Call to Order #
The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm. Executive Board members in attendance:
- Sharon Burd, PTA President-elect
- Clare Rosenberger, VP-elect for Fundraising
- Ken Venable, VP-elect for Educational Programs
- Laura Chadwick, VP-elect for Communications
- Dan Burd, Secretary-elect
Introductions #
The board members introduced themselves, talked about their children, and what they do for a living.
Parent Communication/Outreach #
The board members discussed their goals with regard to engaging and communicating with parents.
- Finding volunteers to translate PTA communications remains a challenge.
- We should be cautious about overcommunicating.
- We need to ensure that we have a consistent message.
Teacher Involvement #
The board discussed ways to ensure teachers are represented in the PTA.
- The PTA could determine whether there is some sort of forum for staff communication that the PTA could use occasionally to relay messages to staff.
- The PTA could hold a listening session with teachers.
Class Parents #
Board members present agreed that having class parents (room buddies, etc.) would be beneficial to the school community.
- Parents would have someone to contact if they had questions.
- Teachers would feel more supported.
- We should Mr. Horak for his opinion on the PTA instituting a class parent program, and emphasize that the PTA would set this up rather than placing that burden on staff.
General Membership Meetings #
- The General Membership Meetings can feel duplicative of the newsletter at times.
- Having a meeting on the same night as the Uvalde shooting and the Bradlee stabbing, and not discussing either or having a moment of silence felt weird. Having important conversations could be a way to build community.
Alert System #
The Board discussed oddities and inconsistencies with regard to alerts sent during school incidents.
- The October 2021 drive-by shooting in Park Shirlington and the car chase that ended with a fugitive on Abingdon’s field both shook up the community, but there was not much communication about it afterwards.
- We could ask our members how messaging during and after such incidents could be improved.
- It isn’t clear whether the school has sent out text messages to alert subscribers in awhile.
- The PTA may want to learn more about the procedures for communicating during emergencies, as well as lockdown and emergency drills and preprations in general.
Miscellaneous #
- CCPTA representatives, typically PTA presidents, are able to ask questions of the superintendent during CCPTA meetings. We can make it a standing agenda item to solicit any such questions during Board meetings to make sure we are making the most of this resource.
- We should work to raise Abingdon’s profile. Abingdon is rarely featured in county-wide emails.