FRIENDS EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES
CASTLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

OPEN MEETING

JUNE 15, 2007

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: ANN WARREN, STEVE ROOT, MICAH ROBERTS, LARRY DEMERS,  DAWN PLEW, YAEL APT, JOHN LAZAR, ESTELA HERNANDEZ, AND MARIA VON HARTZ

MEMBERS PRESENT:   DIANA TOOTHMAN, LORI BERMAN, ELAN LEVEY, TED HARSHBERGER, KELLEY REYNOLDS, AND GINNEAN SHAW

1.  MEETING WELCOME – 8:00 PM

MARIA WELCOMES ALL AND THANKS EVERYONE FOR COMING. AND THANKS VERY MUCH TO GINGER FOR HOSTING.

 

 

2. MARQUEE

 

THANKS TO YAEL FOR GETTING THE GRANT! MONDAY ASSEMBLY WILL INCLUDE A DEDICATION TO THANK YAEL AND THE COMMUNITY BEAUTIFICATION PEOPLE FOR ALL THEIR HELP.

 

 

3. PARENT CENTER

 

NEXT WEEK AFTER SCHOOL IS OUT, WE’LL CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP FIX IT UP SO IT’S READY TO GO IN SEPTEMBER.

 

 

4. FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

 

LARRY REPORTS THAT OUR INCOME WAS A BIT OVER $180,000, AND OUR EXPENSES WERE ABOUT $164,OOO, LEAVING US WITH A SURPLUS OF APPROXIMATELY $25,000. THANKS TO DAWN AND LARRY FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK!

 

 

5. FALL FESTIVAL BUDGET

 

GINNEAN PRESENTED THE FALL FESTIVAL BUDGET FOR REVIEW BY THE BOARD. THERE WAS A DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE STRATEGIES TO GET HELP AND VOLUNTEERS. JOHN SUGGESTED WE ASK IVERBE SPORTS CAMP TO HELP SPONSOR AND GIVE THEM A BOOTH. MICAH MOVED TO APPROVE THE BUDGET; LARRY 2NDS; BUDGET IS APPROVED.

 

THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION OF HAVING THE EVENT ON SUNDAY, RATHER THAN SATURDAY, TO AVOID CONFLICTS WITH SPORTS. POSSIBLE DATE: OCT 21.

 

 

6. TEACHER TEA

 

THE TEACHER TEA WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. IT’S A GOOD WAY FOR TEACHERS TO TELL US WHAT THEY NEED AND WANT, AND WHAT’S WORKING AND WHAT’S NOT. MORE SURVEYS CAME IN THIS YEAR THAN EVER BEFORE, AND MANY OF THE THINGS THE TEACHERS SAID ARE REFLECTED IN THE FRIENDS BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR.

 

GINNEAN SAYS WE NEED TO PUBLICIZE THE THINGS WE PAY FOR MORE CREATIVELY. MARIA SAYS THAT’S ALWAYS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE: TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHT WE’RE DOING AND WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT.

 

YAEL SUGGESTS WE DO THE TEA TWICE A YEAR, FOR BETTER FEEDBACK.

 

 

 

7. BUDGET FOR 2007-2008

 

--MS. SANCHEZ REQUESTS A RAISE; AFTER DISCUSSION, GINGER MOVES TO APPROVE; DAWN 2NDS; THE BOARD APPROVES A RAISE TO $15/HR.

 

--THE 5TH GRADE RAISES ITS OWN MONEY NOW BY SELLING ICE CREAM AND JUNK FOOD AFTER SCHOOL. LOT5S OF PARENTS DISLIKE THIS. FIFTH GRADE RAISES ABOUT $5000/YEAR FOR ASTROCAMP SCHOLARSHIPS AND 5TH GRADE GRADUATION AND PARTIES. MARIA PROPOSES THAT WE SHOULD FUND THE 5TH GRADE EVENTS. WE SHOULD HAVE A FUNDRAISER SPECIFICALLY FOR 5TH GRADE, AND HAVE 5TH GRADE PARENTS INVOLVED. KIDS BINGO, OR THE IN-N-OUT TRUCK WERE PROPOSED.

 

--MRS. MALLOY’S LETTER TO THE BOARD SAYS SHE LIKES MRS. ROSENBLUM (THE CERTIFICATED TEACHER HIRED TO TUTOR THE K/1 KIDS), AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HER SERVICES CONTINUED NEXT YEAR. THE TEACHER COMMENTS ABOUT HER WERE ALL POSITIVE.

 

--ROZ’S LETTER: THE LIBRARY LOST ABOUT 3,000 BOOKS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN THE LIBRARY WAS AUTOMATED, AND THERE ISN’T ENOUGH MONEY IN HER BUDGET TO BUY REPLACEMENTS, SINCE NOW SHE CAN BUY ONLY HARDCOVER BOOKS. SHE REQUESTS $2500 FOR BOOKS.

 

--DISCUSSION OF BUDGET. WE ADD $5000 FOR THE 5TH GRADE; ADD $2500 FOR LIBRARY BOOKS; DECREEASE ALLOTTMENT FOR AIDES BY $5000. THIS PUTS US IN THE RED BY $20,000. (SEE ATTACHED BUDGET)

 

--JOHN MOVES TO APPROVE; GINGER 2NDS; BUDGET APPROVED.

 

8. CODA

 

GINGER ASKS WHAT MICAH AND MARIA WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY AS PRESIDENTS.

 

--FIND WAYS TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF WHAT FRIENDS DOES

--DELEGATE BETTER

--RELATIONSHIPS WITH TEACHERS ARE IMPORTANT; THEY WOULD HOLD GRADE-LEVEL MEETINGS WITH TEACHERS. THE MORE FEEDBACK THE TEACHERS HAVE, THE MORE THEY’LL SUPPORT US.

--SAME WITH PARENTS: HOLD GRADE-LEVEL SOCIAL MEETINGS.

--TED ADDS THAT WE NEED TO KEEP WORKING TO KEEP A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRINCIPAL

 

 

 

MEETING ADJOURNED AT 9:30 PM.