Boyden-Hull PTO

Book Fair

2010-02-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

During the upcoming parent-teacher conferences, there will be a book fair hosted by the PTO. The fair will be located in the library at Boyden-Hull Junior/Senior High School during conferences on March 1 and 2, and the books offered will be aimed at upper elementary through senior high reading levels. Please stop by, pick out some great books, and support the PTO.

New Elementary T-shirts!

2009-09-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is the proposed design of the 2009-2001 Boyden-Hull Elementary t-shirts. They will be available in both youth and adult sizes. Order forms will be distributed to elementary students the week of October 5.

Minutes of August 17 Meeting

2009-09-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Introductions

Big welcome to Marci Bergstrom, Gina Woelber, Laura Van Voorst, Crystal Rozeboom, Sindy Bonestroo, and Greta Grond.

Treasurer's Report

We have about $3100 - this includes the payment for the MP3 Players for Ms. K and the AR Testing material.

Parent Volunteer

Sindy B. has willingly agreed to organize this for us again. Mr. Kerr will have the Volunteer form revamped and out for Open House August 24.

Fund-raisers

Lisa J. has agreed to help locating books for the children. Peggi O. will organize the Book Fair again this year. Cheri B. will organize the meals for teachers. We are looking at a "new" design for T-shirts. More at the next meeting.

Newsletter

August and September letter has gone out so we will have tidbits for the October newsletter.

Principal Report

August 25 1st day of school.
Polycom - this will help the administration have meetings between the schools and not travel back and forth. We will also be able to have meetings with other schools with the Polycom. Again this will save on the time travels.
Tech Pass - Curriculum alignment, learning skills. This will be online.
We have 361 enrolled at the BH Elementary.

Teacher's Appreciation

We will have special treats for our teacher's and staff for the 1st day of school.

Next Meeting September 21, 2009.

Minutes from March 23 Meeting

2009-04-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

Special Welcome to Mrs. Lisa Rensink who came to our meeting since Mr. Kerr was absent. Thank you!!

Treasurer’s Report: $2060.89

Parent Volunteers: At this time all the needs have been met with the teachers.

The Reach for the Stars went well. We have about $5600 turned in. The students will get to pick out their books. We had 72% of the students met the 300 minute goal. All 3 banks have agreed to donate $100 each to this program. Mr. Kerr has received several ideas on what he will “get” to do if the goal was met. The students were given an opportunity to suggest different things Mr. Kerr could choose from.

Yearbook: Greta G. has met with Mrs. Sondra Francis to go thru the necessary page layouts and they seem to going well. Mrs. Francis will work with the TAG students to complete this project. The order form will go out in April for this.

Newsletter: Pam Wielenga will take care of this.Principals Report: We did not have anything from Mr. Kerr.

Teacher Recognition: Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8.

Our next meeting will be April 20 at 7PM in the Elementary Conference Room.

Minutes from February 23 Meeting

2009-03-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome
Special welcome to Sheila Hinderks for coming to our meeting.
Last month’s minutes were approved.

Treasurer Report
$2294.85

Parent Volunteers
We are still looking for parents to volunteer to help at the Elementary School. Please call Sindy Bonestroo or contact Laura if you have any time you can come to school and help.

Completed Items

Sindy B. popped popcorn for the 3rd grade classes for a treat after they completed ITBS tests. – A BIG THANK YOU!
A HUGE Thank You to Cheri Brunsting and Nancy Rolfes for taking care of the set up for teacher meals during P/T Conferences. Also a great big thank you for all who were able to donate items for the success of the meals.
Middle School/ Jr High Book Fair was a success. We are working on the final numbers and will be included in our next month's minutes.

Future Fund Raisers

Reach for the Stars is in full swing with one week done – kids are doing great. This year the students are coming up with suggestions as to “what” Mr. Kerr will need to do. Mr. Kerr has the final say – but the suggestions are interesting. We will include “what” Mr. Kerr had to do in next months minutes. The 3 local banks have agreed to each donate $100 to this project. We are designating the money to go towards the new A/R Testing Program which will allow the students to have 126,000 different books to read and take a test on. The current A/R Testing Program has about 3100 tests.
Elementary Yearbook: Mrs. Francis is working on this project with her TAG students. A few problems have occurred and Mrs. Francis will be working with Greta G. and Crystal R. to work out these issues. PTO was billed for the CD Program to complete the yearbook.

Newsletter
Pam W. will be submitting the information for the March Newsletter.

Principal Report

Dr. Suess Week will be March 2 – March 6. The schedule has been set and the students are excited about this. They will have popcorn, balloons, fun clothing week.
Parent/ Teacher Conferences were well attended.
The second round of CBM Testing has been completed with very good results.
The ITBS Tests will be back in about one month.
The 4th graders will be taking the National test the week of March 2.

Minutes from January 19 Meeting

2009-03-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome
Welcome to Mrs. Jacinda Zoet.

Treasurer’s Report
$2389.97

Parent Volunteers
We have a request and Laura VM is handling this per Mr. Kerr.

Completed Items

Teacher Christmas gifts - We have received several thank you cards from teachers, emails and verbal thank yous.
Childcare for K-4 program – Mr. Kerr has the list of individuals who helped and will be purchasing “Thank You” ice cream certificates to be used at home games or lunches.
Christmas Gift Tags were a big hit. We received $360 for this fundraiser.

Future Fund Raisers

Reach for the Stars – Julie Kreun is looking at dates. We decided to send the notices home on February 13. The return date is March 2 – since we do not have school on February 27. We are looking at funding ½ the AR Computer testing program with the money this year. The fee is $1000.
Elementary Yearbook – We have not received the CD from Photos by Mark yet. Mrs. Groom-Meeks, Mrs. Francis and Greta G. will be meeting this week to see how this project is going to work. Mrs. Groom-Meeks is under the understanding the program we used last year was a one time fee for us to use again this year. No information was available during the meeting.
Scholastic Book Fair is set for February 17 and February 26. The books will be dropped off at the high school on February 9 or 10. Peggi will be coordinating this with the staff at the high school.

Principal Report

CBM testing has been completed – so far looking good with great progress.
ITBS testing will be during the week of February 2 – 6. May go into the following week.
National Assessment of Educational Progress – this is a National Test and this year Boyden-Hull has been chosen. The 4th and 8th grade will be completing this the week of March 2.
Dr. Seuss week in March 2-6 – a schedule is still being worked out.
PLC training in process with Boyden-Hull and Rock Valley staff. Skills and standards are being set up for each grade level.
January 28 the teachers at both buildings will be involved in CPR Training.

Our next meeting is February 16 @ 7 PM.

