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Dear College Hillers,I would like to express my sincere thank you for allowing me to be your PTO President for the last 2 1/2 years. My experience at College Hill has been a unique one filled with love and memories that will last a lifetime. I have enjoyed being involved with Fall Festivals, Holiday Gift Shops, Fundraisers, Teacher Appreciations, Helping Hands, Spring Dances, PTO Meetings, and many other events. But my favorite thing I will treasure is all of the time spent with all of you! With your children, with all of the memories. Tonight, at our last PTO meeting, I was presented with another awesome memory. I received thank you cards from every child at College Hill. HOW AWESOME IT THAT?! I am so lucky to have all of these cards for years to come. Contrary to what one young student wrote, 'thank you Ms. Massey for wasting your time up here', I was definitely not wasting my time. I was forming bonds and friendships that will last a long time.As I end this year I would like to commend everyone of you for all of the hard work you have done at College Hill. I applaud each one of you for taking time out of your very hectic schedule to volunteer at College Hill. Families today are not the normal 'one' unit family. Most families have sports, music, art, doctor visits, sometimes taking care of grandparents or grandchildren which leaves absolutely no spare time. But yet, you each salvage time to spend at College Hill. Volunteering comes in all shapes and sizes, but always has the same outcome...volunteering helps our children. In the last three years our parent involvement has skyrocketed. Because of you we were able to staff all of our events. Because of you our children had fun at each event. Because of you our Teachers were pampered. Because of you our children have fun parties. Because of you our children get extra help in reading and writing. Because of you our Teachers feel supported to teach our children. Because of you our tests scores continue to soar. Because of you our children succeed. Thank you each for all that you do. And remember to keep volunteering, because College Hill needs you, the Teachers need you, but most importantly...your child needs you.Please help me welcome the PTO Officers for the 2008-2009 year. Please continue your support to this great group of Parents that work very hard, volunteering, for you and your children.PTO OFFICERS 2008-2009PresidentCarri SiebenmarkVice-PresidentDenah RuskSecretarySuzanne TobiasTreasurerDebbie RhinesmithFall Festival CoordinatorDana CookFundraising CoordinatorRachelle LynnRoom Parent CoordinatorCamille SnyderSmall Events CoordinatorJennifer LucianSpring Family Event CoordintorDana CookStaff Social CoordinatorsNora McCollum & Sydney RamirezVolunteer CoordinatorsRaven Alexander & Nora McCollumHave a great day! Have a Wonderful Week! And a Great Summer!Jill
Yearbooks are done. You can still order one, for $12.
Spirit Wear update. Also done and sold. Need someone to sell them at the hoedown. Sydney Ramirez and Karla Scholfield say they will help.
Hats On Day raised $111.15, up from only $70 last year. Proceeds go to kids with cancer.
Pizza Night – So far no word from either Cici's or Il Vicino about what we made.
All Star Sports Night is May 2, 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance, $13 at the door, $2 for parents who don't want to ride. Debbie will stop selling tickets at 8:30 p.m. PTO makes $2 from each ticket. We made $223 last year.
Spring fundraiser did not bring in as much revenue as last spring. A little under $4,000 total. Spring fundraisers tend not to do as well as fall. Products are coming in Tuesday, April 22. Jill will bring the stuff to teachers, already packed up and labeled. Parents with issues, contact Jill. ;-)
Cougar Club is collecting "Pennies for Patients," a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
School also is selling yo-yos as part of the Ned (??) assembly. If a school agrees to sell yo-yos, the assembly is free. When you get to a certain amount, you make profit. This was arranged by the P.E. department.
There will be a school store on Friday mornings in the front hall, selling pencils, paper and other such items. Students will help out, which will help them learn mathematical computation, making change, etc.
Hoedown is Friday. Our cost for hamburger is 54 cents; chips, 20 cents; pop, 25 cents. We'll also have water bottles for $1, baked beans, potato salad, etc.
Secretaries Day is April 23. Want to lavish Raven and Diane with lots of stuff. Rachelle will get gift certificates to Bella Donna. Want to do something else to go along with that… Decided on Warren Theater gift certificates and Monica's bundt cakes.
Field Day is May 9. Ms. McConnell is looking for volunteers. There's a sign-up sheet going out with students. Shifts start at 9:30 a.m. Also looking for people to fill water balloons. Someone asked if we could get volunteers from East High, perhaps students needing community service hours?? PTO has donated $500 to field day for general expenses.
Volunteer appreciation luncheon is same day as Field Day. Everyone welcome.
Need nominations for PTO officers. Debbie Rhinesmith has agreed to be treasurer. Carri Siebenmark will entertain the idea of president. Suzanne says she could do secretary again. If you have any other ideas/nominations, see Jill Massey.
