BRIER PTA BOARD MEETING MINUTES FROM THURSDAY
MARCH 8th , 2007 (Pending Approval)
*Meeting was called to order @ 5:05 pm
*All members were present
*Reviewed and approved by general consent the PTA minutes from 2-8-07.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT:
*Debbie went over which PTA awards we applied for: "Outstanding Newsletter", "Standards of Excellence", and "Honor Unit". A special thanks to Debbie, Cathy Fiorillo, and Sue for all their hard work in putting together the information. Debbie suggested that for next year, flyers and other information about events could be gathered at board meetings to make it easier to put the notebooks together. Debbie provided everyone on the board with a "Ribbon" for their dedication to the PTA.
*The copying expense bill from 11-6-06 to 2-2-07 was given to us by Julie Whittles. It was basically for half the year . The good part is that the bill was for $246.72 and we have $750 budgeted for the whole year. In theory we are on or under budget.. The bad news is that the PTA copy log is in discrepancy with the bill. Debbie reminded everybody to record their usage in the log.
*The book recommended by Corey Rainboth had some good information to help us with our goal of using PTA Best Practices. If you would like to read it for yourself, Cindy has a copy.
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT:
*A special "Thank You" to Julie Wyman for providing volunteers to count "Koins for Kids" on such short notice.
*The week assigned to us by the district for the "Food Drive" is next week. We need volunteers to collect items from the classroom. Mrs. Gray has offered her 6th grade class to collect from the classrooms. Cindy will be checking with David, from student council, to make sure they want to help. The MLT food bank will then collect the food from the school.
*In Dec., $5000 was given to the school by a Brier family. The best way to spend that money is being discussed by Cindy and the staff. The consensus is that it be a tangible item that the school would benefit from for years, such as library books and/or a new sound system.
TREASURER'S REPORT:
*Addendum B and the Feb. financial report were handed out. Addendum B was made as a change to the Restricted Fund for PTA Unallocated Funds that was given out at the Feb. meeting. Total amount to be granted to the school is $5625. The extra $650 for assemblies was added to the Assemblies line item. Penny will soon be granting the money to the school. It was suggested that a meeting be called with someone from PTA council to figure out the best way to reflect these grants on the budget. Refer to Feb. financial report for Feb. income and expense activity.
*On the financial report, line #33 (Festival of Giving) shows $0 income, but should be $235.
*All receipts for the granted grade level band teacher allowance money (as per Addendum B) should go to Julie Whittles, not Penny.
*Discussion occurred about putting a revision number or letter on the budget (in addition to the date) each time it changes so the proper budget can be referred to. Penny will work on this.
MEMBERSHIP REPORT:
*No new report.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Programs:
*Science fair is moving forward. Mark Givens has agreed to be this years MC. Reminder that entry forms for the egg drop are due by March 9th.
*Classified Staff appreciation is next week. All classified staff will be receiving cards.
*Daryl Huntersmith has agreed to teach Jill Brocksmith how to use the kiln for glass projects. This shuts down the kiln for a short time between glass and clay projects due to temperature changes.
*Book fair is coming. Cathy Fiorillo is working on the "Authors Corner".
Fundraising:
*Box Tops contest went well. We were slightly under budget..
Social:
*Nothing up and coming at this time. Movie night was a great success.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Field Improvements Update:
*Still working on meeting with the committee prior to general meeting. Student Council still needs to due survey - delayed due to school closures and weather. A prior Brier student who is now an Eagle Scout would like to build a bench/table for his final project. If this occurs he may need help with stain and sealant costs.
On-Line Communication Update:
*The website committee (Bob Cuplin, Sue, Lesa, and Cathy Fiorillo) is working hard. There was a request for $49 to purchase a domain name and server space for a year. A line item would need to be added to the budget in the future for this administrative costs. A motion was made to approve the $49 to purchase the necessary package to move forward and add to the budget for future expenses. NO discussion occurred. Approved by general consent. Bob will be doing a small presentation/ unveiling of the website at the next general meeting. It will be up and running on Friday the 16th. It was also discussed that the only phone number to be listed on the website would be the one to the school's or PTA "Hot line" - no personal numbers will be listed.
Minutes:
*It was discussed that in order for the current month's minutes to be included in the Buzz, they should be labeled "pending approval".
Brier Arts Festival Update:
*Everything is moving forward. Volunteers will be needed prior to the event to remove existing artwork from walls, and to mount and hang new artwork. Parents will not be asked to volunteer the night of the event, except for at the book fair. Also, volunteers will provide baked goods that will be available for free. A donation jar will be placed on the table, with the proceeds going to the Arts Enhancement fund. Cathy Fiorillo will be in charge of the "Authors Corner".
NEW BUSINESS:
Nominating Committee Update:
*An official "Thank You" to Kathy Saneto, Cathy Jackson, and Kim Rainboth for the work they did. A report was generated to present at the General Meeting. The committee recommends: Debbie Dunne for President; Cathy Jackson for Co-Vice President of Fundraising; Cathy Fiorillo for Co-Vice President of Programs; Penny Ebright for Treasurer; and Kim Rainboth for Secretary. See report for more details.
Volunteer Appreciation Night:
*Julie Wyman still needs ideas - everyone please brainstorm and send ideas to Julie via e-mail by next meeting. The event is scheduled for June 8th.
5th Grade Popcorn Sales:
*The 5th grades would like to sell popcorn to raise money for the Pioneer Farms field trip. In general this issue received positive response. However there were also some concerns. Sue will ask the Science Fair committee if the 5th graders can sell popcorn at the Science Fair. It was decided that no funds can come from or go through the PTA. After further discussion, it was also decided that the 5th graders could sell popcorn on two Thursdays, they would need to provide their own supplies, and someone with training on how to use the machine would be in charge of running it. The machine will need to be cleaned according to written instructions by Penny, and garbage will need to be picked up from the grounds. With these restrictions, the use of the PTA Popcorn machine was approved by general consent.
Review
Staff News:
*No news to report at this time. Staff will be involved in Volunteer Appreciation Night. We will need to inform them as soon as possible about what needs to be done.
Brier Buzz:
*Lesa has asked that all items be submitted by March 24th for the Buzz. This will allow her the needed time to create the PDF file for on-line communications. April 10th publish date. It was also noted that Lesa will be hand delivering copies of the Buzz to the business members that paid for advertisement space.
To Do List:
*Debbie Dunne has the master copy. If you have any questions please contact her.
Meeting adjourned 6:30pm.