Call to Order #
The meeting was called to order at 5:15 pm with most participants in person while there were a few on zoom.
Executive Committee members in attendance:
- James Harlow, President
- Megan Miller, VP for Fundraising
- Meredith Greene, VP for Events
- Tina Kelly, VP for Educational Programs
- Ashley Farrugia, VP for Staff Appreciation
- Sara Kirschner, VP for Community Relations
- Maggie Bush , VP for Communication
- David DeBoer , Treasurer
- Erin Cassidy, Secretary
- David Horak, Principal
- Anne Oliveira, Vice Principal
Approval of Minutes #
James Harlow
James kicked off the meeting by bringing up the motion for the minutes to be approved from the last meeting on September 21. The were approved with unanimous consent.
Financial Update (Treasurer’s Report) #
David DeBoer
Dave mentioned that the budget started at $39,800 and we currently stand at $40,624. Dave also discussed money raised so far and money spent and highlighted the many fundraisers we have already completed.
PTA Recap #
James Harlow
James gave an update since the last meeting. Fall Enrichment and Odyssey of the mind have both begun. Trunk or Treat was very successful and had a great turnout, including many volunteers. Fundraisers we’ve had have been equally a success. Great turnout at Silver Diner making over $700; the bake sale on Election Day raised over $300. For Staff Appreciation, we provided lunch for Parent/Teacher Conferences. And on Monday following the lockdown, we provided breakfast to help set off the week on a good note.
Grant Fund Committee #
David DeBoer
$5500 available for the grants; still have money to utilize. So far the Committee has funded 3 grant requests:
-Cardinal Mentor Club -Sight words vocabulary cards for 2nd Grade -3rd Grade classroom flexible seating
Upcoming Events #
Various Board Members
Winter Enrichment- 3 classes per day for 4 days a week is the planned schedule. These classes will run from Jan 22-March 11. Each class will have 16 slots for students. Sign ups are TBD.
Book fair is a fundraiser event for the library. It will run from February 12-16. 20% of proceeds will go to the library. Many volunteers will be needed during this week.
Cardinal Coding Club also know as Boolean Girl will be run by Ms. Fisher. It will be for grades 3rd-5th. The club will run Feb 14-May 1 from 3-4pm. There will be 20 total slots with 10 reserved for scholarships that are sponsored by Boolean Girl. The cost is $100 per student.
Bingo/Raffle Night is scheduled for January 19, 2024. Still in the planning stages, but mark your calendars.
Spring parents night out-off campus event. No date set as of yet
Silent Auction-potential option for the spring.
Spirit Wear- Megan is looking for inspiration for a new logo. Please send your ideas to Megan Miller if you are creative!
Winter Wonderland Ice Skating event 6-7:30pm, partnered with Nighthawk Brewery & Pizza. Thursday, February 15.
Still looking for other passive fundraisers.
Read-a- thon will be in March. More information will be out closer to the end of February.
Principals Report #
David Horak
There is a fire drill scheduled for Friday, November 17. This is a monthly drill.
Principal Horak moved to a discussion regarding the lockdown that happened at the school. It was a big learning moment for staff and now realizing even more to make sure all staff knows where to go from any location they are in when a lockdown occurs.
Outside members joining the discussion were: Aaron Queen, Director of School Safety, Lt. Steve Proud, ACPD, and Director Jim Miller.
On the afternoon of the lockdown it was a total of 27 minutes from when the call came in until the end of lockdown. This lockdown involved both Alexandria and Fairfax County police in addition to Arlington County Police. It was admitted that the APS system was not correct and needs updated. The intruder button was initiated incorrectly. Since this incident, they have modified the message that will go out to parents and the community. All in all the public address system needs to be more generic.
Essentially the goal is getting all staff and students behind locked doors. APS is changing how drills are done; utilizing different times of the day with people in different locations as you can never know when an emergency will take place.
High security locks have been installed in all APS schools. All doors can be locked in under 10 sec.
There were many questions that were asked during this session with the guest members of the community. It was a good conversation that could probably have gone on longer without the parade of children ending our time.
Adjournment #
- The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 PM with a parade of kids entering the library. :)
- The next meeting date is to be determined, but in person.
/s/ Erin Cassidy, Secretary