campbell - We
had good turnout at both community meetings (on March 30th and
April 4th), and we were able to give a lot of feedback - Online
Survey came out, so if you weren’t able to provide feedback in person,
hopefully everyone has taken the opportunity to make their thoughts known
- A
two-page document went out to explain more about Campbell in a clear,
concise, and cool way to help guide feedback for anyone who wanted to
provide it - Beyond
the transfer and enrollment policy, you could give feedback on: - the
three HS siting options - K-12
academic structure/plans - Lots
of opportunities to comment, and hopefully everyone did; questions,
comments or feedback? - Q:
Site selection: if it’s the W-L site, being one of the smaller
footprints, would that mean it’s a neighborhood HS? A: I don’t think the
instructional focus has been determined; it has the potential to be an IB
expansion, a 9th grade academy, a world language academy, a
small extension of W-L, but decision has not been made. Presumably, they’d
knock down the Ed Center and build something new, or possibly
repurpose/refurbish the building if this site is chosen; there was a
recent effort to get a historic designation, but I don’t know if that
will be successful or whether it would affect the plans. - Comment:
I asked about that at the meeting, and they said that even if it received
a historic designation, they could build around the historic elements
(like they had to do with the Stratford building) - Decision
will be finalized in June - As
far as Campbell is concerned, we did a fantastic job and we received feedback
from staff and School Board members that we came together very quickly to
advocate and our input was well-received. Good job, everyone.
II. Presentation
of Slate for 2017-2018 PTA Officers: Chandi Krohl, Nomination Committee
- None
of the positions are contested and all positions have interested
candidates - The
slate, who will be presented for a vote in May, is as follows: - President:
Nathan Zee - VP
Programming: Paige Hamrick - VP
Fundraising: Sean Doyle - VP
Communications/Outreach: Barbara Martinez - Treasurer:
Jenny Morris - Secretary:
Katherine Novello - And
while this isn’t a position we vote on, Ms. Hill has agreed to be our
Teacher Liaison again for the coming year - Nathan:
I would like to add, that these are just the nominations and we’re not
voting to elect today. If someone wants to come forward at the May meeting
and say they’re interested, they may do that.
- Motion
to accept the slate. Motion seconded. Motion approved unanimously.
III. General Safety Tips: Ms. Dina Berhan,
School Counselor
- In
5th Grade, we do a lot of talking about refusal skills (on the
topics of drugs, alcohol, peer pressure, friendship) in conjunction with Resource
Officer Pagan from Kenmore Middle School. Refusal skills are: - Saying
“no” - Giving
a reason for saying “no” - Suggesting
a different activity - Changing
the subject - Walking
away - General
safety tips and topics we discuss are: - We
want all kids to know full names, addresses, and phone numbers - We
talk about play dates—that it’s okay to say if something makes you
uncomfortable, it’s okay to ask to talk to an adult you love and trust in
case of an emergency; they should feel comfortable telling a trusted
adult when something makes them uncomfortable - Parents
and their kids should have a “code word” for an emergency that allows
kids to call parents and get out of a situation without feeling
embarrassed - Kids
should ask before touching people’s pets - We
talk about medication in the clinic - Don’t
talk to people who approach you or drive up to you - Try
to walk in groups vs. alone whenever possible - Don’t
walk with loud music on headphones - Don’t
use WiFi/internet without parental knowledge - It’s
okay to talk to other adults about home safety - Don’t
accept candy, food, medication from people you don’t know - What
to do if you’re lost, how to ask for help, who to ask for help - If
you see something, say something - Know
where your siblings attend school - The
law about anonymous reporting (not that they’d be doing the reporting,
but that if they pass on info to a trusted adult, their identity can
remain anonymous) - Reporting
suspected abuse, neglect may be done anonymously - Ms.
Nesselrode: - code
words are really important, as is having a plan with your child for what
they should do if something is making them uncomfortable at a play date
or sleep-over, so they can ask to come home without being embarrassed;
let them know it’s okay at any hour, safety is more important than sleep
or anything else - have
plans for scenarios where something goes wrong, like forgetting/losing
your keys—what to do in that situation; family code words can also help in
situations where there is a risk of known family kidnapping (it’s a way
for child to know if adult who is picking them up has been sent by a
trusted adult and has legitimate permission to be there) - Know
which is the right number to call in an emergency situation (cell or home
or another number?) - Do
role-playing in various scenarios - Know
your parents’ names - Comment:
tell kids to look for people in uniforms if they need help - Comment:
tell kids that not all strangers are bad; tell them to find a parent if
they can’t find someone in uniform - Nathan
thanked Ms. Berhan, and turned over the floor to Liz Ryan for a deep-dive
into the specifics of gun safety
IV. Gun
Safety: Liz Ryan, Parent and Volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense
- Why
am I here? I’m a recent volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. I’m
here to talk to you about a program called “Be SMART,” which is about how
to keep our kids safe whether we own a gun or not, by bringing adults
together to talk about kids, guns, and safety. This program is not about
politics or laws, though those are important issues; this is simply about
keeping our kids “SMART.” - Things
we can all agree on: - We
want our kids to be happy and healthy - We
all have the right to make responsible decisions about whether or not to
own guns - If
we can prevent even one child’s death, it’s our responsibility to do so - Headlines
can make you feel helpless - American
kids are 11 times more likely to die from gun violence than children in
other developed countries - Each
year and average of 1,300 children die from gun violence; the bulk are
from homicides and suicides, but about 100 kids a year die from
unintentional shootings - Questions
to ask yourself before bringing a firearm into your home: - Are
the security concerns consistent with the local crime rates? - Will
other adults in the home join in the firearms training? - Do
risk factors exist? Such as does anyone: have a mental health issue, have
substance abuse issues, have a chronic health condition or chronic pain? - Do
all adults in the home support having a gun? - What
precautions will you take to safeguard your kids? - 70%
of children under the age of 10 report knowing where their parents’ guns
are stored, and of those, 36% report that they have accessed them without their
parents’ knowledge - 1.7
million kids live in homes where guns are loaded and unlocked - Q:
What recommendation do you have for families where gun storage is a
sensitive topic? A: Chalk it up to kids being kids and getting into
everything, and stress that this is about safety without judging gun
ownership. Give examples of how kids get into things they aren’t supposed
to (like finding hidden Christmas presents). - In
children under the age of 16, the presence and availability of a gun is a
more significant risk factor for suicide, over a mental health diagnosis
(firearm is the most lethal suicide method) - Suicide
attempts by gun are fatal 85% of the time; by contrast, suicide attempts
by taking pills are successful only about 2% of the time; adolescence is
an emotional and impulsive time; the majority of individuals who fail in
their first suicide attempt don’t try it again, so it’s of the utmost
importance to keep firearms away from those who may be contemplating
suicide - Ms.
Nesselrode: APS has aggressive procedures for monitoring suicidal
ideation at school; we always contact parents when we have those
discussions with students; suicide prevention is a number one priority - Q:
Do you talk about whether there are guns in the home at that point? A
Ms. Nesselrode): There are questions that asses what the student’s plan
might be and what access they have to dangerous objects; we don’t want
to suggest any ideas, so the questions are posed in a broad way; if the
student mentions guns, we’re give this information to parents; this is a
standard county risk assessment, and for students assessed as “high
risk,” we may contact county health officials - Q:
If you have a high school student, and your child tells you that they’re
worried about a friend, would you recommend the parents contact the
school? A: Yes, and teachers and school staff are required reporters, so
by law, this would be elevated appropriately - What
can you do about it? Program is called “Be SMART” - Secure guns in your homes and
vehicles - Keep
guns locked, unloaded, and stored separately from ammunition - There
are lots of options to store your guns safely, even inexpensively - Model responsible behavior
- Always
keep your gun pointed in a safe direction - Treat
every firearm as if it’s loaded - Be
aware of your target and what’s beyond it - Don’t
rely on your gun’s “safety” - Ask about unsecured guns in other
homes - Make
it part of a discussion - Volunteer
information about your own home - Use
technology; it may feel easier to have this conversation over email or
text - Talk
to family and caregivers - Recognize the risks of teen
suicide - Changes
in behavior - Feeling
hopeless, ashamed, or desperate - Increase
in aggression - Talking
about wanting to kill themselves - Tell your peers to be SMART
- Talk
to you friends and family about what you’ve learned tonight - You
can also volunteer to lead a presentation, we’re always happy to have
more volunteers, or if you’d like to have us come and present to another
organization, we’re happy to do so. Go to BeSMARTforKIDS.org for more
information. - Any
questions? - Comment:
Some safes are better than others; having a safe that kids cannot get
into is critical (there have been some reports of children being able to
pick up safes that are not bolted down and throw them to get them to pop
open). If you’re relying on a safe because you want to have quick access
to a weapon and ammunition, you have a high burden to make sure that it’s
doing what it’s intended to do. - Comment:
I’ve had two students affected by gun violence. One was a parent’s
suicide and another was an accidental shooting. The impact on the people
left behind by these incidents was tremendous and devastating. All of
their lives will never be the same. Liz: Thank you for bringing that up.
Our presentation doesn’t really delve into that, but the truth is that
gun violence is devastating for everyone. - Q:
What age is appropriate to talk to kids about the danger of guns? A: You
can talk to them at any age, however our goal is to talk to parents and
inform them, because it’s the parents who ultimately need to take the
proactive steps to keep their own kids and other kids safe. We emphasize
that the onus for responsibility is on the adults. That said, I still
talk to my kids about gun safety, and tell them to find an adult if they
discover a gun. But I would not skip the step of talking to other parents
before a play date or family members before a visit because kids, by
nature, are curious and impulsive, and cannot be relied upon to make good
decisions and the stakes are too high. - Comment:
Study after study has shown that even children who’ve been taught gun
safety and responsibility from a young age, still make mistakes and I
wouldn’t trust any child with a lethal weapon, because I’ve witnessed
their impulsivity. - Comment
(Ms. Nesselrode): I’d expand it further when talking with kids about
safety and kind of build up to it. In my years of experience, I’ve had
kids bring inappropriate things to school and 90% of the time it’s to
impress a friend; things like: cigarettes, lighters, pocket knives, etc.
Managing those items, and keeping them locked and safely stored are
important. If you’re not ready to tackle the “gun talk” with your kids,
you can start talking about these other thing, because it’s the same
mechanism—those impulsive kid actions that progress from smaller to
larger things. Talking through this can’t hurt, although, as others have
pointed out, kids make unreliable decisions. - Comment:
I really appreciate the normalization of the conversation around gun
safety. I wonder if we, as a PTA, can do more to help spread the word,
maybe through Peachjar, or some other mechanism, and normalize/spread it
even further. - Response:
we’ve looked into Peachjar, but it’s expensive. We’re open to ideas
about how to spread our message and outreach.
V. Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer
- For
the year, we’ve been doing great on our fundraising goals. This month we
had income of: - $1,046
from Penny Wars - $155
from Amazon payments - $127
from Brick’s Pizza Night - Approximately
$6,700 from Fun Run - This
month we had the following expenses - Paid
Ms. Christy $315 - Bought
remaining books on teacher’s wish lists from the Book Fair - Spent
$2,000 to fund various Field Trips - Paid
$148 for wobble chairs for Ms. Sim’s class - Spent
$96 for 100 thermometers for school clinic nurses to distribute to
families who need them - Any
questions? - Q:
Did the Campbell Spirit Wear t-shirts bring in a lot of money? A: That
income was not received this month, that was a few months ago but we did
well and it’s been very profitable. This month we paid for the Fun Run
t-shirts. - Comment
(Heidi): We’ll do one more Campbell wear offering for warm weather, so
there will be another opportunity for those who may want short sleeved
t-shirts for the season - We’ve
been taking in money for the upcoming DC United game this month, too - Comment:
We still have about 20 tickets remaining in our block of 100 tickets,
we’ve sold 80 so far; game is May 20th.
