<div class="paragraph" style="text-align:left;">June 6, 2017 in the school library<br /> <br />Come to two consecutive meetings at PTO and you are a voting member!<br />Presidents: Cedrine Bell<br />Treasurer: Stephanie Hodge<br />Recording Secretary: Sarah Evans<br /> <br />Meeting called to order by President Cedrine Bell at 6:33<br />Attendance: There were 21 number of members in attendance. Special Guest: Scott Lever.<br /> <br /><strong><u>REPORTS</u></strong><br /><strong>Special Guest Report</strong><br /><strong>Scott Lever from Arlington Vision 2020.</strong><br />A graduate of Hardy school. His kids go to Bishop. Update on the Arlington Vision.<br />EVENT: Tuesday 6/13. The Gibbs planning meeting. 7p at School Committee Building.<br />Vision 2020 started a year ago. Town-wide effort to help with the town. They started the Education Committee due to lots of new kids, new asst super, etc. The 2020 started dialog with Most Likely To Success movie (150+ people saw it) and other sessions to develop a set of community principals. We wanted to meet with PTOs so you know what we are doing.<br /> <br />Why? We felt there was a gap. Why are we so reactive to things in town? We want to engage based on set of principals to influence educators in decision making.<br /> <br />Questions:<br />1. What does it mean to be educated in community? How do we want our kids to experience school in Arlington. High school is 12th in the state but what does that mean for everyday life? Influence curriculum, spending, etc. Keep discussions to set of principals.<br />2. How do we measure success? Ranking, test scores? But education is really moving beyond just the test scores.<br /> <br />Not to an endpoint. We are issuing a survey and more sessions next year to engage more people. We welcome all to participate.<br /> <br />Next year, how we prepare parents to go into the Gibbs and the new high school build later. Contact me if you have any questions. <br /> <br /><strong>Principal Report: KD couldn’t make the meeting</strong><br />"Thanks for making school awesome!" and email from her:<br />--------<br />I hope this email finds you having had a wonderful weekend.<br /> <br />We have three weeks left of school and so many events to be thinking about. I have also been getting many questions about different things going on in the building and I thought that I would send out a note before the next busy three weeks get going. <br /> <br /><ul>
These last few weeks are filled with lots of transitions for you children. They are closing down a community and anticipating a new one. You can support them by trying as best you can to keep your routine. As always, thank you for your partnership and allowing us to be such a large part of these years with your children.
Teacher Report: Jaime 6:45
Grant program is awesome. Very easy to fill out.
Teachers are planning and making supply lists for the summer packet. Ann C is taking them.
Field Day feedback. Went well. Earlier date was tricky because it was a change. Kids loved all the games. New ones were great – less competitive. Some teachers said Monday for kids felt like school is done. The teachers may want to push it to later? Think about next year for a different day – later? In June?
CD: its better to have an event per month. Field Day and BBQ are so close together that is tough. Linda liked the cooler time.
Pete: If kids are impacted by it then maybe we should think about changing it.
Dan: Maybe we keep it in May and new kids will always think of this as May. Then May will be what they are used to.
Julia teacher: Benefits of cooler weather may outway the ‘school is out’ mentality.
Any projector update? CD: Brackets are happening and an electrician is booked for the summer. The town people will do it and then we don’t need to pay! More money left over from silent auction.
PTO buys: Cords, cart and elmo. Do we need another projector for new teacher?
Treasurer REPORT: 6:55
Thanks for letting me be the treasurer. Thinking about tonight, I put together a small presentation and a monthly income/expenses. I also have a few recommendations.
I have a tremendous feeling about PTO. Being an integral part of PTO is fantastic. We have 27k in account. Started at 25k.
This past month made 7500 between spirit wear and walkathon
6300 in expenses. Walkathon came in just under 3500 which is great. The goal was 2800 to make. Patsy and Terry did great. Low output, no custodial fee.
Field Day shirts brought in 4035. Cedrine and Bonnie helped organized and sorting and handing out.
$435 on shirts at Movie Night and
Only bought 270 shirts because we did an inventory of shirts in
Shirts cost $1464.
