Brandt Kindergarten PTO

PTO Info

Hello Parents!

The PTO has been very busy since our last newsletter and we have Brandt’s wonderful parents to thank for the success of these events!

Your generosity allowed the children a wonderful opportunity to see Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse at The Monroe Center, which we hope they all enjoyed. We look forward to providing other enriching opportunities for our students.

The children were fortunate to attend an assembly with Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who took questions from the students and talked about what children can do to keep Hoboken a great place to live. We want the children to be engaged in their community and we will have other service and charitable initiatives throughout the year to encourage this.

The Halloween party was a great success. The children freeze danced, ring tossed and cupcaked their hearts out!

The Election Day bake sale fundraiser was another successful endeavor, with a lot of money raised and calories consumed.

Thanks to all who gave money, volunteered, baked, supported or otherwise contributed. The PTO couldn’t do it without you.


Upcoming Events

The HOPES-PTO service initiatives:
The Hoboken Fire Department has generously donated 40 Thanksgiving turkeys for baskets that HOPES will gift to their families most in need. Many of these families are part of our Brandt school community. Please help complete the meal by bringing in non-perishable sides, including canned veggies, cranberries, and gravy as well as boxed potatoes and stuffing. There will be boxes by the sign-in desks in the cafeteria from Monday, November 16th through Friday, November 20th. We have one week to collect as much as possible, so please give what you can.

We will also be putting a large box in the cafeteria permanently, to collect gently used and new clothes all year long. HOPES will collect and distribute these items. The PTO’s Enrichment Committee has put together a list of books to help parents talk to their children about giving and charity.

Raising Charitable Children, by Carol Weisman
The Giving Book: Open The Door To A Lifetime Of Giving, by Ellen Sabin
The Berenstain Bears Think of Those in Need, by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Mad Science:
For all our little Einsteins! On November 17th, Mad Science will be presenting to the students a preview of what it will offer to Brandt as an after school science enrichment program. We hope to make this available in January 2010, and will follow up soon with other dates and enrollment fees. Please go to www.madscience.org for more information.

The next PTO meeting will be on December 7th, from 7-9 pm in the cafeteria. All are encouraged to attend.

For other PTO updates, minutes and reminders, please check the blog at http://brandt-pto.blogspot.com/

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

Jill Sullivan – PTO co-chair
Sarah Cavill – PTO co-chair
Kathleen Keilman – PTO treasurer

Hello fellow PTO members!

I’m Diana Whittles. My son Patrick is in classroom 307, Ms. Tregenza’s class. I’m on the Family Fun Committee as well as the Fundraising Committee.

I would like to fill all of you in on the specifics of the PTO's Election Day bake sale, as well some guidelines on what to bake and how to volunteer.

Brandt is a popular polling place, so we will have tables set up for the entire day, November 3rd, from 6 am-8 pm. In the morning there will be breakfast-y baked goods: muffins, croissants, pastries, coffee and tea. In the afternoon and evening we will be offering the more traditional bake sale items: cakes, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, tea and hot chocolate.

We are counting on all of our tireless, super generous parents (both PTO and non-PTO) to help us make this bake sale the roaring success I know that it can be.

If you have an item that you do better than anyone else or a regional or ethnic baked good or sweet that you would be willing to make, we would love to include it on our table! Of course, you don’t have to bake if you don’t want to — store-bought treats are welcome as well. If the item you want to make is spoken for, please come and talk to me.

On Tuesday morning, October 27th, we are going to have a table set up like the one we had for the Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse fundraising, where you can sign-up to bake, sell or provide supplies. We will also have a small bucket on the off-chance folks want to donate cash rather than bake or donate supplies. When signing up for an item, please be as specific as you can: “Cookies” should be “chocolate chip cookies” and “cupcakes” should be “yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing.” I’d also ask that you legibly print your name and classroom number down so if I need to find you I can.

Feel free to email me with what you are making or bringing and I will add you to my list.

I would ask the classroom mothers to gently guide your fellow class parents to the table on Tuesday and if anyone has any questions point them in my direction.

BAKE SALE GUIDELINES:

Our sale is TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd at Brandt School. We are asking everyone to please drop off supplies, and all baked goods to the school on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd between 2-4 pm.

While our children are off school that week the school will be open.

We will be stationed in the cafeteria.

