Community Meeting — family feedback, PTSA priorities, and levy advocacy

**Introduction **(with song) by Youssour Djama (translated by Zeinab Ahmed) - We say goodbye to 2021, a difficult year, and welcome with anticipation 2022. High hopes for next year!

**Song **played from Ms KT’s class - “Halloween is Come” - Irish folk song by Kimball 5th graders

Brave Space Norms - Tracey

Small groups (6:50-7:15pm) - Introductions, (1) What’s one thing that’s going well for your child or family at Kimball? (2) What’s one thing you’ve always wondered about at Kimball? (3) For Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese groups: how do you most like to receive communication about school? (4) For Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese groups: would you be interested in a text or WhatsApp group?

Positive experiences at Kimball:

Wonderings at Kimball (and some answers):

Miss gatherings and enjoying food together
Kids want to know if they will get new lunch seats/buddies
Why no student crossing guards? (Ms Gray: would love to have them some day)
How do Kimball’s test scores compare with how students needs are being met
Email communications are always in English, which some can’t read. (Ms Gray: wondering if families would benefit from emails being translated using google translator. Carrie Lam and Charissa: there are pros and cons of google translator, and translation is important but also expensive. What about adding a google translation button to emails?)
More information about what’s happening day-to-day in classrooms
Will Kimball restart after school programs (Alaron: not sure about spring due to covid, PTSA runs after school programs)
Do portables have a secure lock for student safety? (Ms Gray: yes, they all lock)
Who to go to with questions? (Ms Gray: me or Tanya can help, can get in touch)

Discussion of PTSA- Charissa:

“Stronger Together” slide- there is a place for you!
3 things we’ve been learning as a group:
- Put relationships first- showing appreciation, honoring parents and staff as people (Kimball Kitchen, Welcome Back snacks for teachers, spending time together, Kimball directory)
- Notice and shift racialized power dynamics - center FOC at Kimball (74% are BIPOC, 28% are ELL). Shift from “what’s best for my kid” to EVERY kid getting what they need
  - Advocating for Special Education staff that would predominantly impact BIPOC families
  - Move-A-Thon fundsharing across southeast schools - lessens inequalities between schools

Update from Ms Gray

Gratitude to families during difficult year
Levy will support Family Support Worker for next year
Received additional Title I funding to hire 4 part-time tutors for this year (starting in January), mostly math

Closing: one thing that stood out about gathering tonight

Introductions & community building: Name, pronouns (optional), child/ren's grade/s, what is a favorite family holiday tradition/activity (anytime of the year)? [15 min]

Color Brave Space norms reflection [5 min]

Color Brace Space pairs discussion [5 min]
Which one of the norms have you seen in practice at our school lately? (Possible examples: Kimball Kitchen, advocating for Special Education staff to stay at Kimball, coat drive, KFOC thank-yous for custodians, White parents' fliers and snacks for Bilingual Nights?
**Which one of these norms/values feels most exciting or important for you to grow in? **

Principals' update: Feedback re: cold weather lunch approach, Bilingual Family Nights report, Ask MG and LE how we can support future EL gatherings? [15 min] - meetings with about 20-25 of the 4 major other languages spoken at Kimball - really nice to have opportunity to get together. 2 theme emerged - kids experiences - very happy to be back with friends and like their teachers. Feedback - More regular communication with teachers needed. Feels like the school has gotten over the initial hurtle of the school year, and now is a good time to reflect. - No replacement for in-person interactions. Mellissa responds to families through talking points. Pick up area is an important space. - DO we want to plan a field day or some other gathering.

**Lunch in bad weather - bringing students back into the cafeteria. What are the considerations or concerns about moving back into the cafeteria? Covid safety team will articulate to the administration. **

**Adi - Questions about filters and ventilation, also timing - when are we likely to move inside. - not sure when the move will happen…what is the temp at which that will happen? No time line, but it is an open question. **

**Felie - What are other schools doing? - Schools with tents are still doing that, with alternative planning for wind storms and things. Going to have to move inside. **

**Lauren U - What is the plan for moving inside - 1,3,5 in Cafeteria, K,2,4 in Gym. **

**Mr Bo is going to be really stretched with getting the gym back ready for PE, and that will be a daily need. We have the recommended filters in the Gym, and we do have filters in the building just not in the cafeteria. **

**Alaron - potential for DIY hepa filter box fans? - **

**Carrie - get a subgroup together to meet with the Covid Safety Team and figure out what will work **

Update on Dec 1 Community Meeting (@Tracey Fugami**) [10 min] - very excited 6:30 -8:00pm on Dec 1st - Interpreters being supplied by Ms Grey and Luis. Want to connect with everyone on the agenda - Time in small groups to build relationship. Sharing on the vision of the PTSA - values, advocacy, centering of BIPOC, fundraising/sharing. **

**What is 1 thing you have loved about past school gatherings? - When we gathered what have you appreciated about those spaces? Why do we all show up to these meetings? **

**What is one thing you would like to communicate to parents who are not in the room about our work together **

Snack support for special-education programs was discussed. The reported need was 2–3 Costco-sized boxes per week for approximately 50 students. Ideas included requests for donated snack boxes through Cougar Connection and an Amazon wish list, and making snack support a consistent budget item. A classroom contingency budget line already included some special-education allocations.

**Potentially highlighting this in year end giving. **
**Do a call out for snack donations, and then potentially look into having the PTSA help with those snacks. - Check with the SPED team about what type of Snacks they would like **

**'Learning in public' opportunity: debriefing coat drive evolution and sharing learnings (Charissa) [5 min] - Idea evolved from - let try to get a grant, to let’s collect money - when this became fund raising we needed to loop in the fund raising team and make sure this fit with the overall plan. Please use slack for conversations - rather then emails, to make sure everyone gets information. Final ask for coat donations on the 15th, and then a little break before the year end campaign. **

**Felie - will the lost and found become part of the coat drive? Maybe we can find another school to swap with and then we can give out the other school’s coats. **
**Felie will put together a collage of coats from the lost and found. **

Upcoming levy (@Kelly Sommerfeld**) [15 min] - On the Seattle Council PTSA list - 2 Levys in the Feb 8th Election - Levys voter approved funding measures **

**Renewal of the EP&O - operations levy, nurses, and many other standard programs including councilors - Supports school staff - State funds 9 nurses, district hires 68. Really important for SPED **
**BETA V - Building projects, tech and infrastructure. **

**Kimball has applied for Seattle Levy Money in the past. **

**3 ways to support - 1 endorsement vote, Donate to Schools First, WAPTSA website - schools often contribute funds. 3) Encourage families to vote on this, potentially have a presentation or other things. **

**Michelle - Did we learn anything in the last levy process? Alaron is the only one with this institutional knowledge - remembers some yard signs but not much else. **

**Carrie - seize the opportunity to inform people and make sure to bring in information. **

**Kelly - reach out to those who have good resources. **

**Kimball Kitchen - first weekend sold out. - next weekend just opened. **

Volunteer Request: looking for 6 volunteers for each of our vaccine clinic days [< 5 min] -

Volunteer request for the school vaccine clinic: entry and observation-area roles were described; the private signup link and medical/eligibility details were omitted.

**Lauren offered to volunteer at the end of the clinic maybe helping with rides or clean up. **

Open items? [5-10 min]

**7:15-7:25 Welcome and introductions: Name, pronouns (optional), child/ren’s grade/s, How do you identify **