Retirements – Velma Jump is retiring this year. Jo Baker is going to South High. Karla Scholfield will be gone next year on a leave of absence. Want to do something special for these teachers. Considering garden stuff for Jo.
We're still doing well budgetwise. If everything goes as planned, we should have about $2,000 left in account at the end of the year. Jill suggested a budget meeting sometime during the summer, where folks can share their thoughts about fundraisers, where money goes, etc.
Principal's report: Kathy Stybr says the year has gone incredibly fast. "As I reflect back on just about a year ago, I can't thank this group enough for their support of this building. That's what makes College Hill the way it is." Going to miss Jill and Bob. Thanks to everyone for their support of kids and staff.
Camille Snyder (room parent coordinator) said she hasn't heard much feedback about Valentine's Day parties, so she's assuming everything went OK. She will stay on as room parent coordinator if no one else wants it. J Kathy noted that we can use the new ParentLink system to make calls to parents to remind them of special days, like class parties. Just need to be somewhat selective about it.
Teacher Appreciation Week: Planning a lunch for teachers from Bella Luna. Normally $12/person, he's giving it to us for $10. Total will be about $450. Carri will check with Creative Catering and Sam's for desserts. Roughly $100 for that. Jill mentioned that PTO also puts surprises in teachers' boxes throughout the week. Some options: chocolate bars, water bottles, pudding (thanks for "pudding" up with our kids), M&Ms, Hershey Hugs and Kisses, nuts, quotes and notes of thanks from parents and kids. We also have some Tide boxes… could maybe think of some witty saying to go along with those??
Decorating for Teacher Appreciation Week will be Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. Will decorate with a "star" theme… red carpet, stars, etc.
Foot massages for teachers, from Camille, will be 9 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. Thursday. 20 minutes each. Parent volunteers will supervise classes.
Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Next meeting is May 13.
Update 4-29-08
Update 4-10-08
PTO update 4-1-08
PTO Update 3-24-08
Minutes to February 19th, 2008 PTO Meeting
Here are the minutes from last week's PTO
meeting. Let me know if there are any questions. Thanks!
College Hill PTO
Feb. 19, 2008
OLD BUSINESS
Conference meals: Thanks again to Carri Siebenmark and others for providing
food to teachers during conferences. There was plenty of everything. The baked
potatoes with chili were a big hit, as was the broccoli cheese soup.
Cookbook update: We still don't know how many cookbooks we've sold in all. We
ordered 350. Sold at least 100. From now on, they will be available at every
school PTO event.
Book Fair: Thanks to everyone who worked. Don't have final numbers yet, but
there's been one deposit for $862, and at least $900 in credit card sales.
This time we were able to give extra book credits to teachers ($20 each). That
was the result of Jill Massey attending special Scholastic workshops to get
extra credit.
4th & 5th grade money: PTO is giving $300 to the fourth-grade class for
its campout, and $300 to fifth-graders for their trip to K.C.
Nestle Pure Life GoPlay program: Nora not present to give update. Keep
collecting those water bottle labels. School gets money for field trips,
sports equipment, etc.
Sound systems: New sound systems have been installed and should be operational
in all K-2 classrooms. Teachers report that they like them so far. Bob Leake
was able to talk the company into giving us one free sound system (valued at
close to $1,000).
NEW BUSINESS
Pizza Night/All Star Sports/BoxTops: We will try to have All-Star Sports night
on May 2. Time is 6:30 to 10 p.m. However, because of some confusion at the
gate last time, we should consider having someone man the gate only until 8:30
or so (otherwise, people could buy tickets late and not be aware they can only
stay for one hour).
Debbie Rhinesmith says BoxTop collections are a little slow. Wondered if we
should have an additional incentive or competition among classrooms. There was
some discussion about being careful not to pile too much on teachers as we get
closer to assessment time. Group decided to just remind parents to bring in
BoxTops.
Dental Day scheduled for 9:10 a.m. to noon Friday, Feb. 22
Helping Hands: Thanks for volunteers' continued participation. There was some
confusion several weeks ago, when a volunteer took time off work for Helping
Hands, and when she got to school, the folder was already done. Teachers have
agreed that if they have someone coming in at a designated time, they will
keep that work in their rooms or in their cubby. Helping Hands work is
intended to be done as quickly as possible, by whoever comes to school to
help. Suzanne Tobias suggested having a sign on the Helping Hands box that
says "If this box is empty, here are five other ways you can help!!…"
Then direct people to Mr. Lenoch in the library, etc… Jill said she
would put something like that on there.
Dr. Seuss Night: Passed around volunteer sheet with slots to sign up. Voted to
clarify PTO's contribution to the event. Group voted to contribute $500. We
are also donating books (one for each child), which are coming from book
credits we have through Scholastic.
