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- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. 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.
- The next PTO meeting is November 9th, 7-9pm.