Most of it was were things that were updated by school boards association. a lot of legal stuff, maybe like some changes in in verbiage and language. Um, but most of it uh is not was not crazy. Uh, item G2 is the second reading of two policies that were previous one policy and one rag that were on previous agenda. Uh, item G3 is for the board to accept the focus grant. So before I told the board that we applied for three grants. Uh this we have not heard about two of them yet, which is making me a little bit nervous since it's the end of the school year. Um but we did um received the focus grant award in the amount of $2,40 and that helps us to pay for our Ames web uh universal screener for students in in K through third grade. I think it's either second or third grade, but I think it's third grade.
Rudolph. All right. Our educational services professional of the year for Bordontown Regional Middle School is Kristen Kelly. Kristen is also not from the limelight, but she definitely does so much work behind the scenes. She deserves deserves all the attention she's getting right now. Um Kristen works on our child study teams and case manager as well as serving as our learning disabilities teacher consultant. Uh Kristen works extremely hard to provide our staff and students with the support they need to help help the students become successful. She's a valuable resource for our staff. She always works and providing the best opportunities to learn and grow. A staff member said this about Kristen. Kristen is dedicated to her student success. She helps give staff data driven interventions to help instruct her students. She collaborates with many different schoolbased team to improve education at PRMS. We're thankful for all that Kristen does for for our staff and our students and and for all the resources that she provides.
As a bilingual educator, she helps build strong connections in both languages and helps people figure out how they can better work with home and school and create a very welcoming and supportive environment for the youngest of our learners. She is known for her professionalism, kindness, and willingness to always go above and beyond. Her commitment to children and families reflects the very best of our school. So, congratulations, Fatima. >> [applause] [cheering] [applause] >> Okay. >> So, our teacher >> Okay. >> So, our teacher of the year for Lamont Annex and Lamont is Jennifer Bates. Please come on up, Jennifer Bates. Yes, thank you. So, if you get a chance, Dr. get to know her backstory, it's one that humbled me and makes me very proud that she is here. So, please ask her about that. But, we proudly recognize her for the teacher of the year at Lamont because she's a dedicated early childhood educator with over 17 years of experience um and to proudly serve Bound Brook community for the past 4 years.
The policy allows us to choose a couple of different options calendar year uh you know backwards looking. So we will move forward with that. It's very important that we have that updated into place, but we do need to um consult with our council first. >> So, that one not voting on tonight. >> That one is not on the agenda for tonight. Yeah. 1643 is is not on the agenda for tonight. We'll we'll hopefully have that by uh by the June meeting. And that's all. >> Sean, was there anything substantial other than what you already talked about wording aligning vocabulary 2260? Um, no. That's a that's a policy that we currently have in place. I think it was, you know, wording, gendered language, that type of stuff that was that was being changed there. Um, if you want, Dave, I can I can pull up the quick summary on that real fast.
Um so we do have that on our official agenda and with that I will turn it over to Mr. Alfano if there's anything that you would like to highlight. >> Just a couple items. Thank you very much. Um, I want to make the board and the public aware that on uh May 12th, we had our auditors come in, what we call our pre- audit. We bring them in every year in May uh to try to proactively manage any potential findings when they come in in September for their formal audit. It's a informal quality Q&A discussion. We engage them in regard to where we believe there may be opportunities for findings and what we may do to remediate those findings proactively. So we are not reactively getting a finding back when they come in for their formal fiscal audit in September. Goes very well. Been doing this now for about seven or eight years.
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early >> [singing] >> What so proudly at the twilight's last >> [singing] >> whose broad through the perilous >> [singing] >> O'er the we watched were so gallantly And the rockets' the bombs Gave proof through the that our was still Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave >> [applause and cheering] >> So often parties have music playing. It really makes the party a better one. This next song is a folk song inviting you to a party. Here is Zayna, Zayna. >> [applause] >> Why don't you say "Hey"? Zayna, Zayna, Zayna, [singing] Zayna, hear the music playing on this lovely night. [singing] Zayna, Zayna, Zayna, Zayna, there's no use in your delaying for >> [singing] >> the time is right. Zayna, Zayna, join the celebration, >> [music] >> join in the happiness and jubilation, dancing, singing for the occasion.
