PTA GENERAL MEETING MINUTES: JANUARY 2021

 Call to Order: 

Emilia moved to open the meeting at 7:30pm. Jennifer Kemp seconded the motion. 

 

President’s Welcome: 

Kali welcomed everyone to the second General PTA Meeting. The meeting will be recorded for those who could not attend. The General Meeting is most often a PTA status update, but today the Clinton leadership is also here to share items related to hybrid reopening as well as a general school status. First, the meeting will review PTA business as it relates to the students, teachers, and classroom initiatives. 

 

Treasurer’s Report: 

Jennifer reports this year's budget has been challenging and anticipates an updated budget will need approval at the Spring General PTA meeting. Membership has one third fewer paid members than last year. Box top submissions have dropped since the app was introduced, though the new Benefit has helped contribute $175 to date. While the No Frills contributions have also been low, Trivia Night collected $2,800 last weekend. Also, we do not have our auction for the 2nd year in a row and the Book Fair is not in person, which are the two largest fundraisers. The community has been generous with raising money for the Thanksgiving food pantry. Box Tops can still be submitted via email to online purchases. 

 

Teacher Reports: 

Kate Facto reports parents have been asking how they can support teachers, and they have been responding that supporting the PTA will support the teachers including efforts such as providing classroom supplies, and using funds to provide ESL summer enrichment funds. Kali responds by saying teachers will be identifying their needs in the next few weeks, and the PTA will facilitate fundraising, as needed.

 

Vice President’s Report: 

Kristy has been coordinating with class parents and will be sending them an email soon regarding February dates and events. She is also part of the Pandemic Response Team and is available for any questions. 

 

Fundraising: 

Kerith reports she is coordinating with the school photographer for outdoor school pictures and yearbook pictures with a tentative date scheduled for Tuesday, April 6th and Wednesday, April 7th. 

Liz reports she has tentatively scheduled the Read-A-Thon, with a virtual read-in, for March 1st through Spring Break. Login credentials will likely be distributed via school email accounts. 

Devlyn reports the Spring Book Fair is tentatively scheduled for the first week of May, and it is too early to know if it will be virtual or in person. If in person, proceeds will be actual income to the PTA or the virtual Book Fair will provide book credit and vouchers from Scholastic to the schools. 

 

VPs Equity and Inclusion: 

Makeda shares that while this is a new role to Clinton this year, other schools have had it as part of their PTA. The purpose is to celebrate diversity in the community, but also identify educational gaps and determine how to bridge those gaps. She is working on an activity to bring families together, and information will be coming soon. At the next PTA Community Meeting on February 24th at 7pm, Dr. Perez the new Superintendent for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will be presenting her and the district's goals. 

 

Special Ed PTO: 

Brooke reports her group is advocating for the prioritization of inclusion classes back into the classroom. The Intersectionality of Race and Special Ed will be the subject for the next SEPAC meeting on Tuesday, February 16th. 

 

New Business:

Liz reports she is working to identify next year’s PTA Executive Board. The PTA is looking for new volunteers to keep the Clinton community strong. Roles needed include Members at Large, Fundraising Co-Chairs, VP of Cultural Arts, VP of Community Events, and Vice President. 

 

Principal and VP Report: 

 

Assistant Principal Correa reports on the status of the Clinton Pandemic Response Team. This team is State mandated and the goals and team members required can be found following this link https://www.nj.gov/education/reopening/NJDOETheRoadBack.pdf. The team has met three times since November; anyone with questions can reach out to Kristy. 

 

Assistant Principal Correa shared the status and numbers of students staying virtual and each cohort with the caveat that numbers change daily depending on families that opt out of hybrid into all virtual. No classrooms have more than 10 students and all desks are 6' apart. 

- Total student enrolled 579 at Clinton 

- All virtual 267 enrolled at Clinton 

- At the most, when grades 3-5 return to school, the physical school on Monday/Tuesday is Cohort A + C* = 175 

- At the most, when grades 3-5 return to school, the physical school on Wednesday/Thursday is Cohort B + C* = 169 

- *Cohort C has 38 students who are in the school Monday - Thursday. 

 

Questions from Community: 

- Why have other students returned to school in other districts? SOMA should not be compared to other districts; Our Health Department standards are higher for COVID protocol, and the community make up is different. 

- Are teachers required to be vaccinated to return to school? No, this is not a Governor mandate but Principal Connors would prefer teachers be prioritized for vaccination. 

- Why was the gas leak not addressed immediately via communication to the community and evacuation? Principal Connors emphasized that she is committed to the safety and security of the students and staff. There was not a gas leak but a malfunction of a pilot; all staff are authorized to call 911 if they identify a safety issue that needs immediate attention. 

- What are the standards for having windows open in the classroom? SOMEA are walking through all classrooms and buildings to identify the process and standards for which windows will be opened.

- Are teachers able to speak open and honestly about the state of their classroom? All teachers have the ability to put in work orders with the district Facilities Department, which will notify Clinton's administration also for follow up. Principal Connors has a temperature gun to more accurately measure the classroom temperatures. Teachers have been allowed to communicate directly with parents regarding the state of the classrooms and school, but it has been suggested to include Principal Connors in these communications. 

- If a teacher is remote, does that mean they are in quarantine? No, if a teacher is in quarantine, their students will be notified via Principal Connors. Principal Connors reports that teachers are permitted to work remotely if they do not have students in the classrooms. If a teacher has contracted COVID at the school, they do not have to take leave for recovery, however, if they contracted COVID outside of work, they must take leave. If the teacher has COVID, or needs to be home for another reason, but are capable of teaching, they may teach remotely. 

- A parent asked why her child's teacher Mrs. DeVomecourt was moved from the classroom? Principal Connors cannot comment on personnel issues but reports that sometimes staff changes are necessary but the parent should reach out to Principal Connors if additional support is needed. 

- If a family chooses hybrid, but decides not to attend, do they lose their place? No, families can hold their hybrid spots. The district has allocated 15 students for each 600 square feet of a classroom. 

- The district dashboard reports both virtual and hybrid COVID cases, why? The Health Department has asked for virtual students to report COVID infections and contact tracing purposes. 

- A parent is concerned about lost learning this year and asks what assessments are being made, how are they shared with parents, and also are the technical requirements (i.e. typing) the same across classes? Principal Connors and Assistant Correa observe classes. STAR assessments and TC assessments will be conducted next month and results shared at parent teacher conferences in the spring. Principal Connors shares that this is a world-wide pandemic and all students are in the same position, not the students' fault, and the focus should be on emotional well-being. Miss Tapia is available for emotional support for students and families. Mr. Gamage shares that it has been slower moving through the curriculum but students have a good foundation from years past. Also, Mr. Gamage believes the small groups are crucial and parents report they are tremendously helpful for students. 

- Questions not addressed will be followed up directly by Principal Connors to the inquirer if an email address was provided for contact. 

Thank you to all teachers and administrators for participating in tonight’s meeting.

 

Members Speak / Q & A:

 

Emilia moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:11pm. Jennifer Kemp seconded the motion.