2006-2007School Year:
Gwynedd Square Home & School Association Meeting Minutes - Compiled
Gwynedd Square Home and School
Meeting Minutes
April 24, 2007
I. Call to Order
Debbie Rosenblatt called to order the Gwynedd Square Home and School meeting at 7:07 pm on 4/24/07 in the Library.
II. President’s Introduction
Debbie welcomed everyone present and introduced the Executive board, Mrs. Justice, and Mrs. Mattes. Debbie also thanked the volunteers who chaired events and offered special thanks for the Volunteer Appreciation refreshments before the meeting.
III. Approval of minutes from last meeting
The minutes from the last meeting were distributed to those present and were approved as submitted.
IV. Principal’s Report
a. Mrs. Justice began her report by welcoming all present and noting that it is a busy time of year. She also stated that her report includes little updates such as her work with the Friendly School Initiatives and that the website lists the days of school activities.
b. Mrs. Justice informed us about the May 1st Fourth Grade pilot PSSA test, as well as other upcoming events: A Midsummer Night’s Dream performance (in conjunction with the author in residence), and Teacher Appreciation week.
c. Membership was reminded that any requests needed for classroom assignments should be submitted in writing soon.
d. Mrs. Justice let us know that she met with the Upper Gywnedd Police about safety issues: there will be a lockdown drill on May 11th, an in-service day. The officers will be patrolling the school building, keeping a presence for the safety of the community and the school.
V. Teacher’s Report
a. Mrs. Mattes gave membership the news and events from each grade level as follows: Kindergarten will have their field trip to Peace Valley on May 10th; First grade’s field trip to the Keswick Theater will have all see the stage presentation of “Charlotte’s Web” on May 10th, and they are getting ready for their RIF day; Second grade will be traveling to the Roth Living Farm museum in early May for their field trip; Third grade will be going to the DaVinci Center in Allentown for their May field trip; Fourth grade is working on a science unit on structures and their PA Day (June 1st). They are also preparing for their upcoming field trip to Harrisburg; Fifth grade is completing a unit in weather, and Mr. Ryan’s class is taking part in a nationwide weather gathering program; Sixth grade is studying their two week Shakespearean program, which will culminate in a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They are also working on a solar energy unit in science.
VI. Treasurer’s Report
a. Anna Wright explained the cash flow statement, balance, the checks written, and the deposits.
b. As far as the year to date revenue, Anna revealed that at this time of year there is a lot of financial activity and that half of the expenses still need to be paid out. She informed us that H&S paid out its last mini grant and some of the 6th grade party. And, as far as the revenue is concerned, we are doing well.
c. There was a general reminder to membership that if anyone has any questions about the report, they should let Anna know.
VII. President’s Report
a. Debbie began her report with the announcement that discussion of the new playground plans will be moved to the end of the meeting. Some new business: a Membership votes on the Fundraising Plan and the 2007-2008 H&S Schedule of Events.
b. Debbie moderated the general discussion surrounding both new plans. There was information concerning a new vendor for H&S’s fall fundraiser, as well as the implementation of a straight donation to GS and an ‘opt-out’ program (a one time monetary contribution in lieu of participation in fundraisers). The schedule of events was reviewed with the proviso that some of the events may be changed due to chair availability. Membership voted unanimously to approve both plans for next year.
c. There were also two remaining Membership votes: a request of $250 for the Variety Night chairs to hire a DJ and a request to cancel the H&S June meeting. Both requests were approved.
d. Debbie informed Membership about the Nominating Committee for Executive Board positions—and that we have added a new co-President position.
e. Christie Clemens gave Membership a Coordinating Council update as well as a Home and School Correlate update. CC news: Christine Liberaski spoke on communication throughout the district and there was information concerning the community service audit results. CC is also still seeking a Vice President and co-Treasurer. Home and School Correlate is working on the Volunteer Tea on 4/27 and the Family Friendly Schools Conference.
f. Maryann Bogart gave an update on the School Board about NP’s lockdown procedure and the Odyssey of the Mind program. Also, there was some discussion of the upcoming May 15th vote on Property Tax Relief—NP is sending out a mailing concerning it for everyone’s review. Maryann also informed us of the end of the Spirit Wear sale.
g. Nicole Putman gave Membership an overview of the Box Tops for Education program and how GS can get involved via clipping tops and via the internet. She promises fun challenges for GS to get motivated to participate in collecting Box Tops
h. Kate Thorson showed to Membership the two books that will be dedicated to Mrs. Fox, as she is retiring this school year.
i. There was a general announcement that the 2007-2008 H&S Budget will be worked on soon. Any Member with feedback or input on budget items and amounts, please email Anna.
j. The playground plans were discussed, as well as how much money GS can be approved for the first phase of the playground ($22,650 will be voted on by the NP School Board in May).
k. The facilities supervisor was present to answer Members’ questions, display pictures and schematics of the proposed equipment, and describe the plan for building. Little Tikes is the equipment company GS will have for its playground, and there are three phases of equipment that can be added on, each phase costing a different amount of money. If GS wants to add on phase 2 and 3’s equipment, there needs to be fundraising for the additional amount. There was discussion of a possible nomination of a Playground Committee Chair to begin fundraising for the extra equipment in phases 2 and 3.