Dr. Seuss DVD: An unnamed parent purchased a Dr. Seuss DVD for the school and
turned in a receipt in order to be reimbursed. Group voted to not reimburse
the parent, because it was an unsolicited donation, not a pre-authorized PTO
purchase. Jill will let Mr. Lenoch know that we would be happy to provide the
parent with a tax receipt.
Spirit Week was postponed from its originally scheduled week in February
because of District Common Assessments being given that week. New dates are
April 14-18, the week leading up to the spring Hoedown event. Friday will be
"Cowboy/Cowgirl Day" in honor of the event.
Yearbook and Spirit Wear update: Orders are due this week. Yearbooks are $12
each.
Spring fundraiser: We will be selling food items, flower bulbs and candles for
spring fundraiser. Kickoff tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 13, at
3:30 p.m. Forms will be due back March 27.
Spring dance: The hoedown will be Friday, April 18. Kathy will contact Larry
Pearlman to see if he's available to D.J. Group decided the main food item
will be sub sandwiches (similar to last year's luau). And perhaps rootbeer/sasparilla??
Committee will meet soon to finalize details for the event.
PTO meeting rescheduled: Since normal schedule would require meeting during
spring break, meeting was rescheduled to March 25.
Principal's report: College Hill is in the top five "Best Places to
Work" by the Wichita Business Journal. Staff did a survey that spoke to a
number of issues ranging from loyalty to support, etc. Other schools in the
top five are Cessna, Horace Mann, Lawrence and the Instructional Technology
Dept.
Treasurer's report: Bob says we paid $2,087 for a new copier for the staff,
and $515 for the fence by the First Street entrance.
Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Next meeting is March 25.
Update from PTO President
Minutes to January 20 PTO Meeting
Hello all,
KIDS' GIFTS – PTO contributed money for oranges and sacks for the students' gifts, which they got the last day before break. Amanda, Jill and Nora were here until 8 p.m. making the snowman sacks. Kids really enjoyed them.
READING TIMERS – We have several colors, being sold for $8.95 each during assessment night.
SPIRIT WEAR – There was a huge order, definitely more than we've ever had. Several people got wrong sizes, and we're still trying to straighten that out. PTO made about $200 so far. Placing another order Feb. 22. Deadline for the orders will be Feb. 19. This will be the last order for the year.
COOKBOOKS – Haven't yet determined how many were sold. Know it's over 100. The last day of Holiday Gift Shop, Jill had some money stolen from her purse, including $60 cash and three checks, some of it for cookbooks. Police report was filed.
READING ASSESSMENT NIGHT – It's scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 22. Great stuff for third- through fifth-graders and their parents, ideas for reading assessments and things to do at home. Jamie Hutchinson is organizing activities. Carri and Monica will go to Parent-Teacher Resource for sight word activity placemats. Suzanne will call Watermark and other local businesses to ask about gift certificates or other treats for door prizes.
BOXTOPS – We got a check for $520.40 for BoxTops for Education. Debbie Rhinesmith is having another contest, with a goal of $500. Deadline is Feb. 25.
PIZZA NIGHT – Families can now go to either CiCi's or Il Vicino the fourth Tuesday of the month. Tell them you're from College Hill, and we'll get a percentage of sales.
ALL-STAR SPORTS NIGHT – Start thinking about a date for the spring. We'll pick one next meeting.
BOOK FAIR – Book fair is Feb. 11-14, during conference week, in the library. Setup begins Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. Theme is "Take a Reading Road Trip." We need old Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars, maps and old-fashioned suitcases for decorations. See Nora if you have donations or other ideas for contests. Also need people to help work the fair – before school, 8:30-9:30 a.m. and after school, 1:30-7:30 p.m.; closing 4 p.m. Thursday.
CONFERENCE MEALS – We'll be doing soup and bread one day and baked potato bar w/chili and other fixings the other day. (We can possibly get potatoes from School Service Center.) Sign up w/Carri.
PICTURE DAY – Scheduled for Feb. 1.
DENTAL DAY – Scheduled for Feb. 11. Monica and Raven will be scheduling volunteers for both events.
DR.
SEUSS FAMILY READING NIGHT – Thursday, March 6. This will go along with a
week of reading activities, spearheaded by Mr. Lenoch, our librarian. Need
PTO contributions for prizes (books) and an end-of-the-week celebration with
cupcakes. Jill said we have $500 to contribute a book for every child. Also
need volunteers to help with activities. There was some discussion about
Tara Garrison dressing as the Mayor of Whoville. Stay tuned for more info.
HOMELAND
CARD – Monica says Dillons bought Homeland, and it's possible the card
program will be discontinued.
