SESSA, Inc. 

Star Achievers Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 

7800 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20012 

February 23, 2023 

Present: 

Mark Pattison, Interim President 

Seth Johnson, Treasurer 

Dana Ju, Secretary 

Rhonda Davis Smith, Board Member 

Lyz Daly, Board Member 

Cendrine Robinson, Board Member

 

Meeting called to order: 8:39 pm

​

I. Review of Minutes from January Meeting 

A. Motion to Approve January minutes put forth by Treasurer 

B. Motion seconded by Secretary 

C. Motion approved unanimously 

II. Program & Enrollment Updates 

A. NO SCHOOL DAY 

1. 56 students enrolled 

2. March 9 and 10 are next NO SCHOOL DAY 

B. Total SESSA Enrollment 

1. 54 enrolled am 

2. 120 enrolled pm 

3. 5 Non-SESSA families participate 

C. Focus on Black History for February 

D. Doodle for Google program 

E. Coordination with school on expanded on after school clubs to ensure that all students get where they need to be for clubs and then SESSA 

F. Computer/Tablet Usage for SESSA students 

1. 93 students need access to iReady to complete homework assignments

2. SESSA currently has no access to computer lab/tablets to complete online homework 

3. Access to 30 tablets/computers for SESSA students to do their homework throughout the week would be very helpful. 

G. Motion to authorize $1440 to be used as an auction prize for the 2023 Shepherd ES Gala to take place on April 1, 2023. 

1. Motion seconded by board member 

2. Motion unanimously approved

III. Financial Update 

A. Bank balance 

B. Total income 

C. Cash on hand 

D. Total expenses including payroll 

E. Operating income 

IV. Staffing Update 

A. Current hire for the number two position withdrew her employment offer. B. No current staff are able to apply for this position. 

C. Job has been reposted on Idealist and Indeed. No new resumes coming in. D. Post on local neighborhood listservs. (Takoma, Shepherd, Petworth) E. 22 staff total on board 

V. Legal Matter 

A. Status update 

B. Next steps 

 

Meeting adjourned: 9:26 pm 

Next meeting: March 13th at 8:30 am

 

SESSA, Inc. 

Star Achievers Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 

7800 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20012 

January 11, 2023 

Present: 

Tami Weerashinga, President 

Mark Pattison, Vice President 

Seth Johnson, Treasurer 

Dana Ju, Secretary 

Lyz Daly 

Sharon Goodie 

Cendrine Robinson 

Briony Varda 

Eric Viera, SESSA 

Byron Greene, SESSA 

Meeting Called to Order: 8:37 pm 

 

AGENDA 

I. Approve December meeting minutes 

A. Motion to approve put forth by President 

B. Motion seconded by Treasurer 

C. Motion approved unanimously 

II. Update Program Operations & Personnel Update 

A. 139 students 

B. 81 pm only 

C. 49 am only 

D. 54 drop ins 

E. Next No School Day is 1/25 

F. No SESSA service during February break 

G. STEM Enrichment Course (Links, Incorporate)--new offering for all students H. Staffing 

1. One staff member who was on probation was recently terminated after violating her probation 

2. One staff member left for another position 

3. 6 interviews in the past week 

4. 3 new staff members starting over the next week or so 

III. Spacing Update 

A. Students can now use classrooms again for eating rather than eating in the multipurpose room

B. LSAT is pushing to help garner more space for SESSA including use of the cafeteria, during the hours of 3:30 pm-6:30 pm. 

C. Councilmember George’s office has been engaged in this situation. 

D. Pushing for use of the field for students to play sports instead of only having the blacktop to use. 

IV. Financial Update 

A. Bank Balance 

B. Total Income 

C. Payroll 

D. Operating Income 

E. Facilities and Usage Fees: Approximately $31,000 

V. Update on Operations Manager hire 

A. New hire accepted the offer with the salary at 40k 

B. Begins the position on 1/23 

C. She will be able to fill in for Eric in the event he is out of the office 

VI. Legal Matter 

A. Status update 

B. Retaining legal counsel to help SESSA Director deal with this issue

C. Motion to retain legal counsel put forth by Board President 

D. Motion seconded by Board member 

VII. Temporary SESSA President leave of absence 

A. Motion to approve a temporary appointment for Vice President to serve as Interim President for an undefined period of time (likely through the end of February/beginning of March). 

