|
|
Meeting Schedule
Events
PTO Minutes
Contact Us
St. Mary’s Elementary School
P.T.O. Meeting
September 9, 2008
School Cafeteria, 7 PM
The meeting was called to order at 7:07 PM and was opened with a prayer by Sr. Christine, and a reminder that October is a month to honor Mary.
Attendance:
Sr. Christine Lavoie, Principal, PTO Co-Chairs Bruce Faria and Mary Mazza, Treasurer Cindy Patnode, Secretary Colleen Judd, Teacher Representative Mrs. Laurie Murphy, Grade 3, School Board Representative Cathleen Bastible, Michelle Moniz, Kerry O’Connor, Maureen Garvey, Jo-Ann Davidson, Beth Rowbotham, Su San Centeno, Lisa Liptak
Total present: 14
Secretary’s Report: The notes of the September 9, 2008 PTO meeting were accepted without correction.
Treasurer's Report: Cindy Patnode provided a statement reflecting an ending cash balance of $3,312.32 as of 10/14/08.
Principal’s Report:
- Mrs. Laurie Murphy, our 3rd Grade teacher, was welcomed to the meeting.
- There are presently 203 students in the elementary school.
- Midterm notices went out for Grades 3-8 with report cards to follow November 7th and 8th. Report cards for Grades K-2 will go out in December. *There are different styles of report cards for Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2, Grade 3, and Grades 4-8. If parents have any questions regarding the report cards, they are encouraged to call the teachers or Sr. Christine during school hours!
- October 18th was the second annual elementary school Halloween Party in the St. Mary’s High School gymnasium. Thank you to everyone who participated in this fun event, and special thanks to Lisa Liptak!
- October 24th was a Diocesan In-Service Day, and the first Barnes and Noble Book Fair from 9am-11pm. A percentage of select purchases made during the Book Fair benefitted the school library. Any student who brought in a receipt from the Book Fair received a dress down day!
- Mrs. Mary Reed, our 5th Grade teacher, was a recipient of the Sr. Betty Gould Endowment Grant. This Grant, providing funding for professional development, allowed Mrs. Reed to take a meteorology course this summer!
- Our October liturgy was a Mass for St. Francis. Our November Mass Tuesday, November 25th at 8:30am will be a double liturgy for Thanksgiving and for the Student Council Blessing.
- Room Mother/Teachers Helpers hand-outs were sent home. Some classrooms still need Room Mothers and helpers, so if you may be interested in helping out contact Sr. Christine immediately!
- We had a successful Open House in September. Sr. Christine encourages anyone who has not scheduled a teacher conference, or who just has questions to please contact her.
- The 5th Grade will be raising salmon after Christmas! More information to follow.
- We are now a “foster grandparent” school! Pre-K and K each have a foster grandparent that assists the teacher with various duties including story time, class work, and help with coats and mittens. This service is provided through the Urban League in Springfield.
- Recess monitors are still needed in certain time slots. Contact Sr. Christine if you might be interested.
- Our Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Margaret Lambert will be the representative at the November 12th PTO meeting. She will be discussing the “Child Lures” Program. The program teaches children personal safety with special emphasis regarding age. The program is a Diocesan requirement, and is included in the Family Life curriculum during school. Any parents interested in learning more about this program are encouraged to attend the November meeting!
- 2nd Grade First Reconciliation is scheduled for January 31, 2009. Mark your calendars!
- There is an interest in having a P.T.O. table at the Holly Day Craft Fair run by Blessed Sacrament before Thanksgiving. Anyone with craft experience or ideas please contact Sr. Christine.
Big Y Notes: We welcomed Allison Trzasko (Miss Allison), lead supervisor for the “Little Y” Program at the East Silver Street Big Y. The Little Y Kids Club is a free service for Big Y Express Savings Club members. The program runs every day from 10am-7pm. Parents can leave children in good health ages 3-9 for up to 2 hours while they shop. The employees at the Little Y are both CPR certified and drug and background checked. The children and parents both wear identification bracelets, and parents carry beepers for added security. The program offers many crafts and activities, computers and games, parties and much more!
