JFK School, Staff Lounge
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Spanish translation provided by Jessica __ and Ms. Vasquez
Attendees/Introductions
Krista Magnuson, Natalia Ramos (and her sister), Jessica Cole, Jermaine McNeill, Logan _______, Dee Kumak, Jean Connaughton, Jen Douglas, Denise Sanchez, Cinthia Figueroa, Yanna Lachapell, Mohammed _______, Fernando _____, Santa Mallen, Julie Lucier, Jessica Arroyo, Tracy Triplett, Morgan Haywood, Amy Gusefski, Shannon McManus, Sean Greenhalgh, Lauren Messinger, David Juralewicz
What is the Parent Council (Krista)
Every parent at the JFK is automatically part of the Parent Council. The Parent Council has elected officers, with two year terms, staggered so that one of each has a year under his or her belt. Krista introduced each of the officers present.
The Parent Council works to foster community within the JFK and undertakes fundraising. Last year we held a bake sale, two luau dances, and a musical. The dances were fundraisers in that they involved minimal entry and food charges.
Game Night / Potluck (Krista/Tracy)
Krista and Tracy described this event, which is scheduled for November 15. A potluck is held in the gym and several classrooms are used for families to play games – board games, card games, puzzles, etc. We will need parents to volunteer for set up, clean up, staffing game rooms. The event will be 5-6:45. Boing will loan some games, the 5th graders are also creating their own game which they may be able to showcase. City Year will help with the food and a game room.
Amy suggested bingo – both as a separate night and fundraiser and as part of Game Night. We agreed to pursue a bingo game room – and if that goes well, we could consider a bingo night in the winter/spring as a fundraiser. There may be some concerns about gambling.
Meetings
Krista explained that the Parent Council alternates meetings each month in a morning and evening slot in order to make attendance possible for parents with different work schedules. The following meetings were set: 11/7 (Wednesday, 5:30 pm), 12/7 (Friday, 8:30 am), 1/9 (Wednesday, 5:30 pm), 2/8 (Friday, 8:30 am), 3/6 (Wednesday, 5:30 pm), 4/5 (Friday, 8:30 am), 4/5 (Wednesday, 5:30 pm), 6/7 (Friday, 8:30 am)
Website (Krista)
The JFK website is now live, and the School would like input from the parents about information that should be included. Suggestions: start time, end time, uniform, teacher directory, calendar of JFK events, lunch menu, field trips, link to BPS calendar, bullet point summary of events for each month, after school info, CORI form link. Also, it should be translated to Spanish, at least, and in the meantime, a banner should be added saying that translation is in process.
Bakesale (Krista)
Last year we held one at the Forest Hills train station, but perhaps we should consider Jackson Square for this year, as the logistics would be easier and it gets a good amount of foot traffic, has bus transfers, and BPS high school kids use it as a transfer location. We will need a permit.
Jen suggested an election day bake sale at the school. It was agreed to do this – with Morgan heading up the organization – on election day from 7-10 a.m. Contributions may be dropped off the night before or morning of at the staff lounge.
Julie suggested that we could also consider latching onto one of the holiday craft sales that occur closer to the holidays. Krista has some contacts she can reach out to.
As an aside, Krista noted that Mr. Broussard has some ideas for a musical fundraiser for the spring. Tracy/Morgan noted that the Governing Board has created a fundraising committee and is also thinking about a single large fundraising event. The Parent Council should coordinate efforts with that committee.
Making the JFK More Welcoming for All Families (Amy)
We agreed that translating the JFK website into Spanish is an important part of making the school more welcoming to all families.
Krista suggested working to help better orient families who are new or at the beginning of the school year – like knowing where to line up ahead of the school day, where dismissal is if it is raining. Key staff, like Ms. Bellamy should be introduced during the open house. Also mentioned was confusion surrounding the attendance policy and doctor’s notes for absences.
Requests from Dr. Copeland (Morgan)
Dr. Copeland wanted to convey that BPS is trying to crack down on extended absences, like taking a 5-day vacation when school is in session. She also conveyed that there is no early drop-off at the school, unless your child is enrolled in a before school program – like the YMCA. Also, while pickups during the 2:30-3 p.m. time period have been reduced, they are still a problem, and should be avoided, even for doctor’s appointments.
Morgan also shared that the teachers have put together a wish list of programs, materials, etc. that they are seeking. She provided an example of a program at the MFA that Ms. Jones has suggested, and that Ms. Moody is interested in setting up a bee-keeping program. It was suggested that posting the teacher wish list on the website, or helping to coordinate with teachers’ social media fundraising efforts would be a good idea to expand funding opportunities for these needs.
Tracy will make sure that the Governing Board meeting times have been shared with the Parent Council.