Hatch PTO General Meeting – December 13, 2011 – Meeting Minutes

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Welcome and Introductions –Cynthia Hollis

Approval of November, 2011 minutes- Cynthia Hollis

Sound System Update – Mr. Jacobson and Mrs. Mann

Mr. Jacobson presented information on the sound system and his opinion on which company would best suit the needs of Hatch. The current sound system at Hatch is outdated and a new one would bring some of the following upgrades: new main speakers, new overhead microphones, a variety of different microphone capabilities, installation of floor pockets which would reduce hazards with microphones, and many more upgrades. Mr. Jacobson spoke with a Hatch parent (Drew Weir) who is a sound system professional about the sound system upgrades. Both he and Andy Frievogel recommended AV Technologies as a company that could install a high quality sound system. Mr. Jacobson also spoke with several other installation companies but felt that AV technologies best suited the needs of Hatch. They have a history of doing excellent work and have experience installing sound systems in schools. They would be able to install the sound system over the winter break. The cost of the sound system is estimated to be about $12,300 and the work comes with a one year warranty. A vote was held and the installation of the sound system was approved.

Wellness Committee – Elizabeth Diskin

Elizabeth presented on the current status of the wellness committee. She reported that the committee will continue the tastings program for National Nutrition Month in March. A great deal of the wellness committee focuses on PE functions which Elizabeth believes are already a part of Hatch’s PE curriculum. Thus the wellness committee will take a step back when it comes to PE functions. The Wellness committee has created a new program that consists of monthly quizzes that students can participate in and win prizes. Elizabeth did talk about the potential of the PTO sponsoring physical activity programs during lunch. She is also aware the Mr. Cruz provides activities at lunch so this may not be necessary. She is open to suggestions and ideas on how to shape the wellness committee.

At the district level the PTO council recently met to discuss wellness in the schools. It appears that there is a need for uniform wellness policies at all schools especially during school events. The PTO council is working to establish these guidelines.

Fundraising Chair – Andy Frievogel

Andy confirmed that March 3rd is set for the parent’s night out fundraiser at UnityTemple. The plan is to have 3 to 4 musical acts, a silent auction, food, and drink. At this point ticket prices have not been set. The planning committee is looking for volunteers to help with every aspect of planning. Please contact Andy Frievogel if interested in volunteering.

Playground upgrades – Chris Herrman

Chris reported that as of the last district meeting Hatch remains in 3rd on the 3 point priority scale for a playground upgrade. He did report the budget does look a lot more promising for a full playground upgrade but this won’t happen until 2014. There have been seven priority 1 safety concerns identified on the playground that will be fixed this summer. Chris is looking for comments and suggestions from the Hatch community by 12/31 in order to submit a report to the board.

Hatch Wear Update

The district office has announced that they will handle the sales of spirit level wear for each school. Parents will be able to order Hatch Wear through the district website and Hatch will receive the proceeds from those orders.

Financials – Rebecca Callahan

Rebecca reported that to this point the budget is looking good as far as funds raised and our expenditures. The recent Fly bird shop and share fundraiser raised $105.00. Thus far we have approved expenses for PBIS t-shirts, Time for kids (3rd grade), a writing program, and several other requests. We have $5,000 dollars available for additional funding requests.

Questions were raised about some of the fundraising categories and the changes that have been made but aren’t necessarily reflected in the budget. Rebecca will begin to break out these line items so that they reflect the changes that have been made to different events. An example of this is the teacher auction is no longer a part of Gallery Hatch and is now part of the Fun Fair.

Funding Requests

Mr. Jacobson presented on the plans for the new sound system. He recommended that the PTO use AV technologies to do the installation. The cost of the project will be about$12,300. Approved

Karen Jackson the co-chair of the Hatch Dispatch and the new website administrator presented on the research she has done to find a new website provider. She has come to the conclusion that Intuit website services is the best option for the new PTO website. It is very user friendly and the subscription cost to Intuit website services is $250.00per year. The PTO website is important to continue because it will contain information related to the PTO budget, contact and event information, and it will help to establish the presence of the PTO at HatchSchool. A request for $250.00 was made for the website services. Approved

Gallery Hatch

The format of Gallery Hatch has been changed. This year it will be held in conjunction with the spring sing. It will focus on a celebration of the arts and will not be a major fundraiser for the PTO. Kids Creations will continue to be a part of Gallery Hatch but the silent auction will be moved to the parent’s night out event and the teacher auction will be moved to Fun Fair. The kids auction has not been assigned as of yet to a new fundraiser.

Principals Report – Mrs. Carter

Mrs. Carter reviewed the ISAT results for HatchSchool. She was pleased to report that the school as a whole did very well. She reviewed the scores by grade level and presented the overall scores for Hatch: 96.6% in math and 90.5% in reading. If further questions exist feel free to contact Mrs. Carter.