During the Oct. 31 Catasauqua Communities That Care meeting, coalition members discussed their work to build understanding and awareness of their efforts in the community.

The coalition has been doing presentations at the monthly meetings about various programs and activities in the district.

These presentations are recorded. The goal is to get the presentations uploaded to the CTC page on the district website to better reach the community. Additionally, the presentations will help members within the coalition to better understand the scope of the CTC and its programs.

The presentation schedule was interrupted during the summer months, but the plan is to resume the monthly presentations, according to Denise Continenza, Penn State Extension educator and CTC coordinator.

Amy Dymond-Jones, Catasauqua Middle School counselor and CTC coordinator, also noted she was thinking of adding an additional feature to the meetings to help boost engagement and efficiently deliver information and updates. She wants to implement presentations visually detailing updates or details about the coalition’s focus areas and priorities.

Ashley Moyer, district career facilitator, agreed this monthly addition will help the CTC members clearly see what is happening in the district and the results of their efforts. She added this can also be added to the website to share with the community.

The Pennsylvania Youth Survey will be administered in November, with assistance from Center for Humanistic Change. The PAYS will be taken by students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12. The district is also piloting the survey in grade 4. The anonymous results will be used to help inform programming and other decisions in the district to help the students.

Jeanette DeLeon, from Valley Youth House, reported the CBITS referral numbers at Catasauqua High School are so low they are discussing discontinuing the program. CBITS, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools, works to relieve depression, stress disorders and behavioral problems in youth. She noted the CMS numbers are still healthy.

Moyer noted the district recently implemented the Naviance program for grades K-12 to assist with college and career readiness. The program aligns well with the district’s focus on employability skills.

“It’s a very comprehensive tool our students will have access to,” Moyer reported.

Lois Reed, Catasauqua Community Cares Program organizer, reported the district was holding a winter-coat drive. C3P asked for donations of winter coats in all sizes, as well as hats and gloves. These were distributed to students and families in need Nov. 18. At that time, C3P also distributed food for families in need for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Reed was thankful to groups such as local churches, Lehigh Valley Educators Credit Union and Hanover Township, Lehigh County, for donations, which enable the group to continue feeding children in the district.

Reed also recognized Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, Catasauqua, for its efforts during trick-or-treat night Oct. 28. Reed reported the church had hot dogs and other goodies available for community members.

Additionally, Moyer recognized a number of Catasauqua High School students who volunteered to assist with the annual Catasauqua and North Catasauqua Halloween parade, held Oct. 18.

Dymond-Jones reported a representative from the YMCA is expected to join the coalition. Continenza mentioned a few other people she is inviting to join the group.

The next Catasauqua CTC meeting is set for 9:30 a.m. Nov. 28 at the district administration board room, 201 N. 14th St.