Emerson Middle School PTO Meeting Minutes

October 5, 2016

Attendance

  • Board members in attendance – J. Gaughan, T. Morrison, S. Yadgar
  • Staff in attendance – J. Morrison, T. Benka, C. Murges
  • 11 total attendees

Principal/Vice Principal Report – Dr. Morrison, Mr. Benka

  • 6th grade transition went well, over 100 students changed their schedules
  • Niles librarians came to discuss Rebecca Caudill books; there’s been an increased interest in those books since the visit
  • A new secretary, Vanessa Arza, will be starting on Friday
  • PARCC scores should have been received by all students. The test changed last year and will again this year so until it becomes a consistent process, teachers and administrators will rely more on MAP scores
  • Parent-Teacher conferences coming up on Oct. 18, 20 and 25
  • Safety drills have all been completed. The police and fire departments attended and praised the school for safety procedures.
  • No current plans for additional entry vestibule safety features as Emerson is the newest and currently the most secure of all buildings (prior to Washington’s upgrade this summer)
  • First cross country meet went well; attendees were asked not to bring dogs

Treasurer Report – John Gaughan

  • 90% of families in the My School Anywhere directory have confirmed/updated their data; 60% of families have paid PTO dues
  • Eggsperience restaurant night was a great success – brought in almost $1,000
  • Considering switching from RevTrak to PayPal as the former is more user-friendly, especially from a back end standpoint

ELF – Tanya Morrison

  • Please support ELF through their movie event on 11/5 at the Pickwick

Beautification – Tanya Morrison

  • Discussed improving the area around benches in the front of the school. Woodchips or pebbles aren’t recommended as students may be tempted to remove or throw them. Perhaps the brickwork can be extended – one option is to bring back ordering of the commemorative bricks, especially with the 20th anniversary of Emerson’s opening coming up next year. Tom Shelby has a masonry contact so he will have them take a look at the area and provide and estimate for brickwork
  • Spring flower planning is a big hit with students and staff, this should continue.
  • Could potentially use another blue bench around the lunch recess area
  • Administration would like PTO to focus efforts here: The back of the school (Oakton side) is very barren – discussed what can be done in this area that gets a lot of sun, little rainwater due to the large overhang from the building, and there is no water source on that side of the building. Possibly find a hardy plant such as milkweed; this would need initial watering to get it going but could then thrive on its own.

Environmental Awareness – Amy Bartucci

  • Reported on two recent fact-finding events – a visit to Prairie Crossing School and a SWANCC (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County) seminar
  • What can be done in schools to increase awareness, education and follow-through with environmental concerns? Would like to see the district come together to have common initiatives. Furthermore, several schools have environmental awareness committees but this is not consistent throughout D64. – Amy Bartucci will look into going to the next meeting of all D64 PTO presidents
  • The School Board is unwilling to pursue green initiatives until it hears from a larger group of parents that this is an important issue for them. Hoping to get the PTOs to spread the word and bring in this support.
  • Possibly have Mindful Waste (non-profit organization) come to present to the PTOs on food waste, rescue, and recycling
  • Emerson PTO will talk to Lincoln to see what they have initiated; eg. Lincoln has done away with Styrofoam plates and has purchased reusable silverware
  • Some ideas from other schools – food recovery of items such as whole fruit, milk, unopened chips; these items can go into a sharing basket and/or be donated to a food pantry
  • Research has shown that over time it costs more to haul away trash than it does to pursue sustainable consumption through recycling, composting, etc.
  • There’s an upcoming webinar for people who take care of green spaces to understand the harmful effects of pesticides and it’s impact on our children – there’s currently one pesticide-free park in Park Ridge and hopefully this can be expanded. TruGreen has agreed to spot treat problem areas rather than spraying entire fields; in addition to decreased pesticides there should be an accompanying cost savings

Upcoming Events – Tanya Morrison

  • 10/25 – restaurant night at Jason’s Deli
  • 11/2 – next PTO meeting; Dr. Laurie Heinz will present

Open Floor

  • 6th grade social committee asked if they can get early access to the gym to lay down tape for games. Mr. Benka and Dr. Morrison will look at the schedule also the committee was encouraged to contact PE teacher Mr. Schaurer at

Adjournment

  • 7:31pm

Submitted by Susan Yadgar, co-secretary