VI. Classroom
Proposals: Nathan Zee, President
·
We put out a call to teachers for
funding requests, and our teachers have submitted 18 requests so far
·
Our first request is being presented
by a special guest, Third Grade student, Logan:
o
Logan read a short letter to the PTA,
outlining his class’s request and demonstrating the skills he has honed during
the persuasive writing unit in the Third Grade curriculum
§
Nathan: perhaps we can take this
opportunity to provide some instant feedback?
§
Motion to approve up to $300 for purchase
of three Bean Bag chairs for Ms. McAleer’s Third Grade class; motion seconded,
motion approved unanimously.
·
I’ll read through the remaining 17
items, and then we can have a discussion; then we’ll take a vote on the items
all at once; if anyone objects to an item being included, please speak up at
any time as we go through the list:
o
The first request will not be included
in the items that we’re voting on. As Jenny mentioned earlier, we spent about
$100 to buy 100 thermometers; technically per the PTA by-laws, we don’t have to
vote on items that are within $200 of a previously budgeted item, so that’s why
we didn’t take a vote prior to purchasing these urgently needed items when they
were requested. Under normal circumstances, we would take a vote, even on items
under $200, just to make sure that everyone is on board.
o
$500 for a poetry workshop for entire
Fifth Grade; includes two two-hour sessions culminating in a separate poetry
slam competition session, submitted by reading specialist, Ms. Fiordellisi
o
$39.99 for Scholastic Sentence
Building Tiles super set, support materials for speech and language program
o
$54.95 for Say New Vocab Bingo, support
materials for speech and language program
o
$12.95 for Auditory Memory for WH
Questions Fun Deck , support materials for speech and language program
o
$4.95 for Webber Photo Cards Story
Starters, support materials for speech and language program
o
$249.50 for ten noise-cancelling
headphones
o
$27.15 for Sandtastik Play Sand
(white), support materials for occupational therapy program
o
$7.66 for Dinosaur Fossil Skeleton
toy, support materials for occupational therapy program
o
$8.95 for Educational Insights Play
phone, support materials for occupational therapy program
o
$18.99 for Giggle Wiggle game, support
materials for occupational therapy program
o
$16.99 for Jumping Jack game, support
materials for occupational therapy program
o
$10.62 for Yeti in my Spaghetti game,
support materials for occupational therapy program
o
$20 for Guiding Reading Level M, set
5, reading books to add to the classroom library, high interest lower level
chapter books
o
$20 for Guiding Reading Level M, set
4, reading books to add to the classroom library, high interest lower level
chapter books
o
$20 for Guiding Reading Level, set Arthur
chapter books, reading books to add to the classroom library Chapter books,
high interest lower level chapter books
o
$20 for Guiding Reading Level L,
number 15, reading books to add to the classroom library, high interest lower
level chapter books
·
Total of these sixteen requests, not
including the poet (which was $500), is $554.15
·
Questions/comments?
o
Q: Looking at the budget, do these
fall under classroom and teacher support/classroom resources? A: Yes.
§
Follow-up Q: Okay, so we have a total
budgeted of $3,000/year, so this won’t take us anywhere near that. A: Yes, so
technically we didn’t need to vote on any of this, but that’s not how we’d
prefer to conduct our business.
o
Q: Why are these needs being asked of
the PTA? Have their particular budgets already been exhausted? A (Ms.
Nesselrode): OT/SpEd/Speech teachers have no line item in the budget for
materials; SpEd has a very small budget and most of it goes to funding testing
protocols (i.e., Woodcock-Johnson testing forms); if the PTA could not fund
these items, I’d be able to find money elsewhere in the budget
§
Q: Do you ever leave money on the
table? A: No, it’s all spent.
·
Q: So if you don’t spend money on
these items, you’ll spend that money on something else that benefits Campbell?
A: Yes.
o
Q: Have we ever asked for donations of
these items? A: We have in the past, but most of these are small items that we
are able to fund.
o
Comment: One idea is at the school
where I teach, we have a “giving tree” with teacher’s wish lists at the
beginning of the year at Back-to-School Night. A: Let’s work towards that for next
year’s Back-to-School Night.
o
Q: Is this all that was requested? I’m
surprised there weren’t larger requests. A: Yes, luckily, we were able to get
many needs met prior to this push for funding requests.
o
Nathan: feedback to the teachers, is
that hopefully they can put requests forward earlier in the year through a wish
list/”giving tree” concept.
o
Q: Do teachers request PD? A: PTA is not
allowed to fund professional development; sometimes EL money can be used
towards teachers going to the more expensive trainings (like Responsive
Classroom training, because it’s in line with the principles of EL), and APS is
offering more training for free in the summer.
o
Nathan: we can publish list of
everything we’ve funded in the past year to give teachers ideas for requests;
what we don’t want to do is tell teachers what they should and should not be
requesting, so we’re very sensitive to that; we want the request to come from
the teachers themselves
o
Comment: Are teachers holding back
requests, maybe feeling like they’ve asked for too much already? What if we encouraged/inspired
teacher with grade-level set-asides, so that teacher knew how much they could/should
expect to be directed their way?
·
Motion to approve slate of funding
requests. Motion seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
·
Bigger ticket items that we’ve
discussed:
o
Long-term, multi-thousand-dollar
project for new sound system is being investigated and we’re working on getting
details straightened out before proceeding
o
Buddy bench: we’re probably going to
try to refurbish an existing bench and see how that goes first
VII. New
Business: Nathan Zee, President
·
Tammi Bewitz: We have a $600 budget
for Teacher Appreciation; I request that we increase the budget by $400, to do
more for our teachers (maybe buy them a little something extra that won’t
require additional volunteers or parent donations)
·
Motion to approve an additional $400 for
Teacher Appreciation Week. Motion seconded. Motion approved unanimously.
o
Nathan: we’ll look at increasing the
Teacher Appreciation Budget for next year
·
Wetlands Festival
planning:
- Call
for volunteers went out (Sign-Up Genius) - Food
will be catered - Dunk
tank (teacher and staff have already volunteered) - K-9
Unit demonstration - Face
painting 4:30-6:30 - Music:
four bands scheduled - Auction,
lots of wonderful things to bid on - Online
auction kicks off Thursday Night - Class
baskets filing up; Kathy will coordinate getting these packaged for
auction - Barbara
is leading the marketing and communications for the Festival - Jenny’s
running the budget and finances - Kelly’s
coordinating signs and field paint to line off areas and keep activities separate
- We
have a Rain Plan, fingers crossed we won’t need it - T-shirts
(spring offerings can be ordered, “Fire Sale” of old Campbell wear in odd
sizes) - Thank
you to everyone working so hard to pull together a great event
- Jenny
and I will take a first pass at next year’s budget during May, and the new
Executive Board will discuss the draft at our meeting in June - D.C.
United on 5/20, there are about 20 tickets left - We’ll
put out a survey about PTA activities (programming and fundraising) after
the Wetlands Festival in May some time to guide the Executive Board budget
discussion. We’re going to ask about: - Our
three big fundraisers this year were: Pledge Drive, Fun Run, and Wetlands
Festival - We’re
considering going down to just two major fundraisers (Fun Run in the fall
and Wetlands Festival in the spring) - Comment:
Spring Garden Workday is this Saturday from 9-noon, rain or shine, bring
gloves and water - Ms.
Nesselrode: In terms of cultural competency, parents have specifically
been asking about how this relates to gender identity issues, what are
staff talking about with students? Staff is having the first of many
conversations about best practices in supporting students who don’t fit
into gender norms or who may begin to identify as LGBTQ; not political
mostly about avoiding gender stereotypes. We never promote any ideas, but
we share factual information when students ask questions. We have
materials that you can borrow if this is a conversation you’re interested
in having at home. - Ms.
Berhan: looked over FLE (Family Life Education) curriculum w/APS staff and
a Campbell parent, so if you’re interested in talking more about this, I am
happy to discuss
VIII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President
- We
have two more PTA meetings this year - Teachers,
feel free to send in more funding requests - That’s
a wrap. Thanks everyone. See you next month.
PTA Meeting Minutes 3.21.17
Campbell PTA Meeting
March 21, 2017
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate
# of Attendees: 32
I. Welcome
and Introductions: Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
welcomed everyone to the meeting and read a “Thank You” to the Wellness
Committee note from Ms. Sutherland, who expressed her deep appreciation
for the “Self-Care” hour staff event; Ms. Nesselrode commented that the
event was lovely and was very much appreciated by the staff (and
well-attended, as over 20 teachers participated); thank you especially to
Jessica Haney who conceived and brought the event to fruition - Nathan
reminded everyone of the call for nominations for next year’s PTA
Officers; only three more PTA meetings this year, so the slate of nominated
officers will be presented at the April meeting and the final vote will be
taken at the May meeting; if you are interested in nominating someone (or
are interested yourself) in any of the positions, please contact the Chair
of the Nominating Committee, Chandi Krohl, chandikrohl@hotmail.com ; all
positions are up for a vote every year, but each position is limited to a
term of two years; the current VP Fundraising and VP Programming are
ineligible to return as they have served two years, so at a minimum we
need individuals who would like to serve in these roles though all six
positions will be voted on at the May meeting - Nathan
thanked Kathy Evans for her hard work on the Penny Wars Fundraiser; we
raised over $800 in change; even though it wasn’t designed to be a large
fundraiser, it was fun and very successful and we received a lot of
positive feedback - Q:
Who won? A: There were two winners: the First Grade won with the highest
number of points, and the Fourth Grade won with the most money; those two
grade levels will get to buy items for their classrooms with the funds (like
games for Indoor Recess) - Comments:
the Arlington Community Federal Credit Union representative, Ashley, who presented
our school with the “Big Check” at Community Meeting, shared how
impressed she was with how we conduct Community Meeting, and that she’d
like the CEO of the ACFCU to visit our school; the community engagement
aspect of this fundraiser was really important; representatives of the
ACFCU would like to volunteer for the Garden Work Day; - Ms.
