Teach Booster Meeting Minutes January 2013

Meeting Minutes - January 2013
Teach Boosters Meeting
Room 27, Teach School

January 11, 2013

Attendance: Riana Baxter, Dan Block, Erin Clausen, Penni Daugherty, Amy Jacobs, Mignon Jones, Summer Kabaker, Doris Kim, Marie Neumann, Robin O'Leary, Kate Poeschl

Summer Kabaker announced that she was standing in for President Idona Cabrinha, as Idona is out of town. Summer called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.

I. Welcome

Summer thanked those who ordered the Teach calendar and said that the effort raised about $100 for the school.

II. Reading and Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting

The minutes from the December 2012 meeting were distributed throughout the room, and people were given a few minutes to review them. Kate Poeschl then motioned that we approve the minutes, and Marie Neumann seconded. The minutes were approved.

III. Treasurer's Report

Marie Neumann distributed an updated Profit & Loss statement. She said that things look good and that collection efforts are going well. She said that there is now less than $16K to collect by the end of the school year.

Marie further reported that Mrs. Robson's class donated $502 to the General Fund; the money was raised through their sale of homemade goods.

The group discussed the fact that next year the Boosters won't be invoicing families as we are this year. Per AB 1575, all money has to be raised for the General Fund. In addition, all money needs to be in before trips can happen.

A question was raised regarding what will happen to the money in the CD and the balance of funds should the Teach program be eliminated by the board. No one seemed to have an answer for this question at this point.

IV. Principal's Report

Mr. Block joined the group and got right to his report. He said that the Geography Bee is being held this afternoon and that the content is quite challenging. He said that our students are grouped in the "middle school" category and that their questions are at this level. That said, he said that our students tend to do well and have fun with the event, which produces a winner who will advance to compete further.

Mr. Block reported that he talked this week with Idona Cabrinha, Booster president, regarding the 5th grade field trip and transportation issues. Originally, there was only one bus option that allowed for 54 people. (Our trip will have 56 students plus teachers and chaperones.) A bus was found that seats 6 more people, so that the bus will carry all of the kids, plus two teachers and two chaperones.

Next week is the school board meeting at which there will begin to be discussion of the BP/Teach enrollment and capacity issues. It will be held at the Lizzie Street facility (Room J2), and the open session will begin at 6:00 p.m. The agenda will be posted online prior to the meeting.

Robin O'Leary reminded the Boosters that parents can write a letter through the school board's web site; it will go to all board members and be included in the minutes. Letters should highlight Teach's value as an asset to the community.

Riana Baxter pointed out that the front page of today's Tribune included an article highlighting Gov. Brown's desire to add to K-12 funding. Mr. Block pointed out that even with help, including the recent measures passed, administrators are predicting a letdown in funding next year.

Robin highlighted that school board members really want to hear from parents and students and that letters can be a powerful tool.

Mr. Block wrapped up his report by reminding us that the Variety Show is coming up and that it is a great event that allows some kids who might not otherwise stand out to shine while sharing their special skills and talent.

V. Old Business

A. Electives: Summer reported that electives started yesterday and that they went well, with only a couple of minor hiccups. Mrs. Robson jumped in to lead the CPR class, which was slightly modified when the original parent instructor did not show. Robin O'Leary mentioned that as the poetry teacher, she was quite impressed with the students' interest and effort.

B. Variety Show: Beyond what had already been discussed, Mr. Block mentioned that Dondi Hubley is helping with the singers and that Mr. Crabb, Miss Bailey, and Mrs. Robson are also helping out. He said that they have a lot of acts and are working on quick transitions to that the show runs as smoothly and quickly as possible.

C. Communication/Blog: Sunshine Cowgill is now making updates to teachboosters.org. This is the site for all boosters-related info now.

D. Creeky Tiki Event: Riana Baxter reported that the tickets are $40/pp prior to the event and $50/pp at the door. She also read a list of donated items. Mignon Jones asked if anyone had approached Grenada hotel/restaurant and said that a donation from them would be a good addition.

Riana said that she will send out an email with an attachment that includes the form letter for soliciting donations.

Robin O'Leary recapped the idea of the bid board and the group discussed a few possible events that could be included. Robin and Mr. Block will talk to the teachers Monday morning about helping with bid board items.

Marie Neumann asked if we had physical tickets that we could sell to friends and neighbors. There will indeed be printed tickets and parents are encouraged to sell them to anyone interested in attending.

The group discussed tickets for teachers and agreed that teachers will not be asked to pay to attend. Kate Poeschl generously offered to cover the cost of one guest per teacher.

A flyer highlighting the event and including a ticket order form went home yesterday.

Mignon Jones said that she will cover the decor.

E. Scrip: Paige Wright wasn't here to report on this item. It was mentioned again that we likely won't be able to do individual student accounts after this year. Mr. Block said that until we get AB 1575 compliance issues spelled out, we will continue as we have been operating.

VI. New Business

A. Nominating Committee: Summer reported that the Boosters needs about three people to form a nominating committee to create a slate of officers to be voted on for next year. The timeline is that the committee will create the slate in March and the election will be held in April.

B. Bookkeeper: There was brief discussion regarding the fact that we may be able to reduce our reliance on the bookkeeper (and minimize her hours) once AB 1575 changes are implemented.

C. March-a-Thon: Summer reported that this event will be held in April, and that it is an easy and fun fundraiser. The students get sponsors for their running and walking, and add'l funds are raised through t-shirt sponsors. There is a joint meeting with BP PTA next week, and further details will follow. It was noted that the fact that there is some time between the Creeky Tiki event and the March-a-thon will likely help fundraising efforts.

D. Other fundraising ideas: Summer said that it is very helpful for Booster parents to continue thinking about and helping with other fundraising ideas. She mentioned Urbane Cafe and said that they would be willing to help; this would be an easy task for a parent volunteer because it basically means picking the date with Urbane Cafe and helping get the word out to parents. Marie Neumann mentioned that she had also talked to Snofari about a similar effort.

The group discussed doing something like the Applebee's fundraiser at the Elks Lodge, possibly toward the end of the year when we might make use of the pool. There may be an issue with a facility fee, so we need to determine that before moving ahead.

Riana Baxter suggested a movie night, which is done at Sinsheimer and Hawthorne. We could sell pizza and popcorn at this event. Mr. Block said that something similar has been done in the past, and it seemed that the group thought this was a good idea.

E. Class Reps

Summer read a brief recap from Mrs. Bailey. Amy Jacobs also reported that Taffy Gonzalez is working on a circus theme for the class donation to the Creeky Tiki auction (also Bailey).

VII. Announcements

Summer said that Idona is looking for a partner to attend the meetings hosted by Dr. Prater and urged anyone interested to contact Idona for details.

Summer then motioned to adjourn the meeting and Mignon Jones seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 9:17 a.m.