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From News12 NJ: Kool And The Gang Co-founder Donates Thousands To NJ Schools For Music Education
Iconic Musician Donates $25K to Montclair Music Program
Welcome Back BBQ sponsored by Glenfield PTA on Friday 9/16 – Past Event
PTA’s Welcome Back gathering is here and the entire Glenfield community is invited! Local community favorites will be in attendance as well! Grab your lawn chairs, blankets and come on down to Glenfield Park’s picnic area on Friday, September 16th at 5pm. To volunteer or sign up to bring a nut-free dish, dessert, or item, visit the Sign-Up at
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4eafad2aa3f5c16-glenfields1
Glenfield welcomes you back and wants to get to know YOU! Rarely do we ever get the opportunity to gather with our entire Glenfield community just to get to know one another. Well, this is your chance. Come meet your PTA team and the entire Glenfield community for our 1st annual Welcome Back and Get to Know You BBQ. Great music selections from our DJ and BBQ style food selections will be available! And best of all, you’re invited to participate to make this a great event! Simply sign up to bring a main course, a dessert, or drinks. Nut-free selections of course! Don’t forget to list your ingredients! The event will take place on Friday, September 16th from 5-7:30pm at the Glenfield Park playground/picnic area. Grab your chairs, picnic blankets and come on down to have a good time. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there!
2022-2023 PTA Meeting Dates – Past Event
2022-2023 PTA Meeting Dates
Wednesday, September 21, 2022Wednesday, October 19, 2022Wednesday, November 16, 2022Wednesday, December 14, 2022Wednesday, January 18, 2023Wednesday, February 15, 2023Wednesday, March 15, 2023Wednesday, April 26, 2023 Wednesday, May 17, 2023Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Request for PTA Board Nominating Committee
The Glenfield PTA needs volunteers for the Nominating Committee to ensure the transition of the PTA Board for the coming 2021-2022 school year.
The Nominating Committee will be responsible for recruiting and electing the slate for our elected officers by our April meeting. Per our bylaws, we need three volunteers OUTSIDE of the current Executive Committee. Members of the Nominating Committee may also self-select onto the Executive Board (with the exception of President).
In order to remain in compliance with our by-laws and retain our nonprofit status, this must be done by the March 11 meeting. Please email ptapres@glenfield.org if interested in helping out.
Thank you!
Glenfield Town Hall tonight (January 28)
The Glenfield PTA, Principal Pierce and Assistant Principal Aboushi will be hosting a Town Hall meeting this evening at 5:30pm. The meeting link is listed below. All attendees should be made aware of the following information prior to our meeting:
This meeting is intended to be a Glenfield specific conversation regarding our hybrid reopening plans. We will not be discussing any topics related to teachers returning to school or districtwide reopening concerns. While we may not have answers to all of your questions, we will do our best to be as clear and transparent as possible.
The chat will be disabled for the first portion of the presentation to minimize interruptions. Once the chat is enabled, members of the PTA will manage the chat, which will help to facilitate the Q and A portion of the presentation.
This town hall meeting is one part of a series of conversations that will take place throughout the school year as information becomes available.
Out of consideration for the families that are planning to attend Mr. Freeman’s 6:30pm “Meet and Greet” at MHS, our Town Hall meeting will end promptly at 6:20pm.
Disclaimer: all information presented this evening is subject to change at any time!
We look forward to seeing all of you this evening!
https://mpsdnj.zoom.us/j/8484364686
Meeting ID: 848 436 4686
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Meeting ID: 848 436 4686
Find your local number: https://mpsdnj.zoom.us/u/kmZcJK9fL
Notes from January Glenfield PTA Town Hall
The Glenfield PTA held a town hall on January 12th. Below are note from the meeting.
I. Welcome & Opening Remarks – Sarah Spagnola Young, Co- President
Happy New Year! We understand that everyone has questions regarding the start of hybrid learning (scheduled to begin Feb. 8) but we do not have any answers at this time. We would like to schedule a townhall with Principal Pierce and Vice Principal Aboushi ASAP and will get the word out. The executive council is meeting with Ponds soon, so please include your questions in chat and we will collect and present them if possible.
II. PTA 2020-21 Budget Overview – Amira Williams, Treasurer
- Not a lot of activity due to remote instruction.
- PTA made an investment into Glenfield Garb, and sales are starting to show some revenues, more to come.
- Chipotle fundraiser was successful and easy, raised about $450. We are only allowed to do Chipotle once per year, but we hope to do more dinner night fundraisers with local restaurants.
- Amazon Smile, raised $91 so far which exceeds total from prior year – so that’s great! Need to get word out – such an easy fundraiser when everyone homebound.
- Usually we’d be having our bi-annual big fundraiser this year to support the budget but that’s not happening due to Covid-19. Need to come up with smaller, socially distant ways to raise the money (supports graduation celebration, teacher/staff luncheons, mini grants, student activities, etc.)
