PTA Meeting Minutes 9.20.16
Campbell PTA Meeting
September 20, 2016
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate # of
Attendees:
30
I. Introductions
and Recap of Summer Activities; Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
introduced himself and then opened the floor to all 30 members present for
introductions - Over 80 families
have joined PTA so far for the 2016-2017 school year (433 students
enrolled this year); if you haven’t joined, please do so by 9/30 ($8
individual/$15 per family). The
link to join is: Join PTA
Online – Campbell Elementary; you will receive a PTA membership
card that will entitle you to discounts at affiliated retailers
- What kinds of things does the
PTA do/support?
o We
purchase items such as the Sheila Gale reading Bench that has been placed in
the courtyard, a tribute to recently retired Campbell reading teacher Sheila
Gale; Nathan read a Thank You note from Sheila Gale
o We
support teacher requests (e.g. class umbrellas, class rain boots, standing
desks), outdoor learning (e.g. new pond and outdoor learning coordinator position),
field trips, and more
o We
support activities such as the Wetlands Festival, Back-to-School Picnic, Fun
Run, Movie Night, School Dance, and many, many more
o Thanks
to those who have already signed up for volunteer events (such as the Teacher Appreciation
breakfast, and the Election Day Bake Sale); there is no cut-off to sign-up for
events, so please sign up at any time if you are able
- PTA Officers have two-year term
limits, so both Kathy Cordon (VP of Fundraising) and Kelly Krug’s (VP of
Programming) positions will need to be filled by someone else for the next
school year; keep this in mind if you are interested in becoming a part of
the PTA’s executive board - How does the PTA communicate?
o Listserv
o Campbell
PTA Facebook Group (closed group for privacy reason; it is moderated and you
must agree to the terms in order to join)
o Friends
of Campbell Facebook Group is not affiliated with the PTA
o Twitter:
Maureen Nesselrode has an account and she frequently posts pictures (her
Twitter feed can also be viewed from the Campbell APS page)
o PTA
also has a webpage with information and links: https://campbellschool.org/
- Summer Updates
o Pond
was redone (came in about $200 under budget)
o Turtle
Tank was rebuilt
o Updated
and adopted new bylaws (good for 5 years)
o Completed
audit, filed taxes, and did other administrative work to ensure we remain in
good standing with VAPTA
o Nathan
thanked Sean Doyle and Ric Cordon for rebuilding the pond bridge last Saturday
II. Nomination for
Executive Board vacant position (new position)
- Kelly Krug,
member of nominating committee to fill new executive board position of VP
of Communications and Outreach nominated Barbara Martinez to fill open
position; there were no other interested parties - Motion to
approve nomination, Seconded, Motion Approved unanimously by 30 members - Formal vote will
take place at next meeting (October 18) to elect Barbara Martinez to
position of VP of Communications and Outreach (note: nominations from the
floor will be accepted on October 18th if anyone else is
interested in the position)
III. Review of
Fundraising Activities for 2016-2017
- Kathy Cordon, VP
of Fundraising—Five Main Fundraisers held throughout the year
o Pledge
Drive: starts 10/3 and lasts for six weeks; no-fuss, just donate money and
receive incentives
o Penny
Wars: will be held in February; grade levels will be competing against one
another, will coincide w/President’s Day (Lincoln/Penny educational tie-in)
o Fun
Run: will replace the Read-a-thon, will take place on 3/24 and there will be a
DJ; online pledging and outreach prior to date; will be held at school during
school hours
o Square
One Art: merchandise created from your own child’s artwork will be available in
April, in time for Spring holidays (such as Mother’s Day)
o Wetlands
Festival: will be held 4/29; largest fundraiser of the year; silent auction and
fun-filled day with food and bands for community to enjoy while raising money
for Campbell
o Other
fundraisers throughout the year include: Amazon affiliate link, Box Tops,
Benefit (new), Restaurant Nights (California pizza Kitchen next week), Pizza
Nights
o We’d
like to focus on grants this year, so if anyone has ideas (specific grants we
should pursue) or expertise in this area please let us know
–
IV. Review of
Programming Activities for 2016-2017
- Kelly Krug, VP
of Programming
o Back-to-School
Picnic this Friday; there will be Food trucks, please bring blankets/chairs
o Bike/Walk-to-School
Day on 10/5
o First
Ever Outdoor Movie Night on 10/21; will have pizza, popcorn, drinks available
for purchase
o “Socktober”
spirit day also in October
o Calendar
of Events went home last week in Thursday Folders
o School
Dance in February
o DC
United game in the spring (with tailgate)
V. Treasurer’s
Report
- Jenny Morris,
Treasurer—For the 2016-2017 budget year we had more expenses than
projected income due to two large projects (Pond and Turtle Tank), for
which we have reserves
o Increased
classroom resources budget for the 2016-2017 year
o $50,000
projected income
- Open floor to Q
& A:
o Q:
Do we make money from Spirit Wear? A: Not budgeted as a fundraiser, it’s a wash
(we make a tiny amount, but it’s not intended to make us money). We want
children to have the opportunity to have Spirit Wear to feel like part of the
community, so we don’t consider this a way to fundraise.