Our bake sale is going to run from the time the polls open till they close, so it’s important that we have plenty of items.

IF YOU ARE BAKING:

• Please don’t cut or slice any of the brownies or cakes or pies. We will take care of that for you.
• Please include a little note with the name of what you’ve made and a little description about it so we can make a sign for the sale. If it has unusual ingredients let us know! That can often be a wonderful selling point.
• Please keep everything nut free.
• If you want your dish, plate or containers or other loaned supplies returned to you, please let us know.

IF YOU ARE ASSISTING WITH THE SALES THE DAY OF:

• You are welcome to bring your children with you but please let us know in advance. We will have a small area set up for them with art supplies and books and just want to be sure we have enough items for everyone.
• We are looking to have 4 people per shift and each shift will last 2 hours. If you are able to work longer than 2 hours please let us know.
• The polls are open from 6:00am to 8:00pm.
• Shifts are first come first choice.

Again thank you so very much for your help and support with this sale.

We couldn’t do it without you!

If you have any questions, concerns or need more information please feel free to contact Diana Whittles either by email: Vittin@optonline.net or by phone (201)683-7581.

PTO Info

Hello Parents!

I hope you are all finding your kindergarteners settled nicely into their school routine and anticipating many fun fall and holiday activities. The PTO has met several times and is very busy taking on new initiatives, tackling existing issues, and planning fun events that will continue to make Brandt’s kindergarten program a wonderful place to learn and grow for our children.

The next PTO meeting will be held on November 9th, from 7-9 pm in the Brandt cafeteria. We encourage all parents to attend and welcome all points of view. If you would like to be sent reminders about upcoming meetings and events, please send your email address to sarahcavill@gmail.com

To view all of the minutes from previous meetings, please go to http://brandt-pto.blogspot.com/

If you are interested in joining a PTO subcommittee, or helping out with one, there are still spots available. For a list of committees, please contact jillsullivan1@gmail.com or speak to Principal Vega who will be able to direct you to Jill or Sarah.


Upcoming Events


Rooftop Pumpkin Patch:
Hay bales and pumpkins will decorate our rooftop play area, creating Brandt’s own pumpkin patch. The children will decorate the pumpkin they “pick.” Thanks to the class parents and Ms.Tregenza, for organizing this great activity. Wednesday, October 28, during recess.

Halloween Party:
Costumes! Games! Treats! Our Halloween spooktacular will take place in the Brandt cafeteria. Volunteers will be needed, so please speak to Jill, Sarah or your class parent about what you can contribute. There will also be a sign-up sheet next week at pick-up and drop-off. Friday, October 30th, 1-2:30.

Thanks and have a happy autumn!

Sarah Cavill – PTO co-chair
Jill Sullivan – PTO co-chair
Kathleen Keilman – PTO treasurer

