Meeting began at approximately 6:40PM. In attendance were: Julie Konieczny, Heather Cox, Amy McCartt, Terese Frausto, Greg Mead, Don Hobbs, Tracy Beaumont, Sue Roberts, Sara Cain, Lori Bolyard, Gary Robinson, Claire Taylor, and Kara Swafford.
Minutes from the August 14 th meeting were read and approved.
Treasurer’s Report:
*Tracy Beaumont reported some minor account activity and a current checking account balance of $11,877.70.
*Additionally, the PTA holds $5,000 in a savings account, which does not bear interest. Tracy will investigate the possibility of an interest-bearing savings account.
* Tracy reported that the PTA has purchased a sno-cone machine.
*She also reported that a representative at Fifth Third Bank is interested in giving a Section 529 Presentation to RPE parents. Gary will approach the Leadership Team regarding the presentation.
* Tracy will contact a Fifth Third Bank Rep to discuss the possibility of eliminating the bounced check fee charged to RPE PTA.
Ways-N-Means:
*Box Tops: Sue Roberts reported that we have 5,800 box tops to submit. Box Top collection will begin in September; Friday’s newsletter will notify parents. There will not be popcorn parties this year. Instead, there will be a monthly drawing for an ice cream party. Every 50 box tops submitted by a classroom earns one chance in the monthly drawing (i.e. 100 box tops = 2 chances; 150 box tops = 3 chances, etc.).
*Soup Labels: Greg Mead reported that RPE has roughly 5,000 labels to submit which should bring our balance to approximately 18,000.
*Tyson & Sunbeam: Katy Dukes heads these up and was not present at the meeting.
*Market Day: Greg Mead reported that September 27 th will be the first Market Day pick up of the new school year. Greg reported that Market Day has scheduled the November Pie Sale Pick-Up date as the day before Thanksgiving. He would like to get some volunteers to help make reminder phone calls of that pick-up date.
*Spirit Wear: Greg Mead reported August Spirit Wear Sales brought in $373. He discussed that his vendor will not accept personal checks. Greg has investigated the possibility of using a credit card machine, but it appears to be cost-prohibitive (nearly $500 annually). It was decided that RPE accept personal checks for Spirit Wear, but that we not fill orders until those checks have cleared. RPE PTA will establish a “bad check” list and future purchases made by anyone on that list will require cash payment.
Perry Council:
*Perry Council Rep Michelle Griffin was not present at the meeting. Kara Swafford provided a list of upcoming meeting dates (second Tuesday of each month), including Quote meetings. The next Perry Council Meeting is September 12 th at 9:30AM. Perry Council has changed attendance requirements year. Perry Council expects every school to have at least one representative at each meeting (previous requirement was 5 members). New requirements will be discussed at the October 10 th Council meeting.
House Reps:
*Robin Fleet (not present) will meet with the House Reps on a regular basis. Her vision is for each classroom to have a designated room parent who will help establish parent volunteer lists. These lists will be shared with the House Rep who will then assist in organizing volunteers as needed.
Membership:
*Kelly Butler, Membership Chair, was not present at the meeting. Kara Swafford reported that there is 81% membership participation amongst RPE staff. Greg Mead reported that there are 189 PTA members overall; our goal is 500 members. Kara reported that the PTA is eligible for an award if we are able to achieve a membership base of one member per student (688 members).
Clothes Closet;
*Terese Frausto reported that the Clothes Closet earned $342 during its three evenings of operation (Back-To-School Nights).
Holiday Shop:
*Terese Frausto reported that she is creating Step-By-Step Procedures for operation of the Holiday Shop. Terese suggested hosting a Holiday Shop Sale on the Friday evening after all students have shopped. This would occur during Parent’s Night Out and give the PTA the opportunity to deplete some of its inventory. This will allow the Holiday Shop to keep inventory well-stocked for the student shoppers who shop later in the week. Claire Taylor suggested offering some of RPE’s needy families the opportunity to shop before the Shop opens for classroom shopping. She suggests that the families may shop at no cost to them, but we may limit the number of items “purchased”.
AED:
*Amy McCartt reported a voluntary recall of the newly purchased AED, due to changes in CPR requirements. An upgraded AED will be shipped to RPE free of charge; RPE will be responsible to pay shipping on the unit being returned. Judy Eubanks, Perry Township Nurse, provided AED training August 28 th to several staff members. The AED is now fully operational and available for use in the event of a cardiac emergency.
Twisted Pen Machine:
*Kara Swafford provided information on a twisted pen machine that she feels would be beneficial to the PTA, to teachers, and to students. Cost for the machine and start-up kit is $299, which includes cartridges to create 100 pens. It was suggested that the pens can be used as an incentive—awarded to students who have completed reading logs, students achieving 100% on Benchmarks, FADE fundraising, etc. Julie Konieczny made a motion for the PTA to purchase the machine; Sue Roberts seconded the motion. All present approved the purchase; none opposed. Cost for refill materials will come from the House budgets.
Gallagher’s Pizza Fundraiser:
*Greg Mead reported that Gallagher’s has offered their pizza fundraiser on a monthly basis. It was decided instead to set up a quarterly schedule with Gallagher’s, possibly coinciding with SLC’s.
Containers for Foyer:
*Claire Taylor suggested obtaining a new container for pop tabs and presented a photo of one possibility (three sides constructed of wood; one side plexi-glass). Sue Roberts will approach her father to ask if he is willing to construct one.
*Claire Taylor would also like to eliminate the cardboard boxes in the foyer (Sunbeam, Clothes Closet) and replace them with a more permanent container. Approximate cost for the container(s) is $150.
Carnival Flyers:
*Heather Cox has created color copies of Carnival Announcements and Volunteer sign-up Sheets. She will make minor revisions and print 700 color copies at a cost of approximately $45. Carnival Announcements will go home with students on September 1 st.
Carnival Sponsorship:
*It was reported that Angie Chandler is not heading up Sponsorship for the carnival. Greg Mead has approached National City Bank, but does not yet have a commitment. Joy Eder has approached Family & Friends Mortgage; no commitment to date. RPE PTA is not offering booths for sponsors this year.
Carnival Drawing:
*Kim Bean (not present) is attempting to procure items for the Carnival Drawing.
Carnival Ticket Sales:
*Ticket sales will run from September 8 th thru 21 st. Ticket cost is 5/$2.00 presale and 4/$200 on the day of the carnival.
Principal Comments:
* Gary reported that he and Kara are working hard to build a strong partnership between the school and PTA.
* Gary reported working with Don Hobbs to put the “All Pro Dads” program into action at RPE. This is a program designed to get fathers more involved in their children’s educations. The “All Pro Dads” program is endorsed by Tony Dungy.
* Gary reported that the Parent Advisory Council will set their calendar next month.
* Gary reported that RPE is working with Dr. Williams in trying to get a decision on the Edison contract renewal this year. He reported that things are looking more favorable than originally anticipated with this newly elected board. Harrison surveys have come back and have painted the school in a very positive light.
*Ellen Weimer is interested in having PTA support a program which would expose our students to opera. Ellen will make a presentation at the next meeting.
There were no teachers present at the meeting; thus no Teacher Comments. Meeting was adjourned at 8:20PM.