Minutes from May 21 Meeting

Great News

• Web Page –AR lists are on the B-H webpage-thanks, Sandy.
  Mr. Kerr reported the AR lists are now on the B-H webpage, and encouraged parents to take a look at the books on the list when they are taking their children to the library this summer.
• Wristbands arrived and were received well by everyone.
• The yearbook looks awesome and a special thanks to DEMCO Printing and Greta G for making this a success. The yearbook will be available in color this year for the same price as black/white copies thanks to DEMCO’s generosity.
• Many fun and interesting activities are planned this last week of school! All the buses will be going out on Friday – fieldtrips everywhere.
• The Student Council had a pizza party this past week. They had a very good first year. Next year, they have even more ideas they plan to try.
• The 6th grade class legacy is using the money they raised to give the school playground volleyball standards. In addition, each 6th grade student will get to select a book from a list created by Mrs. Doorenbos and put a bookplate with their name inside a book. These books will go in the library.
• Two new teachers were hired for the 2007-2008 school year. Abbie Boote will be teaching in 5th and Nikki Zylstra will be teaching part time in 5th and also teaching basic Spanish.
• Mrs. Bakker and Mrs. Harmon are retiring this year. They got the recycling program started again and donated blue containers for the recycling of items. The 5th grade students will be coordinating this effort.
• Mr. Kerr mentioned the school wrote a positive behavior model. This will establish consistency for behavior and grading for students in grades K-6. The SIAC committee approved it, and this information will not be in the handbook for this year but will be in the handbook for the following year.

Title Program

The Title I teachers addressed the PTO about the Title I program. The following information was not specifically given at the meeting, but Mr. Kerr provided these details on the Title I program.

Boyden-Hull Elementary and Hull Christian School serve Title I students in reading for grades K-6. Students qualify for Title I services based on
assessments (DIBELS scores or CBM scores) given to all children throughout the school year as well as the annual ITBS testing. Students showing lower scores (40% or lower) or inadequate progress could qualify for Title 1 Reading. Progress monitoring will be done on a regular basis to watch for growth in reading skills.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children website (http://www.naeyc.org/policy/federal/title1.asp) provided a great explanation on the history and general information on the Title I program listed below:

Program purpose authorization: Title I, formerly known as Chapter 1, is part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and is the foundation of the federal commitment to closing the achievement gap between low-income and other students. Nearly 14,000 of the 15,000 school districts in the nation conduct Title I programs. The original purpose of Title I was additional resources to states and localities for remedial education for children in poverty. The 1994 reauthorization of Title I shifted the program's emphasis from remedial education to helping all disadvantaged children reach rigorous state academic standards expected of all children. Title I funds can be used for instructional activities, counseling, parental involvement, and program improvement. In return, school districts and states must meet accountability requirements for raising student performance.

General Questions and Answers about Title I
How does my state and school district receive Title I dollars?

• Title I funds flow to states and school districts on a formula basis. The formula takes into account the number of low-income children and the statewide average per pupil expenditures. Resources within the state are targeted to the districts and schools with the greatest need.

What services does Title I provide?

• Title I funds generally are used to improve academic achievement in reading and math, but the resources can be used to help students improve their achievement in all of the core academic subjects. Title I funds are flexible, and can be used to provide professional development for teachers; support hiring additional teachers and classroom aides; improve curriculum; enhance parent involvement; extend learning time for students who need extra help; and provide other activities that are tied to raising student achievement.

Mrs. Jan Klarenbeek, Mrs. Jill De Ruyter and Mrs. Sondra Francis spoke on the Title I program.

The number one question that was answered was “How does my child get recommended for Title I?” Mrs. Klarenbeek showed a worksheet that is used to determine who will be in the program. She also went through how progress is charted throughout the year and the standards used. Mrs. De Ruyter spoke on how important early reading intervention is and how rules can be helpful in getting children to learn how to read. It was noted if your child is in the Title I program, you are welcome to call any of the above teachers to get answers to your questions and/or to come in and see a lesson.

