Minutes of 9-26-24 Meeting

11/11/2024 12:51 pm

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

 

FMG PTA meeting minutes

Meeting started at 7 pm

 

Principal’s report

• 28th year in Springfield for Slate and best opening so far- kids are abiding by new code of conduct
• Some tardiness is down, but still doing some discipline
• Electronic device policy is being complied with
• Generally dress code being abided by
• Monday we rolled out iPads- most have been distributed
• Originally iReadys were for this week, but pushing to 10/15 since off school 2 days
• No Place for Hate and Week of Respect
• Student council elections coming up next couple of weeks
• Halloween Dance 10/25 sponsored by student council (last year they did successful food drive and animal shelter supply drive
• 1st marking period ends in November
• Hope to have google classroom available to parents by 10/7 (assignments, but grades are in Genesis)- there has been a bit of grace period on student assignments during this onboarding process

BOE- Meredith Murphy & Laura Gamarekian

• presentation by Lan Associates regarding the upgrades being funded by the bond- HVAC updates across all buildings this year, gym floors were already refinished- field house at HS had exterior done and now interior work is beginning-
• New Code of Conduct for District, especially regarding dress, code and electronics
• $4k tutoring grant for elementary kids up to 4th grade

Treasurer’s Report (Agatha Tiziano)

- Ag couldn’t make meeting

Committee Reports

-Griggstown Pies- Lori Lewy and Lisa Duarte chairing- added vegetarian shepherds pie- delivery will go to front of school right before Thanksgiving in the morning- pies are delivered frozen- have limited ability to store pies

-Spirit Wear- just launched- order by 10/15

-Harlem Wizards- Tracey Rinaldi & Kate Radler- 11/24 at 2 pm, Tickets go on sale 10/14- need volunteers to help recruit sponsors

-8th Grade- Lumene- will need to do fundraising for 8th grade activities- Ms. Chou is the point person within in school- need additional volunteers- 8th grade night out as fundraiser- looking for any ideas

-Family Donation- option to donate money in lieu of other fundraisers

 

NEW/OLD BUSINESS

 

-School Year 24-25 Volunteer & Committee Sign ups

 

Question about drop off line to Slate- many parents stay at front or are very slow for kid to get out

 

NEXT PTA MEETING NOVEMBER 21, 2024

 

MEETING ADJOURNED 7:41

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Thursday, March 14, 2024 FMG PTA Meeting Minutes

6/13/2024 8:50 am

Thursday, March 14, 2024 FMG PTA Meeting Minutes

Meeting started at 7:08 p.m. by President Rosa

 

Treasurer’s Report (Agatha)

 

-$20K on balance sheet, about $2500 deposits pending

• Income/expense report missing book fair, snacks- $3-4K
• 8th grade celebration is big expense upcoming

 

VP of Programs (Andrea)

• no further programs- just one in beginning of year- extra money will go to teacher’s to decorate the display cases- teachers has been using their own money for these

 

FUNDRAISING (Deana)

- school kits coming up

- pretzel sales upcoming

• fun run
• Family fun night
• Handbag raffle 5/30
• Selling gear for younger children at 5th grade orientation

 

Valentine’s Day dance went great

 

Spirit wear $113- to be reinvested to purchase items to sell at orientation night

 

Bookfair- about $1000

 

8th grade committee

• moving up celebration- must register online
• Lawn signs- personalized are closed, can still get generic
• 5 star driving Moscal family sponsored the pens for 8th graders
• Family fun night is geared toward 8th graders- will be doing handbag raffle
• Need chairs for breakfast and yearbook signing

 

 

Concerts coming up in May- will be doing 50-50 and selling items

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Minutes of Meeting of FMG PTA on January 25, 2024

6/13/2024 8:49 am

Minutes of Meeting of FMG PTA on January 25, 2024

 

Principal’s report by Mr. Slate

Valentine’s dance- seeing if Mr. Lynch can cover because Mr. Slate can’t make it

Semester ends next week- counselors have been checking schedules for holes

 

1st round of counselor meeting with HS counselors for 8th graders to begin

 

Doing no place for hate program- little bit of back up with counselors- google doc for appointments

 

Next Friday- February 5th reports cards available

 

2/7- Half day for professional development at HS- need to clear out school quickly

 

2/9- Valentine’s dance

 

2/19- no school

 

Last day to order yearbooks 2/23- tomorrow is last day to order personalized/ ads

 

2/29- Parent teacher conferences- half day then delayed opening on Friday (50-50)

 

March 3rd iReady diagnostic

 

Clubs are up and running- SEL, robotics, plant club, student council- just did food drive-will deliver and also help stock the shelves, diversity off to great start, 2 successful concerts, 1 more to go (chorus)

 

Snow day- had one or two built in? So not tapping into extra days off yet- 6/20, 5/20…NJ does not allow remote instruction unless emergency

 

BOE report by Hillary Turnbull

 

Haven’t had meeting yet- swore new/retruning members in- Monday meeting- working on getting bids and contracts done for projects- ethics training.

