MEMORIAL SCHOOL PTO MEETING
Minutes
May 14, 2008, 7:05pm
Sign in sheet
- Calendar Review
Memorial School’s “Toast to Memorial” – Made $10,189.02. This is about $2,000 less due to lower sponsorships. People need to pick-up the wine they ordered.
Pancake Breakfast – May 10, 2008 – It was a terrific morning! The artwork and displays were amazing.
Family Picnic – June 3, 2008 (rain date 5/4/08) Options for food: can order pizza slices for $1 a slice, from Roche Bros: salad bar plate option for $5-6 or gourmet sandwiches from Roche for $5-6 a sandwich, chips for a quarter, water as the only available drink for a quarter or something. People will preorder the food, but extra beverages will be available. She will have people bring dessert. The DJ isn’t available. Cyndi would rather do a carnival type event with old-fashioned games. She is looking into other entertainment like a balloon artist.
Field Day – June 5, 2008. Cyndi will need volunteers for the ice cream social during Field Day.
- PTO Committee Openings for 2008/09
Co-President – still available
Child safe – still available
Landscaping – still available
5th grade co-chairs – Lisa Miksenas, Cyndi Collins, and Kerry Conley have volunteered. Yearbook chairpersons: same three.
Hospitality – still available
Enrichment assistant to order books when the authors are coming
- Social Committee
Additional members of the committee: Laura, Kerry, Lisa and Nancy.
- 5th Grade Committee Report
Dates for Cedardale & Moving Up –6/13 for Cedardale, 6/12 for Moving Up. 5th grade needs an additional $296.10 to cover the additional costs of the trip. The 5th grade should have another $200 from the PTO for the bus. The money will come out of the 5th grade budget. Voted and passed to use the money. They will need chaperones to watch the students in the many areas. There is a possibility of Marshall Simonds 6th graders being on the upper part on the same day.
Volunteers needed for Moving Up refreshments.
Memory Book update – students have more writing in the book. It is looking good.
- Miscellaneous Items
School supplies – Notice went in the backpack folder. Everything is on track.
4th & 5th grade agendas – Teachers are deciding what format to use.
Teacher Appreciation – 2008-09 – The teachers love the coffee and goodies. They congregate there and enjoy it. It is very appreciated! Dawn can bring in cream for the teachers starting now.
Retiring teachers - Mrs. Martin, Mrs. McGrath, Miss G., Mrs. DeSimone. The teachers had a party for the retiring teachers. PTO will give each an American Express gift card.
School gift – looking for ideas.
Bylaws – New bylaws were voted on and approved.
- Treasurer’s Report
Paula and Karen are working on next year’s budget. Will call a special meeting for it.
- Principal’s Report
Replacements for retiring teachers: Karen is doing a lot of interviewing. Karen is narrowing down the applicants and using a committee of current teachers and specialists to interview the prospective teachers. They are looking to match the school, the teams, and round-out the teams. If they don’t find the 3 at the end of the interviews, they will continue the search. The goal is to have positions filled by the first week of June. Then they wait for Town Meeting to approve budgets so they can give out contracts. Karen thinks Burlington has become a desirable town to work in. Crystal Grigway is returning to teach 1st grade. There is a grade 1, grade 2 and a grade 3 opening.
Incoming Kindergarten #’s – We have at least 45 students. There will be 3 kindergarten classes next year.
LABBB classrooms – a K-2 class with 6 students will be moving here to Memorial because of space issues.
Classrooms: 10 academic classrooms will be in the lower wing and the art and music rooms will move to the upper wing. Some of the teachers in the upper wing will be moving classrooms too. Technology room will move to Karen Ferullo’s room to become a computer lab with the SmartBoard. Many of the classrooms have updated computers as a donation from Harvard. The “white room” in the portables will become the learning center. The teachers will lose their workroom upstairs.
Recycling: The students are deeply invested in the program, dramatically reducing the trash at school.Next Meeting: for budget. TBD