President S Report - Sabrina Frye

Sharon PTO Welcome Meeting

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

President’s Report - Sabrina Frye

●Welcome to all the new parents and special thank you to all the returning coordinators, new coordinators, and all the volunteers that make PTO successful.

●Introduction of PTO officers: Sabrina Frye, President; Anne Hrics, VP Fundraising; Christina Hollabaugh, VP Activities; Amanda Benisek, VP Communication; Lisa Pallante, Co-Treasurer; Lisa Kibler, Co-Treasurer

●If you are a coordinator in need of information regarding your responsibilities let us know so that we can get the information to you.

●Thank you to all the volunteers who helped stuff and distribute the green take-home folders over the summer.

●Thank you to Trena Verginis for taking care of the Supply Boxes in time for Open House.

●Thank you to all those that worked hard to make Open House a success!

●Amanda Benisek has volunteered to be our VP of Communication. We need to vote to approve her position as a PTO officer.

●Vote to approve the minutes for May

Principal’s Report - Katie Kowza

●Opening—off to a great start!

oEnrollment: 506 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade

oSharon welcomed 48 new students (1-5) and 79 kindergarten students

oNew Staff Members

▪Allison D’Anniballe—Kindergarten Teacher

▪Julie Boggs—4th Grade Teacher

▪Elizabeth Williams—Long-term Intervention Specialist

▪Mary Buehrle - Library Aide

▪Sue Post—Special Education Aide

▪Chantelle Eggleton—Special Education Aide

▪Natalie Williams—Nurse

●The Leader in Me

○We are committed to developing the whole child at Sharon, so our students can be successful in all of their endeavors. We infuse the content from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to achieve this. In addition, students identify and set their own academic and personal goals.

●Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS)

○Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be You

○Proactively teaching, modeling, and rewarding positive student behavior in all school settings

●Safety and Security: Continues to be a high priority

●EnVision: New Math Curriculum Grades 1-5; Investigations - Kindergarten

●Communication: Visit the website often, eNewsletter Sharon Family Bulletin - weekly update/online access, teacher communications, Twitter @SharonElemK5

●i-Ready Parent Reports: Reading and Math diagnostics. Three “well checks” a year with a parent report going home each time.

●State Report Card: Highest Performance Index in school history. The Performance Index measures the achievement of every student, not just whether or not they reach “proficient.” Schools receive points for every student’s level of achievement. The higher the student’s level, the more points the school earns towards its index. This encourages schools and districts to work with all students to continue to improve, regardless of the student’s level of achievement. We continue to grow and stay focused on student needs.

PARENT VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you for agreeing to volunteer at Sharon Elementary. Our volunteers are a very important part of our students’ Sharon experience. Even as a volunteer, your commitment needs to be professional. While you are at Sharon, you are a role model for our students. The following outline describes our volunteer program and our expectations.

I. Goals of the Volunteer Program
a. Encourages parental involvement in their children’s school activities.
b. Assists teachers and school staff.
c. Helps the total school program so that all children are encouraged to grow and

succeed.
d. Our volunteers are positive school ambassadors.
II. Roles and Responsibilities
a. Work under the direction of a teacher or school staff member
b. Be on time and dependable
c. Please refer all discipline/safety issues to a school staff member.
III. Safety Procedures
a. Sign in and out of the office and wear the volunteer tag.
b. Follow procedures for fire, tornado, and safety drills.
c. Do not give any food or snacks to any student unless directed to do so by a staff

member. Give no medications to any student.
d. Volunteers shall work in an area that is visible to other people.
IIII. Cautions
a. Confidentiality is a must – Information that you read, see or experience about children

or staff members while volunteering is to remain confidential. This is an absolute

requirement of any volunteer.
b. All contacts with parents are to be made by staff members.
Thank you for volunteering at Sharon Elementary! Your service is invaluable to our students and staff!

