Sligo Creek ES PTA Meeting September 6, 2011 SCES Gym, 7 pm

Meeting Minutes
Diane Kelleher (PTA co-President) opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and introducing this years PTA Officers. A handout with contact information for all the PTA Officers and the Committee Chairs and descriptions of all the current PTA committees was passed out. Overview of the SCES PTA (Diane Kelleher, PTA co-President) The SCES PTA has 4 main roles: 1) Academic Support (this is our primary function) 2) Events (there will be a push to have some community-building, parents-only events this year in addition to events for the whole family) 3) Fundraising (planning to do the Salamander Stride again) 4) Communication and Outreach (through email, PTA newsletter, flyers) Long term Goals of the PTA (Stuart Kern, PTA co-President) Of all the money that the PTA raises each year, 10% is spent on administrative costs (dues, insurance, etc.). The rest of the money goes to support all of the PTA activities that occur during the school year. This year, we have about $40,000 in the PTA account that is independent of this years budget. This is due mainly to the success of the Salamander Stride Fun Run that was held last year. This money could be used to fund a long term vision for the school. Some ideas that have been proposed include renovating the courtyard area into an outdoor educational resource, improving the technology in the classrooms, and an indoor recess area. Between now and the October PTA Meeting, the PTA and its membership need to decide where and if to spend these resources. Volunteers Needed for Lunch and Recess Parents are needed to volunteer during lunch and recess; especially during recess. Volunteer schedule will soon be on the PTA website. Contact Brian Riley for more info: bphbriley@aol.com Committee Chair Announcements Safety, Security, and Facilities Committee (Brian Riley): this committee looks at long term issues affecting SCES such as the Purple Line and recess concerns. Environment and Outdoors Committee (Debbie Boger): this committee looks at ways to connect kids to nature. Beautification Day is coming up on September 17th and needs volunteers.

After School Programs (Marisa Osorio and Andrea Savoye): there will be 21 classes this fall that will start the last week of September/first week of October. Classes are 6-10 weeks long. Treasurers Report (Andrew Schulman, PTA Treasurer) The reimbursement form is available on the PTA website. It will have 1 addition to it this year: An approval signature from the appropriate Committee Chair will be needed on all reimbursement requests. Balance sheet: we have $39,195 that we can spend or carry over this year. This is much higher than in past years, due mainly to the Salamander Stride Fun Run. Income statement (not provided): a $3,000 deficit was expected last year; however, we had a surplus instead. Questions about the Budget Can the PTA buy playground equipment? Need to check on this. Has the PTA tried to find matching funds from local businesses? Mr. Baldwin (Building Services Manager) asked about the Building Services Fund which was started when SCES began but has not been funded since 2003. We need to find out what PTA can buy for building services. Was funding made available for translating the new integrated curriculum? Yes, and the translations were done over the summer. Who owns the Blair Auditorium? There is a neighborhood group working on this issue. Will the closing of Borders Books have an effect on book donations to the school library? Need to ask Ms. Elkins. Tiwiya Savoy (NAACP rep) asked if the PTA could fund a Black History Program for SCES. The budget can be amended to include this; just need to know what the budget would be. Budget for 2011-2012: this years budget was voted on and passed. Q & A with Ms. Swift Ms. Swift began by saying that parent volunteers are greatly needed to help out in the classrooms. Also, SCES did well on the MSAs last year. And lastly, a third Kindergarten class will be added due to high enrollment. This class will be located in the conference room. What is the new Integrated Curriculum?: This is the new curriculum being used in grades K-2 this year. It is based on the idea of having national standards across the U.S. The emphasis is on thinking skills and less on rote memorization. There is also a focus on creating a stronger foundation in math concepts. Can Ms. Swift meet with Kindergarten parents?: Ms. Swift is available to meet with parents. Back to School Night is also a good time to talk with the teachers about the Kindergarten program.

Is there a replacement for Madame Gouin?: Yes, Ms. Nellie Thompson is the new French Immersion coordinator. Can parents buy things for classrooms?: Individuals (not acting on behalf of the PTA) are allowed to buy anything they want for the school/classroom. Also, at Back to School Night (Sept 12) there will be a fish bowl filled with wish lists from teachers which will give parents the opportunity to buy things for specific teachers. Ms. Swift asked that parents should contact their childs classroom teacher to resolve any problems before contacting her. How long are Safety Patrols outside in the morning to help with car-rider drop off?: Safety patrols help out until 9:00 am. After that, a staff member should be out there to help. For bus riders, a staff member will be outside until all buses arrive. Meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm.

Minutes prepared by Alice Vorosmarti, PTA Secretary 9/7/11