January General PTA Meeting Minutes

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PS 372 General PTA Meeting

January 20, 2022 @ 6:45 pm

Held Via Zoom

58 participants

Meeting Agenda:

  1. Welcome to our virtual PTA meeting – Liza 
  2. School Updates – Ms. Rosa
  3. Parent Updates – Ms. Yvette
  4. Elections for open parent SLT seat
  5. PTA News & Air Filter Project
  6. Virtual Book Fair
  7. Readathon! – starts Feb. 1
  8. Treasurer’s Report – Tania
  9. Thanks – we couldn’t do it without you! 

School Updates from Ms. Rosa:

  1. Covid Updates
    1. Thanks for your patience!  Managing Covid has been all time consuming
    2. 43 no contact cases over break (not including family members)
    3. As of yesterday, 32 cases that require contact tracing.  Today there were a few more (close to 40)
    4. Spreadsheet is being created by administration to share with DOE
    5. Today both Pre-K rules were closed.  First closure of any class this year.  
      1. Pre-K kids who were already “under quarantine” may start to come back as early as next week depending on case date.  Parents who are eligible for return should have received an email or letter from school
    6. Many have received rapid at home tests.  Please make sure you test as instructed Day 1 and Day 5.
    7. Website for latest info is “schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov”
    8. Currently no remote option.  Support for lower grades may be possible.
    9. Aware of attendance concerns Different codes based on out.
      1. Code 65 Kids who are doing “work” under quarantine and excused
      2. Code 35 is for kids are not doing work under quarantine (too sick, doesn’t want to, etc)
      3. Codes will be changing going forward if remote option happens
    10. Promptness is very important.  School day starts at 8:20 and will be marked late at 8:21.  
    11. BLM committee creating a “read aloud” for February.  
    12. Also, kids will be getting a BLM packet during BLM week (February 9th)
    13. Trying to make things as normal as possible given the difficult times
  2. Ms. Yvette
    1. Fill out your “consent for testing” forms.  Can also do online @ https://www.schoolsaccount.nyc/
    2. Middle school applications are now open.  Deadline is March 1st.  You can choose up to 12 middle schools
    3. For those who applying to private schools please make sure you provide adequate time for school to provide documentation, recommendations, etc.
    4. Pre-K families don’t forget to apply for K.  Deadline is tomorrow.
    5. Lost and Found items – thanks to everyone who has responded to pictures that were sent
    6. Next school holiday is Lunar New Year on 2/1
  1.  SLT Special Election
    1. Only one candidate, Tony Allesandrini
    2. No formal election required as only one candidate
    3. Bio for Tony:
  • I’m the dad of a kindergarten student at the Adelphi Street 6:1:1 site, and the rest of the time I’m a professor of English at Kingsborough Community College, part of the CUNY system. 
  • Our daughter spent the previous two years, as a 3K and PreK student, at the Carroll Street ICT site before moving to Adelphi this year; that means we have had a unique opportunity to experience many different aspects of the Children’s School. For example, I served as a Class Parent for my daughter’s PreK class at Carroll Street, and am now one of three “site parents” serving the Adelphi 6:1:1 site. 
  • So one important goal I would have as a member of the SLT would be to enhance the connections between our two sites: it would be wonderful to have more communication between families and more joint activities and opportunities to interact and work together, in order to nourish a stronger sense of us all as a shared community despite the geographical distance between the two sites. I believe that doing so would contribute to many of the most important goals of the SLT: fostering educational equity, racial justice, and a true sense of inclusiveness in the educational experience of our children. 
  • Having experienced every mode of instruction during the pandemic (fully online, hybrid, and fully in person), as both a parent and as an educator myself, I feel that it’s more important than ever for parents and teachers to work closely together towards our shared goal of schools that are both excellent and also safe for everyone who walks through the door each day. 
  • Finally, I would be very interested in finding ways for the SLT to work with community organizations, such as mutual aid groups and other community organizers. At a time when public education faces so many challenges, I would like to contribute however I can to a school that is so committed to the principles of diversity, inclusiveness, and community building.
  1. PTA News:
    1. Vaccine referral program – still going.  Have been able to raise a lot of money in a year when fundraising has been very difficult
    2. Valentines’ Day Dance is cancelled
    3. Arts and Science day is postponed until later Spring (hopefully)
    4. Readathon starts in February
    5. Mask upgrades- to get masks email ps372-mask-project@googlegroups.com
  1. Corsi-Rosenthal air filters
    1. Building for each classroom
    2. Improves indoor air quality
    3. Approx. 3 Air Exchanges/Hour
    4. Filters particles from air on each pass through filter box
    5. Parents building and delivering the air filters to classrooms
    6. Doesn’t replace open windows
    7. Doesn’t replace DOE filters
