Fred Assam Elementary PTA

Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, September 6th 2011

6:30 – 7:15 PM FAE Art Room

  1. Call to Order – Kelli Johnson
  2. Welcome and Introductions – Officers present were: Kelli Johnson-President, Sherri Shaffer- Vice President, Jennifer Vander Esch-Treasurer, and Nichol Smith-Secretary. The following members were also present: Amy Ries, Sharon Wentzy, Melissa Laskey, Sasha Krumvieda, Karen Teller, Krista Halseth, Jennifer Klein, Sheila Keller, Teresa Matthies, Sonja Hoffmann, Becca Johnston, Jill Reindl,Jody Brown, and Susan Foster-FAE Principal.
  3. Approval of Minutes – Kelli Johnson. Jill Reindl moved for the approval of the last meeting minutes (May 3, 2011), Jennifer Vander Esch seconded and the motion was carried by unanimous vote.
  4. Administration Report – Susan Foster. We have 359 students this year at Fred Assam which speak six different languages! This number has increased by 59 students from last year (40 students are new to the Brandon district and 19 have open-enrolled). Also, there are 13 new staff joining our school.
  5. Treasurer’s Report – Jennifer VanderEsch. Currently the PTA checking account has $8,305.07 and the savings account has 6,232.27. The Income/Expenses, Transaction, and Budget information were distributed.
  6. Letters and Communications – Kelli Johnson. Thank you from the staff for the teacher’s luncheon; it was appreciated by all.
  7. Reports
  8. Past Events
  9. Open House August 17th – Kelli Johnson. Susan Foster reported a 96% attendance rate to the Open House.
  10. Teacher Luncheon August 18th – Kelli Johnson on behalf of Paula Timmons. The staff all enjoyed the luncheon.
  11. Committees
  12. Memberships – Sherri Shaffer. The membership report includes a total of 42 memberships (19 couples, 23 singles) for a total of $450. So far there are only four teachers, so a flyer/email was sent last week. The total number of members is 61, which is down from the last year number of 65 at this time.
  13. Spirit Wear – Jill Reindl. There were 222 t-shirts/sweatshirts sold which is up slightly from last year, they will be arriving in a few weeks. We still have hats, bracelets, stickers, duffle bags and various adult-sized shirts for sale.
  14. Sock Hop – Jill Reindl. The date for the Sock Hop is Nov. 4th. There will be a meeting at the end of September to begin planning. This is the biggest school fundraiser for the year. There are many activities planned for this year: dance, games, limbo, food, raffle baskets, and a silent auction. It is a great night of fun for the entire family.
  15. Fundraising Committee – Kelli Johnson. Currently there is not a committee for fundraising due to the success of the Sock Hop. It can be discussed in the future if needed. Kelli also mentioned that the Target credit card can allow 5% of your total purchased amount donated to FAE by going online and registering.
  16. Capri Suns/Mars Wrappers – Kelli Johnson. Please collect and rinse/clean wrappers that are brought to school. The YES after-school kids will be helping with this project and we will award them for their help when we mail in the labels.
  17. Box Tops/ Campbell’s Soup Labels – Jill Reindl. Soup labels and box tops are collected and turned in quarterly; the class that collects the most will be rewarded with a class party. Please separate Box Tops, Soup Labels, milk lids, pop tabs etc… and place in a bag labeled with your student’s name and teacher so their class may receive the credit. To earn more school credit, go to the website BTFE.com.
  18. Coke Rewards – Kelli Johnson on behalf of Shawn Zahn. Save coke tops and enter the rewards code to receive FAE school credit.
  19. Pizza Ranch Night – Kelli Johnson. FAE school nights are the first Tuesday of every month at the Brandon Pizza Ranch location. The school earns 10% of the collected sales for the night. This applies to dine-in and carry-out but not delivery orders. The next pizza night is Tuesday, October 4th.
  20. Reflections - This is an art contest sponsored by the SD Arts Council. The deadline is the end of November and then the art will be displayed in December. The art will be judged and can continue to a state level of competition. Jody Brown volunteered to coordinate this programand Amy Ries volunteered to assist .