To accept this class on behalf of our school community, I'd like to invite our board president, Mr. Rodney Hawkins, to the podium. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Mr. On behalf of our school community, we wish you the best in your coming years by traveling 7,000 miles to school and having no other way to find public transportation. Students, this moment marks the culmination of years of effort, learning, and growth. We commend your hard work and dedication, and we look forward to following what you will achieve as you move on to high school. Congratulations, Class of 2023. >> [applause] >> We would like to recognize a few students whose academic excellence stood out in specific subject areas. These individuals have demonstrated remarkable understanding, consistent effort, and a true passion for learning. Please welcome our middle school teachers who will present the special awards for best in English language arts, social studies, science, and math.
They are wearing red cords this evening. And while I may not present them to you individually, let me draw your attention to their names which are marked in your commencement program and ask you to applaud their accomplishments as an as honor graduates. Lastly, please also note those students wearing a red, white, and blue arord this evening. These students will be entering the military upon graduation. Would you please show your appreciation for these graduates as well? At this time, we'll hear from our three members of the top 1%. We will start with Miss Sophia Gomez.
The first lyric in the chorus of Let It Happen is I Cannot Vanish. You'll experience the flow of time either way. You can stare at the clock and use all your will to slow it down. Or sorry, you can stare at the clock and watch time move forward. Or you can use all your will to slow it down. But no matter what you do, time passes and you can't vanish from it. No matter if you hate the moment or love it, time will pass anyway. So be present and let it happen. Thank you. >> [applause] >> At this time, I'd like to introduce our next speaker, Hungwin. [applause] >> Hello there. My name is Hungwin and I want to thank everyone who is here today. Specifically, I want to personally thank Mr. them for doing so much for me in the past four years. From writing countless recommendation letters, pushing me in cross country when I was ready to give up to having the best classroom to nap in.
>> Yeah. Come on. Here we go. >> You know that this right here forever. No surrender. It's forever. You know yo this why forever no surrender it's forever you know this why forever alive yeah I alive >> really I never been better legacy this forever really I never been better legacy this forever really I never been better the legacy live forever remember the legend and know that he never surrendered Cuz this is forever. >> Uh-huh. >> And there will be no surrender. >> Yeah. >> Come on. Here we go. >> You know that this right here forever. No surrender. It's forever. You know this forever. No surrender. It's forever. You know this forever. >> [music] >> Hey. [music] Hey. Hey. Hey, hey, hey. [music] Heat. Heat. Hey, [music] hey, hey. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> I've been thinking about tonight.
Mel had wanted to know whether or not we've heard uh from our attorneys with respect to uh the validity of the the application. Um so, we did hear back initially from attorney Winner just with regards to one particular piece, which I believe was uh related to the AUL, and what his initial thoughts were about that. And so, we did have a discussion, and I asked him to do a deeper dive into all of the questions. So, that is what's going on right now. They're researching um all of those questions, not just the AUL one. Okay. Thank you. Did Mr. Winner by any chance uh in share why it's taken so long to do this? It's been 6 months. I I I I I understand this. >> Yes. Um and so, I did Connie, we we actually, when we started the meeting tonight, we said that we weren't going to go into uh full discussions.
And they'll lead it off with the sophomore who is on the mound, Nicois, who as mentioned a 593 batting average, 35 hits and 59 at bats. She walked 13 times. She's only strucking out three as she takes that one away. Four home runs as well. Excellent speed, 17 steals on 18 tries. I'd like to say that Nico is an automatic double. Uh anytime she puts the ball in play, she has the opportunity to reach first on a slow roller, on a fast grounder, and in the outfield. But if she reaches first base, she's likely going to be on two. That's a slow roller foul down the third baseline. It's a ball in two strikes and she is facing 11. >> Yeah. >> Oh, that that was absolutely a single written all over it. And on the first pitch of the next at bat, probably turns into a double with that stolen base.
Uh and so, our leadership's will our leadership team will continue that work next week and I'm just eager to to keep it going. So, really excited for that work. Mrs. Ferris and I also just looked into the possibility of looking at um reading, the science of reading in kindergarten through grade three. [snorts] Leadership team around that. The state is offering a free cohort. It might be their last one. They've done this will be the sixth cohort. We were just on a webinar today. So, we're flirting with that potential opportunity. We're not sure yet if that would be a good direction because we also realize that being focused is important, too. So, we don't want to put too much on the plate because we want to make sure that we get some systems and structures right so that way we can put into the system the things that will really produce great outcomes.
