PTA General Meeting #1 October 3, 2013 Agenda - Goals - Budget - Fundraising - Volunteer Opportunities - Administration Update - Roundtable Discussion

Welcome ✤ Mission – Integrate efforts of parents, teachers, staff and students to create one community. ✤ Goals ✤ Increase PTA membership and family involvement ✤ Foster an inclusive environment that fully utilizes all volunteers, including male role models, and broader community members ✤ Enhance community outreach ✤ Maintain communication between the PTA and administration, staff and parents ✤ Encourage staff support of PTA activities ✤ Officers ✤ President: Iraina Nelson-Brooks ✤ 1st Vice President: Ali Tatum-Davis ✤ 2nd Vice President: Maureen Tucker ✤ Treasurer: Patricia Castle ✤ Corresponding Secretary: Open ✤ Recording Secretary: Jennifer Goldstein

Budget Report Swansfield PTA Proposed Budget ProposedActualVariance Carryover From Prior Year$10,563.83$16, Income Membership Dues$1, $1,554.00$ Fund Raising/Direct Donations$23, $10,346.69$13,353.31Fundraisers: Cash Back/Donations$7, $5,358.90$2,421.10Direct Donations Cultural Arts Grant$2, $1,990.00$10.00Catalog Sales Interest$0.00 $1.82($1.82)Book Fair, Restaurant Nights Total Income$35,280.00$19,251.41$16, Expenses PTA Dues (County/State/Nat'l)$1, $1,130.00$165.00Expense increased for the following: Fund Raising/Cash Back$3, $3,543.98($58.98)Curriculum Support PTA Admin/Communication$ $534.14$300.86Family Fun Nights Programs/Events$27, $19,576.73$8,388.27Health Promotion Insurance/Taxes/Registration$1, $408.39$1,291.61Cultural Arts Total Expenses$35,280.00$25,193.24$10,086.76Science Fair Effect on Carryover$0.00($5,941.83) Balance$10,563.83

Budget Breakdown Expenses Income

Fundraising Fundraising -“Make a Difference” donate directly to your PTA! Swansfield PTA Goal - $10,000 Fall Fundraising Thank you to all the families who made a donation to the PTA either through a direct donation or through our Fall catalog fundraiser. All order forms were due on Friday September 24th. Orders are scheduled to be delivered to Swansfield on Wednesday October 23rd. We will need volunteers to assist during with pick-up starting at 5:30pm. Please Claire Mize at if you are available. If you would like to make a direct donation to the PTA there's still time! Please go to the fundraising page on our website, SwansfieldPTA.org, and donate via PayPal, or send your donation to school in a sealed envelope labeled "PTA

Volunteer Opportunities STRIDERS – Now Fitness Fridays!!! ✤ Striders is a recess time activity where the students walk or run the 1/4 mile loop at the school to earn token prizes. ✤ We need at least 1 or 2 volunteers for 30 minute blocks between 11 and 2 on Fridays to encourage the students, manage the tracking cards, and hand out prizes. ✤ The Ben Carson Reading Room – the only one in Howard County! ✤ Ben Carson Reading room is a place where small groups of students can go during the day and read or be read to by a parent volunteer. ✤ We would love to have parents, grandparents, or guardians spend 30 minutes per week or every other week to either read to (Pre-K - 1st grades) or monitor 3-8 students as they read quietly to themselves (grades 1-5).

Additional Volunteer Opportunities ✤ PTA Howard Delegate - Attend monthly meetings at night and report back to the PTA Board. ✤ We are starting our Staff Appreciation days again for the new school year this is such a great way to say thanks to our staff. We have made it really easy and convenient this year by doing it all online with Sign up Genius. Our first month of luncheons is October. ✤ Please go to sign up genius there will be a flyer in the Monday folder. Please sign up for October, November or December--or if you want all 3!! Soon all the months will be up there and ready for signing up. Also please be sure to forward this information on to any other parents not on the list-that you know who would love to help out. ✤ Blessings in a Backpack needs volunteers to help pack backpacks Thursday afternoons.

Blessings in a Backpack ✤ Would you like to support those in our Swansfield Elementary School community who are in need of a little extra help? Blessings in a Backpack is a new program which will provide weekend food for some of our students. Please consider a donation of time (as a packing volunteer) or money. Donations can be made by check or online. ✤ Visit the Blessings in a Backpack website for more information or to make a donation: ✤ IMPORTANT: Be sure to specify Swansfield Elementary on either your check or online donation (instructions are on the website). ✤ If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Cindy at ✤ Alesia Richter, School Counselor ✤

Contact Committee Chairs to Learn More CommitteeCommittee Leads Carson Reading RoomMichelle McGuiness/ Gerald Stinnett Cultural ArtsFreni Jani / Munazza Ali Hospitality and Teacher AppreciationScott Brown Volunteer CoordinatorOpen Outside Sign NoticesChris Hoy International NightDarka Nebesh MembershipKim Stinnett Swansfield SwingsMichelle Sapp FundraiserClaire Mize Fundraiser – Box TopsAnne Brown Market DayStephanie Behel StridersJess Ayers

Roundtable Dialogue ✤ Areas of Focus ✤ What is working? ✤ What is not working? ✤ Where should we slow down? ✤ Where should we provide more resources? ✤ Any new ideas?

Administration Report ✤ Security Update: How are things going? ✤ Classroom Size: Staffing Formulas / Addressing Growth ✤ How we are addressing this through School-wide Title I  We receive additional federal funding to support the academic needs of our students. Those funds are being used for additional staff and family programs. Intervention Teachers are working in every team to support small group instruction or serve as teachers of record. ✤ School Improvement Focus- ✤ Sharing our three high-leverage strategies: ✤ Collaborative Planning, Classroom Focused Improvement Process and Integrating Technology to Inform Instruction/Assessment ✤ Harper’s Choice Public Education Forum- next Mon. October 7 = ✤ Volunteer Orientation: Great Turn-Out ✤ Mighty Men Underway! ✤ Great Ideas on streamlining support needs andways to help from home!

Thank you ✤ Friday, October 4Hispanic Achievement Liaison Parent 7:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria ✤ Monday, October 71 st Q Midterm Progress Report Goes Home ✤ Tuesday, October 8 Cultural Arts Assembly: Ssuuna Music Artist-in-Residence Kick-off in the Cafeteria 9:00 a.m.-9:45 a.m. 9:50 a.m.-10:35 a. ✤ 3 rd Grade Parent 6:30 p.m. in the 3 rd Grade Pod ✤ Thursday, October 10Primary Common Core Night for Language 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. ✤ Friday, October 11PICTURE DAY- Individual Pictures ✤ Monday, October 14Pre-K p.m. Field Trip to Clark’s Elioak 1:30 p.m.-2:50 p.m. ✤ Cultural Arts Assembly: Ssuuna Music Artist-in- Residence Finale in the Gym ✤ All Grades at 2:10 p.m. ✤ Tuesday, October 15Pre-K a.m. Field Trip to Clark’s Elioak 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. ✤ Wednesday, October 164 th Grade Field to the Maryland Science 9:30 a.m.-2:00p.m. ✤ Thursday, October 17EARLY DISMISSAL: Schools Close at 12:10 p.m. for Professional Development Day ✤ Friday, October 18SCHOOL CLOSED: MSEA Convention Day ✤ Thursday, October 24Intermediate Common Core Night for 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. ✤