Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Houserville/Lemont PTO Meeting Minutes
Call to Order: The September 17, 2014 PTO meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM by PTO President Liz Sheaffer. Also in attendance were: Gretchen Fetterolf, Michele Allen, Heather Parizek, Lori Smith, Jessica Colby, Melissa Anderson, Emily Miller, Sandra Del Pilar, Ashley, Eveleth, Cindy Gaskin, Donna Bryan, Jen Conklin, Kelly Fragin, and Wendy Kimble. Everyone was welcomed and made introductions.
Introduction of Minutes: Wendy Kimble made no corrections to the meeting minutes from the May 14, 2014 PTO Meeting.
Treasurer’s Report: Cindy Gaskin reported that our current checking and savings account balance is $28,604.37. Recent deposits included Target Rewards, Cookie Dough, and Family Directory. Monthly expenses included Welcome Back Teachers, Weekly Readers, Library, 5th grade sketch books, Harvest Fest, Homecoming Parade, and Box Tops postage.
Principal’s Report: Todd thanked everyone for a great start to the year, and especially appreciated the teachers’ beginning of the year preparation. MAP testing is ongoing for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade at Houserville, and AIMS WEB is being administered at Lemont to discover needs and strengths of students. The School-wide Behavior Program (STAR) held it’s first committee meeting of the year. Back to School Night was a success. Our focus this year is Writing, we will be implementing a research based program. We will begin a Community Reading Program using a book called “What a Writer Needs”, encouraging on-demand writing with open-ended subjects. The evening of March 2nd, is a potential date for a special guest author. Todd read the book “The Most Magnificent Thing” to each class to encourage a never-give-up attitude.
Division Highlights
Junior Primary: Jen Conklin announced that there are only 2 kindergarten classes this year, hers and Mrs. Narber’s, both classrooms are in the basement at Lemont. Jen thanked the PTO for the Weekly Readers and for the Walmart Cards for back to school supplies. She has purchased Leap Frog DVD’s for letters and math and the students enjoy them. Upcoming field trip to Wasson Farm is planned for Oct. 20th in the afternoon, cost is $5/child. A firefighter is coming on Oct 8th. They are studying their class caterpillars and planting bulbs as part of their science unit.
Primary: Donna Bryan expressed that she thought Back to School night was a big success. They are covering a Life Cycle unit studying eggs and butterflies. They are getting new butterfly houses this year and getting Painted Ladies in addition to Monarch butterflies. They will be studying the Patriotic Journey in social studies using songs and symbols and the principles of building community. There is a field trip planned to Palmer Museum in late October to see the American Artist exhibit. Donna requests a parent PTO representative for the School-wide Behavior Program monthly meetings.
Intermediate: Michele Allen thanked the PTO for the teacher breakfast. She says that the students really appreciate the Scholastic News, it really offers great non-fiction reading, with an additional online supplement. She bought groceries for her class to test what is un-healthy about foods for their science unit. They will also be taking a field trip to Wegman’s, and future field trips are planned to the planetarium and Schlow Library. Penn’s Cave will be planned for the end of the year rock and mineral unit.
Upper Intermediate: Gretchen Fetterolf thanked the PTO for their support at Back to School night. She says that 5th grade Reading, Writing and Math Cores are up and running and the days are going fast. They are doing an environmental unit in science and the story of America in social studies. They will cover the first colony and Jamestown, through the Revolutionary War, and the Gold Rush. She still has some funds available on her Walmart gift card. There is a field trip planned to the Sewer Treatment Plant and the Recycling Center in the last weeks of September. End of the year trip to Gettysburg has been dropped and they are coming up with an alternative trip.
PTO Housekeeping:
Cookie Dough Fundraiser: Kick-off date is Sept 29th, 9am at Lemont and 1:45 at Houserville, prizes are a bear theme this year. Winners will receive giant stuffed animals. We are getting a link to order items online as a cookie dough alternative. Any sale equivalent to cookie dough price can receive a bear prize (such as magazine sale).
Harvest Fest: To be held Oct. 5th 3:30-7pm at Houserville. Carvers Deli, also known as the Powers family with children in Houserville schools, will be providing the food this year. Fliers to be distributed over the next week including food pre-orders and one-price admission for each child rather than ticket sales.
Box Tops: The deadline to turn in Box Tops is Oct 15th. Andrea Albert is the chairperson, she counts and bags 50 Box Tops at a time, cutting them on the dotted line and preparing them for the mail. (Any pre-cutting and counting is appreciated.) Barnes and Noble $5 gift cards will be awarded to one student per grade who turns in Box Tops during the drive.
Book Fair: Book Fair is a Medieval Knight Theme this fall, and will be held during teacher conferences on Oct. 16th-17th. Fliers will be distributed at Harvest Fest, along with a raffle where the prize is Scholastic Dollars. Volunteers will be receiving Scholastic Dollars as a thank you. K-6th grade books selections will be available at both schools, as a convenience to families. Lady Lions may make an appearance to read to and color with younger children.
Giant A+ Rewards: Will be entered Sept. 18th, there is also a link to add our schools to your card online.
Homecoming Parade: Fliers to be distributed in the next week. Parade is for 5th graders to have pizza and decorate banners and then participate in the State High Homecoming parade.
Library News:
Mardi Frye announced that it was another great Summer Library Program. The theme was Fizz, Boom, Read. She thanked Wendy Kimble for helping with the posters. She thanked Lori Smith for organizing the yard signs. She emailed weekly reminders and children came eager to see their prior year teachers be the guest reader. It was more like a carnival atmosphere than a typical library atmosphere. She thanked Deb Dworsky and Sandra Del Pilar for their help with crafts and thanked Liz Sheaffer for providing freeze pops. She was happy to report higher turnouts than last year, with board games from Schlow and many community families without students at our schools that came just from seeing yard signs. Mardi along with Mrs. Andrews are working with Master Gardener to make pollinated gardens of mint, aster, and milkweed. Transparent milk jugs will be used to “greenhouse” seeds. 5th graders will be trained and will pass the program on to the 4th graders. Students went to Snutzinger Butterfly Garden at Tudek Park for the 5th grade field trip, and they are willing to come to Harvest Fest to show off what’s been started. The students are a part of Citizen’s Science through the Monarch Watch program to track butterflies that they release with special light-weight tags.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00.
The next Houserville/Lemont PTO meeting will be held Wednesday October 15th, 2014 at 7pm
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy Kimble
Houserville/Lemont PTO Secretary
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