PTO Board Meeting Minutes, December 2, 2008

Members Present: Joe Chavez, Tom Olona, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Phil Le Franc, Robert Mahan, Mandy Viole, Ann Marie Smith, Doug Bennett and Jim Theiring. Absent: Father Paul, Olivia Carrillo and Diana Girskis. The meeting began at 6:35p.m. and adjourned at 8:00p.m.

Opening/Closing: Joe opened and closed the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the November meeting were reviewed and approved.

Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.

I. Principal-Olivia Carrillo:
a) WASC Self Study: The WASC self study now in process. The last coffee with the Principal was a focus-group type session with a discussion of the SLE’s. The leadership team has been working on the first chapter of the self study and sent out a parent survey in the Home Messenger. Father Paul, the staff and students will also be surveyed.
b) Mural: The mural was not approved by the city. The city requires a fee to review the mural and has specific requirements of what can be painted and where the mural can be placed. Phil will check with his Nestle contacts for assistance.
c) St. Columbkille Gift Collection: The gift collection has begun. Our goal is to collect 257 gifts, which would be one for each child at the school. The tentative delivery date is December 18th and the 7th grade will be leading the blessing of the gifts. Joe mentioned that the parishioners will also be able to purchase K-mart gift cards. Thought is to have parishioners purchase the gift cards through scrip and give a percentage of the sales to the building fund.
d) Trimester Awards- The first trimester awards is scheduled for 12-4 at 10:30am.

II. President-Joe Chavez: Review of Priorities:
a) Virtus Training Update: Another Virtus training class was held on 11-16, this was the 5th training session held so far. We now have 33% of the school parents trained. The need for training will be mentioned again at the General PTO meeting in January. Tom mentioned that we need to be consistent in communicating that the training is a requirement for all parents. Ideas include, updating the school handbook and sending out letters to parents who have not completed the training.
b) Electrical Upgrade: The electrical upgrade plan has been finalized. The plans include specific details including placement of outlets, etc. Vince Petito is putting together the final numbers so the fundraising expectations can be reviewed at the General PTO meeting in January.
c) Jog-A-Thon: The Jog-A-Thon went very well. We raised about $7,200 in business sponsors. The thank you letters will be going out this week. Bob will coordinate the pizza party for the 6th grade.
d) Auction Event/Raffle: Discussed Joe’s idea of how to increase participation from the parishioners for the car raffle. Thought is to include a letter and extra envelope within the monthly parish envelopes. The letter would encourage parishioners to contribute a dollar a week towards the car raffle. The funds would be held in the envelope until the parishioner has reached $25. They would then receive three raffle tickets. Assistance would be required to keep track of the contributions made for each parishioner.
e) Parking: Phil and Doug confirmed they would set up additional handicap parking and place orange cones along the fire lane for the Christmas program.
f) Santa Pictures: Tom mentioned the pictures with Santa are set for December 5th. The pre-paid amount was $475. Children can pay for the pictures on 12/5. The proceeds will be used for computer software/equipment.
g) Christmas Program: Ann Marie has been working with Ms. Massey regarding the Christmas program to be held on 12-18. Each class will sing a couple of songs. DVD’s will be available for purchase.
h) General PTO Meeting: The next General PTO meeting is scheduled for January 13, 2009. Ideas for topics include: Virtus training review, car pool reminders, Nestle container (overview and show pictures), healthy food presentation by Holly Riley. Any other ideas should be sent to Joe.

III. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:
a) Sports Banquet: The Fall Sports Banquet is scheduled for 12/10.
b) Montrose Parade: Some of the sports teams will be walking in the Montrose Christmas Parade. The hope is to get additional team members to participate as well.

IV. Maintenance: Phil Le Franc
a) Shake-Out Drill: The Shake Out Drill went very well. The drill included Nestle and was very well organized. Nestle used their communication equipment to speak to the city as well as the fire department. Phil confirmed that the generators are filled with propane and also that the containers include climate controls, water and are serviced every 6 months. Jimmy mentioned that sometimes the containers include a “red cross” indicating the container is the first aid station. Phil will check with Nestle about adding the “red cross”.
b) Condition of Campus: The condition of the campus is good. The cleaning of the restrooms is being made a priority. Water pressure is still low on the drinking fountains but being looked into.
c) Nestle: Phil mentioned that Nestle will promote our auction event by including the information in their internal communication. Also Nestle has First Aid training sessions available for staff and parents.