1. Attendees signed in, providing all contact information, and were directed to the donation bag for the Hoboken Shelter that will be at all meetings. There were approximately 16 parents in attendance, as well as Edith Vega.
2. PTO Blog:
• a) The blog will continue to post the meeting minutes, as well as upcoming meeting dates, and school events.
• b) The blog cannot be password protected in a manner that makes it easily accessible to all parents.
• c) Parents who do not want their names included should contact Sarah Cavill or Jill Sullivan.
• d) There will not be photos on the blog.
3. Finalize Committees and Expectations:
• a) Most of the committees are finalized, although there are many spots still open on the Start-Up Task Force committee.
• b) There will be 15 minutes at the end of each PTO meeting for groups to get together, but committees also need to meet outside of the PTO meetings. This will keep projects moving forward.
• c) The committees will be expected to pick a committee chairperson who will brief the PTO at each meeting on their committees’ progress.
• d) When organizing events for the Brandt Kindergarten, the committees should go through PTO chairs Sarah and Jill, who will coordinate with Ms. Vega. This will help avoid overlapping events or conflicts with other school activities.
• e) The class parent committee will help coordinate with the teachers about assistance needed with Brandt Kindergarten events, such as volunteering, baking, sign-up sheets and classroom activities that coincide with an event, like the holiday food drive. They will also coordinate events within their own classroom.
4. Halloween Plan:
• a) The Halloween party will include all five kindergarten classes and will be held in the cafeteria on Friday, October 30th, from 1-2:30.
• b) Parents and siblings will be invited.
• c) Volunteers will be asked to bake, decorate, bring decorations and other items and run the party activities. There will be sign-up sheets at drop off and pick up, which the Family Fun committee will coordinate with the class parents and teachers.
• d) The Family Fun committee will also talk with Mr. Scott about the children creating decorations for the party.
5. Thanksgiving Food Drive:
• a) There will a box in each classroom decorated by the children, for collecting non-perishable food items.
• i) This will coincide with an afterschool event coordinated by the PTO for the Brandt kindergarten which might include a movie night and snacks, after the children make placemats and sandwiches for the Hoboken Shelter or similar. This is a follow up item for the November agenda.
• b) The Food Drive is just one component of a “Community Service in the Classroom’ objective that the Enrichment committee would like to encourage. Other projects could include recycling bins in the classroom, a toy drive, a ‘pjs and book ‘drive, and collecting toiletries for local nursing homes.
• i) The Enrichment committee will also coordinate with teachers about ways to communicate these efforts to the children that are age appropriate and comprehensive.
6. Follow-Up Items from 9/21 Meeting:
• a) Spanish Teacher:
• i) Vanessa Falco contacted Assistant Superintendent Rusack about Brandt getting a Spanish teacher that isn’t also the principal. She scheduled a meeting with him to further discuss the issue. This is a follow up item for the November agenda.
• ii) Ms. Vega has established Thursday as the Spanish day.
• b) Schedule comparison with other schools:
• i) Michal Prevor contacted Wallace and found out that they have Spanish two days a week, as well as science lab. They split their art and music, with each being taught for half of the year. Michal, Ms. Vega and other PTO members will contact Calabro and Connors about their schedules. This is a follow up item for the November agenda.
• c) Chartwells:
• i) Billing will take place at the end of the month and menus will be available. Further concerns about the quality of the food will have to be taken up with Chartwells by the Enrichment committee.
• d) Pick up and Drop off:
• i) Most parents seem satisfied with the system. There was discussion of having every Friday of the month a day that parents can go to the classroom for pick up a bit early. Allowing the parents to see the classroom. This is a follow up item for the November agenda.
• e) Uniform survey:
• i) Many in the district have received a survey about the uniforms, but Brandt parents have not. Ms. Vega is going to look into this.
• f) “Lockdown Drill”
• i) There was discussion of creating a security procedure like the one at Wallace. Ms. Vega said that she was working on this.
• g) Tools of the Mind:
• i) Jessica Peters was not able to attend the October 5th PTO meeting, so further discussion of a Tools seminar for parents or a Tools presentation was moved to the November agenda.
7. 7. Additional items:
• a) PTO treasurer Kathleen Keilman will be setting up a PTO bank account and simple procedures for reimbursement, etc.
• b) The children will be attending the play Lily’s Plastic Purse at the Monroe Center. Dates and cost TBD.
• c) Fundraising ideas were discussed and they included ‘Smencils,’ box tops and a silent auction.
8. The next PTO meeting is November 9th, 7-9pm.

1. Attendees signed in and provided all contact information. There were approximately 20 parents in attendance, as well as Jessica Peters, Edith Vega and the PTO president from Calabro School.

