Beacon PTA Meeting Minutes – Mar. 2021

Beacon PTA Monthly Meeting – Minutes

March 8, 2021 (6PM, Zoom – video replay is here)

1. WELCOME – PTA Co-Presidents Shirley Brady, Robin Broshi, Nancy Molesworth

2. PRINCIPAL REPORT – Brady Smith 

Admissions: over 4,000 fall applications received by 3/1; now being reviewed.

There are a number of initiatives being worked on currently:

• Changes to the admissions process to make it more equitable and inclusive
• Initiated a community-wide equity approach with parents, teachers & administration
• Revising the school’s mission statement
• Revamping Advisory
• Reviewing hiring procedures; involving teachers in the process
• Revising the staff handbook
• Implementing a culturally responsible curriculum
• Reviewing student assessments and grading
• The Special Education coordinator is doing a considerable amount of work for students

Comments on School Reopening plan for March 22:

• Special Ed/IEP students’ needs to be surveyed first and then will focus on the rest of the students; Surveys to other families will go out this week
• The sooner forms come back, the better so that plans can be put in place
• Testing Consent Forms: MUST BE COMPLETED TO BE ALLOWED IN SCHOOL; form can be completed on the NYC Student Account or by hard copy and brought to school; DOE wants current consent forms so need to resubmit one even if signed in the fall
• Random testing will be done each week
• Timeline: programming to begin March 17; teachers return March 18
• Maximum number of students possible per day is 270
• 39 teachers are available for coming into school; 30 classrooms will be used
• Limitations for teachers – can only teach 3 classes/day and also need prep/planning time 
• Custodians prepping rooms: 9 desks/room, 6 feet apart; can only deep clean once per day, so can only have one session per day 
• COVID-19 Isolation Room being set up for anyone with symptoms
• Lunch will be in the classroom and students will remain in the one room all day
• Cannot close 43rd/44th Streets due to traffic and fire stations; looking at parks and other outdoor spaces, possibly for Advisory and other class programming 
• Cannot see a way to provide live learning in school because of the need to keep the same 9 students in a room all day with the same teacher; would disrupt other students schedules as well
• Likely to be in-school remote learning
• We are constrained by the DOE, but thinking creatively for additional solutions either in the building or within the community
• Large rooms (gym, cafeteria, auditorium) are not approved by the DOE because of how they are configured; space is not the main constraint, but need to work within the teachers’ availability
• The number of days available for each student to come into the building will depend on the number of students interested
• Schedules will remain the same; consistency is important and changing for in-school learning would require additional changes if the school closes again
• Learning Preferences: Blended learning students can change to remote learning; the school will need to appeal the DOE for remote students wanting to come into the building
• Remote students may be able to join on Fridays for events and sports (being evaluated)
• Any “meetups” need to be accessible to all students (travel, proximity, etc)
• Looking to get each grade together as each one has different needs
• Skills/SETTs classes – rethinking the best way to program; currently on Fridays but trying to work around Friday events
• Fall: nothing finalized; Mayor says no hybrid learning (all remote or all in school); hoping and planning for full return to in-building but depends on COVID at the time
• Hoping for an extended Bridge Program in August for 9th, 10th and 11th graders to reconnect everyone
• Metrocards will be available for students; process TBD for remote students
• PSAL phasing in sports on April 5th; will adhere to state, city and CDC guidelines; will start with strength training, then practices, then games
• PSAL information session to be held on 3/18
• What can parents do – organize meetups and possibly as extra support for in building management of safety guidelines
• NOTE:  March 24th – SAT will be given in school so all classes will be asynchronous that day 

3. PARENT COORDINATOR UPDATE – Erdene Greene

• Students need to check emails everyday
• Parents can sign up for school emails at beaconschool.org; scroll down to “Email Blast” and complete the form 
• When emailing Erdene, please include the student’s FULL NAME so she can respond to the issue
• Study Buddies available for anyone who needs help with classwork; being done by upperclassmen; can be one session or all semester for any subject
• Ms. Dowling is doing a month of nutrition and sending daily emails
• Email attendance@beaconschool.org to report an absence or with any questions/concerns about absences or lateness
• March 24th testing day – PSAT (online) for sophomores; SAT (in school building) for juniors
• Issues with hotspots/internet? Families should email Erdene for a hotspot device
• Morning Advisory check-ins: important to do everyday
• Graduation: working on in-person and virtual plans

4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  – MOTION PASSED

(Anju Gupta & Katherine Bruck, Recording Secretaries)

• Feb. 2021 general meeting minutes presented for approval (click here) 

5. COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Treasurers (Spencer Green; Andrew Flamm)

• Budget:
  • Revenue: $178k (includes $10k of corporate matching); Expenses: $131k
• New Requests:
  • $430 for 9th grade Global – cover the cost of a book for those students in need (includes shipping)
  • $4,100 for Beacon Inc – hardcopy production and delivery
  • $4,000 for Professional Staff Development session – with leadership change and new hires, need equity and DEI work to help the staff come together as a community
  • $5,000 for Fundraising – costs associated with running various fundraisers
• Requests voted and passed

• Fundraising (Karen Jolicoeur; Alison Overholser)

• Laptop raffle: limited to $5000 maximum after the cost of the laptop ($1000); please reach out if anyone can donate the laptop and therefore ticket sales would only have to raise the $5000.
• Mentalist: looking at a few different options
• Online auction: looking for someone to chair the committee to coordinate with the vendors
• Spring appeal

• Diversity Equity & Inclusion (Gary Ramsay; Windell Williams)

• At the last meeting, sub-committees met to continue working
• Content & Outreach: looking at spring events and themes  
• Panel Discussions: looking at a wider range of areas to include (religion, sexual orientation, etc.) Particularly focused on the Asian American community currently with the impact of recent news. Will be holding a discussion on anti-Asian violence, Asian American history and contributions for the parent community.
• Peer Connect: looking to hold more workshops in spring 
• Next DEI Book Club meeting on 3/9 (link) will discuss part 6 of “Caste”
• The Beacon School Equity Team work on the vision and mission statement is coming to a conclusion
• Recommendations: “Four Hundred Souls”, an anthology of essays; and “Amend: The Fight for America” Netflix series on the 14th Amendment

• Communications (Justine Keil; Kathy Morgenstern)  – no report

• Community Building/Relations (Karen Stonely)

• Parent grade reps looking to hold outside events but need volunteers to help
• Special Education families: holding monthly meetings to bring people together; shares ideas and information to help other parents; two March meetings – 3/25 (link) and another date to be scheduled

• Merchandising (Tali Mermelstein; Jeff Rosenblum) – no report

• Hospitality (Elle Melaver; Kate Williams) – no report

6. SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM UPDATE (Robin Broshi; Windell Williams)

• Next meeting is 3/11 at 5pm (Zoom)
• Looking at the Comprehensive Education Plan for next year as well as reopening and admissions

7. NEW BUSINESS

• Nominating Committee has been formed to recruit Executive Board members for next year; 4 parents volunteered; first meeting on 3/17; reach out if you’re interested in being on the EB (email beaconpta@beaconschool.org) 
• Seminar on Suicide Prevention on 3/16 at 7pm; first of many discussions on mental health; Zoom link is here. 

8. MEETING ADJOURNED 

For more information, please contact: beaconpta@beaconschool.org

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