##VIDEO ID:9WNRSV7lqDo## e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e thank you with that we'll have our good evening everybody we're gonna can I ask everybody to please stand for the salute to the flag flag United States Amica Welcome to our Board of Education meeting scheduled for Thursday September 12th in accordance with the requirements of the open public meetings act I wish to announce that the New Jersey open public meeting law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meeting of bodies at which any business affecting their interests is discussed or acted upon notice is announcing the date time and place for this meeting were sent to all concerned individuals associations and sent to Union County local Source in accordance with chapter 231 of public law 1975 for the roll call Miss Stanton here Mr maheta here Miss Kelly here Mr ER here Mr Cho here vice president Co here president Justice here you have a quorum and with that we will move into our presentations which are of our recognition of our newly tenured staff and our recognition of our 25 years of service okay good evening good evening welcome really this is again one of the special nights in this District we love celebrating uh the accomplishments of our staff I have to say we had such a wonderful opening to this school year it's a really feel-good year and I'm really happy we're able to keep the vibe going and celebrate our non 10e our 10e teachers and our 25 years of service with that I'm going to turn it over to Kelly Stanton board member good evening everyone I'm honored to recognize the district's newly tenured staff for demonstrating expertise commitment and professionalism necessary to be a successful staff member of summit public schools and completing the requirements for tenure in their position with the summit Public Schools when I call your name please come up to receive your certificate of tenure we then ask that you all line up on the opposite side of the de so across to allow us to get a group photo I apologize in in advance if I mispronounce your name fonetic pronunciation is not in my wheelhouse of expertise to start can we please have Elizabeth Aaron from Summit High [Applause] [Music] [Applause] School not here is Jacqueline deletro from Franklin Elementary School [Applause] Amanda D grai from Wilson Primary [Applause] Center yeah no rush Victoria Jordan from Jefferson Primary Center [Applause] Evan kak from the primary [Applause] centers not in attendance is Molly liberado from Jefferson Primary [Music] Center also unable to join join us is Emily Maldonado from Summit High [Applause] School Morgan mman from Summit High [Applause] School unable to be with us is Brian merto from Summit High [Music] [Applause] School Melissa from Wilson Primary [Applause] Center Melissa Novak from Summit High [Applause] School Kelly Reynolds from Lincoln hover Elementary School [Applause] Victoria Stevens from Franklin Elementary [Applause] School Julia store from loton C Johnson Summit Middle School Denise Tui from Bron Elementary [Applause] School and last but not least also from Bron Elementary School is Christopher wisy congratulations to all newly tenure staff [Applause] you [Music] now we're going to move on to celebrating our 25 years of service and I see there's a hurry to get down here it's a long aisle but this group you've been here 25 years you deserve a little extra time so go slow all right go slow it is my pleasure to announce the presentation of the 25 years of service award recognizing those employees who have dedicated their careers to serving Summit Public Schools community over the past year we have had eight employees Reach This Milestone I'd like to begin by calling Summit High School principal Stacy raldi to the podium and for leis andr to join here can Luis Andra please join me can stand next to me while I you tonight we recognize Louise for his 25 years of dedication and commitment to the submit Public Schools Lise is a custodian who's a fixture at Summit High School everyone knows him and appreciates his support of this students staff and administration Louis is always willing to help out whether it is to change a light bulb move desks and Furniture in a classroom or my office or set up a large event Louis is always right there making sure that everything is done well Louis's commitment to the health and safety of the students and staff at Summit High School was most evident during the covid-19 pandemic Louise worked tirelessly to ensure that all students and staff stayed safe by installing barriers throughout the building buing moving further to to ensure that we were all socially distanced and sanitizing common areas each class period Louis's supervisor Rodrigo Palomo commented on Louis's commitment and work work ethic stating that Lis will do whatever it takes to ensure that the building is ready and safe for students and staff after a long day as a custodian Louise puts on a different hat and is the nin security officer at Summit High School if you have ever come to the high school after 4M you have probably probably met Luise he might have been the one to open a classroom door for your student when they needed their violin for a music lesson or a book to finish their homework or it might have helped you or your student find a missing phone Louise raised his two beautiful children in Summit and has been a pleasure to watch them grow up and be successful adults thank you Louise for your dedication hard work and commitment to providing the best learning environment for our students and keeping all students staff and visitors to Summit High School safe and secure each day [Applause] [Applause] [Music] congratulations can Dave field come up please take your time Dave we congratulate Dave tonight for his more than 25 years of service thanks to the summit Public Schools I say more than 25 years because Dave completed a long-term substitute position at the middle school before his 25 years of full-time employment in the district after that substitute position Dave was hired to stay on as a full-time physical education teacher at the middle school then several years later Dave moved up to the high school where he remains and we were lucky to have him working with our students here Dave has led the high school first aid and CPR health programs for many years all of our students take this class during their junior year and it provides students with the skills necessary to per perform CPR in first aid if needed unfortunately there have been times when students applied the knowledge from his class to save a life but fortunately Dave was their teacher and the rescue was successful Dave has been the key has been key to the development growth and success of the project adventure program students learn