Unapproved December Meeting Minutes

Attendees: AM meeting Anissa Preston, Sharon Miller, Tamra Stokes, and Mrs. Dey
PM meeting Anissa Preston, Amy Kobus, Cheryl Altizer, Michele Carpenter, Kim Miller, Robert Rea, and Karen Wivell.

The meeting was called to order by Anissa Preston at 7:10 PM.
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
Treasurer report:
See info sheet for balance
Polo’s: no money made yet. will make about $800.00 if all of the polos are sold. Cheryl to set up a stand at the basketball games.
Healthy Heart Program: for all 3rd graders through Lake Hospital System $250.00
Autism Speaks Fundraiser: we raised $595.00 for the Autism.
Principal report: none given
Committee reports:
Membership: 68 members?
Marketday: next pick up is 12/20/07
Fundraisers: Spaghetti dinner and a show—Steven Night to come to the school April 4th for dinner and a show. Mrs. Minder to help with this. More details at a later meeting. Possible Big Yummy sale in Feb. also Original Artworks for Mother’s Day—Ms. Stokes? To help with this?
Holiday shop: Voted to increase the budget for the Holiday shop $300.00. Need $200.00 for Santa. To arrive at the front door at 5:40pm—children will be able to get picture with Santa and while waiting in line will be able to write Santa a letter, all letters and pictures to be sent home on Monday. set up for the Holiday shop to be done after school--.25 per ticket. All crafts to be 2 tickets. 5 crafts available to make in the art room. Old crafts put together and to be sold as is. To have a meal deal for food—hot dog, pizza, chips, drink and cookies to be offered. Chinese auction to be done with donated baked goods. Holiday music to be played throughout school. Holiday shop available in the music room.
Book fair: $3200.00 in books were sold, $1800.00 for the library—next book fair to be in February at the conferences.
Reflections: Mrs. Sextella is unable to do it this year. Ms. Stokes? To be done by individual classrooms? But needs to be submitted by 1/4/08. Decision made to not do reflections this year. Karen Wivell suggested submitting a grant to have an Artist in Residence – all agreed and more information to be gotten later, but Karen will work on the paperwork.
Yearbook: no report
Giant Eagle: no report
Homeroom parent/ holiday party: Teachers to send out a letter to the parents on what they need/want for their individual classrooms for the parties.
Old business: Futher discussions on the Holiday shop
New business: Parent teacher out reach committee needs parents to attend meetings on Fridays? More information to be sent out later. Teacher/staff/student committee submitted guidelines developed for a “Bullyfree School” information read and suggestions made for changes. Nominating committee needed for 3/2008 for new officers. Target has a community outreach program—go to Target. Com to sign up our number is 126101.

Next meeting: not discussed

PTA Meeting Announced

From President Anissa Preston...

Hi everyone and Happy New year.
RESOLVE TO BE INVOLVED!
Our first meeting of the 2008 will be on Wednesday Jan 9th at 7:30 am and 7:00 pm.
IF you would like minutes form the Dec. Meeting please respond to this email. I will be happy to forward them to you.
See you on Wednesday.

Career Planning and Financial Aid

PTA now offers tools and resources that help parents and families plan their children’s career goals and options for life after high school. Ask your PTA leader for more information or visit the PTA website at pta.org/goestowork.

Keeping Children Safe

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children urges parents not to let their guard down during the holidays. Shopping and travelling require extra attention and forethought to ensure children’s safety. NCMEC suggests talking to children about safety issues before heading to a crowded shopping mall or airport. Parents and their kids need a plan in case they become separated, which can happen more easily as crowds build through the holiday season. Some tips from NCMEC:
Designate a spot to meet in case you become separated.
Teach children to look for people who can help such as uniformed security officers or another parent with children.
Never drop off older children at a mall or public place without a clear plan for picking them up—where, what time, what to do in case of a change in plans.

Simple Ways Families Can Give Back During the Holidays

Parents who wonder how they can instill a charitable spirit in their children can employ some simple strategies this holiday season. Not only will they be giving back to their communities, they will be deepening their own family connections.
Of course, one key to developing this volunteer attitude is that giving back shouldn’t be reserved for just holidays.
"In the families we work with, charitable giving runs through their being," says Steven Moore, associate director for donor relations and regional giving for The Columbus Foundation in Columbus, Ohio. "It’s not a one-time event. It’s part of the fabric of their family. If parents want this to stick, it has to be a message that is repeated often."
Moore offers these other tips for family volunteering for children of all ages:
Set up giving banks. Children who receive an allowance can divide the money into spending money, money for savings, and money for charity, all to be kept in different banks.
Have conversations about being thankful. Promote the idea of giving back to the community.
Be a role model. Take your children with you when you volunteer. Talk to them about your donations.
Join an Adopt-A-Family Program. Provide a home cooked meal or donate some needed clothing items.
Host a giving party. Invite friends and neighbors over and have them bring "presents" for people in need—food or clothing items, toys for impoverished kids, money for relief efforts, or whatever is appropriate for your theme. Giving parties can also be held in lieu of kids’ birthday parties.
Gather unused toys to donate to disadvantaged children.
Really ambitious families can go on a volunteer vacation where families (with children as young as 10) travel to areas in need to volunteer their time. Many programs are international, but some exist stateside to assist Habitat for Humanity and Hurricane Katrina victims.
Online Resources for Family Volunteering
Family Philanthropy Toolkit
Local volunteer activities
Books on Family VolunteeringThe Giving Family: Raising Our Children to Help Others by Susan Crites Price, Publisher: Council on Foundations, 2003
The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving by Ellen Sabin, Publisher: Watering Can, 2004