The fully body of the Maury Elementary Parent Teacher Association (PTA) met 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022 in the multi-purpose room at Maury Elementary School (1250 Constitution Ave. NE). 45 in attendance
Executive Present:
Co-Presidents: Shavanna Miller (SM), Amy Toner
Equity Co-Chairs: Sandro Peretti, Talia Dubovi
Co-Parliamentarian: Karli Maloney (KM)
Vice President: Lora Nunn (LN)
Treasurer: Clark Bosslet (email us if you’d like to be a co-Treasurer: maury.pta.president@gmail.com)
Secretary: Elizabeth O’Gorek
Principal: Helena Payne Chauvenet (PC)
Assistant Principal: Andrew Lardell (AP AL)
Annual Fund
SM provides an update on Annual Fund. So far we have $4100 in donations. We will do a fall Annual Fund Drive with a big push in the last two weeks of Nov. The last day of the drive will beNov. 29, Giving Tuesday.
We are looking for someone to help with Grant applications on behalf of the school or teachers. Email maury.pta.secretary@gmail.com
Fall Festival
Fifth grade parent Liz L appears to remind all that the Fabulous Fall Fest is this Sat Oct 22, from 10-2. Fun! PC will be silly stringed at Noon. BUY bracelets or tickets here: https://mauryele.ejoinme.org/fallfestival2022
Individual tickets are also available for sale on-line and at the event. Online sales END FRIDAY at 8pm. Pickup bracelets and tickets at the entrance on 13th St NE at the Festival.
SAVE THE DATE: Fri Nov. 18 will be first babysitting night. Bring your kids from 6-9 p.m. for pIzza, crafts, movie. It’s another fifth grade fundraiser.
Maury at the Market (M@M)
KM and Elizabeth Kaehler (EK) are Chairs for M@M, the annual auction that raises most of the PTA funds. We have volunteer positions we need to fill. The theme will be “A Night of Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “Imagine what you can do for Maury, and how much your money can help,” Volunteering is key, KM said.
EK imagine yourself as a volunteer. We need people to get donations, enter items in the database; we need someone to ask for sponsors —businesses give $. You can help with day-of logistics; help with Maury Experiences/Parties to do parties. Friends and Family —communicate to families about donating. Will have donor wall. Logistics/tech person on site. We need art for advertising; we need day-of volunteers. Ask if you have questions or if you want help and don’t know what to do, or connect us to the people you think would be great! Email karlidyan@gmail.com or Kaehler.elizabeth@gmail.com
Winter Coat Drive & Upcoming Events
Kathy Loden, Community Support Committee Chair. This group organizes assistance where needed in the community. Fall coat drive has had an amazing response, she said, to match volunteers to students who need a coat. Contact her if you want to help. kathyloden@gmail.com
Put on your radar: Thanksgiving Grocery Gift Card Drive in November; add $25 gift card to your card for the families who need help with rising costs. Holiday gift drive in December —will email. Contact her at kathyloden@gmail.com
City Advocacy Committee
LN reports that the advocacy committee had a first meeting about two weeks ago to address issues like crossing guards and broken locks. The ten people on the committee have started strategizing on best strategies to address these concerns. Chair Melissa Hoppmeyer spoke at the W6PSPO meeting Monday to lease with other schools that have issues with locks. Next meeting is Nov. 3 so if you’re interested in these issues reach out to Lora or Melissa and come on board. Email: mhoppmeyer@gmail.com or lora_nunn@yahoo.com
SM said she heard a rumor some of the locks may be fixed already and offers kudos to the committee.
News: Recall Election and Literary Pumpkin Walk
The DC Board of Elections (DCBOE) will hold a Special Recall Election for Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) Single Member District (SMD) 6A04 Sunday, Oct. 23 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. –Maury is one voting site. The other is the Northeast Library.
Eligible voters currently living in ANC 6A04 will vote on whether to recall incumbent 6A04 Commissioner Amber Gove from office for the remainder of her term (November and December 2022).
Until the end of Dec, ANC 6A04 is everything between the east side of 12th and the west side of 15th Streets from East Capitol to C Street NE. Don’t know? Use ancfinder.org
Voting takes place Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the large meeting room at the Northeast Library (330 Seventh St. NE) and in the parking lot at Maury Elementary School (1250 Constitution Ave NE, entrance 12th Place NE; curbside voting available).
You can still register for the Literary Pumpkin Walk until Monday, Oct. 24–and vote in it from Oct. 26 to 31. This is a Capitol Hill Community Foundation contest where you decorate your front yard in a literary theme. (They usually fundraise for schools through the literary feast, volunteer-staged book-themed dinners, but these are cancelled due to COVID)
People vote online for the winning yard; the winner gets to designate $1,000 to a school. Maury has been the designated winner two years in a row, thank you so much to the McCann family!! They’ve entered again and are #15 on the map. Registration and voting: https://www.aliteraryfeast.org/
Principal Report
Report Cards, Proficiency, Events and How School Spends PTA Money
Report cards are changing. They won’t look drastically different —but the letters are going away, and it will be numbers 1-4, where 4 is beyond grade level standards.
