Shimek Shout Out
June 2018
A Note From the Principal
I wish you all a fun and relaxing summer full of travels and learning outside of the classroom. Feel free to email me with any questions you may have over the summer. Chris Pisarik will transition as the new principal July 1. Take care!
Elizabeth Bruening
Principal
Thank You!
Louise Klopp (orchestra)
Sara Kayser (preschool)
Jennie Pine (music)
Jenny Bisgard (IDS)
Norm Balke (academic interventions)
Elizabeth Bruening (principal)
Construction at Shimek
Kindergarten Camp!
2018-2019 Important Dates
August 21 - Ice Cream Social
August 23 - First Day of School (early dismissal 8/23 and 8/24)
PTO Survey
May PTO Minutes - to be approved at next meeting
Shimek PTO
Meeting Minutes
May 9, 2018
In attendance:
Katy Bolender, Elaine Allen, Megan Chapman, Sarah Gunderson, Mandi Bozarth, Liz Bruening, Heather Bright, Andrea Birt, Katie Herz-Hefti, Melissa Krishnan, Jenni Mettemeyer, Jill Sutherland, Hillary Muhlenbruch, Anne Wilmoth, Kristen Green, Margaret LeMay, Sarah Majerus, Lyndsey Brozene, Dave Bright, Victoria Mueller, Jeff Allen, Ben Brozene, Brad Bolender
The minutes from the April meeting were approved.
Note: Sarah Majerus indicated she arrived late to the April meeting, so she did not get a chance to sign the attendance sheet. She requested that we add her name to indicate that she was in attendance at the April meeting.
Question About Agenda and Discussions
Jenni asked why things were discussed at the April meeting that weren’t on the agenda.
Bridget explained that things come up during meeting discussions that aren’t on the agenda, and discussion then follows among the group.
Principal’s Report (Liz Bruening)
6th grade graduation will be May 29 at 6:30PM.
The last day of school will be early dismissal.
Liz shared a message she received from a Grant Wood AEA physical therapist.
I've been meaning to send this email for some time and am especially inspired to send it today. I am so impressed with the inclusion that is happening at Shimek! The teachers and students have made inclusion totally normal, which is what our whole society must strive towards.
I am particularly impressed with your playground. The layout allows all children to get onto the structure independently and there are many activities at the perfect level for accessibility. Please let your PTO know their efforts are appreciated and noticed.
Of course it's not just the playground that makes the magic happen. I see true friendships happening on that playground, that will last for years to come. It warms my heart.
Kudos to the staff and students of Shimek!
Liz shared the following information related to District Playground Committee.
Below is the link to the materials shared at the update provided to the Operations Committee last Tuesday.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ia/iccsd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AXZMG75838A5
In general, our focus has been on how to make change to the playground handbook in order to create a more inclusive process and provide schools with more inclusive standards by which to base their decisions on their playground.
Draft Recommendations:
Changes to playground handbook regarding process becoming more inclusive.
Changes to playground handbook regarding inclusive language.
Request For Qualifications (RFQ) to assist committee in designing District inclusive standards for playground areas.
Consider other funding resources to help address budget constraints.
Playground Interjection
Jenni felt it was important at this point to share some documents related to school playgrounds, from a variety of sources.
Jenni indicated that some of the documents were information the District Playground Committee was reviewing as they worked on new policy, while others were additional information she wanted to share.
Jenni stressed that there is science that goes into playgrounds.
Jenni suggested the PTO hire a playground expert she knows to inspect our playground.
At this point, it was requested this line of discussion be postponed to a more appropriate part of the meeting so Liz could finish her principal’s report.
Principal’s Report (continued)
The floor was returned to Liz to finish her principal’s report.
Liz expressed a big thank you to all who contributed to Teacher Appreciation Week. She said they really felt the love.
Liz thanked all for welcoming her and supporting her this year. She said she enjoyed getting to know all of the wonderful Shimek families.
Gift to Liz
The PTO gave a farewell gift to Liz that included a plant and a gift card.
Dates for Next Year (Bridget)
Ice Cream Social: August 21
Still working on dates for fall supper, & etc.
The intention is to plan for the book fair and fall supper to coincide with fall evening conferences.
Previous Volunteers
Jenni mentioned there’s a record of people who volunteered for things in previous years.
Secretary for Next Year
Kristin Green was nominated to be secretary on the executive board for next year.
Approved by unanimous vote.
Thank You from Bridget, PTO President
Bridget said thank you to everyone who has come to Shimek events and volunteered this year.
There were many great events that were held this year.
There is a really good community of parents here.
Bridget encouraged all to keep helping new parents connect with the Shimek community.
