001All right. Good evening. >> I'd like to call the meeting to order. In accordance with the provisions of the New Jersey Open Public Meeting Act of 1975, the Ottabon Board of Education transmitted notice of the meeting scheduled at 6:30 p.m. in the Ottabon Junior Senior High School Media Center to the Retrospect newspaper and the Burough Clerk and by postings on the Ottabon Public School District website and at the main and the Pine Street entrances of the junior senior high school. Roll call, please. Mrs. Ron Casease. >> Amy Davis, here. >> Steven Wilson, >> here. Sarah Coen, >> Alison Lipsky, absent. Mark Addie, Bill Wilson, Danielle D. Franchesco, Alison Cox, Andrea Robinson here, >> Jonathan Maxon here. >> Thank you. Whereas while the Senator Byron M. Bear open public meetings act requires all meetings of the
002Ottabon Board of Education to be held in public NJSA 10 col4-12B sets forth nine types of matters that may lawfully be discussed in executive session i.e without the public being permitted to attend and whereas the Ottabon Board of Education has deemed it necessary to go into close session to discuss certain matters that are exempted from the public and as are noted in the agenda. May I have a motion to go into executive session? >> All in favor? I. Any opposed? All right. We will be approximately 30 minutes. I would like to reconvene the meeting. May I have a motion? >> Second. >> All in post, please stand for the flag salute. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America. to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God,
003indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> All right. First on our agenda, student representatives. Do you have a mic? So, recently, um, school is starting to wind down a little bit just because the break is coming soon. So, we're all getting ready for the holidays. Um, but last week the ensemble got to sing for the preschool and for the senior citizens. So, that was pretty fun. And we also had an assembly where every student was introduced to Clayful, which is our new virtual mental health um >> software. So, um they got to do a little survey and I did it too. Um, once you took the survey, it gave you a plan for your guided needs. So, if you want to continue with CLU in the ways that you need it. >> So, uh,
004this week I had the pleasure of going to, uh, Havland and meeting with a second grader named Catalina. Let me just start off by saying she was very well spoken. It was a pleasure to to speak with her. And I just got a little bit of some like inside info what's going on there. They are all looking forward to their holiday parties coming up. Uh they since the last couple board meetings they had their Halloween parade which I remember doing was a lot of fun. They've in steam they've been doing coding games in art. They're looking forward to having uh museum art coming to the school later in the spring which sounds really awesome. It's art was always really great when I was there. Uh they're also doing a lot offormational writing at the moment.
005Yeah, it's it all sounds great and really glad I had the opportunity to talk to them and looking forward to doing it again next month. >> Excellent. Thank you. And thank you for taking that initiative too to go over to the grade schools. Any um questions or anything for the student reps, Miss Robinson? >> Curious about when you go during the school day or >> So, I showed up at like three on Monday after school. So, I just kind of walked right there. Yeah, it was. I just kind of walked in. >> You just grabbed a kid or did they? >> Yeah, I just grabbed a kid. No, that they had one set up for me. Like a student le you were coming. >> Yeah, I did tell. Yeah, me and Miss Lisier spoke over
006the phone. Set it all up. >> Okay. >> Any other questions? All right. Thank you guys very much. Next, we're going to proceed with um one of the uh highlights of our meeting. We have our spotlight program. We're going to recognize our students of the month for November 2025. So, after we say wonderful things about all of our students and also recognize our staff members as well, we'd ask you to stay. We want to make sure that we take a picture of all of our students and staff members. And um when you do come up for your um when your name is called, if you feel more comfortable coming up with your special person with a grown-up, that's fine. Um or you're welcome to just come up by yourself. Okay. Um so we will start
007with our pre kindergarten students. >> Margot Lawrence Marggo's teacher wrote, "Margot Lawrence is the student of the month for November because she consistently shows gratitude in the classroom. She says thank you when her teacher and friends open or do something for her. She always acknowledges when someone else is being kind by giving a smile or a thumbs up. She shares toys with friends and encourages her classmates to do the same. Margot is a positive role model within our classroom community. Kindergarten Nathan Johnson. Nathan Johnson. They'd like to nominate you for the kindergarten student of the month. Nathan fully embodies this month's attribute of gratitude. Nathan is always thankful and appreciative to both students and teachers, but his gratitude was really highlighted when we did a daily thankful project this month. Most students listed a family
008member, toy, or a friend. Nathan was thankful for moments and experiences with people. Watching TV with his mom, going to the car wash with his dad were a few. Congratulations, Nathan. >> Okay, for first grade student of the month is presented to Olivia Valente. All right. Olivia's teacher says that Olivia has transitioned into first grade so nicely and is such a big part of our classroom. Olivia is being honored as our student of the month for showing wonderful gratitude every day. She always remembers to say thank you to classmates and teachers. And she appreciates the big and little things others do for her. Olivia shows gratitude by using kind words, helping friends, and helping me in the classroom with helpful reminders and doing tasks without being asked. Her thankful heart brings positivity positivity to our
009classroom and inspires others to be appreciative as well. She is a great role model for our safe, respectful, and responsible school community. Great job, Olivia. Congratulations. And our second grade student of the month is presented to Ava Strky. Ava. No. No. Ava. Okay. So, I'll hold that for Ava. Ava consistently shows gratitude toward classmates and teachers. She greets everyone each morning with a smile and says hello. She gets along with her peers and is quick to use her manners, always saying please and thank you. Ava's bright light in the classroom. She is kind, helpful, and always willing to share with her friends. I'm happy to nominate Ava as the second grade student of the month. for third grade. Wyatt Boga. Your teacher wrote, "Wyatt Boga is a third grader who is wonderfully expressive in their
010gratitude, frequently offering thanks and creating special art projects to show appreciation. He openly accepts values and is thankful for strategies that help him grow and learn. Wyatt's sincere wish to do his best, even during tough moments, demonstrates a caring, resilient, and gracious spirit. I am happy to nominate Wyatt as student of the month. Congratulations. Good evening. The fourth grade student of the month is Mia Peterson. Welcome. Mia Patterson shows gratitude every day in class through both her words and her actions. She consistently thanks her teacher and classmates for their help, feedback, and support, and she treats classroom materials with care because she values the learning environment. During group activities, Mia recognizes the efforts of others and makes sure everyone feels appreciated. Mia is sure to always be smiling, listening attentively, or offering help in return.
