TPES PTA Meeting Minutes: April 2019

Takoma Park Elementary School (TPES)

PTA Meeting

Tuesday, April 2, 2019. 6.45pm-8.30pm

 

7pm: Welcome/Upcoming Events & Announcements, Lia Salza Goldstein (President)

Lia previewed the following upcoming events for everyone’s calendars.

Wednesday April 3: Early Release Day

Wednesday 17 April – Monday 22 April: Spring Break – No school

Tuesday April 23: Spring Student and Class Pictures

Thursday April 25: Take Your Child to Work Day (submit form by 4/23 to be excused)

Thursday May 2 – Friday May 3: Kindergarten Orientation (No school for current K)

Sunday May 5: TkPk5k family friendly road race

Tuesday May 7: TPES PTA Meeting

Wednesday May 8: Bike to School Day

Thursday May 16: TPES/PBES Basketball Game

Monday May 27: Memorial Day – No school

Tuesday May 28 – Wednesday May 29: 2nd grade Poetry Slam at TPMS

Wednesday May 29: K-1st Grade Field Day

Thursday May 30: 2nd Grade Field Day

Tuesday June 4: TPES PTA Meeting – Elections

Wednesday June 12: 2nd Grade Promotion

Friday June 14: Last day of school, early release day.

 

7.05pm: TPES PTA Treasurer’s Report, Erin Kelley (Treasurer)

  • $10,000 check from STEM grant arrived today (the robots grant!) so balance will increase significantly next month with this and the Readathon funds coming in.
  • Book fair surpassed its goal but it is paid in books so not a cash fundraiser for the PTA (hence reflected in Income and Expenses)
  • Dolphin Drive funds increased again and we have significantly exceeded our goal
  • We have not yet met our goal for membership dues– it’s not too late to join
  • Some expenses expected to come in this month from the Readathon and from the field trip support allocation ($6 allocated per child, requests are coming in from teachers and we expect to spend the entire allocation)
  • Equity inclusion item is for the Young Scholars program. PTA funds compensate teachers for their after-school participation which is critical to the program’s success
  • Staff appreciation week (first week May) will generate some expenses.

 

 

7.10pm: Readathon Report, Sara Lewis (Readathon Co-Chair)

  • The Readathon is over and the children significantly surpassed the goal set (200,000 minutes) – almost 370,000 minutes were read!
  • 69% of students across the school participated and 9 classes had over 75% participation from their students (teachers of those classes get Scholastic vouchers)
  • Lots of fun activities throughout the Readathon, we gave away lots of certificates and prizes, held celebration events and recognized readers on the hallway reading tree
  • Two final events this week. On Wednesday Dr Gadsen will draw one lucky name to win a playdate with her and on Friday there will be an all-school popcorn party
  • Sponsored donations are being collected through April 12. Donations / sponsorships can be paid online (https://tpespta.net), via check or cash.

 

7.15pm: Spring Fitness Fun, Sasha Johnson (Health & Wellness Committee)

TkPk5K (https://www.tkpk5k.com) is on Sunday May 5 and includes a 5k, 1 mile fun run and ¼ mile youth fun run. TPES has the most registrations from participating schools so far.

TPES receives funds from the event ($5000 for our health & wellness budget). Eligibility for the funds requires us to hold pre-events to get movement into our children’s days so we are starting a Run Club! The Run Club will be held on Thursdays at 8.30am at TPES. Participants are welcome to join to one, some or all sessions. Please fill in the permission slip that came home in Dolphin folders if your child wants to participate.

 

7.20pm: Children’s Business Fair, Tracy Stuger Scott & Holly Chang (Coordinators)

The inaugural Takoma Park Children’s Business Fair will be held on May 19. It is a one-day event, inspired by the DC Children’s Business Fair, that gives children aged 6-14 the opportunity to showcase their own businesses. There is space for 24 businesses to participate, each business can be represented by up to 3 children. Prizes will be awarded in 4 categories: 6-7, 8-10, 11-12 and 13-14.

The entire fair is sponsored by local business and invited local entrepreneurs will act as judges. The event is not related to the PTA but it’s a great opportunity for Takoma Park kids. Please work with your children to submit applications by 12 April.

 

7.25pm: Dr Gadsen’s Birthday Gift, Lia Goldstein & Meg McDonald

Last week the school celebrated Dr Gadsen’s 50th Birthday. Lia and Meg presented Dr Gadsen with two birthday gifts from the school community: a gift towards her family trip this summer and the commissioning of a mural celebrating strong female leaders (planned for the ramp up from the atrium to the media center).  As of this week the community has raised $1200 towards the mural, thanks to everyone who has contributed.

 

7.30pm: Parent Encouragement Program workshop, (Paige Trevor, PEP Presenter)
Understanding Friendship and Bullying

This PEP session aimed to help any parent looking to navigate the complex world of elementary friendships and social challenges. As friendships become more important, understanding this topic can make a huge difference in the well-being of our kids. This PTA provided workshop offered a unique opportunity to gain some practical parenting tips.

 

8.30pm: Adjourn.