November 2023 Meeting Minutes

12/1/2023 1:05 pm

PTA MEETING MINUTES November  2023

 Wednesday, November 1, 2023 – 6:30 EDT

  

Present: Ryan Kelly (Vice-President), Jessica Grande (Treasurer), Marisa Alverez (President), Danielle Collin (Secretary)

Other in-person attendees: Bonnie Carey, Carrie Greenaway, Blanca Burgos (Family Liaison), Leila Samara, Jenny Marcelin, Michelle Bylsma, Natalie Fleury, Jessica Williamson, Michelle Morrisorry (co-leader), Laura Goodby

Zoom attendees: Chris Audette (co-leader), Kelly Lepley, Julia Negele, Sam Lewis, Brian Cook

AGENDA

Welcome, Meeting Overview, Introductions, Minutes Approval

• Discuss our plan for breakout meeting post meeting
• Approval of October meeting minutes - approved

PTA Goals for the year:

• Focus on Bringing the Community together
• These are the goals that the board has, but we are always open to what the community is interested in. Please let us know if you have any other priorities and ideas.
• Marisa ask for feedback from the community

PTA Fall Recap

Thank you to all our amazing volunteers, teachers, staff, and co leaders for making our October events a huge success! We cannot do this work without you all!

 

• Book fair

• Read for the record - approximately 450 readers

• Outdoor classroom EFF’s

• Room Parents

 

Outdoor Classroom Updates:

• Our last EFF we had over 50 students!
• Stephanie and the OC team have been invited to present the Eco-Friendly Fridays as a model for other schools to BPS' Outdoor Teaching and Learning Champions Session, likely in January, as they would like to encourage other schools to use their OC spaces in similar ways

Room Parent Updates

The Room Parent Program is still collecting contact information through the google form that has been sent out by teachers and in the Peek. Please make sure to fill out this form for each student if you wish to be included in communication from room parents! 

• Still in need of a lot of contact information from different classrooms

October 2023 Income - Updates

• $2,712: Family Photo Day - $2,000 Projected
• $3,500: Book Fair ($2,500 cash and $1,000 Scholastic dollars) - $2,000 Projected
• $4,769: Turkey Trot - $18,000 Projected
  

Revenue Update

• Shared line items - overall Goals - Projected $45,400 / Actual $11,812
• Memberships are low - Projected $1,200 projected, Actual - $642
• Shared Expenses - including room parent program, teacher grants - Projected $60k, Spent $5k

Treasure Update

• 2022-2023 Audit almost complete - due 11/15/23
• Will submit MA PTA Membership dues by 11/3/23 
• Will submit raffle permit paperwork to the city by 11/3/23
• Please submit receipts. ~$6,500 of 2022-2023 expenses submitted in Fall 2023. 

 

PTA is recruiting volunteers for:

• Turkey Trot: ASAP, event date 11/18/23

 

• Election Day Bake Sale: ASAP, event date 11/7/23

• Drop Off Brigade: Ongoing, work in progress

• Reflections Judges: Event Early 2024, in need dance background or gymnastics background judges.

 

Dropoff/pick up traffic safety 

• STOP- DROP AND GO
• FOR SAFETY, KIDS MUST EXIT VEHICLES ON SCHOOL SIDE
• PLEASE DON’T BLOCK NEIGHBORS DRIVEWAYS OR TRAFFIC
• THE CROSSING GUARDS ARE HERE FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL FAMILIES- PLEASE RESPECT THEIR INSTRUCTIONS
• PTA TRAFFIC SAFETY BRIGADE: 
• VOLUNTEERS NEEDED DAILY FROM 9:10-9:30

Upcoming Events

• Election Day bake sale
• November 7th
• Volunteers needed: bakers or buyers to donate baked goods, in-person on 11/7 to run the sale
• Turkey Trot – it is on the 18th of Novembers
• Total Runners: 145
• 4,000 Gross Revenue Registrations
• 6,000 Gross Revenue Business Sponsors
• Super Lion Minuteman Landscape Supply!

Turkey HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

• Join the fundraising committee - reach out to local businesses to sponsor the event.
• Help Organize the event
• Help on the day of the event
• K1, K2, 1st, 2nd Grade - 1 lap
• 3, 4,5, 6, 7, 8 Grades -  2 laps
• Discussion to invite Mr. Mccaskill to Turkey Trot
• Must register by Saturday 8/4 for Tshirt

This years Theme: I am Hopeful Because

Categories Include:

 

• Film Production

• Music Composition

• Visual Arts

• Dance Choreography

• Literature

• Photography

 

 

Looking for volunteer Judges for Dance choreography and music composition

Info Sessions on zoom to come!

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW UNTIL 1/19/2024

Lyndon Gear

 

• Show photos of new gear

 

FOTL (Friends of the Lyndon) - Kelly speaks on the following: 

• FOTL held their first Pizza Pitch event last week and it was a huge success! We had over eight pitches from teachers and staff. They got back to teachers today on which pitches they will be funding. 
• CORN HOLE is fast approaching! Please see flyers and QR code to register. This is a great parents night out and fundraising opportunity for FOTL. 
• YMCA babysitting is available, please email FOTL directly if interested. Childcare is being held at the Lyndon cafeteria this year 
• Parents need to provide dinner for children that stay at YMCA from aftercare.

• JOIN US!
• Meetings - 3rd Wednesday of the month
• @7:30pm (10/18, 11/15, 12/20)
  
• CONTACT US!
• Instagram: lyndonfriends
• Facebook: Friends of the Lyndon
• Email: lyndonfriends@gmail.com

Join the PTA - enroll as a member

 

SSC Committee Updates

In 1993, the State enacted the Massachusetts Education Reform Act that, in part, mandated that every school in the Commonwealth, regardless of distinction (public, private, charter) have a school site council. This decision was driven by the idea that the school site, not district’s central offices, should be the place where decision-making concerning the school occurs. 

 

As the Lyndon an autonomous school, or Pilot School, our SSC is granted more authority than a typical advisory board. The Lyndon SSC is THE Governing Body of the school and our role is to:

• Set and uphold the school’s vision and mission
• Hire and annually evaluate the principal
• Approve the annual school budget
• Approve the annual Election-to-Work Agreement with BTU staff
• Approve any major programmatic or facility decisions
• Annually assess the school’s progress [towards the Quality School Plan (QSP)]

Discuss all the new sub- committees for availability to join in. 

DELAC
- Jenny discusses the next meeting on 11/14 from 6-8pm, they are looking for a secretary and a co-chair. She will not be able to run a 2nd time.

Steve Lewis / CPC

• Next meeting will be held 11/14 @ 6pm
• Thrive Act - A bill that does require MCAS as a graduation requirement.
• Reimagine school funding Report 
• He will send links to these report for PTA to post on site

Upcoming Events:

• Nov. 7th - Election Day Bake Sale
• Nov 8th Lyndon Open House - Exam Night
• Nov. 16th - FOTL Cornhole Tournament (Adults Only)
• Nov. 18th - Turkey Trot
• Nov 24th - Lyndon Gear orders due
• Dec 1st - Square 1 Art orders due
• Feb 1st - Reflections Submissions due

Meeting adjourned.  

Minutes submitted by Danielle Collin