B. Motion seconded by Treasurer 

C. Motion approved unanimously 

 

Meeting adjourned: 9:52 pm

 

SESSA, Inc.

Star Achievers Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

7800 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20012

December 19, 2022

 

Present:

Tami Weerashinga, President

Seth Johnson, Treasurer

Dana Ju, Secretary

Liz Daly

Sharon Goodie

Cendrine Robinson

Briony Varda

Rhonda Davis Smith

Eric Viera, SESSA

Byron Greene, SESSA

 

Meeting called to order: 8:33 pm

 

1. Approve November meeting minutes 

   1. Motion to approve by President

   2. Motion seconded by Treasurer​​​​

2. Program operations status

   1. Enrollment​

      1. 154 total enrolled 

      2. 13 beforecare only​

      3. 94 aftercare only

      4. 47 enrolled in both

• Enrollment for enrichment class remain steady 

• Violin performance went really well

• Financial literacy

• Arts and crafts gifts

• Field usage

• Staff Appreciation Dinner to honor and celebrate Ms. Jasper + staff

III.  Space Usage

• Space continues to be an issue when the school had their holiday concert and holiday bazaar

IV.  Staffing

• Lost a couple of staff due to illness

• 18 staff members currently

• 21 staff for daily operations is ideal

• More hires needed who are available to come in at 2:45 pm daily 

 

V. PTO/SESSA/Shepherd ES Communication

• SESSA ED to get on weekly bulletin

• SESSA ED to get on Corresponding Secretary meeting

• Better integration and communication is necessary between Principal Russell and SESSA staff

VI. Status update on second hire

• Little interest in the role at this time

• No viable candidates at this time

• Repost at 35K-45K

• Source elsewhere for other job boards

• It is likely there would not be a number two until February

• Contingency planning necessary in case ED is out for whatever reason; have an emergency operations person that can cover (once trained)

VII.  Parent Concerns

      a.  Incident with second-grade teacher

• Incident was immediately investigated

• Action taken to communicate with both students and parents impacted

• Action taken to reprimand counselor for inappropriate behavior

• Incident documentation and written protocols

• All staff has to adhere to DCPS policies and protocols

      b.  Systems in place for tracking children in SESSA’s care

• Tracking where children are in the building and if children are supposed to be in SESSA but don’t show up

• SESSA has a list of kids going to afterschool clubs

• Statement on website on that articulates tracking status of students at SESSA aftercare

• Clear statement of policies on children under SESSA’s care

      c.  Communication with/responsiveness to parents

• Add policy section to website

• Determine SESSA proactively communicate to parents

 

Meeting adjourned: 10:26 pm

 

Next meeting: Wednesday, January 11 

SESSA, Inc.

Star Achievers Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

7800 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20012

November 30, 2022

 

Present:

Tami Weerashinga, President

Mark Pattison, Vice President

Seth Johnson, Treasurer

Dana Ju, Secretary

Lyz Daly

Sharon Goodie

Cendrine Robinson

Eric Viera, SESSA

Byron Greene, SESSA

Angela Jasper, SESSA

 

Meeting Called to Order: 8:33 pm

 

1. Program operations status

   1. Registration stats

      1. ​58 in No School Day​

      2. Net Profit of $2288.00

      3. Next No School Day is Jan 25

   2. Staffing

      1. 19 employees

      2. 2 volunteers (Community Service–high school students)

         1. Process documentation of students supporting in a volunteer capacity

         2. Have process for volunteer recruitment on file

      3. Having 3 staff in each class room is the goal for 2023

   3. Space/facilities

      1. Two additional rooms for use would be ideal

      2. Program and safety are not being compromised due to space constraints but if that changes we will look to push for other solutions

      3. Currently using 9 classrooms and multipurpose room         

   4. Nutrition and Snacks

      1. In line with nutrition guidelines

      2. Implemented a snack calendar

      3. Working with vendor Cisco to provide nutritious options for snacks

      4. Snack prices are increasing so SESSA is looking into how to offset costs

      5. The school gifted a refrigerator to SESSA so they can refrigerate items such as string cheese, celery, etc. 

   5. Curriculum

      1. ​STEAM

      2. Critical Thinking

      3. Art

      4. Physical Fitness

   6. First aid training for staff

      1. ​Most of staff are currently trained

      2. Review certification renewals necessary for existing staff to ensure that all or most staff are CPR & First Aid Certified.

