Call to Order #
The virtual meeting was called to order at 8:00pm. Executive Board members in attendance:
- Sharon Burd, President
- Ken Venable, VP for Educational Programs
- Clare Rosenberger, VP for Fundraising
- Megan Miller, VP for Community Relations
- Meredith Greene, VP for Events
- Christian Lindstrom, Treasurer
- Dan Burd, Secretary
The board voted to approve the September 27 and October 25 Executive Board Meeting Minutes.
Directory #
Dan Burd
The Student Directory will be published online later this week. Parents who opted in will be notified via email to the email addresses in the directory itself.
Outdoor classroom #
Clare Rosenberger and Sharon Burd
Planning for the outdoor classroom underway. We could possibly use some parents who have an architecture background. We also need a timeline to keep the moving the process along. Perhaps something on the website.
Additionally, there is a high schooler building a shed for the garden as an Eagle Scout project.
Sail shades #
Sharon Burd
While we’d like sail shades for the playgrounds, they can’t immediately happen. If we have our ducks in a row, they might be up in two years. We’re asking for two - one in the front, one in the back.
Sharon called for a vote for sending a letter on behalf of the PTA in support of the request for sail shades to APS’s Minor Construction/Major Maintenance Committee. The vote passed unanimously.
Staff grants #
Dan Burd
Two of the three autumn staff grants have been disbursed. Ms. Kooiman was thrilled to receive her math manipulatives. Eric Lettau, who is building ukuleles, has been paid and has provided photos of the instruments under construction. Ms. Tice will be provided with Unifix cubes shortly.
Gift Card drive #
Megan Miller
The PTA will continue to solicit Target gift card donations for our gift card drive.
Amazon Funding #
Megan Miller and Christian Lindstrom
The snack pantry is funded by Amazon through a special account that Megan accesses on a weekly basis to order snacks. Neither Christian, nor Megan, nor any other board member knew why Amazon deposited $20,000 into the PTA’s bank account when prior (and current) purchases had been funded through Amazon’s own account.
Pedestrian Safety #
Ken Venable
Ken is lobbying for rectangular flashing lights on the intersection of 31st St. S. and S. Abingdon Streets.
Extended Day Advocacy #
Ken Venable
Ken intends to set up a meeting with the Extended Day central office to advocate for the six Extended Day staff members, and emphasize how it’s going to affect families. 48 people are curretly on a waitlist for Abingdon’s Extended Day.
Substitutes #
Ken Venable and Sharon Burd
The process for hiring substitutes is broken. The Syphax employee in charge of substitutes is rumored to not be doing their job properly. The result is that Arlington his not hiring enough substitutes and classes are often broken up when teachers are absent, and kids sit on the floor in another teacher’s classroom.
School Resource Officers #
Ken Venable
Ken stated that he will advocate for resource officers returning to schools, and opined that the way they were removed was improper.
Winter Enrichment #
Ken Venable
Enrollment for winter enrichment will start on December 12. We are offering a minimum of 15 scholarships.
Google Workspace #
Dan Burd
We’ve obtained Google Workspace for Nonprofits for the PTA at no cost. If anyone would like an @abingdonpta.org email address along with several gigabytes of storage space, reach out to Dan. He hopes to transition all PTA email addresses to this domain over the summer.
Canva #
Sharon Burd
The PTA has also obtained free Canva Pro as a result of our tax exempt status. Reach out to Sharon if you’d like to be added to the account.
Upcoming Events #
Sharon Burd
- Abingdon Middle School Information Night January 9
- Literacy Night February 15
December General Membership Presentation #
Sharon Burd
The Math team will be presenting during the General Membership Meeting in December. There was discussion about how much time is appropriate, and there was a question about whether the presentation itself is in alignment with the PTA’s purpose in that it dealt with curricular concerns. A desire was expressed to have it focused on how parents can support math learning. A desire was also expressed to have the counseling team present at the subsequent General Membership meeting.
Read-a-Thon #
Clare Rosenberger
Clare would like to have the Read-a-Thon in late February or early March.
In-person PTA Meeting #
PTA Board
The PTA board discussed the possibility of having an in-person PTA meeting in January or in early spring.
Winter Wonderland #
Meredith Greene
Winter Wonderland will take place on January 21. There will be bingo, popcorn, treats, fun prizes. It will run for an hour and a half. It won’t be expensive. We’re hoping for good weather like we had last year.
MLK Day of Service #
Sharon Burd
The PTA is collaborating with the FCA to have an MLK Day of Service in the garden on MLK weekend. We hope to receive additional woodchips from Lancaster Landscapes.
December Board Meeting #
Dan Burd
The Board agreed to cancel the December PTA Board meeting that would have taken place during winter break on December 27.
Adjournment #
- Meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm
- Next Board Meeting: Tuesday, January 24, 2023, 8 pm
/s/ Dan Burd, Secretary