Petrova Parents’ Club Meeting Minutes
November 7, 2011 7pm
Elementary School Library
Attendees: Zoe Smith, Norma Woodruff, Becky LaDue, Christy Nier, Kathleen Silvius, Sunita Halasz, Jen Duffy, Bob Laba, Brandee Reiley, Joey Diehl, Lori Mouranie, Polly Kelting, Chrissy Hayden, Theresa Lindsey, Deb Ryan, Josh Dann
Next Meeting: December 5, 2011 at 7pm in Elementary Library.
Treasurer’s Report
Bob Laba presented the summary of PPC funds to date. He noted revenue from: blanket sales ($240); running the concession stand at the two Homecoming football games (~$400 net); and Box Tops ($539). Expenses since last month include mini-grants ($1500) and the Halloween party ($166.96).
Principal’s Update
Mr. Dann complimented everyone who worked on Box Tops. He said that teachers and parents are relieved to no longer have a competition between classes, and noted how easy it is to toss the collected Box Tops into a bin in the office. Mr. Dann wondered if people had received his AlertNow school-wide email with link to the school newsletter that was sent at the beginning of month (one way the District is working to reduce paper use). Some people found that it had ended up in their spam folders because it was mass mailed. Mr. Dann will look into this because the AlertNow system has so much potential to be useful for communication. He noted another way that they are working to reduce paper is by having only the oldest child in a family receive school-wide handouts (Lori’s suggestion from a previous meeting). Mr. Dann ended by complimenting Jen Small and all the Halloween Fun Day volunteers.
Mini-Grants
Sunita updated the group on Laura Kinney’s grant for a Portable Sensory Corner. Sunita and Bob visited with Laura before the full PPC meeting and learned more about the “stim toys” that she was planning to purchase to enhance the learning tools available for children with special needs. Sunita reminded the group that the Mini-grant committee is open to everyone, and another Mini-grant application cycle will be coming up in January. Zoe suggested that Grade Liaisons remind their teachers to apply.
Grade Liaison discussion
Lori expressed a worry that she had a number of volunteers from one class in her grade, but only a few in each of the other classes. Kathleen said this is something she can either go with and find ways to make it work, or possibly send out another letter to the other classes saying “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t leave anyone out. If you’d like to be on a list for volunteering, please let me know.” It was also suggested that we remind families in the December school newsletter and in our after-meeting report via email what the Liaisons are all about, what grade they are listed for, and how to contact them if you have a question or want to volunteer during the year.
Activity Chairs
· Halloween Party follow-up - Mr. Dann said that Jen Small has lots of ideas for next year. We learned that a number of people felt the mummy wrap was fun for older grades, but it will probably go by the wayside due to the wasteful and messy nature of the activity. The request to parents to not come early to pick up their kids was followed pretty well.
· Recess and Cafeteria Volunteers – Brandee reported that her recess and lunchroom volunteer calendar is filled through the whole rest of the school year! All the volunteers’ names are given to Mrs. Moody and she calls them in the morning to check if they’re coming, and if not, then she calls another volunteer or a substitute. Volunteers report to Mrs. Moody at 11:30 decide if they want to do lunch or recess when they get there. The paid staff gets moved around depending on where the parent volunteers want to be.
· Holiday Trees – Polly is working with Tom Bell of Asplin Tree Farm to get together a price list for holiday trees of various sizes, wreaths, etc. Dec. 10 is the tree pick-up day from 9-11:30am. The order payment and deadline is Friday, Dec 2. A discussion ensued about how checks should be made out now that PPC has partnered with SL Rotary Foundation in order for us to have not-for-profit status. Bob will check if the check can be written out to “Saranac Lake Rotary Foundation” or “Saranac Lake Rotary Foundation – Petrova Parents Club Fundraiser.” We agreed that we should put a note in the newsletter and the after-meeting email that we’ve partnered with the Rotary Foundation so that it’s clear why the checks get made out to them.