Important Dates/Events

9/12: PTO at 7:00pm 9/26: 5th Grade Band & Orchestra Begins

9/12: School Pictures, K-2 9/27: PTO Walk-a-thon Turn-In #2

9/13: School Pictures, 3-5 9/28: PTO Walk-a-thon Prize Distribution #2

9/15: PTO Walk-a-thon Kick Off 9/29: PTO Walk-a-thon Turn-In #3

9/19: Mobile Ed Assembly: Stronger Than a Bully 9/29: SHARON Walk-a-Thon Day

9/20: PTO Walk-a-thon Turn-In #1 10/5: PTO Walk-a-thon Prize Distribution #3

9/21: PTO Walk-a-thon Prize Distribution #1 10/6: PTO Walk-a-thon School-Wide Goal

9/22: Interims Reward - PJ DAY!!!

Teacher Report - Karen Valantasis & Kara Samblanet

●Update:

Welcome Back! Throughout the months of August and September, teachers at Sharon are introducing (grades K) and reviewing (grades 1-5) the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. Teachers will utilize The 7 Habits Habits of Happy Kids book, along with other books, videos, and lessons from online academy. The Leader In Me online academy also provides teachers with ideas for how to build a strong foundation for each of the 7 Habits, along with tips for integrating the habits into other classroom expectations and procedures. Each classroom will create a mission statement, which provides a purpose, vision, and direction for the school year and these will be shared with the school on "MIssion Statement Mondays."

The 7 Habits Include:

Habit 1: Be Proactive (you're in charge)

Habit 2: Begin With The End In Mind (have a plan)

Habit 3: Put First Things First (work first, then play)

Habit 4: Think Win-Win (everyone can win)

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (listen before you speak)

Habit 6: Synergize (together is better)

Habit 7: Sharpen The Saw (balance is best)

Students in grades K-5 all received a Leader In Me parent letter and Rules & Expectations (PBIS) parent letter, introducing families to The Leader In Me, along with the common rules and expectations at Sharon Elementary. Throughout the school year, teachers will work together in a variety of action teams that focus on Leadership, Culture, and Academics. These action teams will communicate and collaborate throughout the year and information on The Leader In Me at Sharon will be shared with families through "The Leader" family newsletter, along with other various electronic communications such as the Sharon Family Bulletin (emailed each week) and Twitter @SharonElemK5. Teachers at Sharon will also be hosting a parent book study this year for families who would like to learn more about the 7 Habits and The Leader In Me. Information about our leadership model at Sharon, along with Leader In Me videos and FAQ's can also be located on the Highland District's website / Sharon link.

Throughout the school year, teachers and students at Sharon will dig deeper into each of the 7 habits. The students in grades k-5 will have the opportunity to collaborate with other grade levels in the building as part of our Hornet Leaders/peer mentoring program. All students will keep track of their Wildly Important Goals" (WIGS) and accomplishments in a leadership notebook. This notebook is kept at school but is utilized often and is a place to showcase celebrations and growth. We look forward to coming up with ideas for how to share these leadership notebooks with families throughout the school year. Students will also have the chance to celebrate good habits and behavior by earning "leadership links." Teachers and staff in the building love recognizing the outstanding behavior of our students. Students from each grade level will be selected each week and will be chosen as a "Leader of the Week." The students at Sharon will also work collectively towards achieving leadership link goals throughout the year and school-wide rewards that all students will participate in.will be enjoyed by all students.

As we plan for our year at Sharon, we look forward to ways in which the teachers, students, and PTO can work collaboratively on future leadership events. Our goal is to host another Leader In Me family event this year and we would welcome ideas from the PTO on dates or locations for this event. It would be wonderful to coordinate with PTO on this event, as last year's event at the Akron Children's Museum had a great turnout of families with over 300 people in attendance.

We look forward to a great year of growth and collaboration with the PTO.

●Needs: None at this time.

New Business

●We are in need of people to Chair/Co-chair the following committees:

○Beach Day - Co-chair

○Book Swap - Co-Chair

○End of Year Celebration - Chair & Co-chair

○Fall Family Fun Night- Co-chair

○Field Day - Chair & Co-chair

○Teacher Appreciation - Co-chair

Old Business

●Thank you to all that are returning to their chair positions and all that are new to Sharon PTO. Your dedication to Sharon and the children is fantastic and greatly appreciated!