V. Treasurer-Jim Theiring:
a) Finances: The school’s endowment fund had a drop due to the economy. In addition, some of the balance pool accounts have been moved into more stable funds. The checking accounts will be changed to money market accounts so they can earn interest. A withdrawal was made from the accounts to pay for the pre-school equipment. School finance meeting should be scheduled soon.
b) Scrip: November Scrip numbers were not available yet, but overall the sales have greatly increased this year. We are starting to get requests for holiday gift cards.

VI. Parent Involvement: Ann Marie Smith & Mandy Viole
a) Participation Hours: Mandy gave Ann Marie the name of a parent needing hours. Ann Marie will contact her to help coordinate the Christmas program DVD orders.
b) Acting Class: Mandy is working with the instructor regarding after school acting classes. The instructor is working on getting Virtus trained and then will meet with Mandy again.
c) Class Projects: Joe reminded Ann Marie and Mandy to work with the home room parents regarding the class auction projects.

December Events:
12/5: Santa Pictures
12/8: All School Mass
12/10: Fall Sports Banquet
12/18: Christmas Program
12/19: _ day of school


Next meeting January 6, 2009 at 6:30pm
Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.

PTO Board Meeting Minutes, November 4, 2008

Members Present: Father Paul, Olivia Carrillo, Diana Girskis, Joe Chavez, Tom Olona, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Phil Le Franc, Robert Mahan, Ann Marie Smith, Doug Bennett and Jim Theiring. Absent: Mandy Viole. The meeting began at 6:30 p.m. and adjourned at 8:30p.m.

Opening/Closing: Father Paul opened the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the October meeting were reviewed and approved.

Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.

I. Pastor-Father Paul:
a) School: The school is off to a great start. The students and staff have a great spirit this year.
b) New Property: The pre-school is ready to open pending approval by the State. Many families have expressed interest in joining the new pre-school. The hope is to be able to open the school by the first of the year.
c) Weekly Prayer Service: The weekly prayer service with Father Tim has been going very well. Father Tim and Raphael have been spending time with the children in the classrooms.

II. Principal-Olivia Carrillo:
a) Sound System: A new sound system has been installed in the auditorium. The new system projects clearly into the yard area and does not have any feedback. Ms. Carrillo would like to have the microphones engraved. Jimmy will check into the engraving.
b) Jog-A-Thon: Confirmed the start time of the Jog-A-Thon.
c) Nestle Container Design: Reviewed the designs created by Ann Marie. Phil will confirm with Nestle if a city permit is required to add the art work to the container. Request made by Phil to include colors (white) that will stand out on the container so the container will be visible in the parking lot.

III. President-Joe Chavez: Review of Priorities:
a) Creating Healthier Food Choices: Holly Riley presented options for creating healthier food choices for the children. Options include limiting birthday celebrations to once a month and eliminating bake sales. Holly will work with Ann Marie, Mandy and the room parents to develop a survey for feedback. Diana mentioned that first grade has already started to eliminate sugary treats for birthday parties. Research needs to be done to determine at what grade the birthday parties stop so we are not adding monthly parties to classrooms that are not celebrating anyway. Another option is to look into “giving” instead of receiving. Example, collecting books for our sister school. Holly will get feedback and make a presentation at the January PTO meeting.
b) Virtus Training Update: 75 people attended the Virtus training session on October 25th. The next session is on November 16th from 12-3pm at the new property. A total of 120 parents have completed the training so far. Reviewed guidelines for fingerprinting again. Fingerprinting is required for those parents working in small group settings, field trips etc. We are still looking for leaders to conduct the training sessions. We need to continue to encourage parents to attend the training and may need room parents to assist in contacting those parents who have not attended the training yet. The school reach phone system could also be used to send out reminders about the upcoming sessions.
c) See’s Candy: This optional fundraiser is taking place now. Confirmed that the funds raised will go toward the sports programs.
d) Jog-A-Thon: Bob confirmed that Ann-Marie Guinane is confirming that all volunteers have completed the Virtus training. As of November 1st we have $4500 confirmed in business sponsors. The bids have gone out to two vendors for the t-shirts. One additional bid will be sent out this week. Bob confirmed that he will need 385 t-shirts and he is not planning on ordering any extra as they do not usually sell. Bob asked if an MC is needed. Plan is to have Bob open the event and then the DJ can continue with any announcements.
e) Auction Event: Joe confirmed that although Toyota sales are down, they will still be willing to donate a car for the raffle. Joe suggested that cash options also be added as 2nd and 3rd place prizes. Confirmed that the price of the tickets will be the same as last year. Goal will be to get each school family to sell at least $300.00 in tickets even thought minimum required $100. Jim asked if other big items could be raffled off, i.e. trip to Hawaii. This maybe something to look into for next year.
f) Parking: Parking for the Halloween Parade was much better this year as the gate was open and Joe was able to direct parents into the large parking lot. Very few people parked in the fire lanes or in the handicap spaces. Joe suggested that for special events (Halloween parade, Christmas program, Jog-A-Thon, etc.) additional handicap parking spaces should be made available. Handicap signs can be purchased at Smart and Final and can be used as temporary handicap spaces. Joe also suggested that Phil and Doug work with the carpool volunteers so a volunteer is available to cars during special events. This should eliminate illegal parking in fire lanes and handicap spaces.
g) Santa Pictures: Tom will check with Angie Gonzales to confirm the process for the pictures with Santa. Jim confirmed he will be available to be Santa.
h) Christmas Program: Ann Marie will work with the music teacher regarding the program.
i) Participation Hours: Reviewed the participation hour requirements and discussed that the purpose of the sign up sheets is confirmation that participation will be provided for the event selected. Many times parents sign up for a committee and then do not fulfill their commitment to that committee. Next year, review should be done to determine what is reasonable for failure to show up to your assigned event. Should there be a fee associated with failure to show up? Would this cause additional accounting for the office? Any change would need to be added to the handbook.
j) Picture Day: Doug confirmed that picture day went very well.

