Mitchell Elementary PTA General Meeting
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Call to Order:
The General Meeting of the Mitchell PTA was held in the cafeteria on May 12, 2015. The meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. by President Shannon Gittleman, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Elizabeth Breen and Amelia Bell, Mitchell fourth graders.
Attendance:
See attached sign-in sheet. A quorum was established.
Reading and Approval of the Minutes:
A motion was made by Jenny Hart to approve the minutes of the March 3, 2015 General Board meeting as distributed in hard copy at the meeting and available on the PTA website. The motion was seconded and passed.
Officer Reports:
President’s Report and Election of Officers (Ms. Gittleman):
Ms. Gittleman began her report by thanking all of the PTA officers and committee chairs who had served the PTA so well during the 2014-2015 school year.
Ms. Gittleman stated that the first order of business of the meeting was the election of officers for the PTA for the 2015-2016 school year. She reported that the Nominating Committee had nominated the following individuals to serve as upcoming PTA Officers:
- President Deborah Sledge
- VP Ways & Means Jenny Hart
- VP Volunteers & Membership Catie Witherspoon
- Treasurer Jenny-Ellen Russell
- Recording Secretary Becky Ferrell-Anton
- Corresponding Secretary Dee Dee Bland
Ms. Gittleman asked each of the individuals present at the meeting who had been nominated for an officer position to stand as their names were called. A motion was made by Caroline Green to approve the slate of officers nominated by the Nominating Committee for their respective positions during the 2015-2016 school year as set forth above. The motion was seconded and passed, and Ms. Gittleman congratulated the new Mitchell PTA Officers for the 2015-2016 school year.
Ms. Gittleman announced that the PTA still has an open position for a President-in-Training, and that this position could possibly be divided between two people. She encouraged members to contact either herself or Ms. Sledge if they are interested.
Ms. Gittleman then gave a short presentation regarding all of the programs that the PTA pays for each year, so that the members could understand more clearly what their membership dues as well as their contributions to, for example, the Fun Run, are utilized for. She also explained the items paid for by the PTA in contrast to those paid for by the Mitchell Foundation.
Treasurer’s Report and Budget Revision (Ms. Russell):
Ms. Russell distributed a list of proposed summer expenditures for consideration by and a vote of the membership of the PTA. She also distributed a Budget-to-Actual report and a Treasurer’s report. She encouraged questions from the membership, either at the meeting or via e mail, phone or in person at a later time.
Ms. Russell went over in detail the proposed summer expenditures and explained their purpose. The motion by Amy Smith to approve the proposed expenditures to be made over the summer of 2015 as presented was seconded and passed.
Standing Committees:
Spirit Store (Ms. Gobioff):
Ms. Gobioff reported that supply kits that were ordered in time would be available at Meet the Teacher. She said that the PTA does not make money on the supply kits, but merely provides them as a convenience for parents.
Ms. Gobioff also reported on changes to the online Spirit Store. She said that the PTA is switching from an in house Spirit Store to an outsourced vendor who will take orders online and then print items that are ordered on demand. The following items will be available: Bobcat hats and visors, and polos with Mitchell logos, in addition to the Spirit Shirts. Also, the PTA is selling off the old Spirit Shirts for $5 each. A table was available with the Spirit Shirts that are left so that they could be purchased at the meeting.
Heritage Night (Ms. Sledge for Ms. Hughes):
Ms. Sledge announced that Heritage Night will be Thursday, May 21 from 5 – 8 p.m. and encouraged everyone to come out for it.
Centennial Committee (Ms. Sledge):
Ms. Sledge reported that the last act of the Centennial Committee will be to prepare a time capsule and bury it near the Centennial sidewalk leading to the vegetable gardens. The capsule will be buried on June 1 at 8:45 a.m., and is expected to be reopened in 25 years.
Ms. Sledge, as incoming PTA President, also asked the membership to take a moment to recognize Ms. Gittleman for her outstanding contributions to the PTA as this year’s President and led the PTA in a round of applause thanking her.
GUEST SPEAKER:
Mitchell Foundation (Mr. Hill):
Mr. Hill, a Mitchell Dad with 5th grade daughter Sarah, said that the Foundation was started in 2004. The goal of the Foundation is to provide Mitchell with long term capital improvements. The Foundation in the past has raised funds which have been used to pay for the covered court, the fence, projectors, smart boards, and laptops. HeartStrings, the violin program, is run by a committee of the Foundation. This year, the Foundation will provide Mitchell with computer tables, landscaping, iPads, planters boxes, and more.
Mr. Hill asked the PTA membership for their help in terms of time, talent and resources. He encouraged all who are interested to get involved, and said that everyone is welcome. He also asked the membership to mark their calendars for February 20, 2016 for next year’s BobCat Bash.
Principal’s Report (Ms. Anderson):
Ms. Anderson reported that Mitchell has been awarded a grant through Two Revolutions program entitled “Think Big, Start Small”. The grant will provide 100 laptops and they will also provide training for the teachers and Mr. Moon.
Ms. Anderson also announced that she will be holding two meetings for parents of students in the gifted program. The first meeting will be May 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the Media Center and the second will be May 27 at 8 a.m. in the Media Center. Parents need to attend only one of these two meetings, at which time she intends to go over some changes to the program so that there will not be any surprises when the students return in the Fall.
Announcements:
See Agenda for important dates and annoucements (attached).
No further business. The formal meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m., followed by a performance by the Bobcat Chorus and the Strings, which ended at 7:30 p.m.
____________________________________
Becky Ferrell-Anton, Recording Secretary
Approved As:
Date: ___________________ Read: _________
Corrected: ________________
