Yalesville Elementary School PTO
Meeting Minutes
Date / March 14, 2007Time / 7:00 p.m.
Location / Y.E.S.MediaCenter
Meeting Type / General Monthly Meeting
Attendees / Trish Pelletier, Michele Genest, Beth Raccio, Carol Renna, Jen Carnale, Carol Mikulski, Sarah Lindberg, Lauri Fernandez, June Lange,Tracy Tyrrell, Holly Lajoie, Donna Rackie, Brandi Sarracini, Marlene Thorp, Amy Guido, Kathleen King, Joanne Balon, Michelle Connelly, Meredith Koch, Dotty Rooney, Linda Conchado
Recorded By / Beth Raccio
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m.
Introduction & Welcome
Michele welcomed attendees and new members.
Executive Committee Reports
President’s Report (Trish Pelletier)
Trial update – last year’s treasurer repaid $10,000 to the YES PTO.
The PTO donated $250 to the Songer family to help replace items lost in their house fire.
Pasta Dinner Proceeds – Based on the improved financial position of the PTO, Trish asked if members would be interested in donating the proceeds of this event to a family in need. June Lange suggested that we should consider more than one family. Everyone liked this idea.
Principal’s Report (Carol Mikulski)
The PTO no longer has to pay for a custodian if having a PTO function. As long as the function is in school and related to children in school then the BOE will pay for this.
Carol received an e-mail from former teacher, Kathy Olson, known as the “bee lady” because she does presentations to kids about bees. Kathy wanted to know if we would be interested in sponsoring a presentation.
Carol received a WEF (Wallingford Education Foundation) notice abouttheir upcoming golf tournament on May 21st at the Farms Country Club. In the past, a foursome did go on behalf of the PTO. Trish said she would follow up with Christina Regan to see if her husband was interested in going again. Carol emphasized that Yalesville benefits from the WEF and we should support their efforts wherever possible. Carol is now on the advisory board of the WEF.
Carol said that she needs to get dates to the BOE for next year’s district calendar. Trish said that the PTO would keep the meetings in the evenings because there was not a better turnout at the day time meeting (October) and there were some problems with the children in the classroom.
Carol was contacted by Randy Frank, a former parent. He provided information about an organization that works with children in need to produce products such as note cards and envelopes using recycled paper. This is a fundraiser. Jan Murphy and Carol thought that even if we did not participate in the fundraiser, the kids for character group could set up a collection of paper such as wallpaper, magazines, and calendars that could be used by this group.
Evening conferences are scheduled for March 28th & April 9th.
Vice President’s Report (Jen Carnale)
Jen announced that the PTO is currently taking nominations for Officers next year. All terms are 1 year, with a maximum of 2 years in one position. Nominations are due by April 13th. Jen encouraged members to consider running for a position. If needed, a vote will be taken at the May meeting.
Jen stated that there were still many volunteer opportunities.
Audit Committee -Jen said that two parents who have offered to participate in this committee.
Treasurers’ Report (Carol Renna)
Carol provide the following financial reports:
She stated that with the repayment of $10,000 in lost funds from the previous year, the PTO financial position has greatly improved. The budget has been updated to fund committees that previously did not have a balance.
Carol stated that the Budget Request procedure has now been revised. If a committee already has an approved budget amount, they do not need to submit a budget request form. Committee Chairs now only need to submit a request if they need additional funds beyond the budget.
Carol announced a changes to the PTO Charitable Donations policy. We are now able to donate money to worthy causes, such as the recent donation to the Songer family. Carol said that we can consider donating the popcorn money to a family in need.
Carol reported that the PTO had received a request to support the Public Library expansion, and the board thought it was appropriate to purchase a book spine tile for $75. Everyone liked this idea.
Carol reminded people that the PTO now has group e-mail capability for all notices. If anyone wants to join then send us an e-mail to .
Secretary’s Report (Beth Raccio)
Kathleen King motioned to approve the minutes from the 1/10/07 meeting, Tracy Tyrrell seconded. All were in favor.
Beth read correspondence: thank you notes from the Buccheri family, Mrs. Stancuna, and the Wallingford Animal Shelter; thank you note to BJs.
Beth reported that the bylaws revision is almost complete. The new bylaws will be presented at the April meeting and voted on at the May meeting.
Beth reported that the Board has considered purchasing a signthat says “sponsored by the YES PTO.” She said that the original idea was the result of the problems we had with the DARE shirts and failure to have them personalized with the “PTO congratulations line.” The sign will last for years and can be utilized at all of our events... dances, talent show, field day, picnic, DARE graduation, etc. Beth said that Sign Stop had created an initial design and would do the work for $289. All liked the idea and approved the expense.
Beth asked if people were still interested in pursuing a civil suit. She explained that the maximum we could probably recover would be $5000 (due to approx. $15K in cash missing, less the $10K payment). The PTO has an attorney who is willing to provide services pro-bono, however he has stated that it will cost several thousand in depositions and court fees, which we would be unlikely to recover. The group felt that given this, it was unwise to pursue further legal action at this time.
Teacher Representative’s Report (Michele Genest)
Michele reported that $500 in outdoor recess equipment was recently purchased under the direction of Tracy Tyrrell. We are using PE quality equipment in hopes that it will last longer than past purchases from retail stores.
Michele said that teacher Classroom Contributions had not been funded this year, but asked if the teachers would be interested in restoring the budget item this late in the year now that the PTO’s finances were more secure. The teachers felt that they could still use the money. The group discussed adding a $50 contribution per teacher, and that there were approximately 50 teachers so the budget impact would be approximately $2500. Carol Mikulski offered to provide a list of teachers who should be included in the contribution offer. Michele agreed to communicate the decision to the staff.