  21. Book Clubs (2nd & 4th January 9th – 27th) and (3rd & 5th February 3rd – 28th) – We decided to change the dates of this program so that it is done in the winter months when the students won’t miss as many outside recesses. A leader meets with a group of students once per week during a 15 minute recess time for three weeks. Students will have discussions and quizzes about the books which can also earn them AR points. Melissa Laskey volunteered to coordinate the Book Clubs.
  22. Upcoming Events
  23. Mileage Club Sept 7th – Oct 14th – Jennifer Vander Esch. Starts tomorrow! Mileage club is a way to keep kids active during recess and lasts for six weeks. The student will receive a punch for every lap that is walked on the bus loop next to the parking area. Twenty-five laps are equal to five miles. It is done during the first recess of the day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The class with the most miles will be awarded an additional recess and the two top punch winners will be awarded gift cards. If anyone can help, please contact Jennifer (it only takes one hour).
  24. Donuts for Dads September 27th – Jennifer Klein. Volunteers are needed to help set-up, man the tables, and clean-up. Donuts for Dads is Tuesday, September 27th from 7-8am. A flyer was distributed and reviewed.
  25. Authors on the Road September 30th – Kelli Johnson. This is another SD Arts Council program that brings in authors who have travelled abroad and bring knowledge of these travels to include world geography. The school received a $500 grant that was then matched by the PTA ($250) and the student council ($250). The program has been well received at other schools.
  26. Fall Bookfair October 3-4th – Sonja Hoffman. The Scholastic book fair is held in the fall and the spring. The school receives 60% of profits back as scholastic dollars to purchase books for the classroom or the library. Sonja will need volunteers to help out and to also set-up the displays the Friday before it begins. Books may also be purchased online during this time.
  27. Book Fair Theme Activities -- Loose change will be collected and then used to purchase books for FAE, and then Scholastic will match that amount and donate to schools in need.
  28. Lunch with Someone Grand October 3rd-- This can be anyone special in your child’s life and does not need to be a grandparent.
  29. Teacher Dinner during Conferences October 4th – Paula Timmons (absent). Kelli Johnsonmentioned that Paula would be asking for volunteers to help with set up, and clean up as well as people to provide food items.
  30. New Business
  31. Funding requests—Kelli Johnson. No requests at this time.
  32. Purchasing Books for Book Clubs – The PTA will be purchasing our own set of books for the Book Clubs this yearby using money from the scholastic book fair. Having our own books, instead of sharing with the other Brandon schools, will make it easier for coordination of the dates as well as allow teachers to use the books for other projects.
  33. New teachers’ room libraries-- Sonja Hoffmann recommended that we give $100 to each new classroom teacher (four) and $50 to each adjunctive teacher (four) for a total of $600. Jill Reindl moved to approve the motion, Sherri Shaffer seconded the motion, the motion was carried by a unanimous vote.
  34. Unfinished Business – no unfinished business
  35. Announcements – Kelli Johnson
  36. PTA Website—The website has been updated with current contacts and information. The meeting notes will also be posted to this site.
  37. PTA on Face book FAE PTA organization—Our PTA can also be found on Facebook under the group FAE PTA. The old site which is Fred Assam Elementary PTA will be archived at the end of September
  38. Donuts for Dads September 27th 7-8 AM
  39. Fall Book Fair October 3rd-4th
  40. Lunch with Someone Grand October 3th
  41. Teacher Dinner During Conferences October 4th
  42. Pizza Ranch FAE Fundraising night
  43. Next Meeting October 11th 6:30 FAEArtRoom (moved due to conferences)
  44. FAE Skating Party October 18th 6-8 PM-- Carousel Skate. Please remember that checks are not accepted, please bring cash. FAE will receive a portion of the admittance fee.
  45. Barnes & Noble book fair—December 10th. Art from the Reflections contest will be displayed during this time. FAE will receive a portion of the day’s sales in-store and on-line.
  46. Adjournment—Nichol Smithmoved to adjourn, Becca Johnstonseconded themotion and it was carried by a unanimous vote.