Minutes from November 17 Meeting

2009-03-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome
Welcome to our guests Fabiola and Alejandra Ramos, Mrs. Heidi Willer, and Mike Getz from Compass Pointe. Compass Pointe is the new name for the Northwest Iowa Drug and Alcohol Center. Mike came to explain what their organization is doing and how they can help if problems occur with gambling. He stated the group is working on simply educating the youth about the problems that gambling can lead too. Mr. Kerr has the information and will be sharing with the high school.

The minutes from October were approved and no further discussion was needed.

Treasurer's Report
The balance is $2929.99 with the t-shirts being paid.

Parent Volunteers
Sindy B. has not received any new requests for volunteers. A reminder will go out to the teachers about any needs they have so we can help them. Reading, assembling 3 ring binders or whatever the task is needed. Sindy B. will be taking care of the Daycare need for the K-4 Christmas Program on December 4.

Fundraisers
The t-shirts will be delivered this week to the office and will be distributed to the students that ordered them. Extras are available through the Boyden-Hull Elementary Office.

Fundraisers coming up:

Reach for the Stars will be in late January or February.
Elementary Yearbook – Mrs. Francis will be working with Greta G. and Mrs. Groom-Meeks on the software and how to handle the details.
Christmas Gift Tags will be going home with the students November 21 and will need to be returned by December 3 if they are not interested.

Newsletter
Pam W. will be gathering information for the Newsletter. We will be having a Spring Jr. High book fair. This will be held during the 3rd Quarter P-T Conferences.

Mr. Kerr’s Report

We are at the midterm for 2nd Quarter.
The 1st Semester will be complete by Christmas break.
The elementary students had a Veteran’s Day program with the guest speaker of Mr. Rich Landman. A “HUGE” thank you to Mr. Landman for coming.
Mr. Lloyd Woelber was able to assemble the swing sets before the snow came in. Mr. Kerr is looking for a Special Needs swing for the children. Another big THANK YOU for the completion of this project by Mr. Woelber.
Mr. Kerr and Ms. Wagner have completed their Principal Reports.
Mr. Kerr and Ms. Wagner are working with the At-Risk kids. This is for children who have grade troubles or possibly home environment situation.
AEA4 will be coming in to recheck the ears of students.
11 teachers completed the Smart Board training.
The students are working on their Elementary Holiday Programs.
The Taco Feed is scheduled for December 5. This is to help defray costs of computer equipment.
Kiwanis of Boyden has received dictionaries for the 3rd grade students to be given out at a future date. The dictionaries will be kept at school for use during school hours and then when they move away or into the Jr. High level the dictionaries will be given to the students.

Christmas Holiday Party is scheduled for December 23.

Minutes from October 20 Meeting

2009-03-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome
Sindy B., Cheri B., and Mrs. DeRuyter and our teacher guests Miss Eulberg and Mrs. Vander Lugt.

Treasurer’s Report
We have $2531.61, which includes the payment for Scholastic Books.

Parent Volunteers
We will implement new requests as they come up thru Sindy B. Popcorn poppers needed Friday morning – Pam will talk to Julie to get an email out.

10-27-08 Red Day
10-28-08 activities happening – need volunteers to serve red juice
10-29-08 STORM at Elementary
10-30-08 AR
10-31-08 Fall Festival Party

Scholastic Book Fair
We donated 91 books to the library and 58 books to the teachers from their wish lists.

Library is looking at subscribing to a subscription of AR Book Test online and the students will have a broader list of books for them to use for AR goals. Cost is $1000 per year.

We will be having another book fair at the Jr/Sr High School during the February Conferences. This has been approved from PTO and Peggi O. will contact Miss Wagner for a location. Peggi O. will contact Scholastic Books to secure the dates.

T-Shirts
T-shirt orders were given to Crystal R. for placing this order. We will order extras for the office again.

Future Fund Raisers
Reach for the Stars will be in February.
Mrs. Francis will handle Elementary Yearbook with Student Council and TAG students.
The students will be receiving more information to bring home regarding Christmas Gift Tags. Peggi O. will separate these requests when they come in for distribution before Thanksgiving Break.

Newsletter
Pam W. will take care of the newsletter items to recap the activities PTO has been involved with and what we are looking at in the future.

AR reading goal meet will have activities on Friday October 24. 2nd and 3rd will go to the Boyden Library for library time and the 4th – 6th grade will have movies and popcorn at the elementary school.

Mr. Kerr’s Report
4 Staff members out on Maternity leave. Hope to have 1 back next week
State Reports – Demographic info on kids and better way of tracking kids' progress.

Parent-Teacher Conferences were down this year – 91% perhaps the 2-week gap was the reason.

Staff in-service was held with Rock Valley and Sioux Center schools – this helped “all” the staff get ideas from other teaching staff. Looking at doing this again in the future. Core Curriculum for statewide grade levels so all schools on the same level.

PBS – Mr. Kerr has been reading the book “Fill the Bucket” to all students still has one class left. October subject was Courtesy and November is Ownership. Mr. Kerr will be looking at a new book for Ownership.

Mr. Kerr and Miss Fitzgerald will be attending Iowa Core Curriculum meeting Friday October 24.

Our next meeting is November 17 at 7 PM.

Minutes from May 20 Meeting

2008-08-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

Introductions
New attendees: Dwayne Hansmann and Julie Koster.

Title Teacher’s Report
Mrs. Jan Klarenbeek, Mrs. Sondra Francis, and Mrs. Jill DeRuyter, Title I teachers at the elementary school, shared some details on the program. It is a federally funded program and is done in Hull Christian School as well (in the little house next to the school by Mrs. Linda Doorenbos). All teachers are fully endorsed. Next fall, information on the Title I program will appear in the school newsletter and parents can pose their questions to the teachers at open house.

Mrs. Jan Klarenbeek shared that Boyden Hull has chosen to focus on reading, not so much on math. They are using AIMS Web, which is a series of short tests, which helps them determine if a student should be considered for Title I. In addition, the teachers are asked as sometimes a student will not test well so their insight is needed.

Mrs. Jill DeRuyter shared all the testing is recorded and available to reference on the computer. Their progress is monitored and graphed. Every student is tested at the beginning of the year.

Mrs. Sondra Francis shared all students will receive information on the summer reading programs available at their local libraries (Boyden and Hull) and the summer reading program coordinators will talk about their programs.

It was noted 59 students were involved with the reading program throughout the year. In addition, Mr. Kerr shared a student cannot be on an IEP and on Title I at the same time due to budget reasons.

