PTO Meeting Minutes, April 13th, 2009
Attendees: Lisa Hebert, Megan Houston, Tonia Karnedy, Nancy Vetters, Kate Cunningham, Lynne Baechle, Nancy Hellen, Rick Ebel, Donna Macdonald, Carol McQuillen, Monica Ostby
The PTO meeting began with the subject of the student directory. A proposal was made to gather and publish email addresses as a standard item in the directory this coming year. The merits of paper versus electronic copies were introduced, touching upon issues of environmental conservation (less paper), convenience for parents, and security of information. The district will likely assist Orchard with managing the data for the directory. Email correspondence to Orchard parents will be assumed by Megan Houston after the current school year. The possibility of conducting a parent survey regarding the use of the email notification system was raised.
Lynne Baechle gave a follow-up report on the recent Skate Night event. She attributed the success of the event to the diligence of the committee members and to the generosity of the community, thanking the committee for such superb effort and execution, and thanking the community for such a high level of support. Mrs. Baechle reported that attendance had increased this year with about 350 skaters present, taking turns on and off the ice with a significant but safe number of people in terms of volume (about half of whom wore helmets) on the ice. Many more Orchard alum students currently in middle and high school were present for ice patrol, not only an added safety measure but an added measure of community involvement. Though admissions were the largest source of revenue, the student raffle had been very successful and the total number of baskets had surpassed last year by an additional 10% thanks to the donations of local businesses.
Carol McQuillen presented a thank-you card to the PTO for today’s Teacher & Staff Appreciation Luncheon. Thank you to room parents and everyone who donated!
Donna Macdonald affirmed that the date for the Lake Monster’s game featuring the Orchard PTO 50/50 raffle is July 5th. Mrs. Macdonald will check with the Orchard music department regarding the possibility of preparing Orchard students to sing the national anthem at this game. Volunteers will be solicited to sell 50/50 raffle tickets at the game during the May PTO meeting. One parent in attendance pointed out that for children who will be assigned new teachers and a new class, this event can be especially helpful for making connections with new fellow classmates for the fall.
Donna Macdonald also reported that the recent book fair had been very successful and as a result, the library was pleased to receive ½ of this year’s DCF award books which students really enjoy.
Carol McQuillen presented several items on behalf of SLIMY (Sustainable Living Initiatives Motivating Youth). SLIMY has already met with the 4-5 and 2-3 houses for curriculum planning purposes and plans to meet with the K-1 house soon. One result of these meetings is that although Mr. Schmidt will continue with apple trees in the Colonial Gardens area, the rest of the Colonial Gardens will be disassembled with plants heading to new homes with Orchard families. This garden of approximately 1200 square feet will then be used as a root garden for the ‘Eat the Rainbow’ initiative.
Mrs. McQuillen also outlined the extensive plans for the Orchard grounds for this summer. Fresh mulch is needed for the playground and certain areas of the Magical Woods for kids’ safety on swing sets and playground equipment; this resource is normally provided as part of the district maintenance budget. The Magical Woods area also requires special maintenance this year, including the clean-up of litter and safety hazards and the management of the buckthorn, an invasive species threatening the student use of the Magical Woods over the long-term. The city arborist is in agreement about the nature and threat of the buckthorn, so Mrs. McQuillen proposes a concerted effort between the 4-5 School’s Out Summer Camp program, Conservation Youth Corps, and interested adult volunteers to remove this growth characterized by an extensive root system. With the careful control of the buckthorn, Orchard PE, Orchard recess and children of the community using Orchard playground will be able to continue using the Magical Woods for a recreation and play facility as well as learning. Moving forward Mrs. McQuillen plans to further facilitate curricular opportunities for Orchard teachers using the Magical Woods, in part by labeling species already mapped by a previous SLIMY intern. Suggestions were made that Mrs. McQuillen recruit Orchard parents as volunteers via email communication and that the city may be able to further assist with the maintenance of these public grounds. Mrs. McQuillen proposed a management structure for the Orchard grounds this summer in light of these ambitious goals and heightened collaboration: a UVM summer intern will manage the ‘Eat the Rainbow Gardens’ and Mrs. McQuillen will serve as Summer Coordinator to oversee the buckthorn and safety hazard removal projects and the collaboration betweeen Orchard parent volunteers, the Conservation Youth Corps, and 4-5 School’s Out Summer Camp. Attendees agreed to vote on this proposal on the spot. Mrs. McQuillen’s motion was seconded by Co-President Monica Ostby and passed by the meeting attendees.
