PTO Minutes for September 10, 2007
Attendees: Allyson Downing, Diana Schwaigert, Lynne Baechle, Lisa Hebert, Moira Daly, Rick Ebel, Donna Sullivan Macdonald, Carol McQuillen, Melinda Tate, Lynda Waltien, Chantelle Mitchell, Gayle Eustis, Abby Clay, Sandy Julius, Nancy Bevilacqua, Carolyn Schmidt, Shelly Corley, Kate Cunningham, Bridget Baumgaertel, Kuan Wang, Laurel Warren, Wendy Webster, Heather Bates, Kathie Borrazzo, Leslie Capano, Monica Nygaard-Ostby, Chreisten Thompson, Sherry Laroche, Kristin Jarvis, Maggie Holt, Lisa Kunin, Roz Saunders
Allyson Downing, PTO Co-President welcomed all attendees and brought the meeting to order.
General PTO Announcements:
This year, all PTO correspondence will be on yellow paper. PTO meetings will now be held in the Art Room.
Recognition for Mr. Wilhite: With Mr. Wilhite’s recent retirement and in recognition of his 30 years of service to Orchard, the PTO donated $300 to the new physical education teacher in Mr. Wilhite’s name, which will be used to purchase yoga mats.
Enrichment: Visiting author Elizabeth Winthrop will be in South Burlington on September 27 and will be speaking to 4th and 5th graders about Counting on Grace, a book nominated for this year's Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award. Elizabeth Winthrop will also be speaking to Orchard's 2nd - 5th graders about the creative process.
Lake Monsters Fundraiser: Ticket sales for this year’s Orchard game raised $176, while the 50-50 raffle brought in over $326. We are requesting another opportunity to do a 50/50 raffle next year, and anticipate hearing from the Lake Monsters in February or March of 2008 with further details.
PTO Committees: Lynne Baechle spoke to the many openings on several of the PTO event committees, and provided a brief description of what was involved with each. These include Skate Night, Enrichment, French and Spanish Clubs and Odyssey of the Mind, Book Fair, Pizza Night, Science Fair, Popcorn Fridays, and Bake Sale. New this year is a school board watch team, which will rotate attendance at school board meetings and report back to the Orchard PTO on issues relevant to our school.
Budget: Lisa Hebert addressed the current budget. There is currently a balance of
$20, 013.10 in the PTO budget.
SLIMY Update: Carol McQuillen and Nancy Bevilacqua provided an update on SLIMY activities, including classroom and cafeteria composting, possible new bike racks, Eat the Rainbow, as well as other district-wide initiatives. The fall SLIMY tag sale will be on November 2 and 3. Volunteers are needed to assist with set up and break down of the sale, and transporting items left after the sale to area agencies. SLIMY meetings will follow monthly PTO meetings, starting at 7:00 p.m. in Carol McQuillen’s classroom.
Skate Night: Maggie Holt, Skate Night Committee Co-Chair, shared her experiences with Skate Night and emphasized the need for a larger committee to help organize the many facets of this fund-raiser. The committee will hold its first meeting on October 7.
Hannafords Helps Schools: Allyson Downing explained the Hannaford’s Helps Schools program and encouraged members to look for and deposit these receipts in the Orchard box at area Hannaford stores.
International Night: Diana Schwaigert, chair of the International Night Committee, discussed the various aspects of this event, including food, entertainment, and table displays. Members were encouraged to consider setting up a display table at the event. A committee will meet in the next couple of weeks to further coordinate this event.
Drama: Lisa Kunin spoke to members about the drama committee. She is eager to have members involved as there are many roles for volunteers. The production will run January 24-26, 2008, with a kick off meeting to be held in October.
Fundraising: Allyson Downing discussed some of the ongoing fundraising for the year, and some possible new directions in fundraising. An Orchard cookbook is being considered, possibly for Mother’s Day, and the “It’s My Artwork” for the December holidays. Uno's Fundraisers will continue, supporting a need in each wing throughout the year. The first will be the 4/5 wing, and teachers will be asked what their particular needs are. A fall date for this first fundraiser will be targeted that hopefully does not conflict with middle/high school efforts.
Elections: Elections for Co-President and Co-Vice President were held. Results were as follows:
Co-President: Monica Ostby 35 of 37 votes
Co-Vice President: Diana Schwaigert 33 of 37 votes
Congratulations to the new officers and thanks for serving.
Volunteer Training: Principal Rick Ebel conducted volunteer training, necessary for anyone wishing to volunteer with students. Items covered included confidentiality, student management/discipline, personal space, and the need for liability insurance when transporting students in personal vehicles field trips.
Raffle Winner: Wendy Webster won a $10 gift certificate to Starbucks. Congratulations, Wendy, and many thanks to all in attendance for making this first PTO meeting of the year such a success.
Page created by PTO Secretary Moira Daly and Orchard Library/Media Specialist Donna Macdonald.
This page last updated: 01/24/08.