011This shows that she never takes kindness or opportunities for granted. Mia's positive attitude helps build our classroom family and her gratitude inspires others to be more thoughtful and respectful as well. Thank you. >> Jinson Deriss is the fifth grade student of the month. Jacinson brings such genuine gratitude and joy to learning each day. He arrives eager and ready to grow, fully engra engages in every lesson and takes great pride in his work. His kindness, respect, and care for others shine through in all he does, making him a true gentleman to both students and staff at MAS. Jinson is a wonderfully well-rounded student who consistently gives 100% effort. He is a bright light in our school community and truly a standout mountain lion here at Mansion Avenue School. Tonight's sixth grade student of the month is
012Gabrielle Brie Lavell Depatri. We are proud to nominate Bri for the sixth grade student of the month. Bri is a kind and caring student who also demonstrates gratitude throughout the school day. She is always polite and shows gratitude when she's given anything in our classroom. This could be for supplies or a birthday treat from a classmate. She also displays roar expectations in her schoolwork to her classmates and to her teachers. She's a pleasure to have in class and we are so proud of the year she's having so far. Congratulations, Bri. The grade seven student of the month is Adrien Adam Ze Delarge. Adrienne is a student who embodies gratitude, positivity, and kindness. With a remarkable GPA over 97, she consistently participates in class and approaches every challenge with dedication and heart. Whether participating in cheer,
013soccer, or giving her best in math, Adrienne des uh demonstrates responsibility, compassion, and leadership, she is a caring role model to her younger siblings and attentive to her family cat, showing the same thoughtfulness at home as she does at school. Adrienne is the type of student every teacher hopes for and any parent would be proud to have. Always appreciative, respectful, and a true example of Eagle ex excellence. Sorry. Thank you so much. For the eighth grade student of the month, we have Braden Johnson. Braden Johnson is an outstanding eighth grade student who exemplifies gratitude in all that he does. An amazing student in class, Braden con consistently demonstrates focus, curiosity, and a strong work ethic. An active member of the Junior National Honor Society, he contributes to his school community with a positive attitude and
014a willingness to help others. Outside of school, he enjoys fishing, building with Legos, and riding his bike, showing a creativity and enthusiasm that also shines in his art class. Braden values his family, spending time with his younger brother and sister, and demonstrates thoughtfulness and care in all areas of his life. His gratitude, dedication, and strong character make him a role model for his peers and a deserving student of the month. Congratulations, The freshman class student of the month is Nathan Drummond. Is Nathan here? Okay. Nathan's teacher writes that Nathan is a standout ninth grade student whose dedication and positive attitude make him a deserving student of the month. During the first marking period, Nathan earned an outstanding 99.7 average while maintaining perfect attendance, demonstrating his determination and commitment to academic excellence. Beyond the classroom, Nathan
015is an extremely kind and thoughtful individual who brings gratitude and respect to everyone around him. He is also a competitive swimmer, recently kicking off the season with his high school team and continuing to excel with the South Jersey Wahoos. Nathan enjoys history and shares his school journey with his twin sister Amanda. His hard work, kindness, and drive serve as an inspiration to his peers. Congratulations, And for our sophomore class, we have Adam Sinatra. Congratulations. His teacher writes, "Adam is an exceptional 10th grade student whose dedication, leadership, and gratitude shine through in everything he does. Always willing to lend a hand and show appreciation for those around him, Adam is deeply involved in a wide range of activities, including band, marching band, jazz band, concert band, indoor percussion, chess, dungeons and dragons, intergenerational, environmental club, academic
016challenge, the welcoming committee, principal advisory committees, and serves as communication officer for this sophomore class. You're not busy at all, are you? Beyond the extracurricular involvement, Adam consistently enrolls in competitive classes and pushes himself academically, demonstrating a strong work ethic and a drive to excel. His hard work, positive attitude, and genuine thankfulness make him a role model for his peers and a valued member of the Ottabon Junior Senior High School community. Congratulations, Alan. Okay, the junior class student of the month is Elizabeth Holland. All right. All right. Uh, Elizabeth's teacher is proud to name Elizabeth as the student of the month for her exceptional dedication, talent, and positive attitude. Elizabeth actively participates in theater, piano, debate, and dance, consistently bringing energy and commitment to every activity she pursues. She approaches her academics with the same
017enthusiasm, particularly in mathematics, where her curiosity and focus shine. Beyond her impressive accomplishments, Elizabeth demonstrates genuine gratitude for the opportunities she has, showing appreciation for her teachers, peers, family, and the community around her. Her thoughtfulness, thoughtfulness, talent, and dedication make her a true role model for her classmates. Congratulations. The senior class student of the month is El Isabella Lamusa. Isabella here. >> Congratulations. >> Isabella exemplifies gratitude, dedication, and excellence in all she does. As the voice of Audabon for our morning announcements, she consistently brings energy, professionalism, and a positive spirit to start the day. Isabella actively participates in unified sports and is an integral member of our varsity softball and tennis teams, showing commitment in teamwork on and off the field. In the classroom, she is always prepared both in her work and in her
018approach to learning, demonstrating responsibility, self-control, and maturity beyond her years. I have had the pleasure, her teacher says that they've had the pleasure of teaching Isabella in two very different classes with diverse groups of students. And in every setting, she remains consistently respectful, classy, and encouraging to those around her. Her presence brings gratitude and positivity to our school community, making her a truly deserving student of the month. Congratulations. We heard Jackson just arrived. So, fifth grade student of the month right there. Jackinson brings such genuine gratitude and joy to learning each day. He arrives eager and ready to grow, fully engages in every lesson, and takes great pride in his work. His kindness, respect, and care for others shine through in all he does, making him a true gentleman to both students and staff at
019Mansion. Jackson is a wonderfully well-rounded student who consistently gives 100% effort. He is a bright light in our school community and truly a standout mountain lion here at Mansion Avenue School. All right. Wonderful. Now, we'd like to continue with our staff recognitions for the preschool and for Havland Avenue. We have Miss Biano and Miss Egan. >> You didn't think I was gonna let you do it, did you? >> Huh? You didn't think I was gonna let you do it? No. >> Oh, thank you. Awesome. Yeah, I got it. All right. I have um the great pleasure of um sharing with you the another dynamic duo that we work with. U Mrs. Kaylee Biano and Mrs. Christine Egan are a preschool teacher and a pair professional at our Ottabon preschool program that work together. So I
020will start with Mrs. Biano. Mrs. Biano's class is full of positive energy. She gets students ready for learning with songs and dances and her students genuinely cheer at the start of each day. Expectations are clear and demands are high. And her students are more than happy to show you how it's done. Students practice independent use of classroom resources, use available tools to self-regulate, and transition smoothly at each stage of their busy day. All of this because Mrs. Biano has created a learning environment that promotes curiosity through meaningful play. Mrs. Biano's classroom is a place for friends, for kindness, and for doing your very best. Her students observe the world around them, ask questions, and seek solutions to problems. They think, act, and work with the tenacity that will serve as a foundation for learning all