 

President has been reposting on social media the chain of communication document for people complaining about response times from counselors in multiple schools- they’ve been busy so Slate and Lynch sometimes jump in to help as well

 

Fundraising report

 

Valentine’s Dance- Lori Lewy is chairing- need many parent volunteers because it’s on PTA to monitor/chaperone- registration will be cut off- no entry at the door- no walk ins- must be current student and have attended school that day (4 hours)- serving pizza, candy, water- maybe chips depending on number of sign ups- glow lanyards maybe- DJ- back date of 2/23 in case of weather- will have zero tolerance regarding behavior- 2 hours long

 

Krispy Kreme ongoing now- digital- voucher to be used whenever- can donate- send in voucher and we will pick up and deliver

 

Spirit wear coming soon- will have big selection with new items- get 10% of all sales

 

Scholastic book fair- week of 2/26- set up Friday before- Also during Thursday parent conferences- box with flyers will be delivered next week- there will be website- will accept ewallet, cash- will need a few parent volunteers- teacher wishlists?

 

FMG fun run- Noel and Jen will chair- Possible dates end of April? Wednesday or Thursday- 24th or 25th- each grade wears a color? Walk or run- collect donations- treat from pomptonian? Minor competitions? Music? With speakers and a phone

 

Lawn signs for 8th graders ready to purchase

 

Will have 8th grade breakfast

 

6/14 is 8th grade dance $75 per person- donations for people who cannot afford

 

Looking for donation for money for pens for yearbook signing, also looking for donations for water for field day, etc. on membership toolkit

 

Parent doing football pool separately from PTA but proceeds will go to 8th grade activities

 

Last 50-50 at choir concert and parent conferences

 

Nominating committee-

Need volunteers to take over for President, Harlem wizards (huge project), VP of fundraising, VP of communications and corresponding secretary

 

Treasurer report by Agatha Tiziano

 

About $13,500 in assets

 

Staff appreciation lunch and gift cards with family donations

 

Half day snacks- $1400 or so

 

Valentine’s dance still trickling- don’t have enough to cover DJ yet

 

Deposits have been made for 8th grade activities

 

Family Fun Night together with family and teachers- punch card- activities- 5/30

 

Field Day- PTA does picnic

 

Next meeting is March 14th

 

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Minutes of Meeting of FMG PTA on November 16, 2023

6/13/2024 8:47 am

Minutes of Meeting of FMG PTA on November 16, 2023

 

Meeting begun at 7:08 by President Jennifer Rosa

 

Mr. Slate’s report 

-Year off to good start reports cards ready tomorrow after noon

-next week is early dismissal and delayed opening (2 hrs- new)

-Wednesday early dismissal for Thanksgiving 

-musical at HS- Matilda- purchase tickets via barcode scan on posters- can purchase tickets at door

-iready diagnostic 2 beginning of December

-NJ climate improvement survey- links for parents and community members after Thanksgiving- ask everyone to participate- live until 12/22- 3 focus groups- students, faculty, and parents/community- 12/6 will have students do in homework (extended)- sent home sample questions today- participation is anonymous- check in and see what your impression of the building- what is good and what needs improvement- then will move forward to address concerns and celebrate success

-no place for hate school- made 3rd round- will find out before holiday breaks- teachers have been incorporating the principles- cauldrons for kindness- tickets for kids getting caught doing something good- fast pass for lunch line, homework pass- winning grade won Applebees gift card

-Operation Gratitude collecting through end of November— collecting items for veterans and their animals- grooming stuff- games, food and treats for animals- asking for pictures and bios of veterans that students know

-Wreath Across America stopping at Dayton- thank you cards for that by student council

 

Bd of Ed report by Jerry Fernandez

- 10/30 last meeting dealt with transferring funds, new hires, retirees

- one key issue- super is calling the chain of communication- flyers on website- will be in super newsletter- few members went to AC conference- one seminar was about communication- parents skip over some steps- go straight to principal instead of starting with teacher- one for athletics, academics, social/emotional issues- under administration tab on school website- includes dos/don’ts- board members have certain steps they have to take before they can respond to concerns- go thru president so can’t respond right away

- Adriana Silva now on Board of Ed, leaving PTA board

 

Treasurer’s report by Agatha Tiziano

statement of financial position (balance sheet)- $14K, $5K from where we started at beginning of year- expense report shows where money went- this year gifting acs to school, assemblies- income starting to come in now- from school supplies $1400- selling pies ($2100 as of today)- gross have to pay- cost 60%- hoping for 700-800 profit- last had Harlem Wizards- bigger fundraiser every other year

 

Fundraising report by Deana Conlon

-Pie sale ends tomorrow at 9 am- distributed Monday morning 10-12- if can’t pick up during that time- email her to coordinate

- will have 50-50 during parent teacher conferences both days- parents who are not invited for conferences can come to school to participate

Programming report by Andrea Spiegal

- waiting to speak with Mrs. Cho about future assemblies for rest of year- Slate says Mar-Apri is a bit of lull so a good time to break up with assemblies- before testing starts again

 