2. Review of immediate concerns from the PTO meeting on September 10.

• a) Spanish Teacher/specials:
• I) PTO member Vanessa Falco went to the Board of Education (BOE) meeting on Tuesday, September 15th and expressed the PTO’s concern that our children weren’t getting Spanish instruction. This has been temporarily resolved by having Ms. Vega teach Spanish as a 6th special subject. Vanessa has agreed to continue pursuing a separate teacher for Spanish. This is a follow-up item for the next agenda
• II) There was also agreement that Mr. Scott was well received by the children as their new specials teacher.
• III) The issue of individual teachers for each special was addressed and it was decided that the PTO would pursue this as a top priority for 1st grade
• b) Bike Rack:
• I) Bike racks have been ordered for the school. Timing TBD.
• c) Roof playground:
• I) The playground will be installed on 10/16. Hula-hoops, jump ropes, balls, etc. are now available for use by the kindergarten classes during recess.
• d) Nutrition:
• I) Flavored milk has been discontinued, as has breakfast in the classroom. The PTO’s Start-Up Task Force will take up the issue of the quality of the lunch food with provider Chartwells, as well as distribution and clarity of the weekly menu and billing. Ms. Peters will also be meeting with Chartwells. This is a follow-up item for the next agenda
• II) If you want your child to have a snack you must send it with them. The teacher will build snack time in as needed.
• III) The children do not have access to water in the classroom, but it is provided on the 3rd floor.
• e) Drop off/pick up:
• I) The new sign in and sign out system seems to be working relatively well. There are still concerns about the teachers not carrying a list of approved people or verifying Ids, when a non-guardian picks up a child.
• II) There is also a clog of parents at the double-doors where teachers are bringing the children through at the end of the day. It was discussed that parents should stand at the tables, away from the doors, to make drop-off less crowded. Items I and II are follow-up items for the next agenda.
• f) Tools of the Mind:
• I) There is no Tools curriculum for 1st grade. The curriculum that will be used for 1st grade is called Lit Life and the children will be prepared throughout the year with Tools for a transition to this new curriculum.
• II) There was discussion of the PTO’s Student Enrichment committee working with Jessica Peters to have an additional presentation of Tools given to the kindergarten parents, as well as possibly sending a parent representative to a Tools workshop.
• g) 1st Grade:
• I) At this point we don’t know if there will be 1st grade at Brandt or where our kindergarten classes will be attending 1st grade. This will be an ongoing task for the PTO’s Start Up Committee and the School Leadership Committee (SLC).

3. PTO Committees and the SLC:

• a) Based on information from other PTO leaders and Ms. Vega, a decision was made to keep the PTO focused on fundraising, student enrichment and fun activities for Brandt families. This will be handled through committees. Parents at the meeting volunteered for several committees and parents who weren’t at the meeting will also have an opportunity to volunteer. It was suggested that a committee chair be appointed within each committee. That person will speak at each PTO meeting, explaining their progress and goals. The committees include:
• I) The Start-Up Task Force (STF): This committee will be responsible for tackling immediate concerns such as facilities (bike rack, playground) and health and safety (nutrition, sign-in/sign-out) and the long-term issue of a location for 1st grade. The formation of this committee will assist the PTO in staying focused on its students and families, instead of becoming overwhelmed with these other issues.
• II) Parent-Teacher committee: This committee will include a volunteer from each classroom, which can be the class parent or another volunteer. This committee will assist in organizing class parties and activities during teacher appreciation week.
• III) Student Enrichment: This committee will be responsible for planning assemblies or presentations with speakers (firefighter, photographer, etc), school-wide field trips and monitoring what is going on in other kindergarten classes that we might want (science, prep for G&T and tracking in 1st grade, etc.). They will also look into the quality of Brandt’s wraparound care.
• IV) Fundraising: This committee will be responsible for raising money through a variety of avenues. A general request for donations was made, which would help get the PTO started. The Calabro PTO president said that paper boosters have been very effective for her. The sale of cookie dough, wrapping paper, chocolates, etc was also discussed. As well as a silent auction.
• V) Family Fun/Community: This committee would be responsible for organizing things like movie night, pasta night, and other family fun nights. The PTO discussed having a family night or event once a month, beginning with a Halloween party. They would also help coordinate an activity for the children to do with one of the local shelters, like make sandwiches or placemats. There will be a box at each PTO meeting for the collection of non-perishable food items. This can be delivered to the shelter by a different class each month or by a PTO parent.
• VI) There will also be a School Leadership Committee (SLC). The School Leadership Committee is a small group of parents, teachers and administrators that work together to give direction on solving school issues and developing school initiatives, as well as helping students meet the Dibbles and TerraNova testing goals. Ms. Vega will be inviting a few parents and teachers to join the SLC. An SLC representative will update parents at PTO meetings.

4) Meetings and communications:

• a) Future meeting dates are: October 5th, November 9th and December 7th.
• b) There will be a PTO blog with calendar updates, PTO news and the meeting minutes. The address is brandt-pto.blogspot.com The blog will be closed to comments and there was discussion of having it password protected.

5) Organization structure:

• a) Jill Sullivan (Mackenzie’s mom) and Sarah Cavill (Mimi’s mom) were selected as co-chairs and Kathleen Keilman (Charlotte’s mom) will serve as treasurer.

