September 20, 2005 PTO Meeting Minutes
PTO President Cassie DeJarnette called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Members in attendance were Cassie DeJarnette, Robbie DeJarnette, Cheryl Guthrie, Todd Guthrie, Pam Wyatt, George Julien, Venus Julien, Lynda Marcoux, Roberta Blevins, Missy McCallen, Jessica Bivens, Sharon Dowdy, Paula Knipp, Jessica Hicks, Sue Johnson, Charyn Powell, Becky Hook, Lisa Ridenour, Sonya Parker, Nan Shugart, Jan Bailey, L. Rowland, Pearl Goins, Kim Brinkman, Laurie Bowles, Jill Walter, Linda Twohig and Mark Eason.
PrincipalŐs report - Ms. Goins reported that everything has gone well during the first 20 days of the school year. She is very excited about Glenwood's focus on reading for this year and the opportunities for students to progress at his or her own level. In the future parents will be contacted to participate on school improvement committees. Input from both parents and teachers are needed. In the past the PTO has budgeted $500 for the Summer Excel program. This year Glenwood has been awarded $39,500 through a Leeps Grant from the state. This will help with enrichment programs like Excel and GAP, so the school will not need this money.
May 2005 Minutes - The May 2005 minutes were distributed for review. Lynda Marcoux moved that the minutes be accepted, seconded by Lisa Ridenour. Motion passed unanimously.
TreasurerŐs Report - Lynda Marcoux distributed the Treasurer's Report for the period ending 9-20-05 for review as she explained the operating statement. Linda Twohig noted that in the 2004 there were no expenses for the fish tank paid for by the PTO, but there may be some this year. There is no amount budgeted for these expenses. Lynda Marcoux asked Ms. Twohig to inform the PTO of any expenses she has, and she will be reimbursed. If she can put together an amount for the expected cost, this can be added to the budget. Ms. Rowland made a motion that the report be approved, seconded by Nan Shugart, and the motion passed unanimously.
Committee Reports
Playground
Nan Shugart provided a list of all the committee's accomplishments
since June of this year as well as future items the committee plans
to address. She also wanted to thank all her volunteers who worked
over the summer to make these accomplishments come to life as well as
Ms. Goins and Mona Ridener for all their input and feedback as to
what does and doesn't work. The feedback has been positive as far as
the gazebos and the placement of two water coolers on the playground.
Ms. Goins explained that there had been some concern from the
teachers about the green netting located where the topsoil had been
brought in as this poses a hazard for the children i.e. tripping,
etc. She explained that no grass has grown because of the dry spell
we have experienced. Pulling the netting up is not an option as it is
a chore and the fact that it will break down over time. They have,
however, been trimming back any exposed netting to prevent anyone
tripping and falling down.
Book Fair
Nan Shugart reported that the kick off for the fall Book Fair will be
at 8:30 a.m. on 9/21. Co-chairs Nan, Lynda Marcoux and Carolyn
Livengood have been on a roller coaster ride for the past few days,
but things seem to be coming together. There will be costumes for the
teachers to choose from, a crown for the students and Ms. Boyd has
been working with the children as they will sing "Puff the Magic
Dragon" during assembly. "Queen Goins" will be presenting each class
with a book from the PTO during assembly. There will also be a
surprise event .... A jousting between "Sir Read-A-Lot" and "Sir
Read-A-Not"! They hope to show a 5-minute clip from the movie "Shrek"
(with no sound) if someone has a DVD that the committee can borrow.
Nan expressed her deepest gratitude to all her committee members and
especially to two kindergarten moms who came in ready to work -
Jessica Bivens & Michelle Pabst! A sheet was passed around during
the meeting to give each parent an opportunity to volunteer during
the Book Fair.
Box Tops for Education
Melanie Braden was not present, so Missy McCallen reported for her.
The amount of box tops that were turned in appeared to be very good
because the last day Melanie picked up she had several bags!
Fundraiser
Cassie DeJarnette gave us an update on the fundraiser that just
ended. Most of the sheets have been tallied, but there is still some
adding to do. Some issues have risen. Some of the order forms have to
be copied over again, and there were some payments turned in with the
forms. They have to locate which forms the money belongs to. Right
now the total purchase amount is around $21,000. It is projected that
the final total will be some where around $25,000, and we get 40% of
all sales. Since this fundraiser is a "post pay" it means that
payments will be received when the items are delivered so this amount
may vary. We can't bank on any dollar amount until all the items are
delivered and payment is received. Most of the feedback has been that
this years fundraiser offered nicer items, but it is easier to get
the money up front. There were questions as to why we didn't do the
Sally Foster Fundraiser. The reason was there is no representative in
this area.
Boo Hoo Breakfast
Cheryl Guthrie reported that this years Boo Hoo Breakfast for the
kindergarten parents was a great success. Approximately 20 parents
were in attendance. Having the breakfast located in the Art Room next
to the kindergarten classes seemed to work better. A big "Thank You"
goes out to Missy McCallen for taking time to talk with the parents
and to all the volunteers who helped make the breakfast such a great
success!
New Business
Committee Heads - Mailboxes & Approvals: Cassie DeJarnette asked that all committee heads check the PTO mailbox frequently to pick up any material that is left there for them. Please remember that everything i.e. web postings, notes that are sent home with students, pictures/articles in the Oak Ridger, etc. must be approved by Ms. Goins before being sent out!
T-Shirts
(Field trip shirts) Lynda Marcoux reported that the field trip
T-shirts purchased for the school ended up costing the PTO $56.00
more than what was budgeted as we had to a little differently than
first thought. We probably could have gotten more accurate sizes for
the classrooms, but hopefully the sizes that were purchased will be
adequate since the T-shirts will not be going home with the students.
We will ask each classroom to have a parent from that class wash and
return the T-shirts to the classroom. The shirts need to be washed
inside out and with perfume free detergent. If for some reason they
are unable to get anyone to wash the shirts, they can notify someone
in the PTO and we will take care of it for them.
There have been questions about whether or not we will offer T-shirts for sell. We did not want to sell t-shirts like the ones used for the field trips to avoid confusion. Lynda is in the process of gathering samples and the possibility of a screen vs a monogram on the shirts. She hopes to have a display ready for the October meeting so that this can be discussed further. This will not be a fundraiser for the PTO but rather orders will be taken and the shirts will be sold at cost. They will be different than the field trip shirts and of nicer quality. Ms. Goins made mention that the "Glenwood colors" are turquoise blue and gold.
Yearbook:
Linda Twohig and Jessica Hicks are heading up the yearbook committee,
and they are very excited about this year's book. They announced that
they will be in need of photographs taken on field trips, during
special class functions, etc. If you are interested in taking some
pictures but do not have access to a digital camera, there is a
camera in the library that can be checked out for these events.
There was much discussion as to whether or not the PTO will have the money to provide yearbooks for every student and teacher this year. This year $2,500 was budgeted to cover the cost of the yearbooks, however this depends on how much money we raise during our fundraisers. It is very likely that this money will not be there. Cheryl Guthrie expressed at the meeting that the first year the PTO totally covered the cost of the yearbooks was the year Cubs On Track made $14,000. The purchase of the yearbooks was to thank everyone for their hard work in regards to Cubs On Track. Suggestions were made that possibly:
(1) Letting parents have the option of purchasing the yearbooks,
(2) Ask parents to sponsor a family who cannot afford to purchase a yearbook,
(3) Split the cost of the yearbooks between the PTO and the families,
(4) Seek advertising from local businesses to cover cost,
(5) Have parents purchase "one liner notes" to their children in the yearbook.
Ms. Goins brought to everyone's attention that 51% of the children at Glenwood are free or fee waived and that means that one half of the students cannot afford to purchase yearbooks. Just look at the children's faces when they receive these yearbooks. Whatever you give to a child, you get back two fold! Everyone was in agreement that we didn't want to single any child out and make them feel left out. Todd Guthrie made a suggestion that we put in a line item in the income for the yearbooks and if by mid year we don't have the funds available, we can charge.
It was decided that we would table this discussion until the January meeting. The committee will see about getting outside sponsors to cover the cost of the yearbooks and present their findings at the January meeting. Last year the yearbooks cost less than expected because two of our mothers did the yearbooks without us going through LifeTouch. Ms. Goins made mention of the fact that if we use LifeTouch, they will do everything and the school will get proceeds from the sell of the yearbooks. A motion was made by Lynda Marcoux that we table any further discussion until the January meeting, seconded by Kim Brinkman and passed unanimously.
Teacher Requests:
**Note: It is the policy of the PTO to vote on teacher requests at the end of the meeting after those individuals have had a chance to present their request and then leave the meeting. To save space the voting results are listed at the end of each request presented during this meeting instead of at the end of this report.
Ms. Blevins spoke to the group before she had to leave to thank the PTO and the parents for all that they do. She said they (the staff) constantly talk about and praise the hard work that it put forth by those involved and that it doesn't go unnoticed. They would like to be able attend more meetings but when they are here at the school by 7 a.m., it's hard to make the meetings. She just wanted to say "Thank You" and to let us know that we are appreciated!
Ms. Powell asked that the PTO consider purchasing "Prefixes & Suffixes: Systematic Sequential Phonics & Spelling, a book/CD/word card set for her class. This system is a teaching tool to help students decode words and properly use prefixes, suffixes and spelling changes. The items are in the P&S catalog, and the cost is $64.98 + S/H. Kim Brinkham informed us that there is a discount place on line that sells these type items. It might be worth our time to check out this web site to see if these items can be purchased for less money. Mark Eason made a motion that we purchase this item for Ms. Powell after checking out the web site Kim mention to see if we can purchase it for less. Jessica Bivens seconded this motion, and the motion passed unanimously.
Missy McCallen asked that the PTO consider funding author Mike Baler (Black Lagoon Series) for a half day visit to Glenwood. He has been invited to speak at UT the first week in February, and he has time available to come to our school. Mr. Baler is a cartoonist and comedian who is very popular with the K - 2 population. He would also be able to provide insight to the 3rd and 4th grades as far as authorship and what it means for children to get their books "somewhat" published. He would also hold a one hour workshop for the teachers during his visit. The amount requested is $600. Missy's suggestion was that the $300 that has been budgeted for Reading Month be used for this and asked if the PTO would be willing to give another $300. We will be paying for his time here and no lodging, meals, etc. The money will be needed in January. Motion made by Lynda Marcoux to approve this request, seconded by Linda Twohig and motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Bailey asked that the PTO consider purchasing a megaphone that all three-kindergarten classes can share. The bells that they are currently using are not effective. The megaphone that they are requesting costs $79.00 + S/H (approx. $100). Nan Shugart made a motion that this request be approved and that the money is taken out of the playground budget. Cassie DeJarnette seconded this, and the motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Johnson asked that the PTO consider purchasing a felt word wall for her room so that she can display high frequency words on the wall for her class. The wall that she is requesting costs $42.00 + S/H. It was brought up that this item could possibly be purchased at P&S for less as teacher's get a 10% discount and by buying it direct we could save shipping and handling. A motion was made by Nan Shugart to approve this request, seconded by Sonya Parker, and the motion passed unanimously.
Missy McCallen made a request on behalf of the clinic. The nurse asked that the PTO consider purchasing an otoscope for ear exams. It would also be nice to have this at the time of the classroom hearing tests. There is an otoscope in the clinic now but the nurse feels that it is not adequate. The cost of the otoscope is $427.95. Mark Eason stated that many physician offices have gone to wall mounted otoscopes, and he is willing to check with his personal physician to see if they might have an old one they would be willing to donate. A discussion was held and since the nurse is only at the school for three hours a day it was felt that this amount of money could be spent better elsewhere, especially since the clinic has something to work with now. Lisa Ridenour made a motion that this request be denied, seconded by Kim Brinkman and motion passed unanimously. Mark will check about getting one donated.
Lynda Marcoux requested that the $500 which had been budgeted for the Summer Excel program be used to cover the costs of the tax-exempt application since it would not be needed due to the grant the school received. A motion was made by Mark Eason that the $500 be used to cover the costs of the tax-exempt application. Kim Brinkman seconded this, and the motion passed unanimously.
At the end of the meeting a name was drawn for the winner of a gift certificate to Rivers Total Car Care. Ms. Blevins was the winner of this month's drawing. Congratulations!
Meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
Minutes by Pam Wyatt, Secretary