MHS/WES PTO
September 19th, 2007 Meeting Minutes
President, Lynn Breau Vice President, Fred Ellsworth
Teasurer, Kim Samson Secretary, Jenn Dewey
Meeting Commencement
Lynn Breau opened the meeting at at 6:35pm with 36 parents in attendance as well as David Marble, Patty Marquis, Ms. Brogan, Mrs. Goodwin, Mr Sifert, Mrs. McCarthy and Mrs. Sharkey from the staff.
All the PTO board members were present.
Secretary’s Report
Jenn Dewey presented the Secretary’s Report. Jenn motioned to accept the minutes from 6/7/07, seconded by Fred Ellsworth, all approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Kim Samson presented the Treasurer’s Report. She explained the report for all new members present, including the income, expenses and actual unencumbered balance that the organization has to work with. Kim also explained that 142 people have signed up for the PTO with 125 of these having paid the requested dues. An additional 68 individuals have requested just separate Student Directories. A copy of the Treasurer’s Report can be requested from Kim Samson or Jenn Dewey. Kim motioned to accept the Report, Jenn Dewey seconded, all approved.
Principal’s Report
Dave Marble welcomed all and thanked everyone for attending. He reported that the beginning of the year has started very smoothly, very few tears! He emphasized that the teachers and support staff really take the first 6 weeks to make sure that all students feel safe and secure in their school setting, especially socially and emotionally. This is to insure that the students are motivated to be successful in their classroom endeavors. David assured everyone that he and all of the staff are doing their best at deflecting the effects of the failed Override from the students, the children shouldn’t be suffering because of this. WES and MHS have gone down in staff; there is no longer a health and technology special, only one secretary at WES, no school librarian after Mrs. Klemetti retires in December, and larger class sizes at certain grade levels, to name a few. Also, building use has been restricted on certain days after hours as well. They are still trying to fight to get these positions back but it’s a tough battle at present. David also thanked everyone for the great attendance at both Open Houses. He reported that this is the first time that parents have been able to sign up for conferences at the Open Houses and it seemed to work well. He assured everyone that parents that didn’t get a chance to sign up, would be contacted and reminded as conference dates draw closer (Nov 19th&20th).
School Improvement Council Update
Both Monica Blessington and David Marble reported for this group. They explained that the full Council was not present at the Aug 22nd meeting; however, several points were discussed. The failed Override and its repercussions were discussed at length as well as 3 goals the Council wanted to tackle this year. First, the need for parent volunteers during lunch and recess for the younger students for the first couple of weeks of school. This actually was implemented and went very well. Joanne Reed said that the volunteers help was greatly appreciated by all the lunch and recess aides. The second goal discussed was the possible implementation of periodic budget forums (in the fall/winter and again in spring) to better inform parents and the community of budgetary struggles. Lastly, the third goal was to possibly create a list of curriculum related websites that would coordinate with the teachers’ material being taught in the classroom.
Committee Reports
OPEN HOUSE WES/MHS ~ Sarah Paiste reported that the event at WES went very smoothly and was well attended. The building tours were much appreciated and a good number of parents took advantage of these tours. Paula McGuirk reported that the event for MHS went equally as well with a high level of attendance. She thanked everyone who brought refreshments; there were plenty to go around. The surplus was given to the teachers and firefighters.
FUNDRAISER ~ Joanne Reed and Ina Carey reported for this committee saying that they were off to a great start. Everyone seemed to like the new company (Genevieves), especially the 1 order form for everything. October 1st is the end date with the products being delivered the 1st week of November.
FALL DANCE~ Sarah Dellasanta and Jen Rios reported for this committee and indicated that they are off to a good start, having met with the previous chairperson for ideas and other specifics. They took time to apologize for the date change from Oct 26th to Nov 2nd. They will both be out of town and had to rearrange the date. They will be holding a planning meeting very soon for their committee. Promotional fliers will be going out closer to the date. The theme will also be `Family Fun Night’ in order to encourage younger students to participate. They also supplied the board with a proposed budget of $614 that was discussed in detail. Sarah motioned for $614 for operating expenses, with any of this not used being returned to the PTO fund, seconded by Leslie Lothrop, all approved.
