Lincoln School H.S.A. Meeting Minutes November 11, 2014
President Missy Nappi called the meeting to order at 7:22pm. A motion was made to approve the minutes from the October meeting. The minutes were approved.
Principal’s Report – Mr. Geher
1. Thank you to Mr. Conca and the HSA for the fundraising dinner.
2. Marathon Program – The school has already had 2 assemblies to give out medals to all those who completed their miles. There are currently over 100 individuals who have completed the program. A final assembly will take place next Tuesday. The deadline was extended to next Monday.
3. Parents as Reading Partners – The new program has been a huge success. There were over 200 adults who came for the first month. Another session will be held this Friday. An article ran in The Patch that outlined our new program.
4. Family Fun Night – It was a well-organized night where fun was had by all.
5. Bully Smully – Students were presented with the program that encourages children to be nice to others.
6. Halloween Parade – The parade was a nice event that was led by the teachers, who were dressed as pirates this year.
7. Healthy Eating Project – A project where the kids were asked to eat healthy. The children were asked to make one healthy choice for the day.
8. Veteran’s Day – The students took part in a nice presentation that took place at The Caldwell Green. A great opportunity to support our relationship with the local veterans in town. Unfortunately, the Kindergarten classes could not participate because of their ½ day schedule.
9. Thanksgiving Food Baskets – A great opportunity for the students to give back to the community. They are collecting food for people in Caldwell. Last year 32 baskets were donated.
Bond Referendum – Dr. Heinegg
· Dr. Heinegg came to give a brief presentation and question and answer session to discuss the upcoming bond referendum. On Tuesday, December 9, registered voters in Caldwell and West Caldwell can vote on a bond referendum. It focuses on 3 main categories: Security Enhancements, Technology and Facility Repairs, and Health and Safety Improvements.
Teacher Representative Report – Mr. Rodriguez
· Kindergarten – Students are working on a new My Word Book that will be part of their Tuesday night homework. During the month of November, they will be learning about Native Americans and Pilgrims to help them celebrate the Thanksgiving season. They are also planning a trip to the Montclair Art Museum.
· 1st Grade – The first graders presented their published pattern books to the Kindergarten class. The children have begun to write personal narratives.
· 2nd Grade – The classes participated in a fun and educational walk on Bloomfield Avenue as part of a culminating Social Studies activity on the community. The children took part in a “building scavenger hunt”, sketched different buildings, took pictures, and answered different questions.
· 3rd Grade – The classes are writing personal narratives, doing a character study, and reading nonfiction from National Geographic.
· 4th Grade – Students are finishing their study of landforms in Science. They enjoyed a trip to the Sterling Hill Mining Museum. In Math, they continue to work on the common core standards.
· 5th Grade – The 5th graders are beginning a research project on an assigned president of the United States.
· Physical Education – The Lincoln School marathon is a huge success.
· Spanish – The 3rd graders are learning about colors. The 4th graders are learning about locations and community. The 5th graders are learning about clothing. All students are learning in fun and creative ways.
· School Nurse – The students and staff celebrated ‘National Eat Healthy Day’ on Wednesday with a big group picture of all students who took the ‘pledge’ and substituted a healthy food choice for something less healthy. 75% of our students participated.
Secretary’s Report – Meredith Petriw
· No new business to report
Treasurer’s Report – Nicole LaMarca
· Cash-on-Hand is $18,383.68
· Bank Balance is $17,967.30
Board of Education Report
· No new business to report
H.S.A. League Report
· Next meeting will be held on January 20th at 7pm
· Cut-a-thon on November 12th from 3-7pm at Designs by Flora
· 6 Scholarships were granted this past year (from fundraising).
· Run for Education (5K run/walk) sponsored by the Education Foundation on May 16th at 9am.
· Meeting at JCHS on November 12th to discuss Bond, answer any questions, etc.
· Cultural Arts Meet and Greet on November 17th at Panera for Cultural Arts committee (to encourage open communication between schools).
· Special Programs – on April 9th Dr. Sachs will be talking about how gender differences affect education.
Old Business
· No report
New Business
· Thank you to Samantha Freitag for organizing the Innisbrook orders. Orders are placed and are expected before Thanksgiving break (parents may pick up orders starting on Monday).
· Thank you to Colleen Gabriel, Heather Pane and Caroline Robles for a fantastic Family Fun Night. It was extremely well run and the children enjoyed all the different activities and games.
· Thank you to Mark Conca for our HSA take-out dinner. We received 68 orders and are looking at other dates to do again. The feedback from families has been very positive. The night generated $335.
· Thank you to Caroline O’Brien and Monica Novak for getting the Lincoln Low-down ready for distribution.
· Thank you to the Brownie Troop for fall decorating.
· Reading Program will take place this Friday, November 14th.
· Lincoln Directory (Blue Book) is going home this week (tomorrow).
· A big thank you to Nicole LaMarca for all her hard work with the directory and fundraising.
Committee Reports
· Poinsettia Sales – Tracy Voca will be sending home order forms in this week’s Friday Folders. Pick-up will take place during the Holiday Gift Sale.
· Holiday Gift Sale – HGS is fast approaching. Letters went home with a list of items that are needed as well as times to volunteer. HGS is Wednesday, December 10th and Thursday, December 11th.
· Major Spring Fundraiser – a “Day at the Piazza” Committee has sent out a “Save the Date” flyer (feel free to share with friends, family, etc.). A Facebook page has been created as well as a gofundme.com account. Nicole Peepas announced that there are over 20 people on the committee. A sponsorship page was put together and will be utilized to get sponsors. A banner will be displayed on Bloomfield Ave.
All Others:
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting and the meeting was adjourned at 8:28pm.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, December 17th at 7:15pm.