FRIENDS EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES
CASTLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL         
NOVEMBER 2, 2005

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:   HANIA BROOKS, STACY BROOKS, NEAL FELDER, VALENCIA FOSTER, ESTELLA HERNANDEZ, BARBARA KAYE, TOMASA LANDA, JOHN LAZAR, GINA POLIZZI, MICAH ROBERTS, DARCIE TILLIS, TOLLY VALENTE, AND MARIA VON HARTZ

FRIEND MEMBERS PRESENT: CARDIE LOY, MARIA ESTELA HERNANDEZ, JUDY ROSENWEIG, MARGIE STEVENS and GINGER BOWER

1.             APPROVAL OF MINUTES

JOHN MOVES TO APPROVE MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 6TH FRIENDS BOARD MEETING.

 

STACY SECONDS.

 

MICAH – ALL IN FAVOR – MINUTES ARE APPROVED.

2.             WELCOME – 7:05 PM

MICAH WELCOMES ALL.  CONGRATS TO NEAL AND FAMILY!  WE LOOK FORWARD TO HIS NEW BABY GIRL HELENA AT CASTLE HEIGHTS 2008.

3.             FAMILY DONATION DRIVE

WE HAVE 100% PARTICIPATION FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS.  THANKS FOR BEING AN EXAMPLE.  WE ARE AT APPROX. $52K - $53K IN DONATIONS THUS FAR.

 

33% OF THE SCHOOL HAVE DONATED. 

 

BREAKDOWN BY GRADE LEVEL:

Pre K- 42%

Kinder- 45%

First- 43%

Second- 28%

Third- 30%

Fourth- 28%

Fifth- 15%

 

ALL BRAINSTORM ON NEW IDEAS ON HOW TO GET THE WORD OUT.

 

STACY MOTIONS TO OFFER A REWARD FOR THE CLASS WHO HAS THE HIGHEST PARTICIPATION PER GRADE BY DEC. 9TH

JOHNS SECONDS

MARIA – ALL IN FAVOR – ALL VOTE YES

 

WE NEED MORE PEOPLE AT THE MORNING FRIENDS/PTA TABLE.  DARCIE WILL SEND OUT A REMINDER FOR VOLUNTEERS TO MAN THE TABLE AND TO PASS OUT FLYERS.  WE NEED SOMEONE THERE TO PASS FLYERS AT KISS AND DROP.  THE FLYER WILL DESCRIBE THE FAMILY DONATION DRIVE CLASS PARTICIPATION COMPETITION.  IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE THE PRICIPLE ASK TO HAVE THE TEACHERS TO DISCUSS WHAT TECHNIQUES TO SPREAD THE WORD TO STUDENTS AND PARENTS? 

4.         THE FIESTA       

THE FIESTA WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 19TH AT MANUEL LOPEZ’S HOUSE.  MEAL, BEER, 5 RAFFLE TICKETS, AND A DJ FOR $25.  THERE WILL BE FLEXIBLE, AFFORDABLE OPTIONS LIKE DINNER NO RAFFLE TICKETS FOR ONLY $5.  GOOD FOOD, FOLKS, AND FUN.  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE BE THERE TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT.  IT IS GOING TO BE A BLAST. 

IF YOU WANT TO DONATE ITEMS FOR THE RAFFLE CONTACT ELVIRA RAMOS.  WE ARE LOOKING FOR ELECTRONIC ITEMS FOR THE RAFFLE. 

 

5.             CORPORATE SPONSORS

GINGER’S CORPORATE SPONSOR BREAKFAST WENT OFF WITHOUT A HITCH!  SIX REALTORS WERE INVITED AND SIX REALTORS GAVE.  IN TOTAL THIS BREAKFAST MADE $8750.00.  THEY EACH WERE ASKED TO DONATE APPROX. $2500.00 EACH IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED A CORP. SPONSOR.  THIS WOULD ALLOW THE SPONSOR TO HANG A BANNER ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL, THEY WOULD SPONSOR/HOST AN EVENT, THEY WILL BE INVITED TO FUTURE FAMILIES MEETINGS AND HAVE 1 FULL PAGE AD IN THE ROSTER.

6.             WEBSITE

THE WEBSITE IS FINALLY COMING TOGETHER.  ANN WARREN, HANIA BROOKS AND DARCIE TILLIS ARE GETTING THE BALL ROLLING.  ANN IS WORKING ON CREATING THE INITIAL SITE.  IT WILL BE A FUN AND SOPHISTICATED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SITE.  WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICE IS BEING EMAILED TO DARCIE ON A REGULAR BASIS.  WE WILL NEED TO WORK ON THIS COMMUNICATION FLOW.  WE ARE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION TO POST.  IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN HAVING POSTED, PLEASE NOTIFY DARCIE.  HOPEFULLY THE SITE WILL BE READY SOMETIME IN DECEMBER.

7.             ART PROGRAM – CARDI

TRYING TO ESTABLISH AN INSTITUTIONAL ART PROGRAM.  DIFFERENT GRADES MAYBE DOING DIFFERENT TYPES OF ART, BUT ALL CHILDREN WILL BE HAVING SOME SORT OF ART CLASS.  WE NEED TO TELL OTHERS HOW WELL IT’S WORKING.  WE NEED TO SPREAD THE WORD THAT ART HELPS WITH IMPROVING WITH GRADES.  WE HAVE 45 VOLUNTEER SEVERAL ART EVENTS.  FRIENDS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB IN FUNDING THE PROGRAMS AND SUPPORTING THE PROGRAM.  SPREAD THE WORD OF HOW IMPORTANT ART IS TO OUR CHILDREN.