May expenses
MOScience 1060
Another field trip 800
Last Blast grad fund 100
STEM teacher pack
Custodian 135
Books 141
Enrichment – amazing hero art 1500
Teacher Appreciation 875
Colonial Day event 451
Colonial Day 895 (within budget 440 for materials)
UPcomign expenses are a bit like 10k.
BBQ 2200 for rentals (15% off! –
Food 2000
Reimbursement for teachers – $900 anticipated
Tax exempt cert – $150 (was supposed to be $1200 but got a deal)
Taxes – 400
Brackets – 4500 (projector)
Dalton Grant – air conditioner ($450)
Please send reimbursements for stuff to me.
Streamlining Teacher reimbursements, Profit/Expense, Grants, Enrichment. Updated forms. Updated transportation. Rebranded annual appeal to alternative fundraiser – more relaxed and humorous. Parents liked knowing what money was being spent on and when.
Fundraiser has brought in $16k.
Teacher reimbursement. Having extra money in beginning of school year is great. At the end of year, students didn’t see the results. In beginning of year, teachers can ask for new fuzzy and new things like rug. Nearly all teachers have used reimbursements.
Grant process: $10k toward grants. Establishing three grant cycles and a soft grant committee for approvals. Topics: Building enhancment, Tech enhancement, curriculum enhancement. Easy to track.
K Sand and water tables
Music: drums
2: new bulletin boards
1: leveled classroom readers
k: bball hoops and balls
5: STEM packet
4: curriculum enhancement – field trip!
Library: lots of new picture books.
Enrichment: not just for grade level. But with school wide assembly. Indian Story telling with a Hardy mom, Laser anti-bullying, and the hero art (speed painter) is next up on June 13. ‘Be somebody’
Suggestions for next year (get words from Stephanie)
Cedrine notes
Field Day – Michael and Victoria did great. Bonnie was fantastic with handing out shirts.
BBQ June – partner with METCO Arlington. We need lots of cakes and lots of volunteers. Maybe we’ll have an award for best creative cake. Every ticket is $1.
And maybe this is a future theme. Setup, food, organization is the same every year but the theme is different. Or maybe every year, we partner with METCO. If okay, we’ll start planning with the METCO Director.
School Supply Fundraiser – Ann
(summer help needed and look for Ann) – copies of supply lists for website
Add a page for Enrichment and Grants. Annual appeal money – less than preschool costs.
Teacher Lunch Thursday Aug 31
Back to school coffee
Snacks for teachers
Ice Cream Social Friday Sept 15?
Back to school night
Picture Day Thursday Sept 26 – Janet Marsden? With Coffee Pond
Harvest Fest Saturday – October 14
Book Fair November 13 – 17? (Sarah, Holly and Cedrine)
ELECTION
Nominations for President
Terry Holt
Cedrine Nominates
Pete seconds
Unanimous yes.
Terry is happy to help. I am looking forward to your help. I like the enthusiasm. We’ll be reorganizing – I’ve got some ideas. We have k-2 parents who are excited.
Nominations for Treasurer
Hemant Verma
Sarah nominates Hemant
Sarah seconds
Unanimous yes.
Nominations for Secretary
Rebecca Saff
Sarah
Unanimous yes.
Roslyn Fitzgerald
Sarah says
Moya seconds
Unanimous yes.
Volunteer Coordinator – Sarah
OTHER BIZ
Playground for interim. Kate Leary is working with super and such on interim plans during the construction. In terms of project – request for designer and project manager is out so the logistical plan isn’t set. Just a vague feasibility plan. Designer will make plans for where construction fence goes, how the kids leave building. Will we have main playground? They think yes.
Right now. Fence front. Deal with surface. But not a real good way to have kids play outside. Town committee is super conservative.
November 2017 start construction and September 2018 opening.
Directory.
We are moving to an online database. We won’t be collecting data until August.
PTO packet.
We’ll put this in the PTO packet. Talk about school shirts, directory, and welcome to PTO. And a new parent pitch. Resources like facebook group and such. And what happens during the year.
Next meeting is in September!
Meeting adjorned at: 7:50p