      3. Having a physician available to provide guidance or volunteer to be “on-call” for support or questions

2. Financials

   1. Bank balance

   2. Income

   3. Payroll

3. Approve 11/2 meeting minutes

   1. ​Motion to approve meeting minutes put forth by President

   2. Motion seconded by Secretary

   3. Motion passed unanimously 

4. Position for Hire-Program/Operations Manager

   1. Number two to Program Director

   2. ​Review of job description

   3. Approval of job description

   4. Determine hours

   5. Determine salary/hourly rate

   6. Next steps for screening

   7. Next steps/Action items

      1. Revise job description

      2. Add agreed upon salary

      3. Post job

      4. Determine staffing compared to average monthly tuition to help determine a salary

      5. Select board members will take the lead on the action items

 

Meeting adjourned: 10:15 pm

​

​

Shepherd Elementary School Star Achievers

Board of Director Meeting Minutes

November 2, 2022

8:00 - 9:30 (Conference Call)

​

Present:

Tami Weerashinga, President

Mark Pattison, Vice President

Seth Johnson, Treasurer

Dana Ju, Secretary

Lyz Daly

Sharon Goodie

Cendrine Robinson

Eric Viera, SESSA

Byron Greene, SESSA

Angela Jasper, SESSA
 

Meeting Called to Order: 8:33 pm
 

1. Approve 10/17 meeting minutes 

   1. Motion to approve meeting minutes

   2. Motion to approve meeting minutes put forth by board Treasurer

   3. Motion passed unanimously 

2. Program operations status

   1. PK4 and 2nd grade are now open again for registration

   2. 6 more children have enrolled from those grades

   3. Scholarship opportunity–financial documentation has been submitted to SESSA and the family was granted a scholarship of half payment for aftercare

   4. One full and two partial scholarships for the school year

3. Onboarding of new Director

   1. Getting up to speed on processes and procedures

   2. Software, equipment syncs

   3. Banking paperwork taken care and new director is on the account

   4. Building usage process

   5.  Staffing challenges

   6. Weekly wrap-up meeting to ensure transparency, productivity and ongoing communication

​

IV. Staffing

1. ​

   1. 12 staff members, up 50% in staffing

   2. More likely to join soon

   3. Mix of Shepherd ES teachers and teaching aides to join the SESSA staff

   4. More effort put toward Montgomery Community College to apply for positions

   5. Volunteer support

​

V.  Spacing

1. ​

   1. SESSA is paying for seven classrooms ($841.00) and the multi-purpose room for SESSA use, would like to add two more to accommodate space needs

   2. Lots of shuffling around to provide sufficient space for all grades which is not ideal

   3. Working with Shepherd ES to try to find solutions to the space shortage issue

   4. SESSA staff and Director ensure all classrooms are clean, take photos to show the principal and staff that the rooms are cleaned after SESSA closes for the evening.

   5. The goal is 2-3 minimum staff members per class

   6. Right now K and 1st grade are grouped together and ideally those grades could be separate to better accommodate varied student needs.

   7. Interest from DCPS Central and DC Mayor’s office on space usage for SESSA

 

VI. Process and timeline for second hire

1. Characteristics of this hire that might be valuable for the program and to support the director

2. Give the new director some time to acclimate and determine the most pressing needs for the program and support the director

3. Share the current job description with the new director and make any necessary updates to the description

4. Aim to share a revised job description by 11/30 at the next board meeting

5. Ideal goal is to bring this person on by the end of 2022 or early January 

6. Determine a screening process for candidates to ensure we have an efficient screening and hiring process, utilizing the board hiring subcommittee

7. Ms. Jasper staying on board until 12/16 and Mr. Green will stay on until 12/21

 

Meeting adjourned: 9:22 pm

​

​

​

​

Shepherd Elementary School Star Achievers

Board of Director Meeting Minutes

October 17, 2022

8:00 - 9:30 (Conference Call)

