Meeting Minutes October 2019

PTA Meeting Minutes

October 8, 2019

OPENING MEETING DETAILS

Meeting called to order	Date:  October 8, 2019 Time:  6:30 PM Location:  UMS Library
Meeting was chaired by	April O’Dell, Treasurer
Meeting welcome, introductions	April O’Dell, Treasurer
Appointed as members of the committee to approve minutes after the meeting:	1.  April O’Dell  2.  Casey Mescher 3.  Marla Woulf
Members in attendance	April O’Dell, Liz Rochefort, Marla Woulf, Chris Antonicci, Hannah Lavigne, Kelly Barnett, Ellie Mack, Julianne Seguin, Amy Sitterly
General attendance	Molly Edwards, Amanda Rea, Casey Mescher, Chris Seguin, Leigh Maynard, Lila Fuller, Chary Loadholt, Erin Shackford, Melanie Pope

FINANCIAL MEETING BUSINESS

Fall Photo Fundraiser - Casey	This year was not as successful, perhaps due to late marketing as the price wasn’t available.  Suggested we look into other options next year.  Hannah indicated her sister is a photographer who may be interested. Sitting fees = $412 (vs. $817 in 2018)
Fall Fundraiser - Lila	$2500 gross cash sales; will be higher when online is added.  Needs to touch base with a couple families before she can turn in due to some checks not matching order amounts.  Believes they are donations, but wants to confirm.  Also, one person indicated they used a “text-to-pay” option, but it is unclear if the order went through and, if so, to whom. Lila will check with the rep, Ashley Sadowski, and with the family to ensure payment was processed. A question was raised about what happened to the local option this year, and several attendees agreed the quality and selection of this year’s sale was disappointing.  Chris indicated this year’s was nicely packaged and marketed, so it was less effort.  Chris to solicit bids for next year’s sale and see if we can return to a more local option to bump up sales. April is concerned about the budget and decreased income from the fundraisers.
Poinsettia Sale – Marla	Need to identify a point person for this and reach out to Claussen’s.  Any volunteers?
Amazon Smile – April	We are confirmed to be in the PTA conglomerate as a charity for tax exemption purposes, so April can proceed with setting up the Amazon Smile account with our EIN.
Box Tops for Education – Liz	Collection has continued throughout the summer, and we have $143 in the hopper so far; expecting more to come in during the fall drive for November 1 submission.  However, BTFE is in the process of going digital, requiring users to scan their receipts through an app to receive credit rather than submitting clips.  This allows for real-time tracking of personal and school totals, but receipts must be scanned within 14 days.  Not all parents have smart phones, and remembering to scan the receipt on time is tricky.  Coordinators across the country are seeing sharp declines in revenues already. Liz to put out fall letter encouraging folks to search their house for remaining clips and start using the app for the rest, or submit receipts to be scanned under the school account.

MEETING INFORMATION

Welcome Back BBQ - April	Thank you to all the volunteers!!  Feedback included that we need more water and lemonade.  Leigh Ann asked why this couldn’t be held at the high school so we have better access to water and the cafeteria in the event of bad weather, and we could add games.  Chris responded that Bayside has more variety of family-friendly things to do, with the playground, skate park, etc.
Book Fair - April	Volunteer list was filled – way to go - thank you all!!!!  Lynn was very grateful, especially for the help on Open House night.  We made $4747, which was behind last fall but ahead of last spring’s totals.
UMS T-Shirts – April	The order using the new process has been placed.  Marla seeking volunteers to help with sorting into classes.
Chilly Champ Fun Run - Molly	Registration forms will go out on October 23rd.  Posters are up (thank you Kate!), ribbons ordered and arriving in the next few days, the high school team is setting up the course (4 laps = 1 mile).  There is no rain date.  McDonald’s is in to provide apples, Gogurt, cookies and coffee for 150 people.  Beltrami will take photos for yearbook. Molly is seeking volunteers to make other food, like 1-2 dozen mini muffins, and to provide donations of other prizes for the raffle.  She has some leftovers from last year but is seeking other offerings.  Leigh Ann volunteered to ask around. Marla asked if we had cider for this year; Chris agreed it is a nice touch.  Liz volunteered to touch base with Deb at Hackett’s Orchard to see if they could donate or provide a discount, though given the difficulty with the harvest this year, it may not be possible as they donate most of their excess to the food shelf.  Perhaps a sign-up for people to donate instead?
Thankful for Teachers Luncheon - Marla	PTA would like to provide food for teachers during the conferences on 11/25.  There will be a Sign-up Genius forthcoming for volunteers to bring in soup, salad, bread and desserts.
Yearbook - Casey	We are seeking a photographer for this year’s whole-school shot for the yearbook cover.  Are we asking Joy?  If not, Hannah’s sister is a photographer who may be interested in helping; she will reach out for a date. Kate suggested the photo should wrap around both covers for better visibility. Chris to figure out the set up; suggested the play structure as in prior years as an easier option.
Important Info from the Principal - Chris	New fundraising opportunity - Every three years we have the Artist-In-Residence program; on off years, Ms. Mutz puts on a 25-30 minute musical.  This year, it is @ CHS for 2 nights:  February 11 & 12.  Should we offer a dinner (pasta, salad, bread) starting at 5:30 as both a  convenience to parents and a PTA fundraiser?  Some concern that we might have difficulty rounding up volunteers if we were to take it on ourselves.  Chris to talk to Steve Davis about getting the space and how much it might cost to pay Food Service to provide staff instead. Lake Monsters – Chris has the available dates; July 16th is our preference (kids eat free Thursday).  In promotion, need to highlight that tickets can be exchanged for a different home game if you can’t make chosen UMS night. Drop-off/pick-up situation – Pick-ups are running much higher than in previous years (about 80), causing issues with parents blocking in parked cars.  Plan in works to pave the south-side grass for staff parking.  Chris to send message to encourage bus usage, remind folks that Middle Road is available for parking (need to make the gate more visible) and request that people find proper spaces to park, especially if they are staying to play after school.
Other Business	Discussion ensued about best way to communicate to PTA members and community at large.  Agreed that we will keep posting announcements and minutes to our blog linked from Programs & Services/Programs/Parent Teacher Association, because we control that without the need for CSD IT support. Chris to have “Organization” changed to “Association” in link, and see if IT can delete the old, unused, unlinked PTO page that one can find through Google. Marla indicated that committees will, as much as possible, try to communicate via email between meetings to keep meetings short and keep members engaged.  Brady has committee descriptions available so people can decide if they would like to be part of the steering group, though anyone can still volunteer for specific events without being on a committee.

FINAL MEETING BUSINESS

Divide into Committees	Fundraising, Events, Members – no breakout tonight due to time constraints.
The meeting was adjourned at	Time: 7:30 PM