collaboration team building and Leadership skills while they work together to complete a clim or an obstacle on the course the lessons learned from students during these Les these experiences extend far beyond the physical education classroom outside the classroom Dave has coached cross country basketball BB and softball all with great success Mr Healey the health and physical education supervisor and athletic director commented that Dave personifies what it means to be a hill topper there are generations of Summit High School alumni who still talk glowingly about Dave as a teacher and Coach while working here in Summit Dave met his beautiful wife Aaron I think that he would agree that his biggest and brightest accomplishments may be his three beautiful daughters Mora Payton and Teegan but as his principal I am certainly grateful that his accomplishments here continue to positively impact his colleagues and our students thank you Dave for your hard work and dedication and congratulations again okay can I get Mr safery up here along with Neil Sharma [Applause] all right good evening everyone it is with great pleasure that I congratulate Mr Neil Sharma on his remarkable 25 years of dedicated service to the summit Public Schools I vividly recall my first interactions with Mr Sharma during the summer of 2018 as a newly appointed assistant principal our conversation quickly evolved into a profound discussion about the challenges in education and The crucial need for middle school students to see themselves represented in the school environment this initial exchange marked the beginning of many philosophical discussions over the years and if you know Neil you'll know exactly what I'm talking about one of the qualities I have always admired in Mr Sharma is his willingness to engage in thoughtful and challenging conversations with both students and staff I have always valued the mutual respect and honesty in our interactions Neil's classes are a testament to his skill as an educator his teaching is both rigorous and engaging and he is frequently cited by students as one of their favorite teachers he possesses a unique talent for making classical literature resignate by drawing insightful connections to contemporary issues it is rare to find a teacher who is so effectively um who so effectively maintains student attention and fosters their engaging engagement through thoughtful dialogue when I asked some colleagues for their thoughts on Mr Sharma Mr Kevin kovos a Summit High School teacher and former Middle School educator stated Neil has been a true friend for the last 20 years from his less than Stellar dancing at my wedding to our regular Friday morning breakfast he has been at my side every step of the way the children of summit um have been very fortunate to work with Neil over the years and I can think of no one more deserving of the recognition for their service to our students and athletes Tiffany Bennett U math teacher at the middle school says quote he's the guy who always lets kids just come in and hang out in his room in the morning whether it's to read to work or to be away away um from the general craziness of middle school that ensues outside before the morning Bell he can often be found monopolizing The copier making paper packets to ensure students don't spend any more time looking at their screens if you walk by his room while he's teaching you might hear Mr Sharma veering off topic from a lesson because he has seized the perfect teachable moment likely stemming from a student question he is a teacher who who has his students working until the very last day of school making sure they get their Shakespeare monologues perfected congratulations again Neil on this impress impressive Milestone your dedication and passion for teaching have made a significant impact on our school community [Applause] [Applause] at this time I'd like to invite World Language supervisor Anna ventosa up here along with Anna Gomez Anna on behalf of your principal Lauren banker and myself it is an absolute honor to speak on your behalf as we celebrate your 25th year of teaching ESL in the summit Public Schools Anna 20 years ago you were assigned as my professional Mentor as a first year teacher it was a relationship that began with a phone call before I was even hired you reached out prior to My Demo lesson to Simply offer a warm welcome wish me luck and provide an opportunity to ask any questions I may have in preparation for my visit to Washington school that phone call set the tone for my experience here in Summit and having Anna as my mentor set the bar for my professional aspirations and career in educ ucation because if you know Anna her expectations for fulfilling her professional responsibilities are Limitless I am merely one example of Anna's success stories and I am simply a product of Anna being Anna a mentor a leader a passionate educator selfless colleague and friend a mentor is defined as an experienced and trusted adviser who trains and counsels new employees and students Anna you are a natural mentor to all those in your care in your role as an ESL teacher you have counseled and guided countless students and families as well as colleagues to provide every multilingual learner with a loving and supportive educational experience over the last 25 years you have made it abundantly clear that you are here for the kids from the minute you meet them you exude care and love and each student feels your attention to their needs you make families feel seen and heard and you get to know each individual student and and appreciate what they bring to our community as you nurture them you form a very special bond with your students which follows them throughout their K through 12 journey and Beyond each year many students return to you from high school to support your current students in your after school program similarly you regularly attend Summit High School's graduation to celebrate your previous ESL students achievement of attaining a summit high school diploma Anna your commitment to your students doesn't end as they exit ESL or move on to Middle School you deeply value your role in being a part of a multilingual learner's Beginnings here in Summit and your presence at graduation reaffirms your commitment to their growth and academic successes in addition graduated students and their families invite you to their life events and email you with updates of successes they do this because they know you truly care they continue to keep in communication because they know you played an invested role in those accomplishments Anna when you look at your students you see their Futures as an ESL teacher you have the privilege of teaching students their second language the language of their new country and home and the language