· Box Tops – Chrissy reported that we beat last year’s total by about $39. Bob said to put this total in the newsletter and follow up email, and remind people they can send them in anytime. She is finding out from the Box Tops people whether the next collection is March 1 or late February
· Price Chopper AdvantEdge Tools For Schools – Lori said we have many more Price Chopper numbers than at the beginning of the school year, but she feels that there are more out there. She suggested we put a reminder in the newsletter and follow-up email about how people can submit their numbers (to us, through the Price Chopper website, and at the customer service desk at Price Chopper). Lori has catalog with items that can be redeemed with the points. Each year, Josh chooses a subset of teachers (for instance, all the new teachers were chosen one year) to select items from the catalog.
· Campbells’ Soup Labels - Michelle Davis wasn’t at the meeting, but it was reported on her behalf that labels collected Aug 1- June 1 (during the school year) can be redeemed for items in a catalog. She thought that in years past we had raised about 25,000 points.
· Holiday Raffle – Bob reminded everyone that Holiday Raffle ticket sales are due November 18. Mrs. Moody has a sign-out sheet and will collect money. Zoe suggested we ask Liaisons to ask for volunteers to sell more tickets. A plan was made to sell tickets at Kinney’s on Nov. 13, McKenzie’s Grille on Nov. 20th from 11am to 1pm and after school for the next couple weeks, as well as at parent-teacher conferences. Zoe said we will also sell blankets at the same time. Sunita, Joey Diehl, Norma Woodruff and Jen Duffy offered to work on the weekend ticket sales. Kathleen said a large sign is very important so that people won’t just walk by.
· Book Fair – Kathleen said that 4 more volunteers needed to cover the week of the book fair. Zoe is asking Liaisons to ask their volunteer lists.
· Teacher Conferences – From 11:30 – 3pm on Nov 18th and 21st, we will have a table set up outside the auditorium selling Raffle tickets and blankets. We will also ask for volunteers to bring in finger food for the teachers on Friday, Nov. 18th.
· Holiday Giving – December 16th. Lori said that we still need gifts for men. She said a number of things have been donated already including some very expensive or very large items. Kathleen suggested some of these items could be used for raffle baskets at Winter Carnival. Lori is writing another flyer to send home to remind people to send in items. Josh said that the flyer needs to be specific, such as, “Can your child bring in two items: one for a mom, one for a dad.” We will need volunteers to take kids around, to bring up “fresh” items if the tables start to get bare, to sort items, to wrap and bag gifts, to take money. We have the middle school library for the whole day for this event. On, Dec 15th, the day before the event, we’ll need a lot of people (Christy Nier, Norma, and Becky laDue will help) to help sort from 3-6pm. We will send home a flyer about a week before the event asking for jewelry boxes, ziploc bags, gift bags, wrapping paper, etc. After the event, some items will be saved and used for Winter Carnival. Others will need to be donated. Josh said the storage room will need to be cleaned out by February. Sunita is going to think about how kids will carry around their selections before they purchase them and have them wrapped/bagged because she hopes to avoid having to use plastic grocery bags.
· Afterschool programs – Zoe reported that Gary Baldwin and a woman from 4H came to talk about afterschool programs and it was very exciting. She is willing to work with us to set up a program alternate to Science Club. The way it works now, K-2 go to Science Club on one Wednesday, then grades 3-5 go on the next Wednesday. By integrating the 4H program, on the Wednesday that a child does not have Science Club, he or she can participate in the 4H program. Mr. Baldwin and reps from PPC are going to outline some suggestions for making this work. Zoe noted that Mr. Baldwin said he really needs more helpers for Science Club - more parents, perhaps honors students or Confirmation kids. Similarly, for the 4H program, it is very beneficial to the children to have a high adult-to-student ratio. On Tuesdays, basketball will be offered and perhaps soccer in another gym. Mr. Dann is looking into the availability of the middle school gym. On Thursday, it will be an “arts” day with either foreign language, arts and crafts, music, or sign language offered at different times during the year. Mr. Dann is planning to send out a flyer to parents saying that the afterschool program will run from 3:30-4:30 Tues through Thurs. each week and asking parents which activities they think their child would want to participate in.