This handout was provided by the Title I teachers at the meeting:

Title I Reading: Title I reading instruction at Boyden-Hull Elementary is
usually done with students in Kindergarten up to Fourth grade. Students are
served in small group settings and given instruction based on the students’
needs. Those needs are determined by classroom teacher recommendation and
testing that is done within our school. We have used ITBS test scores and DIBELS
testing in the past. Now, we primarily use testing done with the AIMSweb which
is very similar to the DIBELS testing but gives us more information. We still do
look at ITBS testing as well as other scores a student may receive.

Students who demonstrate the need for reading instruction are then
grouped by skills and age. Mrs. De Ruyter, Mrs. Francis, and Mrs. Klarenbeek are
assigned to these small groups to teach skills needed. These teachers are fully
certified teachers with all the necessary reading endorsements required by state
and federal law.

If you have any questions about the Title I program, please feel free to contact the school to discuss your concern with one of these teachers or Mr. Kerr, the elementary principal.

Treasurer Report
The treasurer report shows a balance of $5,928.89. This includes a deposit of $2,178.68 from the Reach for the Stars Program and a deposit of $1,756.00 from the yearbook project. We will need to write a check for approximately $725 for the yearbooks. This will leave us with a remaining balance of around $5,200.

Purchases
It was decided to purchase a laminator for the school from the Education Station in LeMars, Iowa. Crystal R. and Sindy B. had done some research and we can purchase one for approximately $2,000. With a local purchase, the school will be provided with training on the machine. Mr. Kerr will make this purchase for the PTO.

Mr. Kerr shared the receipts turned into Dan’s Food Center came to over $90,000. With these receipts, the school was given money to purchase items from a catalog. Some of the items purchased were a laminating cart and shredder. A paragraph will be submitted to the newsletter about the importance of turning in your receipts and a thank you to Dan’s for participating.

Yearbook
The elementary yearbooks are at the printers and are expected to be in later in the week. Greta G. and Donna M. will distribute them when they come in. A final copy of the yearbook was available at the meeting and it is fantastic. A special note of thanks to Greta for coordinating this project.

Fundraisers for 2008-09
We will do a Scholastic book fair in the fall. Peggi O. already has dates secured: September 8 and September 23 (dates of parent teacher conferences). We will tentatively set up the display in Mrs. Zoet’s former classroom. Specific details will be worked on in August.

It was decided to not do the long sleeve t-shirts/sweatshirts this fall. We will plan to offer clothing on an every other year basis.

Reach for the Stars program will be done again but the dates will be moved up (somewhere in February). Julie K. will work with Mr. Kerr to set specific dates.

The group discussed doing a Christmas picture gift tag fundraiser. Photography by Mark offers this product. It is a full-color glossy sheet of gift tags and Christmas ornaments featuring the student’s school picture. It sells for $10, and the school gets $2. In the fall or early winter, parents would be sent home an information sheet about the product. If they wanted it, they would return the form and their money to school. The picture gift tags will then be sent home with the student. We discussed this for a while and decided to go ahead with this program. Peggi O. will coordinate this.

Donna M. researched other possible fundraisers and presented those to the group. They included:

Silent auction of student art and writing projects.
Traditional carnival.
Bake sale.
Garage sale.
Contest for drawing a school employee. Students would pay $1 to be able to draw a school employee’s picture. Parents and community would then pay $2 to view the completed entries and vote on their favorites.
Dinner party. Older students would make a meal, and people would pay to enjoy it. It would include nicely set tables, etc.

We decided to pursue a garage sale for next spring. Donna M. will coordinate this project.

We also decide to do the yearbooks again. We discussed how to do this next year. We plan on having TAG and student council do most of the work, using the new software program. Greta G. and Crystal R. will show Sondra how to use the software.

Other Business
Pam W. will submit a newsletter update to Peg during the first part of July. This will include information on yearbook sales, staff appreciation and upcoming meetings.

Mr. Kerr reported on the upcoming talent show. For the first time, Boyden-Hull Elementary students will present a talent show. It will be on Friday, May 23 at 2pm. He also noted that summer school will be offered through 4th grade in cooperation with Northwestern College. It will be held from June 2 – June 25 at Boyden-Hull Jr/Sr High School in Hull. New reading curriculum is being considered for fall. Also, an Awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 27 at 2pm.

Thank you notes from teachers for the staff recognition activity were shared.

The next meeting will be Monday, August 11.

Minutes from April 15

2008-04-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

We welcomed Donna M. who attended for the first time.

Treasurer Report
The treasurer report shows a balance of $2,043.13 without the money deposited from the Reach for the Stars fundraiser.

Meeting Attendance
In an effort to encourage greater attendance at meetings, next school year we will:

Hold meeting on the third Monday of every month (in Boyden)
Begin at 7:00 instead of 7:30
Mr. Kerr will ask the teachers to sign up to attend a meeting so we will have a teacher representative present at each meeting
Childcare will continue to be offered
Our first meeting for next year will be Monday, August 11, which is actually the second Monday but we wish to have one meeting before the school year begins.

Fundraisers

The Reach for the Stars fundraiser was a success. The school will receive a total of $2,457.92 in cash minus $258 in books to be purchased for the library. Some of this money will be used to purchase a laminator. Crystal R. will inquire with other schools to get some recommendations and report back to the PTO. We will try to keep the purchase amount around $1,700. It was recommended the school should not send home Scholastic book orders while this program is going on. Mr. Kerr will ask the students to sign a thank you card to be given to the three area banks that donated $100 to the program (this money will be used for books for the library as well).
The elementary yearbook project has been well-received. This year, 195 yearbooks were purchased, an increase of about 25 over last year. Cost was raised from $8.00 to $9.00 to cover the expense of the software purchase used to create the yearbook. Cheryl V. will input orders and Greta G. is coordinating the completion of the yearbook. We will order an extra 20 yearbooks as they can be used by Mr. Kerr to give to new families and also for last minute requests.
We will not be doing the school supply boxes as a project for the 2008-2009 school year. There was some apprehension on the part of teachers and a few parents so this idea has been tabled for now. However, it was decided we will fill a Rubbermaid container of necessary school supply items to be put in the office so if a teacher has a child who does not have a particular supply, they can use this resource. We will do this in August.
In the next newsletter, we will include statistics on the Reach for the Stars program and details on the yearbook.