>> Great. Thank you. >> Anything else that you want to add for the financials or talk about? >> Uh, no. This was a relatively um straightforward month. there were no surprises. Uh I think we're we're closing the year um in a in a pretty orderly fashion. Again, we we still have the the outstanding open POS being sent out every month by uh Jessica. She's really staying on top of that. It's it's been a really big help. Um the the only thing that I'm um want to keep in the back back of everyone's mind is the uh the payroll. when we run payroll, the benefits that are associated with that payroll are are estimated in the system. And as Angela said before, she does a a true up. Um, and that can be a very um substantial amount. I think in this particular month we're looking at it was almost 800,000.
It was applying for club positions and hoping for the best. It was passing the tests we studied for, and failing the ones we definitely didn't. It was hearing phones away for the hundredth time and still acting like we didn't know what they were talking about. But for some of us, there were things that people didn't always see. Some of us carried fears we never said out loud, or worried about losing people we love. Some of us went home to silence, responsibility, >> [crying] >> Oh my god. Sorry. Or struggles we were too young to have to carry. And for some, just showing up to school every day took more courage than anyone realized. We had breakdowns, late-night cram sessions. We had setbacks, disappointments, and days when giving up felt easier. But we kept going, and that is what makes this moment so meaningful because now when we look back at all those little things, we realize that they were never little at all.
Next, I'd like to thank my coaches, teachers, and friends as you've all supported me so well through my high school years. And a big part of what made those years so valuable to me are all of you and the community we have developed and shared. At Anaheim, I may have been one of the only blonde-haired kids in sight, but never did I feel out of place. And that is thanks to the people around me. Many of you have known each other since before quarantine, and some of you may have only met this year. As big as our school is, you may not know the person next to you. But whether through deep connection or simple courtesy, Anaheim foster is an environment where one can find community regardless of differences. And I treasure this so deeply because I feel as though no matter how stressful life or calculus gets, we always seem to be able to lift each other up.
Um as you can tell, she comes comes in here with a good attitude and smiling and uh always delivers a great a great uh report for everyone. And so we really appreciate her. Um we're going to miss her a lot. Um I know Miss Wanderer gets emotional talking about it. Luckily, she's not talking about it right now, but yes, appreciate you. Thank you, >> Yeah. Okay. >> Oh, for sure. Thank you. Good call. >> All right. So, I've got Indie Solzer and Jacob Garcia. They've split these roles really well over the course of the year. Um, Emmy is a great great student. She's very dedicated to her faith. So, a couple times she has missed other students have stepped up. So, thank you very much for that, Jacob. Um, she's actually in Hawaii right now on short-term independent studies. So, um, anyway, so I'll I'll have to get a picture with Emmy back at West Valley.
As a staff member, Jay is the ultimate teammate who is a willing employee who tackles absolutely anything who tackles abs- any task asked of him, no questions asked. And let's be honest, his calm demeanor combined with his physical presence has made him an invaluable asset to our staff. He can diffuse a situation with just a look and a reassuring word. Jay, you have spent over 20 years bringing a positive attitude to Chico schools. You have made Chico High truly a better place for students and staff alike. As you step into the next chapter and ride off into the retirement, hopefully on a golf cart that goes a little bit faster. Know that your legacy here is secure. You've changed lives, you've built a community, and you will always be a panther. Jay said after 25 years with Chico Unified, the time has come for me to say goodbye as I head into retirement.
Uh uh where am I at? Uh four. Okay, four. We have one guest speaker from Stockton University. Item five, we have another um trove of advanced approved uh parents volunteering. Item six is to approve the creation of a literacy literacy teacher coach position uh at the elementary school. Essentially, this is a a teaching position, but it is someone who will be working with the teachers uh to help implement interventions within their own uh classroom. Um, also going to be doing some some pull out instruction for students who who need a little bit more uh help than what they're getting in the classroom. But really what we want is someone to come in and and work with our teaching staff next year. Not it, like I said, it is a teaching position, not a supervisory or administrative position. Uh, under H1, we have some uh new hires and personnel.
And congratulations to our VRS educational service professional leader, Kristen Cal. Hey, they always schedule these nights when we have an event like field day. I look like myself. I would have I I just haven't gone home today. So, this is my field day out. That's uh they say the loudest voices in a room often get the most attention, but tonight we're here to celebrate someone who proves that the quietest presence can make the biggest impact. It's an honor to present the McFarland Intermediate School Teacher of the Year Award to Jennifer Parkinson. Jen has been an important part of our Mortontown School community for some time now, but it wasn't until this past year that I finally had the privilege of working with her directly. And let me tell you, getting to see her in action every day, I can tell you she embodies what it means to be a great educator.