1. Set date & time for next 2 meetings.

• a. Monday, September 21, 7-9pm, Brandt Cafeteria
• b. Monday, October 5, 7-? (9pm latest), Brandt Cafeteria
• c. Propose 1st Monday of each month thereafter (Nov. 2 & Dec 7 for remainder of 2009 schedule)

2. Proposed Committees for PTO

• a. Room Mothers Committee: act as liaison between the classroom mothers. Includes such things as coordinating holiday plans (i.e. Halloween parade, Thanksgiving “meal”, etc.), implementing phone chains, birthday celebration coordination/standard (once a month for all kids born in the month).
• b. Assembly Committee: coordinate and recruit school assemblies for all K classrooms (ex. fire safety, others)
• c. Parent/Teacher Committee ????: coordinate activities for teacher appreciation week (I need to clarify this)
• d. Fundraising Committee: organize all fundraising efforts for PTO, seek out donations for school (from parents, businesses in Hoboken), and report on funds raised and distribution of funds.
• e. Facilities Committee: decide on things that need to be done in the school building (bike racks, roof top playground, garden)
• f. Health & Safety Committee: monitor procedures that ensure safety of our children, like pick-up drop-off process. Address health concerns regarding food choices available to students, cleanliness in regard to spreading of germs, and providing classrooms with necessary tools to keep our kids healthy (hand washing, kid friendly hand sanitizer, tissues, Lysol wipes, etc,)
• g. Enrichment Committee: Communicate to parents on curriculum updates, extracurricular activities and programs, partner with other schools on programs (like science club), gifted & talented tracking for next year.

3. Immediate Concerns that need to be addressed

• a. Spanish Classes: Spanish is not being offered at Brandt but is offered at all other K classrooms in district. This is unacceptable.
• i. Action Plan:
• 1. Speak at BOE Meeting on Tuesday, 9/15 at the Public Portion of the meeting regarding the hiring of Michael Scott who will be hired as the Brandt specials teacher but is not qualified to teach Spanish. (Vanessa will represent us at the meeting) Perhaps she can give an update at meeting?
• 2. Letters to the BOE after the meeting (do we need to make general talking points for those who want to write a letter?)
• 3. Petition (if necessary)
• b. Playground on the roof: should be installed within 5 weeks of this meeting (by 10/16).
• i. We would like the safety of the fence double checked
• ii. How do we address other equipment that should be available up there (i.e. hula hoops, jump ropes, playground balls, etc.)?
• iii. Where to store other equipment so that it is exclusive to the kindergarten students (can we get a shed for storage)
• iv. Can we look into a tarp to extend the “life” on the roof, as it gets colder to block the wind? Something that is removable.
• c. Bike rack at kindergarten entrance:
• i. Should be addressed by the fundraising & facilities committee as a priority
• d. Quality of food offering: Breakfast is too sugary & lunch offering needs to be looked at with Chartwells.
• i. Is there a way to control the menu?
• ii. Can we control what our kids are allowed to eat (only what we pack for them, offering breakfast)
• iii. How is snack addressed in classroom
• iv. Should be addressed by the Health & Safety Committee
• e. Drop Off & Pick Up Procedures: suggested new sign in & sign out procedures to make hand off more official.
• i. Drop off: Parent will sign in student with teacher on a class list clipboard. When teacher leaves the cafeteria she will be at the head of the line & the assistant will be at the end of the line. They will then count their students to make sure that it matches who was signed in on their clipboard before going up the stairs.
• ii. Pick up: Teacher will have class list clipboard so that the students can be signed out. The teacher should also be carrying a list of approved people that are allowed to pick up their students in case the usual pick up person is not there. Parents should make an effort to communicate to the teacher if the usual person will not be picking up their student.

4. Speak with leaders of PTO at other schools

• a. Jill Sullivan to call PTO reps from Wallace, Calabro and Conners to get feedback & suggestions.

5. Board Meetings: we will be asking PTO members to volunteer to take turns attending board meetings. Occasionally, that will involve speaking during the public portion of the meeting to directly address our needs & concerns.

6. Brandt Parent Handbook: Edith Vega & Jessica Peters need parent volunteers to help pull together a parent handbook. This will involve adapting a handbook from another school & making it specific to Brandt. The final handbook will be translated into Spanish using resources provided by the district.

This blog will be a tool to help the Kindergarten parent community stay informed and up-to-date on the activities and discussions of the PTO.