Principal's Report
Mr. Kerr reported on the following items:

Kindergarten round-up was held and 53 children attended. The number of children attending kindergarten could go up to 70 as not everyone eligible to attend kindergarten was at this round-up.
There will be a number of field trips before the end of the year:
6th graders – Iowa History trip (May 1 and 2 – return home around 5:30-6:30)
5th graders – Camp Foster (May 9)
4th graders – Omaha (May 12)
3rd graders – (note -- already completed -- went on farm tour)
1st and 2nd graders – Sioux Falls Pavilion/Zoo (date TBD)
CBM testing was completed last week.
There have been a number of preschool meetings for Mr. Kerr and the administration as the school is applying for a grant. The school must meet a May 28th deadline. With this grant, all four year old children could attend preschool —free of charge and they would be bused to a facility. The school board feels offering preschool to all children, regardless of their income level, is a priority.
JC Van’t Land will be speaking to the Kiwanis on Thursday, April 17, on his appointment to West Point.
IDM (instructional decision making) in-service was held this month.
PBS (positive behavior system) report will be done by Mrs. Rensink at the next board meeting.
Student council is recognizing accomplishments of some students on a wall in school.
There is an AR competition going on with the classes, and there will be a pizza party for the winning class.
Students are encouraged to write a book review, and students can pick up a form in the office.
Mrs. De Ruyter’s mother passed away and the funeral will be Thursday, April 17.

Upcoming Events
Teacher and staff appreciation week is coming up: May 5-9.

Minutes from March 11

2008-03-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

Treasurer Report
Balance - $1,983.88 (and this is with the lanyards and subs for conferences taken out). The PTO purchased the lanyards for the positive behavior program and cost was $204.

Parent Volunteers
Parent volunteers are always appreciated. There are no specific needs currently addressed but if you would like to volunteer, please contact the school or Sindy B.

Fundraisers

The Reach for the Stars (reading program) is just finishing up. Reading dates were February 22- March 6. Because of the state tournament, dates were modified. The children were very receptive to the program, and reading minutes seem to be higher but pledges seem to be a little lower. Some possible uses for the money raised include: books, laminator, Time for Kids subscriptions, adjustable basketball hoop for younger children. Mr. Kerr will talk with the student council to get their input. We will vote on how the money will be spent at the next meeting in April. It was decided this fundraiser should be done in February to avoid the problem of potential basketball tournament conflicts. Julie K. will write a blurb for the newsletter. Assembly date is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26.
Elementary Yearbook. Greta G. is coordinating this effort. She has created a timeline and tasks the need to be done. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Greta. Some jobs take only an hour and can be done at home. The order forms for yearbooks will be sent out the end of March. Approximate cost $8-$10.
School Supply Boxes. Peggi O., Tammy W. and Pam W. presented the idea of having prepared school supply boxes available for parents to purchase. We are looking into whether there is interest on the part of parents and teachers and whether we can pull off offering it for the fall ’08 school year. We are looking at two possible sources. This would not be a fundraiser but a service to the parents. In addition, we would purchase some boxes for students who have a need and cannot afford school supplies. If we take on this project, we may decide to eliminate one of the others projects done in 2007-2008.

Principal Report

Mr. Kerr shared the teachers were very appreciative of the meals provided by the PTO during conferences.
He mentioned Dr. Seuss week started this Monday and special activities are going on every day.
Pop can collection dates are Thursday and Friday of this week.
ITBS results are in and will be sent out with the March 28 report cards. The quarter ending date has been changed to March 20th.
The band and vocal contest date for students in grades 6th – 8th which was postponed because of the tournament has been moved to Thursday, April 3.
Congratulations to Maddie Van Voorst and Maggie Grond for their winning entries in the local writing contest. Maggie’s entry won first place in state and she and her family will get to go to Des Moines in April for an awards ceremony.
The 6th grade math bee team competed on Tuesday. Congratulations to the students on their accomplishment.
The Positive Behavior System (PBS) has been implemented and is going over well.
It is not known yet which vacation days will be taken away due to days missed during state basketball and snow days. Information will be available in the next few days.

Teacher Recognition
Teacher and staff appreciation week is May 4-10. The PTO will discuss at the next meeting what they would like to do.

PTO Attendance
The PTO parents would like to encourage teachers to attend a PTO meeting. Your input would be valued and appreciated. As usual, we are always looking for new members. You will NOT be a assigned a job – we just want your opinion!

PTO officers for 2008-09 will need to be discussed at the upcoming meeting. If you would like to hold an officer position, i.e. president, secretary, treasurer, please contact Pam Wielenga, current PTO president.

The next meeting date is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, at 7:30.

Minutes from January 10

2008-01-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

Treasurer’s Report
There is currently $2,588.93 in the PTO account.

Parent Volunteers
The first grade room needs volunteers for children to read to in Mrs. Koerselman’s class. Volunteers are needed every day between 8:45 – 10:00. The other 1st grade teachers would welcome volunteers as well. If you are interested in volunteering for one or more days, please contact Laura at the school (725.2381).

Christmas Gifts
Classroom letters were not done by all the grades at Christmas time (it was optional if a parent decided to coordinate the effort for a teacher). Next year, the PTO will request each teacher write down their needs on a piece of paper, put it in a bucket, and then during fall conferences, a parent could take a need out of the bucket and give it to the classroom at Christmas. This way, each teacher could benefit.

Completed Items
Completed items the PTO has successfully completed in fall 2007 include:

Welcome back teachers on first day of school: brought in cakes
Purchased popcorn machine
National Educators week: brought in big cookies for staff
Fall : gave t-shirts to all staff and option for children to purchase
Parent teacher conferences: meals for teachers
Scholastic book fair: new books for library and teachers
Red Ribbon week: provided parent volunteers to pour juice and PTO matched plant a seed funds brought in by students to be used for landscaping in the spring
Christmas: Pop/candy and $5 Hull bucks to staff
Mr. Kerr’s birthday: brought in cake
Provided daycare for Christmas program

If you were in charge of any of the programs listed above, please write down your notes and provide them to Crystal R. for her records. Example: how many volunteers were needed, how many hours did the project take, how much money was earned, timeline to follow, and your recommendations for next year.

Pam will provide for the newsletter some of the activities the PTO completed since the last newsletter: Christmas gifts, daycare during the Christmas concert, cake for Mr. Kerr’s b-day.

Spring Conferences
Meals will be provided for at the spring conferences. Cheri B and Nancy R will coordinate. If you are interested in donating bars, please contact Cheri. Conference dates are February 26 and 28.

Future Fundraisers
Reach for the Stars will be done February 25 – March 7. Parents will have the opportunity to see display books during conferences. Some options for money raised: laminator, purchase the Read Nationally K-7 system, landscaping, Time for Kids subscriptions.

Elementary Yearbook
Greta reported cost for color yearbooks will be approximately $700 if purchased through Demco. Software could be purchased at a cost of $400 to be used for scrap book pages. It was not decided if we will go ahead with this. Greta will talk with Sandy Groom-Meeks about working with TAG and student council students on scrapbook pages, and she will also look into licensing for above potential software purchase. Mr. Kerr will encourage teachers to continue to take pictures throughout the year. Some yearbooks from last year are still available and can be purchased from the office.