021of their lives. Mrs. Biano is truly a skilled educator beyond and skilled and intuitive beyond her years of experience. She has set the bar high for the preschool small group instruction position by implementing databased targeted learning modules for each student and working closely with the instructional coach to develop a program that enhanced learning in every classroom at the preschool. Now that she is a classroom teacher, she has left big shoes to fill. But I am certain she will be there to lend a hand to make our program the best it can be. Preschool is so much more than just preparing for kindergarten. It is where st students learn how to be learners. And Mrs. Biano's little bees are ready for whatever comes their way. Kaylee, thank you for your hard work, support, and your dedication
022to our students and our school. Congratulations. All right, Mrs. Egan. Miss Chris comes to work each day with a smile and a can do attitude. And you can count on her to be dancing, singing, or cracking jokes with students throughout the day. She makes learning fun by modeling a growth mindset and meeting students where they are. With her support, students successfully achieve and exceed expectations, and they seek her out when they need a helping hand. Mrs. Egan is a self-starter who supports her colleagues and seeks ways to grow as a professional. She attends professional development opportunities and provides valuable insight that informs informs event and instructional planning. She prepares and leads her own small groups, contributes to data collection for monitoring student progress, and helps man helps our littles manage their big emotions. And though
023she works hard, she makes it look very easy. Outside of the classroom, Chris is a friend and a confidant who shares recipes, workout tips, and as always, has a story about her dogs and her children in that order. Sorry, kids. She is a listener and a cheerleader who supports her colleagues not just as co-workers but as friends. And in short, Miss Chris loves Ottabon Preschool as much as Ottabbon Preschool loves her. Chris, thank you for your hard work, your support, and your dedication to our students and our schools. Congratulations. >> All right. And next for the Mansion Avenue School, we have Miss Angelone and Miss St. >> Got to do it as a duo now. They set the bar. >> Okay. Good evening everyone and I am very excited on behalf of the staff at
024Mansion Avenue School to recognize these two outstanding educators. First, I'm going to introduce to you Kelly Angelone and we are proud to recognize Kelly Angelone as our November teacher of the month. Kelly is an exceptional educator whose dedication shines through in everything she does. Her classroom is a place where students feel supported, challenged, and inspired every single day. Kelly is known for being a highly organized and expert instructor, always prepared with thoughtful lessons that meet the needs of every learner. Her patience, creativity, and deep care for her students create an environment where children feel safe to take risks and grow. Whether she's developing engaging activities, offering extra encouragement, or collaborating with colleagues, Kelly brings warmth, professionalism, and heart to our school community. Congratulations, Kelly. Thank you for the incredible work you do. And your gifts
025are back at the building. So that's tomorrow morning. and to Cindy Stab. Cindy is a par professional in our building um and works with a number of our special needs students. So, as our November staff member of the month, Miss Cindy consistently goes above and beyond to support both students and staff at Mansion. She's always looking out for students needs, helping them stay on task, keeping their materials organized, and providing gentle reminders that set them up for success. Miss Cindy also supports teachers in countless ways, often taking on extra responsibilities, such as remembering Chromebooks to help ensure smooth and positive transitions between her classes. Her cheerful attitude and constant smile brightens the day for everyone around her, creating a welcoming and uplifting environment for students and staff alike. She takes the time to build meaningful
026relationships not only with the students she directly works with, but with all students she interacts with. Her strong school spirit, love in those spirit days, Miss Cindy, shines through every theme day and spirit event, helping strengthen our sense of community. For these reasons and so many more, Miss Cindy truly deserves to be recognized as staff member of the month. Congratulations, And for the um junior senior high school, we have Mr. Harter and Mr. Irvin. Thank you. I will read on their behalf. All right. So, it is my pleasure to recognize Mr. Matt Harter, science teacher at Ottabon High School, as our staff member of the month. Matt consistently goes above and beyond for his students, offering support before and after school and taking every opportunity to help them succeed. His dedication to their learning, growth,
027and well-being is evident in the care he brings to his classroom each day. In addition to his work with students, Matt has become an invaluable resource for our staff. He has created clear guides, diagrams, and troubleshooting tools that have supported colleagues with technology related to testing, attendance, and various school systems. His willingness to step in, share his expertise, and to help others reflects on his strong commitment to the entire AHS community. Thank you, Matt, for all that you do for our students, staff, and school. Your efforts are truly noticed and appreciated. Tyler Urban. We recognize Tyler as our staff member of the month for November in appreciation of his outstanding dedication and service as a valued member of our maintenance department. Tyler is always willing to help and consistently responds to the needs of the
028building with enthusiasm and professionalism no matter the task or the circumstances. Tyler Tyler is a true professional who takes pride in everything he does. He's always pleasant, greets others with a positive attitude, and helps create a welcoming environment throughout the building. His hard work and commitment play an important role in making Ottabon High School a great place for students and staff alike. Thank you, Tyler, for all that you do. Before we have our picture taking, um, I thought it might be appropriate for us to do our first special presentation with Mr. Brennan and our special guest star this evening, Miss Roxy, who looks so chill right now. Um, so I thought it would be nice to do that while we still have our students and families here. So, please come on up. >> Mr. Smith
029is gonna play a brief video for you. >> Okay. >> Um, I will introduce Mr. Brennan and Roxy. Um, Mr. Brennan, um, comes to Havland Avenue and Ottabon Preschool with his K9 therapy dog, um, Roxy on a rotating basis. We have a schedule every couple of weeks so that every classroom gets time to visit with the dog. Um, and I I will say on one of the very first times that Roxy was with us, um, there was a student having a particularly difficult day for a reason. And I said, "Come here. I want you to meet somebody." And so I just, her and I went for a walk down the hall and Mr. Brennan was in another classroom and we went in and she sat on the carpet. She saw the dog. She joined the
030class. She sat there and she pet that dog and immediately she hit reset. She was smiling. She went back about the rest of her day and it really just helped her to calm and regulate finding the joy of spending time with that animal. So, we are grateful for him every day. Um, I will share that Mr. Brennan has made trading cards for the children. He makes coloring pages for the children. Last summer, he um designed and ordered a sensory vest to be made for the dog so that children um who might be intimidated by petting her would have tactile response or different types of special needs as well as pleps for students who are non-verbal. They have those those responses all built into the vest. And so, in so many ways, he goes out of
031his way to be good to our community. We just wanted to take a minute to recognize him. And he's we're going to see a brief video of Roxy and a little bit of what she does. and then I'm gonna get out of the way and let him do the talking. Thank you for all you do, Mr. Brennan. >> Of course. I just wondered how you managed allergies and fears of dogs. Sure. Okay. The only reason I asked is because this was a controversy a couple years ago and allergies and dog fears were cited as reasons why we weren't going to have dogs on in the schools. So, I was just curious if but it sounds like you have a great plan for managing all of that. So, back here. >> No, I'm good. No, I
032was just gonna thank you again for coming. >> We would like Roxy to come to every board meeting. Actually, >> will Roxy get more pictures? Yeah, >> she's fantastic. >> Um, if Roxy maybe could stay, we're going to do our our pictures. >> All right. So, we are going to take our picture now with our students of the month and our faculty and staff of the month. resume um with the business of our meeting right now. Uh next on the agenda is we are going to recognize Mr. Maxon. So Mr. All right. >> Hold your turn around. Hold it up straight while we take it up. She can take her picture. >> There you go. >> All right. I'm gonna say a few words about Mr. Maxon. When uh Mr. Jackson. >> When Jonathan joined