CARDI HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB.  THIS HAS BEEN A WORK IN PROGRESS FOR OVER TWO YEARS, AND CARDI HAS BROUGHT THIS TOGETHER.

THIS YEAR, THE GREAT WORKS OF ART IS BEING RE-WRITTEN TO COVER THE DISTRICT’S STANDARDS.  WE ARE WORKING TO HAVE A COHESIVE PROGRAM FOR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ART PROGRAMS.  IF WE CAN TIE TEST SCORES INTO THE ART PROGRAM INFORMATION, THIS WILL SPEAK TO ALL PARENTS.  WITHOUT FRIENDS AND THE GRANTS FROM THE TEACHERS, CASTLE HEIGHTS WOULD NOT HAVE ART!!!!

HANIA AND CARDI WILL WORK ON SOME KIND OF VISUAL / BROCHURE THAT PARENTS CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTS PROGRAMS.

WE SHOULD WORK ON BANNERS TO HAVE FOR PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES ON DEC. 5TH – 9TH. 

“YOUR DONATIONS HAVE PAID FOR ….”  BANNERS IN EACH CLASSROOM SPELLING OUT EXACTLY WHAT EACH TEACHER/CLASSROOM BENEFITS FROM DONATIONS. 

IF SOMEONE CAN EMAIL DARCIE EACH CLASSES’ FRIENDS’ FUNDED EXTRAS, DARCIE WILL CREATE A SHEET DESCRIBING EACH CLASSES BENEFITS, STACEY WILL DIGITALLY SHOOT PICTURES, HANIA WILL START TO CREATE BANNERS.

8.             COMPUTER LAB

COMPUTERS ARE HERE.  THERE HAVE BEEN CLASSES WORKING IN LAB.

 

 

9.             P.E. COACH

 

NEAL INTERVIEWED COACHES.  OUR PRIME CANDIDATE PASSED AND ACCEPTED A JOB ELSEWHERE.  WE ARE AT SQUARE ONE.  WE ARE TALKING TO HEATHER TO EXTEND HER HOURS.  WE ARE OFFERING $12.00 – FOR EITHER 3 HOURS OR 5 HOURS (AND MAYBE STAR HOURS).  MICAH WILL TALK TO HEATHER TOMORROW.

 

10.       FALL FESTIVAL

 

FRIENDS MADE $24, 508.86 FOR THE SCHOOL!  THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED!!!!!

 

 

 

 

11.       KINDER MOM SOCIAL POTLUCK

 

JENNIFER GLASSMAN WILL BE HOSTING A SOCIAL POTLUCK ON DECEMBER 9TH.  THIS IS AN ADULT EVENING FOR KINDER PARENTS ONLY. 

 

12.       REMINDERS

           

DINE OUT NIGHT AT FACTORS ON NOVEMBER 15TH.  20% OF EACH MEAL GOES BACK TO THE SCHOOL.

 

THE NEXT COFFEE TALK WILL BE NOVEMBER 16TH AT 8:30 AM.  GUEST – WRITER TIFFANI CHIN.  THIS MEETING IS IN THE LIBRARY.  ALL ARE WELCOME.  IT WOULD BE GREAT IF ROOM PARENTS COULD PUBLICIZE EVENT. 

 

PTA UPDATE (JUDY ROSENZWEIG) PTA MEETING ON NOVEMBER 10TH AT 8:30 AM.  THESE MEETINGS WILL BE EVERY 2ND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH.  33% OF THE SCHOOL HAS JOINED THE PTA.  WE ARE WORKING ON EDUCATING OTHERS OF THE DIFFENCES AND SIMILARITIES OF FRIENDS AND THE PTA.  GINA, STACY AND BARBARA VOLUNTEERED TO BE FRIENDS’ PTA LIASONS.  WE WILL NEED THE MINUTES FROM THE FRIENDS MEETING AND VICE VERSA.  PTA WILL HELP WITH THE MORNING TABLE. 

 

BARBARA KAYE PROPOSES THAT FRIENDS LOOK INTO PURCHASING A SHED TO STORE ART SUPPLIES IN ART ALLEY.  THIS SHED WILL NEED TO BE APROX. 6’x6’. GINA WILL SEE IF HER BROTHER CAN GET A GOOD DEAL ON A SHED. BECAUSE FRIENDS IS RUNNING LOW IN MONIES TO GO TO NEW PROPOSALS, WE WILL LOOK INTO FINDING A SHED SPONSOR.

 

LIASON MEETINGS – MARIA WOULD LIKE TO INCORPORATE THAT THE LIASONS EACH GROUP MEET/EMAIL EACH OTHER ON ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE DISCUSSED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH.  WE NEED TO COME UP WITH PLANS, GOALS, AND HOW TO EXECUTE IN ORDER TO SUCCEED.  THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO IN ONE MONTH THAT ONE FRIENDS MEETING MAY NOT BE ABLE TO COVER ALL THE ITEMS.  PLEASE MAKE SURE TO MEET/EMAIL YOUR CORRESSPONDING GROUPS.

 

 

10.              END OF MEETING

 

 

GINA MOTIONS TO ADJOURN MEETING.

 

TOLLY SECONDS.

 

MEETING IS ADJOURNED.

 

THE NEXT MEETING IS ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2005.