• Number of Participants – 23
• Approval of October 2021 PTA Meeting Notes

Welcome and Call to Order

 

Approval of Minutes

 

Principal’s Report

• Staffing updates
• Title I/After-School Program Updates
• SATp Meeting was held on November 16, 2021.
  • Comprehensive School Status – in the bottom of 5% of NJ middle schools based on test scores.
  • 2018 – PARCC and common core opt outs.
  • 2019 – Look at the scores – what standards are weak; how can we improve and improve scores. Then COVID,
  • What can we prove on paper? We need to show signs of growth in improvement.
  • Scores are stagnant – not showing growth. Not mastering what the students need to know.
  • What are we doing to address the Comprehensive Status?
    • Changed master schedule and added more time to Math and ELA. Borrowed time from electives to make Math and ELA 80 minutes rather than 40 minutes and changed to A/B days.
    • Added Advisories for students.
    • Wrote SEL curriculum over summer.
      • Currently training staff on SEL.
      • A lot of staff went through trauma during the pandemic as well.
        • Happy Staff strategies – swag for staff, little things to show appreciation.
        • Will be working with a consultant from NJEA
          • Trauma Informed Instruction
        • Students and staff have been through a lot over the past year. We are coming up on the holidays and starting to see the impacts.
    • After School Programs
      • Will be forthcoming – finalizing details.
    • Glenfield is the community school. Please let us know if any family needs any additional support.
    • Racially sensitive situations – misusing words.
      • Bring the students in to discuss the sensitive issues and explain intended speech, words. People interpret words differently.
        • Ms. Sims and Ms. Carrington are involved.
      • Social skills need to be worked on – many socially awkward discussions or poor jokes.
      • Group chats (8-12 students) can get out of hand – please talk to your students about how to communicate on their devices or on social media and be positive and not confrontational.
        • Idea: Post positive communication/text message posters examples in the halls.

 

Treasurer’s Report

• Budget was approved.

• Membership Drive
• Annual Appeal
  • Waiting on CO for estimates for the deck gates.
  • Engineers were at Glenfield to do a site visit and collect the requirements, sizes, etc.
• Spirit Wear Store – Glenfield Garb store is open!
  • Can students request Garb if they have trouble paying for it?
    • Work with the guidance counselors.
  • Guidance office is focused on the whole year to provide support to families. No holiday specific activities currently.

 

PTA Events/Activities

• Black & Orange Dance
  • Worked with Mr. Titus to plan the dance with the student council.
  • Went very well inside the gym since it was rainy that evening.
  • Limited to 100 students.
• Follow up dance or movie night event
  • 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade movie nights.
• Parent Social connect
  • Looking at different locations for possible social parent night out.
  • Hoping for December event.

 

SATp Update (Events/Initiatives/Updates)

• SATp meeting yesterday. First of 7 meetings. Meeting notes will be circulated.
• 125th Anniversary Committee – Logo Contest Winner
  • Logo was designed by Clay Swanson, 7^th Grader.
  • Reunion Event

• DEI Committee – Tatiana
  • MFEE Equity grant – Jody, Gina Fortt and Tatiana are working on it.
    • Need more stakeholders from the student and parent bodies.
    • Need to find what to target the $10,000.
      • Considering a survey (looking for professional survey help) or community conversations + rubric/targeted questions.

 

BOE/PTAC Updates

• Transition from Type 1 (Appointed Board) to Type 2 District (Elected Board)
  • Special Election will add 2 new board members.
  • Every November will have elections to elect 3 members for 3 years terms.
  • Board of School Estimates does not exist anymore. Any bond funding must have a referendum for work and will be voted on by the people.
    • $10-20 million needed in annual infrastructure investments.
• BOE Meeting Structure
  • Public Comments on Agenda items and then option for non-agenda public comments.
    • Virtually via the WebEx over the last year with pandemic.
    • Now must be in person.
    • Board looking at hybrid option to provide equitable options for all.
• Labor Management Collaborative
  • Through Rutgers University – broke through the barriers for the Board and MEA.
  • More optimistic to work collaboratively with each group.
• Updates from Departments of Equity, Curriculum & Instruction and Technology
  • On district website under Board Reports.
• SEPAC and Compensatory Education
• PTAC Committee work
  • Reflections Program – Art contest sponsored by National PTA
  • Communications Committee working together
• MFEE – $30,000 grant for touch devices for Acadience Learning assessments.

 

New Business/Q&A

 

Next Meeting: Wednesday, December 22 at 7:00pm

 

Meeting adjourned at 8:09 PM.