November 2023 Parent Meeting Minutes
November Parent Meeting Minutes- 11/14/2023 7:00pm
Brett Jackson – 7:00pm – 7:04pm
Meeting Opening
Reminder about lost and found items. Land acknowledgement. Recap mission statement behind the cooperative school format.
Nikka Gaviola: 7:04pm – 7:06pm
Parent Testimonial
Testimonial about how her experiences in the classrooms at Maplewood led to her going into a teaching career. She is now a teacher at Maplewood.
Brett Jackson – 7:06pm – 7:13pm
Community Exercise
Initiates a community exercise where everyone finds someone that they don’t know and asks questions about their experiences here at Maplewood.
Kim LaFleur – 7:13pm – 7:23pm
Parking issues
Parking is getting better. She has reached out to district leadership to have the parking lot repainted, and add signs to make things more clear. Reminder that the back section of the lot is a one way loop. If you arrive before 4pm, just start circling the loop. Please don’t let kids out in the parking lot or across 200th St to cross on their own. Please slow down on 200th. Kim asked for volunteers to help in the parking lot for a couple of weeks to help direct traffic.
IS classroom Inclusion opportunities
Maplewood is striving to bring the IS and general education classrooms together. Many IS classroom students are joining Gen Ed classrooms for morning meetings, PE, Art, Choice time, lunch buddies, etc. Gen Ed classroom students are also joining the IS classrooms at times. Friendships are happening, which is very exciting. Examples of cross-classroom inclusion:
Fitzgerald: 4-8th grade: Healthy living with Bulldock, morning meetings and art with Hogue & Morel, PE with Hogue and Schull, Morning meetings with Zach, Haines students go to Fitzgeralds for lunch, students from Brick for art, and 4-6 graders sign up for riding bikes in IS classroom.
Garber – 7-8 grades: Zach students join them for board games, also cooking soon. Haines students will join them for cooking, Students from Spaldock join music class on Tues and Fri.
Many students in IS classrooms are non-speaking, but communicate in many different ways. AAA (augmentative alternative communication) core boards, sign language, ipads, switches. Something exciting coming for IS communication in Surplus, as well as a recess item.
Requesting that staff, students, and parents not reference the students in the IS classrooms as “IS kids”. That can be hurtful. Please use their names, or “student(s) in Ms. Fitzgerald’s classroom”.
Andrew Sankey 7:23pm – 7:39pm
Treasurer’s report
Expenses are starting to pick up for the year. 25% of the way to our goal for pledges. Above pace for fundraising thanks to Maplewood Madness. Plug about corporate matches. Please check to see if your employer does matching. Showed pictures of things that PCEP funds are doing in the school. Showed pictures of Lego Club, as well as Mr. Zach’s class making Birria Tacos. Field trips, etc. are all funded by pledges. Don’t forget to pay pledges for November.
Surplus package
Explained again why there was such a large surplus. It’s due to the fact that we budgeted very conservatively for last year, and then exceeded it thanks to fundraising. Got close to $140k in proposed spending requests. Surplus committee solicited teacher and staff input regarding the surplus requests. They used that feedback when making the final spending decisions. Surplus committee met for over 3 hours and approved 21 items totaling the full surplus amount of $36,458. Thanked all surplus committee members.