Quarterly Committee Reports

Treasurer’s Report - Lisa Kibler & Lisa Pallante

●Vote to approve Treasurer's report

●Update: As of May 31, 2017:

○Checkbook Balance $33,207.45

○May Deposits $ 3,154.44

○May Withdrawals $(7,992.99)

○June Deposits $510.00

○June Withdrawals $(516.83)

○July Deposits -

○July Withdrawals -

○August Deposits $36.33

○August Withdrawals $1,746.11

○Checkbook Balance as of Aug 31,2017: $30,144.51

●Needs: none at this time

●Motion: Vote to approve 2016-2017 Final Expense Report

Vote to approve 2017-18 Budget

●Fundraising VP/Walk-a-thon: Anne Hrics

○Update:Dine and Donate finalized thru December with Chic-fil-a on Sept. 20th. Walk-a-thon- We are getting ready to launch the event with an exciting pep-rally on 9/15, weekly prizes (9/21, 9/28 & 10/5) and then the fun-filled event itself (9/29) Students will walk during their IE time and we have secured a DJ to emcee the event to make it a super fun time!

○Needs: Immediate needs: Anyone able to help decorate after school this Wednesday (Sept. 13) for Friday day kick off? Will send out a SignUp genius to help on Walk Day with multiple needs.

■Please contact Anne Hrics if you’d like to help:

●Hospitality: Amy Carter & Amy O’Neil

○Update: Conference Night Dinner (October 17, 19, 25). I will create signup genius links next week for conference dinners.

○Needs: Volunteers needed for success. Please contact Amy O’Neil if you’d like to help:

●Activities VP/Fall Family Fun Night: Christina Hollabaugh

○Update: October 26 This fun filled evening for our Sharon families is in the planning stages. I have booked Rick Smith a magician/illusionist to perform! Following this Big Gus will DJ and provide a photo booth. Small pumpkins have been ordered for each student to take one home as the leave the event.

○Needs: Still working on a food truck. A sign up genius etc will be organized and sent out after the walk a thon.

●Rebates: Lori Albright & Becky VanKirk

○Update:Flyer sent out informing parents of all rebate programs. Box Tops contest flyer went out. I'm currently working on soliciting prizes from area companies to distribute throughout the year as gifts for contest winners.

○Needs: none at this time

●Book Swap: Laura Miller

○Update: This usually takes place in February. I will need a co-chair who can be available to be at Book Swap during school time.

○Need: Co-chair If interested please reach out to: Laura Miller:

●Garden: Emily Barnett

○Update: We continue to weed and are getting ready to plant our bulbs next month. We will also be creating scarecrows in the garden with the kids during recess.

○Needs: none at this time

●School Supply Box: Trena Verginis

○Update:Everything went smoothly. Only 2 issues: a missing box that was found in the wrong classroom (my fault) and missing folder which was replaced by First Day. The fundraising check should be in the mail in the next month.

○Needs: none at this time

●Communications VP: Amanda Benisek

○Update: Changes have been made to the website to try and include as much information as possible. If everyone could take some time to look over the information and make sure everything is correct that would be helpful.

○Needs: As we update the website and try to make it as easy as possible for volunteers to sign up to help I would like to ask committees could create their sign-up genius links (even if it is very general for the time being) and provide them to me to put on the website, that would be helpful. Email me at:

SPECIAL GUEST Speaker: Teacher & Parent, Alicia Steinmetz

Adjourn

Next Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 10. 9:00 AM. in the Cafeteria.

Be sure to sign in, in the office, when you arrive for this meeting.

Remember to keep checking Sharon website for PTO updates and volunteer opportunities! Thanks for all you do to make this possible!

Interested in more information on how you can help pass the levy for our schools? Sign up to volunteer at: or For Highland Schools on