    8. Adds filtration to decrease virus & particles drifting in air
  1. Virtual Book Fair
    1. Starting today until the end of February!
    2. Order online at communitybookstore.net 
    3. code 372Fair22
    4. Easy to search for books or browse their recommendations
    5. 2 choices for delivery: pickup at stores or ship to home
    6. Check out a recommended list of books by age at https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-lists  
    7. Post your books or your readers on social media with #PS372reads, link to our fb or @ps372pta, or email them to info@ps372pta.org, and we’ll share them for you (permission to post granted by emailing us the photo).
    8. The PTA will receive 20% of Book Fair purchases.
  2. Read A Thon
    1. Fun school-wide community event that celebrates and encourages reading
    2. Empowers students to participate in fundraising 
    3. All money raised helps fund school activities and 10% will go to new books for libraries at both sites 
    4. All prizes are based on participation, not donation amounts raised
    5. How it it works – full details will be on inclusions.org
    6. Students record the minutes read outside of the classroom every day in their online Read-a-thon logs in their Read-a-thon accounts. 
    7. Books count! Reading on a computer or tablet counts! Magazines count! Comics count! Newspapers count! Homework reading counts! 
    8. Students who are not reading on their own should record the minutes they are read to by an adult or other independent reader. 
    9. Students & families can invite family, friends, and co-workers to sponsor students either for an amount per minute of reading or as a lump sum donation. 
    10. What do I need to participate in the Read-a-thon?
      1. The Readathon Reading Log 
        1. This year parents and NOT students will be creating/signing up for accounts on inclusions. If a parent already has an account on inclusions they used for Stay & Play, they can use the same account for the Readathon. This way parents have a single place where they can log minutes rather than logging in and out of different student accounts. Each student will have their own dashboard where they can view badges, sponsors reading log. During the whole month of February, each night after students read (or are read to), record what they read and number of minutes.
      2. The Pledge Sheet
        1. All donations are tracked online on your Read-a-thon Dashboard. Here families record the names of their sponsors and how much each sponsor will contribute, either with a lump sum or an amount determined per minutes read. There is an option to enter email addresses for potential sponsors, which will automatically generate emails with a pre-written script explaining our Read-a-thon, while requesting a donation for that specific student. 
      3. Cool Stuff about Ready, Set, Read!
        1. Every participant in our Readathon will receive a certificate, at least one virtual badge, and be entered into a drawing(s) to win a gift certificate(s) to Community Bookstore
        2. Students will be awarded virtual badges to showcase milestone minutes read (1 minute, 125 minutes, 250 minutes, 500 minutes, 1000 minutes, and a new 2500 minutes badge)
        3. Students reaching milestone minutes are entered into drawings to win gift certificates to Community Bookstore 
        4. The class with the most participation in each grade will help Ms. Jackie choose book titles for our school library
        5. Classes with 100% participation will receive a prize
  1. Treasurer’s Report
    1. Fundraisers for PTA
      1. Annual Appeal has raised approx. $22K
      2. Pizza Friday was expected to raise $30K
      3. We’ve reached nearly 33% of fundraising targets
    2. Expenses
      1. Classroom grants, Technology, General Support 
      2. Teachers please submit reimbursement requests promptly
      3. Working to be sure all necessary expenses are covered
      4. Just funded a large Technology purchase to replace Chromebooks, including extra replacements from wear & tear in last 2 years.
      5. Air filter project to improve indoor air quality
  1. Smaller fundraisers that help out
    1. Gear Sales – t-shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles, and more with school logos
    2. Order online and delivered to your classroom
    3. Shop via our special links to vendors and the school gets donations when you buy
    4. AmazonSmile, GoodShop, OfficeMax, Shutterfly, and more
    5. NYC Vaccination Referral Program – $100/referral for PTA up to 200 people
    6. Event-based donations help keep our entrance tickets free for everyone
    7. Look for QR codes at events or check our website
    8. Don’t forget to ask about Readathon sponsorships
  1. Special thanks 
    1. Big thank you to Kathleen Conner, Melanie Goldberg, Sarah Allen, and Sarah Graham for their efforts to get air filters for our classrooms.
    2. Thanks to Adelphi Site Parents for organizing transportation of air filters built at Carroll Street to the Adelphi site. 
    3. Thank you to Brad Eichmann for his invaluable help updating the Readathon accounts and webpages to get ready for February.
    4. Volunteers are needed on the committee for the Auction auction@ps372pta.org. Particularly looking for lower grades families to get involved, but all welcome. 
    5. Thank YOU being part of our great community and supporting our school
    6. The next PTA Meeting is scheduled for February 17th, 2022 @ 6:45pm

