Beacon PTA Meeting Minutes – Dec. 2020

Beacon PTA Monthly Meeting – MINUTES

Dec. 14, 2020 (6-8 PM, Zoom)

AGENDA

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

2. PRINCIPAL REPORT – Brady Smith 

• New school website is almost ready to go live (Ben August to preview later in meeting)
• Pupil Path – parents who do not have access need to get an invite with an access code. 9th grade parents can obtain this from their child’s advisor; 10th-12th grade parents should email Parent Coordinator Erdene Greene (egreene@beaconschool.org).
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – various initiatives are taking place:
  • Tier 2 Peer Connect workshops for parents are underway; most recent one was on Saturday, Dec. 12.
  • Peer Connect workshops for teachers and staff will be held in Jan/Feb
  • The final Beacon Equity Team meeting of 2020 will be held on Friday 12/18
• Admissions: Still waiting on guidance from the DOE for criteria. In the meantime:
  • Plans are underway with staff and the DEI committee
  • Open House and information sessions will be held virtually
  • There will be a targeted outreach to 600+ middle schools
  • Information is also available on the Beacon YouTube Channel and a student-produced Virtual Tour video will be available on the admissions page on the school website when ready
• Spring Term: Many plans are being looked at for Spring, including incorporating G&H bands into the day and lengthening class times.  They are trying to weigh academic vs. wellness/health needs of the students as those would mean more time on Zoom.
• Socialization of 9th Graders: Concern about how to integrate them into the community—a challenge because there are no school-sanctioned events outside. School administration is trying to think of ways to bring together each of the grades, but the issue is not increasing time on screens as there is a concern about how much time is spent on Zoom already.
• Website Update (Ben August) – Gave a preview tour of the new school website. Notes:
  • It will use the same web address as the current site (beaconschool.org)
  • Goal is to make it useful for students, parents and applicants, with anyone able to find the information they’re seeking within 2 clicks
  • It will also be more dynamic, with links to latest news and the school calendar (which will be a Google calendar that people can subscribe to)
  • Usage will be tracked to rotate out any links or content not being accessed.
  • The site will evolve over time as information becomes available, including around Sept. 2021 admissions.

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

• Nov. 9th November meeting minutes presented (click here) 

Anju Gupta & Katherine Bruck, Recording Secretaries

• Motion to approve entered by Kim Youngberg; seconded by Nancy Molesworth

4. COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Treasurers (Spencer Green; Andrew Flamm)

• $300K is the PTA budget for the 2020-21 school year.
• $203K has been committed to date for clubs, teachers, guidance, etc.
• $33K is being “reserved” for the spring term (not yet committed)
• $15K has been received in teacher requests to be voted on at this meeting:
  • $3,500 for Environmental Justice for sensors to collect data and workshops
  • $2,700 for Model Congress for membership and delegation fees (Harvard and UPenn events coming up)
  • $5,500 for Special Ed needs including speaker series for staff and teachers, supplies including noise-cancelling headphones, accessibility equipment, etc.
  • $3,000 for the PTA to purchase $25 gift cards from The Strand for 120 teachers
  • $300 for software and other apps for the history dept.
• Motion was entered to approve these new requests; passed by a vote by a majority of the attendees.

• Fundraising (Karen Jolicoeur; Alison Overholser)

• Weekly emails have been going out for annual fund donations, highlighting different aspects of the Beacon school experience and related funding needs.
• We are 40% of where we’d like to be at this point ($78k raised out of $175k goal for the end-of-year, i.e. funds raised by Dec. 31, 2020 for the 2020-21 school year.)

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

• Peer Connect – Good turnout on Dec. 12 by parents, though not as many white males in attendance as hoped for. Next workshop is Dec. 15 at 6pm.
• The Dec. 8th monthly DEI Committee meeting welcomed student leaders from BUU (Beacon United Union). They are appreciative of the open line of communication with Principal Brady, but they’re still seeing some issues:
  • Teachers still pressing for students to be on-camera (not always an option)
  • Shaming amongst teachers
  • Microaggressions are still being reported on Zoom, with staff not sufficiently dealing with it.
• DEI Admissions Subcommittee is looking at protocols and the mission statement to see how to make it more equitable and accessible
• DEI Content & Community Subcommittee is identifying ways to better educate parents to improve equity and inclusion, including a Winter Break content pack for families.
• DEI Professional Development Subcommittee: looking at training and other workshops centered on anti-racial issues
• DEI Book Club: Part 3 of “Caste” was discussed at the last meeting. The next book club meeting is on 1/12/2021 at 6pm and will focus on Part 4.

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

• Community Building/Relations (Karen Stonely; Sari Gabay)

• 9th Grade parents have been emailing to connect people
• 10th Grade had a good turnout to virtual meetup with Principal Brady and staff on 12/9
• 11th Grade is working through their survey results and getting information from the College Office
• 12th Grade is working on collecting dues for graduation.
• Thursday 12/17 is the next Special Ed meeting talking about test stressors for kids with IEPs and 504 plans.

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

• Merchandising (Tali Mermelstein; Jeff Rosenblum)

• The 20% off coupon on Beacon merchandise is good through the end of December.

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

• Two SLT meetings have been held since the November PTA meeting. 
• 2 teachers were replaced who were not able to serve due to bylaws
• Themes being focused on:
  • Health and wellness of students and teachers
  • Deadlines for homework and clarity is overwhelming for students
  • Academic standards and consistency – looking to keep work meaningful and engaging
  • Grading and feedback – need to make it collaborative and constructive so grades aren’t surprising
  • Teachers are feeling pressured about grades by parents. An email will be going out addressing the role of parents (support) vs. students (advocating for themselves) from Principal Brady, and from the PTA.

8. NEW BUSINESS

—Call for speakers & topics for upcoming PTA webinars

• Any ideas should be emailed to beaconpta@beaconschool.org

—Upcoming meeting reminders:

• SPED parents virtual monthly meet-up: Dec. 17 (5pm)

• Seniors parents virtual meet-up: Dec. 17 (6pm)

• Winter recess break is Dec. 24-Jan. 3; school resumes on Jan. 4.

• PTA Executive Board Meeting: Jan. 7 (6pm) – changed from Jan. 4

• DEI Committee Meeting: Jan. 5 (6pm)

• PTA Monthly Meeting: Jan. 11, 2021 (6pm)

9. MEETING ADJOURNED 

• Motion entered by Kim Youngberg; Seconded by Diana Mahiques.

(Any questions? Please contact beaconpta@beaconschool.org)

---