Mitchell Elementary PTA General Meeting
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Call to Order:
The General Meeting of the Mitchell PTA was held in the cafeteria on October 20, 2015. The meeting was called to order at 6:34 p.m. by President Deb Sledge, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attendance:
See attached sign-in sheet. A quorum was established.
Reading and Approval of the Minutes:
A motion was made by Tina Boyer to approve the minutes of the September 1, 2015 General Board meeting as distributed. The motion was seconded and passed.
Officer Reports:
President’s Report (Ms. Sledge):
Ms. Sledge reviewed the events so far this school year in which the PTA has been involved, including RIF, Walk to School Day, the Fun Run, and our After School Enrichment Programs, and reported that all committees are up and running for the school year. We are looking forward now to the Fall Festival. Tomorrow night will be a Spirit Night. The Bobcat Buddies program also got started this week.
Ms. Sledge reported that the PTA provides volunteers for the Book Fair and for picture day, and asked that anyone who wants to be involved in these activities, or anything else, let either her or Catie Witherspoon, the Vice President of Volunteers, know.
Ms. Sledge extended a special thank you to Lisa Woodward for chairing this year’s Fun Run, which was a huge success. She also mentioned by name many of this year’s committee chairs as well as the Executive Committee.
Vice President of Ways and Means (Ms. Hart):
Ms. Hart discussed our newly revamped Sponsorship programs, and said that so far Mitchell has over 23 business and 19 family sponsors. Approximately $20,000 has been donated in sponsorships so far this year in connection with this program. She extended a special thank you to Amy Smith, who took the Sponsorship program and created it from scratch for this school year. She also thanked all the sponsors for their support. She asked that anyone with comments or suggestions on the Sponsorship program to get in touch with her.
Treasurer’s Report (Ms. Russell):
Ms. Russell reviewed the Budget-to-Actual Report and the Treasurer’s Report that she distributed at the meeting (copies attached). She said that so far we are on track with respect to our revenue targets for events that have already taken place. She pointed out the After School Enrichment Program, which is new, and said that it is intended to be run by the PTA at breakeven, although because it is a new program it could vary a little from breakeven. She reiterated that the financial records of the PTA are an open book, and encouraged anyone with questions or concerns to call or e mail her at any time.
Standing Committees:
Membership (Ms. Witherspoon for Ms. Walters):
Ms. Witherspoon encouraged everyone present to formally join the PTA. She pointed us to the link on the PTA website. All paid members will get their membership card and spirit stick this week.
Family Outreach (Ms. Breen and Ms. DeMarcay):
Ms. DeMarcay and Ms. Breen reported that the purpose of the Family Outreach Committee is to provide assistance to Mitchell families in need, as well as assistance to our partner school, Dunbar Magnet Elementary. They said that 80% of the students at Dunbar participate in the free or reduced lunch programs. The Fall is a busy time of year for the Outreach Committee. This coming week, the committee will be collecting gently used Halloween costumes.
The next project will be Treats for Troops, in which we will collect student’s Halloween candy on November 2d and 3rd and send them to the Troops. They asked that chocolate be separated from the rest of the candy. Randall Diaz, a local dentist, is collecting candy and will be mailing it to the Troops. Students who participate in both the costume collection and Treats for Troops will receive a spirit stick.
Two additional upcoming projects are the Holiday gift card drive and the December Bobcat Holiday tree.
Fall Festival (Ms. Hart):
Ms. Hart reported that the Fall Festival is quickly approaching and will be held Friday November 13, 2015 from 5 – 7:30 p.m. Flyers for presales will go home in the next two weeks. A lot of volunteers will be needed, and a link will be sent out to sign up via volunteer spot.
Fun Run (Ms. Bland for Ms. Woodward):
Ms. Bland reported that the Fun Run, which is the PTA’s biggest fundraiser for the year, was a huge success, and raised $39,024, which well exceeded our $30,000 goal. This year we had given a suggested donation of $50. She said that the PTA’s website has a detailed explanation of how the PTA spends all money that it raises. She thanked everyone for their support and all volunteers who helped. Friday October 30 a pep rally will be held to announce the class who raised the most money. Also, since the goal was met, Ms. Anderson and Mr. Moon will be performing, by popular demand, the Whip and the Nae Nae.
Guest Speakers:
SAC (Kathy Hill):
Ms. Hill is the Chair of the SAC Committee. She said that the SAC has two goals: (1) to differentiate instruction for each student, and (2) to become more involved at Mitchell. The SAC works to create the School Improvement Plan and implement it. They normally meet the first Thursday of each month. The meetings are open to all.
Ms. Hill also mentioned that another goal for this year is to address tardies, and she asked that all those present do their best to be sure that their students are on time to school. She said that we will be introducing two new “At Home” programs this year: Keyboarding Without Tears and iReady Math.
Principal’s Report (Ms. Anderson):
Ms. Anderson began by reinforcing the importance of what Ms. Hill had said about the need for students to be ON TIME to school every day. She thanked everyone present for their support of Mitchell and for sending their children to Mitchell.
Ms. Anderson asked for special recognition and a round of applause for the following teachers: Ms. Clemente, Ms. Tierney, Ms. Mirasola, Ms. Brown and Ms. Hill.
Ms. Anderson reported that our student body now stands at 668 students, which is our highest enrollment ever. She said that report cards would be going home on November 9th.
Finally, Ms. Anderson asked for a special recognition and applause for Ms. Roberts and Coach J for all their hard work and contributions to the school.
Announcements:
See Agenda for important dates and annoucements (attached).
No further business. The formal meeting was adjourned at 7:00 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: ________________