Verbatim from Zoom Chat:

00:14:30 Rosa Amato: Schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov

00:21:27 251028: Should a classroom get an email notification when there is a positive case? We have for 1 but not the other class.

00:21:36 Frank Ammirata: rosa.amato@ps372.net

00:21:50 James: How can we see the cases for the Adelphi St location on that site?

00:22:54 Kate Noland: Thank you for all the support and clear Covid information. It was very helpful to our family

00:24:36 Mac Concierge: The email we received this week shows (4) Covid-19 cases at school, you just told us it’s close to (40), why is there such a big difference?

00:25:09 Frank Ammirata: @James Type in the address 300 Adelphi Street. Note that those numbers are for the entire building.

00:26:29 251028: To Mac Conceirge’s question:  What is the relationship between the NYS site and the Situation room (those numbers are also not in agreement)

00:28:23 Eamon Joyce: Are you expecting that there will be more on-campus testing coming up? The NYC site says there were 2 tests last week. There was news at the end of the year that there would be more testing and that it would start to include vaxed kids also

00:30:18 251028: Some classes have had cases but not gotten email notification.  Is there a reason?

00:31:02 251028: @eamon The City tracks testing and the numbers also don’t match with the NYS count

00:31:30 Mac Concierge: Current testing pool remain unvaxxed, consented given only, right?

00:31:47 251028: https://testingresults.schools.nyc/

00:32:19 Rosa Amato: When there is a contact situation, classes will receive an email.  If no contact, then we will not email.

00:32:22 Frank Ammirata: Parents are at Carroll Street are coordinating an independent testing lab. The city has increased it’s numbers from 10% to 20% of unvaccinated students. However, they will test both vaccinated and unvaccinated students. We did not have 2 tests. We tested 8 students at Adelphi Street and 10 at Carroll.

00:32:41 251028: You can see how many tests we’ve had each week here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13rx4jwp5XncPDudTKxSBlwefe5fbnQOP_lrV2yfuMxQ/edit#gid=0

00:33:09 Mac Concierge: 8  out of 321 is not close to 20% of testing

00:33:36 Rosa Amato: Mac …. Only unvaccinated students will be tested.

00:33:36 Lisa Baerga: they can only test if there is consent

00:33:50 Lisa Baerga: those two together eliminate a large number

00:34:19 251028: The mayor said as of Jan. vaccinated children (who have consented) would be included. Is that false?

00:34:50 Adrienne Barr Chait (she/her): Thanks Tony!

00:34:59 Rosa Amato: Unvaccinated and consent.  We can look into the vaccinated staff.