Nesselrode commented on our relationship with ACFCU: for those who don’t
recall, they have been a financial backer (the greenhouse); they are
enthusiastic supporters and have good follow-through, they are committed
to upholding community ties - Nathan
reminded the PTA that we moved our PTA bank account to the ACFCU earlier
this year when we had to open new accounts; we decided to strengthen our
growing bond and support a community-minded business in the process
- Nathan
reminded us that the Fun Run will be held this Friday and there will not
be a Community Meeting; Nathan announced that the students were successful
in meeting all three levels of fundraising incentives by raising over
$6,000; parents are invited to come watch and/or to run with their
children (there will be a DJ and it will be a very fun event); 195
t-shirts were sold - Kathy
Evans gave a quick update on the Wetlands Festival planning (next meeting
will be this Saturday, March 25th at 10 am at Nathan’s home) - Wetlands
Festival Donation basket letter will be coming home this Thursday;
donations bins will be in the entryway of the school beginning next
Monday; bins will be there to accept donations until 4/21 - Grade
level themes are: - Pre-K
– Arts & Crafts - K
– Gardner’s Delight - 1st
Grade – Build It - 2nd
Grade – Adventure and Action Stars - 3rd
Grade – I Discover - 4th
Grade – Outdoor Fun - 5th
Grade – Food, Glorious Food - Online
auction will start on 4/20 and end on 4/27 - Sign-up
Genius for Wetlands Festival volunteers will go out soon - Reminder
will go home about parent/staff auction donations (if you have something
interesting to give, i.e. handicrafts, behind-the-scenes tours, homemade
dinner, etc.) - Nathan
reminded everyone of the upcoming programming event this coming Monday,
3/27: DC United player is coming to Campbell to sign autographs and take
pictures from 6:30-8pm - Nathan
turned over the floor to Ms. Nesselrode
II. APS
Budget Update: Maureen Nesselrode, Principal
- Ms.
Nesselrode highlighted key aspects of the Superintendent’s Budget Proposal
o
Both the draft calendar: http://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2017-18-Superintendents-Draft-Calendar.pdf and proposed budget https://www.apsva.us/budget-finance/ are online on the APS
website for viewing, feedback, etc.;
o
The Superintendent proposed a needs-based
budget, not necessarily a balanced budget, with the hope being that the county
would come up with what’s needed to make it happen
o
The increasing needs are largely due to rising
enrollment and the associated costs
o
There is a new procedure in place that
requires the Superintendent to propose a step increase for teachers and staff,
and then the School Board will decide whether to accept the step increase as
part of the budget
o
There are some items that are listed in tiers,
that would become cuts if needed
o
One of the tiers, further down, includes an
increase in class size
o
New
initiatives are not driving costs, rather this proposal is to maintain what
we’re doing currently, just with more students
·
Unrelated to the budget, Ms.
Nesselrode highlighted some of the Spring expeditions that students are engaged
in:
o
Fourth Graders are immersed right now in an
expedition that came about and was designed around donated basil seed; the
students are making an organic salad dressing with basil, and other
ingredients, many of which are produced here at Campbell; they will bottle the
dressing; they visited a culinary school as part of the expedition; in order to
incorporate academics, they are incorporating a lot of writing in the curriculum,
including media (making advertisements), label, nutrition facts, recipes, etc.;
goal is to serve the Campbell salad dressing here at our school and also at
some other Arlington schools; some may be available at the upcoming auction for
interested parties; the children are very, very excited about their expedition!
o
Third Grade working on their
expedition related to simple machines; they’ll be going on a field trip to
three local playgrounds to compare and contrast the different simple machines
found on the playgrounds
o
Kindergarten/First Grade expeditions
have been revamped as well, so lots of new and exciting things happening in the
spring; the ducks are back and spring is in the air
·
Ms. Christy shared that the Kindergarten students are beginning
their water expedition this coming week; First Graders are looking at the
Outdoor Classroom “through the eyes of a scientist” for their expedition;
Spring-themed haiku student poems have been posted at the doors to the
courtyard; in Art, students have created clay kiln-fired Fairy Houses that have
been placed throughout the courtyard, and metal tooling that is hanging from
the trees was created to deter birds from the plants that are growing in the
courtyard, check out Facebook to see the many inspiring pictures; next week the
Fourth Graders will be Skyping with a Salt Farmer from North Carolina because
they’re using her sea salt in their vinaigrette recipe, and they’re
investigating their sources and learning the stories behind their ingredients;
Ms. Nesselrode commented that this is a great example of how Campbell is using
technology in a meaningful way
·
Ms. Nesselrode commented that some of the teams’ spring
expeditions are launching earlier in the school year to try to lessen the
number of showcases held in June, because it’s such a busy time of the school
year with many competing events; all the dates for the Showcases will be entered
into the Google calendar, and handouts will also go home with a list of all the
Showcase dates printed
- Ms.
Nesselrode turned the floor over to Nathan
III. Enrollment/Transfer Policy response:
Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
gave brief summary/background of process and where we are now - The
School Board and APS Staff are embarking on rewriting the school Transfer
and Enrollment Policies; that’s impactful because it determines who can
go to what school, including neighborhood schools, choice schools
(henceforth being referred to as option schools), and programs like
Montessori, Immersion, and IB - New
map dividing the options and programs by East-West - Our
community needs to provide input to the enrollment and transfer process - Came
to a head last Wednesday night at the School Board work session on this
topic (a work session is an open meeting in which School Board members
can ask clarifying questions to APS staff; work sessions are recorded
and video is posted online, public allowed to attend these meetings, but
are not allowed to comment) - APS
staff presented a brief in which they discussed the future of options
and the new east-west division - Campbell
was listed in the category of neighborhood school with a STEAM focus,
rather than as an “Option” school - Becoming a neighborhood school could mean losing EL, we’d
have a set boundary, and many of the features that make Campbell unique
would be lost (like looping, alternate report cards, etc.) - Ms. Nesselrode: the neighborhood would likely be from 8th
and Greenbrier, so many current students would not be in the
boundary - This would dramatically change Campbell from the school
that exists today - That’s why I sent out the email via Announcements with
links to the survey asking everyone to provide feedback before the
survey closed, and to provide feedback to engage@apsva.us via email - You guys did an amazing job; we had a lot of people
sending feedback right away to notify APS that EL is unique within APS
and important to continue - Within just a few hours of the call-to-action and our
community’s response, APS came back and said they’d made a mistake and
it was just an oversight and updated their draft to include Campbell as
an “Option” school; told our community members to stay engaged - Tannia Talento, our School Board liaison, sent a note
apologizing for the oversight and stating that she would continue to
advocate for Campbell - So, that is all good news, but we may not be out of the
woods yet and we should not be complacent - We hope to send a PTA letter, that is approved by the PTA
members, stating what the PTA would like to have happen, as far as the
transfer/admission process is concerned - Six of us met over the weekend, hoping to have a draft
letter to share at this meeting, but we did not reach a consensus, so
we agreed to outline a letter and talk about the main points we want to
hit on and then make sure that, from a PTA perspective, we are mostly
aligned; since then the six of us have had some more dialogue and we’re
more aligned than we were initially - We want to be transparent about what we’re recommending
and make sure that we’re representing the community - Nathan
surveyed the members as to whether anyone wants Campbell to become a
neighborhood school; the consensus was “no” and there was broad support
for Campbell to remain an “Option” school - Q: Could we still be
Campbell w/an EL focus as a neighborhood school? A: (Ms. Nesselrode): I
think EL or not EL isn’t the only question; we could not maintain our
current school culture, decisions, and program as a neighborhood
school, with or without EL. For example: our alternate report cards
would not make sense in a neighborhood school; things would have to be
more standardized to become more like other neighborhood schools. As an
“Option” school we can be different and those who do not want those
differences have a choice about whether to enroll. In policy, there is
no reason EL could not be maintained in a neighborhood school, but families
would not be choosing our school, they’d be assigned here, so there
wouldn’t really be a reason to do EL, and many of our unique features,
that are not necessarily tied to EL, would be compromised and our
culture would change. - Ms.
Nesselrode asked whether everyone was familiar with the plan’s
schema; she explained that in the scenario presented by APS, there are only
three distinct types of schools: neighborhood schools with a defined
boundary, east/west “option” schools, or countywide “option” schools - Nathan: so out of those
options, which do we prefer? It’s clear that of those options, the PTA
does not support becoming a neighborhood school, so we need to determine
whether we want to advocate for becoming a countywide or east/west
option - To explain background, the admission/transfer policy
update has come out of a concern to make access to option schools more
equitable; for example, ATS has a countywide double-blind lottery,
anyone can apply and have a fair shot, whereas Campbell’s lottery is
limited to south Arlington overcrowded preference (so that could be
viewed as being inequitable) - We are 100% lottery school, but VPI students do not have
to reenter lottery for Kindergarten (they apply to a lottery for VPI,
and then are automatically enrolled at Campbell for Kindergarten) - What people are saying about Campbell is the number of
lottery slots available, after VPI and siblings are admitted, is only
about 20 or so available for new families, give or take, depending on
the number of siblings in any given year - Q:
Is the VPI lottery countywide? A: (Ms. Nesselrode): The VPI program is
countywide, but Campbell school’s VPI lottery is limited to students
living in South Arlington
- Nathan:
from what I can gather, the School Board wants the outcome of this
policy update to result in greater equity and simplicity - Q:
So the Montessori classroom that’s here, would that then move since
they’re moving the countywide Montessori school? A (Ms. Nesselrode):
That’s a possibility, but it would not happen for next year. - The
School Board will be making a decision about the transfer/admission
policy before the end of this school year, to go into effect in fall of
2018, but the decision as to whether Montessori satellite locations will
become centralized is not part of this immediate process, though you
could still provide feedback about that now - Q:
Campbell is not the only school that has limited lottery admittance; for
instance, isn’t Science Focus limited to north Arlington only? So is
this really being driven by budget? A (Ms. Nesselrode): No, I don’t
believe it’s budgetary. It’s being driven by capacity, and confusion (right
now there’s a complicated matrix of policies that are difficult to
navigate), and by planning, as new schools are built and programs are
moved, there’s a need for coordination and a master plan (a big-picture
idea). - Q:
Can you talk about why the Interlude program was moved to Campbell? A
(Ms. Nesselrode): Because it’s a countywide program and we’re a
countywide program, and because we have capacity, it makes sense from a
transportation and capacity perspective. Also, in the past when the
Interlude program was in a neighborhood school, it had to be moved
around as schools became overcrowded; the hope was that by placing it in
a countywide lottery school, it would become its permanent home. It’s now
tied to our school culture and something that we’d like to retain the
program as it makes the most sense in a countywide building. - Q (Nathan Zee): Is making Interlude a permanent part of
Campbell something we’d want to advocate for in our PTA letter, to make
another case to maintain our “Option” school status? A (Ms.
Nesselrode): Yes. - Q:
Are we going to talk about the east/west divide? Do we want to comment
on that, or ask to become that instead of countywide, especially if
being an east/west will affect our Title 1 status? A (Ms. Nesselrode): In
this schema, there are only three types of schools: neighborhood,
countywide, or east/west options. I’m not sure that we have a choice per
se about whether we become countywide rather than east/west. Either one
will likely affected our Title 1 status; I think that is an
inevitability. - Nathan:
so to close the loop on the east/west model that was presented last
week, there will be an Immersion east/west, and an IB east/west, and
then Montessori and ATS would be countywide, and in the updated version,
they have Campbell as countywide rather than neighborhood - Q:
So what is the east/west dividing line? A: It’s kind of a zig zag and is
pretty far west, south of 50 it’s Four Mile Run; A (Ms. Nesselrode): I
believe that exact line isn’t set in stone, at this point it’s just a
schematic, lots of community discussion to come that will likely
influence the specifics of that line - Q:
Was there an option for an east/west EL school? A; No. The only thing
they showed was Campbell as a neighborhood school in the original draft,
and then they went back and updated the presentation after the feedback
they received to show Campbell as a countywide option. (Ms. Nesselrode):
to point out, if Campbell became east/west, it would geographically have
to be a west option, which would disenfranchise a number of our current
families who would be considered east under the new schema; but I don’t
think it’s up to us whether we’re classified as countywide or east/west;
staff has clarified that we will be countywide - Comment:
What we’ve encountered is a lack of knowledge about EL and Campbell as
an option school; it’s clear we need to do some education of the School
Board members, and broader community, about what we are and what EL is;
we can be the conduit for this education - Comment:
People don’t feel like the lotteries are honest - Nathan: that’s a good point. That is part of why this
policy revision has come about, so that all the school lotteries will
become managed in the same way, eventually (long-term) they may move to
a centralized “super-lottery” because of this perceived inequity - Ms. Nesselrode: A centralized “super lottery” is much
further off. Right now, this is how the VPI lottery is handled, and
it’s not without complications - Q:
As part of the community education/school advocacy we’re doing, do we
need to talk about why we stay small, because of our unique geologic
issues? Because we’ve heard comments about how it’s not fair that we’re
a small school on a large property, or confusion about how many students
we even have. A: (Ms. Nesselrode) Yes, those feelings about school size
inequity are out there. But we need to remind people that we have and
are continuing to grow. Building an addition here would be particularly
complicated. Our capacity will probably go up, but likely with
w/relocatables rather than an addition due to our unique geological circumstances. - How does our Title 1 status affect our size? A (Ms.