that is critical for all future successes you take that responsibility very seriously and promote Excellence you not only believe your students are capable but you show them that they have what it takes to excel if you have ever been for fortunate to enter Anna's classroom you would see that our multilingual Learners are working harder than any other time of day in Mrs Gomez's room expectations are not watered down or limited to a student's knowledge of English rather they are elevated and all instruction is strategically tailored to have students working at capacity every moment they are in the ESL classroom and if you know you know every one of Mrs Gomez's students are capable of writing a cheeseburger at least one if not two three or five just ask her fourth and fifth grade students how many cheeseburgers does it take to write an essay you can count on Anna to strengthen her kids English language and literacy skills as well as build their confidence and support their integration into the Washington School Community Anna you have a keen ability to identify and celebrate student strengths and you build their leadership by transforming them into models for the community your Hispanic heritage and oolay program give them influence it supports students feeling proud of their culture and they learn to use their unique background and stories to inspire others you also celebrate student work offer students an opportunity to shine among grade level peers as you coordinate opportunities for author celebrations in their classrooms reading English stories they are proud to have authored in addition to the endof year ESL gala where classroom teachers families and classmates celebrate your students growth through poetry song stories and music highlighting students remarkable growth in English while also showcasing a portfolio of all their written published pieces in English and just as you fill them with admiration and adoration they return that appreciation and love for you recently as you made a guest appearance as an author to Showcase your newly published book hamburger Harriet won't settle your students lit up the audience and flooded the question and answer period with praise for how much your book positively impacted their writing although it's clear that you have a heart for your students Anna we know your love extends Beyond them you are literally the best colleague and friend that anyone could ask for you are a colleague who people seek out because you know when people just need to someone to listen or a hug someone to celebrate with or someone to provide counsel and Sound Advice Anna you lead with your heart and people come to you because you are authentic in all your interaction actions and your peers value your perspective you are generous with your assistance plentiful with your check-ins and shoutouts and fierce with your protective devotion for those reasons many people trust you lean on you and consider you their person you know you are my person and Lauren was so sad she couldn't be here tonight because you are her person as well our hope is that these past 25 years you have felt valued and ch Cherish by all the people in your care you are truly oneof a kind and your students families and colleagues are lucky to share the Summit Community with you you are very loved success can be defined as the Peace of Mind achieved when you know in your heart that you did your best at maximizing your potential according to your values Anna you know in your heart that after 25 years in Summit and 33 years in education you confidently have the peace of mind that you give 100% every day to all students faculty and staff as a successful teacher and colleague it's confirmed by the countless number of students and families whose success stories would not be complete without mentioning Mrs Gomez on behalf of all the lives you have touched and my very own I thank you congratulations on a successful 25 years of teaching in Summit [Applause] [Applause] [Music] okay I'd like to invite principal from Franklin Elementary School Esther l and [Applause] mariapolis shorter patient caring welcoming the glue that holds Franklin together calm cool and collected the long-standing heart at the center of Franklin School organized Dependable positive loving the backbone of Franklin an absolute gem the queen of the pond these are just a few words the Franklin Community used to describe the exceptional human being who joined the semit public schools 25 years ago she started as a cashier in the lunchroom and soon became Franklin's Administrative Assistant she is an in individual of highest Integrity unbounded empathy and Limitless compassion I am deeply honored to be able to share with you just a glimpse of the truly remarkable and marvelous Miss Marty napis my first encounter with Marty was during my interview for the principal position at Franklin I remember asking her about her very large collection of rubber ducks that I had read about in an article and hearing her wonderful laugh fast forward two and a half years and I've heard that laugh countless times as we've chatted about all the ridiculous things that happen in in the course of a day in an elementary school we've shared our moments of Tears as well as she's comforted me through the transition to a new home a new role and even through the loss of my grandmother I clumsily did my best to console her through some difficult times in her life too we are Beyond blessed to work with Marty she has been the constant through Ever Changing Challen and challenging times she anticipates things the school students and the staff may need long before anyone else has thought of it the Dizzy dizzying amount of tasks she has to complete simultaneously is a inspiring I tried a couple of mornings last year it was really hard Marty has welcomed hundreds of families students and staff members to Franklin School over the years her guidance support and Patience are otherworldly she makes everyone feel valued and safe the way she can answer question after question after question after question without as much as a complaint is truly saintly and honestly she does it all with a warm smile if only we can somehow bottle everything Marty knows about Franklin better yet all the secrets that she knows too she's the epitome of above and beyond she listens to us she cares for us she is our shoulder to cry on she offers wise advice she celebrates our Milestones she responds with kindness every single time Mrs karpinsky lovingly jokes she's like our staff mom and you really are to say that she is an invaluable asset is a gross understatement one very very sad day when Marty decides to retire someone's gonna have to come and check on me because I will not be okay I don't think any of us will be please join me in