III. Fundraising Events/Ideas: Need Volunteers to Spearhead these Great Ideas!
- Family Trivia Night – Feb 5! Order your Popcornopolis!
- We will push for membership drive in next PTA memo
- Pennies for Pages
- Bricks for front walkway – inscribed
- Raffle – do we have the paperwork that allows it?
- Direct Appeal for 8th Grade Graduation, thermometer
- Need to start committee for Fall ‘21 Fundraiser – volunteer?
- Spring ‘20 Fundraiser/outdoor social – volunteer?
- Winetasting Zoom Night Parent Sommelier – volunteer?
- Flower arranging zoom parties – volunteer?
- YOU GOT SCHOOLED! (lawn fish) – Montse and Sarah Y volunteered
- Kimya suggested we include all these ideas in an email to class parent liaisons so we can send to house leaders to include in e-blasts.
III. Remote Learning Survey Results – Amy Uhlfelder
- Decent participation by parents, very few student responses. Results show clear improvement from spring’20, but mixed opinions about the frequency and value of break out sessions, synchronous vs. asynchronous lessons, etc. We asked parents to share lessons/practices they liked in order to share results with administration and support professional development.
- Complaints re attendance reporting are common but they are working on it (students being marked absent mistakenly, e.g.) Please communicate mistakes to office.
IV. 8th Graduation – Amy Uhlfelder
- We need to start thinking about how we can give our 8th graders a celebration. Typically held in high school auditorium, with party after at local area reception hall. What can we do to find an outdoor site, maybe combine effort with Ren and Buzz to book a place for the day to hold ceremonies? Need to think this through and present ideas.
Notes from PTA Council meeting with Superintendent Ponds
The Montclair PTA Council held a meeting with Dr. Ponds on January 17th. Below is a summary of the proceedings:
NOTES FROM PTA COUNCIL MEETING WITH DR. PONDS 1/17/21
Dr. Ponds expressed interest in continually assessing and addressing the mental health of our kids and creating new academic benchmarks and assessments. He acknowledges that we will be dealing with the fallout from the pandemic for years to come. He is critically focused on getting kids back in the buildings safely and swiftly.
All decisions being made are based on the assumption that everyone has the virus
How do you make the decision/what is your threshold for return?
As expected we saw the holiday bump
Expect the rates to drop (they are starting to drop)
The last 2 weeks the DOH has been sharing with nurses daily updates on positive covid students and the DOH/nursing/district will evaluate accordingly
As of now we are prepared to go back based on the recommendations and info shared. If DOH says it’s not safe, then we push back.
Cleaning:
All buildings are using the same cleaners/deemed safe/custodians trained
Ventilation:
This is a long term issue. We were told that the short term fixes are complete, middle term fixes are complete/being worked on, a long term 5 year plan has been implemented and is ongoing.
Ventilation and purification systems are ready to go, green spaces are cleared for use, but some bathrooms and landlocked conf rooms will not be used.
Ionization and UV filters are being discussed as LT solutions
Technology:
1 device per day/per student/discretion of the school as to how to streamline. No personal devices for elementary and middle schools – must be district device.
1-1 ideal, especially with uncertainty of when kids will be in and out. LT they want to move to 1:1 for every student
Logistics:
1/2 students coming in for hybrid
At any given time expectation is for:
30 % capacity at the high school
25 % capacity at MS and most elementary
NE and Bradford higher #s
Breaks:
Teachers will eat anywhere they can socially distance and adhere to spacing rules. (for Glenfield, this should mean they can comfortably space in the cafeteria or eat in their classrooms). If teachers or staff are uncomfortable with the spacing or eating indoors, they can eat in their car or outside when warm enough.
Health checks/assessments:
Consent-based batch testing is a possibility to help mitigate spread. Being discussed with the Mayor. MKA currently does this, and we would be the first public school district to implement if we do so.
Health checks must be done by families through genesis before school and temp checks will be done for all at the door
Those who do not follow through with health checks will be flagged and will get calls from district
Related arts – high touch classes will have to be modified
Specifically chorus and band: may not happen. Team is still investigating.
May not be a popular choice, but outdoor classrooms esp for band/chorus /gym = ideal. He’s seen it happen in other spaces (he’s in touch with Millburn and Princeton)
Contingent on weather / flexibility key
Covers on instruments
Also in discussion:
Saturday schools
21st century grants at glenfield (3-6pm)
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To do/f/u for PTA
Share recommendations for communications and providing a general skeleton plan that can be tweaked by each building :
Breakdown from CO: k-5 / 6-8 / 9-12
Overall high level from CO followed by updates from relevant teams:
Nursing
Tech
Principals / SACs
Confirm ADA accommodations and sub plan, as well as sub bench
Contact tracing for staff moving through multiple buildings?
Will students be able to change from remote to hybrid for MP 4- is deadline for choosing March 13?
Notes from September 3rd town hall
Click on the below link to download a Word document with notes from the recent town hall held on September 3rd with Principal Pierce, Vice Principal Aboushi, and PTA Co-President Sarah Young.