Principal’s Report

PBS (positive behavior system): Pam Wielenga and Mr. Kerr reported on this new system that will be implemented in February of this year to acknowledge students for their great behavior.

Highlights:
PTO will purchase a Rubbermaid container and fill it with a variety of prize options for the students to pick from. Area businesses may be contacted to see if they would be willing to donate prizes. Note: if you have any extra ice cream buckets, please give them to Mrs. Rensink.
Mr. Kerr reported Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) testing is going on currently. Mrs. Klarenbeek is in charge of this and will present information to the school board. Testing will be done three times a year. This will provide better data to assess and assist students.
ITBS testing will take place beginning January 26 for 2nd – 6th grades. There may be a need for volunteers to help with listening to some students read for a portion of the testing.
Pop can collection dates will be Thursday and Friday, January 17-18. These funds are used for field trips and library books.
Mr. Kerr announced a new program called “The Proud Principal Program." Two students from each grade will be selected to have their academic work posted in school. A certificate will be signed by Mr. Kerr and the teacher, along with being displayed in the main hallway before given back to the student to take home.
Mr. Kerr will begin a new program called “When the Principal Reads the Whole School Reads”. This is being implemented by some area principals, and they go to classrooms and read one of five recommended books to the students.
Mr. Kerr presented the idea of a book club for students. This would be for students in grades 3 – 6. A parent volunteer will be needed to meet with the students and frequency would be determined. This will be tabled for future discussion but the idea was met with excitement.
The teachers appreciated the gifts they received from the PTO at Christmas. The extra Hull bucks will be used as prize incentives for the PBS system.

Next Meeting
The next meeting date is Tuesday, February 26, at 7:30. It was mentioned we may begin alternating the location of the PTO meeting between Hull and Boyden. This will be decided at a later meeting. New members are always welcomed and appreciated.

Minutes from November 13 Meeting

2007-12-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

Parent Volunteers

Sindy has been able to fulfill the requests she has received.
PTO will be matching Red Ribbon funds for landscaping around the “new” addition ($141.49)
We are looking for a few more volunteers to help with nursery during the K-4 grade program. If you are available please contact Pam.
E-mail teachers about volunteering help. Maybe get nursing home people or shut-ins to help with projects they can complete at home. Perhaps have volunteers help the younger kids in the lunch line. Mr. Kerr will add something in the newsletter.

Fundraisers

The t-shirt fundraiser has been completed. This went over very well.
We still have few shirts available. Please contact the Elementary office for sizes available.
The board and staff are very thankful for the t-shirts they received.

Future Fundraisers

Reach for the Stars will be coming in the spring.
Elementary Yearbook. – Greta is still working out details for “best use” of our funding. Looking at the TAG kids and the teachers completing pages – this way everyone will have “ownership” in the yearbook. Greta found the Lifetouch version very limited in what we can do. Greta will contact Demco for cost and will email members for their opinions regarding the “online” version.

Principal Report

Pam will be making large cookies for Education week and bring to lounge on Thursday November 15.
Funky Friday will start on November 16. 6th Grade is working on “Leaving a Legacy”.
7th grade will coming to the Elementary for a special program on November 30 to celebrate their “Leaving a Legacy.”
Student council elections were completed.
PBS – coming up with positive behavior tracking. Common courtesy directs our attention towards the positive behavior not always the negative issues.
Fluoride rinses successful. Sealers have been in late winter.
Veteran’s Day program – thanks to Miss Eulberg and Mr. Egdorf for helping with this.

Tressa's house on December 6th at 1 p.m. for special holiday project. We will need various candy bars. MINI holiday candy bars work the best. The 12 packs of pop can be dropped off at Tressa’s house along with the candy bars. Please contact Peggi 439-2821 or 470-1229 if you are interested in donating candy bars. The 12 packs of pop have been taken care of.

There will be no PTO meeting in December. The next PTO meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 8th. This is a change from the date in the school calendar.

Thanks, Peggi, for taking the minutes in my absence.

Minutes from October 22 Meeting

2007-10-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Treasurer’s Report
$4,833.10 is currently in the account. However, t-shirts will need to be paid. An update will be provided next month.

Parent Volunteers
We received a few more responses. Teachers are starting to submit their requests. Laminating is being done at home by many volunteers. Sindy Bonestroo is coordinating the volunteers.

There are many duties a parent, grandparent, relative or community member can do. Some options: listen to children read, general classroom help, help with make-up work, cutting, pasting, and creating, field trips, bilingual education, clerical activities to name a few. 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.

Teacher Meals
This is the second year that the PTO has provided meals for the teachers during conferences. This year it was coordinated by Cheri Brunsting and Nancy Rolfs and was greatly appreciated by the teachers. Cheri and Nancy will provide their notes to Crystal Rozeboom for future reference.

Scholastic Book Fair
During fall conferences we held a Scholastic Book Fair, it was very well attended. We had a total sale of 554 books sold to kids, parents, and grandparents with 50 of the books donated to the teachers from their “wish lists”. The PTO also provided 57 books to classroom teachers. The library received 126 books valued at $1428. Thank you to everyone who participated and to Peggi Olson who coordinated this project!

Red Ribbon Week
Red Ribbon Week, a week to remind children to stay drug free, was held at the elementary school the week of October 22. The week was full of themes and special activities with the PTO providing red juice (and some parent volunteers to serve) on Thursday during a time of games at the park.

T-shirts
We had a new exciting fund raiser where we sold Boyden-Hull Elementary t-shirts. We sold 223 t-shirts and were able to give all elementary teachers, support staff, foster grandparents, and high school administration and board members a t-shirt to show our appreciation for their dedication to our school systems. The staff at the elementary school will take a picture wearing their shirts this Friday (Mr. Kerr will coordinate this). If we decide to do clothing as a fundraiser in the future, the PTO will make sure the graphics are approved by the Sports Boosters. Thanks to everyone who supported this project and a special thank you to Crystal Rozeboom for coordinating this.

Elementary Yearbook
We will again offer a Elementary Yearbook. Greta Grond has agreed to coordinate this effort and she will meet with Tim and Jeff from the High School to see if there are students interested in working on this. In addition, Mr. Kerr will talk with Mrs. Francis to see if this is something the TAG program could be involved with. Greta provided us with three yearbook software options, and she will provide us with her recommendation at the next meeting.