Mrs. McQuillen also requested approval for an expense of $200-$250 to purchase compost for the SLIMY gardens. Because South Burlington school district sends composted waste to the Intervale Compost, SLIMY is able to purchase the compost at a discount. This maintenance expense was approved.
Mrs. McQuillen also presented a plan for advertising the SLIMY tag sale, held every fall and spring as a major source of funding for the SLIMY program. A graphic artist had donated his efforts to designing the layout of a road sign which would be printed on reusable material; the date panel could be manually changed for each sale but the signs could be stored between use. Mrs. McQuillen explained that volunteers would be assigned to various areas of South Burlington for posting and retrieval of signs before and after the sale. At $12 per sign, Mrs. McQuillen requested approval for an expenditure of $360-$400 for purchasing 33-40 signs. The attendees agreed to vote on this proposal on the spot. Mrs. McQuillen’s motion was seconded by Co-President Monica Ostby and passed by the meeting attendees.
Lastly, Mrs. McQuillen reminded the group of the contributions of Sabrina Joy, a local horticulturalist who not only mentors the SLIMY committee on matters needing expert advice, but who also donates 20% of her sales for 5 days in May to SLIMY. Parents will be reminded of sale dates in the May PTO newsletter.
A brief discussion was conducted reviewing the PE class strategy for future hip-hop performances. Parents will be asked to help their child choose selections that they bring to school for the presentation, and song lyrics will be initially investigated for appropriateness. One attendee inquired about any upcoming changes to units in the PE program and Principal Rick Ebel remarked on the good variety of unit themes, saying that the programs evolve and change.
PTO Treasurer reported that the recent Uno’s ‘Mom’s Night’ fundraiser had earned approximately $150 for the Orchard PTO, a decrease from the average earnings. Strategies will be discussed for improving turnout at this event at future PTO meetings.
In addition, a form for teachers to use when requesting field trip donations has been approved by the district and Mr. Ebel agreed to circulate it.
PTO Co-Presidents Monica Ostby and Lisa Hebert will be planning dates for next year’s fundraising and event schedules with the support of the district schedule which has already been adopted, and with the support of committee chairs. The Co-Presidents will do the bulk of this planning before the May PTO meeting, which is the final PTO meeting of the year.
An Orchard parent involved in a transportation study with the district and the University of Vermont requested permission to send a survey to Orchard parents regarding students’ transportation to and from school. District participation will be verified and the PTO could earn $2 per completed survey for our parents’ participation in the study.
The Orchard Art teacher was invited to present at the May PTO meeting regarding the Orchard School sign.
Nancy Hellen spoke on
behalf of the Odyssey of the Mind team. 7 students participated this year, the
maximum number for one team, and the Orchard group hopes to have enough
participants for 2 teams next year. A new parent has agreed to assist the team
and may schedule team meetings slightly differently to accommodate the Drama
Club rehearsal schedule.
Tuttle Middle School PTO is interested in recruiting PTO volunteers from
families experiencing their first student transition to the Middle School.
Orchard PTO Co-Presidents will be attending a cross-PTO meeting for all South
Burlington PTO’s later this month and will report relevant information at the
Orchard PTO May meeting.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Page created by PTO Secretary Megan Houston and Orchard Library Media Specialist Donna Macdonald.
This page last updated: 05/13/09.