We also welcomed Kayla, who discussed the Homework Helpline and the Big Y Express Programs. The Homework Helpline is a free one-on-one homework assistance service for students in kindergarten through grade 12. The program runs from 4-7pm every Monday through Thursday. A staff of certified teachers will never give your children the answers, but help them to reach the correct answers while they learn! 1-800-866-BIGY, or online at www.bigy.com/homework. (Also available by tdd).
The Big Y Express Program earns points for our school for educational supplies and equipment, and all you have to do is shop! You can sign up online at www.bigy.com or in any Big Y store at the customer service desk. It’s simple and free! Just complete the registration form and your Big Y Express Savings Card will be linked to your school within 24 hours. Education Express items can be found in every department each week highlighted by the school bus logo. Purchase these items and start earning points. Your school’s name will appear on your register receipt each time you shop, along with the number of points earned per shopping trip.
School Board Notes: Cathleen Bastible reported on the School Board Meeting that took place prior to the P.T.O. meeting 10/14/08. There was a discussion about the possible change in timing of future calendar raffles for the elementary school. Saturday, November 1st is Parish Clean-Up Day! Lots of volunteers are needed for outdoor work from 9am-1pm. Get groups together and have fun while you help!
If anyone is interested in attending the School Board Meetings to report to the P.T.O., they are encouraged to contact Sr. Christine. The school board liaison can come from the parish or the community and does not need to have a student at the school.
Current and Future Fundraisers/Events:
- Calendar Raffle: Tickets are currently on sale through October 27th. Our hope is that the success of the calendar raffle will alleviate much of the fundraising during the year. Every family was asked to sell 20 calendars at $5 each during the month of October ($100/family). Every day in November there will be a raffle, with a $50 daily monetary prize, and $100 each weekend day and Thanksgiving Day. There will also be a $50 gas card given every Wednesday. There is no limit on the amount of times a person can win. The amount of the raffle prizes and success of the fundraiser will be dependent on participation! This fundraiser, if successful, will earn the school more than any other fundraiser we have done in the past. Please help us out! Special thanks to Janet Knapp and Mary Luksas for their assistance in the launch of and continued efforts throughout this fundraiser!
- SchoolPop.com: Reduce your tuition while doing your holiday shopping online! Just by doing your normal online shopping, you will earn real-dollar rebates that are applied to your tuition costs.
- Box Tops For Education: Earn cash for the school with selected box tops. Visit Box Tops for Education website for details.
- Hood Milk Caps: (Running through October) The Red Sox and Hood Milk have joined together to help our schools. Every Hood cap we collect is worth 5 cents. So keep them coming, every little bit helps!
- St. Mary’s Food Certificate Program: Purchase gift certificates to Stop and Shop, Big Y, or North Elm Butcher Block through the school to do your regular shopping, and receive a tuition credit! Simple as that!
- Empty Printer Cartridges: St. Mary’s participates in the Funding Factory Recycling Program. We receive points for every cartridge returned. These points can be used to purchase a variety of different items for the school.
- Wreath and Poinsettia Sale: More information to follow.
- Santa Shop: December 8th and 9th, more information to follow.
Bruce Faria is looking for someone to replace him as co-chair to Mary Mazza for the 2008-2009 school year! Call us with questions or interests!
Sr. Christine closed with a prayer
The meeting was adjourned at 8:04 PM.
The next meeting will be on November 12, 2008 at 7:15 pm.
*Note: The PTO meeting time has been changed from 7pm to 7:15pm in order to give people from the preceding school board meeting time to reach the PTO meeting.
If you are unable to attend a meeting or just have questions: please call Bruce Faria @ 568-6488, Mary Mazza @ 568-9521, or Colleen Judd @ 562-1520.
Respectfully submitted,
Colleen Judd
26 Oct 08
|
|
