Hunters Woods PTA Minutes

Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences

January 9, 2008

The regular meeting of the Hunters Woods PTA was held on January 9, 2008 at the Hunters Woods Elementary School library. The meeting was called to order at 7:50pm by PTA President Maureen Becker.

The October 10^th meeting minutes were read and approved as corrected.

Correspondence: None

Presentation by Madeline Pelgrim, Pre-Teen Virginia 2006 and National Title 2007, regarding the Pre-Teen America Contest in which female participants (ages 7-12) compete for prize money in seven different categories - (1) Academic Achievement, (2) Volunteer Service to Community, (3) School Honors and Activities, (4) Development of Personal Skills and Abilities, (5) General Knowledge Ability, (6) Communicative Ability, (7) On-Stage Acknowledgement of Accomplishments. For more information, see www.preteenamerica.com.

Principal’s Report:

Mrs. Toatley thanked the Sweet Shoppe Committee and all the committee members for their continuous support and volunteer work. Mrs. Toatley gave special recogition to the hard work and dedication of Mrs. Groves in preparing the school for the Art Integration Celebration. She mentioned that this period of the school year, until April, is a great time of growth for all the students.

Mrs. Toatley notified the members that Angela Loving is leaving soon to work at Dogwood Elementary in the Library. Mrs. Toatley introduced Ms. Russell, as the new Vice Principal at the school. Also, Hunters Woods is working with Whole Foods to develop a joint venture involving the outdoor classroom and recycling.

Mrs. Toatley also explained the Mustang Bingo Game, which is an incentive program for positive behavior by all the classrooms. When a class wins a bingo chip for positive behavior, they post it on their classroom bingo card. When a class gets a bingo, they win a special treat or surprise from Mrs. Toatley.

Counselor’s Request:

Mr. Carter is looking for volunteers to come as presenters during the Career Day – on March 26th. Also, volunteers who are able to help with organizing the day such as Scheduling Coordinators, Logistics Coordinators and Refreshment Supervisors – plus additional recruiters are needed to find more presenters.

President’s Report:

Maureen thanked the Book Fair Committee for all their hard work, Susan Sather for organizing the Sweet Shoppe, and Mia Merin for maintaining the Lost and Found. She reminded all committee chairs to begin working on finding and training a replacement for their committees. Kelly Geer was announced as our new webmaster. Lastly, Maureen is working hard to develop the weekly PTA announcements for a KIT to all parents. Please send any important information to Maureen by Sunday, and she will include it in the announcements.

Treasurer’s Report:

Deborah presented the current budget adjustments through December and gave individual reports to the committee chairs who were present.

Teacher’s Report:

Mr. Ware represented the teachers and thanked all the parents who contributed to the Sweet Shoppe. He stated that this is a quiet time at school, with few field trips but many concerts are upcoming. He reminded parents to park at Safeway and to bring a flashlight for safety.

Committee Reports:

International Festival – Maureen reminded the members that the Festival is scheduled for Feb. 1^st.

Cultural Arts – Patrick Ware informed the meeting that there are two performances coming soon to school – 1. Poetry Alive and 2. Blue Jupiter Choral group. In the works are possible programs to include: a Poet in Residence, Instruments from Around the World, and a Traveling Play company for the primary grades.

Sweet Shoppe – Susan Sather thanked all the parents who contributed. She would like to get a higher percentage of the parent population involved because there was a shortage of treats for the teachers. The meeting discussed possible solutions including creating a Baking Committee or to use Room Parents during holiday time. Jeri Thomas is taking over the Sweet Shoppe for 2008.

Auction – Susan Sather opened a discussion how to improve the current format of the Auction night. The previous moive night theme failed to keep all the children occupied. This year the committee would like to have a different theme such as a square dance, sock hop, or bowling night. Volunteers are needed!

Flex – Anita Damron informed the meeting of the current state of the program, namely HW currently has 4 Spanish classes. There was a discussion on whether or not the PTA should do a survey of interest to see what classes should be run in 2008-9. Instructors for next year need to be contracted soon. Anita also stated that she would no longer be able to run the program and was looking for a replacement coordinator.

Sally Foster – Nancy Mamros had question regarding whether the PTA would like to run Sally Foster as a fundraiser for next year. The group decided to sign the contract for 2008-9.

Art Fundraiser – Marina Matthes reported that the fundraiser raised over $2000 in profit. She would need more administrative volunteers next year to make it even more successful and run even smoother.

New Business:

Maureen reported that South Lakes High School has requested financial support for their Graduation Night Party. There was a general discussion and Susan Sather volunteered to research how much the PTA can donate to this type of cause.

Fine Arts Night – Maureen reported that Fine Arts Night will be March 11. Anew local restaurant, California Tortilla Factory, would like to do a fundraiser with us on that night. Patrick Ware volunteered to coordinate but he will need volunteers to help.

Potomac Nationals – Patrick Ware was contacted by the Potomac Nationals farm club, which invited the Hunters Woods 6^th grade chorus to sing at their May 14^th Game. This night would be called Hunters Woods Night. There was a general discussion to switch the date to a weekend so more students could attend. Mr. Ware will look into that option.

Concert Dress Exchange – Patrick Ware discussed ideas for exchanging formal dress clothes between students. He currently has some clothing for students who need them. He requested donations of gently used clothing.

Boundary Meeting Update – A Boundary meeting will be help at South Lakes on Monday, Jan. 13^th at 7:00pm. If you are interested, you can check the Fairfax County website for more information.

Mini-Grant – Patrick Ware requested $250 to pay for a piano accompanist for the upcoming concert series. Marina Matthes made a motion to grant this request, which was seconded and voted for unanimously by the members attending the meeting.

The meeting was adjourned the meeting at 9:45pm.

________________________________

Jennifer Arakelian, Recording Secretary

The minutes were:

__________ approved as written.

_____X____ approved as corrected.

Date: ___February 6, 2008_______