Monday, November 18, 2013



PTO Meeting Notes 
November 13, 2013

Mr. John Macero, Superintendent came in to talk about the new school building project.
  • Thanks the community for vote.
  • The building project is a 2 ½ year project
  • January 2017 projected opening
  • Transition teams are being built in all schools
  • Questions about traffic, time frames, start times, personnel, swing space etc, will be reviewed by these committees.
  • Working hard so that the High school students get the “high school” experience.
  • Will be going to the different middle school and high school to meet with the students and see what their needs and expectations are.
  • Budget for 1.5 million dollars for swing space.
  • Please contact Mr. Macero with any questions via phone, email or facebook.
Principals Report (delivered by Mrs. Oleary)
  • Question: regarding the renewal of A-Z books. This is a resource the teachers use/share. Will let the PTO know of cost so that we can vote on it.
  • Site council is resetting goals and is looking for an increase in science and social studies curriculum. Enrichment program or a Science night? Response: PTO has a science enrichment program coming in early next year and has also talked about having a science night (like Literature night). More will be discussed next meeting.
  • Transition: A committee is being put together, and the next site council meeting will be all about the transition.
General Business
  • Room parent/holiday gift guidelines- reminder that there are strict guidelines regarding teacher gifts. 
  • Personal gifts for a teacher =$150.00 classroom gift=unlimited $ (edited to add that personal gift means a gift for the teacher from the class and classroom gift means a gift for the classroom [ex. Staples gift card, basket of supplies, etc. $150 is for the entire school year so keep end of year gift in mind].)
  • Loop update: all is moving great, they will bring up concerns/suggestions regarding the transition next year to Mr. Macero.
  • Library update: Lisa Bower asked for a $100.00 budget for library materials/decorations. APPROVED
  • Tumblebooks online renewal APPROVED
  • Volunteer update: Looking for parents to cover meetings. Great opportunity to be involved/get in the classroom. Please contact Mrs. Babine if you would like to receive emails regarding volunteer needs.

PTO EVENTS UPDATE
  • Spooky Bingo- was great, great turnout! We even made some money.
  • Upcoming events: Family skate party, paint night (adult only), literacy week. We are looking for help on all these efforts.
  • T-shirt pre-orders will be going in backpacks in the next couple days.
  • Yankee Candle update: We did an amazing job with the fundraising. It was a very easy fundraiser to do. We are expecting the order to come in the week of Thanksgiving. 
  • Coat swap date is Dec. 5th Multipurpose room. 2nd year we are doing this. This year we will be doing it after school. 
  • Gorman Giving Food Drive: Dec 19th Bring in your canned goods.
TREASURES REPORT
  • After spooky bingo, enrichment, playground replacements, Ice cream social We have over $14,000.
  • We have to pay for some enrichment and are also waiting for some grant money to come in.
  • Stop and Shop Contest
  • Please participate in the contest. The school with the most people enrolled gets a visit from a Patriot player. Even without the visit we still get money from the program. PLEASE PARTICIPATE.
PLAYGOUND UPDATE
  • Benches are ready and will be coming soon. Some repairs will be done to the playground. We will be asking the Town for a barrel for the playground. Mulch is also needed so that it is safe. 
Enrichment Activities (Cara Huberman)
  • October NED Show YO-YO was great and we ended up selling some Yo-yo’s
  • November Magic of reading- Kids seem to like it. (we hear lots of laughter)
  • December Winter Solstice puppet show/music
  • Grant was approved for $5000 for the Lunch room wall art project. Artist has been chosen and Cara is looking for helpers. Will start April 2014.



Meeting Adjourned.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Gorman Fort Banks PTO 
Meeting Agenda for November 13, 2013 8:30am 

• Welcome Guest John Macero, Winthrop School Superintendent 
• Introduction of the Executive Board 

  • Christa Shea & Alicyn Thompson Co-Presidents 
  • Kristen Buonopane & Linda Straccia, Vice Presidents 
  • Gillian Texeira & Dawn Sullivan, Treasurers 
  • Michelle Holmes & Mariana Babine, Secretaries 

• Principal’s Report (Mrs. O'Leary) 

  •  Room Parents-Holiday Gift Guidelines (Kristen Buonopane) 
  •  Drop-off (a.k.a. The Loop) (Sara Pettee) o Library Update (Dawn Hurley) 
  •  Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities (Mariana Babine) 
  •  Feedback on events: Spooky Bingo (Alicyn Thompson) 
  •  Upcoming Family Events Discussion (Alicyn Thompson) 
      • Family Skate Party - Jan 
      • Paint Nite (Adults Only) - Feb
      • Literacy Week – March 
  •  T-Shirt Pre-order Sale Dates (Alicyn Thompson) 
  •  Yankee Candle Update (Mariana Babine) 
  •  Gorman Giving (Alyssa Sacco) 
      • Date for Coat Swap 
      • December Giving 

 • Treasurer’s Report (Gillian Texeira) 
 • In School Enrichment Activities (Cara Huberman)    

      • October Enrichment Follow-Up – NED 
      • November Enrichment – Magic of Reading
  • Playground Updates
  • Open Forum