Nesselrode): Class sizes will remain smaller at all Title 1 schools,
but we’ll probably have more classrooms and grow beyond 430 students - Nathan:
so, as far as the PTA letter is concerned, nobody supported becoming a
neighborhood school vs. option; becoming a part of the east/west
division schema is not really something we can advocate for right now,
because it’s not what is being decided with the policy revisions that
are happening right now, rather that is a long-term vision; if there’s
discussion around whether we’d like to have a second EL school, I think
it falls outside of the scope of this letter, but I’d like to open
discussion on this topic and hear your thoughts - Q: How does the decision get made for there to be another
EL school? A (Ms. Nesselrode): Opportunity to advocate for a second EL
school is when a new choice school is opened. - Q: If the county were to create a new choice school, how
would we advocate for it to become EL? A: We’d have to demonstrate
demand@ the current EL school (Campbell), through a long waitlist for
instance, and there could be a chance to get a second EL school and
become east-west option in the future - Comment: It’s unfortunate that the community survey did
not offer EL as an option on the same level as IB or Immersion, not
able to demonstrate demand for the EL instructional model if the
question isn’t asked; survey results can’t provide data to show community
demand for EL; also, we can’t demonstrate potential demand across the
county because our lottery has been geographically weighted and people
from outside the preferred areas may not have been applying for that
reason; becoming a countywide option may allow us to provide this data
and make a case for a second EL school - Comment: the changes to the PIP and policy were not clear,
the survey was poorly designed; such a large change deserves more
public commentary - Comment: we could point out that EL was left off the
community survey; we could ask that School Board members visit our
school to become educated about EL - Comment: there’s no reason why our School Board members
should not be educated about our schools; the information is online, we
have amazing documentation about the things we’re doing at Campbell, we’re
prolific on Twitter, etc. - Comment: we can put together a communications toolkit with
all the information we have, so that we speak with one voice across all
the various platforms and for all the various audiences - Does
the PTA want to take a position on VPI guaranteed admission? - VPI students have already undergone a lottery process to
even enter Campbell as Pre-K students; should they have to reapply at
the Kindergarten level? Should they have guaranteed entrance to
Kindergarten? - Comment (Ms. Nesselrode): It would be nice, from a
procedural standpoint, for VPI students to have to indicate, within a
certain timeframe, whether they plan to return for the following year
so that we could offer open spots to other interested students - Q: How much do current VPI students participate in the “Campbell
Way?” A: In all aspects. - Comment: I feel like this is the child-friendly policy,
it’s the developmentally right thing to do. Those students are already
integrated into the school community and they’re part of the school
community. They’re already doing EL, they’re at the Community
Meetings. It seems just inappropriate to tell a student you can come
here for a year and then good luck in the lottery. - Q: Do VPI students at APS get automatic priority at ATS?
A: Yes, but that might be on the table to change with the policy
revision. - Nathan: Before we close the loop, let me just present the
other side of the argument so that we can decide whether we’d like to
take a position. If you have a great program that everyone is
interested in across the county, but many of the available spots are
reserved for VPI students, is the lottery equitable? Thoughts on that
counterargument: - Comment: I would argue that if it’s a matter of equity,
then staff could decide to locate VPI classrooms more equitably, if
that’s the primary goal. I just think that, on its face, it’s wrong to
move children around, for educators to disrupt learning; from an
educational policy standpoint, this is wrong - Comment: If the Montessori
program is centralized, that could free up more space at Campbell - Okay, to paraphrase what I’m hearing, we’re not going to
talk about specific numbers, but we’re going to advocate for kids who
are here to be able to continue - Ms. Nesselrode: I think we
have to be specific, because there are other programs here; if we’re
talking about VPI, then we have to be explicit - Comment: For instance, per
current policy, Interlude students aren’t allowed to remain after
they “graduate” from the program, they must return to their
neighborhood school - Ms. Nesselrode: One of the
goals is to create consistency, so that programs in different
buildings have the same admissions procedures. So I think you’d be
right to advocate that countywide programs treat students similarly.
Go with the broad ideas that reflect your values are and don’t get
into the weeds, or subtleties of procedures. - Nathan: Okay, to paraphrase what I’m hearing, from a
values perspective we’re going to advocate to be a countywide option,
we’re going to explain a little bit about EL (we might do a separate
fact sheet about EL), we are going to advocate for the VPI students who
are already here to remain, in alignment with other countywide option school
admission policies - Comment: we could advocate specifically to copy ATS’s
policy, which is “Students will be chosen through a random
double-blind lottery. The following students are guaranteed admission at
the Kindergarten level: students who have completed the VPI class at
Campbell, siblings of older students who will be concurrently
attending, and everybody else is admitted on a space-available basis.” - Comment: So most importantly, we don’t want to lose the
fact that we’re an EL school, it seems to me that we are more than
likely going to be forced to be a countywide school where the
preference for surrounding neighborhoods goes away. Which is not a bad
thing, necessarily, if it means we get to keep EL, our small size, and
who we are and what we’re all about. So it seems like that’s where we
need to go with our advocacy. - Nathan: Does anyone disagree
with this, because I think this a great articulation of what we need
to write? - Comment: I don’t disagree,
but I do feel a little concerned, along with what others have
expressed, that when the School Board omits EL from the survey, and
it seems that many decisions have already been made about the
“vision,” I would not underestimate the uniqueness of the EL program,
I would highlight it and wouldn’t make it a separate side sheet,
because that’s a key point of what we hope to maintain and it worries
me that in the interest of simplification, EL has already been eliminated
- Comment: Whether that
omission was intentional or not, I think it’s clear we have educate
and advocate for our model, and I think there’s a group of us who are
committed to doing that on an ongoing basis - Comment: EL is still thought
of as an exemplary project and not a distinct instructional model,
because of how our program sort of grew out of the push for every
school to have an exemplary project; not a clear recognition that our
program is based on an educational model
- Nathan:
Okay, in the interest of time, we’re going to have to wrap up this
discussion. We can continue this discussion informally and unofficially,
but we have to end on time to relieve the babysitters. So I think we
have our message. The next steps are: - I’m going to work with folks, draft something up, and send
it out to everyone and get any last minute comments and then send it in - I do want to add, that just because something isn’t
included in this letter, for instance, we had some good discussions
about a biased survey, extensive curriculum challenges not being
addressed; we’re not going to hit on all of those topics in this
letter, but everyone has valuable feedback and opportunities to share
that through the Engage APS email, by responding to the online forum, and
by attending meetings on March 30th and April 4th
- If I can get the letter and some talking points ready,
we’ll be encouraging folks to sign up to speak at the School Board
meeting this Thursday night (and I’ll send out information about how to
do that) - Ms.
Nesselrode: I’d encourage you, in your talking points, to highlight both
Campbell’s unique philosophy and instructional model
IV. Call
for Teacher Support Ideas: Nathan Zee , President
- Our
teacher liaison, Ms. Hill, has approached teachers to submit their
requests and has gotten an initial set of ideas - I’d
also encourage all of our PTA members to submit potential ideas; talk with
your teachers so that your ideas are ones that align with what the
teachers hope to accomplish - The
plan is to vote on as many as we can come up with, no later than May,
possibly April; in past years, we’ve done it at the June meeting and had a
mad scramble at the end of the year to execute funding the ideas before
the end of our fiscal year (June 30th), so we’re trying to get
ahead of that - We’re
building a list of ideas now and we’ll run them by Ms. Nesselrode before
finalizing because she sometimes knows of different ways that these items
can be funded - Also
begin thinking about bigger-picture items that we may need to save/plan
for (2-3 year timeframe), akin to the scope of the pond revamp we did last
year
V. Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris , Treasurer
- Not
too much happened in February; everyone has a copy of the budget at your
tables, so does anyone have any questions? No questions. - We
do have two funding requests: - Funding
to pay for chaperones, including three First Grade teachers, to attend EL
Field trip to the National Geographic Museum, in the amount of $150,
submitted by Ms. Sim. Any questions or comments? No questions. - Motion
to approve funding. Motion seconded. Motion approved unanimously.
- Request
for two Core brand wobble chairs for Ms. Sim’s First Grade class to help
with sensory needs, in the amount of $140 - Motion
to approve funding. Motion seconded. Motion approved unanimously.
- Nathan:
we do have another request that isn’t fully fleshed out, but I’d like to
discuss. The Kindergarten expedition is starting soon and they’d like to
have lab coats. They’d like to make their lab coats out of t-shirts. A
request went home to families to donate t-shirts, but so far, none have come
in. They need about 60 of them, at an estimated cost of $200. Request to authorize
up to $200 to purchase 60 t-shirts for the Kindergarten expedition - Motion
to approve funding. Motion seconded. Motion approved unanimously.