November 7, 2011 7pm
Elementary School Library
Attendees: Zoe Smith, Norma Woodruff, Becky LaDue, Christy Nier, Kathleen Silvius, Sunita Halasz, Jen Duffy, Bob Laba, Brandee Reiley, Joey Diehl, Lori Mouranie, Polly Kelting, Chrissy Hayden, Theresa Lindsey, Deb Ryan, Josh Dann
Next Meeting: December 5, 2011 at 7pm in Elementary Library.
Treasurer’s Report
Bob Laba presented the summary of PPC funds to date. He noted revenue from: blanket sales ($240); running the concession stand at the two Homecoming football games (~$400 net); and Box Tops ($539). Expenses since last month include mini-grants ($1500) and the Halloween party ($166.96).
Principal’s Update
Mr. Dann complimented everyone who worked on Box Tops. He said that teachers and parents are relieved to no longer have a competition between classes, and noted how easy it is to toss the collected Box Tops into a bin in the office. Mr. Dann wondered if people had received his AlertNow school-wide email with link to the school newsletter that was sent at the beginning of month (one way the District is working to reduce paper use). Some people found that it had ended up in their spam folders because it was mass mailed. Mr. Dann will look into this because the AlertNow system has so much potential to be useful for communication. He noted another way that they are working to reduce paper is by having only the oldest child in a family receive school-wide handouts (Lori’s suggestion from a previous meeting). Mr. Dann ended by complimenting Jen Small and all the Halloween Fun Day volunteers.
Mini-Grants
Sunita updated the group on Laura Kinney’s grant for a Portable Sensory Corner. Sunita and Bob visited with Laura before the full PPC meeting and learned more about the “stim toys” that she was planning to purchase to enhance the learning tools available for children with special needs. Sunita reminded the group that the Mini-grant committee is open to everyone, and another Mini-grant application cycle will be coming up in January. Zoe suggested that Grade Liaisons remind their teachers to apply.
Grade Liaison discussion
Lori expressed a worry that she had a number of volunteers from one class in her grade, but only a few in each of the other classes. Kathleen said this is something she can either go with and find ways to make it work, or possibly send out another letter to the other classes saying “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t leave anyone out. If you’d like to be on a list for volunteering, please let me know.” It was also suggested that we remind families in the December school newsletter and in our after-meeting report via email what the Liaisons are all about, what grade they are listed for, and how to contact them if you have a question or want to volunteer during the year.
Activity Chairs
· Halloween Party follow-up - Mr. Dann said that Jen Small has lots of ideas for next year. We learned that a number of people felt the mummy wrap was fun for older grades, but it will probably go by the wayside due to the wasteful and messy nature of the activity. The request to parents to not come early to pick up their kids was followed pretty well.
· Recess and Cafeteria Volunteers – Brandee reported that her recess and lunchroom volunteer calendar is filled through the whole rest of the school year! All the volunteers’ names are given to Mrs. Moody and she calls them in the morning to check if they’re coming, and if not, then she calls another volunteer or a substitute. Volunteers report to Mrs. Moody at 11:30 decide if they want to do lunch or recess when they get there. The paid staff gets moved around depending on where the parent volunteers want to be.
· Holiday Trees – Polly is working with Tom Bell of Asplin Tree Farm to get together a price list for holiday trees of various sizes, wreaths, etc. Dec. 10 is the tree pick-up day from 9-11:30am. The order payment and deadline is Friday, Dec 2. A discussion ensued about how checks should be made out now that PPC has partnered with SL Rotary Foundation in order for us to have not-for-profit status. Bob will check if the check can be written out to “Saranac Lake Rotary Foundation” or “Saranac Lake Rotary Foundation – Petrova Parents Club Fundraiser.” We agreed that we should put a note in the newsletter and the after-meeting email that we’ve partnered with the Rotary Foundation so that it’s clear why the checks get made out to them.
