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PTA Meeting Minutes: 4/8/25

Whittier PTA Board Meeting
April 8, 2025
7:00pm Whittier Library & Zoom
Meeting ID: 817 3911 8250
Passcode: wildcats

Board Members/Chairs in Attendance

  • Kate Lindsay Scher – Co-President
  • Allie DeLong Thomas – Co-President
  • Melissa Ivancevich – Co-Secretary
  • Emily Robertson – Co-Secretary
  • Jess Twardzik – Hospitality Co-Chair
  • Emily Schweiger – Family and Community Engagement – Outreach Chair
  • Laura Zingg – Programs Co-Chair; Student Directory
  • Jon Overman – Legislative Representative
  • Anjean Vanden Bosch – Membership Chair
  • Kristin Laughlin – Volunteer Coordinator
  • Kiana Swearingen – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Co-Chair
  • Jill Muscatel – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Co-Chair
  • John Shaw – Tech Support
  • Anika Anand – Yearbook Co-Chair
  • David Peabody – Move-a-thon
  • Rena Giannoulakis – Spring Fling Co-Chair

COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
● Principal Watters
● Hagay Amster Kahn
● Haydee Wali
● Rachel Wold
● Brian Wold
● Therese Miranda-Blackney
● Hanni Pichel
● Dafna Amster Kaha

Meeting Called to Order at 7:04 PM

Welcome & Call To Order
● Call to Order
● Table & Zoom Chat Informal Introductions
● Agenda
● Presentation

President Update
● Goals and Meetings Review
● Dashboard Review
● Budget Update
○ Three budget options to consider for voting on in May
■ Will pursue option 1 for the budget
■ Proposal: should we consider option 2 or 3 and embark in fund sharing?
■ Don’t want to fundraise more – we fundraise more than we spend

● Secret Celebration Update
● Work Session Update
○ K/New Family Mentor Program – owned by outreach?
■ “Assigned” to a 2nd or 3rd grade family (volunteer)
○ Going to explore Whittier Kids to provide childcare for some of the PTA meetings
○ Revise Volunteer & Event Chair roles

○ Evolve book fair
○ Evolve Family Dance & Game Night
○ Unified snack pantry
■ Would need to add a budget line item

● Math Agency Update
○ Program temporary suspended – waiting to hear invoice adjustment for service gap
○ Alternative to Math Agency
■ Currently $60k investment, will still request a $60k investment in math
intervention

○ Math Agency to provide a 2025-2026 service plan proposal
○ Admin team to make recommendation on continued partnership or a new model
● District update
● Upcoming Meetings

Principal Watters’ Report
● Could ask for 5th grade volunteers to help with PTA closet inventory
● Snorkel will be moved to front of building, Whittier will get a new roof
● Math Agency – it’s a new site director this year here at Whittier

Chair & Lead Updates
● Treasurer
○ March Income: $16,813.75
■ Annual Give corporate match AG: $1780
■ Move-a-thon $14777
○ March Expenses: $46,542.57
■ Schoolauction.net fee $1500
■ Speaker system for assemblies $1211
■ EDI speaker fee + books $1923
■ Q2 staffing grant $33,868
■ Massive Monkeys + 1st grade in-school $6422

○ Budget Committee update (4/21 at 5pm)
● Membership: Dues Increase recommendation
○ Vote: Option 4 to include in the budget (see vote)
● Hospitality
○ March “Gift of Time” report
○ April: K & 1st – “self-care”
○ May Staff Appreciation Week plan
■ Monday: words of appreciation
■ Tuesday: lunch from Barking Dog
■ Wednesday: gift
■ Thursday: coffee & donuts
■ Friday: dress like your teacher

● EDI
○ Parenting at the Intersections
○ Launching Caregivers of Gender-Diverse kids belonging group
● Move-a-thon: Post-event report
○ $27,108 (doesn’t include matching)
● VP:
○ Nominating Committee update
○ Spirit Gear update
■ Going to add a pride shirt and a BLM shirt

● Spring Fling:
○ Ticket sales update: sold 69 tickets to date
○ Childcare secured with Illumination Learning Studio
○ Staff experiences update
○ Hosted party update
○ Entertainment update
○ Volunteer update
● Programs
○ Spring session kicked off – 139 enrolled
○ Budget will be spent, mostly on scholarships
● Events:

○ Family Dance & Game Night report
○ Mariner’s update
○ Caregiver happy hour update
● Volunteers (all open positions)
● Advocacy: Legislative session update
● Communications: Reminder for remaining comms for the year

Voting
● Membership Dues change
○ Motion: Jillian Muscatel
○ Second: Kristin Laughlin
○ Approved
● March Meeting Minutes
○ Motion: Rachel Wold
○ Second: Jillian Muscatel
○ Approved
Belonging Practice
Caregivers of Gender Diverse Kids Belonging Group
Kudos & Thank Yous

Open Floor for Community