SPIRIT
DAY – Jill said she's gotten some questions from kids about the status of
Spirit Fridays and the Spirit Stick. Kathy said we were waiting for the
T-shirt order to come in, but the tradition is continuing. Last week's
winners were announced Monday.
SPIRIT
WEEK – Just a time to have fun and dress crazy, scheduled for Feb. 4-8.
Suzanne will come up with the lineup. Suggestions: 50s/sock hop day; hippie
day; pajama day; crazy hair day; job day.
FOURTH/FIFTH-GRADE
FUNDRAISERS – Fourth-graders plan to sell rosebud kisses and have a math-athon
and possibly candy sales to raise money for the campout in May.
Fifth-graders are going on a trip to K.C. plus having the Growing On
breakfast at school and will need about $4,000. They've got several
fundraisers planned as well. Group voted to contribute $600 to the efforts
-- $300 each to 4th and 5th grades.
YEARBOOK
– Flyers will go home next Tuesday. Orders will be due the second week of
February. Yearbooks are $12 each, same as last year. Start collecting (or
taking) those snapshots. We'll have to have them in hand by the end of
March.
SPRING
DANCE – Group collectively decided to have a Hoedown on Friday, April 18.
Yee-haw! Get those boots and bandanas ready. More later…
WATER
LABELS – Nestle Pure Life has a rewards program for collecting labels from
their water bottles. For more info, go to goplaylabels.com.
PRINCIPAL'S
REPORT – Kathy thanked PTO for the wonderful lunch before holiday break.
Lots going on at the district level that will affect schools, including
busing and facilities planning. She says her biggest priority is getting a
FEMA safe room for the school, a large multipurpose room that would also
serve as a shelter in severe weather. Kathy has also made progress toward
getting our concrete walls painted (yay!). Should be done over the summer. (Yay
again! Pardon the editorial comment…) Asked about enrollment projections
if busing were to end, she said word from the district is that we could get
as many as 40 more students, so no huge spike.
Meeting
adjourned at 8:25. p.m. Next meeting is Feb. 19.
Happy New Year College Hillers!!!!
COLLEGE HILL ELEMENTARY PTO
Sept. 18, 2007
In attendance (may be incomplete): Jill Massey, Nora McCollum, Dana Cook, Carri Siebenmark, Sherri Fisher, Mindy Brennan, Angela Bateman, Meghan Smith, Amy Mitchell, Bob Leake, Colleen Schmidt, Jennifer Lucian, Tracey Rodriguez, Kathy Stybr, Denah Rusk, Karla Scholfield, Camille Snyder, Debbie Rhinesmith, Monica Arnold, Suzanne Tobias.
OLD BUSINESS:
Requests from staff (dogtags, etc.): We’ve moved ahead with the attendance dogtag program. Children getting perfect attendance each month (starting with September) will get a dogtag. This means no absences or tardies.
Librarian doesn’t want the ABC rug anymore. Now he would like to have a series of books on global warming, environmental concerns, etc. Wants multiple copies for fourth and fifth-graders. Vote to approve books in lieu of rug (for same cost).
Birthday board: Amanda Ferdin completed the birthday board near the school entrance. Thanks!
Helping Hands bin in office: The Helping Hands bin is working well and has been well-received by teachers. Anything teachers have that they need done (things cut, copied, laminated, etc.) can be picked up and completed by any volunteer. Any questions, please e-mail Jill.
Spirit wear: We’re hoping to have order forms for shirts and other spirit wear available by Fall Festival. Shirts will take two to three weeks to come in. We’re doing sweats, hoodies, zipper jackets, baseball T’s. Have to order a minimum of 24 items, but that’s all items combined.
NEW BUSINESS:
Cici’s Pizza/All-Star Sports/Boxtops: Debbie reports that we don’t know how we did for the Cici’s Pizza night yet (no check received). All-Star Sports event went well. About 90 people attended. PTO made about $225. Lots of parents said they were glad they only had to pay $2 to get in if they weren’t riding. For Boxtops, we have a contest between classrooms, ending at the end of October. So far the leader for the lower floor is Spratt, upper floor is Rodriguez. Reminder, though, that Boxtops are collected throughout the year, so keep bringing them in even after the contest is over.
Cookbook update: Sherri says the cookbook project is going well so far. We’re getting recipes (both in writing and online). We’ll try to sell ads to offset the cost. Going through the district print shop to get it printed and bound. Estimate is $3-$4 per book to have it printed and bound if we order 500 copies. We’re hoping to keep the price between $5 and $8 so kids could afford to buy it for parents and grandparents as holiday gifts. Having kids do artwork.
Homeland card: Last year we raised more than $800 from Homeland’s shopper program. Reminder for people to give cashier the College Hill code when they check out.
Entertainment books: We sold more than 500 books, and brought in a profit of $5,450.88. Thanks, everyone, for participating.