VI. New Business:
Nathan Zee opened the floor to new business
·
Request from Ms. Christy:
o
If you shop at Costco, please consider
buying a bag (or more) of Whitney brand organic soil (costs $8.99/bag) before
the upcoming spring Garden Work Day; we can reimburse you for the cost; please
stack it by the Colonial Garden if you don’t have time to bring it into the
courtyard
·
Tammy Bewitz called attention to the
county’s budget proposal that would reduce Glen Carlyn Library’s hours from six
days to 1 ½ days; brought a petition from the library to maintain current hours
for anyone interested in signing
o
Q: Is there an electronic version of
the petition that can be forwarded? A: Not currently; only paper copies of the
Library petition available
VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President
- We
were going to talk about Field Trips, but we’ll delay that until next
month’s meeting (April 18th) - Next
Wetlands Festival planning meeting will be at my house this Saturday, just
let me know if you’re able to make it - Look
for information about Square One Art that will be coming home this week
PTA Meeting Minutes 2.21.17
Campbell PTA Meeting
February 21, 2017
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate # of
Attendees:
48
I. Welcome and
Introductions: Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan welcomed
everyone to the meeting and introduced the first guest speaker, School
Board Member Ms. Tannia Talento
II. Tannia Talento,
School Board Member
- Ms. Talento
gave a power point presentation
o
Ms. Talento described the mission and vision statement
of Arlington Public Schools, and our Core Values
o
Ms. Talento described her personal story and why
ran for School Board
o
APS 3-5 Year Action Plan
(available on APS website)
o
Enrollment actuals and projections
through 2026; more difficult to calculate beyond five years because that number
is not based on students already in the system
o
Right now, the School Board is
working to update the enrollment and transfer policy, new 1300 seat HS program
visioning process, Drew re-visioning process
o
Asking community to weigh in with
their thoughts on all these matters through the APS Engage website: www.apsva/engage
or email: engage@apsva.us
o
Website also has calendar of all
upcoming events
o
Community survey on the new HS
instructional focus underway
o
Transfer & enrollment policy
decision will be made in June; will go into effect for 2018-2019 school year;
draft policy currently online; community meetings on 2/22 and 3/2; meetings
will be live streamed
o
HS Boundary Process that recently
concluded in December
o
Six criteria that were followed
o
The goal was to balance enrollment
among all three high schools
o
Showed a slide of what the
boundaries look like now and what they will be for this coming school year
o
Over next 3-5 years, elementary
and middle school boundary refinements will take place as new buildings come
online
o
Next year (2018): School Board
will develop a new strategic plan, will review the CIP, will update the
“profile of a graduate” to align with the Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA), which will likely affect graduation requirements
o
Superintendent will present next
year’s budget, and School Board will vote on budget in April or May; public may
attend work sessions but may not provide comment at work sessions, public
comment at School Board meetings
o
Ms. Talento provided contact
information for all School Board members
o
School Board office: 703-228-6015
o
Nancy VanDoren: nancy.vandoren@apsva.us
o
Barbara Kanninen: barbara.kanninen@apsva.us
o
Reid Goldstein: reid.goldstein@apsva.us
o
James S. Lander: james.lander@apsva.us
o
Tannia Talento: tannia.talento@apsva.us
- Ms. Talento
opened the floor to questions and comments: - Q: On transfer/enrollment policy: Campbell values our
diversity, which is achieved through the VPI preference in the lottery.
Will that preference remain, to enable us to keep our diverse community
intact? Or will VPI students have to reapply to a Kindergarten lottery?
A: That’s a good question, I don’t have an answer for you. That’s part of
what is being looked at. My understanding is that there is not a huge
advocacy for changing that. We’d like to increase VPI across the county.
This is where your participation in these meetings can make a big
difference. Because if we don’t hear from you, we don’t hear how that is
essential to your community. I’d encourage you to come to the meetings
and advocate for that. Sibling preference at the elementary level is
likely to remain. Not looking to make it harder for families to access
options. - Q: What is PIP
vs. policy? A: For those who don’t know, we have a policy, and then a
PIP, or Policy Implementation Plan. The PIP explains how we put our
policy into action. We’re growing so quickly that we need policy to be
more general (a general focus and overarching goal) so that we can more
quickly adjust to changes as we grow using a dynamic and more detailed PIP.
This will not change the community engagement process. - Q: Very hard to
see what changes are even being proposed in the documents (the mark-ups)
because policy is so long and complicated. A: We’re just trying to put
all the information out there. Some people prefer to see the track
changes in the documents, other respond to direct engagement at meetings.
We’re just trying to reach everyone wherever they are, however they learn
or choose to engage. Remember, this is just the first draft.
III. Camila Espinosa, Immigration Attorney
- Ms. Espinosa
gave a presentation on knowing your rights - What policies
are changing? - Recent Executive
Order: while not law, is policy and can affect changes: - largest
change being who has become a priority for deportation - under new
administration, new priority list includes all those arrested or charged
with a crime, even very minor offenses (no longer only those who have
been convicted of serious crimes) - What do you
need to know? - Go to
reliable sources for information (do not believe or spread rumors, verify
and don’t spread fear) - Who is at
risk: anyone without lawful status, people with lawful status who have certain
criminal convictions - Who will ICE
focus on: - People with
pending criminal cases or prior convictions - People with
final orders of conviction - People who
have committed fraud or misrepresentation in application to the
government - People they
believe pose a threat to public safety or national security - If ICE comes
to your home: - They do not
have the authority to force you to answer your door; if they do not have a warrant signed by a
judge, you may refuse them entry - It’s your right not to answer the door and to refuse them
permission to enter - You may refuse to speak to them, you have the right
to remain silent - You should always provide true identification
information (your name, DOB), but you do not have to share your
immigration status - If you are
at risk, what can you do? - Make a plan
with your loved ones in case you are detained - Avoid contact
with Immigration: don’t apply to change your immigration status or to
renew your greencard and don’t travel outside of the US without talking
to a lawyer first - Avoid contact with the criminal justice system
- There was an
extensive Q & A session, but for reasons of privacy, detailed minutes
are unavailable
IV. Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris , Treasurer
- As of November
30, we’re at ~$35,000 of income and ~$32,000 of expenses. Specific details discussed were:
o During
the month, we received $167 of income from Amazon, $515 from box tops program;
paid Christy for invoiced expenses
o There were no questions from attendees on the budget status
·
Funding request
for $271 from Ms. Norwood to integrate STEAM principles into her classroom
using a “Maker Kit”
o
There were no questions from the floor
o Motion to approve funding $271 toward purchasing
a “Maker Kit.” Motion seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
V. Closing: Nathan
Zee, President
- Reminder: School
Dance this Friday evening - Next meeting is
Tuesday, March 21st
PTA Meeting Minutes 1.17.17
Campbell PTA Meeting
January 17, 2017
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate # of
Attendees:
25
I. Welcome and
Introductions: Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan welcomed everyone
to the meeting and read a “Thank You” note from Carol Valdez, one of the
winners of the staff appreciation baskets - Nathan reminded
everyone of the upcoming Four Courts restaurant night (on 2/1), the
upcoming Brick’s Pizza Night (on 2/15) - Nathan informed PTA
that Wetlands Festival formal planning will kick-off soon - Nathan reminded
us that our School Board representative, Tannia Talento, will be attending
the next PTA meeting on 2/21/17
II. Internet Safety
Tips: Maureen Nesselrode, Principal, and Kathy Gust, Technology Coordinator
- Ms.
Nesselrode introduced Ms. Gust and explained that while this is outside
the scope of Ms. Gust’s position, she is very knowledgeable on the issue - Ms. Gust gave
the following Internet Safety Tips for parents:
o
Realize that nothing is 100% secure
o
There are work-arounds for every
security setting (students learn how to gain access and teach one another)
o
Settings discussed in the
presentation may or may not apply to your device
o
You need to know which operating
system is on your device; parental controls have improved with more recent
versions of operating systems
o
Contact your Internet provider for
additional information
o
For Windows 7,8, and 9 Parental Controls:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms711320(v=vs.85).aspx
o
YouTube video on how to set up
accounts for kids:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=-HLOtNZCrSs
o
Links to resources:
http://www.howtogeek.com/22532/how-to-add-and-monitor-a-childs-account-in-windows-10/
o
For Windows, make sure every user
has their own account
o
Administrator account (parent): is
the first one to set-up; privileges allowed include installing software and
changing settings; use a strong password to keep it secure
o
Standard account (child): create
one for each individual user; prevent user from deleting system files
o
Guest account: can be created for
any visitors to your home
o
Administrator should turn on
parental controls after setting up accounts
o
Can set up restrictions for games
and apps; set time limits for usage
o
Windows 10 PC and Mobile, manage
accounts at http://account.microsoft.com/family
o
Parent can manage child’s account
from here; settings can be applied to every device the child logs in with
o
Web features include filters on
content through Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer
§
Blocks adult content w/ searches
on Bing, Google, Yahoo! and others
§
Blurs out adult content and
pictures
§
Child can send request to adult
for access
o
Generates activity reports
§
Sent via email
§
Information includes” websites
visited, device usage time, and apps on PC or mobile devices
o
Screen time
§
Restrict amount of time
§
Time intervals can be set as well
as maximum time allowances
§
Child may request time extension
o
Apps, games, and media limits
§
Set an age rating for content
acquired in Windows store
§
Specific apps can be blocked
§
Cannot block non-Windows Store
apps
o
Purchase and spending features
§
Parents can add money to child’s
account to be spent in Windows Store
§
Parents can see child’s purchases
o
Find your child
§
Child’s Windows 10 mobile phone
can be found on a map
o
YouTube Parental Setting
o
Restricted Mode (works at the
browser level, so must be repeated for each browser; i.e. Firefox, Internet
Explorer, Safari, etc.)
o Google
Chrome browser
o
Control sites your family can
visit on the Internet: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3463947/?hl=en
§
See websites that users visit
§
Block websites
§
Prevent users from installing apps
and extensions
§
Turn on SafeSearch
o
Create a supervised user in Chrome
§
Different than Google account
§
Does not give access to Google
Gmail, Google + and Google Drive
o
SafeSearch on Google: go to www.google.com,
click Setting >Search Settings
§
Filters explicit search results
§
Not 100%, but helps avoid most
adult content
§
Works on phone, tablet, or
computer
§
Helps block explicit images,
videos, and websites from Google search results
- Android tablets running 4.3 and higher
- Create restricted profiles that
limit access to features and content on tablet - Visit: https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/3175031/?hl=en
- Only tablet owner can create,
edit, and delete restricted profiles - Assign apps, features, and
setting the profile can see and use - Parental Controls on Internet Providers
& others - AT &T: https://www.att.net/smartcontrols-InternetParentalControls
- Chromebooks:https://www.omgchrome.com/a-parents-guide-to-supervised-users/
- Firefox:https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/block-and-unblock-websites-parental-controls-firefox
- Xfinity:https://customer.xfinity.com/help-and-support/internet/set-up-parental-controls-with-comcast-networking/
- Android: http://parents.xfinity.com/
- XBOX 360 and XBOX One
- https://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/security/error-child-trying-to-access-settings
- View or change your child’s
privacy and online safety settings - A parent will need to give
permission for new apps to access a child’s data - Parental Controls on MacBooks
- Go to Apple menu > System
Preferences > Parental Controls - Restriction Options include:
- Apps – specify which ones can
be accessed - Web – limits access to websites
- People – restricts child’s
contact with other people through Game Center, Mail & Messages - Time Limits – set time limits
for weekdays, weekends, and bedtime - Other – Hide profanity in the
dictionary and other sources; block the built-in camera, dictation,
burning CDs and DVDs, or changing passwords - You can manage Parental Controls from
another Mac, too - Restriction on iPhone, iPad, and iPod
touch - Create passcode to manage and
limit what websites and content are allowed, turn off certain features
(like Facetime, AirDrop, etc.) - Restrictions for iTunes by limiting
access to: - Podcasts
- Internet Radio
- iTunes Store and iTunes U
- Apple Music
- Apple Music Connect
- Shared libraries
- Can also restrict content by setting
a ratings level for movies, TV shows, and apps - Guided Access on IOS 8
- Screen time limit for apps
feature - Useful for limiting game play
time by restricting child to a specific app, but not ideal for
controlling device screen time (no way to set limit that allows access
to multiple apps)
- Ms. Nesselrode
opened the floor to questions and comments: - Q: Have you
heard about routers that do this type of content filtering from a higher
level? A (Ms. Gust): I haven’t, but I’m familiar with software, not an
expert on hardware. That would be a question for your internet provider,
or experts at stores where you may purchase a router. - Q: Have you
heard of “Disney Circle”? A (Ms. Gust): No. Comment from the floor: it’s one
of a handful of companies that are marketing routers that can restrict
content; not aware of reviews of this service, or others. - Q: What type of
monitoring happens at school w/school devices? A (Ms. Nesselrode):
Devices are flat on table so that they’re visible to teachers, teachers
periodically check the devices’ history, always check if there’s a suspected
issue, APS uses filtering; piloting Apple Classroom in which teacher can
monitor all devices in real time from own device - Q: Do students
get a lesson at school about Internet safety? A (Ms. Nesselrode): Yes,
taught about cyberbullying, how to be safe online, how to use social
media accounts; common-sense, developmentally-focused lessons on internet
safety
III. Project Discovery Feedback: Tammy
Bewitz, Coordinator
- Tammy gave brief
history of Project Discovery and responded to questions that came up in
the survey - No classes held
on Mondays and Tuesday because there are remediation classes held on those
days after school (also no Wednesday classes for upper grades for same
reason), and we don’t want anyone to be excluded from taking a class for
this reason - Always looking
for parents to teach the classes - STEM classes
have been popular in the surveys, but not as many parent volunteers who
have volunteered to teach these classes, so outside providers have filled
that niche - Negotiate
w/providers to keep costs low in order to remove economic barriers for
lower income students to participate, - We ask that
instructors agree to provide at least one full scholarship, as well as
accept a reduced overall fee because we are a Title 1 school - Q: How many
students use scholarships? A: About 20% of registered students - Credit card and
online registration vendor were costing too much money, so we are working
to save money in overhead by moving away from that vendor, to provide
maximum student benefit - Next session of
classes begins on 3/15 - Ms. Nesselrode
weighed in that the upper grades have more schedule conflicts due to other
after school activities, so the break between the two sessions helps to
accommodate the other activities
IV. Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris , Treasurer
- As of November
30, we’re at ~$33,945 of income and ~$33,200 of expenses. Specific details discussed were:
o During
the month, we paid t-shirt vendor, made $172 of income from Brick’s Pizza Night;
$239 from California Pizza Kitchen Restaurant Night, $154 of Amazon income,
paid Ms. Christy $500 for her invoiced time
o Have sold 222 items of Campbell wear
o We have a quote for the Wetlands clean-up work; work is not
yet done but it has been accounted for in the budget
o Motion to approve funding $120 toward Wellness
Event. Motion seconded. Motion approved, unanimously.
