PTO Meeting Minutes
PTO Meeting - January 4th, 2007
General John Nixon Elementary School
PTO Meeting Minutes
January 4th, 2007
The meeting was called to order at 9:20 am
17 people signed the attendance sheet.
Treasurer’s Report
Most major fundraisers have been conducted, with a year-to-date total of $28,280.
The full-year forecast is 80% attained. We still have Bingo Night and the
General John’s March remaining. Net Income is $34,732, which is 75%
attained.
Co-President’s Report
Parking lot safety continues to be a concern. Please refrain from
using your cell phones while driving in the school parking lot and pay close
attention to the pedestrians and other vehicles. Feedback on the new dismissal
process has been very positive. The 3 lines were grouped based on the total
student population. Some parents expressed that the “M-Z” line
seemed to be exceptionally long. It was found that the mix of families picking
up is relatively even. The space where the parents wait will be adjusted so
it is not as cramped. Overall, parents and teachers are very pleased with
the process and all agree that it is much safer. The items in Lost and Found
will not be donated this month due to the concern over head lice. Instead,
they will simply be thrown away. The aesthetics committee is going to purchase
2 rolling coat racks to better display the lost and found items. The PTO is
planning to have one person manage the lost and found process and get more
items returned to their owners.
Aside - Head Lice – there were 2 more cases reported in the past few days, which brings the year-to-date total to 13 reported cases. Joni feels there may be a few other cases that have not been reported to the nurse. When a child has lice, their entire class and their siblings are checked, in private. The entire grade is not checked.
The Sudbury Food Pantry relies heavily on the donations from the schools to fund their efforts. The Nixon contributions have declined dramatically over the past 2 months. As a result, the pantry had trouble meeting their demands. Debbie Pullen has volunteered to communicate to the parents as to when Nixon is collecting for food pantry and what items are most needed. This will become a PTO position for next year. The Bylaws are still being reviewed. They are currently 6 pages long. Once they have been officially reviewed, they will be posted on the website for all to read. They will then be voted on at a PTO meeting. The School Committee meets January 24 at 7:00 to vote on ILAP and the proposed school calendar changes. All are welcome to attend. The District website contains all the presentation materials. The Geography Expedition is coming soon and the Math/Science Fair is March 21.
Family Curriculum Night
“The Great Nixon Math Mystery” will be February 8th from
6:00-8:00 pm. They are looking for volunteers to run the games. There will
be a PTO table set up during the event for the yearbook/slide show, dismissal
pads, school store, etc. They may have math challenge games available for
parents to purchase as gifts to the classrooms. Joni had these games in her
old school and thinks they are a great resource.
Educational Enrichment
Mad Science is in the 1st grade today. Nicky Neutron is teaching
them about air. Brian Lies is coming in February and it may be the last year
we are able to have him come to Nixon as he has gotten very popular and quite
expensive. They will put together a list of all the programs planned for the
remainder of the year.
Joni Jay’s Report
Bob Bowles retired in December and his official retirement party
will be January 10th at 4:00. They have already hired a new head custodian.
An effort is underway to remove all of the clutter in the school and to reorganize/move
the storage areas. The safety of the children while riding on the bus is a
huge concern. Please emphasize to your children how important it is that they
remain sitting in their seats and facing forward while riding the bus. There
may be a bus safety skit at school meeting. The 5th graders may be asked to
inform their teachers if kids are not acting appropriately on the bus. The
Parent Coffees have not been that well attended. Some things that the Parent
Coffees will focus on in the future are placement, student behavior/discipline
and homework. Joni will survey the parents regarding their perceptions on
a number of aspects of the school. Some topics that were suggested to be included
in the survey were safety, specialists, and grade level consistency.
The next meeting will be February 8 at 9:15 am.
10:10 am meeting adjourned