IV. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:
k) Coaches: Several coaches are needed for both the A and B sports teams. Jimmy is working on getting parents to coach. Coaches need to be CYO certified, fingerprinted and Virtus trained.
l) Sports Banquet: Jimmy is working on the Fall Sports Banquet which is scheduled for December 10th.
m) 3 on 3 Men’s League: The gym will be available in January if there is interest in a 3 on 3 league.

V. Maintenance: Phil Le Franc
a) Shake Out Drill: One floor from Nestle will be participating in the earthquake drill. Nestle will coordinate most of the set up to eliminate missed class time for the children.
b) Carpool: Doug and Phil are striving to encourage parents to pay attention in the morning and afternoon carpool, especially in light of the tragic event that took place at Toll Middle School. Volunteers are still needed for the morning carpool. Tom mentioned that in the morning cars are trying to pass on the right hand side (passenger side) of stopped cars. This is very dangerous as some children exit the car on the right hand side. Suggestion made to add additional cones so that cars are not able to pull out and pass on the right hand side.
c) Condition of Campus: The condition of the campus is good. The cleaning company was contacted regarding the condition of the restrooms. Guidelines were given regarding the expectations regarding overall cleaning of the restrooms. Some of the drinking fountains have low water pressure. A plummer will be installing a filter which should increase the water pressure.
d) Development Workshop “Best First Steps”: Phil attended a workshop regarding how to develop the school and parish relationship. Ms. Carrillo confirmed that the new consultative board will help to get the relationship started and that this plan would be best handled by the Development Coordinator and the consultative board.

VI. Treasurer-Jim Theiring:
a) Fundraising: Reviewed fundraising results from previous years. Expenses have increased on the last couple of fundraising events (Jog-a- Thon and Auction Dinner Dance). Goal is to watch expenses so the overall profit will increase
b) Scrip: Scrip sales increased in October. The month of October showed a great increase in profit over all sales from last year. Thank you to Jennifer Bunt for her efforts.

VII. Parent Involvement: Ann Marie Smith
a) Box Tops: Ann Marie confirmed that she is getting assistance counting the Box Tops from one of the room parents.
b) 8th Grade Parent Meeting: The 8th grade parents will be having a meeting to finalize the menu.


Next meeting December 2, 2008 at 6:30pm
Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.

PTO Board Meeting, October 7, 2008

Members Present: Olivia Carrillo, Diana Girskis, Joe Chavez, Tom Olona, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Phil Le Franc, Robert Mahan, Ann Marie Smith, Doug Bennett, Mandy Viole and Jim Thiering. Absent: Fr. Paul. The meeting began at 6:30 p.m. and adjourned at 8:05p.m.

Opening/Closing: Raphael opened and closed the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the September meeting were reviewed and approved.

Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.

I. Principal-Olivia Carrillo:

a) School Reach Program: The new phone system “Reach” has been implemented. Ms. Carrillo and Gwen took part in a training session and are continuing to make sure the office has the most updated phones numbers etc. A pilot test will be done on Sunday, October 12th. The message will remind parents there will be no school on October 13th and that picture day is on October 16th.
b) School Accreditation: On October 20th Ms Carrillo, Mrs. Girskis and Mrs. Thiering will be attending a review/training session regarding accreditation as the school will be up for renewal next year.
c) Advisory School Board: The Archdiocese has confirmed that by the year 2010 the school will have an advisory board to consult with the Pastor and Principal. The board will be made up of 9-20 people who are from the community, parish and school.
d) Jog-A-Thon: T-shirt sizes and slogans done by the junior high children were given to Bob for the Jog-A-Thon.
e) Earthquake Drill: On November 13th the school will be taking part in “Shake Out” which is an earthquake drill throughout the state of CA. One floor from Nestle will be joining the drill to practice working together. Phil also mentioned the importance of this drill and confirmed that Nestle will be on hand to help assist and evaluate the process for improvement.
f) Coffee with the Principal: The first coffee with the Principal is on October 8th. The meeting will be taking place in the ASP room.
g) Virtus Training: Confirmed which Board members have completed the Virtus training and fingerprinting.

