OVHSA Meeting Minutes - November 2024

Date: Wednesday, November 13th, 2024   

Time: 7pm      

Location: Oak View School    

• President (Joelle Bernhard) 
• A motion was brought to the floor to vote in the minutes of the October meeting, was seconded, and the November meeting began.        
• Board of Ed Rep (Kasey Dudley)
• District Highlights
• Fall Sports Achievements: Congratulations to all Bloomfield High School (BHS) fall sports teams for their dedication and accomplishments this season! We’re proud of our student-athletes, with a few teams still competing as the season winds down.
• Congratulations to the Bloomfield Public Schools on achieving a Bronze Level Award through Sustainable New Jersey. The Board and Administration were honored to accept this award on behalf of the district at the annual NJSBA Convention.
• Safe Walk to Schools Program: Our sincere thanks to the Bloomfield Police Department for partnering with us on our weekly “Safe Walk to Schools” initiative. Students, staff, and community members have greatly enjoyed the experience, promoting both safety and community engagement.
• Red Ribbon Week: At the end of October, all Bloomfield Schools participated in Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s largest and longest-running drug use prevention campaign, raising awareness and fostering a commitment to making healthy, drug-free choices.
• Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrations: Bloomfield Schools concluded Hispanic Heritage Month with vibrant celebrations across the district. Thank you to everyone involved in making these events memorable! 
• Week of Respect: Observing the first week of October as part of New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act, Bloomfield Schools focused on the importance of character education to prevent harassment, intimidation, or bullying and build a positive school culture.
• SCHOOL NEWS
• BHS & BMS Highlights
• National Honor Society Inductions: Congratulations to the new National Honor Society members at Bloomfield High School and the new National Junior Honor Society members at Bloomfield Middle School! Your hard work and dedication are commendable.
• On-site College Visits were held at BHS: College visits are in full swing at BHS, offering students valuable face-to-face time with college representatives, including those from local HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities).
• On October 18th, BHS went pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Together, we raised awareness and showed our support for those affected by breast cancer.
• BMS Bengalthon: In partnership with the Bloomfield Educational Foundation (BEF), Bloomfield Middle School held its annual Bengalthon, where all BMS students and 6th graders participated in a day full of school spirit and activities. Special thanks to the BEF, Brookdale ShopRite, and Hot Bagels Abroad for sponsoring this memorable event—it was truly a Great Day to be a Bengal!
• BMS hosted a very well-attended Hispanic Heritage Night with food, dancing, performances, and more.
• Elementary School Highlights 
• Halloween Festivities: We'd like to express our heartfelt thanks to our school HSAs for sponsoring a variety of Halloween activities for our students and staff. Your support brings joy to all who participate in these festive events!
• Berkeley:
• Berkeley celebrated 285 students who had perfect attendance for October.
• Kindergarten enjoyed pumpkin picking followed by a week full of activities regarding the life cycle of pumpkins. Students estimated how many seeds were inside each pumpkin!
• Brookdale:
• Third Graders created an anemometer and conducted wind research. They tested their hypothesis research outside.
• Kindergarten is having fun with the pumpkin's life cycle. They explored the pumpkin's physical attributes. They estimated and counted the seeds inside!
• Carteret:
• K-3 classes learned about Diwali during guidance class. Ms. Acosta read the book The Light Within You by Namita Moolani Mehra, and students created a Rangoli Diya, which represents tradition and culture and stands for prosperity, creativity, and joy.
• Carteret Elementary School also celebrated its 15th annual Grandparents Day, on Oct. 11, which was coordinated by guidance counselor Marissa Acosta and math interventionist Rachel Ciliento.
• Demarest:
• Demarest kids showed off their spooky costumes at our annual Halloween Parade.
• Their Wacky Science assembly was a hit and a way for kids to learn
• and laugh with electrifying hands-on science experiments.
• ECC:
• Forest Glen families participated in the October Dine Out to Donate event, hosted at Turtle's Pizzeria! A portion of the proceeds will go directly to our HSA, funding valuable resources and activities for our students It was a fantastic time celebrating Halloween at Forest Glen! 
• Fairview:
• Move it Monday (Healthy bodies and minds): All students spent time outside at different physical fitness centers. Every student was able to select a book to take home (donated by the Newark Museum). 3rd graders are currently studying extreme weather. Students are able to make hurricanes in a bowl and record their observations.
• Franklin:
• Home and School purchased pumpkins for each student. On Tuesday all classes had time in our Study Park to paint and decorate them.
• Oak View:
• A heartfelt thank you to our HSA for organizing this Year's wonderful Pumpkin Patch event. The students had a fantastic time!
• Oak View Tigers will have the opportunity to review Student Council candidates' speeches, via Google Classroom. Students will cast their votes on Monday, November 4th- Oak View's Student Council Election Day.
• Watsessing:
• First graders explored local ecosystems at the Essex County Environmental Center, gaining hands-on learning about nature and sustainability tied to their science lessons. The third-grade students are currently learning how to use math equations to program robots. This will be essential to our students to prepare for the future of AI programming. Watsessing School also l held its annual International Night. The community came together to celebrate and share cultures through food, music, and traditions. Thank you to everyone who made this night special!
• Important Dates (Find additional event details on the district website)
• Board of Education Meetings:
• November 12
• December 17
• School Closures:
• November 5 - Election Day
• November 7-8 - NJEA Convention
• November 28th & 29th Thanksgiving Break  
• Principal- Linda Lo (not present; talking points delivered by Lauren Benech)
• Special thanks to our HSA and families for supporting:
• Italian Heritage Month
• Pumpkin Patch
• Class Parties
• Diwali celebrations in classrooms
• Thanks to Mrs. D’Avanzo and the OV team for organizing this year’s Student Council Election:
• Over 50 candidates
• A week-long campaign
• Congratulations to all candidates!
• November Conferences:
• Parent-teacher Conference Evites have been sent out. 
• Oak View Team looks forward to meeting with families to share student progress.
• Robotics Afterschool Program:
• Thanks to Mrs. Lynam and the Bloomfield High School team for working with our tigers. Students are learning code and building robots in this pilot year.
• Teacher’s Notes – Mrs. Ritacco (see below)
• What’s Happening at Oak View:
• 11/11: Picture Retakes & HSA Afterschool Explorers Kick-Off
• 11/14: HSA Color Run 
• 11/18: HSA Basketball Practice Season Kicks-Off
• 11/19: Virtual cafecito chat, 7 pm
• 11/21 – 11/26: Half Days for Parent-Teacher Conferences; dismissal at 12:30 pm
• 11/28-11/29: Thanksgiving Break
• Looking Ahead:
• 12/6/24: November Caught with Character “Respectful” Breakfast 
• Thank you for your continued support and participation in our school community   
• Teacher Representative (Laurie Ritacco) 
• Sign-ups for Parent/Teacher conferences went out (via Evite, to contact information on Powerschool), please sign up!  Teachers would really like to see you in the classroom! 
• Conferences are only 10 minutes long; if you would like a longer conference at another time, please reach out to your teacher.    
• Vice President (Emily Hallenbeck) 
• Pumpkin Patch went very well--thank you to all those who donated and volunteered! 
• Chairpersons & Class Parents: 
• The presentation was emailed out to all. 
• Budget clarification: when you are spending funds set aside for your committee, money should be primarily going towards the event, or supplies for the events.  Refreshments should be less of a priority and minimized.  Please reach out if you need more clarification.     
• Treasurers (Mona Kaur)
• Books and treasurers reports are available.
• When submitting receipts/deposits, please include the corresponding form.  All finance forms are available on our website.     
• Recording Secretary (Lauren Benech) 
• Please sign-in. 
• The meeting is being recorded.
• Next meeting is Wednesday, December 4th.     
• Corresponding Secretary (Krystal Yip)
• Thank you to all class Parents for Halloween partis
• Please submit for reimbursement within a month of your party/event.  You must include the form and your receipts for reimbursement. 
• If you are purchasing something with tax-exemption from Target, go through the regular cashier line, give the OV number and our profile will come up.  This works at Home Depot & Joann too.   
• Winter Holiday Parties are coming up!
• Please reach out with any questions. 
• Committee Updates:     
• FUNRaising (Cammie & Courtney)
• John's Deli 
• Chipotle is coming up in December.  
• Spirit Wear (Joelle)
• Store remains open.
• Items started going home from 1st order.  If you do not want items to home home with your child, please reach out to the chairs to make arrangements.    
• Fall Social (Trunk or Treat, Cammie & Mona)
• Thanks everyone for coming especially those who decorated cars!
• Candy went fast; discussed making plans for candy next year. We will need more candy, and plans for candy disbursement.    
• Fall Fundraiser (Color Run, Courtney)
• Postponed to Thursday. Discussion of communication for reschedule.  
• If you were not able to make it to the rescheduled date, please reach out to chairs to pick up prizes/delivery of Color Run items. 
• Postscript: The OVHSA released communication via email:  Dear Oak View Families, Due to a shipping error on the part of the supply company, the materials for our Color Run did not arrive as promised. Unfortunately, our parent volunteers organizing the event were not made aware of this error until moments before the Color Run was scheduled to begin. We are so sorry for the inconvenience that the last minute cancellation and subsequent rescheduling has caused. While we tried to think through a variety of options for the new Color Run date, tomorrow (Thursday, November 14th) ended up being the only viable option for the vendors, school administration, Board of Education, and other parties involved in scheduling. We deeply regret that this change in date may result in some families no longer being available to participate. If that is the case for your family, please reach out with your oldest child's name and classroom teacher so we can at least send home the prizes your children earned. All other families may pick up their children's supplies during registration on the black top tomorrow (Thursday) between 4-4:45pm. Other than the date change, all details for the event remain the same. The Bloomfield Fire Department will be present to provide lighting and our beloved DJ Wuzza will be there with the music pumping. We are truly grateful for all the community involvement that enabled us to raise money for our school and we are incredibly thankful for everyone's flexibility and understanding to ensure our students have the best Color Run possible. Warm regards, The Oak View HSA
  
