Teach Boosters Meeting, February 6, 2015

Present: Board members Kurt Rightmyer, Melinda Keller, Brian Olson, Terrie Marshall and James McMillen.  Also present were Matt Wormley, Wendy Sylvester, CeRae Speidel, Mike Berger, Summer Kabaker, Mignon Jones and Laura Cooper.

Absent:  Board members Kimberley Wormley and Robyn O’Leary

Terrie moved to approve the January 9, 2015 minutes as they are; Melinda seconded the motion, all present voted aye, none opposed or abstaining.  People thanked Matt for getting the Teach Family Directory rolling!

Summer reported on the March-a-Thon giving a short history of how it worked when it was a shared event with Bishop Peak Elementary. Summer talked with the Fitness online fundraising group and having an event run with their services looks like a great idea.  This event would involve asking kids to get pledges over a 2 week time period, much of which can be done online.  There is a point system that incentivizes kids, then a Field Day (March 20^th) with different events (5 events per grade).  The plan was approved by teachers and students who are excited about doing something different than the March-a-Thon. We’d need to raise about $14,000 to clear $10,000 profit.  T-shirts are going to be ordered soon.  Melinda moves that the Boosters Club move forward with Funding Fitness/Tiger Games as a replacement for March-a-Thon as a fundraising activity set for March 20^th.  Brian seconded the motion, all present were in favor, none opposed or abstaining. 

Principal’s report: James says the teachers sent a special thank you for all the electives (special thanks to Kurt!).  They talked about having another session of electives toward the end of this year, pending parent ability to participate, of course.  The possibility of inviting Cal Poly profs or students to help was discussed but there was no specific action item taken on how to solicit that input.  ****ACTION ITEM: Kurt will look into the possibility of another round of Electives.****

The possible purchase of a sound system was discussed (see attachment).  The system is modular, high-quality and would come with Teach if it moves.  The rental for the variety show last night was $550 (this included speakers, 2 mics, and ??) but was reduced to $450.  There was discussion of district funding for this, but there does not appear to be funding for such a purchase, even though it is needed for assemblies.  In the past some MP rooms were constructed with a sound system.  The lifetime of the audio equipment was asked about, but there was no information from the supplier about this.  James said that the sound system is something that teachers have prioritized.  Brian spoke about the changes that must be made in terms of how Boosters have gone about seeking funding from parents in the past.  He posed the question: Do we keep a target cash balance and play that forward into the next year and make the events meet our budget?

James said this new Teach site has a Forbes grant ($80K, $27K spent on the innovation lab before James got here), part has been spent on professional development for teachers.  The intent was to make Teach a great school and bring the site up to current “tech” speed.  James spoke about the recent attention to how Boosters phrases fundraising to parents: he said that a local school decided to try to fund new computers and said, “per student, this is the recommended donation amount.”  A parent got upset and threatened to sue the district.  There was discussion of perhaps using the 10-45-15 image/information and description in presentations, but not on any published materials.  Wording would have to be careful to avoid the word “scholarship.”  We can add wording to the published materials that all donations are tax deductible. 

Melinda proposed a “Set-aside” fund earmarked for particular purchases during the year.  Any additional money that comes in above our goals could be set aside for purposes that have been prioritized such as a sound system.  Brian said that there are many discussions to be had about the “Rainy Day Fund” and what the size of that should be.  The March-a-Thon/Fitness Day may be tax deductible.  ****ACTION ITEM: Brian will check on if this is the case.****

James then disclosed that he actually went ahead and purchased the sound system out of the Forbes grant money.  If Boosters decides that it would like to and can support this purchase in the future, Boosters could reimburse the grant. 

James said that he and Teach staff want to go 1-to-1 with devices and the district gave money to update and replace some devices.  The district let us keep the “replaced” computers, and we have 30 Chromebooks, 30 iPads (this was purchased as part of Common Core funding), and 30 laptops.  Chromebooks are affordable and tie into free Google stuff that ties into education.  The district is now funding another class; they paid $10K for more Chromebooks that will be arriving soon.  See the attached sheet for what James/Staff are asking from Boosters. 

Melinda suggested that Boosters budget up front for one classroom’s worth of Chromebooks for the next fiscal year.

There was discussion of whether or not there will be a lottery for Teach next year.  Open House is March 18^th, and Open enrollment is the month of March.  ****ACTION ITEM: What should the Boosters presence at that meeting be?  Melinda and Laura expressed interest in being there.****** 

Mignon is doing the Book Fair, which starts the week of March 9^th.  She needs volunteers, especially for set up; Laura can help on Thursday and Friday. Discussion of location: MP room was discussed.  Art and music classes are held that week and they happen in MP room.  ****ACTION ITEM: Mignon will email Janet to send out a request for volunteers.  ****ACTION ITEM: Mignon will take a look at Signup Genius (ask CeRae for help).

Hours for the Fair were discussed: 12-3 pm Monday March 9 thru Friday March 13^th.  Teachers can use Scholastic Bucks to purchase books.

Kurt sent out thank you letters to all who participated in Electives.  He made sure people knew that they could submit receipts to Boosters for reimbursement, but so far, no one has.  There was short discussion of having another round of Electives, using same parents/class offerings but have kids take something they did not take previously, as long as burnout is not an issue, same schedule (Wednesdays). 

Brian talked about using the 6^th grade play as a fundraising exercise.

****ACTION ITEM: James will explore videographers for this purpose.  ****

There was a short discussion of Valentine’s Day parties.

****ACTION ITEM: Wendy asked about the poster boards from last year’s Open House (March 18^th); where are they?****  She pointed out that we need better photo representation of Camp Ocean Pines since it was new, and updated photos of Yosemite and Catalina. ****ACTION ITEM: CeRae will talk to Lorraine and Denise (Hospitality Chairs) about coordinating refreshments for Open House. 

Randi is working on the Craft Fair which has been rescheduled for May 6^th, the Wednesday before Mother’s Day. 

****ACTION ITEM:  Laura will forward Teresa Larson’s email to other Boosters people asking.  In this email, Teresa asked for help with word crafting how parents/students can access electronic resources from home.  Teresa recommended that a parent come to the library so Teresa can show them how to access these resources and asked Laura if she could do so.  Laura has not yet been able to match her schedule with Teresa’s.   

Kurt reported that Jeremy at Home Depot will donate a mister system for cooling during warmer days.  There was discussion of publicity for this: ideas were: kids could make a poster board that could be up at school and/or one that could be displayed at Home Depot.  ****ACTION ITEM: Could our publicity person Kate could assist with this?****   There was related discussion of how the sun heats up kids’ lunchboxes outside the classrooms, even on days that are sunny but not warm (and thus, many kids are throwing away their lunches rather than eating them).  Some ideas discussed were: large plastic chests that could shade the lunchboxes, or some awning material to shade a portion of the area directly against the exterior wall.

There being no further business, Brian moved to adjourn the meeting, Mike seconded, and all present were in favor, none opposed or abstaining.

Respectfully submitted,

Laura Cooper, secretary for Teach Boosters