PTA General Meeting #1 September 12, 2012 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: Brynn Conover ✤ 1st Vice President: Tanya Anderson ✤ 2nd Vice President: Maureen Tucker ✤ Treasurer: Patricia Castle ✤ Corresponding Secretary: Rebecca Feldwick ✤ Recording Secretary: Iraina Nelson

Budget Report

Budget Breakdown Expenses Income

Fundraising -“Make a Difference” donate directly to your PTA! Swansfield PTA Goal - $10,000 ✤ Kicking off our Swansfield PTA fall fundraiser with a Direct Donation. ✤ Unlike past fundraisers where we shared profit with a company providing products for our children to sell, this year 100% of all money raised will go directly to PTA sponsored school programs. ✤ Our PTA depends on the fall fundraiser to provide funds that our school uses for special classroom activities and supplies, events for families and for visiting artists, storytellers and scientists who enrich the experiences of our children. ✤ Please ask your relatives, friends, and neighbors to support our school and help us reach our goal of $10, ✤ It’s so easy to participate. A PTA Donation form was included in last week’s Monday folder. Please fill it out and send it back to school, with your donation, in your child’s Monday folder. Make your check payable to Swansfield Elementary PTA. ✤ You may also go to the PTA website at to print a donation form and return with your donation to school. You will find it on the main page of the website. ✤ FUNDRAISER ENDS ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 th

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 ✤ Grant researcher and writer - Work from home and research grant opportunities the school or PTA would qualify for, coordinate with administration, and write and submit grants. Past grants have funded Poet in Residence, and other artist residences. ✤ PTA Howard Delegate - Attend monthly meetings at night and report back to the PTA Board. ✤ Male Role Models - Collaborate with administration on ideas for increasing involvement of fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other male role models in the school. ✤ Wellness – Work with the school Wellness Committee and promote our involvement in Healthy Howard program. ✤ School Bank – Work with 5 th Graders to operate a school bank. ✤ Coordinator for After School classes - Research opportunities for Swansfield school to host after school activities ✤ 40 th Birthday – Chair birthday event for January/February timeframe ✤ Book Cart Accountant – Help 5 th Graders as they sell $1 books to our students.

Contact Committee Chairs to Learn More CommitteeCommittee Leads Carson Reading RoomKandice Dickover Cultural ArtsFreni Jani Hospitality and Teacher AppreciationScott Brown Volunteer CoordinatorRobin Downard Outside Sign NoticesChris Hoy International NightDarka Nebesh MembershipKim Stinnett/Munaza Ali Swansfield SwingsJenny Fetters/Michelle Sapp FundraiserTanya Anderson/Claire Mize Fundraiser – Box TopsAnne Brown Market DayKaren Giammalvo StridersMaureen Tucker/Jess 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 ✤ Change in Dismissal: All students leave through front doors. ✤ 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 this year for additional staff and family programs.  Intervention Teachers are working in every team to support small group instruction or serve as teachers of record. ✤ New to our Staff- Who is new in our school? ✤ Rita’s PBIS Fundraiser- next Wed. September 19 th ✤ Parent Volunteer Orientation- Before BTS Night on Wed. 9/20 th ✤ Redistricting Update ✤ Feasibility Study and Policy dictate that the BOE be presented options for schools nearing or exceeding 110% capacity. ✤ Joel Gallihue willing to come and answer questions at a late Sept. Coffee w/ Admin

Administration Report ✤ Classroom Size ✤ How we are addressing this through Schoolwide Title I  We Are Now a SCHOOLWIDE Title I School  We receive additional federal funding to support the academic needs of our students. Those funds are being used this year for additional staff and family programs.  Intervention Teachers are working in every team to support small group instruction or serve as teachers of record. ✤ Idea ✤ Redistricting update

Thank you ✤ Upcoming Events ✤ Parent Volunteer Orientation September 20 th ✤ Back to School Night October 3 and 4 ✤ Schools Closed November 5 and 6 ✤ PTA General Meeting #2 – November 8 ✤ Swansfield Swings November 14 ✤ Teacher Conferences November 19 and 20 ✤ Thanksgiving Holiday November