Welcome

Nina Crews, President

•  Thank you if you gave to annual appeal — about 20% participation so far

Yvette

• We gave about 16 turkeys away at Thanksgiving.
• UNICEF — collected over $1200
• CHIPS — we donated toiletries, etc. to CHIPS new moms — thinking of maybe a bake sale to help with more items for them
• CHIPS food drive on right now. Leave items in box inside the front entrance.
• 3rd, 4th, 5th grade will come up with logo. Working on field day t-shirts with logo on front, Field Day 2017 on back. Colors are gold and navy blue
• Had our open house (300 people)— thanks to 4th and 5th grade students who did presentations and tour — we will do this again next year — great to have visiting parents hear directly from kids. Kids were nervous but kids did really well. This probably translates into 600 applications.
• January 31st — picture re-take day
• NY Life company is coming to school in Feb to do child ID program. Take a photo of kid for ID— name, eye color, height, fingerprint, weight, hair color. Info will go home about this with consent form. You get two IDs, and the other stays at the school. No information goes in any database or anything. If a child is missing, school can pull out the card. Ms. Rosa: This is a great, easy way to increase security in school — if a kid is missing or wanders out, etc.

Ms. Rosa

• Must have ID to enter school building (or have Ms. Rosa visually ID you)
• 8:15 — kids can be left in yard
• Question: Can parents do ID card without fingerprint? Rosa to ask them.

Valentine’s Day Dance

Michelle Dobson

• Theme is Rainbow Connection a nod to the muppets and celebration of diversity
• Date is Sat, Feb 11 5-8pm
• Two changes: no alcohol (was a fundraiser for upper grades — working on replacement)
• Kept time shorter so we don’t have cranky kids at late hour
• We will be selling tickets to the gala during the event
• The teacher raffle — teachers donate time (e.g. lunch with science teacher, etc.) and families can enter raffle
• Volunteers needed. Sign ups will be on Konstella.

Readathon

Merideth FB and Jessica M

• This is a new event — hoping that it’s exciting for kids
• It will be the whole month of February
• Mission is to celebrate reading — money goes to PTA & 10% goes to buying books for library
• We are putting up signs around school
• Will get packet sent home with instructions, readathon log
• We need volunteers for two days during this period — Feb 15th and Mar 3rd
• Participants who reach certain milestones will get buttons, and their names get entered into raffles
• Doesn’t have to be book — can be a magazine. Homework reading counts
• You choose how much to raise per minute
• There will be a way to donate online
• This is a replacement for the winter baskets

Pizza Friday

Steven Eustace

• Second session is starting — Feb 3rd — forms will come home soon. There won’t be a break in serving pizza if families sign up for second half
• Trying to phase out the cups on Fridays — bring water bottles

Spring Gala

• March 18th is the date
• Will be held at Littlefield
• Peace, Love, Understanding is theme
• We’ll have food, alcohol — it’s an adult-only event
• Donations — we need donations. Please go ask local businesses. Or if you know someone who could donate time at a vacation home. Meredith is happy to talk to businesses who might be able to donate.
• There are forms in a basket in the PTA office, and there’s a form you can email to people on inclusions.org — you can also print the form. Also need art.
• Email your class parents liaison if you would like someone else to reach out to a business
• Consider buying tickets for friends — should be a fun night

Dysturb Photo Collective

• Have worked with UN — hoping to expand into schools in US — have relationship with ICP, working with schools in Paris, France
• They select image from a wide range of topics — they discuss with kids and put images on wall (topics: climate change)
• Hoping to do a collaboration with our school
• Helps to build a sense of community around images
• More info on website

Mini-Grant Proposals (see PPT for all details)

• We have a budget surplus, so we asked for proposals in the Fall. These are not part of regular budget — so we need to evaluate these and vote
• We have eight proposals, and total is $18,000 — we have enough for all of them.
• These are all things that don’t fall into the DOE budget
• Video system for cafeteria and screen/projector for gym. (Sound system to be added later.) Cafeteria: 70″ TV’s, plus Apple TV and hub. We have our PTA meetings here, second cup of coffee, other groups, so feel it is a good use of space.
• Gym: pull-down screen will be mounted to wall, and will have cart with projector (bright enough to deal with ambient light)
• PECS for families — Picture Exchange Communication System — uses images to allow non-verbal children to communication. These are books for parents who have gone through training. This is for ASD site.
• Bean bag chairs for classrooms at ICT, Bean bag chairs and ball chairs at ASD — OT teacher requested this for children who have sensory needs
• Feeding Therapy — will be a lunch group using SOS feeding therapy (teacher has also been asked to try and get this from donorschoose.org)
• Responsive Classroom Training. We have a teacher who is trained in teaching other teachers. This will happen in the summer. Covers training and books. Level 1 and level 2 training to take place.
• Question: What is the process? We came to these after reviewing a bunch of idea. We did not have enough information on some ideas, so did not include them. We put out a request to the community and all teachers — these are the proposals that came back.
• Why do we need video in the gym? It’s for presentations. Our gym is our auditorium. Currently video presentation equipment doesn’t really work. Rosa: Staff appreciation Day. It will not be used for showing entertainment videos to kids.
• What do we do with our old computers when we get new ones? We are giving our old computers to another school and we have new computers coming.
• Bridget is working with the city council to get funding for audio for the gym so that money may come through soon.

Vote on Mini Grant Proposal Items

All proposals pass with no objections

Meeting adjourned