​

Present:

Tami Weerashinga, President

Mark Pattison, Vice President

Seth Johnson, Treasurer

Dana Ju, Secretary

Lyz Daly

Rhonda Davis Smith

Sharon Goodie

Cendrine Robinson

Byron Greene, SESSA

Angela Jasper, SESSA

 

Meeting Called to Order: 8:33 pm

​

1. Approve 10/3 meeting minutes 

   1. Motion to approve previous meeting minutes for 10.3.22 put forth by President

   2. Motion to approve seconded by Vice President

   3. Motion passed unanimously 

2. Update from Byron & Angela on program operations status

   1. Enrollment

      1. Before Care: 8

      2. Aftercare: 74 

      3. Before/Aftercare: 50 

                B.  No School Day Enrollment

                      10/6: 47     $1793    $1582   (Net Profit)      

                      10/7: 36     $1687     $919    (Net Profit)

                C. Space/Facilities 

                     1.  There are constraints to use of the gymnasium

                     2. A space usage agreement in the future would be extremely beneficial to the program

                D.  Enrichment Programs Enrollment

                      1.  Robotics, Bridge Design, Aerospace Technology 13

                      2.  Basketball Fitness 9

                      3.  Soccer  22

                      4.  Violin   9

                      5.  Chess 18 

                 E. Staffing-currently at 10 staff members

 

III.  Financials

1. Cash on hand

2. Net balance

3. Total revenue for August and September

4. Expenses

5. Refunds update

 

IV. Onboarding- Program Director

           A. A new director has been hired and will begin on 10/24

           B. Onboarding activities and training needs

                1.  Onsite training 

                2.  Introductions to Sherderd ES relevant administration and staff

                3.  School tour

                4.  Shadowing SESSA staff

                5.  Overview of processes 

                6.  Training on sending out schedules, ordering snacks, etc

                7.  Get an email address set up for him

           C.  Expectation setting with the board and establishing a good rapport early on

                1.  Liaison with board member-two board members volunteered for this role

                2.  Set up an in person meeting with the full board 

 

V.  Communication with other PD candidates

1. Notify other candidates that we have selected a candidate for hire

 

VI. Process and timeline for second hire

1. Begin selection and interview process for second hire

2. Let the new PD provide input on what skills will complement his skills and strengths as it relates to the second in command

3. Give the new PD some time to understand what the most critical needs are for this position

4. Towards the end of next week, board representative touches base with new PD to share the job description for the second in command position and offer for new PD to share thoughts at the next board meeting and/or see if he might have a candidate in mind to apply

5. Engage him in the hiring process for this position and board representative can set up a cadence of check ins on the process for hiring 

 

VII. Review of first draft SESSA Operations Manual

 

Next meeting on 11/2/22

 

Meeting adjourned: 9:33 pm

​

​

​

Shepherd Elementary School Star Achievers

Board of Director Meeting Minutes

October 3, 2022

8:00 - 9:30 (Conference Call)

​

​

Present:

Tami Weerashinga, President

Mark Pattison, Vice President

Seth Johnson, Treasurer

Dana Ju, Secretary

Lyz Daly

Sharron Goodie

Cendrine Robinson

Rhonda Davis Smith

Angela Jasper, SESSA

Byron Greene, SESSA

​

Meeting called to order: 8:37

 

1. Candidate review and consideration for Executive Director Position

2. Candidate one

   1. Summaries  of interview

   2. Overview of key skills/attributes

   3. Pros

   4. Cons/Concerns

3. Candidate two

   1. Summaries of interview

   2. Overview of key skills/attributes

   3. Pros

   4. Cons/Concerns

4. Candidate three

   1. Summaries of interview

   2. Overview of key skills attributes

   3. Pros

   4. Cons

 

II. Motion to extend an offer to Candidate Two put forth by Board president

1. Motion seconded by board member Sharon Goodie

2. Motion passed unanimously at agreed upon salary to include a health care stipend

3. Next steps: Board will go out to him to extend an offer and provide an offer letter and ask for a verbal agreement and then the board will extend a written offer letter.

