Sligo PTSA
Meeting Notes- 9/10/09
Time: 6 pm (before Back to School Night)
Location: Sligo Media Center
Attendance: approximately 50 parents and Mr. Rhodes
Notes in Brief:
1. Karen Lee welcomed parents & explained the need for a new PTSA president
2. Parents introduced themselves
3. Mr. Rhodes welcomed parents & challenged them to keep coming back
4. What does the PTSA do?
5. Food needed for staff appreciation event in November
6. Fundraisers
7. Middle schoolers often don’t bring home handouts from the school
8. Grocery store cash back programs- Snider’s, Safeway, Giant
9. SSL opportunity
10. Future PTSA meetings
11. Parent questions
12. Three listservs may be available this year
13. Mr. Rhodes will make a presentation at most PTSA meetings about all aspects of school function
14. SligoTEER program
15. Next PTSA Meeting: October 13; 7 pm; bring a friend and receive a small prize!!!
Notes in Full:
1. Former PTSA President, Karen Lee, welcomed parents. She explained that the PTSA is currently looking for someone to serve as president. All other positions within the PTSA are filled.
2. Each parent in attendance briefly introduced themselves. About half of the parents had a child in grade 6, a quarter had a child in grade 7, and a quarter had a child in grade 8.
3. Mr. Rhodes, the principal, introduced himself and welcomed parents. He congratulated parents for coming out, encouraged them to return for future PTSA meetings and challenged them to bring along a friend next time.
4. Karen Lee explained what the PTSA at Sligo does. Sligo PTSA meets the second Tuesday of each month, in the Sligo media center. Sometimes food is made available. Events that were mentioned: school e-mail list serv, staff appreciation events throughout the year, 8th grade promotion ceremony and party, international night, arts & academics, books & basketball, science fair, music mania, student directory. The good news is that we have leadership for every position/event. However, WE STILL NEED ONE PERSON TO STEP FORWARD AND SERVE AS PRESIDENT.
5. Martha Kaiser, coordinator of staff appreciation, announced that she will need 10 pasta dishes, 10 salads, and 10 desserts to feed the teachers during parent-teacher conferences in November.
6. Jim Burke, PTSA treasurer, discussed fundraising. He explained that we try to raise some money to compensate for decreased discretionary funds due to shrinking budgets. The biggest fundraiser is the annual magazine subscription sale which begins on October 8, so please don’t renew your magazines just yet. Other fundraisers include: books & basketball, some new and used book sales.
7. Several people mentioned that parents of middle schoolers cannot really expect that their kids will bring home every notice that is distributed by the school. Many fliers and announcements get lost along the way, in the bottom of lockers or book bags, etc. So, as a parent, you should try to stay informed by joining the PTSA listserv or by checking the school’s website and EdLine. Also, Mr. Rhodes will send a weekly Connect-Ed message via phone and it will be posted on the listserv.
8. The simplest way to earn money for Sligo MS is by participating in the various grocery store rebate programs. Last year we earned $1250 from Snider’s alone!!! Snider’s grocery store offers 1% cash back for every dollar spent. All you need to do is keep your receipts, bring them up to school, and place them in the box in the main office. If you shop at Safeway or Giant, please be sure to register your card so that Sligo receives the cash back. REMINDER: Safeway and Giant cards need to be signed-up every school year. It does not automatically carry over from last year. One parent also suggested that you tell friends and neighbors to register their grocery store cards for Sligo. Or collect Snider’s receipts from friends and neighbors as well and turn those in to the office. Or post such a request on your neighborhood listserv.
9. SSL opportunity: Beautification of Sligo. Students can earn SSL credit. It will probably take place on November 7, 2009. Stay tuned for final date and time.
10. Karen Lee discussed future PTSA meetings. She explained that elementary school PTA meetings are the first Tuesday of each month, middle schools the second Tuesday, and high schools the third Tuesday. Sligo PTSA meetings take place in the media center at 7 pm. Sometimes food is provided. The next PTSA meeting is October 13. We will discuss MSA outcomes, and Mr. Rhodes will make a presentation about the progress of Sligo MS in all areas. Other meetings in the future will include presentations by the principals of Northwood and Einstein in January and an MSA practice night using a promethean board (old tests questions are read out and parents and students have to answer to see who knows more answers; last year students won!).
11. A parent asked how to find out about after school clubs. They asked if the handouts and information for after school activities could be posted on the listserv. Someone clarified that students in grade 6 can not play competitive sports, though they can play intramural sports. Another parent asked how the community service program works.
12. Karen Lee explained that there are currently two listservs and a third one in the works. The first listserv is the discussion Sligo PTSA listserv where people send an e-mail to everyone in the group. People can discuss and make comments. The second listserv is for information only. Only the principal, the PTSA president and the moderator can post information to this listserv, and it appears in a bulletin format. This is a way for people to get important information without having to also receive everyone else’s comments and discussion. The third listserv that we are hoping to begin this year is a Spanish language listserv. If any parents are interested in translating English to Spanish for this listserv, please contact Jennifer Richards at . The PTSA has a goal of becoming paperless this year so it is critical that as many people as possible join one of the listservs.
13. Mr. Rhodes commented on the importance of parental involvement. He explained that he will give a report at most PTSA meetings on all aspects of the school’s functions. This report will later be posted to the listserv. Attending PTSA meetings is a good way to meet with the principal if you have an issue you’d like to discuss. So please, keep coming to the PTSA meetings throughout the year!!!
14. Peggy Sand, coordinator of the SligoTEER program, introduced the program. It was developed by parents in partnership with the administration. It places parent volunteers in the school on a daily basis. The program focuses on hot spots during the day- breakfast, morning PE, and lunch. At these three times there are large numbers of students transitioning within the school and so an extra adult or two is very helpful in supervising the students. Several volunteers shared their experience thus far with the program. Anyone interested in volunteering at Sligo is encouraged to contact Peggy to sign up. Ideally, we’re looking for people to commit to volunteer one hour, one day per week. For example, you would come in every Tuesday to help supervise morning PE. Lunch duty runs a bit longer, from 10:45-12:30. If you can’t come in every week, you can share the time slot with another parent.
15. NEXT PTSA MEETING: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2009; 7 PM; SLIGO MEDIA CENTER; BRING A FRIEND & GET A (small) PRIZE!!!