PS 166 PTA General Meeting

MINUTES PS 166 PTA GENERAL MEETING FEBRUARY 16, 2017, AT 8:30 AM IN THE CAFETERIA

1. Call to Order 1. The meeting was called to order at 8:33 AM by Madelyn Storms. A quorum was established.

2. Approval of Minutes Motion to approve minutes will be delayed until Janet Moyle returns at the next meeting.

1. TOWER GARDEN Josh Weinberger showed everyone the tower. Talked about elements of the tower. Said they will harvest and start a new cycle after the February break. Hoping for a full cycle now that all kinks have been worked out. Nina thanked Josh and Cari (sp?) and addressed issues they have dealt with and all the hard work that has gone into making it a success.

1. CEC3 PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL REPORT Kim Watkins spoke: CEC talking about sustainability of Harlem District 3 situation. Very large geographic area with 6 schools accepting Kindergarten kids. Enrollment is shrinking because of the 6 charter schools which are growing. Our CEC zoning committee is producing an event on April 1st; a district-wide but Harlem focused event on educational future of all those schools including charter. Letter was sent to chancellor detailing enrollment process. Acknowledged that charter schools receive approvals without community engagement or approvals. Info about advocating for schools and evaluating what parents want will be addressed. Several advocacy groups are involved. Signup genius account will be set up to volunteer at event. Middle school; Kristen Berger is working with parents to bring more equity to the middle school admissions process.

1. LEAD Madelyn Storms announced that John Hession (sp?), Deputy Director of Facilities DOE will be coming to talk about lead but not health issues. She recommended parents call pediatrician with concerns.

John arrived at 8:45 AM to discuss sampling of sampling of water in the school. New round of lead testing happening. Testing last year in March 2016. New testing based on emergency testing ordered by governor Cuomo. Last year there was pre stagnation flushing to mimic use in the building. Now tested water is not flushed and has been stagnant for 8-18 hours, elevating readings. Protocol: If there is an elevated reading, the water stays off. If it’s a sink attached to a fountain it is isolated. Plumbers come in to do remediation work on fixture and supply lines. Deputy Chancellor letter is backpacked home. Water stays off until it is re-tested and passes. Deputy Chancellor backpacks 2nd letter. We had 7 sources with lead. Reason for elevated levels is water is sitting in the pipes. We now have a flushing protocol in place. Flushing protocol is after a weekend or holiday, custodial staff arrive early and flush the entire building. John overseas flushing. Our custodian actually flushes every source for 2 min every day (going beyond protocall). Flushing pipes the best way to avoid lead contamination. Question raised about lead piping in the building. John did not know if all pipes were lead or not but suspected there is more copper. The lead source is usually in the fixtures. Also the mains coming in from the city are usually lead free. Fixtures are replaced when testing reveals elevated level. Last year’s testing the SCA did the testing and they didn’t test all the outlets. With the new legislation, all outlets are tested and testing is more rigorous. Legislation calls for testing once every five years. Remediation work is happening with 8 fixtures that tested with elevated levels in our building. Fixtures being replaced. Then has to be re-tested. All records kept and posted on DOE website. Schools can be re-tested more often than once every 5 years if need be. Last year’s testing showed that even a 30 second flush showed great improvements in lower lead levels. Now water is tested without flushing. Highest levels in offices where water is not used or rarely used. Frequently used sources were not showing elevated levels. He stresses the need to habitually and routinely run water for a few seconds before drinking it. Also assured parents that if fixtures are replaced and water still tests with elevated levels, the wall gets opened up and they go into the pipes. This year’s testing is mandatory not voluntary like last year. Legislation has been passed to create this round of testing. Question about specificity of test itself, data collection, probability for false positive or negative. Where is the threshold for error? Is data analyzed anecdotally or statistically? John assured that while he can’t answer as he is not EPA, he does use best practices to identify patterns and react accordingly for all the buildings he is in charge of. Question of why parents a decade ago at PS 166 may have been told the water was fine and now testing is stepped up. John suggested it could be due to increased awareness after issues in Flint, MI and NJ. Also testing methods have changed, but ultimately EPA has set lower thresholds. Parents mentioned you can purchase testing kits at home and John said you can call 311 to request a kit if you want to test your water at home. Suggestion for school to do its own testing before 5 years. Also John says he has noticed that newer buildings tend to have higher levels than older buildings. There has not been a single case in NYC of lead poisoning from school water. Fountain in playground not covered by DOE because it’s parks. If we have to break a wall we also have to check for asbestos. Asbestos is always abated before work continues. If we do our own testing before the 5 years there is a question about if John’s department would remediate the situation. He has to check and could not give an answer. Most faucets that are worked on remain at low levels except there was one in one school that was off too long and tested elevated a 2nd time. Also reassurance that all NYC water enters the system lead-free. Any lead comes into the water as it runs through pipes. Protocol is different for hand washing stations than faucets kids drink out of. Remediation work: Done after test results come in. First backpacked letter goes home. Work begins: Fixtures stay off. Retest. Stays off. Not returned to normal service until 2nd letter is backpacked and it passes the test. Remediation normally takes about 2 weeks. Garden hoses are not tested. Testing water around the school suggested as a science project for older grades. Also having an independent water professional in to review records. John and dept of health and environmental health and safety will be attending next CEC meeting in March 22nd. Ms. Mastriano sending around a petition regarding 2 rooms in the building (science and art) that need repair from SCA. (Not related to lead, just a facilities issue).

