DELANCO PTO

MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 MEETING

7:35 p.m. meeting was called to order by President Susan Hoffman. There were 27 members in attendance.

Introduction: The new officers, Susan Hoffman, Kathy Haines, Jaime Nucifora, Ruth Esposito and Tracey Hamlin introduced themselves to the members present.

Secretary’s Report: There was no Secretary’s Report since this was the first meeting of the school year.

Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer’s report was provided by Ruth Esposito, Treasurer. The report was circulated. Balance in Delanco Federal Savings Bank account: $9,178.40. Treasurer’s report is attached hereto. The balance outstanding for wish list items is $4,147.12.

OLD BUSINESS

Welcome Back Baskets: A special thank you was extended to Katharina Radcliffe and Tracey Hamlin for preparing the Welcome Back Baskets for the teachers and staff at the beginning of the school year.

NEW BUSINESS

KidStuff Books: Colleen Truncer will be sending out the KidStuff books on Tuesday, September 13th. The books are $25 and $12.50 of that money comes directly back to the school. The books have new items this year and you can also get them for different areas (Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, etc.). Last year we raised $2,700 from the books. Money for the books is due back on September 26th.

Membership: PTO Membership drive started today (September 12th) and runs through September 30th. You must be a member of the PTO to be room representative. The class with the highest percentage of membership will win an ice cream party.

Back to School Nights: Pearson School back to school night will be held on Tuesday, September 20th at 7 pm and Walnut Street back to school night will be Thursday, September 22nd. A request was made for volunteers to collect membership money as well as to sell the “Delanco” cinch sacks and seat cushions that the PTO has available. There will also be a sign up sheet for the blood drive on September 26th.

Blood Drive: Annmarie O’Malley was not in attendance. She is chairing the blood drive scheduled for September 26th from 4-9 pm in the all purpose room.

Back to School Bingo/Sundae Night: The PTO is having a Bingo/Ice Cream Sundae night on Friday, September 30th in the all purpose room of Pearson School. Mrs. Behnke will be calling Bingo for the students. Tickets are $2 and must be purchased in advance. This event is limited to students in grade K through 5 only. Every child receives a prize. There is no outside for or beverages permitted at this event.

OTHER BUSINESS

Ram’s Booster: No one was in attendance to advise on the Ram’s Booster club.

Mrs. Behnke: Mrs. Behnke introduced Mr. Ron Pettie who is the principal at Walnut Street School. She thanked the PTO for the Welcome Back Baskets. This year for the yearbook the teachers will have shared folders on the website to put their photographs to be used in the yearbook. Mrs. Behnke advised that she was going to be requesting money from the PTO to pay for several assemblies. One in particular at WSS involved bullying and would cost approximately $2,000. She also has two others scheduled for Pearson school which would cost approximately $650 and $375. Mrs. Behnke also explained a new program called Safe for Kids which involves safety for students walking to school. They will have a “Walk This Way” day on October 5th and involves Fed Ex workers who are along the walkways to school talking to the children about safety. Another item of discussion was “Room Parties” for students. Mrs. Behnke explained how the school is trying to promote healthy eating and started the “Birthday Club” through the school cafeteria where parents can purchase snacks for students on their child’s birthday. These snacks include pretzels, juice and rice krispie treats which can be ordered ahead of the child’s birthday and given out as a birthday treat. The cafeteria needs three days notice to supply the treats. Mrs. Behnke went on to further explain the new bullying policy in school. At this point a letter will be sent home to parents of students as soon as a report is issued to the school. Parents will either get a letter stating their child has been a victim of bullying or is bullying the students themselves. The school is starting a School Safety Team which will involve the guidance counsel, Mrs. Meslin, a teacher and a parent volunteer. They will analyze reports of bullying to see if any patter exits in behavior regarding the bullying.

Miscellaneous: Tracey Hamlin spoke about the “Delanco” items we have for sale which are cinch sacks, stadium seat cushions and folding seat cushions. The cost of these items is $5 each and will be available at the back to school nights. Tracey Hamlin also spoke about the current box tops contest which is running now through October 21st and the various items you can find box tops on. Each box top is worth 10 cents for our school.

A motion to approve the Treasurer’s report was made by Katharina Radcliffe and second by Colleen Truncer.

The next PTO meeting will be held on Monday October 3rd . The meeting will start at 7 pm for the room representatives in order for them to fill out necessary paperwork. The regular meeting will start at 7:30 pm.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Colleen Truncer and second by Tammy Galvano.