congratulating our beloved Marty for her 25 years of dedicated service [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] okay last but not least principal of Brighton Elementary Shane zegler and Aaron Gilbert good evening everybody it is truly my pleasure to celebrate the DED uh the dedication of 25 years of service I'm sorry of Aaron gil Gilbert at Bron Elementary I'm sorry I got a little sniffly thanks Esther Aaron started at Brighton 25 years ago as a fifth grade teacher where remained until he became Bron steam teacher during the 22 to 23 school year this is my second year Bron and Aaron was one of the first people to greet me and make me feel very welcome I remember when Aon and I met to discuss the beginning of the year goals very regular meeting we started off discussing pdps and goals which then led to a conversation about our time in education somehow pivoted into the different kinds of beverages we like and how to pair them it was a great conversation uh last year when I asked to share when I was asked to share the name of the teacher who would be the teacher of the year I reached out to the staff since I didn't think I could choose since it was only my first year the staff of Brighton chose Aaron Gilbert and it is clear to understand why Aaron came to work comes to work with such a good energy that it's passed along to everyone as he walks down the hallway he always has that smile he's always ready to go it really is a pleasure watching him interact with the students during his steam classes as they discover how to come up with a design plan and then test it out to see if it works it's just it's a fun thing to watch second graders like wow it worked and he's right there right along with them I asked Karen I asked Aaron's colleagues if they had anything to share and this is what they said Aaron went to school to be a teacher and he truly enjoys what he does I remember when Aaron was a fifth grade teacher and he would take time out of his lunch to play basketball with kids that he knew needed someone to hear them and just be with them he really enjoys watching soccer especially his daughter Avery soccer games Aaron is a creative cook Who develops menus for his get togethers and Thanksgiving is always at his house he roots for the job s and tries to attend all giant home games but definitely not the eight game 8:00 games and not even the 4:00 games Aaron loves being with people but he also loves his alone time reading a book by the fire pit with a coffee or a glass of wine is a favorite activity it is well known that during the week Aaron must get to bed early after dinner is best Aaron loves to read and enjoys his vacations at the beach and with his wife Dena and his daughters Madison and Avery and finally Aaron Gilbert is a really nice guy and I truly enjoy working with him he is part of what makes Brighton so special and I could not agree more you know Aaron and I were talking just the other day about how time really just sneaks up on you one day you're starting your first day as a teacher having no idea what you're doing and the next day you're celebrating 25 years so go from being a newbie to a veteran in a blink of an eye and all the wonderful memories that go in between so congratulations Aaron congratulations to you we're proud of you we truly truly love you I'm lucky that this is my second year but I truly Envy the people who have known you for 25 years and have gotten the privilege of your friendship and your kindness so please join me in congratulating Mr Aaron Gilbert for his 25 years of service [Applause] [Applause] we have two 25 years of service recipients who could not be with us I'm going to recognize them Matthew lochman from the middle school and gamil Nash from Lincoln Humber Elementary School [Music] 25 so in closing I'd really like to extend a thank you to all of the veteran 25y year teachers for your loyalty your dedication and everything you've done for probably hundreds of students in your career and continue to do thank you so much congratulations [Applause] [Music] and as you can see we're going to do some board business next we're going to go over some goals and do the rest of the business of the board and I'd hate to take the air out of the room and make you all sit through that so let's ride the celebration and if you'd like to leave we're going to take a five minute break to let you leave and then we'll continue to work with [Applause] [Music] yeah e e e e need the projector on there there thank you great seriously so now I didn't answer they went up right away last time good thing to let everybody go sorry close your computer that would no go ahead we're not ready maybe she's watching your pH was e e all right thank you Ronnie so as we do annually I present to the board uh the board goals for the year 24 25 school year um and I want to say you know we've made the decision a cognitive purposeful decision three years ago to to continue these goals right these goals are big picture big Vision they're not 10 months check the box and we move on to something new this is really who we are as a community and although they've stayed relatively the same we have tweaked them and we definitely tweaked the outcomes from year to year what we want to accomplish the action plan so to speak and I want to share with the board that stuff like this is easy to die on the vine and just be on a page that does not happen here the administrators in this room the teachers at the building level we work hard to make sure that we're working progressively to continue to get better in these areas and we do it we're doing a lot of really really good things so I want to thank the district for that um number one goal so this goal has morphed over the last couple of years and added mental Wellness as well as SE and uh diversity Equity inclusivity belonging some of the bolded things that we've done here are some of the highlights really proud by name by strength by story it started last year it has really taken off and really kind of anchors all of the work we do about getting to know every child by name by strength and by story you can see the mental health Symposium for the parents was a big hit it's a great turnout over a 100 people and challenge day you've heard people talk about challenge day so many different times it's just very very impactful for our students and staff they do that together they enjoy that together so we're going to continue with this one goal number one goal number two is our data goal and multi-tiered systems of support um this has relatively stayed the same La this past year was our first year for multi-year systems of support um we really needed to take a couple of years to build a foundation talk about data literacy get everyone in the district to speak the same language around data now we're really excelling and I'm very excited that we're going to SEC we did secure and this is a pilot year for a data analytic Warehouse so that we're going to be able to get a snapshot view of the the teachers of all the information that we need at a student at one time um it's really going to take us to the next level we weren't ready for this step a year or two ago but we are now so we're very excited to be able to do this and year three of our Steam initiative we have made tremendous progress you see the construction all around us we hired two new steam teachers for the Middle School um stage craft Middle School environment curriculum a lot of new courses at the secondary level and our elementary steam Labs continue to be raved about um it's just an opportunity for children to shine outside of the regular academic setting and they do and we hear those stories over and over again just last night at the elementary uh back to school nights I just saw kid after kid Mom let's go to the steam room let's go to the steam room and there still excited to just go visit and show their parents what they're working on and that takes us to the next step in the process which is our goal number four the board is going to engage in strategic planning now that's going to take place pretty much for the better part of this school year it's a very complicated very detailed process by which we are going to solicit feedback from all of the stakeholders students staff Administration Board of educ ation even potentially community members that do not have children in the district and the purpose of this is to get feedback to make sure that we can put together a three to fivey year plan that reflects the values and interests of the community so what we're going to have at the end of this work this year was we're going to have an action plan for 25 26 of of different goals this information of our goals that we have here is going to be embedded somewhere in the plan but we're going to have different categories whether it be security facilities um teaching and learning all of those categories are going to be discussed by the stakeholders to come to consensus about where we want to be in three to five years um so I'm really excited that we're able to be able to take this on at this time um because we're ready for that now you know we've had a lot of last couple of years of really trying to get out from you know the pandemic and the like and um just even based on the attitudes and the perspective that the staff entered this school year with the timing is just right so um there'll be a lot more to hear about this I'll be sharing more information with the board and the administration and the coming days and weeks I met with the facilitator yesterday um they got a great reputation and I'm very very confident that goal number four this year at the end of this year when we accomplish this goal we're going to have an excellent three to five year plan I wanted to share with the board some um oh I didn't put I didn't put the gold four up there it is give you a second to read it I wanted to share with the board um some updates on the pictures you can see right here that is our high school that is the second floor still scheduled to be completed uh April of 25 um so we're on schedule just absolutely beautiful we get once in a while Stacy and I and the administration get an opportunity with the foreman here to go inside and take a look at you know it's still like a shell but you can start to see the vision of what the rooms are going to look like and it's going to be outstanding even the foreman when we walk through he goes man this place is going to be great just from the design and what it's going to offer our children the lower field is complete it was completed in October that's an aerial view we have drones taking pictures of our work it's already being used by the high school students I'm pretty sure the youth uh Sports may have gotten on it over the weekend it's a game changer it's just outstanding the compliments you know we had some feedback from the residents locally that they were worried when we started talking about this and uh Mr Jess and I just walked the field last week and a couple of the residents came to the fence and said wow this is great this is great that the board is able to do this for this the children in our community this room here is the wood shop at the middle school Tech design engineering Mr warb class it's an outstanding room uh he has everything he needs in there the equipment he's more than happy and this is going to really help build more foundation in the areas of steam so that our students can take higher level courses when they get into the high school uh middle school again we are in all of these spaces so the even these two spaces currently have uh desks and chairs and things and the like this is where the students partly used to eat lunch because it's a concourse um it's now a computer lab and a classroom this is a small group instruction room and that's still on The Concourse where they used to be and these are two brand new classrooms upstairs you can see this is going to be a computer lab with the wall strips and this is an engineering robotics course with all the Innova Innovation lab we have a lot of different courses in there um so there are still some finishing touches in some of these areas that we have to do but the spaces are occupied and the cafeteria is scheduled to be done September 23rd so we'll be moving the students into out of the gym and into the cafeteria on September 23rd that's it that's my presentation for the board goals yeah so I I sent out an email so it should be done for October meeting there we come early in W tour okay um now is time for the president's announcement happy second week of school a heartfelt thank you to superintendent Huff the cabinet principes teachers and staff for making the first week of school a very seamless transition for for all I hope your kids are beginning to adjust to the school routine again my own kids improve each day with their wakeups and drops offs let's be clear the adults are easing into the new school year too each morning when I drop off my kids I see smiling faces hugs fist pumps and warm welcomes from teachers and administrators The Joy expressed each morning is contagious the warmth the staff brings to the school each day allows me and my children to feel a sense of belonging and I hope you feel the same last night the elementary schools had a back to school night once again I felt the warmth care and support that all members of the school Community have for my own children and yours as well back to school night is a wonderful opportunity to get to know your child's teacher and to view the classroom through