STUDENT DIRECTORY~Tiffany Davis informed all that the directory is coming along nicely, with an estimated time of completion for the end of October. The directory cover will be the same material with staples, but a different color. The landscaping format will be maintained as well as all the information from previous years with the possible addition of a section for alternate phone/cell phone. The back of the front cover will also include all the dates for any PTO meetings and events throughout the year. Tiffany motioned for $500 for the required printing, labels, etc. costs, seconded by Fred Ellsworth, all approved.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL~ Lynn Breau reported for this committee, saying that everything went well. The parent volunteers did a great job giving out bus tags to the appropriate students and showing students where their classrooms were. David Marble indicated that parent volunteers wouldn’t be needed for the incoming kindergarteners in future years, but possibly the Kindergarten Orientation chair people, Joanne Reed and Nikki Browell could be on hand to assist the Kindergarten teachers and this would be sufficient.
Other Business
THIRD GRADE FIELD TRIP~ Ms. Brogan and Mrs. Goodwin discussed the cost of the upcoming field trip to Plimoth Plantation on Nov 9th. This trip is an integral part of the third grade Colonial curriculum. The cost without any PTO funding would be $28 per child; they were hoping to bring that cost down to $22 or lower per each child. There are 99 children that need to attend. A PTO donation of between $600-800 would achieve that goal. Sarah Paist motioned for $800 for the Plimoth trip, seconded by Leslie Lothrop, all approved.
5TH GRADE AGENDAS~ Mr. Sifert discussed the need to purchase these agendas which are a key organizational tool that the students need at this grade level. The agendas are the same type (larger) that the Overlook Middle School expects the students to use. These agendas would give the 5th graders the opportunity to practice utilizing these agendas for their time management skills (recording homework, projects, etc.) before they enter the Middle School.Premier Books is the company that Mr. Sifert received a price quote from. The price for 105 agendas including tax and shipping would be $281.82. Mr. Sifert motioned for $281.82, seconded by Leslie Lothrop, all approved.
OFFICE PROCEDURES FOR COMMITTEE CHAIRS ~ David Marble explained that due to a reduction in office staff, the office personnel really need to keep track of any paper work that is coming and going via the mailboxes. Due to this, any committee chairs and PTO volunteers need to leave any correspondence (ie: promotional fliers, PTO info. notices, etc.) with either of the secretaries –Clara Hannula @ WES, Kathy McCarthy @ MHS and they will stuff the appropriate mailboxes. Also, Kim Samson suggested streamlining our system of copying, that all copies for both buildings be made in the planning room of WES. Everyone agreed that this was a good idea.
Kim also announced that the PTO will be holding Committee Chair workshops on Mon Oct. 1st from 6:30-7:30pm in the WES planning room and Thurs Oct. 4 @ 10:00-11:00am in the extended day room. This will give volunteers and opportunity to learn how to access funds, make copies, organize your event and understand many other key pieces of chairing an event.
PLAYGROUND UPDATE~ David Marble reported that since the PTO set aside money last year, the school has also acquired capital money to use as well. Due to this, he and the staff are now in the process of taking bids on new park benches to replace our old ones. He hopes to get the new benches in before the first snowfall. Also, the playgrounds will both need to be resurfaced in the spring. He’s researching different materials and their costs for this. The goal for both of these endeavors is to find materials that will be both quality and durability over time. A shade awning/structure for both areas is still being researched. There are liability concerns (vandalism, etc.) with any permanent structure added to the playgrounds. Joanne Reed also mentioned a need for new playground toys for the students. A lot was purchased in May, yet our supplies are down again. Kim Samson suggested that Joanne and Ina Carey make a list of what is needed and supply it at the next PTO meeting in order to request funding.
New Ideas
Tiffany Davis reminded everyone that Marta Klemetti is retiring in December and since this was not a position we could hire for, maybe we could come up with ideas about how to keep the libraries running. Many people have expressed a wish to staff the libraries on a volunteer basis. Also, Forbush Memorial Library may have a reciprocal program where they could lend us a librarian at times. Tiffany and David Marble will look into volunteer possibilities and other situations at this time.
Kim Samson reminded everyone that the General Mills Boxtops and the Campbells Soup labels are a great way to clip and save money for the schools. Campbells has a website as well – Campbell’s for Education.com- another way to generate money for the schools.
Meeting Adjourned 8:06pm
Respectfully Submitted, Jenn Dewey