Columbus Gifted Academy PTO Meeting Notes: August 17, 2015

Time: 6:37 p.m.

Administrator Report:
Mrs. R:

1. “A real sprucer upper!” Thank you’s for the successful Spruce Up. Partnered with neighborhood personalities, the power of everyone working together.
2. Kudos & New Glory
   1. The flag pole has been rehabilitated. The district has no flags available. Antique flag pole, the district will look at what flag sizes are needed.
   2. Formal flag dedication ceremony after school starts
   3. Need volunteers (scouts and students 9 – 3 correlate welcome packets, unpack the classrooms books. (4-5 parents each day) over the next week
3. Extensive welcome letter went into the mail today, including lunch, transportation, classroom assignments, forms, other information as well,
4. Back to school night next monday 6:00 p.m. Scholars are invited to bring school supplies early. Student schedules, turn in forms, meet teachers, informal gathering
   1. Parking: carpool, stagger arrivals to Back to School night
5. Parking in General: Following Stewart’s parking plan with tweaks
6. TRANSPORTATION – If you do not receive the route information by Friday, that is the Time to call transportation (614) 365-5074.
   1. First 2 weeks of school buses will be late.
   2. If you don’t receive the packet in the mail by Friday, that is time to call.
7. Class size:
   1. back of building is mostly middle school
   2. 2 5th grade classrooms & instruments in the basement
   3. 2nd floor is Dr Boyle & Gifted Specialists/Main office
   4. 6th grade is 50
   5. 7th grade 17
   6. 8th grade 35
   7. 3rd grade: 17 per class
   8. 4th grade: 16 per class
   9. 5th grade 18 – 19 per class
8. Security:
   1. Parents are asked to use the front entrance, video identification. No signouts after 3 p.m. radio that patches directly to police
   2. Safety and security officers in the area
   3. City police have stopped by to say hello and let admin know they are available
   4. The district will implement an ID system that uses drivers licenses to check people in
9. SAVE THE DATES:
   1. B2School Night Monday 6 – 7:30 p.m.
   2. 1st day of school 8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m., dismissing students at 8:50 a.m. school starts at 9 a.m.; if your scholar is late, you will still get breakfast
   3. All forms are due the 2nd week of school
   4. Friday Sept 4th
   5. Mon Sept 7th no school
   6. Sept 11th Grades 6-8 Ohio History Center
   7. Sept 18th Grades 6-8 Zoo
   8. PTO meetings 3rd monday of each month
   9. School photo schedules in progress
10. Flags:
    1. Printing paper flags for classrooms until we have real flags for all the classrooms
    2. Daughters of the American Revolution, very excited that we contacted them, 5 from one chapter, 6 another chapter. Offering to help in other ways.

Officers’ Reports

President: Eve Hathaway

1. Last board meeting: Website hosting by Meeker family, voted to transfer it over to the PTO
2. Parking and Safety Committee:
   1. Few people in the morning to get to school at 8:30 a.m. to help direct people around the school at key locations. Approximately finished at 9:05 am – 9:10 am looking, about a month people are into the routine
   2. German Village has special events throughout the year. Volunteers to be in charge of event parking to help raise funds for the PTO
   3. Neighborhood community members a possibility
3. Volunteering Throughout the Year:
   1. `Shelving Books
   2. Destination Imagination, fluency in foreign languages for clubs
   3. Middle school mock trial
   4. Middle School Field trips
   5. Noon – 1 p.m. Secretarial help in the office to allow the secretary to go to lunch, answering phones & greeting people who come in, contact Mrs. R
   6. Library assistance during the school day
   7. Help in the Lunch Room

Vice President: Christina McMenemy

• Fundraising:
• Committee has been working on ideas that will meet what people were looking for in different types of funding
• Box Tops for Education and 2 Book Fairs during Parent/Teacher Conference during parent/teacher conferences
• Calendar of fundraising events to run by the admin and for board vote then pushed out to the people
• Membership Committee:
• Next week at the back to school night, forms ready to go, getting people signed up or pay online for your dues.
• If anyone is interested with the committee itself or staffing the table see Erica Reaves.
• Spruce Up Committee:
• Thank you!
• Communications Committee:
• Cooperative between the school and the PTO
• The School has a Google calendar and PTO has a calendar Widget on the PTO site
• School Twitter Page
• Use both digital & paper customized template that makes it easy to go back and forth
• The PTO has bulletin board & storage

Treasurer: Robert Meeker

1. $1,564.79 in the bank
   1. Spent $20.50 on checks.
   2. Money raised just through parents and friends of parents

New Business

1. Voting on Bylaws:
   1. Up or Down Vote Needed
   2. Changed wording to clarify “member in good standing” and dues verbiage
   3. Motioned carried to approve Bylaws
2. Motion to approve use of $200 giftcard to Walmart originally intended for Spruce Up Day to buy 25 fans school fans
   1. Vote taken, motion carried.

Announcements
Next meeting is 09/21/2015 at 7 p.m., Columbus Gifted Academy

Meeting Adjourned At: 7:41 p.m.
Minutes Compiled By: Terreece M Clarke, Secretary