o Q:
Does the PTA support Field Trips? A: Yes, for big trips that require a charter
bus (like to Jamestown and Baltimore Zoo), the PTA helps to offset the cost.
- Motion was made
to approve 2016-2017 budget, Seconded, and Approved Unanimously
VI. Testing and the
SOL’s, Maureen Nesselrode, Principal
- Over past four
years, goal has been to get students reading and doing math on grade
level, with no gaps between demographic sub-groups - Campbell does
not do much test prep; there is nothing unusual about the format of the
SOL’s that lends itself to test prep (not like the SAT’s) - VA is not a
Common Core state; many of the concerns and information about testing and
curriculum (on the national level) does not apply to VA or the SOL’s - VA is moving
towards focusing on the accreditation model rather than the NCLB ESEA
requirements; for accreditation we need 75% of all students passing (we
are in the 80’s) - School-wide
efforts to improve performance, such as a strong Library program, Workshop
Model, excellent staff, and strategic grouping of students, have led to great
successes over last 4 years - How to measure
Outdoor Learning? Ms. Christy is collecting data; has done 25 lessons
already between orientations and other lessons; making an effort to
reflect this in Turtle Tales Newsletter, Class Newsletters, and other
communications - Revised Homework
Policy was discussed at Back-to-School Night - Electronic
Policy: for now, devices remain at school unless and until there is a
compelling reason to send them home - 4th
and 5th graders will be doing Word Study in school; will allow
for more differentiation (intervention/acceleration both possible) so that
all student needs are met - Open floor to Q
& A:
o Q:
Do the Interlude program students count towards Campbell’s SOL scores?
o A: No, their scores are counted with their
home schools’ scores
VII. Reminders and
Notices
- Jessica Haney:
SHAB meeting next month, 10/19; more info here: http://apsshab.weebly.com/ - Tammy Bewitz:
Looking for volunteers for check-in and snack donations for Project
Discovery (Project Discovery is Campbell’s enrichment course programs; we
offer two sessions per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The first
six-week session begins in October; register by 9/30 online here: http://www.regonline.com/Campbell); also, if anyone has ideas for classes or expertise
to teach/lead a class, please let her know: campbellprojectdiscovery@gmail.com - Maureen
Nesselrode, Principal: Latina Moms group has been formed, modeled after
the Kenmore Middle School Parent Group; first meeting will be held on
Thursday, 9/22 at 7:45 am at Campbell; hope to support the PTA’s efforts
and foster greater inclusion of all voices
VIII. Closing, Nathan
Zee, President
- Outlined general
flow of PTA meetings - Topics to be
discussed are taken from the Parent Survey (four most popular topics will
be discussed at upcoming meetings) - Funding request
from Beth Decker for reimbursement for the bunny cage and bedding for the
new Campbell bunny, $144.38 - Motion was made
to approve funding request, Seconded, and Approved Unanimously - Remember to buy
your Campbell Spirit Wear!