Minutes from September 18 Meeting

Parent/Teacher Conference Handouts

• Volunteer Sheets
  These will be handed out by teachers to parents at conferences. If someone is interested in volunteering, they need to return in their request to the school. If you are interested in getting involved, you can print off a volunteer application from the Boyden-Hull website or sheets are available at the school. Sindy B. is coordinating the volunteer effort. The teacher requests have been turned in to her. We will try to plan a schedule for copying/laminating so teachers will become familiar with a routine.
  
• PTO Information Sheet
  A PTO information sheet was created to inform parents and guardians about the opportunity to get involved with the PTO. This sheet will be distributed at parent teacher conferences and be included in the upcoming newsletter.
  
• Membership Drive
  All current PTO members are encouraged to invite someone new to the meeting. We’d like as many members as possible. Please share this is not an organization where signing up for projects is required – we have a desire for opinions and ideas.
  

Future Fund Raisers

• Scholastic Book Fair is taking place during the fall parent teacher conferences. Peggi O. is coordinating this effort. So far, it is going over very well.
• T-Shirts will be sold at the elementary school. Order forms will be sent home the first week in October with the shirts being available the week of the 22nd. Cost will be $10 and order forms will be written in English and Spanish. Crystal R. is coordinating this effort.
• Reach for the Stars (reading incentive program) will take place this spring. Julie K. is coordinating this effort.
• Yearbook will be available again this year. Greta G. will be asked to look into purchasing software to make the creation of the yearbook easier this year. We will pay for this software purchase out of our PTO funds. We have identified someone to ask to prepare the yearbook, and we will look into the possible involvement of 6th graders or high school students.

Newsletter
The PTO will submit information about the PTO projects in each newsletter. Information we will include will be the next meeting date, upcoming fundraisers, and results of the fundraisers or projects.

Principal Report

• Mr. Kerr reported the Northwest Iowa Reading Council will host poet Bruce Lansky – who is one of the top children’s poets in the world. Location will be the Demco Building in Boyden on September 25 at 7:00. All children will come home with an information sheet on this event. It is a free event and parents are encouraged to attend.
• New testing has been implemented at the elementary school.
• H.O.T. (Homework on Time) slips are being used at the elementary for children in 4th- 6th grade. The idea is to provide intervention so the student does not fall behind and has accountability. Slips will be sent home when homework is not turned in.
  

Teacher Recognition

• Cheri B. is organizing the meals to be brought in for teachers at the elementary and high school during conferences.
• We discussed a number of teacher recognition projects. It was decided to recognize the teachers and the entire support staff.
  

Purchase Goals
We will look into getting involved with creating a needy children fund and helping with the angel tree. We also discussed helping with classroom expenses; i.e. ink cartridges, Kleenex boxes, etc.

Other Items

• We will have a treasurer’s report at every meeting. Currently, we have over $3,000 in our account.
• Thanks to Pam W. for providing awesome bars for our meeting.
• The next meeting date will be Monday, October 22, at 7:30. Childcare will be provided.