Call to Order #
The virtual meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm. 34 participants were present. Executive Committee members in attendance:
- Sharon Burd, President
- Ken Venable, VP for Educational Programs
- Megan Miller, VP for Community Relations
- Meredith Greene, VP for Events
- Ashley Farrugia, VP for Staff Appreciation
- Dan Burd, Secretary
PTA Updates #
Approval of Meeting Minutes #
Membership voted to approve the November 8, 2022 meeting minutes.
Treasurer’s Report #
Dan Burd, Secretary, in place of Christian Lindstrom, Treasurer
Dan provided the Treasurer’s report. The financial statements are here and here.
Dan also stated that the PTA had received its state sales tax exemption, and that the PTA had funded grants in the preceding month for ukuleles and math manipulatives.
Events #
Meredith Greene, VP for Events
Meredith stated that there will be bingo at Winter Wonderland, which will take place on January 21. There will be some carnival-like activities, as well as activities outdoors if it’s nice so that kids can burn off energy. Meredith provided her email address if people have ideas: [email protected]
Staff Appreciation #
Ashley Farrugia, VP for Staff Appreciation
Ashley stated that the teachers appreciate some of the bigger things that the PTA has done so she is trying to spread out the appreciation activities so that the PTA has can get more “bang for the buck.” She intends to organize a Valentine’s Day event where the PTA can provide some love to the teachers. Ashley is looking for businesses with whom the PTA could partner to get discounted goodies for teachers, as well as families who can come in to the school to help set up appreciation events. Ashley provided her email address to reach out for ideas and to help support appreciation activities: [email protected]
Educational Programs #
Ken Venable, VP for Educational Programs
Enrollment for winter enrichment classes opened up this week, and parents have pounced on it. In the spring, the PTA intends to have three classes per day, as well as potentially a Friday class as well.
Ken also spoke about his advocacy for Abingdon’s Extended Day team, which is understaffed while there is a backlog of families who would like to sign up for the program.
Finally, Ken spoke about his lobbying to obtain a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) for South Abingdon Street as there is no crossing guard there. Some parents had asked about stop sign cameras, but the state of Virginia does not allow them.
Fundraising #
Sharon Burd, President, in place of Clare Rosenberger, VP for Fundraising
The PTA is having a fundraiser in partnership with Mabel’s Labels, a company that makes labels that parents can put on their kids’ clothing, backpack, and other belongings. The PTA earns a portion of the sales. Order products here: https://mabelslabels.com/en_US/fundraising/support/ and search for “Abingdon” to support the PTA.
Other fundraising updates:
- We have earned $500 so far from Harris Teeter’s Together in Education program. We have 122 participants, which is the most we’ve ever had. Sign up here.
- We’ve also raised $70 through Box Tops for Education. Sign up here.
- Please continue buying items through AmazonSmile. Sign up here.
- We’ve also applied for a CCPTA grant to help fund the 4th grade field trip to Jamestown.
Other miscellaneous updates:
- The Lost and Found is now outside at the school’s front entrance, and so is available 24/7.
Community Relations #
Sharon Burd, President, in place of Megan Miller, VP for Community Relations
Megan has done a wonderful job with the snack pantry, which continues to bring joy and nourishment to all Abingdon students. She is also heading up the holiday gift card drive which has raised a phenomenal amount for our Abingdon families. The deadline for fundraising is coming up tomorrow and we hope to meet the need for all Abingdon students.
Principal’s Report #
David Horak, Prinicpal
Anne Oliveira, Assistant Principal
Michele Micael, Assistant Principal
Mr. Horak shared the school’s nominees for staff members of the year. Those who are nominated at the school level go on to compete at the county level. They accept nominations from staff and from the community, and if more than one staff member was nominated from a given category, the staff voted on them. There were three categories - G-Scale (office staff), T-Scale (teacher staff), and finally the Principal of the Year award. Some staff were not qualified as they had been nominated before, or because they hadn’t worked for APS long enough.
For G-Scale, Christina Simpson was the school’s nominee. She is the face of Abingdon as she works in the front office, and she also handles the special education paperwork.
For T-Scale, there were five initial nominees:
- Alison Barnes, art teacher
- Emily Bennett, second grade teacher
- Renita Upshur, science teacher
- Jen Crawford, fourth grade teacher
- Sonjia Davis, student testing coordinator & EL lead
- Kathi Aagaard, Living Histories teacher
Renita Upshur won the school’s nomination. She is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lead and brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to her many roles at the school.
For Principal of the Year, both Michele Micael and Anne Oliveira were nominated, but Mr. Micael was not eligible due to his length of service. So Ms. Oliveira received the school’s nomination. As the embodiment of the school’s vision, she builds meaningful relationships and creates an inclusive community.
Mr. Micael expressed gratitude for the PTA’s many contributions to the community.
Ms. Oliveira echoed the gratitude. She added that COVID tests would be coming home with students this week and that there’s no expectation that we use it at a particular time, but that we can use it when we see fit.
Questions and Answers #
Q: Did Mr. Brown, Abingdon’s Theater Arts teacher, retire? Was there any announcement?
A: Yes, he did retire. Some people want to go out quietly and we honor that.
Q: Shout out to Sharon, who is working tirelessly in the role of PTA president. She was at school at 6:30 AM setting up things for teachers.
A: Thank you. It can’t be done without the support of our team and our educators.
Math at Abingdon #
Estela Tice & Kelly Penfield, Math Instructional Coaches
Presentation slides are available here.
There are four members of the math team:
- Estela Tice, Math Instructional Coach
- Kelly Penfield, Math Instructional Coach
- Darcia Treadwell, Site Interventionist
- Rachel Nesbitt, Central Office Interventionist
Information about math instruction at Abingdon:
- Math is taught in 75-minute blocks
- Warm-up with a Number Sense Routine
- Then, there is a Focus Lesson where the class as a whole learns what they will be working on that day
- After that, students are broken up into small groups that are guided by the teacher. Students are making their choices at math stations.
- Finally, there is a period where the students reflect on what they have learned and how to apply it.
“Splat” is an example of a visual that might be used during Number Sense Routine to spur discourse. Students discuss what they see, and what might be under the “splat” using the numbers provided, either by using addition or subtraction.
Students are broken up into groups, likely based on previous data. The groups are fluid and change often. Children may meet with their teacher once a week or four times per week, but the goal is two or three times per week. This is targeted instruction based on what children need.
Students may be given some agency as to what they’d like to do during math time, including Dreambox.
And at the end of the math block, students may be asked to talk about what they learned.
At home, parents can bring math into the conversation. This includes talking about how long things take and how much money things cost. You could also collect data, like how many commercials there are during a commercial break.
Adjournment #
- The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 PM.
- The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 10 at 7 PM.
/s/ Dan Burd, Secretary