CHS PTO MEETING MINUTES

March 1, 2010

7 – 8 pm

On March 1st, the Clayton High School PTO held their monthly meeting in the CHS Library, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. There were 14 people in attendance: Sue Hodapp, Jan Goodman, Christy Breckenridge, Tina Holland, Susan Ryffel, Louise Losos, Robin Rivard, Yun-Ho Sikora, Kathleen Matheny, Marcia Goldsmith, Kristen Reddington, Susan Buse, Mike Nelke, and Cindy Rapponotti.

The agenda was as follows:

  1. Welcome, introductions:

Jan Goodman and Sue Hodapp, 2009 PTO Co-Presidents, greeted everyone, with thanks for attending. Attendees submitted a guess as to the amount of money that will be raised by May 17th for Centennial Plaza. A prize will be awarded to the winning guess at the May dinner meeting.

  1. PTO February Minutes:

Minutes from the February, 2010 meeting were introduced and approved.

  1. Prop W Campaign:

Kristin Reddington, from Citizens for Clayton Schools, provided the board and attendees with information about the Prop W campaign currently underway. Other Clayton PTOs have donated from $650 to $2,000 to the effort. After discussion, a motion was made and seconded that a vote be taken to financially support the campaign. The motion passed by a vote of 8 yes, 3 no. A motion was made and seconded to vote on the dollar amount of support, $500 or $1,000. As a result of a paper ballot vote, the CHS PTO will donate $1,000 to the Citizens for Clayton Schools. This money will be used for the Prop W campaign. Citizens for Clayton Schools will hold any funds remaining after the April 6th election for future campaigns.

  1. Committee Reports:

Peppers Prom. Sue and Jan thanked Kathleen Matheny and Yun-Ho Sikora for a job well done. Kathleen mentioned that follow up calls to volunteers would have helped, several forgot to attend. CHS will be purchasing additional coat racks for future use.

YES. Marcia Goldsmith reported that YES Office activity is slow. She is checking on the recent Globe ad to make sure it ran, it was unavailable in the on-line version. Sue Hodapp mentioned that a VNA representative was interested in student volunteers; Marcia has contacted the representative via email and is waiting for a response. There is $200 remaining in the ad budget, that money may be used for the Centennial campaign.

After Prom. Sue Hodapp reported for Debbie Polinsky and Flora Dulle that After Prom plans are proceeding. A flyer will be distributed in the upcoming Principal’s Newsletter. Debbie and Flora will make a detailed report at the April PTO meeting.

CHS Centennial Plaza. Cindy Rapponatti reported that 1,400 fund-raising letters were sent out on or around February 23rd. Responses to the letter have been coming in, and are generally very positive. Cindy mentioned that any interested parties should be referred or emailed to her so that she can be sure to follow up as needed. She also mentioned that credit card payments are not an option. Susan Buse stated that credit card payment requests come up often, and that perhaps that is an issue that the PTO Council might address.

Parent Connections Events. Yun-Ho Sikora and Kathleen Matheny reported that the Junior class event is set for April 14th. Nancy Goldstein, a CHS parent, will be speaking about the college application process. The event will take place at Ann Jacobs home and include coffee and dessert. Nancy is paid a fee for her talk, possibly $75 or $100. Susan Buse reported for Lisa Avery and Patty Paster. She stated that the Sophomore class water station is set for the April 11th Go! St. Louis half-marathon.

  1. Treasurer’s Report:

Tina Holland reported that there has been very little budget activity, mainly the recent Centennial Mailing. Hard copies of the budget were provided to each attendee.

  1. Other Business:

Lori Cohen sent word that the final Staff Appreciation event will be cookies, not Maggie Moo’s, because of budget constraints. Sue Hodapp also mentioned that the PTO will be looking for a Treasurer and two Vice Presidents for the 2010-11 school year. Please forward any volunteer names to Christy Breckenridge and Peggy Bowe.

  1. Principal’s Report:

Louise Losos reported the following: March 1st marked the first day of spring sports. The past Friday night was the first time they had to close the doors at Stuber because of capacity crowds attending the Varsity Basketball game. She mentioned that Julie Peyton is out through March as a result of back/neck surgery. The PTO voted to send her flowers. Construction is progressing. The North Central Association, an accreditation group, is making their five-year site visit. The school musical, Sweeney Todd, has completed its run and was impressive. Finally, AmerenUE will be testing this week to determine the power problems the school has been experiencing.

Yun-Ho mentioned a program she attended on teen suicide and mental illness. She asked about the possibility of having the CHADS Coalition speak to high school students. Louise responded that CHS doesn’t have the facility to address the entire student body. She very much appreciates the issue of student mental health, and its importance. She stated that she hopes to plan a school discussion of the topic this year or next.

  1. New Business.

Jan Goodman presented a fund-raising opportunity called “Send Out Cards”. After a presentation of the costs and benefits, a motion was made to accept the proposal. The board voted down the proposal, due to the board’s desire to focus solely on fundraising efforts in place for Centennial Plaza.

  1. April Committee reports – After Prom, Graduation Picnic, Graduation Reception, and Staff Appreciation.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30. The next meeting date is April 5th, 2010.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan Ryffel

CHS PTO Secretary