033the Ottabbon Board of Education as the Mount Ephraim representative, he had some large shoes to fill after Nancy Shyo left us. But I know my fellow board members will agree with me that not only did Jonathan rise to that occasion, he excelled in his role on this board. Jonathan hit the ground running, joining us as we began our search for a new superintendent. And from day one, he was engaged and invested in the process. He shared his insight and thoughts as both an educator and administrator. He participated fully in all of the discussions and deliberations and proved early on to be an asset to this team. From there, we pivoted to the strategic planning process and once again, Jonathan was allin. He kept a student- centered focus at all times and made sure to represent
034not only the needs of the students at Mount Ephraim, but our students here in Ottabon as well. And while these were two major undertakings, Jonathan was always president in the day-to-day more mundane responsibilities of the board. And of course, he balanced this with his commitment to the Mount Ephraim board of education, his career as an administrator, and his work as a Rotarian. Jonathan has always proved to be calm and levelheaded and globally thinking. We have appreciated his student centered mindset and making sure that not only did he strive for the best in our student achievement but also our students emotional health. He has freely shared his professional experiences and resources and has always contributed thoughtfully to all of our conversations. Let me close by wishing Jonathan much success and all the best as he continues
035his work as principal of the defert high school. It has been a privilege to serve with you, sir, and I hope that the next representative from Mount E from knows that they too have big shoes to fill. >> I have a lot of respect for this. I think you guys are the best. Now we u some exciting recognition. Good evening. I have the joy of presenting to the board, to the public, to everyone, and sharing some more information about Mansion Avenue. Mansion Avenue has been recognized as the New Jersey Blue Ribbon National Blue Ribbon School. The National Blue Ribbon School Program The National Blue Ribbon School Program is annually honors the America's most successful public and non-public elementary, middle, or high schools. The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes schools whose students achieve at a
036very high level and schools that have made significant progress in closing academic achievement gaps among different groups of students. Each year, the Department of Ed, New Jersey Department of Ed, reviews its data for the public schools in the state and nominates schools that meet the eligibility requirements and submits them to the US Department of Ed. There is no application process to be considered for this. All the schools are considered every year through the New Jersey Department of Ed. New Jersey could nominate up to each schools in up to nine schools each year across two categories. Exemplary high performing schools and exemplary achievement gap closing schools. NJ DOE could cho choose each year to nominate schools in one or both categories, but at least onethird of the schools nominated were required to have a high percentage
037of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Due to these restrictions, there may have been schools that met the eligibility requirements but were not nominated. Mansion was nominated as an exemplary high-erforming school. That means that this school was in the top 15% of the state based on the composite score that combines the performance of the 2023 2024 state assessment with its other measures. This is a significant accomplishment. The New Jersey Department of Ed recognized Mansion Avenue School. Bonnie uh Smeltzer was invited to go to the state board of education to receive a resolution. Um this resolution names the nine schools in the state of New Jersey that are being recognized as exemplary high-erforming schools. In addition, we had an assembly last week where we had some members from the assembly, Assemblyman Mo and Assemblyman Spearman come and give
038us a celebratory resolution. Um, the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey are pleased to honor Mansion Avenue High School in the Burrow of Adaban, highly esteemed in Camden County and throughout the Garden State upon its recognition of the 2025 Blue Ribbon School by the New Jersey Department of Ed. This prestigious accolade has been bestowed upon Mansion Avenue School in appreciation of its exceptional instruction, robust curriculum and welcoming environment and bears witness to the hard work and the determination determination of its outstanding educators who have demonstrated an uncommon measure of knowledge, creativity and commitment and furtherance of this engaged citizensry goes on and on. basically says our students, our staff, our families have done amazing work at Mansion Avenue School and it needs to be recognized not only by the students, the
039faculty, the teachers, the families, the leadership obviously with Miss Smeltzer at the head for the last few years as well as at the district level. We have Mr. Burke with the curriculum and the instruction that's been working hard with the t the teams for the last six or seven years on these projects. We are amazingly proud and I just want to make sure the board knows and that the community knows what a wonderful um award this is. What a wonderful thing it is to be acknowledged in this way as one of the nine schools out of I believe it was 8,000 schools in the state of New Jersey. Congratulations The PTA uh was very uh gracious in purchasing a couple of banners for us. There is one for inside the school and one that will
040be outside the school. I'm not sure the placement. That's up to Miss Smeltzer, but you will see it um out there to loud and proud so everybody can see all that we have done. >> Um as we have said time and time again, we are um most grateful for all the hard work that went into achieving this. We are so proud of our students and families and educators and administrators for this achievement. And we are also pleased that they did receive the recognition that they were so deserving of. Despite the fact that this program was cancelled um at the federal level, we are most grateful that um it was recognized not only by our our um state government officials, but also our local government officials as well. So again, kudos to you, kudos to everyone
041that was involved in this. Um, you should be extremely proud of yourselves because we certainly are very proud of you and your work. Thank you. Okay, more good things. We have more good things. Amanda Brown, please come up. I know you're gonna hate this. Uh Amanda Brown is our PE teacher at Havlin who also works hard with the American Heart Association in fundraising and we found out that she is the highest fundraiser in Camden County, South Jersey, I can't remember in Camden County, two years now in a row. Our cute little tiny little Havlin has raised more money for the American Heart Association than any other schools in Camden County. So we had a very nice award that was given to Miss Brown and I wanted to make sure that the board members knew and
042the community again we want to recognize greatness going on all around in Ottabon. Thank you. Okay, so now for my superintendent report. I have some other exciting things. Uh wanted to thank the National Honor Society um for helping out with their event that they did at the preschool as well as the school ensemble and their performance that that uh Helena uh referenced earlier. Uh I don't know if everyone got an opportunity to go to the uh Ottabon Educational Foundation's Festival of Lights that happened last week on the 10th, 11th, and 12th. It was an amazing um activity. Uh great fundraiser. Uh unfortunately the weather wasn't as nice to us as it maybe could have been, but they did still get a good crowd. I went out on Friday night and there was a good number
043of people there. That was a wonderful activity. It's brand new and I think it's got some really great potential to continue on. Uh Clayful, as we know, uh mentioned our universal screener was administered. We're anxious to um start looking at the data and some of the things that we got from that. Uh I did mention last week that a residency letter was going out. I did send that out. We're just trying to make sure everybody knows that we have a registar and we will be trying to keep track of our residency and making sure that we have Ottabbon residents all registered for school and not um people from other towns. Uh we do have in the agenda tonight a residency investigator. You will see that school choice lottery happened the other day. We only have