00:35:01 Tony Alessandrini: Thank you so much!

00:35:06 Mac Concierge: so that’s a very limited pool of student that DOE is testing, right? possibly even same kids over & over if school have high vcxx rate?

00:35:07 Rosa Amato: Congratulations Tony.

00:35:10 Ellen Correia Golay: Welcome Tony!!

00:35:11 Lisa Baerga: yes!!! 1st Adelpho st rep!

00:35:14 James: Hooray Tony!

00:35:15 Amy V: Congrats Tony!

00:35:18 Tony Alessandrini: Thanks folks!

00:35:21 Frank Ammirata: @Mac the 8 is at Adelphi street. There are not 321 students there.

00:35:21 Farah Franqui: Congratulations Tony!!!!

00:35:24 Yvette Agas-Bautz: Congratulations Tony!!

00:35:29 Jennifer: Welcome Tony

00:35:42 Mac Concierge: I’m counting 321 for the whole PS372 at both locations

00:35:48 Toni Cela: Woohooo! Toni’s for Tony!

00:36:06 Josh Baez: welcome Tony

00:36:14 Frank Ammirata: Congrats Tony!

00:36:16 Rosa Amato: Mac. We can talk if you’d like to call tomorrow.

00:38:05 Amy V: Liza is the email the only way to apply for masks? Is there any paper requests ?

00:39:31 Frank Ammirata: @251028 Yes. They will test vaccinated students (they come up on our list) however, the number of students who are to be tested is calculated using the number of students not vaccinated.

00:40:19 Ada Martin: How many classrooms at Carroll Street are not open-window classrooms?

00:40:28 Eamon Joyce: How is noise with both box filters and DOE filters so far?

00:42:41 Rosa Amato: Carroll Street windows can be opened in every room.

00:43:41 Frank Ammirata: We are getting mixed statements on the noise levels

00:45:07 Ada Martin: Thanks! Who makes the decision about whether the windows are open or not, and is there DOE guidance on the matter?

00:47:06 Ada Martin: Or, may we ask our teachers to please keep the windows open until the boxes are in placee?

00:47:09 Frank Ammirata: Windows are expected to be open in every classroom.

00:48:06 Adrienne Barr Chait (she/her): Just to clarify – If there is a positive case in our child’s classroom, you will email the parents of that class as soon as possible?

00:48:40 Frank Ammirata: Yes and you will receive a test kit with a letter that day.

00:49:08 Adrienne Barr Chait (she/her): Thanks Frank

00:50:30 Tony Alessandrini: We’ll be there tomorrow morning 🙂

00:50:51 251028: And Liza!! You are doing so much!

00:51:14 Ada Martin: Thanks Rosa, thanks Frank

00:51:44 Rosa Amato: Thank you so much for all of the support.  We are lucky to have such great parents and families.

00:51:47 Frank Ammirata: 🙂 Thank you all!

00:51:50 Rosa Amato: Good night….

00:52:06 Lisa Baerga: thank you

00:52:08 Dominique Bouchard: We did a block party gala in pre-k

00:52:10 Frank Ammirata: Thank you Liza!

00:52:16 Dominique Bouchard: It was very successful

00:52:25 Dominique Bouchard: At BFS

00:52:27 Tony Alessandrini: Thank you so much Liza!

00:52:29 Lisa Baerga: so excited for Tony to represent Adelphi!

00:52:33 Frank Ammirata: Yes!

00:52:36 Adrienne Barr Chait (she/her): Thanks LIZA!!!

00:52:41 Brad: Thank you Liza!

00:52:45 Amber Best: Thanks everyone

00:52:45 Emilia Emre: Thank you all and stay safe!!

00:52:48 Ellen Correia Golay: Thank you!!!

00:52:49 Rajeev Subramanyam: Thank you

00:52:59 Kate Noland: Hear hear!!

00:53:00 Margarita Arguelles: Thank you!

00:53:01 Andrea Corbett: Thank you! Good night!

00:53:02 Candida Aguilar-Salim: Thank you all!!!