• LJES PTO Meeting Called to Order at 7:39 am
• Meeting adjourned at 8:15 am
Executive Board Members Present: Dana Hourani, Sarah Topol, Cher Jabbari,
Christal Duimstra, Virginia Price, Stacey Gubernator, Kaitlin Barr, Liz Copperman,
Dorothy Tse, Rebecca Jacob, Megan Roeske, Erin Sullivan, Dr. Stephanie Hasselbrink
Absent: Carolina Tiller, Amani Bernstein, Georgina Gaerin, Liz Copperman
Approvals:
April 2025 Financials approved at 7:40 am. Christal motioned first, Kim seconded – all
in favor.
April 2025 Meeting Minutes approved at 7:40 am. Kim motioned first, Rebecca
seconded – all in favor.
A vote was proposed to approve the addition of a fifth grade committee to the PTO.
Stacey motioned first, Kim seconded – all in favor.
Co-President’s Report: Dana Hourani and Sarah Topol
We would like to move to take a vote on creating a new position: 5th Grade Committee
Chair. Please note that this is not a board voting position. The purpose of this role is to
establish a clear and consistent line of communication between the PTO and the 5th
grade committee. This will help ensure smoother coordination between the committee
and PTO for events, contributions, and general planning, and help avoid any confusion
moving forward.
Honoring Mrs. Nicolaidis: We recently lost a cherished member of our community—
beloved teacher, friend, and mentor Mrs. Nicolaidis. She dedicated over 30 years to our
school, pouring her heart and soul into her students, fellow staff, and families. Her
impact was immeasurable, and she was deeply loved by all who knew her. In her honor,
a committee of dedicated parents have planned a Celebration of Life, which will take
place this Friday from 4:00–5:30 p.m. on campus. All staff, parents, and students are
welcome. We coordinated with Christal and learned that the Family Events and
Hospitality budget had leftover funds, which we’ll be using to cover the event. As a
parent-teacher organization, it felt important that we show up in this way.
International Festival Thanks: A big thank you to Andrea, Kim, Cher, Stacey, and Lea
for organizing another phenomenal International Festival! It was heartwarming to see
our community come together to celebrate and learn about the diverse cultures
represented at our school.
Staff Appreciation Luncheon: We want to thank Kim, Stephanie, and Jaqueline for
putting on an incredible Staff Appreciation Luncheon! It was so well received and truly
appreciated by all the staff.
Allies in Action: Phase 2 of Allies in Action has now been rolled out for Grades 1–5. This
time, we entered classrooms to talk with students about what it means to be an ally and
how they can safely step in to support one another. The PTO purchased Phase 1
posters for all classrooms and will do the same for Phase 2 in the near future. A huge
thank you to Cher and Abbas for their powerful and thoughtful content.
Shoutouts: Cheryl – A tremendous thank you to Cheryl, who has worked tirelessly all
year on the yearbook. She’s poured so much love and dedication into making it a
beautiful keepsake for our children and families. Cheryl will be moving on to Muirlands
next year with her children, and we are so grateful for all the years she has given to our
school. Georgina – We’re so grateful for Georgina, who has co-chaired After School
Programs and the Book Fair over the past few years. Her joyful, helpful spirit has been
such a gift to our community. She, too, will be moving on to Muirlands, and we thank her
for her commitment and positivity. Christal – A heartfelt thank you to Christal, who has
made herself available to Sarah and me whenever we’ve needed her. Her financial
guidance has helped us stay on track and within budget, which has been one of our top
goals this year. We deeply appreciate her wisdom and support.
Back to School Picnic: The Back to School Picnic will return to its original name and
roots, with the event taking place on the upper field area on September 12 at 5:00 p.m.
We have taken in the feedback and will have a check-in desk at the event, as well as
information shared by room parents ahead of time about designated classroom table
areas. This will help families connect and meet at their classroom’s designated spot.
PB Elementary received a grant from the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, which thanks
to LJES’s Gardening Committee, has decided to partner with us on the grant. We will be
planting 25 fruit trees.
Yearbook: Cheryl Carino
Yearbooks will arrive tomorrow and will be distributing to teachers likely on Thursday.
Cheryl clarified that Lovelines funds ($10K) are given to PTO and has historically been
given to the PTO. This is something Dr. Hasselbrink reiterated as well.
Principal Report: Dr. Stephanie Hasselbrink
All good. No updates.
Teacher’s report: Erin Sullivan
Thank you from the staff for the luncheon.
Treasurer’s Report: Christal Duimstra
Our numbers are showing that we fell short on fundraising. Though several groups/
committees are bringing in more money than anticipated so we are still in good stead.
Christal is still working on the numbers for International Festival. They recently got new
data in and as a result the numbers will be changing.
Auditor’s Report: Virginia Price
Going great.
VP Communications (E-Blasts): Dorothy Tse
All is going well.
Friends Liaison Report and Co-Chair VP Volunteers Report: Kaitlin Barr
The new enrichment wheel was approved and will be funded by Friends. There is still a
vacancy on Gala Committee that needs to be filled.
VP Tidings: Megan Roeske & Rebecca Jacob
There is tons of content. It will be sent for layout tomorrow. There will be a tribute for
Mrs. Nicolaidis, but so many tributes came in that it could have filled a whole newsletter,
so Kim is working on another way to publish/display all the tributes. Stacey and Anna
will be taking over next year and have been shadowing.
VP Room Parent: Stacey Gubernator
Thanks to the generous donations by parents, driven by a room parent campaign, each
support staff received a $25 gift card for teacher appreciation week. They were very
grateful. Stacey is working on ideas on how to make it easier to track photo clearance
for class photographers. A few ideas from committee members were shared. It was also
discussed that all class photographers need to be aware of the expectation of the role to
be at events to take pictures and submit for yearbook, Tidings, and social media.