044seven open seats in our school choice for next year in 7 to I'm going to say 7 to 12. I don't think there's seats in all of them. I can't remember where the seats are, but there was only seven seats available. The lottery happened um live online on Monday. >> Really loud. >> Yes, it did. Live Monday at uh 1:00. Um letters will be going out this week to let people know. Uh the gingerbread houses are on display. If you don't have time before you leave today, please make sure that you see them on the just like last year the way students work together. There are they are not houses. I shouldn't call them gingerbread houses, gingerbread structures. They are awesome uh creations and if you haven't had a chance, I strongly encourage you walk
045around and check them out. It's a really neat activity to see the students building them throughout the day. I got to go down three or four times and see it from the imagination stage to when it's done. And it's it's really amazing. That's all my things. >> Thank you very much, Miss. >> All right, moving on. May I have a motion to approve the minutes for November 19th, 2025 executive session and public session? >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Steven Wilson, >> yes. >> Alison Cox, >> abstain. Danielle D. Franchesco, >> yes. >> Mark Gaddy, >> yes. >> Sarah Coolen, >> yes. >> Allison Lipsky, >> yes. >> Jonathan Maxon, >> yes. >> Andrea Robinson, >> yes. >> Bill Wilson, >> Amy Davis, >> yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. Um, in the
046interest of time and my voice, I am not going to read um the information underneath our first public participation session, but I would like anyone who's left If you would like to come forward with um anything to say regarding an agenda item, now would be the time for that. >> I do. >> No. Great. Um, my name is Garrick Ogoia. I live on 220 Wyoming Avenue. I only really have a question about the email you sent out about the affidavit. I'm probably one of the only unique people in this town who doesn't have who don't have does not have a mortgage bill, a property tax, housing agreement, or lease agreement because I live in a parsonage provided by the church. Um, yeah. So I could get a a letter saying that I live at the
047parsonage. So I don't know how to go about that to rectify that. >> So just to clarify, it wasn't that everybody needed to. It's if you're re if someone reaches out to you. So every okay four to five years we're trying to go through and audit our um our files. So if we get to the point that you come up, yes, that would certainly be fine. Okay. Um it's just some sort of proof of residency. any kind of proof of res needed for registration either. >> I'm sorry. >> That won't be needed for registration either. >> It would be some some sort of proof of residency, but I'm sure we could work with that as a as a proof of residency. I mean, it's it's not really any different than somebody giving me an affidavit
048saying that they're living here or whatever. So, I think the letter from the church would definitely qualify. >> Thank you. >> I yield the rest of my time. >> Okay, anyone? All right, seeing that other public com close that part that part of our meeting and uh we'll move on to governance and recognize Miss Lipsky. >> Two minutes >> Davis. >> We met uh governance meeting was last Tuesday, December 9th. Um we don't have any first readings because there was a there were several um proposed changes to different policies and to a potential creation of a policy and regulation. However, it all dealt with um library materials and library policies and things of that nature. So as a group we did not have the requisite we did not feel we had the requisite knowledge to
049know all the policies and how they are implemented and so we tabled it and in January when we are before we meet with the AI task force we will be meeting with um I believe Mr. Burke, uh, possibly the new, uh, director of curriculum and instruction and the librarian here at the high school so that we can have the people that we need to have to make knowledgeable decisions before we write policy and change policy. So, they were tabled, but they will be seen um, next month. And then we will also be tackling as a as a diverse group with multiple other people from stakeholders from the district um AI and AI policy and the ethical use of digital material uh in the school system. We have for second reads uh we talked about them
050more in depth last month. Uh essentially a statute changed and the change in the statute and its title and where things are coded and what uh terminology could be used impacted a lot of different policies and so most of them were changes to that. There were some other minor changes but basically they were all essentially mandatory changes and that we went into detail at the last uh board meeting. And so that's for a second read. And that is essentially all. >> Do you have anything to add? >> Nope. Just that I've already talked to those people about coming to the meeting. >> Excellent. Thank you. >> Great. All right. Any questions, comments, or discussion on non-aggenda items for governance. Okay. Then can I have a motion on item number one under governance? Any questions, comments,
051or discussion on item number one? >> All right, roll call, please. >> Allison Cox, >> yes. >> Danielle D. Franchesco, >> Mark Gaddy, >> Sarah Cen, >> Alison Lipsky, >> yes. >> Jonathan Maxon, >> yes. >> Andrea Robinson, >> yes. >> Bill Wilson. >> Steven Wilson, >> yes. >> Amy Davis, >> yes. >> Motion passed. Next, I'd like to recognize Mrs. Cox for operations. >> Thank you, Mrs. Davis. Certainly, >> uh, we did have our operations committee meeting on um, December 2nd. >> So long ago, very far away. Um, and our next meeting will be January 6th, and we are still on the rotation. So, that meeting will be at the preschool. Um during our meeting we had conversation about district openings. Those that those positions that have been filled are on the agenda this
052evening. Uh we talked about um the budget. Of course you're going to be hearing a lot of budget talk uh for 2627 and um the administrators and the supervisors uh will be receiving documents for the bud their budget. Um there are some unbudgeted items and we were talking on how do we navigate that. More will be coming. Of course we want to be very mindful of that. Um we more than likely will be uh slowing spending. >> Not I don't I don't know. That's not my thing. But yes um uh we want Audabon Park to start on a contract. We do have theou um for the preschool, but we would like a contract um also keys uh the online payment system. Our tech department is meeting this week sometime or Thursday the 19th I think
053it >> Friday. Okay. Um and they're going to potentially have an in-house system um uh where the parents can pay online. So we'll see more to come for that. Uh Deb Deb gave us a list of report deadlines that the business office needs to meet for various reasons. That was very eye openening. It's not like she pulls it out of the hat. There's specific dates that things are due. Um and as Miss Allen had mentioned in her report, we talked about the school choice numbers, how we are capped at 105, cannot take any more than that, and how few vacancies we did have this uh this goround. >> And that's state >> that Oh, I'm sorry. And that's determined by the state. We have nothing to do with that. Um yeah, a lot of people
054think that we do. Very very very uh tight. Um and then uh other items uh are on there are other items on the agenda such as our typical October board secretary report cash reconciliation report and transfers. The bill lists for November and December, the safety drills for November as they are listed. We have the school safety and security plan for a the S SOA submission. Um we also have a health and safety checklist um with the standard of insure assurance. Um we have a motion for NJQAC district improvement process and a motion for an approval as Miss Allen had mentioned the residency support agreement between associated PI and Ottabon Board of Ed. We have a contract for speech therapy with Creative Minds Therapy and we need to approve a grant um from the New Jersey
055Department of Education for Literacy. And that was awesome. That's all. >> Thank you, Mrs. Cox. Miss Allen, do you have anything to add? >> Nope. >> All right. Any questions, comments, discussion on non-aggenda items? I I have a question. Can we I don't think we can have the operations meeting before reorgan >> reorg, right? Because we're not sworn in. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, we're gonna have to um >> So, we're gonna have to pivot on the sixth. We'll have to figure that out. Okay. >> Was that also your catch, Mr. Gaddy? >> Well done. >> All right. Any other non-aggenda questions, comments, or discussion for ops? >> Okay. Uh, then can I have a motion on items 1 to 14 under operations? >> On items 1 through 14. All right. Roll call, please. Danielle D.