Looking at beginning of year data PC says we’re doing really eell, esp in ELA, K-2. Dibels was like 77 percent proficiency which I really great for the beginning of year. Will do small groups more often throughout the day, but you might hear ‘rotations’ and that’s it.
Publishing parties are coming back and you’ll hear about your class soon. You’ll see what your children wrote and they read it to you
Family Fitness Night Thursday, OCt. 27, a day to celebrate fitness; an in school PE Fair.
PTA will give away some tickets to Fall Fest; if you’re not going because of cost, reach out to us: maury.pta.secretary@gmail.com
In terms of how the school spends PTA money, PC says there are a lot of materials requested at the beginning of the year; sometimes it is ordered over the summer by spending the remaining supply budget. DCPS procurement takes forever; things requested in June just came in late Sept. PTA $ help speed up process. Get more reading intervention kits; social emotional learning tools, professional development, curriculum supplies and supplemental curriculum. We paid for a toilet seat upgrade as well, “Whenever we can get things through the DCPS process, we try that, but sometimes it is an easier process (PTA) so we do that as well.”
Bullying Awareness Month
Assistant Principal (AP) Andrew Lardell
This month is bullying awareness month. Next week AP AL will be handing out no bullying stickers. The next PTA meeting will feature Ernest Shepperd, Director District team that copes with bullying concerns in DC. Will give info on what it is how to handle it, protocols in school system. AP AL says if you see any bullying situation, you should contact him and he’ll help deal with it. andrew.lardell@k12.dc.gov
AP AL said teachers usually talk about bullying when they go over classroom rules. Ms Delany also goes into classroom and talks about what to do if it happens to your student. So it Is being taught to students: what it is, how to handle it.
PC also introduces Ms. Peterson, our new 4th Grade teacher. Still trying to fill 1/2 position PE position. Everyone has rotation, but if your kid is in the 1/2 class they won’t get a grade until there is a teacher.
SL asks about the new speech language pathologist.
PC. Ms Rudolph is here a few days a week MWF assigned by DCPS Central office. She wis here and getting to know the children.
Ms Duckett | Polite Piggy’s
Ms. Vanessa Duckett (VD) is the Director of Polite Piggy’s (PP) as well as a grade 4 teacher at Maury. “We have lifted the program since pandemic closures.”
This is the first school year back with full operations of specials; trying to make sure children have as many interests and needs met as possible. Working diligently to get teachers through the background check process; there are some delays; some of the specials are having troubles too. Just got DC Way back, double dutch is back; “We’re working hard to make it happen but we have to do it the right way,” she said.
If there’s a program that you think is great, feel free to suggest it. If you know someone who might work at Polite Piggy’s, especially someone with clearance, or parents have been on the team. Team members’ kids attend for free.
PP are open also most days the school is closed. There is a cap of attendance for camp just to keep it fun —when it gets too big it gets difficult. Usually 180 spaces is the limit.
Don’t delay if you think you need the day, VD said. You can cancel up until the month before, so if you think you’ll need it, get it. Right now there is no waitlist feature for camp days, but she’s working on getting it in the system.
GB: what about caps for classes by a third party? Like Tippi Toes? VD said that if the contractor doesn’t cap it, they will let them sign up for those classes. They still have to sign up for polite piggy’s, but they only come for the day of the class
Erin H. Asks what grades soccer will be open to. VD said they only heard about it at 7:40 Thursday morning; will send out info once she learns more about days.
LL: offers complements to polite piggy’s for their fall fest day off camp and lessons.
SM: is there anyway to see which classes have space? Are they all full?
VD: They aren’t all full. There is no single way to see: it’s easiest for her if a family emails her to say they are interested and they can let you know. politepiggysinfo@gmail.com
Treasurer Report
CB: Had a great turn out for yard sale, which came it at about $15K; budget was $10K. Trending above our target, early but doing good.
Doing it Ourselves (DIO) Awards
SM awards the DIO awards, community-nominated recognition for a Maury Volunteer. Do you have a nominee? Email their name and a short description of why they deserve the award to maury.pta.president@gmail.com
Caitlin Wesaw – worked with Amy Toner on the Yard Sale, but also does a ton of work volunteering in the office. Knower of things.
Richard Parker – does a ton of work for Maury, a lot of it for School’s Beautification Committee. Planter box, repainting, keeping trees alive every summer by watering them. He is also working with artist to get mural on sheds redone; has been a long-term LSAT member as well.
Dan Markoff – behind the scenes work to help with office work, computer stuff.
Alison Stephen – fundraiser with Capital Candy Jar; was the graphic artist who saved Maury at the Market; substitute teaches at Maury. The task doer.
Volunteer Roster
Sandy Lawrence: Join the Maury volunteer roster, and learn about the little things you can do to help around the school. They could be little things that take about a half hour; do them, then step away and go back to your life.
Lost and Found. Go check for your kids’ stuff.
Family Fitness night, next Thursday; family fun. Looking for volunteers. Email sandpan@gmail.com
The Next Meeting of the Maury PTA is 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 at the school. Questions? Email maury.pta.secretary@gmail.com