St. Joseph School Board Meeting 10/6/2015
7:30 p.m. / 2nd Floor Faculty Room

School Board Members Present: Marmeline Petion-Midy, Kevin Bracht, Manny Delmas, Mike Spinelli, Mike O’Brien, Joe Marchese, Pete Arendt, Irena McCarthy, Kristen Kapoor, Christina Teisch, Principal, Regina Cioffi, Assistant Principal & Msgr. Swiader
School Board Members Absent None
PTA Representatives: Kim Pawlowski, PTA President
Welcome: Marmeline Petion-Midy, School Board President, called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M.
Opening Prayer and Minutes Recording: Kevin Bracht led the opening prayer and Manny Delmas recorded the minutes. The board voted to approve the September meeting minutes.
Principal’s Report:
Final Enrollment numbers: Principal Teisch confirmed that there are 302 students enrolled and our budget was based on 305 students.
Come Grow with Me Restructure: We will have more tables and presentations made by our Middle School students. The Drama Club will appear in costume and sports teams in uniform. The new soccer coach will be present. We will have Pathways exhibits. The purpose is to promote the different experiences our Middle School has to offer. Teachers from grades 5-8 will readdress their presentations from open school night. Theywillshare their curriculum, discuss state standards as well as their goals and expectations. The event is advertised in the Church Bulletin for those outside the school. Current students will receive a note sent home along with a class/parent email. It will also be listed on the School Web Page.
Early Childhood Week Open House/ Tours (PTA): The event will be held 10/20/15-10/22/15 from 9:30-11am. In the past it was only a one day event. Radio Ads and News 12 Ads are sponsored by the Diocese. We will also utilize the Garden City News and the Church Bulletin. We are offering more availability to reach more people. The PTA arranges tours with sign in and information sheets handed out. We will go with the trifold created by Principal Teisch. Marmeline Midy-Petion will work with Michael O'Brien to coordinate our marketing efforts with the PTA.

Marketing: We currently have two SJS Facebook pages. One is for the school and the other is for Alumni. They are linked. An Alumni Testimonial portal was discussed. We have used Twitter and Instagram to market our 5K run. It should be noted that we must have someone to monitor our social media. This was left as an open item for our Technology Committee. The purpose of our marketing efforts is to create ways to connect with our community by creating awareness and building relationships and goodwill. We currently reach out to other parishes that do not have schools.
Flash: We currently have 24 children grades 3-6 enrolled in Hoops. There are 26 children grades K-2 in our Cats program. Kara Torre took the initiative for Cats as parents with children in K-2 were looking for something more for younger children. Topics change according to interest.

Middle States: The Chairperson is coming for a preliminary meeting and has asked for a reception. On November 16, 2015, the chairperson and 3 teachers who do not know each other will meet for the first time. There will be a reception for them from 5-7pm. There will be tours and presentations provided by students. The School Board and PTA are invited to attend.
Christmas: December 15, 2015 Grades 1-5 will put on a Christmas concert. On December 17, 2015, Grades 6-8 will recreate the Nativity.
Science teacher update: A new teacher was hired 10/2/15; however, she called and decided not to accept the job. Another teacher has been hired and will start on 10/8/15. She will prepare a bio and will be introduced at Come Grow with Me.
Presidents Update:
Welcome new Board Members: Welcome Kristen Kapoor and Irena McCarthy.
6th Grade Parents Concerns: Science Teacher and Academic Rigor: Concerns expressed include new science teacher and amount of work children are given. Concerns with ELA scores and want to be sure children are being challenged. The new teacher will meet with parents and provide a detailed curriculum during Come Grow with Me.
Chamber of Commerce Street Fair 10/17/15: Enrollment Committee to work with Mrs. Tesich to coordinate marketing needs/efforts.
Strategic Planning Session: Meeting to be held 10/29 from 7-9 pm.
Standing Committee Goals: Kevin Bracht discussed goals of Education/Technology including continuing computer coding as well as taking an inventory of available equipment and software. Mike Spinelli discussed the goals of the Athletics Committee. We will start a volleyball program to include a Girls and a Co-Ed team. The Fathers Association raised funds for equipment at the last Thursday Night Football event. SJS will play in the Spring season consisting of 8 games against local Catholic Middle Schools. Other items being considered are expanding Flash to include soccer. We are also considering a Parish swim team during the winter months.
Come Grow with Us Night:This topic was covered in the Principal's report.
Updated Contact List, Prayer List and Committee List: New lists were generated to include new board members.
PTA Report: Coupon book results will be in at the next meeting. Welcome back events were discussed including the class coffee and Fathers Association night. Class Tables and sign- up sheets were available at the class coffee. To date, PTA dues have been 69% collected. Online payment is available. The Fall Festival was a huge success and a fun day, even with less than desirable weather. Profits were in excess of 8-10,000 dollars. Lots of new faces attended and volunteered. We are exploring an online opportunity with Innisbrook for wrapping paper sales. The PTA will continue to support the graduation breakfast. The cost is approximately $2,700-$4,500 depending upon class size. We will try to offset some of the cost through sponsorships. $3,000 will be allocated towards the cost of the Spring trips. Lastly, we are preparing for this year’s Christmas wreath sale.
Committee/Sub Committee Updates/Action Plans: Kevin presented goals and plans for Education/Technology. Michael O'Brien will bring us up to date at next meeting regarding Enrollment.
Review Open/Closed Issues List:
Open: The possibility of GRASP for Early Childhood.
Closed: 2 Board positions that were open are now filled.
Pastors Comments and Closing Prayer: Msgr. shared his first Friday Mass prepared by the fourth grade. He noted their seriousness in dressing the altar. He was delighted and surprised with their creativity in celebrating their faith. Thank you and welcome to Kristen and Irene. Monsignor commended Mrs. Tesich for not settling in seeking the right person with the skills and commitment we are looking for in a teacher. He reminded us all that our highest priority is what is best for the children. Monsignor informed us that Bishop Murphy will be here tomorrow for confirmation. Our Alumni will be back for their Confirmation at 1pm and 4pm. We will pray for those who are being Confirmed.