We are looking forward to next year!
Budget Report & Proposed Budget for 2018-19
Jeff explained the color coding on the budget that shows which line items were new line items, removed line items, and new + removed.
Flexible Seating
Hillary wondered if flexible seating purchase would be possible again next year.
More teachers might want it, and there has been some wear and tear on what we purchased.
It is not a recurring budget item, but we could consider purchasing again next year.
Garden Budget
Anne Wilmoth brought forward a question from Anna Bailey about the garden budget.
There is $300 budgeted for next year, and she is wondering if it could be raised to $500.
Jeff clarified that the $750 in this year’s budget is still available, and next year there will be $300 more.
Anne will share this with Anna.
Nature and Landscaping
Jeff said nature and landscaping for the playground line item was removed, but it was rolled into nature and landscaping – general.
Hillary wondered what we would use this for, since the beds in front of the school had been removed. Probably not needed.
Hillary motioned to remove the nature and landscaping line item.
Seconded and approved.
Soccer Goal Repair
Ben said he had originally gotten a $700 quote from Scheels to repair the soccer goals, but he has since found out the district is going to buy the uprights.
Soccer goal repairs will only cost about half of the original estimate.
Curriculum Enrichment
Jeff said “Curriculum Enrichment” was renamed “Curriculum Enrichment – Field Trips” to clarify the primary purpose of those funds.
General Funds
Jeff indicated a line item for $1,000 for general funds was added to plan for miscellaneous things that tend to come up.
Odyssey of the Mind
Mandi Bozarth indicated whe would love to do OM again next year for 5th and 6th grade, and Kami Skaye said she would help.
Mandi thinks $300 would cover two teams.
Adjustment to Playground Funds Set Aside for Future Purchases
Jeff described an adjustment to the way playground funds are being handled.
In the past few years we thought PTO needed to pay for the playground, but that has changed.
Additionally, there is general agreement that the PTO should not purchase any playground equipment until the DOJ report comes back and we get some clarity around the new district policty when it’s finished.
In the proposed budget the playground line item has been removed, and this money will be represented as a separate pool of funds from the general PTO funds.
Additionally, the funds set aside for playground enhancements has been set at $25,000 rather than the $40,000 that was indicated on this year’s budget.
The level of responsibility for PTOs to purchase playgrounds has changed quite a bit in the last few years.
The $40,000 line item was problematic this year, because it seemed to tie up funds the PTO wanted to spend to support Shimek in other ways.
Due to situation with DOJ report and evolving district policy, there was not even an opportunity for the PTO to spend the money at any time during this year.
Ben described frustration about how nearly every conversation about doing great things for the school was affected by arguing about the playground, because the $40,000 line item in the budget caused issues with other purchases.
Heather recalled options that were reviewed by the original Shimek Playground Committee and felt like $25,000 would probably cover the spots that are available in the current playground.
Jenni believed the layout had changed since then.
Jenni said there is science that goes into playgrounds.
Jenni and Melissa cited examples of conversations where the playground funds had been referred to as “frozen” or “earmarked” in emails or at PTO meetings. They felt that meant the funds could never be re-directed, even by PTO vote.
Brad and Bridget said they had interpreted those terms differently during the referenced conversations.
Vicki Mueller (Shimek teacher) made a statement to the group that Shimek has an amazing group of parents involved. She felt confident that if there were funds needed for the playground, parents could come together and raise the funds. She indicated support for the change to $25,000, because if more money were needed we could make it happen.
Jenni said the district might replace the current playground with a smaller playground when the DOJ report comes out, so we shouldn’t change the playground reserve funds.
Megan Chapman (Shimek teacher) made an impassioned plea to the group.
At one point, we did say funds were being raised for a playground, but once the district moved the goalposts it changed the landscape. When things changed we needed to adapt. The focus needs to get back to the kids, and the arguing between parents needs to stop. We need to move forward in the way we think is best with the information we have now. We should not worry about people wondering about a $20 donation from 4 years ago, and why didn’t it go to the playground.
Jenni indicated her position was firm.
Jenni said PTO meeting minutes should be clear.
A motion was made to approve the proposed budget.
The budget was approved by majority, with Jenni and Melissa indicating “no” votes and the rest in attendance voting “yes.”
PTO Executive Board for 2018-19
Bridget announced the proposed makeup of the executive board for next year:
President: Ben Brozene
Vice President: Bridget Brenton
Treasurer: Brad Bolender
Secretary: Kristen Green
The executive board for next year was approved by majority vote.
Non-Discrimination Policy
It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact Kingsley Botchway II, Director of Equity, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245, (319) 688-1000, botchway.kingsley@iowacityschools.org.