Mrs. Francis emphasized the importance of having parents sign their children up for summer reading programs available through the Boyden Public Library and the Hull Public Library. Parental support is huge in getting children to read. In Boyden, the program is for children 4 years of age through 4th grade and in Hull the program is available for children preschool through 5th. Both programs kick off the first week in June. Please stop by one of these libraries to sign your child up. There are many fun activities planned at the library this year as well. Note: Jenna Boote will be coming in from the Hull Public Library this week to talk with each class about summer reading programs.

Parent Volunteers

• Parent sheets- we have 13 responses now!! If you are interested in signing up to volunteer, fill out this form. Questions: contact Pam W. at 725-2308.
• E-mail to teachers letting them know about this during check-out. Teachers will be reminded they can put in requests for items they need done over the summer. At this point, 13 parents are willing to help cut/paste this summer for projects needed by teachers next year.

PTO for Next Year

• Election of officers was done to establish the 501.C3. Pam W. will be the president for next year, Peggy O. will be the treasurer, and Julie K. will act as secretary.
• Mr. Grond and Mr. Kerr will meet with John De Koster to get this established for next year! After our PTO has the 501.C3 status, we will be able to have checks written out to the Boyden Hull PTO.

Fundraising

• Scholastic Book Fair – Sept. 18th & 27th. Volunteers will be needed to assist with this. Sign up will occur at our next PTO meeting in August.
• Yearbook- We will offer sign up for yearbooks in January or December to help with spacing the fundraisers out. Next year, Mr. Brunsting and students may be involved in working on the elementary yearbook. New software is being considered. You can check out www.phocroncom to see the software being considered.
• T-shirts will be offered as a fundraiser this fall. Plans are to offer the purchase of t-shirts at registration for an approximate cost of $8-$10. Crystal R. will get estimates from 3-4 local businesses and go with the best price. Approximate number we expect to sell is around 200. This fundraiser will be offered on an every other year basis.
• There is interest in offering the Reach for the Stars in the spring again during Dr. Seuss week. There are some items that need to be tweaked but it was a successful fundraiser with a great emphasis on reading so it was suggested we try it again. The money earned could be used to purchase Weekly Readers for the students as this is a big expense to the school or other needs identified throughout the year.
• We need to look at how many and put these on the calendar and inform the school board as well. We don’t want to do too many fund raisers or be known as the PTO that only does fundraisers and nothing else. We will continue to be sensitive to the number of fundraisers we will offer during the school year.
• With the funds raised this year, a popcorn machine will be purchased at an approximate cost of $560. The popcorn machine will be used for school functions and also for selling concessions at junior high games at the elementary. Concessions will probably be sold by student council members but this will be finalized next fall.
• Pam W. mentioned the PTO has a fundraising opportunity this summer. The Lakes Bible conference is looking for childcare workers on August 8-12. Four workers would be needed per shift. The shifts would run 9:45 – 12:15 and 6:45 and 9:15. The amount we would earn is $800. Interest We would need to bring snacks as well. There was interest in doing this fundraiser. If you are interested in being involved, please contact Pam W. at 725-2308 or dairy@c-i-service.com.
  
  What: Okoboji Bible Conference nursery staff
  When: August 8-12
  Time: 9:45am - 12:15ish pm
  6:45pm - 9:15ish pm
  Who: We need 4-6 adults, both morning and evening. Children helpers, ages 10 and up are also very welcome! If you desire to come up as a family and have younger children, that is great. They have a children's ministry that the younger children can go to or they can stay in the nursery with you. You could make it a ladies (or guys) day at the lake and just give up a few hours in the AM and PM and have the entire afternoon to have some fun!

Other Items

• Next meeting date is scheduled for Monday, August 13. At this meeting, we will identify what the PTO would like to spend the funds on from the money being raised. Some suggestions:
• Replacement of books for the library
• Slush fund for children with needs
• Basketball hoops for younger girls to use (3rd and 4th grades)
• Teacher appreciations
• Wish lists for the classrooms
• Special recognitions for teacher accomplishments and birthdays