Principal's Report
Mr. Kerr reported on the following items:

A Veteran’s Day program will take place in the school on November 12. Miss Eulberg will do a presentation.
Student Council Elections will be held on Tuesday, November 6.
National Bus Safety Week was celebrated late week. Since the weather was not good, evacuations will be practiced in November. It was noted it is extremely important for the students to know they must sit in their seat and use a normal tone of voice as not to distract the driver. Parents are more than welcome to ride the bus to or from school. Please contact Mr. Kerr if you would like to do this.
Mr. Kerr mentioned the school continues to participate in the Box Tops program and the Pizza Ranch Wheels. As you can see from the results below, it does bring in a nice amount of money to our school. If you have some to turn in, please do so. A big thank you to the Pizza Ranch for providing this program to our school.

2006-07 Year Box Tops
$462.80 + $600.50 = $1063.30

Pizza Ranch Wheels
Summer ’06 $408.75 + Summer ’07 $1285.00 = $1,693.75

Ink Cartridges
The school will be receiving a new color laser printer in the near future. The school will decide how many color copies per teacher they are allowed. The PTO may also assist in the providing of ink cartridges to the teachers if there is still a need after the printer arrives.

Upcoming Meetings
The next PTO meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 13, at 7:30 at the Boyden Hull Elementary school (art room). Childcare will be provided. There will be no meeting in December. All are welcome and you will not be assigned a job to do. We are looking for input from as many as possible.

Treats
A thank you to Pam Wielenga for providing the great bars we got to eat at the end of the meeting.

Minutes from September 18 Meeting

2007-09-27T03:15:00.000-07:00

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.

Minutes from August 27 Meeting

2007-09-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

PTO Mission Statement:
Parental involvement will be encouraged in each student’s educational experience to enhance learning, high moral standards, and quality lifestyle.

Involvement:

We discussed how to attain more parent involvement. Some suggestions were to advertise PTO in many ways – distribute a sheet at the September parent teacher conferences explaining the purpose of the PTO and ways to become involved. This sheet will include: mission statement, accomplishments from last year, future plans, volunteer opportunities, fundraising goals, contact information, website reminder, meeting dates.
We will also advertise PTO accomplishments in the newsletter.
We will identify where we want the funds we raise to be allocated. Some suggestions: teacher appreciation gifts, needy children fund.

Fundraiser Information:

A recently completed fundraiser was doing the nursery for the Okoboji Bible Conference Nursery. A special thanks was given to all who helped with this successful project. We raised $600 with this fund raiser.
After this fundraiser and before the popcorn machine is purchased our PTO account is at $3,365.00
The fundraisers planned by the PTO for the 2007-2008 school year include:

Scholastic Book Fair (dates during conferences)

September 18 – 4:00 – 7:00
September 27 – 4:00 – 8:00

School T-shirts (just for the elementary students done every other year)

They will be short-sleeved, 50/50 blend, with a Boyden-Hull logo on the front and the positive behavior acronym on the backs (COMET = courtesy, ownership, motivation, empathy, teamwork).
Order forms will be distributed the first week in October. The objective will be to keep the price low so all can afford to purchase a shirt. Cost will be set at the next meeting after additional pricing information is received.
Some extras will be ordered to be used as incentives and for late orders.
Crystal R. is coordinating this project.

Reach for the Stars (reading incentive program)

This will be done again with the approximate timeframe of March 3-14. Julie K. will work with Mr. Kerr on specific dates and reading goals.

School yearbook (this project will be done yearly)

This will be done again this year as it was very well-received.
A special thanks to Demco for donating the color printing instead of black/white.
An extra special thanks to Greta G. for all her hard work on this project.
Since this was a lot of work for Greta, it was suggested we hire a college graphic arts students (pay a stipend) for this project next year. Also, look into purchasing software for this project.
We will set out last year’s yearbook as a sample at the spring conferences so parents can see what they will receive if they place an order.
Teachers are encouraged to take pictures throughout the school year and add captions with the student’s names included.

Jr High concession
- This was discussed and tabled for further discussion at the next meeting.

Mr. Kerr will provide all fundraising activities and their dates to Sue so they can be included in the school’s master planner.

Volunteer Opportunities in the School:

There are many volunteer duties a parent, grandparent, or community member can do. Some options: listen to children read, general classroom help, help with make-up work, cutting, pasting, and creating, field trips, bilingual education, clerical activities to name a few. If you are interested in getting involved, you can print off a volunteer application or sheets will be available at the September parent-teacher conferences by the teachers. If you filled out a sheet last year, you do not need to do so again. Sindy B. at 439-2218 will coordinate this effort. Teachers are encouraged to share their needs.

Teacher Gifts:

The PTO would like to begin doing some thank you gifts to the teachers on special occasions. A number of items were shared and some definite plans will be decided upon at the next meeting.

Teacher Recognition:

The teachers had cake the first day of school and many teachers have expressed their gratitude. Thanks to Pam W. for making the cakes and bringing them him – we heard they were delicious.

Upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences:

Cheri B. and Nancy R. will be coordinating bringing in a meal to the teachers during conferences. Tacos will be brought to the elementary on the 18th and to the high school on the 27th. If you would like to sign up to bring a pan of bars, please contact Cheri (439-2620) or Nancy (725-2351).

Principal Report:
Mr. Kerr shared some news from the elementary. There are currently 364 students enrolled. The Hispanic population is now 16%. He shared that Nikki Zylstra, a new teacher, will be teaching Spanish to the children as part of her duties. The building project is coming along well but they are not in their offices yet. A new sound system will be installed. The new addition is ahead of schedule. The 6th graders from last year purchased 40 books for the library as part of their legacy project.

Upcoming Meeting Dates: (note: childcare is provided at every meeting)

Tuesday, September 18
Monday, October 22
Tuesday, November 13
December – off
Tuesday, January 8 (note change from the 7th)
Tuesday, February 26
Monday, March 17
Tuesday, April 15
Tuesday, May 20

PTO Officers for 2007-2008:
Pam W. – president
Julie K. – secretary
Peggi O. – treasurer

Thank you, Pam W., for providing the great bars.

Volunteer Opportunities!

2007-09-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in volunteering for any of these events, please contact the person listed. Thanks!

Scholastic Book Fair
The book fair will be held during conferences.

September 18 – 4:00 – 7:00
September 27 – 4:00 – 8:00

2-3 parents are needed on both nights. Please sign up for the amount of time and day you would like to work via Peggy O. at 439-2821.

Parent-Teacher Conference Meals
Cheri B. and Nancy R. will be coordinating bringing in a meal to the teachers during conferences. Taverns will be brought to the elementary on the 18th and to the high school on the 27th. If you would like to sign up to bring a pan of bars or a salad, please contact Cheri (439-2620) or Nancy (725-2351).

