October 15, 2021 Meeting Minutes

HSA Meeting Minutes
October 15, 2021 9:00 am

25 people live; 19 people on Zoom, Dr. Oates, Ms.Katie Belicky and Board of Education Candidates

Good Morning! 

BOE Candidates (Three Board seats, each with a three-year term, will be on the ballot on November 2nd) Each BOE Candidate had 5 minutes to give a brief personal background, and plans for their part and role on the BOE. 

HyunJu Kwak

Christopher Kaufman

Shelia Brogan

Muhammad Mahmoud

Susan Madison

HSA Updates: 

• Membership dues: We are at 71% participation with submitted membership dues at this time. Families who have formally joined the HSA and have a membership, will receive access to the School Directory on GROUPSPOT. 198 out of 280 families have already joined! We are getting there!  Please consider joining the HSA to help fund our programs. The link to join:

https://www.somervillehsa.org/membership/

• BTSN Picnic: Complete Hit! So much fun and so many families attended. HSA recorded 120 pre-sold tickets for the picnic and approx. 100 more families joined at the door. Thank you Kelly Morgan and Kate Freeborn for chairing the BTSN Picnic! 
• Somerville Spirit Wear: We are running into some Covid pandemic delays in processing and receiving our orders. Companies are having difficulties with product availability. We should be getting our Spirit Wear in 4-5 weeks as opposed to 2-3 weeks. 
• Birthday Book Gifting: 59 children have birthday books for the 2021-2022 school year so far. $1,800 raised and 100+ new books added to the Somerville Library. We are missing books from the Library so if you come across any Somerville library books in your home, car, garage, etc. please return to keep our school library full of great reads! It is completely understandable that you may come across a “forgotten” library book. No worries! 
• Frosty Fridays huge success! Looking forward to having them return in the spring! $800 was brought in over the 4 Frosty Fridays! Thank you Tara Saraceno for leading the way with Frosty Fridays! 
• Plant Sale: Thank you to all 19 families who bought fall plants to help support our HSA! Thank you Catie Kearns and the HSA parents who helped with the delivery drop off! 
• Charleston Wrap: Great quality paper and products! The reviews were very positive on the quality.Thank you to all the families who participated! $2,500 brought in with this fundraiser. Thank you Liz Tierney for chairing this successful fundraiser. 
• Book Fair: Outdoors, set up in the back of the school. Beautiful weather and location for our fall Book Fair! HSA raised $8,900 in “scholastic cash”  at the fall book fair. The money is used to replenish books in the classrooms and for the teacher’s classroom libraries.  Thank You Janine Lanzisera, Ktanya Schwartzberg and Arti Kachhla for leading the Book Fair this fall!  
• No Cook Pizza Night: Pick up today Friday, 10/15.  Sold 84 pies and more will be sold at the pick up spot this afternoon. (20 extra pies) For next year, the store may be open for 2 weeks rather than one to allow for more sales. Thank you Nicole Ragains for your leadership on this Francesca’s Make Your Own Pizza Night Event! Don’t forget to send the HSA your pictures of your family Pizza Night! SomervilleSchoolHSA@gmail.com 
• *Thanks to Stephanie Moskowitz for another memorable Progressive dinner, Elana Feddock & Jessica Dowd for all our spirit wear, Catie Kearns for the fall plant sale, and Liz Tierney on our newest fundraiser, the Charleston Wrap!!! Somerville wouldn’t be what it is without you and all of our HSA volunteers! 

