OTA Parent Foundation
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Meeting called to order at 6:10 PM
Present:
Monika Hanft, President
Cindy Stullich, Treasurer
Gail Warrick, Auditor/5th grade room parent
Clarissa Shanner, Secretary
Marisa Calderon, Fundraising
Jon Centofranchi, Advisory
Dan Studebaker, Webmaster
Lucy Covington, Volunteer Coordinator
Sonia Mahmud, Communications
Natalie Holford
M. Cecilia Marcondes
Bridget Schoeffel
Michelle Mason
Annie Davis 1st grade room parent
David Andaleon
Hasina Malikyar
Valerie Vizkeleti 2nd grade room parent
Tricia Omelas 4th grade room parent
Matt Johnson
Danny Kalenov
Michelle Kalenov Kindergarden representative
Lynn Di Filippo
Jenn Senn
Kim Huynh
Julie Garbrielli 8th grade room parent
Ken Morris OTA Board President
Antonelle Costelo
Stephanie Garb 3rd grade room parent
Approval of Minutes: Not discussed
Opening Remarks: Monika Hanft welcomed everyone to the meeting. Bigger turn out than usual with several new parents attending, questioning the role of the Foundation and how they can help. Discussion commenced with the goals of the Foundation along with a brief history of the school.
Review of Recent Events
Boo Hoo Woo Hoo Breakfast: Lynn Di Filippo reported on this event. She recommends starting the event earlier in the day, but Mr. C had said he prefers not to. Overall it was another successful breakfast with zero expenses for foundation. Parents contributed via a Sign-Up Genius list. There are still items remaining that can be reused next year (jar of tissues and other materials).
Back-to-School Night: Our biggest turn out yet and the first time we included the parent social aspect. Next time we will ensure the 2nd food truck arrives. We met minimums for food trucks and the Salt and Lime and Gelato trucks were a big hit. Monika asked for feedback from the parents on how the split sessions went with the teachers. Most agreed it was a good arrangement. Some middle school parents suggested that the teachers that teach the different subjects also come in to speak so the parents have an idea what to expect in all subjects. One parent raised the idea that all of middle school could be in one session, space providing, or a pre-middle school meeting to allow for more information with the multiple teachers at these grade levels. Parents asked that they be notified earlier of the date of Back to School Night
Movie Night: It was agreed that the 6th graders ran a successful event. Revenue as follows:
Total Raised: $2,315.00
Expenses: $ 452.02
Total Income $1 860.98
Breakdown
● Popcorn – 158 tickets
● Glow Sticks – 78 tickets (sold out)
● Lemonade – 185 tickets
● Bake Sale – 414 tickets
In a push to make kids more accountable for the events they host, the 6th Graders provided Monika with a list of issues / feedback they found that could be remedied next year. Mainly requesting that there be assigned seating, more organized lines, that volunteers stay in at their post, the lower grades sit in their assigned area and remain seated. Also a request that if you bring a chair to sit in the back (behind those who are not seated in chairs) in an effort to be respectful to movie watchers.
Some new parents asked for clarification on our message and primary goals. Questions on the Foundation board vs the school board. Monika discussed the main goals are mostly community building, fundraising, and dissemination of information. When pressed on which was paramount, it was agreed that fundraising is most significant and the other goals will fall in line. A minimum of $90,000 raised will help bridge the gap and the new parents felt this needed to be a stronger, and more organized message. There was a call to make the $360 per child campaign broader and more effective. It was mentioned in a letter and at the back to school night where many parents may not have gotten the clear message which Monika said we would resurface in a stronger light. Monika stressed that we are a fairly new foundation that is open to ideas and help and encouraged parents to attend the Brainstorming Meeting October 13th from 6 to 8 PM.
Reiteration of Fundraising goals:
$20,000 Jog A Thon
$30,000 Grants
$40,000 Gala
$90,000 bridges the gap so we can continue to provide the extra enrichment at OTA that sets our school apart from other public schools
Room Parents
Monika asked for feedback on if the role of the room parent was clear – all agreed yes. New 2nd grade room parent is Valerie Vizkeleti.
Halloween Event – Lucy Covington is working this and says it will go until 9:45 (1 hour and 45 minutes).
501c3 Status: OTA received this tax designation as of 9/27/16 allowing us to receive tax deductible donations. This has been a long time coming as we have been using Tri Valley’s tax ID for the past year. With this, Clarissa and Cindy will proceed with Amazon Smile and market this to parents so with any purchase from Amazon 0.5% will go back to OTA when parents choose OTA as a charity.
Treasurer Report:
● Multimedia Room ($10,650 raised) as discussed previously those funds instead are going to a K-3 part time art consultant.
o $10,000 to Mirelle DesRosiers
o $1000 for supplies
● Biology Current needs for the biology program this month
o 7 microscopes @ $285/each = $1,995
o 15 prepared meiosis & mitosis slides @232/each = $3,480
● Robotics Current needs for the robotics program this month
o 30 scribbling machines = $35
o 8 makey makey @ $50 each = $400
o 30 sewn circuits = $60
o 30 paper circuits = $43
Update on Line of Credit: Discussion postponed for a later date
Upcoming Events:
▪ 8th Grade Lunch: Room parent Julie Gabrielli coordinating
▪ Brainstorming Meeting: Monika asked the room for feedback on how best to prepare for the upcoming meeting. Some ideas were
o Providing a breakdown of costs
o Providing a breakdown of hours volunteered
o Sending an invite to the Brainstorm Meeting to increase attendance
▪ Jog A Thon Update: 70 volunteer spots – all but 13 filled
▪ Kindergarten November Community Service Project: This is a new event for kindergarten so there were discussion on how best to implement the project. It will be with the San Diego Rescue Mission
▪ Middle School Dance: Adopt a preschool - Admission for dance will be to bring one item to the Rescue Mission. A theme still needs to be decided on.
Miscellaneous:
Website: Monika asked if there could be a link to the foundation site and donations on the main page. Also an ongoing tally showing the money being raised so far perhaps could provide more incentive to donate. A list of room parents on the site would be beneficial so they can be easily contacted if need be.
Donations: Monika asked that someone take on the task of following up on donations and sending a thank you letter with our tax ID. Gail Warrick volunteered to take on this task
$500 (2) Class Grant Competition: Valerie Vizkeleti volunteered to organize this project for classes to compete for earning $500 for their classroom. It will be like a mini lesson in grant writing for students and a good way to support their classroom.
2nd grade science teacher needs books – Mr. C will follow up.
Meeting adjourned at 9:00 PM