PTA GENERAL MEETING MINUTES: OCT 2021

Emilia called the meeting to order at 8:02pm. Liz Gordon seconded the motion. 

 

Kristy welcomed everyone and shared that Clinton has had some amazing events so far and they wouldn’t have happened without parents volunteering, especially with recess, lunch, and Book Fair. 

 

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

 

Principal Connors has been excited to see everyone volunteering and it has been nice to get to know parents on a different level. Assistant Principal Correa thanks everyone who has volunteered and continues to volunteer since they only have 4 lunch staff when usually there are 14 aids. Clinton Cafe might continue after COVID; it is nice to be outside.

 

Principal Connors says the construction is going well and Clinton is further along than other schools. The safety of parents, students, and bus traffic is a concern during construction, so a fence will be installed to redirect pedestrians. Construction gates should be closed during drop off and pick up,and parents should either call or email the school if they notice an issue. Phases of construction are;

• During Fall Break, all interior doors will be replaced.
• The main office will become a classroom. This, along with the three new construction classrooms, will replace the portables. Principal Connors predicts this will be completed summer 2022.
• Then they will start construction on 8 classrooms, faculty bathrooms, and a privacy room. 

 

The Lost and Found collection is getting big, and parents should remember to label items. Principal Connors suggests putting it outside during the Pumpkin Patch for students to claim items. 

 

Parents are still not allowed in the building, and some new parents wish they could see the inside. Principal Connors and Assistant Principal Correa have discussed creating a video. Parents allowed in building depends on the pandemic status. 

 

Principal Connors reports she presented to the Curriculum & Instruction Committee the “Leader in Me Program” which is in its 5th year at Clinton and is not in any other schools at this time. The program isn’t free but Clinton received $5k to continue the program. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bTwZZIizg-GTV_5MRdWaGBAA5ad6e3g2/view

 

TEACHER’S REPORT

 

Kate Facto introduced herself as a 5th grade special education teacher who along with Kate Fearon, a 2nd and 5th grade English language teacher, are the teacher reps for the PTA. The school year has been going well despite having a rocky start of students adjusting to being in school, in person full time. The PTA has provided agendas for the upper grades, and reports the kids seem happy to be back in person, and parents are reporting mental health is improving. 

 

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

 

Liz Gordon shared that she attends monthly the Presidents Council meetings where all PTAs and HSAs in the district meet together, with Dr. Taylor and other district administrators, such as the district Communications liaison, to discuss community issues, try to get answers, and share information across the schools. Liz reports;

 

Snow Days:

• This year the district allocated 3 snow days. As of now, we have used 1 because of the late school start and 1 day will be allocated on 6/17 for Juneteenth, which means there is 1 snow day available for the school year. 
• If more than 1 snow day is needed, it will be tacked on to the end of the year because;
• No virtual school option is permitted by the Governor
• Spring Break is scheduled for construction

 

Fall Break:

• If you travel out of the permitted states, you must contact school and must follow quarantine rules. Dr. Taylor is expected to send out a Google Form about Fall Break. 

 

Underhill:

• Underhill is still not open to the community but is on its  last stages of security updates. Hopefully, it will be open soon to the community.

 

Beyond the Bell:

• Liz  is one of the Clinton site coordinators for Beyond the Bell and reports it is going well. 
• Only one person runs the program for all of the district, and it has been challenging to find teachers. 
• It is understood that registering first come, first serve is hard for everyone to do online. Suggestions for a lottery system can’t work with our online system right now, and because of other issues (not enough teachers, only one person running the program, covid safety measures that adds time to everything this year, etc), creating a new system is unlikely to happen this year. But the director knows of the concerns and suggestions for other methods.
• There might be a winter session, and likely a spring session as well.

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

Emilia reports our goal is 250 memberships, which is half of the 500 memberships we had in 2018-2019. Membership goes to help offset the website hosting, credit card fees, flyer printing, and even maintaining the fish tank. Also, $4 of each $12 membership goes to the National NJ PTA for training and other programs. 

 

SEPAC

 

Kate Travers is the Clinton PTA special education liaison and is a resource to all parents regarding IEPs and 504. There has been a staffing issue with paraprofessionals since the start of the year but that gap is closing with only 3 more positions needing to be filled so that every child can have someone assigned to them. It has been difficult to get programming confirmed since so many folks have been starting school again. The New Superintendent of Special Services is expected to start November 1st. There is no official announcement for the next SEPAC meeting but if interested, folks should save the date for 11/11. 

 

FUNDRAISING

 

Nicole shares that she is excited for Picture Day, which will be held outdoors, and class parents will send specifics on which day their child’s pictures will be taken. There is a rain date scheduled for 10/29. Volunteers are needed for both days and a sign up will be going out too.

 

PUMPKIN PATCH

 

Tae thanks everyone for pre-ordering pumpkins, and says they can still be purchased onsite on the day of the event. Also still need volunteers for the event. 

 

FINANCIAL REPORT

 

Courtney reviewed the 2021-2022 proposal budget starting with the projected income from fundraising. She explained community events are not fundraisers and only expect to break even such as the Ice Cream Social, the Clinton show, and appreciation events for the staff. There is also a line item for education enhancement, which includes artist-in-residence, grade experiences, and assemblies. Brian sent the link for budget approval in the chat, and the budget for 2021-2022 was unanimously approved. 

 

INTRODUCTIONS

 

Kristy introduced some PTA members who were not on the agenda tonight but critical to the organization’s success

• Jean Leonard, Communications
• Jaime Franklin, Diversity and Inclusion
• Sarah Rothman, Amanda Doornbos, Members-At-Large

 

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS*

 

Halloween:

• Halloween will not be celebrated at Clinton this year. 
• In the past, students have dressed up and paraded around the school. However, not all students celebrate Halloween and approximately 30% participated in an alternate celebration of Harvestfest. 
• Also, in the past parent volunteers have been able to assist students with their costumes but right now parents are not allowed in the building.
• The idea has been to transition Halloween to Harvestfest for all and the PTA will look into this celebration for next year. 

 

Air Quality Standards:

• Kristy reports many of the questions are related to air quality in the classroom. 
• Principal Connors answers;

• Rooms without mechanical ventilation have an air purifier. 
• Windows do not need to be opened according to The Road Back documentation.
• Construction dust has not been brought up to her as an issue yet. 
• Additional construction filters were added to mechanical units to trap construction dust. 

 

Lunch:

• Parents have noted there are long wait times for hot lunch. Reasons include; 

• Cleaning tables between classes
• Waiting on blacktop to confirm headcount of students before going to lunch
• Some schools have reduced recess to offer more time for outside lunch; we have 30 minute recess and 25 minute lunch. 
• Assistant Principal Correa has recently implemented a scanning system
• Students can learn their student number to make things go faster

 

Recess:

• Is there soccer during recess? No, but the 5th graders have petitioned for kickball. 

• Will there be new wood chips delivered for the playground? They requested them in August but Facilities got delayed with Ida. Principal Connors will follow up. 
• Tire marks in the field and crushed sidewalk too. 

 

*More community questions had been submitted with very specific details, which Kristy will forward to Principal Connors and determine how best to communicate the answers to the community. 

 

Emilia motioned to adjourn at 9:22pm, and Kristy seconded the motion.