·
Q:
Questions from floor:
o
No
questions; Ms. Nesselrode followed up on question from December meeting about
the PA system. It is thirteen years old and could use modernization. Something
for PTA to consider during upcoming budget planning
V. Fundraising:
Kelly Krug, VP Programming
- The following
events/fundraisers are coming up: - 2/17, Spirit
Day/Crazy Hair (100th day of school) - 2/24, School
Dance - Used Sports
Equipment Drive throughout the month - Fun Run on 3/24
- DC United
Player will be visiting Campbell to sign autographs and take pictures
from 6:30-8pm on 3/27
VI. Closing: Nathan
Zee, President
- Next meeting is
Tuesday, February 21st. Guests will include School Board member
Tannia Talento and an Immigration Attorney - March meeting
we’ll have a budget discussion, and guest will be the Kenmore principal - Comment from
the floor: If there are any large projects coming up, we should look to
grants. Response: We will look at grant opportunities.
PTA Meeting Minutes 12.20.16
Campbell PTA Meeting
December 20, 2016
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate # of
Attendees:
20
I. Welcome and
Introductions: Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan welcomed
everyone to the meeting and turned things over to Ms. Nesselrode
II. Diversity:
Maureen Nesselrode, Principal
- Ms. Nesselrode
introduced the topic and explained that this topic was selected from last
year’s survey questions. Campbell incorporates diversity subtly into
content, as well as celebrating diversity in the following ways:
o
Morning Meetings during “Share” students share events, input
ideas, and experiences that reflect who they are as individuals and often give
a window into the diversity in each classroom.
o
Career Café-families from
different cultures, gender, and backgrounds present about their career and
specifically-chosen to help break stereotypes and show students the many
possibilities for all.
o
Community Meeting-Students from
different cultures are highlighted and present about their work.
o
Story of My Plate (K-1 expedition)
focuses on how the food we eat reflects our culture and where we come
from.
o
Culture Posters-sending home
flyers about culture (2nd Grade)
o
Founding Fathers Lead the Way (3rd
grade expedition) has an end project requires students to reflect on the
freedoms we have in America, many of which focus on our ability to honor
diversity.
o
Cultures Collide (the 4th
Grade Jamestown expedition) focuses on comparing the three cultures (Powhatan,
English, and African) and how although conflicts arise, we try to adapt and help
each other. The initial kickoff is a
family survey which requires families to talk about times they’re moved,
hardships they’ve faced, and how they have benefitted from neighbors living
nearby.
o
Interest Surveys conducted by
teachers early in the year, help teachers understand student likes and dislikes
and what makes them different.
o
Home visits to gain an
appreciation for the diversity of families (VPI and some others)
o
Thursday Mom Group
o
Multicultural Night
o
School counseling program-
teachable moments and explicit lessons
o
Home interviews between students
and families
o
FACE Team – Family and Community
Engagement, new project: Turtle Tube!
o
Inviting families or staff to
field trips considering family comfort levels
o
Cultural foods at PTA and other
events
o
The personal narrative unit allows
students to share their stories about their life in writing to foster
appreciation of their experiences with their peers.
o
Books in the library and classroom
library books intentionally feature diverse characters/themes
o
Students learn about Hispanic
culture in FLES
o
Students learn about artists and
art from around the world
o
Musical selections and instruments- in music class from around
the world
o
Courageous Conversations training
for staff – countywide; book clubs and other opportunities
o
Hire diverse staff
·
Areas for continued improvement:
o
We are always looking to increase authenticity when we use
multi-cultural resources
- Ms. Nesselrode
handed out a copy of a passage from “Educating for Diversity” for the PTA
to read and discuss. Main themes were: - Beliefs about
students matter (teacher’s own biases can affect classroom behavior and
expectations) - Content and
materials matter (diversity should be woven into content and stories told
from different perspectives) - Instructional
approaches matter (for ex.: teachers learning what apps students are
using so that they can better connect) - Educational
settings matter (Campbell’s lottery system serves the goal of diversity) - Teacher
education matters (self-fulfilling prophecies) - Does the race
and ethnicity of teacher matter? If there are two equal candidates, opt
for diverse staff; hire teachers who are culturally competent - Ms. Nesselrode
opened the floor to questions and comments: - Q: Do students
notice whether staff is diverse? A: Not really in the lower grades;
older students seek out allies who are culturally competent (even if not
same race) - Q: How do we
handle linguistic diversity? What’s the approach to valuing home
language? A: Translations of all printed materials, interpreter at all
events, conferences offered for parents in their language w/translator
for the English speaking teacher; FLES pull-outs for native speakers,
teachers stress to parents that language matters, but not which language
because speaking and reading in ANY language is what is most important. - Comment: Could
the term “Founding Fathers” be changed to “Founders” to be more gender
inclusive? Response: We can take some feedback on the term. - Q: How do we
talk about Native Americans? How do we handle the Thanksgiving Day
holiday or Columbus Day, particularly in the younger grades? A: Because
of Virginia’s history, Native Americans feature prominently in the 2nd
and 4th grade curriculums. With older students, we can give
more context; it’s a fine line to walk with younger students (for
instance, it would not be developmentally appropriate to discuss Thomas
Jefferson and Sally Hemmings with Kindergarten students). We avoid
celebrating some individuals, like Columbus, as heroes, and avoid
appropriating native dress. There is room for improvement in being
culturally authentic (to use materials that are culturally responsible
and appropriate) - Q: How do we
talk about nontraditional families? A: Library books and stories with
representations of nontraditional families, through Morning Meeting and
other times where students share about their lives. - Q: Religious
diversity? A: Not really part of the K-5 curriculum, but students share
about it, and it becomes part of the conversation in that way; it is not
a taboo subject and children are free to share. - Comment: The recent
HS Boundary process demonstrates that the students “get it” and
understand the value of diversity - Comment: The
coat drive demonstrated that many are willing to give generously to
support and celebrate Campbell’s diverse population; Campbell is
purposely diverse and those who seek it out are seeking out a diverse
learning environment and we are committed to the process of continually
improving the process of learning about different cultures and
experiences
III. Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris , Treasurer
- As of November
30, we’re at ~$32,000 of income and ~$26,000 of expenses. Specific details discussed were:
o During
the month, we were paid for the Zumba class that meets at Campbell on
Saturdays, $256 of income; Amazon payment for $184, two payments from Silver
Diner for $584, and $284 of that was from their “Eat Well Do Well” cards,
remember to sign up for that if you haven’t already; Election Day Bake Sale
made $488 after expenses
o Have first sponsorship for Fun Run this spring
o Wrapped up Project Discovery income, came close to breaking
even. The remaining amount will go towards Odyssey of the Mind, which has some
ongoing expenses.
o We had our final amounts for the Pledge Drive come in; we did
well.
o There were no questions from attendees on the budget status
·
Funding request
from Wellness Committee to do provide an hour of wellness and mindfulness
experiences for the teachers as part of a teacher appreciation/benefit event,
to help them feel grounded and appreciated, as well as give them tools to
promote wellness in their classrooms. There will be several different
activities, but total expenses expected to be $120.
o
Questions from floor:
o Q:
Is this an event that teachers want? A: Yes, very much so. It was requested by
staff when Wellness Committee asked them how they’d like to be supported
o Motion to approve funding $120 toward Wellness
Event. Motion seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
- Q: Are there any
major funding requests expected this year? A: We don’t have any
large-scale project (like the Pond redo) that we’re aware of, but we will
discuss at an upcoming PTA meeting so that there aren’t any surprises at
the end of the year
IV. New Business:
Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan opened
floor to questions, comments: - Q: Would a new
PA system for Community Meetings be something for us to consider funding?
