Jamestown PTA Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Call to Order – Jill Curran, PTA President

  • A motion was made and passed to approve the November, 2013 PTA Meeting minutes
  • Ron Molteni – Jamestown Ambassador for More Seats for More Students
  • His job is to find out Jamestown community concerns and relay to school board members. If you have a concern, please email him at .
  • School board now refocusing attention to middle schools – more pressing need to look at middle school capacity now then building a second elementary school.
  • By 2018 – will be a need for a 1000 seat middle school
  • How will this come about?
  • New School? Additions? Or Both?
  • In the future there will most likely be a process about boundary changes for middle schools as well.
  • New Elementary School discussion
  • APS has new group for new elementary school families that is now sending messages
  • PTA for new ES will be formed before new school opens.
  • Jamestown community would like to see a more inclusive/more structured process for forming new PTA
  • Appears that much of the process is being done behind closed doors now by a small group of people.
  • Concern that parents will feel like they were left out of the process.
  • Meeting on Thursday, Dec. 5 at Jamestown about the formation of new ES PTA
  • Discussion last year that APS may use Science Focus or Walter Reed as potential option for new ES
  • Probably will not be a second new ES so they may end up using these locations to alleviate crowding in other elementary schools in the county.

Principal’s Report – Ms. Kenwyn Schaffner

  • Camilla Gagliolo – Instructional Technology Coordinator
  • Ms. Gagliolo gave a presentation on Jamestown’s technology program
  • Jamestown was selected as an Apple Distinguished School- Under 100 schools selected in U.S.
  • Jamestown uses a blended toolkit – iBooks, iPads, MacBooks, iPod Touches, and interactive whiteboards
  • Jamestown one of the first schools to use the iPads in 2010 in a pilot program
  • Currently, some second graders and multi-age classes are participating in a 1-to-1 iPad pilot program
  • Allows students to express their creativity by inspiring, engaging, collaborating, creating, communicating, publishing, celebrating.
  • Students are creating digital books using BookWriter and Drawing Pad
  • Also using iPads for science, social studies, math
  • Early results of the 1-to-1 iPad program
  • Higher reading scores
  • Higher interest in writing
  • Better access to materials
  • More engaged students
  • All Jamestown students will be using technology in the classroom at various points throughout the year.

Treasurer’s Report – Rod Pick

  • November Financials distributed