Volunteer Opportunities in the School
There are many volunteer duties a parent, grandparent, or community member can do. Some options: listen to children read, general classroom help, help with make-up work, cutting, pasting, and creating, field trips, bilingual education, clerical activities to name a few. If you are interested in getting involved, you can print off a volunteer application from the Boyden-Hull website (parent resources - under PTO) or sheets will be available at the September parent-teacher conferences by the teachers. If you filled out a sheet last year, you do not need to do so again. Sindy B. at 439-2218 will coordinate this effort. Teachers are encouraged to share their needs.

Minutes from May 21 Meeting

2007-08-12T02:02:00.000-07:00

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

Minutes from April 23 Meeting

2007-05-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Great News

Boyden-Hull web site has a new look -- thanks to Sandy Groom-Meeks.
Student council sold 300 wristbands to help the Mesman family. They will arrive the middle of May.
We're going to restart the recycling program, thanks to Mrs. Bakker and Mrs. Harman, who, along with Sunday Ford, promoted this idea to students in conjunction with Earth Day. We speak about "Leaving a Legacy" and this is part of the legacy these two women will leave at B-H. Fourth and fifth graders will take care of this program.
We had great success with the "Reach for the Stars" reading program:

82% of students participated.
115,255 minutes read.
Students received $4,500 in books.
School received $2,100 in books for classrooms, $1,000 in books for the libray and $1,400 for the PTO fund.
The class in grades TK-2 with the highest percentage of participation was Mrs. Zoet's class (1C). The class in grades 3-6 with the highest percentage of participation was Mrs. Bakker's class (5A). Both classes received ice cream parties.

Many organizations and people deserve thanks for the success of this program:

Thanks to American State Bank, Iowa State Bank and Citizens State Bank for donating $100 each. Also, American State Bank donated a new presidential dollar coin and bookmark to each child who met the goal.
Thanks to Foreign Candy Company for donating candy to each child who met the goal.
Thanks to Dan's Food Center for donating the ice cream for the class parties.
Thanks to Demco Manufacutring for donating paper and envelopes.
Thanks to Mr. Kerr for getting a crew cut in front of the entire school.
Thanks to Kristi Van Voorst for giving Mr. Kerr the haircut.

New Business

"Reach for the Stars" went very well. Some noted they wished for a greater variety of books. Right now, "Reach for the Stars" will be an every-other-year program for our school.
We now have enough money to purchase the popcorn machine. We anticipate spending $850 on this. Peggi O. will look into this. She will also talk to local businesses about donating popcorn supplies.
501c3 has to be set up for the PTO. Mr. Kerr will get this set up. We will need to elect officers.

Parent Volunteers

We have around 15 responses.
Pam W. will set this up for next year.
Parents are willing to help out at home - cutting out items for bulletin boards, etc.

Yearbook

We received 170 orders. We decided to order 200 copies. Extras will be sold to those wanting them and donated to local libraries.
We need to recognize Maurer Photography in the yearbook. Greta G. will include this.
Next year Photography by Mark will take school pictures during the 2nd week of school.
Greta G. will look for yearbook software to make layout easier for next year.

Handbook Changes

We looked at changes to the student handbook proposed by SIAC.
Grading will be more consistent among grades.
Behavior guidelines will also be more consistent.
A question was raised about how quiet the lunchroom is and if it's necessary to have it so quiet. The school is working on keeping order during lunch because the noise level used to be chaotic.
A concern was brought up about the music played on the buses.
Boyden-Hull will no longer announce school cancellations on KELO, Channel 11.

Fundraising

Conferences next fall will be September 18 and 27. We plan on having a Scholastic Book Fair during that time, staffed by PTO members.
We will look at selling t-shirts in the fall.
For fundraising next year, we plan on the book fair, yearbook, t-shirts and concessions for unclaimed jr. high activities and activities that occur at the elementary school.
Fundraisers will be spaced out throughout the year.

Other Business

Next year AR will begin with a STAR assessment to determine students' abilities. Goals will then be based on point values, rather than number of books.
Question was raised about the viability of the Foster Grandparent program.
Pam W. treated everyone to delicious gooey Caramel Bars. Here's her recipe:
Caramel Bars
Crust:
3/4 c. butter
1 c. flour
1 c. oatmeal
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all together and press 3/4 of mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Top:
32 caramels
2 Tbsp. cream
2 Tbsp. butter
6 oz. chocolate chips

Melt caramels, cream and butter together. Pour over crust. Then sprinkle on chocolate chips and remaining crust mixture. Bake another 10 minutes.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Monday, May 21 at 7:30pm in the Boyden-Hull Elementary Art Room.
At the next meeting, Title I instructors will explain their program and Mr. Kerr will report on a reading conference he attended.

Minutes from March 19 Meeting

2007-03-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

Great News

Mr. Kerr shared the following information:

There is now a PTO web page – it’s a link on the Boyden-Hull website. He thanked Greta Grond and Sandy Groom-Meeks for pulling this together.
The student council is looking at selling wristbands to help the Mesman family. They are going to work with the student council at the high school as well.
The elementary students had a great Dr. Seuss Week even though it was interrupted by the blizzard. There is still a skit the teachers plan to present and they will do this on the same day as the assembly for the Reach for the Stars (date TBD).
The sixth graders did great at the math bee competition last Thursday. Two students from Boyden Hull were in the top 20: Kelsey W. and Brandt V. R.

Parent Volunteers

Parent volunteer sheets are trickling in. Currently, 11 sheets have been returned. Mr. Kerr gave the completed volunteer sheets to Pam Wielenga, and she will work on putting them into categories so the teachers can begin requesting assistance as needed. It was noted we should add a category to these sheets for parents to volunteer over the summer (i.e. cutting and pasting) as some parents have more time to volunteer in the summer than during the school year. A parent volunteer sheet will be added to the PTO web site so parents can print a form if they desire. Click here to download the parent volunteer form.
There are possible cuts to the Foster Grandparent Program. Mr. Kerr shared they play an important role at our school. He encouraged parents to write letters to Senator Harkin and Representative King stating this program should not have its funding cut. It was noted you can also e-mail these congressmen. Mr. Kerr is also going to look into having students write a support letter as well.

Below is the information for the e-mail contact for both legislators who are a part of the committee to fund the FGP program:

Senator Harkin: http://harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Representative King: http://www.house.gov/steveking/email.shtm

Registration

If there are any additional suggestions to pass along to the SIAC committee to improve the registration process, please submit them to Mr. Kerr by March 26.
Mr. Kerr mentioned there is a possibility of adding a shorts policy to the handbook (shorts could only be worn certain months of the year). Some students are wearing shorts when the weather is not appropriate, and then they do not wish to go outside for recess. This policy change will be brought to the SIAC committee and forwarded to the board for their approval. The handbook will be revised in the near future so if you see any corrections or additions you feel should be made, contact Mr. Kerr.