A: Ms. Nesselrode will look in to the history of the current system (who
paid for it, how old it is, etc.) - Q: Have we ever
done a “Donor’s Choose” event? A: Yes, for smaller ticket items;
individual teachers have done this in the past; we have used EdBacker to
fund the greenhouse - Thank you to Jenny
Ozawa for all her hard work on the coat drive, and to the over 50
families who donated; thank you to all the families who donated to the
staff baskets (aiming to give out two baskets, wound up being able to
give out six!!), and the staff appreciation breakfast - Q: Is it too late to bring in items for
the coat drive? A: No, it’s not too late. Donations of new items
welcomed still - Q: is there
not Parent Center that has donated clothes for a child who get a rip in
their pants, or if someone needs a few extra items of clothing? A: Our school
social worker can help families get new clothing if needed; there is a
limited supply of “extra” clothing for accident situations due to
storage space constraints
VII. Closing: Nathan
Zee, President
- Next meeting is
Tuesday, January 17th
PTA Meeting Minutes 11.15.16
Campbell PTA Meeting
November 15, 2016
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate # of
Attendees:
30
I. Welcome and Introductions:
Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan welcomed
everyone to the meeting and turned things over to Ms. Nesselrode - Ms. Nesselrode
presented Campbell wear from the PTA to the custodial staff as a ‘thank
you’ for their hard work
II. Family Life:
Dina Berhan, Counselor
- Ms. Nesselrode introduced the
topic and provided examples of learning objectives at the K-3 level. Campbell does not necessarily teach
specific lessons at the younger grades, but rather meeting the objectives
is woven throughout the kids’ learning (e.g., “I respect” supports the
respect learning objective) - Ms. Berhan provided an overview
and specific examples of how she teaches to the 4th and 5th
graders. She draws from APS
guidelines, Virginia guidelines, and has produced a power point she uses
as a baseline. Some specific
discussion points included:
o Discussions
with kids are targeted depending on specific areas of focus
o She
ensures parents are aware of when the learning is scheduled to occur and takes
feedback from parents
o Boys
and Girls may be taught separately (depending on the topic) although the
content is the same
o There
is a “too smart to start” program that introduces refusal skills (e.g., drugs,
alcohol, smoking) – this is taught towards the end of the year and is expanded
on in middle school
o Gender
stereotyping may be a future topic that Ms. Berhan can integrate into her
material
III. Outdoor
Learning: Kevan Miller, Parent
- Kevan provided
an overview of her outdoor learning experience at a nearby preschool where
she spends the entire morning teaching kids in the outdoors multiple times
per month - Each class of 3,
4, and 5 year olds spends two days per month outdoors for the school day
regardless of the weather/temperature - Kevan summarized
recent research on the importance of kids getting outside including
articles in the NY Times, Washington Post, National Geographic and
others. Some key benefits include: - Improved motor
fitness - Improved
concentration and self-discipline - Improved
distance vision - Improved
cognitive abilities - Improved
critical thinking - Lower stress,
anxiety, and depression - Improved social
skills including empathy and connections - Increased
resilience - Increased
creativity and sense of wonder - Increased
independence and autonomy - Increased
ability to recognize and assess risk - Increased
appreciation for the natural world around us - Kevan has seen
all these benefits first hand over the last three years including happier
kids overall who participate in the program - Kevan discussed
some of the barriers to more time outside including time constraints,
proximity to parks/forests, safety concerns, and adverse weather
conditions – she noted that “bad weather always looks worse through a
window” and that once outside it’s usually not as bad as you thought
(especially from a child’s perspective) - Kevan encouraged
parents to try and see things through their child’s eyes and motivate them
to get outside more – you don’t need a specific goal (e.g., a science
lesson) – just get outside and do things (including reading outside) - Kevan provided a
list of resources (will be provided electronically separately) - Ms. Nesselrode
provided an update about how Campbell approaches outdoor learning to
include: - Kids are
reading outdoors during their library time - Miss Christy
takes classes outside rain or shine - Community
Meeting was held outdoors and it was a huge success – we plan to do
another meeting outside in the Spring - 5th
grade just returned from two days at the Outdoor Lab (canoeing, sleeping
in tents, etc.) and it was a fabulous experience
IV. Title I – What is
It: Maureen Nesselrode, Principal and Wendy Pilch, Title I Representative
- Wendy provided
an overview of the Title I Program to include background, statistics,
requirements, and benefits - At the Federal
level, at least 40% of the students must qualify for Free and Reduced
Meals (FARM) for a school to be eligible for Title I status - In Arlington
County, the threshold is 55% of students in the FARM program – Campbell
consistently runs at 58-60% FARM students - 98% of Title I
funding at Campbell is used for salaries – increases the number of
teachers - At least 1% of
the funding must be used for parent/family involvement - 8 schools in Arlington
exceed the 55% FARM threshold: Abingdon, Barcroft, Barrett, Carlin
Springs, Campbell, Drew, Hoffman Boston, Randolph – Patrick Henry recently
left the Title I program - Benefits of
Title I resources include teacher training, supplemental materials, summer
programs, additional reading and math support - At Campbell, we
receive the following specific benefits: - Anne Oliveira
(math coach) is funded ½ time from Title I - 2 extra reading
specialists are funded from Title I - Test
Coordinator ½ time position is funded from Title I - Translation
equipment was purchased with Title I funds - Professional
development - Math tutoring
in 3rd and 4th grade - Note that we
cannot purchase furniture with Title I funds - Ms. Nesselrode
coordinates with the PTA to optimize how funds are applied - Bottom line:
Title I funds are key to Campbell’s resourcing plan
V. Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris , Treasurer
- As of 10/31,
we’ve had ~$19,000 of income and ~$19,000 of expenses. Specific details discussed were:
o October
income included pledge drive donations, amazon, movie night, Project Discovery
and Odyssey of the Mind
o October expenses included movie night, Project Discovery, Outdoor Classroom Coordinator,
K/1 chairs, PTA meeting expenses
o Project Discovery enrollment was higher than projected so
both income and expenses are higher than budgeted. The budget is based on making a small profit,
so there will not be a new vote on increasing income/expenses for project
discovery in the budget as long as income and expenses are generally equal –
same for Odyssey of the Mind (4 teams instead of 2 teams, so we are doubling
the projected income and expenses)
o We have a similar budget situation with Campbell wear – we
have sold much more Campbell wear than projected, so our income and expenses are
higher than budgeted, but they are still canceling each other out as expected
o Our VA PTA dues payment was mailed in November (due December
1st)
o There were no questions from attendees on the budget status
VI. New Business:
Nathan Zee, President
o The
second half of tonight’s meeting was successfully streamed live on Facebook –
all in person attendees acknowledged they were being displayed on Facebook
o Project
Discovery ends this week for Thursday classes and the week after Thanksgiving
for Wednesday/Friday classes
o Principal’s
Chat this Thursday at 8am – interactive activities are planned
o The
Wellness Committee will meet on Friday, December 9th after Community
Meeting at 8:30am
o Apple
Tasting was a huge success
o Socktober
sock donations were well received
o Cyberbullying
discussion will be held on December 15th at 8am – led by Ms. Berhan
and Ms. Decker
o The
Latina Moms group has been officially renamed to “Parents Building Commitment”
o Heads
up that we will be collecting used sports items at the end of winter
o Reminder
to write your child’s name on Campbell wear
o Be
on the lookout for information regarding Tiny Prints / Shutterfly for holiday
card orders
o Picture
retakes are tomorrow (11/16) – bring your old pictures
o Conversations
are ongoing regarding concerns about potential impacts from the Presidential
election (immigration, LBGT, etc.)
VII. Closing: Nathan
Zee, President
- Next meeting is
Tuesday, December 20th - Reminders:
o Please
review Barbara Martinez’s fundraising email
o A
big ‘thank you’ to those who have contributed towards the pledge drive – it
closes at the end of this week (11/18)
o Please
make sure you use the Campbell Amazon link (affiliate) when you do your holiday
shopping
PTA Meeting Minutes 10.18.16
Campbell PTA Meeting
October 18, 2016
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate # of
Attendees:
25
I. Welcome and Vote:
Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
introduced himself and then asked for nominations from the floor for the
open PTA Executive Board position VP of Communications; no nominations
offered from the floor - Ms. Nesselrode
presented the candidate, Barbara Martinez, for a vote to the group; motion
seconded; motion to elect Barbara Martinez as new VP Communications passed
unanimously.
II. Updates on behalf
of Kelly Krug (VP of Programming): Nathan Zee, President
- Activities coming up this month:
o Crazy
Sock Spirit Day (Socktober); kids wear “crazy” socks to school on Friday,
10/28, combined with a month-long sock drive for new socks to donate to a
shelter; sock collection bin located in cafeteria; donations will be taken
through November 1st
o Outdoor
Movie Night: scheduled for Friday, 10/21, but rain is forecasted; alternate
rain date is Friday, 10/28, and the decision whether to postpone will be made
Wednesday, so stay tuned for an update on potential weather-related
postponement; please note the differences from last years’ Movie Night: this
year it will be held outside, no pre-orders of food (food served will be:
pizza, popcorn, snacks, and drinks; family special is $13 for a whole pizza,
four drinks, and a popcorn); remember to bring blankets, chairs, etc.;
playground will be closed after dark for safety; movie will be “Hotel
Transylvania II”
III. Turtle Tube: Ms.
Nicole Johnson, 5th Grade Teacher
- Last year
several Campbell teachers attended a training about how to increase
participation and get more families involved in school by expanding ways
in which families can see what is happening in the community without
having to be physically present at the school, initiative is called FACE: www.apsva.us/face/; website can be translated in to multiple languages to
increase outreach - Campbell’s FACE
initiative is called “Turtle Tube” https://campbell.apsva.us/campbell-turtletube/ - First video has
already been posted; it’s called “Growth Mindset” - Future videos
will be translated into Spanish so that they will be more accessible to
the community - Ms. Johnson will
“tweet” about her videos, too - Ms. Johnsons presented
a survey to the PTA members present asking what we’d be most interested in
seeing in the Turtle Tube videos - Ms. Nesslerode
highlighted that out of all APS schools, Campbell sent the largest
delegation of teachers and staff to the training on community engagement
(teachers from each looping grade, counselor, and specialist from both
reading and math teams were present)
III. Fundraising Updates:
Kathy Cordon, VP Fundraising
- Fill-the-Pond Pledge
Drive: a reminder flyer will go home again tomorrow, 10/19; remember that
to receive incentives, you must make your pledge by 10/31 - Not yet at our
goal of raising $5,000
o What
do we do with this money? Author visits, Turtle Pond renovation, Turtle Tank
rebuild, fund Field Trips, etc.
o This
is our second largest fundraiser (largest is Wetlands Festival)
o Pledges
can be made by cash, check, PayPal
- Questions from
floor
o Q:
Can you give individual targets, such as “if every family gave X amount, we’d
reach our goal?” A: Yes, great suggestion, we will do that.
IV. Treasurer’s Report:
Jenny Morris, Treasurer
- As of 9/30,
we’ve had $11,000 of income and $13,000 of expenses
o Included
in income was about $1,060 of payments from Amazon so make sure to keep using that link!
We've also been collecting for spirit wear which will be paid for soon. And
we've had lots of membership dues paid.
o Included in expenses were the pond ($9,800) and turtle tank ($1,400). Other expenses included
supplies for garden work day, fixing the bridge in the courtyard, the bunny
cage, the upcoming author visit, and other various expenses.
- Open floor to Q
& A:
o Q:
Did we lose money on Yearbook last year? A: (Nathan Zee) PTA does not fund
this; it’s a school expense. (Maureen Nesselrode) Not a concern, we break even.
- Motion to
approve funding request $135 for reading chairs made by Ms. Drabyk and Ms.