• Basketball (Joelle)
• Practices start week of November 18th.  Coaches have/will reach out with practice times.  
• 1st game is 1st Saturday in January.  
• Wizards Night
• All 8 elementary schools participate.
• Ms. Biedermann, Ms. Moore, Ms. Rennie will be playing.   
• December 5th, doors open at 6, refreshments. 
• All proceeds go to district elementary school basketball season.   
• After School Explorers (Kim & Aileen)
• ASE has started! 
• 1/2 day classes: please send your child with a lunch/snack!
• Thanks to all volunteers!  
• Giving Garden Committee (Jen)
• Fall garden cleanup has been completed. Thanks to all students and parents who helped out! 
• Partnering with Mrs. Patulot & Mrs. McLaughlin's Green Team for harvesting and planting. 
• If you extra soil, please reach out for donation. 
• Discussion of Bonnie's Plants Program. 
• 6th Grade (Cammie)    
• Graduation
• Krispy Kreme pickup is Friday (11/15) (3pm).
• 6th grade hoodies will be available for pickup on Friday (11/15) at pickup. 
• Next up will be holiday Smencil sale.   
• Year Book 
• Yearbook Photos are almost done.
• Please upload your own photos to TreeRing.   
• Holiday Shop is next month!  All items will be $1-$8.  Stay tuned for more info.  
• New Business
• Discussion of possibility of holding Talent Show at BMS.  
  
• Question where the Gaga ball pit is and whether there is a possibility of purchasing more playground items for older kids. 
  
• Discussion of days off and petition to have Diwali as a day off. 
• Statement
• A motion was brought to the floor to end the November meeting, was seconded, and the November meeting concluded.