056Franchesco. >> Mark Gaddy. >> Yes. >> Sarah Coen. >> Alison Lipsky. >> Yes. >> Jonathan Maxon. >> Yes. >> Andrea Robinson. >> Yes. >> Bill Wilson. >> Steven Wilson. Yes. >> Alison Cox. >> Amy Davis. >> Yes. >> Motions pass. >> Thank you. I'd like to recognize Miss Robin. >> Our last education meeting was on November 25th. It was at mansion where we got a tour and we saw that Toy Story is the theme for this year. Ms. Castile uh the curriculum supervisor joined us and she said that she is enjoying a good excuse to talk curriculum and dig in deep. That was a nice quote from her. Um, we talked about AP courses and the um, things that have been done to support the AP courses are that AP history textbooks were ordered, AP
057test prep books for each student were ordered, and AP French is being added to the slate of classes for 2627. Um, Oh, >> do you love it? >> She's always had to buy them on her own, so it was nice. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, you love it. Um, instructional council is working on relationship mapping where they're uh just looking at the relationships between students and adults in the school or community. There's going to be a college career fair in February and as of November 25th, 90 seniors had submitted applications to college. Uh and then on tonight's agenda, we have the HIPS uh student statistics. There are some things that Helena would probably like to go to these conferences like checkpoint software blade training. Sounds good. Isn't that like what computer sciency? Um there's a couple
058field trips. Um, and there is a student teacher coming in. Uh, that's it. You know, Miss Allen, do you have anything to add? >> Just that we had a full day in service up here at the high school on Thursday of last week. Uh, a lot got accomplished at that with the still with the lesson planner, with the common um prep time to work on midterms. Yes. the relationship mapping got a lot of good information to be able to share with education for that. Um but yeah, it was a very very good use of the time and and we have the survey out right now asking them how they felt and like we're getting really good feedback from them with the activities and the way that we're planning out the inservices. So great >> any
059questions, comment non-aggenda items under education. >> All right, then can I have a motion for items one through eight? motion. >> Any questions, comments, or discussion on agenda items 1 through eight under education? >> All right, roll call, please, then. Gracious. >> Uh, Mark Gaddy, >> Sarah Coolen, >> Alison Lipsky, >> Jonathan Maxon, >> yes. >> Andrea Robinson, yes. >> Bill Wilson, >> Steven Wilson, >> yes. >> Alison Cox, >> Danielle D. Franchesco Amy Davis. >> Motion's passed. >> Okay. On to HR. There are a couple of items that are in not red kind agenda here. Um >> Color printer was not working. So under human resources number, it should be January 23rd, 2026 on the agenda. If you flip to page 11, number 11, um the uh in amount of instructional time should read
060eight hours at the hourly rate. And number 12, the instructional time should read 16 hours and the prep non-instructional time should also read 16 hours. on page 12 number 17 hours it should and a for Mr. Harter and Mr. Skully, >> I just wanted clarification. Is there another typo on number four? Is that supposed to be January 5th, 2026? >> Yes. >> Okay, Miss Lipky. So, that should read 2026. Good catch. >> We wanted to start last year. >> Okay. Um, last night uh we uh Our rotations are now back here in the high school. Um we talked about any um district positions that are still open and any new hires that are on the agenda. And um we also noted that um we have a we have several charts now showing the um personnel
061for each grade level and also the staff for each grade grade level. um at the preschool, at Havland, at Mansion, and at the high school. And then we also have a directory for our special education staff. So, that is wonderful. Those of you that have been on the board for a while know that we have asked for that type of a roster for a really long time >> and um it's it's great to be able to see it now. I know Miss Allen wants to tweak it a little bit, but we as a committee were just absolutely thrilled to to see that. So it's just nice when we see all these names on an agenda, people moving from this position to that position or resigning etc or coming on board. It's nice to see where
062and with um also some goals for 2526. We talked um extensively about the committee policy uh 0155 and we had some thoughts and you can see that reflected on the in the agenda notes. So um other committees as you're taking a look at that policy, take a look at what we noted um in the language that applies to all of the committees in that policy. and just gonna see if there's anything. I'm looking at my phone because that's where my notes are. Um, we're going to be continuing our discussion regarding uh par professionals and working on um whatever we can bring to bear to uh increase retention in that area. And I think that was it. Okay. And then on this evening's agenda, we have um various motions concerning staffing and we also have motions
063concerning requests for FMLA and medical leaves. We have an adjustment in the wage for hourly employees effective January 1st. We have approval of district substitutes as noted. We have approval of Lego club staffing. We have a recision of the winter track coaching position and approval of another staff member for the same position. We have a motion concerning volunteer winter coaching positions. A motion for a volunteer advisor for the Mansion Avenue musical pilot program. A motion for staff members to f excuse me to facilitate professional learning. A motion for new teacher support. And a motion for overload compensation. Miss Allen, do you have anything to add? >> Just wanted to let the board know that um those rosters that uh Miss Davis was talking about, the links for them are on that agenda. So, if you
064ever want to find them, you can go to the weekly wave, go to the HR agenda, and they're all right there and print I I just printed them out so it would be, you know, handy and easy to keep at the ready there. All right. Um, any questions, comments, or discussion on non-aggenda items for HR? >> Okay, then can I have Oh, wait. How many how many do I have here? Can I have a motion for items 1 through 20 under HR? >> Second. >> Any questions, comments, or discussion on agenda items 1 through 20 under HR? >> Okay, roll call. Sarah Coolen, >> yes. >> Alison Lipsky, >> yes. >> Jonathan Maxon, >> yes. >> Andrea Robinson, >> Bill Wilson, >> Steven Wilson, >> yes. >> Allison Cox, >> yes. >> Danielle G. Franchesco,
065>> Mark Gaddy, >> Amy Daves, >> yes. >> Motion's passed. >> Thank you. Okay, moving on in the agenda, you can see our HIV district report and then let's move on to special programs. Mr. Steven Wilson, anything for ED services? Nothing particularly particularly exciting usual. Um approval of financial reports, buzzer resolutions, contracts, professional development, kind of the same thing we do at our board meetings. Um but yeah, nothing applicable to Audabon. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh Mr. Maxon County School Board. >> Yes. So, I know many of you were able to actually go to Mount E from meeting last week and I did share I wasn't able to attend, but one of my mentors did facilitate the uh the workshop on the superintendent of Central Regional School District. Uh she was going to
066send me the presentation. I am still waiting. I know it's a busy time of year. So, when I do get it, um I will send it to everybody. It was on how MTSS can improve absenteeism. Um which is a very fascinating topic for me as an administrator, but also a board member. And I think it's something that we could, you know, any school district can use. So I hope you guys when I get the info, I'll pass it along and I hope you guys find it useful. >> Mr. Steven Wilson, Ed Foundation. >> Alan mentioned earlier the ED had the inaugural um holiday festival of lights. I was there the first evening. It was, as you also mentioned, pretty bad weather. Um and I had the great pleasure of manning the s'more fire pit outside.
