PTA Meetings

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 25

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

• Nathan
  welcomed everyone to the PTA meeting
• Reminders:
  

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

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

II.    Beth
Cavey, Nominating Committee Chair

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

III.   Youth
Culture Survey, Maureen Nesselrode, Principal

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

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

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

o  
Elementary-High School
students receive age-appropriate questions

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

·        
Ms. Nesselrode
then explained what those terms mean:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

·        
Why the need for
CPU?

o  
National statistics
about abuse and risk factors are very concerning

o  
APS-specific data:

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

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

·        
Learning
objectives:

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

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

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

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

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

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

o  
Grades 3-5 will
be:

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

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

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

·        
Timeline:

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

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

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

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

V.    Elementary
Boundary Initiative Update: Nathan Zee, President

·        
Latest news:

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

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

o  
Other schools
have been lobbying their positions as well

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

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

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

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

VI.  Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Highlight this month
include:

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

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

o  
$515 in Project
Discovery income

o  
$210 in Amazon rewards
income

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

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

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

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

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

VII. New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

·        
Any New Business?

·        
Ms. Christy,
Outdoor Learning Coordinator:

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

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

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

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

VIII.        Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• Teacher
  Appreciation Week coming up during second week of May

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

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

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 80

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

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

II.    Tannia
Talento, School Board Member, Campbell Liaison

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Policy
  considerations:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

III.   Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

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

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 20

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

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

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

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

II.    Outdoor
Lab: Carole Goodloe, Outdoor Lab Board

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

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

• Facilities
  are being strained by APS student population growth

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

• Summer
  Camp opportunities:

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

• Ms.
  Goodloe opened the floor to questions:

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

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

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

III.   Benefits of Title 1: Maureen Nesselrode, Principal

·        
What is Title 1?

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

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

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

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

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

·        
The Funding is
used for:

o  
Additional reading
teachers

o  
Professional
Development for teachers (on and offsite)

o  
Purchasing
instructional materials

o  
Classroom
libraries

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

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

·        
Money cannot be used for:

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

o  
Furniture

o  
School supplies

o  
Food (unless its
for a Parental Involvement event)

·        
Requirements for
Title 1 schools:

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

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

o  
Must meet testing
targets or risk sanctions

o  
Must develop a
school plan

o  
Additional
oversight/support from the Central Office

·        
Ms. Nesselrode
opened the floor to questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

·        
Kate Sullivan,
School Counselor:

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

IV.  Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Highlights from December:

o  
Fun Run donations
totaled over $10,000

o  
Four Courts
Restaurant Night earned $700

o  
Amazon rewards
earned $ 353

o  
Zumba earned $280

o  
Took in our Project
Discovery payments and paid out instructors

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

o  
Movie Night broke
even

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

o  
Any questions?

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

·        
Funding requests:

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

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

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

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

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

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

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

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

V.    New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

• Wetlands
  Planning

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

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

• Limited
  beverages and snacks will be available for purchase

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

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

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

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

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

VI.  Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

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

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 24

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

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

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

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

II.    Kenmore
Update: David McBride, Kenmore Principal

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

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

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

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

• Mr.
  McBride opened the floor to questions

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

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

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

• Ms.
  Nesselrode discussed her positive perspective on Kenmore

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

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

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

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

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

III.   Wetlands Committee: Nathan Zee, President

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

·        
Festival will be
held in April

·        
Activities likely
include:

o  
Rock-climbing
wall

o  
Dunk Tank

o  
Silent Auction

o  
Live Bands

o  
Food

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

IV.  Nominating
Committee: Nathan Zee, President

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

o  
Amanda Lowenberger
volunteered to join committee

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

o  
Motion seconded;
motion approved unanimously  

V.    Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

·        
Highlights from
October:

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

o  
Fun Run donations
this month equaled $4,200

o  
Collected money
for Spirit Wear

o  
Project Discovery
payments made

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

o  
Any questions?

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

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

·        
Funding requests:

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

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

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

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

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

o  
Comment: This is
good service modelling.

o  
Comment: Our
community should support our own.

