Welcome to Evans Park PTA

All parents and teachers are urged to join the PTA to unite home, school, and the community for our children.  Money raised through dues and fundraising is used for cultural arts assemblies, after-school programs, field trips, instructional equipment and materials, and similar needs.  We are always very grateful to our parents, teachers, staff, and the community for their continued generosity and support.

Meeting Minutes

September 23, 2021

Welcome back! Welcome to our new principal Mrs. Pariot!

Formal:

• Meeting called to order

Old Business:

• K/1 Playground night had a good turnout.  There was an ice cream truck & it was a good intro to those who have never been to the school.
• Orientation also went well.  There was a bus ride & a tour of the school.  The Pearl River Public Library was there, having sign ups for library cards.
• School Tool Box made $414, which is up from last year.  Looking for a Committee chair to take it over next year.  It is an easy fundraiser to run, it also makes getting school supplies easier for teachers & parents.
• The Welcome Tea was delayed by rain but it had a good turnout.  Thank You to all who came.
• PTA Membership Drive is going on. The $100 gift card goes to Mrs. McMenamin!  The 2nd raffle $50 gift card goes to Mrs. Doria!

New Business:

• The Tailgating Yeti Raffle will be drawn at the next PTA meeting.
• Picture Day is Monday, September 27th & Wednesday, September 29th.
• Back To School BBQ is now September 28th 5-7pm.  The time change is for the Board of Education meeting which starts at 7:30pm.
• Class Parents will be assigned.  Class Parents are in charge of making a class list of every student's contact information.  The school can no longer give out contact information.  There were not a lot of responses from the google form that was sent out via the back to school email.
• Trunk or Treat will be on Friday, October 29th.  Each class will have a trunk decorated, the children will go around to see all the trunks & get non-food treats.
• The Halloween Parade will take place after on the back lawn in the afternoon.  Each class will parade around in their costumes.
• Kevin Garrison offered to help with halloween decorations; hay bails, pumpkins etc.
• Charleston Wrap Fundraiser is coming out, and goes until the end of November.
• Spirit Wear Apparel Sales was a big success, although there may be shipping delays.
• Meal Deal at Dom’s sold out, next meal deal is at Bubbakoo’s Burritos on Wednesday September 29th.
• Square 1 Art fundraiser raises a significant amount, looking into another company Display My Art.

Treasurer’s Report:

• The Raffles were a great success last year! Hoping to do more this year.  Cheddar Up is easy to use & the raffles are posted on facebook & sent out via the weekly email blasts.
• The Tailgating Yeti Raffle is already up of the cost & there is still a month to go!
• Amazon Smile is a great fundraiser for Evans Park!
• Box Tops are also great, and can be done electronically through your shoprite card!
• Meal Deals are significant fundraisers, thanks to Alison Gerondel for arranging those!
• Parents Night Out is Friday, November 19th at the Rockland GAA, it is a great night with a band, drinks & food.  There will be raffles plus each grade will put together baskets to raffle.
• PTA Membership is up from last year, thanks for joining!

School Board Report:

• At the September 14th meeting there was a debate on masks, afterward the Governor implemented a mask mandate for all schools.
• Board Member Christine Reddy stepped down, former longtime member Bruce Bond reinstated to take her place.
• There was a vandalism incident at the high school, the board of ed & administration are handling.

PAC Meeting:

• Last meeting September 9th.
• A PAC Meeting is where a representative from each of the PTA’s in the Pearl River School District discuss what each PTA is doing.  
• Next meeting is October 7th.

CAC:

• CAC is the Curriculum Advisory Committee.  The next meeting is September 28th.  Our representative is Ruba Rizqalla.  Currently CAC is working on the standards based report cards.

Principal’s Report:

• Mrs. Pariot thanks everyone for the warm welcome!
• K/1 Playground night was a success, it was great to be together again!
• The First Day of School was great, the welcome balloons brightened up the rainy day & made it more special!
• The staff was gifted with bagels & coffee on their first conference day which was special for them to get back together again.
• Mrs. Pariot appreciates the patience with the bussing, there is a driver shortage & it always takes a few days to get the routes down.  There are still changes being made to make the routes more efficient. 
• Flex Periods are back.  Those are 45 minute blocks to provide extra small group support in literature & math.  Last year, Teaching Assistants were needed to go between cohorts, this year teaching assistants are back in the classroom. 
• Reading & Math Blitz are used to shore up skills.
• During drills, kids have been on excellent behavior.
• There is a new school social worker that will push into each classroom.
• There will be professional development for teachers this year.  There are plans for a literacy consultant to come in.  There will also be new instructional coaches.
• Yale Ruler is a social & emotional learning program that will be implemented.
• There is a school based committee, a PBIS team which is a Positive Behavior Intervention & Support committee.

• The Cub Scouts are holding a registration night on September 30th at Good Shepard Church from 7-8pm.
• The Pearl River Selfie(Social Emotional Learning for Individual Empowerment) Committee is looking for participants(admin, parents, & students).  If you are interested you can reach out to President Dan Robins or Carolyn Moffa.  The committee will meet around 3:30-4:30pm at the district office once a month.  The first meeting is september 29th.

Open Forum:

• Kimberly Smith advised there are different committees throughout the year that are looking for volunteers, especially those run by graduating parents.
• Beth LaRocco advised of the Public Library renewal project.  There was a lot of turn out for the voting.  395 voted yes, 422 voted no, so a loss by 27.  The community will be advised of the next steps.  Beth asked to please get involved if you would like to.

Next Meeting October 21st at 7:00pm.