Updates from Dr. Oates

• Dr. Oates introduces Ms.Katie Bielicky as the HSA teacher representative for the meeting. We thank Ms. Bielicky for being with us this morning. 
• Book of the Month: 
• Our Assembly for the month of October: Kelsey Tainsh presented to grades 3-5. Kelsey passionately spreads the message of what persistence and perspective can achieve – despite all obstacles. Her humorous and authentic speaking style causes both smiles and tears – and empowers her audience to bravely face their own challenges. Please read the following link for more information. http://www.kelseytainsh.com/ Thank you Anna Salerno and the assembly committee for booking and spreading the word about these great educational experiences! 
• Social Services Monthly Donations: October is apple sauce, tacky glue, and construction paper for Oasis of Paterson. Great job sending in the larger containers of applesauce along with the 6 packs of personal sized cups. Thank you Stacey Barsa & Ktanya Schwartzberg for co-chairing! 
• Link-It Testing: This is an online assessment platform used by the teachers to guide their instruction. We went with this platform because it gives us immediate results that can be used right away to guide instruction and to assist students’ needs. It is also a great format that can be used across the grades as progress information for all of your child’s years at Somerville. Easy for the teachers to use, and to pick up the following year, or to even go back to monitor a child’s growth pattern. It will be given to students grades 2-5, 3 times per year. It is based on End of the Year expectations. It is a predictive tool, looking at the results from October and predicting if the student will be able to achieve the goals for the year. It is used to guide instruction. The testing went well and the information will be used to guide parent-teacher conferences. The results may have some inaccuracies especially in the 2nd grade because it is the students 1st time taking this online format test but the January 2022 results will be more telling. Results across the district have been very even. The teachers and staff have loved what the program has provided so far! 
• Impact of quarantine/hybrid/all remote learning on Somerville students: The academics seem to be on par with the academic standards. Based on what has been seen from assessments this fall, we are not seeing a learning lag. The academics are not of concern. The K-2 students are actually thriving in their reading growth! The impacts we may be seeing are with learning behaviors, and on task behaviors across the district. The longer school day, and remaining on task has shown to be harder K-8 across the district. In K-5 kids are actually doing very well possibly due to the attention given at home. 
• Picture Day Retakes are next Thursday, October 21st. Please reach out to Kelly Ahern and Tara Saraceno if planning on Picture Day retakes. Thank you Kelly and Tara for leading the School Pictures Day committee! 
• Kindergarten will be taking the school’s first field trip in 18 months to Secor Farms. Very exciting!
• Halloween Parade is on October 29th at 2:15pm. Same system as pre pandemic. Longer lunch period (Same time slot for the entire school) Students are encouraged to go home for lunch. Children who do stay in school for the lunch period will have lunch in the lunchroom spread out K-5. Kids can go home with a neighborhood friend, or a “Neighborhood Troop” for lunch that day. 12:20pm-1:20pm lunch period that day.Return at 1:20pm for Halloween fun in the classroom until 2:15. Parade to follow, drizzle or shine, outside. 
• No School November 3rd-5th. (Wed.-Friday)  Professional Development Day and NJEA Convention. 
• Career Day November 9th 
• Field Trip for the 4th grade to the Meadowlands on November 17th. 

Looking Ahead

• October is Walk to School Month: Keep an eye out in the Friday Feature on October 22nd for details. 
• October is Fire Safety Month: Fire personnel and a firetruck came to grades K and 1.
• Art Docent Day October 20th.  Art Docent is a cultural arts program given by parent volunteers to bring a supplemental experience to the class. Parents of their own child, volunteer to come into the classroom and with the support of program lesson plans and materials, teach a short mini lesson about a form of art, artist, or cultural architecture. The children love to see their parents in this role and you really get a great experience learning with your child and their classmates. Definitely sign up now, or sign up early next year to get a spot on Art Docent! Thank you Jackie Carter and Devletsah Ozcan for co-chairing the Art Docent program this year! 
• Picture Day Retakes are next Thursday, October 21st. Please reach out to Kelly Ahern and Tara Saraceno if planning on Picture Day retakes. 
• SCT (Somerville Children’s Theater) Parent Meeting October 26th at 7:30pm in the GYM! Please complete Google Form to help the Parent Producers prepare for the meeting. 
• Halloween Parade: Look at ENews for information coming up.
• Social Services Monthly Donations October is APPLESAUCES & INDIVIDUAL SNACK PACKS (Packs of 6) for Oasis of Paterson.
• No School November 3rd-5th. (Wed.-Friday) for Ridgewood Professional Development day and NJEA Convention. 
• Career Day November 9th
• Teacher Mailbox Drop Nov. 10th

Coming Up: 

Next HSA MEETING:  November 18th  @ 7pm in person (Possibly in the Somerville Library) and also on Zoom.  Thank you to all who were in attendance, on Zoom,  and who thanks to those who read these meeting minutes to stay up to date on school happenings!