their eyes in the coming weeks the primary centers the middle school and high school will all hold back to school nights don't miss the opportunity to get a glimpse into your child's school day meet our excellent Educators and connect with other parents year after year I've walked away more impressed with the incredible teachers we have in Summit and I want to thank all the employees who assisted in making back to school night such a meaningful experience for parents I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome all new families to the school district we're very glad you have chosen Summit as your new school Community we continue to be a welcoming and inclusive school district and we truly want you to feel a sense of belonging take time early in the year to connect with teachers attend PTO meetings and or events that the PTO offers like the parent social last night and athletic games building relations ship with the school as well as other families will make this experience more enjoyable for you and your children there are many opportunities that are offered this month and throughout the school year so find the events that suit your needs pace yourself and know that we all have been the new student or family in the school Community the board is very proud of the work of the school district and we're excited to continue working on the district goals that were presented tonight in partnership with the superintendent and cabinet this year as stated in the district goals The Summit Public Schools will continue to Foster an inclusive School Community utilize data and further the development of it steam initiative and it was wonderful to see all the wonderful new spaces that we have and how um the district is growing in many ways the sumic school district partners with families to ensure that all children have the opportunity to thrive with the proper supports in place the district is prepared and ready to provide the excellent education that parents expect year after year thank you for your continued partnership and on behalf of the board I wish all the District employees parents and especially our students a very successful school year thank you president Justice from my report we did have back to school night at all five elementary schools I was able to make it to each school and the the atmosphere was again very positive and energetic the rest of the back to school nights will be on September 18th the primary Jefferson Primary Center September 19th Wilson Primary Center September 25th the high school right here and September 26th at the middle school Bron will participate and start with hello week next week start with hello week is a national initiative aimed at fostering a culture of kindness inclusion and empathy among students this initiative was created by Sandy Hook promise a nonprofit organization founded by the parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School this initiative encourages individuals to reach out to others and make a conscious effort to connect with people they may not know well this simple AC of kindness can help to reduce social isolation bullying and the risk of violence at Jefferson Elementary School they are off to a wonderful start students participated in grade level meetings to review schoolwide expectations and core values through positive reinforcements students are making safe choices students are earning lunch recess points and will continue to be nominated for praise from the principal on a monthly basis at the primary Center students transitioned well and are learning all the routines and procedures which will help them be successful safe and fun at school the enthusiasm and energy levels tell us it's going to be a great year at Washington Elementary School they kicked off a successful start welcoming their new families with pride they are studying the tenants of inclusion and making the school a place where everyone belongs and feels valued in order to thrive academically Lincoln hubard hit the ground running this year they welcomed our new families and they already had their first PTO play date the PTO event Lincoln Hub homecoming will be held on September 20th students are spending time learning how to be our best and learn about each other and what it means to be part of Lincoln hover Pride at Franklin School they kicked off the year with an annual back to school party last Friday they'll be holding their first whole school morning meeting where students will greet each other share and do a fun activity together the theater programs at both the high school and the middle school will be holding auditions next week for their fall play Productions the high school will be producing playwright Lauren G gunderson's Peter Pan and Wendy which will be performed on November 15th and 16th while the middle school will present The Lion The Witch in the wardrobe on no November 22nd and 23rd the high school marching band presented the premiere of the 2425 halftime show at last Saturday's football home opener this year's show is titled Queens of pop and celebrates the music of some of the pop music's most iconic female artists including Beyonce and Lady Gaga never thought I'd say Lady Gaga had a board meeting at the middle school is getting ready for student Club Fair which will be held on October 1st over 20 student organizations will be participating with the goal of increasing student involvement across the range of activities sixth grade students and families are getting ready for the Stokes experience at the middle school which we do every year it's going to take place on uh the weekend of September 20 through the 22nd students will participate in a wide variety of team building activities and that concludes my report president Justice thank you superintendent huff and we are at item six so approval of A and B may I have a motion second thank you any discussion Miss Stanton yes Mr MAA yes Miss Kelly yes Miss ER yes Mr Cho yes vice president con yes president Justice yes motion carries and I will move to item seven our student board representative reports and first I'd like to say thank you to grace Epstein for being our student representative and Grace if you wouldn't mind introducing our new student rep for this year I would greatly appreciate it yes this is mat myel um he'll be joining us and he's going to take over for me later in the year I'll be with him for like the first couple meetings just so he can get used to it and then I'll give them off thank yeah um so just to start off I'd like to go over the sports happenings that have been happening in the high school recently um Summit football's first win last week was last weekend and their second game is taking place on Saturday at Hillside Additionally the summit varsity boys soccer team won