HSA Minutes – March HSA Meeting Minutes

HSA Meeting 

March 16th 2023, 9:30am

Attendees: 5 in person, 12 online

Updates from Dr. Oates

Teacher Representative – Ms Ross – This month in kindergarten the students have been learning about St Patrick’s Day.  They have built leprechaun traps, read St Patrick’s Day themed books, and worked on writing “I feel lucky when…”

HVAC Installation Update – Installation is due to begin March 29th and take 2-3 weeks.  

Superintendent Search -A superintendent has been appointed and is in contract negotiations.  They will hopefully be approved and announced at the Monday (March 20th) Board of Education meeting.  Ideally the candidate will plan to start July 1st.

Book of the Month – I’m Here by Peter Reynolds. This book focuses on inclusivity and making sure you notice the people who aren’t being included.

Earth Day – April 14th – On Earth Day the students will have 2 assemblies focusing on 1.  our water system and how trash affects our earth and 2. on recycling.  There will be hands-on activities for each grade to participate in.

District News re. World Language and PE Curriculum – NJ has an elementary requirement (grades 1-5) of 150 minutes of PE per week which can include time in PE, health class or social/emotional learning.  The world language requirement is 30 minutes.  Currently the district elementary schools use an online language program – Middlebury.  Last year teachers were included in the district budget to help meet or maintain these requirements however the roles were eliminated.  The roles are in the budget again this year.

Past Events

• Dine out Fundraiser – February 24th – Make Your Own Pizza – Raised $500
• Reading Marathon – ended February 28th.  Somerville had 34% participation
• Science Fair – March 3rd
• 5th Grade Field Trip – March 9th – Liberty Science Center
• Music Assembly – March 10th – A Journey through African American Music.
• Dads Night – March 10th & 11th
• No School – Professional Development Day – March 13th 
• Marking Period 2 Ends – March 17th

Upcoming Events 

• Spirit Week – Week of March 27th – Check the enews for a handy, printable schedule!
• Somerville Children’s Theater – March 23rd-25th – Newsies!
• Fourth Grade Field Trip – March 31st – Liberty Science Center
• Spring Break – Schools Closed – April 3rd-7th
• Earth Day – April 14th
• LinkIt Testing – April 19th-20th
• HSA Meeting – April 20th
• Eid School Closure – Friday, April 21st
• Auction – Friday, April 21st – Tickets available now!
• International Day & Night – April 25th.  
• Art Docent Day – April 26th
• Rockland Boulders Game – Tentatively May 11th

HSA Updates:

Science Fair  – This year 137 students participated with 99 projects! Students visited the fair with their classes and their peers presented their projects.  Thank you to Sohee Bidol-Lee and Vanessa Yang for chairing this event.

Art Docent Day – April 26th – Parents that have signed up to volunteer should start planning their projects and contact their teachers to arrange a time to come in.

Clothing Drive – There will be a clothing drive Sunday, April 30th.  A truck will be at the back of the school for drive-through clothing donations.

International Day & Night – April 25th. So far 21 countries will be represented at International Day!  As a reminder, you can sign up for any portion of the day or night.  During the day displays will be in the gym and students will visit with “passports” and learn about various countries.  This year the night portion (food & performances) will be at Benjamin Franklin Middle School.   This year’s theme is Music. 

HSA Website – The HSA website has been updated.  Make sure you check it out for the latest news and information.  www.somervillehsa.org  

Auction – April 21st – Every 3 years Somerville holds an auction fundraiser that is an event not to be missed!  It is a night of dinner and dancing, as well as a silent and live auction.  This year it will be held at Biaggios and so far 120 tickets have been sold.   

Thank you to all who attended today’s meeting in person and those who joined us on our Zoom call. Thank you Dr. Oates and Ms. Ross for meeting with us today!

Please keep an eye on the Tuesday E-News to stay up to date on all the latest information and announcements. 

Next HSA Meeting will be April 20th at 9am.  Room 208.