Money for staff: Because of the Entertainment book fundraiser success, we’re now able to give $3,150 to the staff to offset classroom setup costs. Fulltime teachers will get $100 to spend in their room however they choose; half-day teachers will get $50. Each teacher also got a complimentary Entertainment book from the company (no cost to PTO).
Fall fundraiser: The kickoff for the fall fundraiser (Sally Foster) is next Thursday. Items include giftwrap, cookie dough, etc. Packets will go home with students after an assembly.
Yearbook: Just like last year, we’ll be choosing the top five potential yearbook covers. Before leaving the meeting, check them out and mark your top five. Students will choose from those five to decide what the cover of the yearbook will be.
Fall Festival: The festival is Saturday, Oct. 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. A sign-up sheet is posted on the board near the school entrance. Sign up for shifts. We’ve got 12 commercial vendors so far (Avon, etc.). Everyone please plan to pitch in wherever/however needed.
Room Parent/Partners meeting: There will be a Room Parents meeting Sept. 24, after school meet-and-greet until 6 p.m. or so. Also before school Sept. 25, from 8:30 to 9:15, parents can come and pick up information, meet Camille (room parent coordinator).
Safety update/fence update: Safety concerns were brought up at the end of last year, regarding the ability of students to leave the playground area near the First Street entrance. Kathy Stybr reports that she checked into how much it would cost to erect another section of fence in that area. Cost (from district Shared Services) was estimated at $515.44. PTO voted to pay for the fence. Plan is to have it installed as soon as a nearby drain line is repaired.
Microsoft licensing: The district has a new special license agreement with Microsoft, under which students and staff get select software titles at discounts. See Kathy for a list, and let her know if you’re interested in purchasing.
Facilities master plan committee: Kathy reports that the school’s subcommittee on the Facilities Master Plan will be meeting shortly to discuss building needs. If you’re interested in serving, please speak up. We’ll be looking at College Hill’s priorities and submitting them to the feeder-pattern committee, then to the school board. Cindy Carnahan (area realtor) has agreed to serve. If you know of other community members, please let Kathy know.
Office copier: The big copier in the staff room recently hit 3.4 million copies. When it reaches 4 million, the district will no longer service the machine. Current price of a copier comparable to that one is $7,040, and the district will pay half. PTO voted to buy a new copier for the teacher workroom, but to hold off until after the fall fundraiser monies are collected. Estimated we will spend about $3,500.
Conference meals: Conferences are Oct. 17-19, and PTO traditionally provides dinner for teachers the first two (long) days. Carri Siebenmark has proposed soups for the first day, sloppy joes the second. Please sign up to contribute.
Book fair: Book Fair is the week of conferences. Monica Arnold may be calling you to help with a shift or two. f you help, you can pick out one book (or get $6.95 off the price) just for volunteering. Also you can donate $1 and your teacher gets that $1 to spend, plus Scholastic meets it. There will be a teachers’ wish list posted as well. Theme this time is "Blizzard," so we’ll have contests -- guess how many snowballs (cotton balls) in a jar, etc.
Red Ribbon Week: Holly is chairing Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 23-26. Stay tuned for more info.
Possible Reading Night: Proposed Reading Night for parents and kids Nov. 15. Talked about several possible activities (coming in pajamas and pillows, having guest readers, etc.). Intent is for parents and kids to have fun and to encourage reading at home.
More possible activities/fundraisers: Sherri Fisher noted that the Gamewright company (maker of card games and other activities) has a "Gamewright Game Night" program. Schools get 50% of proceeds from games sold during the event. Maybe something to consider in the slower months (winter/early-spring). Also, reading-timer bookmarks... Sell them at reading night? Check out mark-my-time.com for more info. No action taken.
Photos: Family photo night is Nov. 8, 6-9 p.m. in the library. School photos are Oct. 11.
MEETING ADJOURNED, 8:28 p.m. Next meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 16.
COLLEGE HILL ELEMENTARY PTO Minutes
Aug. 21, 2007
7 p.m.
Hello all! How was your first week of school? Good I hope! I welcome all of you new to College Hill and those returning and wish each of you a great year! Thank you so much for coming out to PTO. We had a great turn out and hope you enjoyed your Dilly Bar. IF you didn't have time to sign up to help there is always time. Sign up sheets are on the bulletin board across from the office. We ALWAYS welcome you to volunteer in as many events you feel possible. I wanted to give you a few updates about PTO:
PTO Officers for 2007-08
President Jill Massey 871-0352 jillcmassey@yahoo.com
Co-Vice Presidents Nora McCollum 409-1873 mekansas2000@yahoo.com
Dana Cook 304-4056 dcook6@cox.net
Secretary Suzanne Tobias 688-0523 stobias@wichitaeagle.com
Treasurer Bob Leake 681-2763 rleake@aol.com
Staff Coordinator Carri Siebenmark 687-6702 siebenmark@sbcglobal.net
Co-Volunteer Coord. Raven Alexander 686-1361 ralexander@usd259.net
Monica Arnold 258-0273 jmscarewe@yahoo.com
Room Parent Coord. Camille Snyder 260-6731 snydsters@netzero.com
Small Events Coord. Debbie Rhinesmith 682-9549 drhinesmith!@cox.net
Cook Book Coord. Sherri Fisher 686-8225 Fishers1986@cox.net
Hi all! Hope all is well. Here are some of the
events going on so far. We are seeking help for enrollment. We are asking for
2-hour shifts if possible. Monica Arnold & Raven Alexander will be
calling volunteers, but if you'd like them to know when you can work please
call them now that would be awesome!
2006-2007 Officers:
260-6731 snydersters@netzero.com
Luau Pictures

P.T.O.
News & UPCOMING EVENTS:
College Hill PTO
The next PTO meeting is Thursday, 4:30 p.m., in the school library. Child care is provided, so please come and join us if you can.
Minutes from April 7, 2005 Meeting
P.T.O. Officers
Tara Czepial opened the meeting by moving that the following slate of officers for the 2005-06 school year be accepted:
President – Lisa Alford
Vice-presidents – Nora McCollum and Samantha Porter
Secretary – Suzanne Tobias
Treasurer – Bob Leake
Volunteer Coordinator – Monette Jennings
Staff Support Social Coordinators – Carri Siebenmark and Suzanne Tobias
Room Parent Coordinator – Tara Czepial
Meghan Smith seconded. Motion approved.
Presentation by JT Enterprises
They would appreciate being considered for upcoming fundraising events. They offer carnival games, signage, pre-printed order forms (one form can be used for multiple catalogs), and long shelf-life for frozen items. They also kick off events with music, skits, etc. at a school-wide assembly. In addition to frozen food products, they offer chocolates, flower bulbs, candles, jewelry, and other gift items. They pre-package all orders (except frozen) for easy distribution to students. Profit margin is 40% for frozen foods and 50% for everything else. In comparison to River City, JT Enterprises offers prize categories that allow students to receive more for selling less. They also offer a recognition assembly following the fundraiser to celebrate hard work and every child gets something.
Principal's Report
Kim Pruitt announced that five College Hill Elementary staff members will be retiring after many dedicated years of service. They are Mary Alice Wiard, Charlene VanWalleghen, Fran Narramore, Susan Arnold, and Rita Young. A retirement celebration will be held Friday, May 20, at Prairie Pines. Tara Czepial moved that PTO donate $100 to help with party expenses. Carri Siebenmark seconded. Motion passed.
Art Day will be held on Thursday, May 26, which is the last day of the school year. Jo Baker, art teacher, requests funding and volunteers for the art activities. Tara Czepial moved that we allocate $500 for Art Day. Meghan Smith seconded. Motion passed.
Mr. May Day (College Hill's field day) will be held Thursday and Friday, May 12, and 13. Tara Czepial moved that the same amount as last year, $270, be donated to the P.E. teachers for the cost of supplies and treats for the event.
Arrangements for Teacher Appreciation Week and Secretaries Day were also discussed.
New Business
College Hill t-shirts were discussed. It was decided that the stock we have could be displayed and sold at Bingo. Nora McCollum also agreed to be T-shirt Coordinator, as we seem to need a person to better promote t-shirt sales and keep track of sizes on hand, etc.
Fundraising for 2005-06
Decisions for Spring 2006 fundraising will be determined at the May meeting. We will also discuss Krispy Kreme cards, Yum cards, and school supply sales.
--Tara Garrison,
Secretary
Minutes from February 3, 2005 Meeting
Old Business
:*Bingo Night is Friday, April 8: Tara Czepial reported that a Decorating Committee is needed. Bingo callers and auctioneers for the basket auction were also discussed. Following negotiations between Tara Czepial (P.T.O.) and Karla Scholfield (representing Fifth Grade Growing On), it was decided that P.T.O.'s food court would include ice cream/frozen yogurt sales this year. The Fifth Grade will come up with different snacks to sell such as popcorn, etc. Fourth Grade will sell candy to raise funds for their camping trip.
*River City Fundraiser: Kick-off assembly scheduled for 3:00, February 15. A helper will pick up orders and money from classrooms every day during the selling period.
Treasurer's Report: Bob Leake reported that he opened a money market account for P.T.O. He distributed copies of last month's income and expenses report.
Principal's Report: Kim Pruitt said there was nothing new to report this month.