their game on Tuesday against brely which was 2 to0 and their next game was this afternoon and the shs varsity girls soccer team is also working hard and won two games against New Providence Morristown in okol recently and I'd like to give the rest of this presentation to Matt so Hi how are oh my God Hi how are you uh my name's Matt I just want to say thank you for all of you for having me today and Grace for being so awesome and sort of helping me through this process um today I'm going to be focusing more on what's happening in school uh as mentioned before back to school night is going to be happening on the 25th which includes an activities fair that we hold starting at 6:30 and then sort of shuffling around going to each individual classes at around 7 o'clock so parents can see where their students are actually getting taught in each individual room uh peer leadership will be reconvening for their first meeting of the month next Meek next week which will then start um our sort of transition uh seminars and classes with the incoming freshman who just came in from the Middle School um the shs black student union Club be meeting every other Thursday in this club students learn more about African-American culture and have different activities to celebrate that culture and sort of create a safe space and environment to learn uh quintessence is going to be starting back up um which is a student curated magazine that features art and literacy works from Summit High School students and starting next week every Monday an announcement will be made to highlight the upcoming week Club activities that we will be featuring at the high school okay and just lastly some student council happenings um the pep rally for the high school will be on the 27th of September um and there's going to be a spirit week from the 23rd to the 27th where students can participate in wear like funny clothes or funny hats depending on the theme um and the student council recently gave out candy outside on the high school doors to motivate them so they can start their days out with something sweet which is something we want to continue doing throughout the year and we also had our first meeting on Tuesday which was very successful because a lot of new freshmen have been getting involved which is setting us up for a great year and I just wanted to thank everyone for listening and we both look forward to the next meetings thank you both and welcome to you mat thank you and with you both have the ability to leave now thank you and with that we are on to item eight additions or revisions to the agenda yes uh thank you president Justice there are two additions to the agenda this evening both under Personnel item W approval to pay darene Pito Bas $7,250 for 58 unused sick days and item X approval to appoint the following subtitute teacher pending criminal history review background checks as required by law and the ability to obtain NJ substitute teachers credentials uh Joe Ellen schoemer $125 a day effective September 30th or sooner and I'd ask the board to consider approving those under the Personnel section of tonight's meeting thank you thank you and with that we will move to our committee reports item nine and we'll start with education and Student Activities and services committe the education and Student Activities Services committee met on Thursday September 5th for 33 minutes committee members in attendance were myself board member wiita Justice Eileen Kelly was absent superintendent Scott huff and cabinet members director of curriculum Heather Roco and student or director of student Personnel Services Dr Chris lar and this was a quick meeting we first discuss the 2425 new and revised curriculum every summer the district engages in new curriculum writing projects based on new course offerings and state regulations revisions and recommendations upon review the district then creates an outlined plan for all departments for both Elementary and secondary levels secondly we talked about the 2425 professional development plan each year the district is required to create a professional development plan and submit it to the Department of Education this document is shared with the board annually though no board approval is needed for submission and finally we discuss the 2425 Board of Education goals these goals were shared with the Board of Education during our August Retreat and superintendent HFF presented them this evening our recommendations are to approve the new and revised 2024 curriculum summer projects and approval of the 2425 Board of Education goals are there any questions comments or additions from the board okay our next meeting is Tuesday October 1st at 12m thank you Miss den and next will be operations thank you the operations committee met this month on Tuesday September 10th at 11:00 a.m. for approximately 60 Minutes committee members and attendance included superintendent Scott Huff business administrator Derek Jess and assistant business administrator Kathy Sarno as well as board members Yan Cho Melanie con and myself items discussed on this month's agenda included the fy2 24 fiscal year closeout Auditors will be on site beginning Thursday sep 26 excuse me September 26 the audit is ant anticipated to be finalized by December of this year school bus grants the district received two sizable grants for the purchase of electric bus vehicles and respective charging stations amounting to approximately $2 million the business office is reviewing the purchasing of various bus sizes including a potentially larger bus that could accommodate students for sports travel Transportation expenses are consistently Rising so this could be an occasion for the district to explore potential savings opportunities updates on the investing in our future Bond projects a couple of these were mentioned earlier in this meeting but the tatlock field task work um has been completed and hygienic cleaning services have also taken place to ensure the safety and well-being of students re-entering the building as discussed in our prior board meeting the district plans to go out for bid in October to redo the Fieldhouse and future work would utilize the recent roof repair given public engagement and interest surrounding the plans for the Fieldhouse the committee did agree that we would re-engage study officials and revisit conversations regarding the design size and future plans of the Fieldhouse the lower high school field is now complete with finished fencing and as superintendent Scott Huff uh mentioned parents and eing residents have been complimentary about how well this project came to life and at the middle school considerable amount of work was completed over the summer with additional classrooms now being utilized and what you saw earlier was a very