2. FUNDRAISING Nina and Madelyn have met with K, 1 and 2 so far to give fundraising updates, CAP updates and hear from parents about concerns and get feedback and to hear what parents think is important. Will be meeting with all grades. If you haven’t made it to meeting, look out for a survey being sent home. K currently a little under 100K, need about 10K more. 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th are funded for the year.

3. PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL • Erin V spoke for Kerr K. Changes in Chancellor’s Regulations A-660 - There is a new revision of the Chancellor’s Regs that was just approved January 19th. There are no huge changes, but there are some significant revisions that mean we as a PTA have to revise and update our bylaws this year. Some of the revisions are related to elections, so we will need to vote and approve the changes in the coming months. So please watch the agendas items for upcoming meeting topics - The exec board will want input from any interested parents as they work on the revisions. • ● We had the district 3 spelling bee this past Saturday, and it was great! We had some 166 parents that came to support our contestants (we had two) and the other spellers. It was a great event, sponsored by Presidents’ Council and Book Culture. • ● The District 3 CEC elections will be happening this year. The voters from each school that get to select our next CEC3 are three of the exec board members. There will be a forum to meet and hear from all the candidates on April 4th at 6:30pm at JOA on 93rd. Although the three exec board members vote, they would love any input and thoughts you have about the candidates, so please consider putting that on you calendar and attending. Important dates coming up: • ● April 4th - CEC Candidates forum • ● April 22nd - District 3 Science Expo! We we have students from 1st-5th grades taking their projects, and all the districts kids would appreciate everyone coming out to support them. It will be 11am,-1:30pm at the Brandeis Campus building down on 84th near Columbus. Also, this event is organized by President’s Council, and we would love to have volunteers that could help with anything from planning to advertising, setting up, and definitely during the event. SO please let Kerri know if you might be interested in helping out. • ● May 24th and 25th - District 3 Arts Fair, also organized by Pres Council. It was a huge hit last year, the kids loved it and we had our visual art area and we had the performance art section. That will be happening again, so if you are interested in volunteering that day or with the prep work or helping Ms. King get all the kids’ artwork over there, let Kerri know. And please plan on stopping in to see some of the performers and all the amazing art going on in our D3 schools.

4. EVENTS AUCTION: Tickets The auction is fast approaching - March 25th - Buy your tickets before tomorrow at midnight, as we have extended the early-bird discounts. Don't forgot to purchase a Designer Bag Grab ticket as well, they usually run out before the event at www.ps166auction.com The Diamond Horseshoe is an amazing venue (as you saw in the handout) and the food and drink will be exceptional, and not to be missed. Volunteers We have a great auctioneer, but we are are in need of an excellent DJ who can donate their time for a very good cause. We are also looking for a MC who can move the program along, someone with experience, natural stage presence, funny, and knows how to work a crowd. Finally, we are looking for live event volunteers, bid spotters, merchandise handlers, registration/check out volunteers, and a few people to man the wine pull, the 50/50 raffle and the Bag grab, etc. for just an hour of your time during the event. Online Auction The online auction runs March 8 - 24, and we are still taking donations, We have received some amazing Broadway tickets w/backstage cast meetings, show experiences, sporting events, tastings, camps etc... If you have any questions, donations or wish to volunteer please email [email protected],

DANCE EVENT March 5

BOOK FAIR MARCH 6-10 Need volunteers.

MEETING ADJOURNED 9:45 AM

Respectfully submitted,

______Erin Peck, Vice President PS 166 PTA