Brooks Hill Elementary PTA

General Meeting

Friday, January 8, 2016 at 9:30 a.m.

# in attendance: 23

Heidi Walton called the meeting to order at 9:44 a.m. November 2015 meeting minutes were reviewed and approved.

Members in attendance were: Alanna Randall, Heidi Walton, Heather Mirrione, Andra Nelkin, Jenn Fay, Michelle Wagner, Principal Stephen Kenny, Vice Principal Meredith Klus, Lead Teacher Gina Herendeen, Athena Peters, Lynne Leary, Alexa Schwartzbeck, Beth Anderson, Brianna Backus, Katherine Christiano, Janelle Enser, Janet Bissi, Miriam Kruppenbacher, Lisa Ledgerwood, Ed Rocha, Michele Hansen, Tasha Crown and Kristen Caraccio.

Treasurer’s Report: Heather Mirrione

·  As of December 31, 2015 account balances were as follows: Checking: $35, 337.03, Savings: $4, 841.62 and Capital Account (playground): $45, 893.70. The greatest impact to these accounts came from the Fall Fun Fair, Photo Fundraiser, Book Fair, Square One Art and the Moe’s Fundraiser.

·  A vote was completed to approve the transfer of an amount up to and including $10,000 from our operating account to the Capital (Playground) Fund. The vote was passed: yes—20, abstain—1.

Guest Speaker: Nancy Loughran, President of FACET. FACET (Fairport-Area Community Education Trust) is a grassroots volunteer organization that solicits, manages and distributes funds for programs not otherwise funded by the FCSD. In the last three years they have awarded over $13,000 dollars in competitive grant money for the benefit of the students and faculty at FCSD. BH was recently awarded a FACET grant supporting a recycling/composting initiative. FACET’S 2nd Annual Community Spelling Bee will be held on February 26th at JP. Pizza dinner will be available beginning at 6 p.m. and the Bee begins at 7 p.m. For further information visit fairportfacet.org or contact .

Vice President’s Report: Andra Nelkin

•  Thank you notes were sent on behalf of the PTA to Janet Bissi for her work on the Book Fair, Susan Gilchrist for organizing the LuLaRoe Fundraiser, Coleen Riccione for her efforts in organizing this year’s Movie Night event, Ed Rocha and Bravo Creative Arts for their generous donation to the playground fund derived from a portion of “Peter Pan” ticket sales, Moe’s of Rochester for their collaboration with BH on a playground fundraiser and to Wegmans for their generous $2,500 donation to our playground fund.

•  Thank you notes were received from The Webb Family for the baby gift and the ENL Team for the PTA’s support of their Thanksgiving Dinner.

President’s Report: Heidi Walton – Co-President

•  Movie Night: Inside Out was shown on January 8th. Bottle and Can donations were accepted to be returned to Can Kings and proceeds donated to the Playground Fund.

•  International Day (Third Grade): We are seeking individuals willing to coordinate a continent for this event. Africa, Australia and South America are currently lacking representation.

•  Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon: This year’s luncheon will be held on March 18th from 11:30-1:00 honoring our BH teachers and staff. We are seeking parent volunteers for donations, luncheon coordination and serving. Please contact a PTA Board member if you are interested. Information will also be forthcoming on how you can donate small prizes to be raffled off to the Staff at the luncheon.

•  Playground Update: We are entering our final phase of this fundraiser. Our sincere thanks to all those who have donated. The committee has finished creating a document to address Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns regarding fundraising for the BH playground and clarifying its history and our position. This document will be available on our building level PTA website soon. Russ Schwartzbeck, Managing Director at Northwestern Mutual and BH parent, assisted the committee with the development of an additional mailing to local businesses soliciting donations. A letter was received from Wegmans indicating a donation of $2,500.00 to our Capital Campaign. The check will not be received until February.

•  Art Room Donation: Jan Davin is seeking a Manual Pasta Maker to be donated for use in the Art Room.

Principal’s Report: Dr. Kenny

•  Thank you to the Janet Bissi for her work on the Scholastic Book Fair, and to Natalie Pincus for her coordination of DARE Graduation.

•  Upcoming events: Movie Night and BH Talent Show

•  Students, teachers and staff had a great first week of 2016!

•  February 1st-11th BH will hold a food drive to benefit the Perinton Food Shelf. The drive will also be a friendly competition among the four Fairport Elementary Schools. Donations can be brought to the BH lobby. A flyer with more information will be distributed to students in late January.

Report of Coordinators:

Book Fair: Janet Bissi reported that this year’s Scholastic Book Fair was an enormous success! The move from the Auditorium space to the cafeteria proved very beneficial. Scholastic sent the PTA a box of free promotional materials including books, certificates and bookmarks which will be used at upcoming events. A huge thank you to all the volunteers and shoppers who supported the fair!

Talent Show: Ed Rocha The show will be held on January 29th at Minerva Deland. Tickets will be $3 and sold at the door. We had a nice turn out at auditions and a good variety of acts. Visual Arts can be displayed in the foyer the night of the show. Further information regarding that process will be distributed to students soon. We need volunteers to assist

Back stage the evening of the performance, at the sign-in/out table and to donate items to be sold at concessions. We are also looking to borrow a bubble machine. Please contact Ed Rocha at to volunteer or with questions.

After School Clubs: Michelle Wagner An email was sent out on January 4th to individuals who have previously run clubs or assisted in some way to gauge interest for 2016. A backpack mailing was sent home with students on January 5th further soliciting club volunteers. We are still seeking volunteers to run the over 25 clubs needed to meet the demand of the 400+ students who typically attend clubs. Please contact Michelle Wagner at with questions or to volunteer.

Memory Book: Jenn Fay The Memory Book is a scrapbook produced and printed for our 5th graders and gifted at their Final Thrill. It is a wonderful way to celebrate and preserve the memories made during their years at Brooks Hill. Volunteers would be appreciated not only for work on this year’s book but also to serve as “apprentices” for work in future years. Please contact Jenn Fay at to volunteer or for more information!

Membership: Memberships are still being accepted! Membership cards have been sent via e-mail from NYS PTA and paid members should also have received their BH directory. If you haven’t received your directory and/or an email with your membership card, please contact Natalie Pincus at .

New Business: N/A

Announcements/Adjournment:

Thank you to Starbucks and our Hospitality Committee for today’s refreshments.

Our next meeting is February 4th, 2016 at 6:45 p.m..

Motion made (Michele Hansen) to adjourn at 10:33 a.m.

Michelle Wagner, BH PTA Secretary

Date Approved: