November Minutes

Meeting Minutes
Mar Lee PTO

Date: November 9th, 2009 Location: Mar Lee Library
Meeting Called to Order By: Jerry Bishoff Time: 7:00pm
Attendance: Lisamarie Teeters - President; Jerry Bischoff - Vice-President; Beth Denbrock - Secretary; Lori Young - Treasurer; Kari Byrd - CoTreasurer; Kat McDonald – Parent; Heather Fazekas - Teacher; Sheri Thorbjornson - Principal; Claire Healy - Parent; Kristen Kowitz - Parent

Minutes: Minutes of 10/12/2009 read. Correction was made to the Christmas celebration - Correct dates are Christmas Musical on December 9th and Christmas Concert on the 10th. October minutes approved.


Guest Speaker
Guest Speaker: Michelle McInnes – Not Present. Will reschedule.

Principal’s Report
Principal: Sheri Thorbjornsen
Mrs. T and Mrs. Fazekas brought forward the Positive Behavior Support System (PBSS)- Research says it is proactive and positive and is designed for all children, Kindergarten through 8th grade. The PBSS includes clear expectations which can be referenced and are designed to build on the strengths of the students. Currently, the school bus drivers are incorporating PBSS to improve behavior of students while riding the bus. Mrs. T reviewed the 5 years of bus discipline records to show the notable improvement for 2009 since the implementation of the Positive Behavior Support System. Bus drivers are currently doing the program on their own with their own funds. Jerry suggested the PTO allot a set amount of money for the bus drivers to use to run the program on their bus. Jerry Bischoff motioned to provide $150 to fund the program, Beth Denbrock second the motion.
Parent involvement in PBSS is strongly desired. As a way to bridge school and home, several “Parent Nights” will be scheduled. The theme is - Families Achieving Excellence – Safe, Responsible, and Respectful. The program sponsors are requesting the PTO co-sponsor the “Parent Night” with the teachers. The ultimate plan is to have a monthly flow of development opportunities for parents and kids. All PTO board members agreed to support this initiative. Jerry Bischoff motioned to use ChemFlex funds to financially support the PBSS. Ideas shared include: Internet safety, parenting tips, etc. The PTO will fund drinks and snacks for the parent/teacher nights and approve those funds on an as needed basis.




Officers’ Reports
President: Lisamarie Teeters
Lisamarie contacted all of the volunteers to thank them and let them know their form was received. Key was to make them feel important and valued and reiterate investment in school is worthy. Created a spreadsheet of all volunteers, what they volunteered for, how many volunteered for each activity, etc. Each volunteer also has an email contact for the activity they volunteered to support. She provided everyone with an event/contact list.

Vice President: Jerry Bishoff
Jerry participates on another board that receives Federal grant money, he hopes to access a trainer that will teach policy development and share key points with the PTO group.

Treasurer: Lori Young
Treasurer report submitted by Lori Young. Beginning balance = $2947.45 and Ending balance = $9638.54. Report was approved by the Board. Mrs. Thorbjornson does not yet have an estimate for the amount needed to purchase snacks in the spring, but will stay within her allotted $200 (including the fall MEAP snacks).


Committee Reports
Fall Fundraiser Committee: Claire Healey, Becky Zona - Absent
Claire has assembled three volunteers to help with delivered product. Parents must come to the school to pick up the products. No products will be sent home with kids. This provides for the opportunity to confirm the product was received. Claire will send home a flyer notifying parents to come pick up their orders. Pick up times will be set up for 3:30 – 5:30 pm. Product will be organized by classroom, but a location for the product to be stored has not yet been determined. Delivery date is November 17th.
Penny Wars Committee: Becky Zona - Absent and Marsha Bishoff - Absent
More volunteers are needed to count money by classroom.
PTO Snack Committee: Claire Healey and Nicole Maurer – Absent
November snack will on the November 20th. Plan is to do popcorn and pop. Will take steps to ensure oil does not contain peanuts. Kari Byrd will meet Claire to help her set up. There was some debate on whether or not pop should continue to be sold. Other beverages were not viewed as positive by the kids. Orange and Root Beer were the most popular. Claire advised that she is comfortable with the process and received compliments on service setup.
Christmas Float Committee: Kat McDonald, Zach Mason – Absent, Teresa Wise - Absent
Float entry is due November 13th and $50 is needed to pay for supplies. Jerry Bishoff motioned to provide $50 for the float and motion was second by Lisamarie. Jerry will also provide a 16 foot trailer. The parade theme is “Light up your Christmas”. Ideas included to “light it up Mar Lee style” with blue and white lights and/or create stars with the kids’ names on them. The Wise’s have volunteered to help along with Claire Healey. Donations will be sought for blue and white lights.
Box Tops/Campbell Soup Committee: Cheryl Zick - Absent
Box tops contest will be February/March. Winning class will get a pizza party. Soup labels have provided over 6000 points so far. Checks usually come in December. Lisamarie checked the office and Mr. Patton for the box top reward prizes and no one received a shipment of sports balls. Kat to provide Lisamarie with a contact and/or the shipment confirmation slip, so the order can be tracked. Kat to verify leftover points from last year.
Christmas Project Committee: Kat McDonald and Claire Healey
Christmas project currently has nine or ten volunteers. The total student headcount for the school is 313. Projects will be done around December 14 – 16th. The kids will create ornaments as this was cost effective and parents loved them.

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Old Business/Events
The Meijer Rewards letters and applications can be sent home with the next Note Pad. Lisamarie to work on getting additional applications.
Jump for Heart is for K – 5th grade and Hoops for Heart is for 6th – 8th grade.
Paper Products – Students did not have paper products for Halloween Party. Lisamarie to follow up with Nicole to ensure this is arranged for the upcoming class parties.
Ice Packs – disposables were ordered for the office, but the size is large and the office staff is not comfortable using them for little injuries. Sheri to discuss options with office staff to come up with best solution. The PTO will not financially support ice packs or an ice machine at this time.
Checking Account – moving the checking account to Marshall Community Credit Union was motioned by Lisamarie Teeters and second by Kari Byrd. There was discussion about buying a CD to make interest but the idea was not adopted. The checking account will have three people that can sign checks – Lori Young, Kari Byrd and Lisamarie Teeters. Lori and Kari will have responsibility over the funds.
Mar Lee Website – Sheri will discuss a “web club” with Mr. McCann
Faucets - Sheri to discuss with Mr, LaTarte
Defibrillator training will occur in the coming weeks and will be led by Jerry Bishoff.
Library improvement project – meeting with Sheri and Laura for pre-planning to take place next week. Followed by a volunteer meeting.


New Business
Eagles Nest – Lisamarie spoke to Mr. LaTarte and he feels there is some attachment to the equipment with the 7th and 8th graders. If the equipment is removed, he would like to see something is put in its place. He will reach out to Mr, Henke to have the Student Council come up with some ideas. Again, concern is safety and several complaints have been raised. Jerry Bishoff advised that a document is being prepared for signatures to have it removed asap.
PTO budget – Lisamarie would like to discuss improvement ideas. How will requests for money be made and responded to. Everyone seemed to agree that a clearer procedure is needed. We are rutted into approvals to pay for traditional activities. Jerry asked Lori to create a log that would represent annual monies approved. The PTO will plan to have another meeting before the scheduled December meeting.
Mrs. Finley’s funding request was denied due to inability to do similar support to all teachers. As a result, the PTO will be providing annual supplemental funding to all teachers as in the past - $75 for new teachers and $50 to all other teachers for their classroom account
Sheri and Heather presented the PTO with a huge Thank you note from all of the students.

Announcements
Next meeting is 12/14/09 at 7pm Mar Lee School Library
Meeting Adjourned At: 9:00pm
Minutes Compiled By: Beth Denbrock, Mar Lee PTO Secretary