 

Meeting adjourned: 10:11 pm

​

​

​

Shepherd Elementary School Star Achievers

Board of Director Meeting Minutes

September 27, 2022

8:00 - 9:30 (Conference Call)

​

 

Present:

Tami Weerashinga, President

Mark Pattison, Vice President

Seth Johnson, Treasurer

Dana Ju, Secretary

Lyz Daly

Sharron Goodie

Cendrine Robinson

Rhonda Davis Smith

Angela Jasper, SESSA

Byron Greene, SESSA

​

Meeting called to order: 8:07

 

I.   Review and approval of 9//12 meeting minutes (circulated by Dana)

     Motion to approve meeting minutes put forth by board Treasurer

     Motion seconded by board Vice President

II. Update on program operations status

      A.  Space/facilities agreement

            1.  Cobb sent an updated an agreement which was modified by DCPS

            2.  8 classrooms total are available for use

            3.  Activities will begin next week

            4.  Complications with after school club–coordination and communication needs

            5.  Transitions and moving throughout the building are secure and going well 

      B.   Insurance-all documents are current and up to date

      C.  Staffing

            1.  Staff loss has occurred in the first week

            2.  Currently have nine staff members

            3.  Second grade is at 27 kids and another staff member is needed to staff the grade level

            4.  Additional staffing is also needed for PK3, PK4 but current staff are doing well managing the small groups of                   children

            5.  Front desk person and a floater would be helpful

            6.  Interviews will resume next week

            7.  Retention bonus–quarterly 

            8. Check with existing Shepherd ES staff to see if any of them are interested in working at SESSA after school

      D.  Registration

            1.  Space has been made available to students who want to enroll

            2.  PK4 and 2nd grade are still at capacity, add to a waitlist

      E.  Refunds-all refunds have been processed

      F.  Scholarships

           1.  Two scholarships given out so far

           2.  One for before care and one for aftercare

      G.  No School Day

III.  Financial update

1. Tuition income

2. Program income

3. No School Day income

4. Expenses

5. Cash on hand 

IV.  Update from Program Director Search Committee

     A. Interviewing 2-3 candidates to send over for board interviews in the next week or so

     B. Board interview/selection committee to move forward with interviewing the three candidates selected to move                  through the interview process.

V.   Communications

VI.  Action items

​

 

Shepherd Elementary School Star Achievers

Board of Director Meeting Minutes

September 12, 2022

8:00 - 9:30 (Conference Call)

​

Present:

Tami Weerashinga, President

Mark Pattison, Vice President

Seth Johnson, Treasurer

Dana Ju, Secretary

Lyz Daly

Briony Varda

Sharron Goodie

Cendrine Robinson

Rhonda Davis Smith

Angela Jasper, SESSA

Byron Greene, SESSA

​

Meeting called to order: 8:03

 

1. Approve 9/6 meeting minutes

   1. Motion to approve meeting minutes put forth by Board Treasurer

   2. Motion seconded by Board Vice President

   3. Motion passed unanimously

2.  Update from Byron & Angela on program operations status

            A.  Space/facilities agreement–sent everything over to Principal Russell

            B.  Insurance: Byron confirmed all insurance documentation except for the workers comp paperwork is in and 

                 once we have that it will be submitted to Yvette Cobb at DGS so we can be processed.

           C.  DCPS Central approval: space requests have been sent to Principal Russell that she needs to forward to DCPS

                 Central, Byron to also follow up directly with her to see where things stand.

            D. Staffing: Working through clearances in order for them to start on the 19th. 14 hired staff at this time, 4 have                     DCPS clearance.

            E.  Registration: Registration is still closed to certain grades that are currently at capacity, SESSA will try to re- 

                 open when possible but it is underdetermined at this time.

            F.  Vendors: All specials will begin the first week of October.

            G. Refunds: Refunds are being processed as needed in the form of a credit.

            H. Scholarships: Offer up a maximum of 10k in scholarship funds.

                  I.  Motion put forth by Board vice president to approve use of SESSA funds to approve and provide a line                               item in the SESSA budget in the amount of $10,00 for the 2022-2023 SY.

