Hallinan PTO Meeting Minutes

3 March 2018

Attendees: Brandy Begin, Lisa Decker, Linda Lee, Sarah Padfield, Megan Tracy, Andrea Serochi, MaryKay Larson, Shellee Ensing, Brittany Esparmer, Jennifer McDawell, Jennifer Daniello, Whitney Weckert, Gail Hiirokane, Liz Pollock, Darci Steranko, Jennifer Wells, and Alix Pickett.

Handouts: Agenda, Punitive vs Restorative Discipline, Hallinan Hawks Talent Show Advertisement, Fundraising Survey results (electronic) and Hallinan Hawks Talent Show Sign-Up.

Welcome and Thank You:

-Brandy Begin opened the meeting at 8:30AM.

-Thank you was given to Jennifer Wells and all the volunteers who made the science fair a success, to our classroom parent volunteers who go above and beyond making our holiday parties fun for the kids, the hospitality committee for their coordination of the Cookie Exchange for the staff, and Kemi McLaren and all the OBOB volunteers.

Important Dates:

-4/4/18- Talent Show @ 6PM

-4/12/18 April PTO Meeting from 7-8:30PM in the library at Hallinan Elementary School

-5/3/18 May PTO Meeting, C3 Church on Stafford Road, 8:30 AM

President’s Report: (Brandy Begin)

-A reminder that all PTO communication comes in three formats: website, newsletter, and Facebook.

-The district recently reminded us of its punitive vs. restorative discipline approach. Please see attached handout that discusses each approach.

-2018-19 PTO Membership. Moving to a more inclusive approach starting in the 2018-19 school year.The PTO will be using a data dump from the district to gather all families’ information and distributing PTO correspondence and volunteer opportunities to all accordingly. If you would like to opt out,parents can do so when registeringtheir child. All families who have opted in will receive sign-up genius directly from the PTO. Meetings will most likely be scheduled on a rotating schedule of mornings one month to evenings the following month to be more accommodating to varying family schedules. PTO fees will be relabeled as school fees.

-Dr. Beck is still working with Brandy to reschedule. Watch the weekly newsletter for more information.

Treasurer Report: (Linda Lee)

-Moved approximately $50,000 from the checking account to a savings account that receives 0.03% interest. This is considered our reserve fund and was determined by evaluating previous years expenses and what the PTO needs as a minimum to operate annually. In the future, the monthly statement will reflect the operating account only.

-Maker space spent their $10,000 in jog-a-thon funds, so their wish list is complete.

-YTD $5000 has been spent on field trips and enrichment.

-Brandy added that at the January board meeting a budget subcommittee was created for additional oversight.

Outdoor Classroom: (Jen Daniello)

-The contractor stained the majority of the outdoor classroom over the summer; however, the staining is not complete. To better preserve the structure Jen, gathered pricing to complete the staining. The quote request from the garden committee was $4000 to complete the staining. Andrea Serochi moved to move forward with the staining, Lisa Decker seconded the motion. All attendants were in favor. No one opposed. The quote was approved.

Lake Oswego School Foundation: (Mary Kay Larson)

-The foundation fundraises all year from July 1st – June 30th.

-Funds raised help determine staffing decisions for the following year. The 2016-17 campaign raised $1.5million and accomplished:

  • 20 Fulltime teachers for this year
  • These teachers included: PE, Music, AP class in high school, and (2) TOSA teachers.

-Great Job Hallinan! They had the largest number of attendees at the January luncheon with four tables.

-Phone-a-Thon season is approaching. The foundation is in search of volunteers to call and remind residents to contribute to the foundation.

-Currently the foundation is recruiting for the 2018-19 board.

  • Who? All backgrounds. Primarily looking for people who are champions, connectors, and closers.
  • Applications will be accepted through Friday March 9th.

-The foundation is focusing on more community based events.

-There are two upcoming events for the foundation. These events’ primary focus is reaching out to new families to introduce them to what the foundation is etc.,

  • April 12th will be a coffee at Chris Grubbs house from 9-11AM
  • April 25th will be a wine tasting open house from 4-8PM at Wizer’s Wines

Hallinan Snack Donations: (Brittany Esparmer)

-Studentss are in need of snacks especially during testing and school hours. Some families also need snacks for the weekends.

-Brittany will see about food allergies and sensitives. Andrea and Brittany will be working together to create a sign-up genius for families to volunteer to bring snacks.

-Jen D. mentioned that the state may have a program to help provide fresh fruits and vegetables as well.

-Brandy also suggested to Britany that she coordinate with Debbie Panning from the HOPES committee.

Principal’s Report: (Alix Pickett)

-A big welcome to Brittany Esparmer, Hallinan’s new school counselor. She has worked in the district but is new to Hallinan.

- Proposed a reading room.

  • Reading room will be an area for teachers to access sets of books. A set of books will be 6 books. Sets are important as they facilitate and are more beneficial to reading groups. The sets will be a variety of fiction and nonfiction.
  • All books will focus on skill level of the students.
  • The reading room will benefit ALL grades.
  • The reading room will be in the library loft.
  • Brandy Begin asked if the books will be inclusive to students who learn in nontraditional ways (ex. Audio). Alix plans to check with Jamie Ohr on that.
  • The proposal for $2500 is to include 100 sets of 6 books each.
  • Jennifer Daniello moved to move forward with the reading room. Andrea Serochi seconded it. All in attendance were in favor. The reading room budget of $2500 was approved.