New Business:
*Fundraising Idea: Tara Czepial would like P.T.O. to sell pewter-like Christmas ornaments with "College Hill Elementary" and a logo in the center of a wreath. Meghan Smith moved that we purchase a quantity of 300 and Karla Scholfield seconded. Motion passed. The selling will take place this fall.
*Bob provided details regarding the purchase of a coin counter.
*School Landscape: Tara Czepial wants to find out more information about purchasing and planting trees for our school. There was discussion about businesses that might give us a discount, and using district labor to do the planting. Suzanne Tobias agreed to check into a possible source.
--Tara Garrison
Secretary
Minutes from January 13, 2005 Meeting
SPRING FUNDRAISER
Jeff Shepler from River City Fundraisers was introduced by Lisa Alford. He shared information about the company's products and brochures. The group discussed whether to sell spring and Easter items, lady's bracelets, dry cookie mixes, or Old World spices. Tara Czepial moved that they choose the main spring catalog and bracelets for the upcoming fundraiser. Kim Pruitt seconded. Motion passed. Jeff will get confirmation that the combination of the two choices is possible. The kick-off will be in mid-February with selling to continue until March 1. The products will be delivered to College Hill the second week of April. They will be pre-packaged and labeled with students' names for convenience. Tara Czepial stressed the need for teachers to promote the fundraiser and she would like to create some type of "school reward" in addition to the individual prizes offered by River City.
BINGO
Details are being finalized for College Hill Bingo Night at Robinson Middle School. The event will be held on Friday evening, April 8 (Inservice Day).
Tara Czepial reported she has collected 20 adult bingo prizes so far and encouraged anyone to donate unwanted holiday gifts that might be appropriate! She would like to keep expenses for Bingo Night as low as possible and attempt to earn big profits this year. Kim Pruitt suggested that no more than two classes go in on each basket for the auction this year. Volunteers are still needed to help set up at Robinson.
MISC.
--Copies of minutes from December's P.T.O. meeting were reviewed.
--Bob Leake gave a brief treasurer's report.
--Ideas were discussed to replace Joyland Night—possibly All Star Sports?
--Tara Czepial proposed writing a grant for school improvements such as park
benches, trees, and an irrigation system.
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Kim Pruitt gave an update regarding the schedule for our bond improvements. College Hill will gain three new classrooms and some offices. The bid process will begin in March with construction starting a few weeks after that. Kim estimated that construction will not be finished before the new school term begins in August, 2005. A Bond Celebration/Open House will be held for the community when everything is completed.
--Tara Garrison
Secretary
Minutes from December 2, 2004 Meeting
Copies of minutes from November 4, 2004 P.T.O. meeting were distributed and reviewed. Tara Czepial moved to accept the minutes; Kim Pruitt seconded.
Treasurer's Report: The group reviewed copies of income/expense data. Bob Leake pointed out that expenses have been greater than income, due to payment for the fundraiser.
Tara Czepial announced that the River City fundraiser was a huge success, with only one mishap. There was a bounced check and missing order, which slipped by after it was turned in past the deadline. Issue has been resolved.
P.T.O. will provide a holiday luncheon for the College Hill staff from 11:30 to 1:15, Wednesday, December 22 in the Library. Heather Fagen, Carri Siebenmark, Suzanne Tobias, Nora McCollum, and Lisa Alford will take care of food, decorations, and serving.
Boxtop for Education collection is underway and going well. Nora reported she will continue with the contests to encourage even more participation.
Spring fundraiser options were discussed. It should be held in February or March, and not conflict with plans/support for the Bingo event. River City could be used again. Lisa Alford will obtain a spring catalog and provide more information. A fundraiser idea for next year is to check into the feasibility of selling sets of school supplies at enrollment.
Bingo night has been scheduled for Friday, April 8, at Robinson Middle School. Tara Czepial set a goal of $5,000 profit this year. She is also in charge of soliciting prizes. Food will be served, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Nora is in charge of the baskets that will be filled by classrooms and auctioned. There was discussion about how basket themes are chosen each year and whether it would be possible to check past records and determine which ones have brought in most profit in past years. If appropriate, perhaps a list of successful themes could be provided to teachers with requests to "sign-up". Parents wondered if some teachers would rather keep their "traditional" themes or if they have selected a theme based on a unit of study. Tara Garrison offered to do research and meet with Nora to brainstorm ideas and come up with a plan. We still need someone to volunteer to coordinate the set up and clean up for Bingo.
College Hill's technology fair is quickly approaching! It will be held March 1 and classes are busy with projects. It was determined that the staff could really use more digital cameras. P.T.O. had discussed purchasing the items described at previous meeting. Tara Garrison moved that P.T.O. go ahead and fund this request. Bob Leake seconded. Motion passed to purchase the cameras.