Michele said that the school could also think about a possible larger purchase donation from the PTO if finances allowed at the end of the year. The staff expressed great interest in purchasing a new laminator.
The PTO was questioned about why we were using the Yalesville copier instead of Central Copy for jobs that could be planned in advance. Michele and Carol M. indicated that this was because PTO’s are no longer able to use Central Copy services.
Joanne Balon spoke about a Wal-mart teacher of the year program that allowed children to cast votes for teachers. The winner is awarded $1000 for the school. Sarah Lindberg is a past recipient of the award. Carol M. stated that this event is co-sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa and the winner has already been picked for this year. Everyone thought that the PTO should encourage student participation in the voting process next year.
Committee Reports
Pasta Dinner(Amy Guido).
All agreed that the proceeds should go to a Yalesville family or families in need. The number of benefactors would depend on the amount of profit.
Many teachers have volunteered to help.
The event is now scheduled at the Knights of Columbus due to problems with the Elks Club.
Amy said that she has had difficulty projecting numbers of people and how much food would be needed. This has impacted the PTO’s ability to request donations from BJs or other local businesses, and has also impacted her ability to determine a ticket price. She expressed concern that these details were still unresolved when the event is only a month away.
Nature’s Classroom(Trish Pelletier on behalf of Maureen Cruz)
Trish reported that a representative will be coming from Nature’s Classroom on March 19th at 6:30 to talk to kids about the program. Many people expressed concern over the fact that there was not much notice given about the meeting.
All NC paperwork is due by March 23rd. Final pmt is due by March 30th.
Per Maureen, Wal-Mart has said they will not support Nature’s classroom this year.
The list of volunteers and schedule will be distributed in the beginning of April.
5th Grade Activities (Trish Pelletier on behalf of Maureen Cruz)
Trish reported that the 5th graders are going to Mountain Ridge (formerly Mountainside) on June 11th. Cost is $30.50 per person. The contract has been mailed to Mrs. Gerace. There will be an addendum to the contract that specifies only 5th graders will be present that day. Trish thinks that Parker Farms, Cook Hill, and Pond Hill will also be there.
Many people expressed concern over the fact that there was no committee formed to discuss this and other activities. Joanne Balon said that she had filled out a form at the beginning of the year but was never contacted. Carol M. said that it was important to have a committee. Other activities which require planning and volunteer help are the lunch after middle school orientation and the Sturbridge field trip.
Note Card Fundraiser(Donna Rackie)
Donna reported that Mrs. Pelletier was a great help with this effort and had finished the cards with all children in art class except 2 of the 5th grade classes due to scheduling problems. Orders will go home in the next day or two.
Junior Achievement(Donna Rackie)
Donna reminded everyone that this event is scheduled for April 26th. Total volunteers are around 14. They are looking for business peoplewho would like to participate.
Variety Show(Janet DeMaio & Liz P.)
Tracy Tyrrell and Beth Raccio provided updates from the committee regarding volunteers, ticket sales, and back-up planning due to snow being predicted on 3/16. Beth reported that gift cards were being purchased for a few of the non-member volunteers who provide their professional services for this event (e.g. sound and videography), and also reported that flowers were ordered for the coordinators and MC. Tracy reported that Debbie Kahn hand sewed the stage curtain, which was torn in many places, so that it could be used for this event. Everyone was very impressed and suggested that the PTO present Debbie with a gift card as well. Beth agreed to follow-up.
Cultural Events (Meredith Koch)
Cool Cat Jazz performed 1/20.
Tom Lee performed 3/9, this was a fabulous program. Each of the four shows were different and the kids loved it!.
Mikata is scheduled for May 3rd.
Special thanks to Tracy Tyrrell & Dianne Kimball for allowing the performances to be held in their space!
Yearbook(Meredith Koch on behalf of Meredith Hutchinson)
Meredith reported that everything was on target. The chairs are meeting on Monday w/ Amy to wrap everything up. They were able to include Tom Lee pictures.
Other Business
Habitat for Humanity – Tracy Tyrrell reported that students from Sheehan and Lyman Hall will be traveling with this organization to help build houses during April vacation. The cost is $500 for each student to go, and the schools are conducting fundraisers so that the families will not have to pay for their children to volunteer. Denise Baker’s son will be participating. A motion was made by Kathleen King to contribute $250 to this effort, seconded by Donna Rackie. All were in favor.
PTAC – Beth Raccio reported that the Yalesville PTAC meeting is scheduled for tomorrow night, 3/15. She said that they were working on providing input into the new 3 year Master Plan. Beth also said that everything seemed to be very smooth this year from a budget perspective, and Marty Taylor had said that the administration was optimistic at the last Systemwide PTAC meeting. Carol M. said that the current budget had not been frozen this year, which was a change from the previous few years. Beth said that the Town Council public hearing would be scheduled some time in April.
BK Night – Tracy asked when the “specials” would find out how much money they earned on their night. This question was not resolved.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:36 p.m.
Announcements
Next meeting: April 11th, 7:00 pm, media center
Upcoming Events:
Junior Achievement Day: April 26th
Burger King Night: March 15th(4th grade)
Popcorn Friday: March 30th
Variety Show: 3/16
Pasta Dinner: April 12th
Junior Achievement Day: April 26th
Last Update: 4/11/07Approved 4/11/07Page 1 of 7