-Mold was discovered in the entry way of the school. For about the next week the entryway will be closed as they remedy the situation. You can enter and exit the school by the side door near the gym. The good news is the school tested negative for asbestos and lead.

-Darcy Steranko asked about cleaning the windows near the roofline at the entry of the school. She was referred to Monica Mchgee who helps coordinate building maintenance.

-Andrea asked about Hallinan bond updates. At this time, there are no major news/updates to discuss.

-Lisa Decker asked about the rollout of technology. The goal is to rollout technology this year and to have either a Chormebook or iPad for every class. The device to be chosen (iPad vs Chormebook etc.), is still be determined. Once the devices are rolled out there will still need to be training for the staff.

President-Elect: (Lisa Decker)

-Moved to approve meeting minutes from December PTO meeting. Minutes were approved. (Reminder minutes can be found in the hall at the school, the website, and the weekly newsletter.)

-The board is looking for nominations or parents interested in the 2018-19 PTO Board. (Treasurer Elect, President Elect, and Communications Coordinator are just a few of the opportunities we are looking to fill.) If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out to Lisa Decker, Brandy Begin, or any other 2017-2018 PTO Board member.

-Also looking for volunteers for an auction coordinator.

-Brandy, Lisa, Sandra, and Megan have been working on updating the PTO Bylaws. The main focus of the updates has been on updating tech language, specific language to discuss voting, and updated board member descriptions. Please watch the weekly newsletter for a draft of the updated Bylaws. These will be going out no later than one week prior to the April PTO meeting per the current Bylaws where the changes will be voted on for approval.

-Fundraising Survey

  • 60 Responses with 350 families in the community, so a little less than 20% response rate.
  • Most Enjoyed Fundraisers: card art, auction, and the jog-a-thon.
  • Least Favorite Fundraisers: auction and the Hoedown.
  • The auction is our biggest income producer and bringing in about $70K of income vs the jog-a-thon which brings in about $20K.
  • There was a mixed review on whether families would like to pay a flat school fee of $160 per student. The $160 is the student expenses that supports art lit, field trips, tech, 5th grade celebration, building improvements and more. (This amount was determined by looking at the expenses of the past five years and using an average).
  • It was shared with the group that it might be helpful to new families to have expectations of annual fundraisers explained in more detail.

Committee Reports:

-Book Fair (Shellee Ensing)

  • Most profitable to date.
  • $18,924 Total Sales
  • $4,564 to library
  • 2018-19 dates are tentatively set for November 30th- December 7th.
  • We are in search of a book fair chair for the 2018-19 school year.

-Talent Show (Gail Hirokane)

  • Talent show set for April 4th
  • Auditions will most likely be March 21st and 22nd.
  • Currently recruiting for talent, singers, MC, floor crew to help etc.
  • Mr. Haynor will help with technology as needed and Heather Wick will be doing the program.

Committee Reports cont.:

-Science Fair (Jennifer Wells)

  • 64 Participants (Mix of groups and individuals)
  • 11 Judges. Judges did not “judge” the participants just like professionals are not judged.
  • A suggestion was made for future science fairs that the judges provide a sticky note of feedback for the student participants.
  • A request was made that the students who participated should be required to present to the class.

-Safety Committee (Jennifer Wells)

  • Four subgroups have been created by the safety committee to better focus their efforts. These groups are based on homeland security recommendations.
  • A list has been created by the safety committee to use their funds from the 2017-18 budget to enhance the security of Hallinan.
  • A “wish” list has also been created for future funds which include (but not limited to) additional emergency preparedness bins, more emergency supply food, and better signage to direct parents and emergency contacts in the event of an emergency.
  • Dean Percy of PSU is launching a program. The committee is helping to find a graduate student to volunteer for our committee to offer additional resources and suggestions on enhancing the safety of Hallinan Elementary.
  • Looking at purchasing and providing safety vests to better identify playground volunteers. These will not be generic vests.
  • They asked about ductless AC units. It was suggested they address this with the district before we further pursue fundraising efforts.

-Garden/Outdoor Classroom (Jen Daniello)

  • Recently popped strawberry popcorn which the students loved. Will be doing this again in the fall.
  • Over 140 pounds of organic produce was donated last year.
  • A big THANK YOU to the 5th grade Green Team.
  • Keep an eye out at the bulletin board near the entrance. They will be growing seeds there.
  • Megan Tracy did not bring up the tile fundraiser (was on schedule) because there may be funds coming from another source to cover the overage of the construction.

-Yearbook (Heather Wick)

  • Volunteers are needed still to take more class pictures.
  • Although the deadline had passed for the class pictures it has been extended.

-Volunteer Coordinator (Andrea Serochi)

  • No news to report.

Meeting Adjourned at 10:20 AM

Respectfully Submitted:

Megan Tracy

Hallinan PTO Secretary