--Tara Garrison
Secretary
Minutes of November 4, 2004 Meeting
Tara Czepiel welcomed the 17 people attending and thanked everyone for their hard work on Fall Festival. She reported that everything went smoothly. There was one minor challenge with the popcorn machine and she recommended that a new one be purchased. Bob Leake had inquired about a replacement at Sam’s and showed everyone the photograph, specifications, and pricing. Shari Brookins moved that P.T.O. go ahead and purchase it. Carri Siebenmark seconded it. Motion passed.
New Business:
Bingo: 1) P.T.O. Bingo Night is proposed for Friday, April 8 at Robinson Middle School. Tara Czepiel suggested dividing responsibilities into four categories: Set-up (chaired by Michael Czepiel), Food Court (chaired by ), Prizes (chaired by Tara Czepiel), and Basket Auction (chaired by Nora McCollum). Tara also suggested putting notices in the school newsletter in December and January about the possibility of individuals donating unwanted Christmas gifts as prizes!
Fundraising: The date for frozen-food delivery is Monday, November 15. It was
realized that this is the same date as the district’s Math Night, to be held at College Hill. Therefore, Tara Czepiel will try to change the delivery date. Other possible fundraising ideas were mentioned and discussed. We do not want to overburden families by asking for too much. The spring fundraiser should not coincide with Bingo.
Budget/Upcoming Financial Needs: The group was asked to take a look at the
treasurer’s report. There is a healthy amount of money in the checking account, but we must determine upcoming routine expenses before making decisions about additional items. There was discussion about items under the "Program Enhancement" heading on the report (W.S.U. coop student, May Day, 5th Grade Growing On, etc.) Melissa Simonton moved that all items in this category continue to be funded. Heather Fagen seconded. Motion passed. There was also discussion about funding for the Teacher’s Gifts/Classroom Set-up item. In past years, staff members have been given $75.00 to help cover out-of-pocket expenses for their classrooms. Shari Brookins moved to increase the amount to $100.00. Heather Fagen seconded it. Motion passed.
Possible Additional Purchases: Kim Pruitt and Melissa Simonton presented several requests, determined by surveying the College Hill staff:
a. Digital video cameras
b. Digital cameras
c. Smart boards
d. Four wireless hubs to make the building completely wireless
e. Library books
Kim and Melissa gave an overview of the recent technology grant and distributed brochures describing the STEPs classes to the group. There will be a Technology Open House to showcase classroom projects in March.
Tara Garrison requested extra funds for Safety Patrol to purchase rain ponchos as soon as possible. Current ponchos are thin, torn and unusable. Tara has researched products available and would prefer higher quality items that will last through the years. Twelve ponchos would be needed for the squad, at a cost of approximately $15.00 each. Heather Fagen moved that P.T.O. fund the request. Jennifer Balzer seconded. Motion passed.
Shari Brookins inquired about purchasing additional die cut templates. She will get more information and pricing before the next meeting.
Staff Holiday Luncheon: It was determined that it will be held at Tara Czepiel’s home. The event may be changed to a more formal, evening dinner if the staff is interested.
Traffic Concerns: To follow up on last month’s request by police officer Valerie
Shirkey, Tara Czepiel asked who would be available to join her in standing in specific areas on the school campus before school to help. Volunteers will remind motorists to follow the traffic laws, hold signs saying "Please do not drop off here" and possibly hand out copies of laws/citations and write down license tag numbers of those individuals who are not cooperative. Suzanne Tobias, Shari Brookins, and Heather Fagen expressed interest in helping. A request for additional volunteers will be included in the next school newsletter. Tara Garrison will help with "training" and contact Officer Shirkey about getting signs.
Meeting adjourned.
--Tara Garrison
Secretary
RIVER
CITY FUNDRAISER
We
decided to sell frozen foods for our fall fundraiser.
River City will have a kickoff assembly in the gym at 3:30, Tuesday,
October 5.
FALL
FESTIVAL
1:00-4:00,
Saturday, October 16, front and back patio areas.
Preparations are being made for children's games, food, pumpkins,
vendors, and much more. Please plan
to attend, and bring along relatives, neighbors, and friends.
The more, the merrier!
FAMILY
PHOTO NIGHT
6:00-8:00
p.m., Tuesday, November 2, by Meyer Williams Photography.
More details will be available soon!
NEXT MEETING:
PTO Meetings:
PTO meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 4:30 in the College Hill Library.
2005-2006 PTO Projects:
Classroom Parties
Bookfair
River City Fundraiser
Fall Festival
Teacher recognition
Providing Co-op students for tutoring
Monetary gifts for classroom supplies
Patrol Parties
Mr. May Day
Teacher Week Luncheon\
Teacher Allocations
Arts Partners