Fundraising

The Reach for the Stars (reading incentive program) has been very well received. The final numbers are not in yet as students have until Wednesday, March 21 to submit their reading log/pledges. However, preliminary numbers look excellent. There will be an assembly the first part of April where Mr. Kerr will possibly have a crew cut (depends if reading goal is met). But either way, the students will get to see how many free books they have earned for the school. If parents or teachers have any suggestions or concerns about the program, please share them with Mr. Kerr as there is interest in offering this as a yearly fundraiser.
The yearbook order form is done. It is written in English and Spanish (thanks to Mr. Vander Lugt for his assistance). The forms will be sent home this Friday, March 23, with a deadline of Friday, March 30. The student council voted on the cover. Cost will be $8. Questions will be fielded by the elementary school office.
There is interest in selling Boyden Hull elementary t-shirts and possibly sweatshirts this fall. Tentative timeframe for this program – September or October. It was suggested to offer this fundraiser on an every other year basis and to change the color selection from year to year. This year, the color choice will be black. Cost and who will make the t-shirts is not finalized yet.
A Scholastic book fair is a possibility for fall 2007. Mr. Kerr will provide possible dates to Peggi Olson so she can work on lining up this event.

Web Page
It was decided if a PTO member is the contact person for something, their full name and contact information will be listed.

Other Business

Sheri Brunsting has volunteered to take over the teacher appreciation meals for the teachers during fall and spring conferences. Greta Grond will provide her with details on how this was organized the past 2 years.
Crystal Rozeboom has a notebook for all PTO business. If a PTO member is in charge of coordinating an effort, they should submit a copy of their notes to Crystal.
PTO funds were discussed. The PTO members would like to have some say on how the money they raise can be used. Mr. Kerr is going to talk to administration about how this will work. Preferably, PTO would make their recommendations and Mr. Kerr would be able to approve or disapprove (up to a certain dollar amount).

Next Meeting
The next PTO meeting will be Monday, April 23, at 7:30. PTO minutes will be posted on the PTO web site and also e-mailed to members.

Meeting Reminder!

2007-03-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

We are having a PTO meeting this coming Monday night at 7:30pm in the Boyden-Hull Elementary School Art Room. Childcare is provided, so feel free to bring children along.

Reach for the Stars Reading Program Begins

2007-03-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday every student was given a packet for the Reach for the Stars reading promotion. We are encouraging students to read for 300 minutes over the next 2 weeks. Students can read whatever they want -- books, magazines, newspapers. Details were given on the back of the reading log sheet, and more information is available here.

Funds raised in this promotion will be used to add books to the school library's collection.

We encourage you and your children to participate in this program!

Minutes from February 27 Meeting

2007-03-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

Minutes will be sent out via e-mail by Julie Kreun after each meeting. If you want to be included on this list, please send Julie an e-mail.

Next Meeting
The next meeting date will be Monday, March 19, at 7:30 in Boyden. Mark your calendar now. Daycare will be provided at every PTO meeting so if you need to take your children along, they will be watched.

Elementary News
Mr. Kerr reported that Witty Wednesday replaces Funky Friday. This will be implemented this week. Kids can purchase a small snack for a quarter and proceeds will go towards a project the 6th grade students will vote upon.

The elementary school is in the middle of Dr. Seuss Week!! A special thanks to the teachers in grades TK-3rd for their creative ideas and pulling everything together. The children are enjoying it very much.

A thank you card was passed around from the Boyden Hull Elementary staff for the meals at parent teacher conferences. The teachers appreciated this VERY much. Thanks to Greta Grond for organizing this effort and for the parents who contributed. Note: If you brought bars and left your 9 x 13 pan, Greta has it! If you are interested in coordinating the activity for next year, please contact Greta.

Parent Volunteers
The parent volunteer sheets were handed out by the teachers at parent teacher conferences. Responses are starting to trickle in. If you are interested in volunteering, there are many opportunities. If you can’t find your sheet, please contact the office to get a new one. Thanks to Pam Wielenga for getting the paperwork together.

Web Site
Information on PTO projects, minutes, and upcoming meeting dates will be put on the Boyden Hull website. Greta Grond will work on creating a link.

School Registration
The SIAC committee is looking for ways to speed up the registration process in the fall. They are asking PTO members for their suggestions. Some ideas mentioned at the meeting include: online registration, sending the paperwork to the parents ahead of time, offering assistance to the Hispanic population if they are having trouble completing their forms, and offering evening registration. If you have a suggestion you’d like to have considered, please e-mail or call Mr. Kerr.

Fundraising
The PTO has begun a few fundraising projects.

Concessions are being sold by the student council at junior high girls’ basketball games and at some AAU volleyball games by parent volunteers. If you are interested in working a 2 hour shift at the concession stand in Hull this Saturday, March 3, from 8 – 4, please contact Mr. Kerr. Thanks to Peggy Olson and Pam Wielinga for getting this started.
A reading incentive program will take place beginning next week, Monday, March 5. Kids are going to be encouraged to read 300 minutes over the course of 2 weeks, get sponsors, and with 50% of the money they collect, they will get to purchase books for themselves and the other 50% will go toward books/cash for the school. The students can read whatever they wish. If they hit their reading goal, 340 students x 300 minutes (102,000 minutes), Mr. Kerr will get a crew cut at a school assembly. Three local banks have pledged $100 if the reading goal is met as well. Information on this project will be sent home with the students this week. Students who reach the reading goal will receive a prize whether they have collected pledges or not. Any questions, contact Julie Kreun.
Progress has begun on creating a yearbook for the elementary. Greta Grond is coordinating this effort. If you’d like to assist in the process, please let her know. Some of the jobs: creating an order form, collecting orders, proofing the yearbook, helping with layout, etc. Cost will be approximately $8/book and available around the middle of May. Order forms will be sent out the middle of March in Spanish and English.
There has been some interest in offering a Scholastic Book Fair in the fall. Peggi Olson is looking into specifics.
Mr. Kerr is working on establishing were the PTO money goes and into what account.

Other Items
Each project done by the PTO will have notes recorded in a master notebook. Mr. Kerr will purchase a notebook and tabs. So if you have coordinated a project already, please submit a copy of your notes/recommendations to him.

Bonus Recipe!
Pam Wielenga brought great bars to the meeting. Thanks, Pam. The recipe is below.

Almond Bars
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
Dash of salt
2 cups flour
1 cup melted butter
2 tsp almond extract

Beat together eggs and sugar. Add salt. Blend in flour, butter and almond. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 25-30 minutes at 325. Do not overbake. Can sprinkle with sugar or frost with powered sugar frosting.