VIII. Adjournment
Membership was invited to peruse the playground plans as the meeting was adjourned and prizes were given out at 8:43 pm.
Gwynedd Square Home and School
March Meeting Minutes
March 27, 2007
I. Call to order
Debbie Rosenblatt called to order the Gwynedd Square Home and School meeting at 7:02 PM on 3/27/2007 in the library.
II. President’s Introduction
Debbie welcomed everyone present and introduced the executive board. She reminded everyone of box tops and ACME receipts. She thanked Joe Rosenblatt and Dennis Wendt for the liveliest Science Night at Gwynedd Square. She also thanked Jennifer Trippetti and Tish Grande for their great work on the Gertrude Hawk Fundraiser. Maryann Bogert for all her work with the Young Author’s conference being held March 31st. And Ken Bezar and Mrs. Buckner for the great success of Gwynedd Square’s first ever Fitness Night held at the school. She also thanked Sandy Friday for chairing the first ever Pottery Night scheduled for March 30th.
III. Approval of minutes from the last meeting
The minutes from the last meeting were distributed to those present. The minutes were approved as submitted by Ken Bezar and Jennifer Trippetti.
IV. Principal’s Report
Mrs. Justice began her report by thanking everyone for a fantastic Science Night. “We had a terrific turnout and the children enjoyed themselves very much.”
She also thanked those involved with the Fitness Night and encouraged us to continue with the tracking slips as we are still in second place. Contest ends April 13th and we are 15,000 miles behind first place.
She reminded everyone to come out for our first Pottery Night – a relaxing therapeutic activity.
She stated how proud she was of our Reading Olympics 5th grade team for being awarded a blue ribbon and our 6th grade team who were awarded a red ribbon. Kudos to all our readers.
Mrs. Justice is trying to encourage more attendance at Home and School sponsored activities. She will be giving “No Homework” passes at future events. She also has asked her teachers to refrain from homework assignments during H&S activity nights.
Dates to Remember:
March 28 - Kindergarten lunch practice takes place.
April 16 until April 27 – Author in Residence Diane Herr is with us.
April 20 - Father’s Day Breakfast 8am
April 21 – International Spring Festival at NPHS
April 27 – Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast 8:15am
May 7 – May 11 – Teacher Appreciation Week
Mrs. Justice also stated she would be in Seattle at a North American School Principals Convention in April.
V. Teacher’s Report
Mrs. Mattes stated that starting with the April newsletter of “Around the Square” a new segment called “Paw Prints” would be introduced. It will include highlights of activities taking place in each grade.
Mrs. Mattes also encouraged all volunteers to please come to the Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast on April 27 from 8:15AM to 9:00AM. It will be held in the library and babysitting is available – even for pre-school children.
VI. Guest Speakers – The Music Department
Mr. Jeffrey Miller – Band thanked the GS parents for making the learning environment so positive and the school for their support of the music program. He stated the band department was well equipped due to past contributions. Mr. Miller reviewed some of the things the music program is doing this year:
- the annual Winter Concert – Dec ‘06
- gearing up for the Spring Concert at Inglewood April 25th
- Jazz Band performance April 16th at Pennbrook and at Gwynedd Square in May
- Performance the last day of school at the Gwynedd Square Awards assembly
- Band is open to all students in 4th through 6th grade
Jessica Davis – Strings/Orchestra divides her time between Gwynedd Square and Inglewood. She is the strings instructor and stated the 4th through 6th grade strings are flourishing here at Gwynedd Square. Ms Davis stated that the Advanced Orchestra consists of 67 students from both Gwynedd Square and Inglewood. There are 20 elementary students in the Chamber Group this year playing music at a middle school level.
-String Lessons begin in 3rd grade with the violin, viola, cello, viola, through a lease/purchase plan.
-Suzuki Violin Program is available at the kindergarten level. Currently there are 13 students in this program from kindergarten through 6th grade. The Suzuki concert is scheduled for May 17th.
Jill Swavely – Vocal Music Instructor heads up the various choirs including:
The Chorus - consisting of 75, 4th through 6th grade students. There is no audition to join the chorus as all students may join. The chorus practices Tuesday mornings at 8:15AM-9:00AM.
Select Chorus – consists of 32, 4th through 6th grade students. This is an auditioned group of students who are chosen for Select based on tone quality and pitch to make up a perfect blend of voices.
- The Chorus Concert and Orchestra Concert is May 1.