Other matters

• Want to do a fun run- could be in Mar-Apr as well
• All PTAs will be donating to Wreaths Across America
• Half day snack Monday and Wednesday- bring cash- $3 for pizza- $1 for everything else- no school bucks
• 50-50 raffle at musical as well and another table at musical
• Adriana Silva has to resign PTA position when she gets sworn in for Bd of Ed
• Tracey Rinaldi voted in as recording secretary
• Committee sign ups on line- membership toolkit- for field day, half day snacks, 8th grade party
• Reminder by Mrs. Collins re: student council- Tuesday is Friendsgiving- lunch tables competing- cannot have food dropped off- cannot heat up anything- food and decorations- more celebration than competition
• No school 11/23 & 11/14- winter break 12/25- 1/1
• Next meeting at 1/11
• 11/30 SPAG meeting
• HS drama- Clue happening right now
• January nominations for exec board next year- seeking President and VP of fundraising
• If any one has a couch- there’s a lounge that needs one- request from Mrs. Cho
• Mr. Fernandez- 11/20 b of ed meeting- super has office hours at Chisholm 1/23 5:30-7— find on website- making effort to go out to schools- social media is not the best way to get questions answered- misinformation gets spread

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PTA Minutes 9.15.2022

9/17/2022 3:32 pm

Florence M Gaudineer PTA Minutes - 9/15/2022

Meeting Started at 7:01 p.m.

 

INTRODUCTION OF BOARD OFFICERS

President - Jennnifer Rosa

Treasurer - Sheila Sayah

VP of Programs - Marissa Ruggiero

VP of Fundraising - Deana Conlon

Corresponding Secretary - Cat Fuscaldo

Recording Secretary - Melissa Howard

Membership Toolkit Rep - Gina Cocuzza

Principal Report - Mr. Kietly

• Back to School Night will be held on Thursday, September 22nd @ 6PM in person.  
• State Testing: Start Strong will be held on September 21 & September 22; I-Ready will be October 4th-7th, NJSLA test scores are in and will be mailed out by next week.
• The School Security System was upgraded during the summer.
• There are marked bins outside of the school for items that parents need to drop off for students to limit the traffic into the building.
• Mr. Kielty is a Certified School Safety personnel.
• New building bell system is working well so far.
• There were 22 Electives added to the schedule which is working out well so far.  8th graders have foreign language each day to prepare them for High School. 
• The Musical is scheduled for the first week of December 2nd & 3rd @ Halsey Hall.
• Student Counsel, Environmental Club, Art Club, Homework Club, Newspaper Club ARE BACK!!! Will be held after school (look out for communication on clubs).
• The following were added: Special Education programs, accelerated Math, Program lead the way, Robotics, Journalism to name a few)
• Looking to bring back class trips (transportation is the biggest challenge ($$ is an issue** NOTE: Parents do not chaperone any trips)

 

• There are currently 3 lunch lines in the cafeteria - this will help mitigate any delays and allow students enough time to finish their lunch without rushing. 

 

Board of Education Report - Paula Saha present in lieu of Hilary Turnbull/Marc Miller

• Encourage parents to come out to the board meetings
• IMC Construction started - all demolition was completed before school started; awaiting delivery of materials; Grand Opening tentative Spring 2023.
• Facilities Upgrade coming soon (Repairs with FMG Heating & Plumbing)
• Next Meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 19th @ 7PM. 

Committee Report

• Harlem Wizard scheduled for Sunday, October 16 @ JDHS 2PM
• Tickets on SALE NOW on Membership Toolkit
• Big Dogs Team (principal,Teachers & Parents 
• 50/50n Raffle
• VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - PLEASE SIGN UP ON MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT

 

• Griggstown Pie Fundraiser are back - All communication on Membership Toolkit (Pie pick up in front of FMG on Monday November 21st from 10am-Noon)
• Spirit Wear - Socks & Scrunches available for purchase (There will be a table at Back to School Night of new items).
• 8th Grade Committee - Volunteers are needed!!!

UPCOMING: 

• Welcome Back Teachers & Staff Breakfast - Friday, September 23 (volunteers needed to setup)
• Halloween Dance scheduled for Friday, October 28th (look out communication)
• Half Day Snacks are back!! November 21st & 23rd (Don’t forget to bring cash)
• Parent Teacher Conferences scheduled for November 21st & 22nd
• Box Tops

Q&A:

1. Why was recess taken away? Recess is typically for K-5th, the extra time went to academic time.
2. Why was Homeroom eliminated? It was eliminated to allow for more academic time. It was approx. 9 minutes of dead time. 1st Period was extended by a few minutes.
3. Will there be a Neuro diversity Club? Yes, it is in the pipeline, and we already have a teacher to chair it. 

****DONATIONS ARE WELCOME & GREATLY APPRECIATED

 

****WE NEED A NOMINATION COMMITTEE - 6 of the Board Members are 8th grade parents they will be leaving after this school year 

 

****VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Please sign up on membership Toolkit

 

****Next PTA Meeting November 3rd @7PM FMG Cafeteria

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