dreamy wood Workshop as described in our meeting um the prim a primary in the area surrounding the cafeteria and kitchen the district is working closely with our construction partner to meet upcoming deadlines for completion our new cafeteria is being expanded to hold approximately 330 students as incoming classes are growing in the interim our incredible maintenance staff at the middle school um and District staff has helped ensure a smooth start of the school year with little disruption to the Lunch Period on Rod grants as shared in Prior uh committee readouts the district has qualified for New Jersey Rod grants for roof repairs replacements for Brion at Brion excuse me Jefferson the middle school and at the high school the grants available to the district total slightly more than $5 million representing about 40% of the 12.6 million total estimated project costs for all four rofes the remaining 60% of the total project cost approximately 7.6 million would require funding from the district given that this amount exceeds the funding available within the district's capital reserve account the committee continues to discuss the option to find Finance the projects with the bond issuance the bond issuance would be for the aggregate project cost of 12.6 million after the projects completion receipt of the rods Grant would reduce the net debt for the projects to 7.6 million the committee weighed the benefits of utilizing this sizable reimbursement while being mindful that the district only recently in 2022 bonded a considerable amount of 37 million the business office will be performing a cost analysis on extending the current roofs through maintenance and the district um will need to provide response to these grants by June 25th in the interim the operations committee will come back to the board with recommendation in the coming months and set up further discussion as needed committee recommendations there are none at this time and our next meeting is scheduled for Monday September 30th any additions or comments questions from the board thank you thank you Miss Kelly and next will be policy now you can hear me oh hello um the policy committee did not meet this month um we are scheduled to meet on Wednesday October 2nd there are items up for second review that are listed on the agenda thanks thank you Miss ER next is communication um the communications committee um also did not meet this month but I do have a few um updates to read out um First Communication survey results Laur Loren Dickinson has met with the majority of the building principles regarding the annual communication survey um which was sent towards the end of last school year to all parents and staff members and which was reported out about in the August meeting um principes will be sharing the results with their staff members during faculty meetings and addressing any changes to their current practices the survey results are posted on the district website under the communications tab for anyone interested in viewing them um test of emergency alert system as mentioned in superintendent Huff's back to school letter to The Summit Community the district will be conducting a test of its emergency notification system School messenger the test message which will include a phone call email and text message for those who opted in to receive text messages will be going out to all parents and staff members on Tuesday September 17th you must opt in in order to receive text messages from the district to opt in send a text message of why or yes to our District's short code number 67 587 you can also opt out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of the messages with stop parents are encouraged to have their contact information up to to date in Genesis as the information is pulled from Genesis to school messenger automatically that's thank you Miss con um the next committee is negotiations and Personnel committee um the committee has met once this month uh and the negotiations are ongoing at this time with that does anyone have any liaison report there are no reports we will move on to item 10 oh um so public comment um and Mr J thank you uh anyone wishing to speak shall first seek recognition by the presiding officer please come to the microphone and state your name and address in a clear audible tone for the record please direct all comments to the board president and not individual member of the board and please remember to conduct yourself with theor and respect in speaking and addressing the board unless additional time is granted by the board president please keep your comments at 3 minutes or less in addition please note that this portion of the meeting is for public comment and not meant to be back and forth board members and administration will not respond to questions or comments at this time however information will be provided by the appropriate individual as soon as possible we will start public comment for items on the agenda we will move to public comment items not on the agenda may I have a motion there any discussion all those in favor I any opposed any extensions motion carries and we will move on to item 11 approval of the board minutes from last month's August meeting May I have a motion move any discussion all those in favor I any opposed any extensions motion carries and item 12 curriculum instruction and program approval of the new and revised curriculum for the 2024 2025 school year may I have a motion have a second second thank you is there any discussion Miss Stanton yes Mr MAA yes Miss Kelly yes M erde yes Mr Cho yes vice president Co yes president Justice yes motion carries and we will move on to item 13 F there and we have a through t t thank you may I have a motion any discussion Miss Stanton Mr MAA yes Miss Kelly yes Miss erde Mr Cho yes vice president Co yes president Justice yes motion carries and with that we'll move on to item 14 Schoolboard operation uh a through C may I have a motion that was Miss Stanton and Miss ber thank you any discussion Miss Stanton Mr M yes Miss Kelly yes Miss ER Mr Cho yes vice president con yes president Justice yes motion carries and now item 15 which is personnel which is a through X thank you and we will also add the addendum to that may I have a motion please any discussion Miss Stanton yes Mr MAA yes Miss Kelly yes Sur yes Mr Cho yes vice president con yes president Justice yes motion passes we on item 16 policies and regulations and we have the second reading of policies may I have a motion second any discussion Miss Stanton yes Mr MAA yes Miss Kelly yes Mr ER Mr Cho yes president con yes president Justice motion carries and may I have a motion to adjourn we have a second is there any discussion all those in favor any opposed any extensions we're adjourn at 747 thank you for