In February 50 students went to the KimmelCenter in Center City Philadelphia to see the Philadelphia Orchestra perform a student concert, thanks to an Education Grant. Mr. Miller’s group went to the Academy of Music in Philadelphia earlier this year. The children were wowed by the professional musicians.
*At the conclusion of their talk, Mrs. Mattes commended these three instructors for sharing their love and enthusiasm of music with the students. She finds them to be exceptional role models for the children of Gwynedd Square.
VII. Guest Speaker – Author in Residence
Diane Herr – Kid-Friendly Shakespeare - Ms. Herr's interactive workshops use language skill learning and activities to teach children about the life and times of Shakespeare. She presents workshops at Philadelphia-area elementary schools to help kids become comfortable using the language of Shakespeare.
Ms. Herr believes that young children can learn Shakespeare with greater ease because they’re “superb mimics and so much less inhibited than when they get older.” If students are introduced to these works in a spirit of fun, she says, they will be less intimidated later on when they have to read an entire play.
Ms. Herr advised that we still do speak Shakespeare’s language in our everyday language. She shared a lot of interesting Shakespeare information such as how much he contributed to the language borrowing words from other languages and making up words. She will be doing various activities with the students to have “Fun with Shakespeare” so they aren’t afraid of it. Diane has introduced Shakespeare to other elementary schools in the NPSD and is looking forward to bringing that same level of excitement and enthusiasm to our school.
Gwynedd Square is fortunate to have Ms Herr spending two weeks with our 5th and 6th grade students introducing Shakespeare into their lives starting Monday April 16th through Friday April 27th.
Mrs. Justice asked for help from the parents to totally immerse the school in Shakespeare. She is getting all grades K-6 and all faculty members involved. There will be a performance assembly of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” on April 27th for the students as well as an evening performance at 7pm.
VIII. Treasurer’s Report
Anna Wright reviewed the cash flow statement, balance, and checks written.
We just received the last check from Target for $683 – meeting our goal.
A reminder to designate Gwynedd Square on your Target charge account.
Christie Clemens pushed Wawa coupons again.
Anna stated there was $28,000 in the account but we still have $18,000 to expense; therefore, the balance will decrease by the end of the school year.
The budget was approved and seconded by Ken Bezar and Noelle McLaughlin.
IX. The President’s Report
Paper recycling bin is here. Information coming home to explain the program to parents. We need 2-3 volunteers every Wednesday at 9:30AM to get the program started. Perhaps a backpack Wed volunteer can assist. Parents can bring their own paper to the bin.
Membership Vote: Request for $414 by Mrs. Swavely to purchase additional sound system equipment since we borrow extra equipment from the high school during concerts. Sometimes there are conflicts; therefore we need our own. This cost has already been negotiated down by more than $100. Vote taken/ all approved the $414 request.
Gwynedd Square Volunteer Breakfast – Friday April 27.
8:15AM – 9:00AM. Library. Babysitting available for all children regardless of age. Spread the word, it is a lovely event for ALL school volunteers.
Maryann Bogert spoke of the Young Author’s Conference for 4th and 5th grade students at North Wales Elementary Saturday March 31 from 8:15AM -12:30PM. 17 young authors are representing Gwynedd Square. Maryann thanked the H & S for the funding for the book holders.
Maryann advised that so far 312 items were sold during the Spirit WearSale. Orders are being taken through 3-30. Gwynedd Square Paw Print Car Magnets are available for $4.00/piece.
Earth Day Celebration – A local group of children are holding an Earth Day celebration on Sunday April 22nd from 2:00PM-4:00PM in West Point. Community donations have come in. See their website at (Kids for a Clean Environment) There will be displays about recycling and activities. This is a free event.
Calendar of Events – there will be a survey coming home looking for feedback regarding the calendar of events for the 2007/2008 school year. Feel free to email Debbie Rosenblatt with suggestions. Talk to your kids as well. We want your feedback.
Ken Bezar gave a brief talk on the second Family Fitness Challenge night scheduled for Thursday evening April 12 at Total Body Fitness for GS children and adults.
Debbie stated that Family Game Nightis on Friday April 20 at 7:00 PM. Please RSVP. Doors open at 6:15PM.
Math Night for parents – given by the teachers - is scheduled for Thursday evening April 26th at 7:00 in the library. This pertains to Math for grades K through 3.
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 7th through May 11th. Once again Sharon Patterson is chairing this event and is looking for volunteers to collect donations from local businesses. Also – she is accepting donations from local home consultants as well – i.e. Mary Kay Cosmetics, Tastefully Simple, etc.
Gertrude Hawk fundraising event. Jennifer Trippetti spoke about the event and how we made over $3500.
Next Month’s Meeting – Tuesday April 24th – 7:00PM – library. We will vote on the calendar of events and discuss fund raising plans and see details of the new playground equipment.