· Box Tops – Chrissy reported that we beat last year’s total by about $39. Bob said to put this total in the newsletter and follow up email, and remind people they can send them in anytime. She is finding out from the Box Tops people whether the next collection is March 1 or late February
· Price Chopper AdvantEdge Tools For Schools – Lori said we have many more Price Chopper numbers than at the beginning of the school year, but she feels that there are more out there. She suggested we put a reminder in the newsletter and follow-up email about how people can submit their numbers (to us, through the Price Chopper website, and at the customer service desk at Price Chopper). Lori has catalog with items that can be redeemed with the points. Each year, Josh chooses a subset of teachers (for instance, all the new teachers were chosen one year) to select items from the catalog.
· Campbells’ Soup Labels - Michelle Davis wasn’t at the meeting, but it was reported on her behalf that labels collected Aug 1- June 1 (during the school year) can be redeemed for items in a catalog. She thought that in years past we had raised about 25,000 points.
· Holiday Raffle – Bob reminded everyone that Holiday Raffle ticket sales are due November 18. Mrs. Moody has a sign-out sheet and will collect money. Zoe suggested we ask Liaisons to ask for volunteers to sell more tickets. A plan was made to sell tickets at Kinney’s on Nov. 13, McKenzie’s Grille on Nov. 20th from 11am to 1pm and after school for the next couple weeks, as well as at parent-teacher conferences. Zoe said we will also sell blankets at the same time. Sunita, Joey Diehl, Norma Woodruff and Jen Duffy offered to work on the weekend ticket sales. Kathleen said a large sign is very important so that people won’t just walk by.
· Book Fair – Kathleen said that 4 more volunteers needed to cover the week of the book fair. Zoe is asking Liaisons to ask their volunteer lists.
· Teacher Conferences – From 11:30 – 3pm on Nov 18th and 21st, we will have a table set up outside the auditorium selling Raffle tickets and blankets. We will also ask for volunteers to bring in finger food for the teachers on Friday, Nov. 18th.
· Holiday Giving – December 16th. Lori said that we still need gifts for men. She said a number of things have been donated already including some very expensive or very large items. Kathleen suggested some of these items could be used for raffle baskets at Winter Carnival. Lori is writing another flyer to send home to remind people to send in items. Josh said that the flyer needs to be specific, such as, “Can your child bring in two items: one for a mom, one for a dad.” We will need volunteers to take kids around, to bring up “fresh” items if the tables start to get bare, to sort items, to wrap and bag gifts, to take money. We have the middle school library for the whole day for this event. On, Dec 15th, the day before the event, we’ll need a lot of people (Christy Nier, Norma, and Becky laDue will help) to help sort from 3-6pm. We will send home a flyer about a week before the event asking for jewelry boxes, ziploc bags, gift bags, wrapping paper, etc. After the event, some items will be saved and used for Winter Carnival. Others will need to be donated. Josh said the storage room will need to be cleaned out by February. Sunita is going to think about how kids will carry around their selections before they purchase them and have them wrapped/bagged because she hopes to avoid having to use plastic grocery bags.
· Afterschool programs – Zoe reported that Gary Baldwin and a woman from 4H came to talk about afterschool programs and it was very exciting. She is willing to work with us to set up a program alternate to Science Club. The way it works now, K-2 go to Science Club on one Wednesday, then grades 3-5 go on the next Wednesday. By integrating the 4H program, on the Wednesday that a child does not have Science Club, he or she can participate in the 4H program. Mr. Baldwin and reps from PPC are going to outline some suggestions for making this work. Zoe noted that Mr. Baldwin said he really needs more helpers for Science Club - more parents, perhaps honors students or Confirmation kids. Similarly, for the 4H program, it is very beneficial to the children to have a high adult-to-student ratio. On Tuesdays, basketball will be offered and perhaps soccer in another gym. Mr. Dann is looking into the availability of the middle school gym. On Thursday, it will be an “arts” day with either foreign language, arts and crafts, music, or sign language offered at different times during the year. Mr. Dann is planning to send out a flyer to parents saying that the afterschool program will run from 3:30-4:30 Tues through Thurs. each week and asking parents which activities they think their child would want to participate in.