067So, I was in the rain manning the fire pit. I did have the opportunity to talk to some parents though, which was actually pretty nice. Um, I probably had about a dozen kids making s'mores with me. I went inside a couple times and there actually was more people than I expected considering the weather was so awful. Um, but it looked nice. It, you know, we think I think we worked our kinks out for the most part. Um, I don't have any specific numbers on how the fundraiser itself went yet. Hopefully at the next meeting we can kind of regroup. Uh, but I think it went pretty well. Uh, I hope the community had a good time and enjoyed it and I hope we raised some money for um the Ed Foundation and uh anyone who
068helped out, thank you very much. We definitely appreciated the assistance um not just board members but the community at large. So, thank you. >> Great. Uh Mrs. Coolen for community outreach. >> Thank you, Mrs. Davis. I don't have anything specific to report out on because I'm not aware of the events that people went to in this past month. So, if anyone on the board would like to share some of the events that you attended, you're certainly welcome to do so. Attend uh the instrumental concert for the junior high and the senior high, which was amazing. And I was also uh able to attend the um choir concert which was last Friday for the junior and senior high and ensemble as well. Both of those concerts were amazing. And I know I'm looking forward to tomorrow
069night as Mansion Avenue's um concert here at the high school. So I'm looking forward to attending that as well. I went to the Ottabon Park Council meeting. I got there a little bit late. Danielle was there. uh new mayor was I guess sworn in, appointed, whatever. Um also two members on the current board stepped down was very interesting. I don't really know the names. >> The two ladies that were at the end >> um that that gave us a lot of push back on some things. They both have stepped down officially as of that other night. So I found that very interesting. Um, if you haven't been to an Ottabon Park community uh council meeting, it's 15 minutes on a long night. So, I got there at 7:12. Got to see them wrapping up. I
070missed public com public announcement, but I did get to talk to some people afterwards and things like that, but it is short, sweet, and to the point, but um, you know, good things going on there and and also beautifully decorated. Um, and we're working on our contract with them. So, >> Bill Wilson and I were at the Mansion at Holiday Market because we both had kids as student entrepreneurs. Um, I know I also walked around and saw the vendors. It was a little less than it's been in the last couple years, but great turnout, great vendors, student vendors, adult vendors. It was uh it's always like a really lovely thing and you get fun gifts like an awesome pen for a purple loving superintendent and things like that. So it just it's it's always a
071really fun event and I know that uh Miss Koulen was there with uh her child Elliot who was an helper and an amazing helper. So it was really wonderful. I also had the great pleasure of attending that event and I wanted to thank the PTA and Miss Ryan Devito who has put it on. I know she's going to push it off to all the her helpers and everything, but I know she was instrumental in setting that up and making that happen and um it'll be a great tradition moving forward. And could you just speak briefly on the allnight choir that happens because I think that's I don't really know anything about it but it's such a it seems like such a cool like aud. Well, do do you guys cuz you >> Yeah, talk about
072it because I think it's really neat. I don't think the community knows about it >> and trying to stay up late. >> The parents know about it, of course, but I don't think a lot of non- choir parents know about it. >> So, basically every year for the winter concert, um the reason why our winter concerts on a Friday is because we get to go caroling the whole night. So, we have about like I think 2 hours to go home, eat, whatever, get changed, and then starting at 11:00, we're out until 7:00 in the morning. So, it is not sponsored by the choir. Um, but we all do it and we all were safe and we have a great time. But each um mostly seniors get to host. So, my house was one of the
073houses and you get to have everyone sing for your family. You sing two or three songs and then eat some food and go on your way and you drive around the whole night, make some friends you never thought you would make before because it's choir, so it's everyone, you know. Um, it's a it's a fun time. >> So, I'm going to speak on this for someone who joined choir I want to say like three months ago. This is my this is my first one. This was my first one. Um, it was awesome. Just the vibe of it was really cool going between houses. There's like every different house was with a new group of people that I just never thought I would ever talk to. It was really awesome. It really was. I'm glad I
074did. It was a lot of fun. It's I'm glad it happens. It's really cool. >> Nice. >> So, the reason I actually joined, it's pretty funny. Actually, involves this. I told the choir teacher, if I won this election for my posters up there to be on the board, I would join choir. So, now I'm in now I'm in choir. It's the best bet I've ever lost. It's a lot of fun. >> And um from a a parent perspective, I mean, the the students organize all of it. They they they have Google signups and they arrange the cars and and the driving and they also get their parents to sign up to each take an hour and their parents threaten them within an inch of their life to try to get the earliest time possible because
075we're old and we don't stay up that late. Um yeah, and then each parent takes an hour and and hosts them. And I still remember on Friday night watching all of them process in when they come in for the the candle light procession and just sitting there and thinking I can't fit all of those kids in my house. But they fit amazingly. No. My son Noah kept telling me, "Mom, it's fine. Everybody just kind of flops wherever they they can find a spot." And um it was such an amazing night. We've said this time and time again. We have amazing students in this town. Kudos to their parents and families that are raising them. And I said to Ryan and Helena, most kids are, you know, trained or taught to say thank you on the
076way out from something. These kids were saying thank you on the way in to our home. And it was just it it was a delightful experience. I went to bed at 1:45 in the morning, but um we we don't regret it at all. It was it was terrific. So >> yeah, thank you for asking that. And I'm glad to hear you were safe because I have done the overnight carolling when I was a member of the choir here at the school and we definitely shoved too many people in the cars like beyond the number of seat belts. So I'm glad to hear that you guys were very safe with it. Um did anybody attend the Mount Ephraim? >> I did. >> Oh, okay. >> I wasn't sure under community outreach or the ad hoc committee,
077but I went to it and uh I thought it was so interesting. Otabon came up so many times at the Mount from board meeting. So, it was kind of good to like see what they're thinking. And it was just neat to see other boards and how they work together. They seem to have a good group. They all got along really well. Figured out how to have short meetings, which we obviously have not figured out ourselves. I was able to attend the um holiday market at Mansion Avenue. I helped out in the basket raffle area for a very long time. Um, and then I was at I helped with setup and take down each night for the Festival of Lights and was there all the time Friday. Um, but they were really great events and nice
078to see the community coming out. Um, I don't know that I consider myself officially representing the board necessarily in those capacities, but it's nice to just have the opportunity to to meet new people and um, just represent our students in our community in that kind of way. Um, when we do the reorg meeting or at some point, I think it would be helpful to um, figure out exactly what we want this role to be in terms of, you know, the structure of sharing the different opportunities, the best way to go about that. um that is most helpful for everybody. Um but otherwise, thank you for allowing me to be in this position this past year. >> That's something we can definitely put um for a retreat topic 100%. >> Okay. Yeah, actually Sarah, I was
079going to say I I look to the calendar that comes in with the events. Um, but after a while the events sort of like all these things that happened weren't on there. Um, and I I went to them because I have kids here. But Right. Right. >> Um, it it was really nice because I think last year a lot of them were on that list um to kind of help remind us, oh, I can sign up for that or I can go to that just in case my kids not involved in all of that. >> Yeah, I know this is carrying on longer than we wanted it to, but um calendars is a big topic even in the building. Um, we Chris Baker, the new AD, has a really cool system that he uses for
080all of the sports, but it doesn't have the application or the ability to be used for activities. We have actually started to explore, he's actually started to explore and gotten the tech department in on looking at a calendar type of a program, site, I don't know, that can handle everything, sports activities, PTA meetings, whatever. So, it could have it all in one place and like if you were a mansion parent, you could just click mansion and see the mansion things. If you wanted to see all district, you could see all the district things. If you wanted to see Mansion and Havlin, you could see. So, we're working on it. We know it's an area of need. But, um, I was looking at what the ads have, and they have a lot. I mean, his his
081world is crazy. Um, but to try to add activities to it just it's not conducive for that. So, we're looking for something that is for activities as well as sports for all the concerts, all the meetings, all the, you know, the holiday market, the this, the that, everything that's going on. Community ed, it's a problem right now. We're trying to keep track of that. So, we're on it >> actively. >> You turned on your microphone. Would you like to say something? >> Well, I did. We're talking about calendars, so I didn't know if anybody could pull out their board member. >> All right, let me dates. Yeah, hang on one second. >> Not yet. >> Let me get Let me get through uh ad hoc. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> This will take two seconds.
