Hall-Dale Elementary School
PTO
Minutes from Meeting May 10, 2011
Facilitators: Maria Fuentes and Aimee Ellis, Co-Presidents
Members Present: 17
Maria Fuentes began the meeting with a welcome and introductions.
Secretary’s Report: Kelli Baker
The report was emailed to members and copies were distributed for those who hadn’t yet seen them. It was moved by S. Frautten, seconded by C. McLean and so voted to accept the minutes of the March meeting.
Treasurer’s Report: Kathy Pelotte
The treasurer’s report was handed out and Kathy went over the profits from this school year’s fundraisers. They are as follows:
o PSO: $1518.36
o Super Raffle: $5987.02
o Original Works: $1802.64
o Spaghetti Supper: $326.25
o Savings Cards: $4280.00 – Fifth Grade Portion goes to 5Th grade trip
o Spring Cleaning Sale: $1000.00
o Movie Night: $250.00
o Sea Dog Tickets: $600.00 approx.
o Hannaford Helps: $396.00
Kathy would like to create a draft proposed 2011-2012 budget to distribute at next month’s meeting and asked that anybody interested in assisting her should contact her. Also, Kathy reported that she and her husband applied for a grant from Wal-Mart (her husband’s employer) and that the total for HDES PTO would be either $500 or $1000! It was moved by K. Langmeyer, seconded by S. Gilbert, and so voted to accept the Treasurer’s Reports for May.
Fundraising:
*Spring Cleaning Sale Report: Kelli Baker
The sale was a success! There were many great donations and the team that helped organize and execute the sale was wonderful! It could not have been such a success without the help of all the donators, organizers and Red Shirt People involved with it all! The sale made $1000!
*Savings Card Update:
There have been 428 sold and there are more left! Overall, it has been a success.
Financial Requests:
The Spring Cleaning Sale proceeds were raised to help the PE program and the Library, so both Mrs. Taylor and Mr. Viselli put requests in for materials. PE asked for a Voit Ball set that was to cost $354.99 and the Library materials were $320.94. Also, Mrs. Mansir asked for $100 for a film project for the Civil Rights Team.
There was some discussion about Teacher Allotments, or the mini-grants that PTO provides to teachers as a result of PTO fundraising. Earlier in the year, PTO approved a $10 per student allotment and agreed to wait for fundraising results before deciding whether to provide an additional $5 per student. There were questions as to whether the teachers would prefer to have a $5 per student allotment now, or have it combined with the anticipated fall allotment to provide more certainty as to the total amount. It was agreed that the additional $5 for the 2010-2011 year would be combined with the $10 slated for the fall, and it would be in the teacher accounts at the beginning of the school year. That way, the teachers and staff know at the beginning of the school year that they have $15 per student available for field trips, enrichment, supplies, etc.
There was a question about the money that PTO allocated to the principal for a discretionary fund (750.00) and the field trip fund (2000.00). Questions were raised about whether the funds had been used, and if so, for what purposes. PTO officers will ask for a report of expenditures.
Maria passed around thank you cards from some teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week, which was a wonderful success! Thanks to all of those volunteers who helped throughout the week and getting ready for the week!
There was some discussion about having PTO send out letters to the families of students asking for donations of supplies for next year to help supplement the cuts in budgets for classroom supplies.
PTO members were asked to vote on paper for the following funding requests:
- $100 for the Civil Rights Team for a field trip associated with the Brady movie
- $354.99 for the Voit ball sets
- $320.94 for library materials
Each request received 17 votes, so they were all unanimous.
Other Business:
Bylaws Changes:
Maria Fuentes reported that Kristin Aiello had looked at the Bylaws – as requested by PTO – and suggested changes, which primarily consisted of changing “MSAD 16” to “RSU 2.”
Kathy Pelotte told members that as a point of clarification, HDES PTO is not exempt from Maine sales tax.
It was moved by K. Pelotte, seconded by S. Gilbert and so voted to approve the amended bylaws.
Nominating committee:
Members have stepped up to fill some of the officer positions for the PTO board, and the VP slot is still open. There will be a full report of the Nominating Committee at the June meeting, when elections will be held.
If anyone is interested in that position, please let Maria Fuentes or Aimee Ellis know.
Programming Suggestions for Fall:
Michelle Jolicoeur, who will again be Program Chair next year, asked the group about programs for next year. Specifically, she was thinking of having a Mental Health Professional come to a meeting and talk about the topic of our choice. Michelle will work on the idea and get back to the group.
Kindergarten Orientation Meeting:
Maria and Aimee will attend the Orientation meeting, and also discussed purchasing books from Scholastic to give out to each new student in Pre-K and K from the PTO.
Subway Cook’s Night Out:
Wayne Williams is the Manager (and a PTO parent) and he said that depending on sales, HDES could receive up to 33% of the profits from the sales on May 19th from 4 to 7:30 pm. The customers need to have a voucher for HDES to receive credit.
Music Enrichment:
Maria has discussed with Mrs. McGuire another musical enrichment event, but one that is smaller in scale than the concert with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. McGuire is considering having a Folk Music/Dance group come to school for a fee, and then possibly have an evening event that families may participate in. Once there is more information, it will be distributed to parents.
Sea Dogs Night:
The Sea Dogs event went great! Suzanne Gilbert did a great job organizing the sales. Suzanne reported that she spoke with the owner of the Red Barn about having a Cooks Nite Out there in the fall. Although there are no more Monday nights available, the owner told Suzanne she may be able to squeeze HDES PTO in sometime in November.
Teacher Appreciation Week:
The appreciation week for teachers and staff was a big success, thanks to all the parents and caregivers who donated items, and thanks to all the volunteers that week.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:58 pm.
Next Meeting on Tuesday, June 7 at 6 pm in the library.
The Hall Dale Elementary School PTO has arranged a special family and friends ski afternoon at Lost Valley in Auburn. Anyone who is part of the RSU #2 community (students, teachers, parents, staff & friends) is welcome to join us. This is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Maine winter with a very low cost lift ticket and equipment rentals. Just present this coupon at the rental center & lift ticket booth for your discounted afternoon of skiing.