Ammons (18 chairs total, 9 for each class), Seconded, and Approved
Unanimously
V. Latino Moms
Report: Claudia Cuellar Ramirez, Representative
- Group attended
large event at Kenmore Middle School (Cosechando Suenos) https://www.apsva.us/face/
o Over
500 families, staff, and community members attended event on 10/14
o Group
represented Campbell ES with a handmade banner and matching t-shirts
- During future
Thursday morning meetings, the group would like to meet with staff to
discuss specific topics, such as tips on how to help children improve SOL
scores - Nathan Zee: we
hope to expand this group beyond the Latino community, so that we’re
working as one Campbell team to support our school and students - Maureen
Nesselrode: Latina Mothers group volunteered on school picture day, will
assist with apple-tasting, assembling Thursday folders, etc. - Meetings are
held on Thursday mornings 7:45-8:45 am, meeting conducted in Spanish but
Monica Castillo Burgos will be in attendance providing English
translation; fathers are welcome
VI. Writer’s Workshop:
Maureen Nesselrode, Principal
- APS adopted the
Teacher’s College Writer’s workshop as part of curriculum - Goal of writer’s
workshop is to increase stamina, choice & volume - Structure of
writing curriculum:
o Mini
lessons (8-10 minutes), contains specific point on strategy
o Students
have work in their folders
o Students
break off to work on their writing individually
o Adults
conference with individual students to coach them on their writing
o Reconvene
at the end of the session and teacher debriefs the class
- Lessons from
Teacher’s College are scripted, but Campbell teachers deviate from scripts
based on their students - Maureen
Nesselrode walked through two examples of a workshop lesson, one from
Kindergarten and one from the 5th Grade curriculum
o Kindergarten:
Maureen Nesselrode read attendees a passage as if she were the teacher and we
the students; prompted us to break off into pairs to discuss what we’d write
about based on prompt, then break to work independently on writing. Stamina:
how does this lesson encourage it? Through choice; the students select topics
that are of interest to them or that they have expertise in; volume is
addressed because the students are working on creating a book rather than a
short passage. In Kindergarten, the students differentiate for themselves:
those who are at the level where they are not writing independently can draw
pictures, and those who come in to K already writing are encouraged to write at
their level.
o 5th
Grade: Maureen Nesselrode read an example of a prompt where students are asked
to make a list of two or three locations that are special to them; teacher
models her list (teacher sharing personal stories encourages students to
share)l; the next day the teacher says they should to go back to their lists,
teacher adds more things to her list and asks students to do the same; then
prompts that today they will spend time sketching a map of their special places;
teacher makes her sketch and shares a story about it; teacher asks students to
mark and “X” on their maps and to pretend that there are buried stories hidden
there, like treasure; students will refer back to their list and map as they
develop their stories; 5th graders may write multiple short stories
a day, they will select the best ones and enter them into Google Docs
- Ms. Hill shared
that her students are so excited to write, they shared their stories with
another class through a mini-showcase - Maureen
Nesselrode: along the way, teachers are coaching their students to improve
by persevering and taking pride in their work; younger students have two
adults in class during this time (reading specialist and classroom
teacher) - Opened floor to
Q & A:
o Q:
How long is the writer’s workshop block? A: Grades K-3= 2 hours (1 hour
reading, 1 hour writing); Grades 4-5=1.5 hours (45 mins. reading, 45 mins.
writing)
o Q:
Does this encompass different types of writing? A: Yes. Include poetry,
informational, fiction, how-to, etc. units
VII. Reminders/Notices/New
Business
- Nathan Zee:
reminders
o Movie
Night this Friday, 10/21 (weather permitting, rain date 10/28)
o “Socktober”
crazy sock day and sock drive, 10/28
o Fill-the-Pond
Pledge Drive incentives end 10/31
o Silver
Diner Restaurant Night, 11/3
o Bake
Sale on Election Day, 11/8
- New Business:
o Jessica
Haney: looking for volunteers for apple tasting during lunchtime on 11/3, look
for sign-up genius and sign up if you can help
o Maureen
Nesselrode: If you have something thing that you want announced or promoted at
Community Meeting, the team needs lead time; they meet on Mondays, so you need
to let them know prior to their meeting when set the agenda for that week’s
Community Meeting (Community Meeting is a schoolwide meeting held on Friday
mornings at 8:05 am that celebrate learning; typically 3-4 items are showcased,
such as music demonstrations, dance performances, by groups and individual
students; all parents are welcome to attend)
VIII. Closing,
Nathan Zee, President
- Dial-In for
meetings is not working; we’re looking to find a solution, but you must attend
meetings in person to cast a vote (required by our bylaws) - We will likely
be serving less pizza at future meetings since we routinely have too much
left over - Topic to be
discussed at next meeting: Title 1- What is it?
PTA Meeting Minutes 9.20.16
Campbell PTA Meeting
September 20, 2016
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate # of
Attendees:
30
I. Introductions
and Recap of Summer Activities; Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
introduced himself and then opened the floor to all 30 members present for
introductions - Over 80 families
have joined PTA so far for the 2016-2017 school year (433 students
enrolled this year); if you haven’t joined, please do so by 9/30 ($8
individual/$15 per family). The
link to join is: Join PTA
Online – Campbell Elementary; you will receive a PTA membership
card that will entitle you to discounts at affiliated retailers
- What kinds of things does the
PTA do/support?
o We
purchase items such as the Sheila Gale reading Bench that has been placed in
the courtyard, a tribute to recently retired Campbell reading teacher Sheila
Gale; Nathan read a Thank You note from Sheila Gale
o We
support teacher requests (e.g. class umbrellas, class rain boots, standing
desks), outdoor learning (e.g. new pond and outdoor learning coordinator position),
field trips, and more
o We
support activities such as the Wetlands Festival, Back-to-School Picnic, Fun
Run, Movie Night, School Dance, and many, many more
o Thanks
to those who have already signed up for volunteer events (such as the Teacher Appreciation
breakfast, and the Election Day Bake Sale); there is no cut-off to sign-up for
events, so please sign up at any time if you are able
- PTA Officers have two-year term
limits, so both Kathy Cordon (VP of Fundraising) and Kelly Krug’s (VP of
Programming) positions will need to be filled by someone else for the next
school year; keep this in mind if you are interested in becoming a part of
the PTA’s executive board - How does the PTA communicate?
o Listserv
o Campbell
PTA Facebook Group (closed group for privacy reason; it is moderated and you
must agree to the terms in order to join)
o Friends
of Campbell Facebook Group is not affiliated with the PTA
o Twitter:
Maureen Nesselrode has an account and she frequently posts pictures (her
Twitter feed can also be viewed from the Campbell APS page)
o PTA
also has a webpage with information and links: https://campbellschool.org/
- Summer Updates
o Pond
was redone (came in about $200 under budget)
o Turtle
Tank was rebuilt
o Updated
and adopted new bylaws (good for 5 years)
o Completed
audit, filed taxes, and did other administrative work to ensure we remain in
good standing with VAPTA
o Nathan
thanked Sean Doyle and Ric Cordon for rebuilding the pond bridge last Saturday
II. Nomination for
Executive Board vacant position (new position)
- Kelly Krug,
member of nominating committee to fill new executive board position of VP
of Communications and Outreach nominated Barbara Martinez to fill open
position; there were no other interested parties - Motion to
approve nomination, Seconded, Motion Approved unanimously by 30 members - Formal vote will
take place at next meeting (October 18) to elect Barbara Martinez to
position of VP of Communications and Outreach (note: nominations from the
floor will be accepted on October 18th if anyone else is
interested in the position)
III. Review of
Fundraising Activities for 2016-2017
- Kathy Cordon, VP
of Fundraising—Five Main Fundraisers held throughout the year
o Pledge
Drive: starts 10/3 and lasts for six weeks; no-fuss, just donate money and
receive incentives
o Penny
Wars: will be held in February; grade levels will be competing against one
another, will coincide w/President’s Day (Lincoln/Penny educational tie-in)
o Fun
Run: will replace the Read-a-thon, will take place on 3/24 and there will be a
DJ; online pledging and outreach prior to date; will be held at school during
school hours
o Square
One Art: merchandise created from your own child’s artwork will be available in
April, in time for Spring holidays (such as Mother’s Day)
o Wetlands
Festival: will be held 4/29; largest fundraiser of the year; silent auction and
fun-filled day with food and bands for community to enjoy while raising money
for Campbell
o Other
fundraisers throughout the year include: Amazon affiliate link, Box Tops,
Benefit (new), Restaurant Nights (California pizza Kitchen next week), Pizza
Nights
o We’d
like to focus on grants this year, so if anyone has ideas (specific grants we
should pursue) or expertise in this area please let us know
–
IV. Review of
Programming Activities for 2016-2017
- Kelly Krug, VP
of Programming
o Back-to-School
Picnic this Friday; there will be Food trucks, please bring blankets/chairs
o Bike/Walk-to-School
Day on 10/5
o First
Ever Outdoor Movie Night on 10/21; will have pizza, popcorn, drinks available
for purchase
o “Socktober”
spirit day also in October
o Calendar
of Events went home last week in Thursday Folders
o School
Dance in February
o DC
United game in the spring (with tailgate)
V. Treasurer’s
Report
- Jenny Morris,
Treasurer—For the 2016-2017 budget year we had more expenses than
projected income due to two large projects (Pond and Turtle Tank), for
which we have reserves
o Increased
classroom resources budget for the 2016-2017 year
o $50,000
projected income
- Open floor to Q
& A:
o Q:
Do we make money from Spirit Wear? A: Not budgeted as a fundraiser, it’s a wash
(we make a tiny amount, but it’s not intended to make us money). We want
children to have the opportunity to have Spirit Wear to feel like part of the
community, so we don’t consider this a way to fundraise.
o Q:
Does the PTA support Field Trips? A: Yes, for big trips that require a charter
bus (like to Jamestown and Baltimore Zoo), the PTA helps to offset the cost.
- Motion was made
to approve 2016-2017 budget, Seconded, and Approved Unanimously
VI. Testing and the
SOL’s, Maureen Nesselrode, Principal
- Over past four
years, goal has been to get students reading and doing math on grade
level, with no gaps between demographic sub-groups - Campbell does
not do much test prep; there is nothing unusual about the format of the
SOL’s that lends itself to test prep (not like the SAT’s) - VA is not a
Common Core state; many of the concerns and information about testing and
curriculum (on the national level) does not apply to VA or the SOL’s - VA is moving
towards focusing on the accreditation model rather than the NCLB ESEA
requirements; for accreditation we need 75% of all students passing (we
are in the 80’s) - School-wide
efforts to improve performance, such as a strong Library program, Workshop
Model, excellent staff, and strategic grouping of students, have led to great
successes over last 4 years - How to measure
Outdoor Learning? Ms. Christy is collecting data; has done 25 lessons
already between orientations and other lessons; making an effort to
reflect this in Turtle Tales Newsletter, Class Newsletters, and other
communications - Revised Homework
Policy was discussed at Back-to-School Night - Electronic
Policy: for now, devices remain at school unless and until there is a
compelling reason to send them home - 4th
and 5th graders will be doing Word Study in school; will allow
for more differentiation (intervention/acceleration both possible) so that
all student needs are met - Open floor to Q
& A:
o Q:
Do the Interlude program students count towards Campbell’s SOL scores?
o A: No, their scores are counted with their
home schools’ scores
VII. Reminders and
Notices
- Jessica Haney:
SHAB meeting next month, 10/19; more info here: http://apsshab.weebly.com/ - Tammy Bewitz:
Looking for volunteers for check-in and snack donations for Project
Discovery (Project Discovery is Campbell’s enrichment course programs; we
offer two sessions per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The first
six-week session begins in October; register by 9/30 online here: http://www.regonline.com/Campbell); also, if anyone has ideas for classes or expertise
to teach/lead a class, please let her know: campbellprojectdiscovery@gmail.com - Maureen
Nesselrode, Principal: Latina Moms group has been formed, modeled after
the Kenmore Middle School Parent Group; first meeting will be held on
Thursday, 9/22 at 7:45 am at Campbell; hope to support the PTA’s efforts
and foster greater inclusion of all voices
VIII. Closing, Nathan
Zee, President
- Outlined general
flow of PTA meetings - Topics to be
discussed are taken from the Parent Survey (four most popular topics will
be discussed at upcoming meetings) - Funding request
from Beth Decker for reimbursement for the bunny cage and bedding for the
new Campbell bunny, $144.38 - Motion was made
to approve funding request, Seconded, and Approved Unanimously - Remember to buy
your Campbell Spirit Wear!