| Proposal Title | Amount Requested | Amount Approved |
| Replacement of Aging Choral Risers | $8,780 | $8,780 |
| Decodable Books for Resource Room | $5,123 | $5,123 |
| Science on Wheels – Pacific Science Center | $4,512 | $4,512 |
| Triple Shoot-Out: Inclusive Hoop | $3,607 | $4,500 |
| Open Gym and Pizza Night | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Middle School Literature Circle Novels | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| ADA Swing for Classroom | $1,193 | $1,193 |
| 6th Grade Outdoor School Tuition | $2,000 | $1,120 |
| T-Shirts for Every Student at Staff | $3,798 | $1,024 |
| Buddies Mural | $2,000 | $1,000 |
| Proposal Title | Amount Requested | Amount Approved |
| Dance Classes (through PE/Music) for K-6 Students | $900 | $900 |
| Green Team additional funds | $2,000 | $800 |
| SLP and OT Inclusive Switch Group | $750 | $750 |
| Maplewood AAC Posters | $765 | $500 |
| Middle School Kitchen Updates and Supplies | $1,500 | $500 |
| STEM Library Book Update | $500 | $500 |
| Garden Committee Funds | $2,000 | $500 |
| Bingo Night | $400 | $400 |
| IS – Color Printer | $349 | $350 |
| Cables for Hanging Art Work | $256 | $256 |
| Cooking Without Limits: An Inclusive Culinary Community | $500 | $250 |
Andrew Sankey 7:38pm – 7:39pm
Surplus Package Vote
Motion: Michelle Meares
2nd: Nadya Rubenstein
All Opposed: 0
Abstentions: 0
Surplus package is approved for funding.
Nadya Rubenstein 7:39pm – 7:44pm
Middle School Musical
Musical will be Singing in the Rain. Includes 6-8th grade. 2 papers in the flex area with all the details. December 1st is the deadline to turn in paperwork. Auditions are on 4-5th in December. Dec 8th is call backs. Casting announcements on 12/11. Rehearsals start after winter break; Most likely Tues – Thurs 4-6pm and Fridays 3-6pm. Requires a lot of commitment by students and parents. This year we got a license to record the performance, so families can buy a copy of the performance, and proceeds will go toward future drama productions. Nadya requested for a parent volunteer to do videography. She will be showing Singing in the Rain in Ms. Mitchell’s class for 7-8 graders at open gym night. Talking to 6th grade teachers about when the movie can be shown in their classrooms. Nadya thanked the parent that gave her a ride so she could attend the meeting.
Jana Reader 7:44pm – 7:46pm
Book Fair
Book fair was a smashing success! Sold over $7200 in books, raised almost $3,300 in scholastic dollars to buy books for the library and classrooms. There were at least 32 volunteers, including many who didn’t even sign up. Over 50 desserts were donated. Desserts came later in the evening by request of Mr. B. Thanks to everyone who attended and helped out.
Kelly Tysland 7:46pm – 7:50pm
International night
Save the date: 2/15 Thursday 5:30-7:30pm
Event will be a potluck, so please bring a dish, ideally from their culture/background. There will be booths and entertainment. Free to all. Booths will be set up in the gym area. Each classroom has a different country/landmark they will represent. Students will get a passport to fill in as they visit each booth. Entertainment will be mostly in-house this year, highlighting our students’ families/community. Kelly Requests that any classroom International night reps please get in contact with her. No nuts for potluck. If you aren’t able to cook, please just show up and bring what you can.
Andrea Hartgraves & Kamiki McWhirter 7:50pm – 7:54pm
Art Show
Tentatively set for 3/21 but will be finalized soon. Theme: take flight. Initial committee meetings will be 1/10 and 2/7. Need one representative from each class for the meetings. All committee members should be present for set up and take down. If you aren’t on an art show committee, you can still volunteer. Looking for food/sweets donations. Also looking for a live artist or anyone in the air travel industry. Servers will be 6th graders. Please contact Andrea or Kamiki for volunteering/food donation opportunities. Still missing the MS representative, Mrs. Russell, Both K classes, and the 3 IS classrooms, so if you are the art show representative for those classrooms, please get in contact with them. Andrea: ALS5133@gmail.com, Kamiki: Kamiki.Mcwhirter@gmail.com.
Danielle Mitchell = Kiera Fane 7:54pm – 7:56pm
Maplewood Family Movie night
Families K-8 can come together to watch a movie, bring snacks/dinner, wear PJs. Snacks will be available for purchase as an ASB fundraiser. Movie will be Home Alone. Friday 12/8 from 6:30-8:30pm.
Brett Jackson 7:56pm – 7:59pm
Closing
Reminder again about Lost and Found items. Reminder there is no December parent meeting. Requested for the person who volunteered to do the parent testimonial for the January meeting to remind him of their name. Also requested volunteers for subsequent months.
Meeting Adjourned at 7:59pm