082Don't worry, >> Mr. Gaddy. >> Um, we've decided to wait until the new year to uh meet. Um, I believe Mount Ephraim is picking up two new uh members. Um, I did want to thank everybody who has been able to get to the meeting. Um, I Mondays are tough for me, so I haven't been able to, but I'm glad that we're represented there as well. >> Yeah, it's been great. Okay. And Miss Lipsky, anything for orientation? Kind of static right now. >> I feel that all of us are oriented um in one way or >> in one way or the other. Um, obviously when we get a new Mount Ephraim board member and it won't be Jonathan anymore. I mean it'll be awesome but um I'll make sure to reach out to them and see
083where they are but you know just to because I don't think we ever really did that and um I feel like as we're trying to kind of bridge the gap and be more of a almost like a cohesive coord. >> Yeah. I think it was well you're on a board already so this but obviously we do things differently as we've learned going to their meetings. Um so you know it's they clearly have to learn like you know hydrate and bring a snack um for our meetings. So but I was thinking about that that that's probably something to do since you know the odds won. So, um, we don't have to orient anyone new. And so, but that's there we go. So, that's what that I was thinking of. >> Remember comments. Let's pivot back to
084Mrs. Ron. Hang on, Mr. Max. Let's get the business out of the way here. I just wanted uh in your um green packets there's a a draft of the board meeting dates um for the calendar year of 26. So um I don't know if you want to take the time and look at them if there's any if you know of any controversies that or conflicts. Yeah. >> Not not controversies conflicts. As a Jewish board member, I can say that I have done my annual review and there are no conflicting Jewish holidays. Well done. >> Um, >> I don't know why. last last week. >> Yeah. Uh the only thing that might um Mr. Mrs. Garham pointed out to me was uh school boards is the week of uh probably October 20 first. Our la our
085board meeting last year or this past October was October 15th because October one was a Wednesday. So >> yeah, can you check your calendar? >> Well, it's probably that week. I can't imagine unless they made it the 26th the last week. >> Well, what what's October 14th look like? >> October 14th. >> So, if the school boards is the week of the 19th, which encompasses the 21st, we could move the board meeting to the 14th. So that's a tenative one. >> The May and June dates are pretty early. Is that because of school obligations? >> May has to be >> budget. Yeah. >> The contract. Yeah. >> That's what I figured. Just wanted to check >> and I just Googled it. Um the uh school board's convention is October 19, 2021. What' you say? >>
086Yes. >> Hang on, hang on, hang on. I do have board member comment. >> Um, and it's a little serious just because um, tonight is the fourth night of Hanukkah and Hanukkah started very dark um, with Bondi and before that Brown and then also the death of Rob Reiner and his wife um, all around the first night of Hanukkah. So, it was a very dark time in the Jewish community. Uh so I just wanted to wish everyone a happy fourth night of Hanukkah and maybe just give a little education because there's something that's really neat uh that we talk about. Um so as you can see from my ugly Hanukkah sweater that has a manora and everyone kind of calls it a manora but actually that is not that's the generic term because manora in
087Hebrew uh means candalabra. So you there are a lot of different types of manoras in Jewish culture and in fact although this is a manora it's specifically called a hanukia because it has nine. It has four for the it has eight for the nights of Hanukkah and there's always one. This doesn't do a good example but I don't believe this was made by Jews. Uh but usually in the center on this the center one would be a little higher and or you could have it it's all lower and one higher at one end and that is because that is the shamash and so when times are very dark or something horrible happens particularly on um a night of Hanukkah we like to say that in times of darkness be the shamash because the shamosh is
088the candle that lights all others. So, we'd like to say when darkness happens or is upon us, be the shamash and be the candle that lights all others and bring lights to everyone else. And so, I just hope that Hanukkah brings a little extra light into your lives. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Davis. Uh, first and foremost, I want to thank all of you guys for uh welcoming me with open arms. Like you said, Miss Davis, uh, big shoes to fill with Nancy. So, um, I appreciate the past two years working alongside all of you. Um, Ottabbon and by extension Mount Ephraim is very fortunate to have a very passionate board who cares deeply about public education in this town. Uh, I think this district is on the trajectory to continue to grow and
089and get stronger and stronger. You have a great leadership team. Again, this is a great board and it's I I think it's a great thing that there's going to be consistency um going forward into the new year. Um, so don't be a stranger. anything you need, just let me know. And I'm excited to see what you all do by um from a distance. When I ran for this board, I I knocked on over a thousand doors in Mount Ephraim. I talked to about 300 residents and actually the majority of them did say they want to have their students have a better experience at Audabon and I think that we've been able to do that over the past two years. You know, no um I appreciate your guys' effort on that part and Helina as well.
090I think you've been a huge part and been integral in that process. So, thank you all. Best of luck. Happy Hanukkah, merry Christmas. Happy holidays. >> Anybody else for public particip public or board comments? >> Thought I had since the federal government um canceled the blue ribbon program from a national level. What are what are your thoughts on advocating to our um legislators to continue that at a state level? because I think it is important to recognize high performing schools and if the federal government is going to drop the ball on this. It's up to the states now. Um and now that we have in Camden County an excellent school, a school that has been awarded this, maybe we could reach out to our legislators to support a bill to make this a state thing.
091>> Yeah, that's a great that's a great suggestion. Um we still have a contact with the person who set up >> Oh, yeah. the recognition for the schools this year, right? >> Yeah. They actually reached out to us to say that they wanted to come and give us that. We didn't reach out to them, just so you know. They they contacted us and said, "We want to acknowledge your school for their um achievement." Um but yes, we have the assemblyman's office manager person scheduler person. So, we could certainly reach out and and ask about that. I don't know. They haven't said so much of it happened so quickly that um >> yeah they pivoted as they pivoted as fast as they could because it was August 29th when it >> and and they're still they're
092calling it the New Jersey national blue ribbon which I thought was interesting. Um the I don't think that they've had time to think about but they did seem to act as if you know this is a huge accomplishment. We're not going to just let it go. So that's why they did the things that they did. Um like I had asked we when it was the national one the US Department of Ed gave a big banner and things like that. I said are you guys going to give us a banner? So we didn't have time to do a banner. We didn't even have time. We didn't know this was happening this way. So I think it'll take a little bit of time and maybe they will do something but we can certainly keep in touch with
093them. >> Worked with the legislature before in my previous life as an entrepreneur and when constituents reach out to them with stuff like this they certainly incentive to make it happen. So I think it would behoove us high performing schools in the state to lobby our legislators to continue this. >> Yeah, I think that's excellent and especially considering, you know, there's going to be a new administration in Trenton. Um, and with New Jersey being a top performing state as far as education is concerned. So, yeah, I think that's a great suggestion. >> Okay, anybody else for public participation on any topics? Going once, going twice. Okay. All right, then. Uh, we do not need to go into a second executive session. Let you know that our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 7th. It
094says 6:30, but we usually meet at 7 for reorg. >> Correct. >> Yeah. So, we're going to be meeting at 7 o'clock on Wednesday, January 7th. And it should say 2026. >> Hey, I caught I caught that one. I got that one. >> All right. Um, >> can I have a motion to adjourn the meeting? >> All in favor? >> Any opposed? >> All right. Happy holidays, everyone. Thank you.