                  2. Motion seconded by board member, Rhonda Davis Smith

​

1. PTO Request - childcare for Back to School night

   1. 4:30-5:30 (ECE-2nd grade)

   2. 5:30-6:30 (3rd grade-5th grade)

   3. Need to determine where children can be in the space

   4. How many children

   5. Food, paper goods and drinks 

   6. Payment for childcare services ($25/hour)

2. Financial update: 

   1. Cash on hand

   2. Expenses

   3. Reserves

   4. Operating profit

3. Update from Program Director Search Committee

   1. Role has been posted to Idealist and Indeed

   2. Small handful of candidates have submitted resumes

   3. Interview process and next steps

4. Communications: Send out a notification to registered families to confirm that we are opening on 9/19, enrichment start date on 10/1, drop off and pick up procedures, refunds/adjustments. 

5. Action items

 

Meeting adjourned: 9:50 pm

​

 

 

Shepherd Elementary School Star Achievers

Board of Director Meeting Minutes

September 6, 2022

8:00 - 9:30 (Conference Call)

​

Present:

Tami Weerashinga, President

Mark Pattison, Vice President

Seth Johnson, Treasurer

Dana Ju, Secretary

Lyz Daly

Sharron Goodie

Cendrine Robinson

Rhonda Davis Smith

Angela Jasper, SESSA

Byron Greene, SESSA

Tyra Russell, Shepherd ES Principal

 

Meeting called to order: 8:03

 

1. Meeting minutes

   1. Approval of meeting meetings 

   2. Motion put forth by Board president to approve meeting minutes from 8.30.22 meeting 

   3. Motion seconded by Board vice president

   4. Minutes approved unanimously 

2. Questions from Shepherd ES/Principal Russell

   1. Planning to open on 9.19

   2. Families had questions about registration 

3. Operations Update

   1. Space & Facilities Usage agreement

      1. Still awaiting the signed agreement from DGS

      2. Insurance paperwork documentation 

      3. Workers comp, umbrella coverage, supplemental insurance requirements have all been approved

      4. Access of gymnasium–in conversation with DPR about usage for SESSA, positive conversation took place between DPR and SESSA for use of the space for the 2022-2023 SY, DPR is working out timeframes when SESSA can access the gym M-Th up until 4:30 pm; confident that SESSA will be able to fully utilize the space going forward.

      5. Process for identifying use of space in the school with Principal Russell and Shepherd ES teachers

      6. MOU’s needed for 1. Field, Cafeteria, School

      7. Total classroom/school building needs will be communicated to Principal Russell by SESSA 

   2. Staffing Update

      1. Five new hires

      2. Three returning staff members

      3. Eight total hired for now

      4. Three interviews this week

      5. 13-14 total staff is the goal

      6. 60 remaining applicants for jobs at SESSA, board members are helping to conduct interviews.

      7. 9/12 is an evaluation date for re-opening on time.

      8. Registration is closed for PK3, PK4, Kindergarten, and 1st grade and 2nd grade (3rd-4th remains open).

      9. SESSA to communicate to the board on Sunday, 9/11 on staffing progress so we can determine the necessity to postpone open dates or not serve certain grades that aren’t staffed.

   3. Registration-Currently 105 registered for the program at this time.

   4. Vendors–all vendors will return this year

   5. Refunds-Pulled a list of all accounts processed to determine who paid what and who may need a refund. SESSA has a list of those families eligible for refunds and the refunds will be processed once the program re-opens.

   6. Scholarships-to be determined as we get closer to the reopening date and we have a better understanding of scope of demand and financial capacity to provide scholarships

IV. Update on Director Search

1. Separate email created for program director resume candidates.

2. Ms. Jasper has agreed to look at applicants for an initial screening.

3. Creation of hiring matrix

4. Present candidates for consideration for review

5. Final phase will be a group interview with candidate, SESSA staff and board members

6. There is one candidate to be interviewed at this time.

7. Ideal start date is October 1.

V. Community Communications

1. Timing

2. Messaging & Strategy

   1. Depending on staffing numbers, we communicate by noon on Monday, 9/12.

VI. Background checks for potential staff-MPD, NCIC/FBI, CPS (civil and criminal background checks)

 

VII. PikmyKid App

 

1. File needs to be sent with new team members

 

 

Meeting adjourned: 9:55 pm

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​