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

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

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

·        
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously

VI.  New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

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

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

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

VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

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

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 24

I.     Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President 

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

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

• Nathan
  reminded everyone:

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

II.    Counselling
Parent Survey: Kate Sullivan, School Counselor

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

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

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

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

• Please
  note that:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

o  
Highlights
include:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IV.  Fun
Run Update: Sean Doyle, VP Fundraising

·        
Fun Run is one
week from this Friday

o  
We’re behind on
our fundraising goal

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

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

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

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

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

·        
Paige Hammrick,
VP Programming:

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

§ 
W: Pajama Day  

§ 
Th: Sports Day

§ 
F:  Class Color Day

·        
Pre-K: Purple

·        
K: Orange

·        
1^st:
White

·        
2^nd:
Yellow

·        
3^rd:
Blue

·        
4^th:
Red

·        
5^th:
Green

·        
Nathan Zee,
President:

o  
Reminder about Fundraising
Incentives:

§ 
Schoolwide: at
$6,000-10,000 level

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

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

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

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

·        
Barbara, VP
Communications:

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

V.    Treasurer’s
Report: Jenny Morris, Treasurer

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

·        
Highlights for
the year so far:

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

o  
Collected money
for Spirit Wear

o  
$600 from Amazon  

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

o  
Any questions?
No.

·        
Funding requests:

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

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

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

§ 
Motion to approve
funding; seconded; approved unanimously 

o  
Increase to
funding for the Book Garden for Kindergarten students

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

§ 
Falls under the
Literacy Initiatives line item in budget

§ 
Any questions or
comments?

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

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

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

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

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

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

VI.  New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

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

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

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

VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

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

Campbell PTA Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Approximate
# of Attendees: 54

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Fundraising
  highlights (Sean Doyle, VP Fundraising)

• Two
  main fundraisers:

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

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

• Wetlands
  Festival in the spring

• Dunk tank, bands, food, silent auction

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

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

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

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

III.   State of the School: Maureen Nesselrode,
Principal

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

o  
435 students
enrolled

o  
Low staff
turnover

o  
Additional
student services support

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

o  
SOL scores
improved again; closing achievement gaps

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

o  
Outdoor Garden
Orientations are underway

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

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

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

o  
New format for
Back-to-School Night

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

o  
Updates in APS
include

§ 
Reorganization of
Central Office

§ 
Canvas (a
Learning Management System) is replacing Blackboard

§ 
School Talk (text
message alerts) is being updated  

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

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

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

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

o  
Motion to approve
audit; seconded; approved unanimously 

V. Budget Review
and Vote: Nathan Zee, President

·        
We’ve had a
successful few years

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

·        
Budget highlights
include:

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

o   Paid for upgraded Sound System

o   Increased amount for teacher appreciation and
teacher support

o   Outside experts and Outdoor Classroom amounts
increased

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

·        
Any
questions/comments?

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

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

·        
Funding requests:

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

§  Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
unanimously 

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

§  Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
unanimously 

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

§  Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved
unanimously 

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

§  Motion to approve funding; seconded; approved

VI.  New
Business: Nathan Zee, President

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

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

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

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

VII. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President

• Thank
  you for coming! .

Campbell PTA Meeting

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  
4^th/5^th
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  
4^th
Grade Big Bad Basil Expedition won a Green Action Award

o  
Ms. Norwood
developed an artist-in-residence program

o  
PTA-funded Poet
for 4^th and 5^th 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 30^th,
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 5^th 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. 

Campbell PTA Meeting

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 4^th/5^th 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.

Campbell PTA Meeting

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 30^th and
  April 4^th), 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 9^th 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
  5^th 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 20^th.

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.

Campbell PTA Meeting

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 25^th 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
• 1^st
  Grade – Build It
• 2^nd
  Grade – Adventure and Action Stars
• 3^rd
  Grade – I Discover
• 4^th
  Grade – Outdoor Fun
• 5^th
  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 8^th
  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 30^th and April 4^th
  
• 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 30^th), 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