II. President-Joe Chavez:

a) Scrip Update: Year to date profit from scrip is $7657.70. In 2007 we were at a negative $15,201.44. Suggestion made to use scrip for Christmas parties. Also confirmed that both the parishioners and school families are using scrip.
b) Jog-A-Thon: Bob confirmed that Ann-Marie Guinane has begun coordinating the event. The fire department has already been confirmed. Joe asked Bob to remind Ann- Marie that volunteers must be Virtus trained to volunteer. Board reviewed and voted on a slogan. Bob will be working on the t-shirts shortly. Bids will be sent out to three vendors.
c) Back to School Night: Ms Carrillo confirmed the sessions went very well.
d) Participation Hours: The current handbook (page 33) indicates that hours can be met providing help for the school or parish. Clarification will need to be made as follows: Participation hours include volunteering for the school or pre-approved parish assistance such as washing/ironing linens. A list of pre-approved parish items should be included and also a volunteer sign up sheet and committee member chair should be added for next year.
e) General PTO Meeting: The meeting had a great turn out. For the January meeting it will be helpful to show the parents where the fundraising profits are going. We will be able to show this with Jim’s help.
f) Parking Violations: Many people continue to park in the handicap and fire lanes while picking up their children. Parking in these spaces are a violation of the law and should be subject to fines by the Police Dept. Mandy will make up warning signs to put on those cars that are in violation. Going forward the police should be contacted.
g) Committee Chairs: Reviewed which committees are still in need of a chair person. The goal is to get as many parents to help volunteer for the various committees. The hope is that each family will contribute four hours on either the Jog-A-Thon or Auction event; however, if those committees are already full then those four hours should be fulfilled in another area. Suggestion given that next year the four hour requirement should be specifically outlined so it is clear as to what the requirement is. In addition, the chairperson should be calling their committee members to confirm participation requirements. Also, it would be helpful if the chairperson did a recap after the event so that there is a guideline to follow in the future. Doug confirmed a chairperson was found for picture day.
h) Virtus Training: Currently 20% of parents have completed training. The recent training held on 10-4 had 21 participants. Currently 81 out of 402 parents are certificated. The next session is on 10-25, there will be a morning and afternoon session. Many sessions are full, Joe suggested that parents arrive at the sessions early and see if the instructor will allow them to join. On November 18th and 19th their will be a training for those interested in becoming a Virtus trainer. In order to be certified you will need to complete two 8 hour sessions and participate in one presentation to the diocese each year.
i) Auction: The goal is to have a car raffle again this year. Hopefully the tickets will be available in November so we can start to promote the raffle sales.
j) Book Fair: Tom confirmed the book fair went very well. We did run out of some books for the upper grade levels.

III. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:

a) Swim Team: Two parents have taken over the swim team. Participation forms and the sports fee need to be turned in by some families. The coaches will need to follow up with the parents.
b) Cheerleading: There was not enough interest to have a cheerleading team this year.
c) Sports Banquet: Jimmy is looking for a chairperson to coordinate the Fall Sports Banquet scheduled for December 10th.

IV. Maintenance: Phil Le Franc

a) Nestle: The container has been installed in the parking lot. Ann Marie
will be working on painting the container. A proposal was given to Ms. Carrillo for review. Phil confirmed that the container has everything needed in the event of a disaster. Planters will be installed around the container and reflector lights will also be installed so the container can clearly be seen at night. Jimmy questioned if the generators contain gas as gas is not safe on school grounds. Phil will check with Nestle.
Phil also mentioned that Nestle has a great relationship with the Glendale Fire and Police Departments, we can utilize these resources if needed.
b) Carpool: Doug and Phil confirmed that the carpool is running well.
Mr. Sanchez has been helping direct cars in the afternoon and that has
help move cars along. Volunteers are still needed in the morning. Phil
would like to have a “stop” sign for the carpool. He will check with his
Nestle resources. Vests were also requested for volunteers.
c) Condition of Campus: The condition of the campus is good. Phil
confirmed that the teachers are trying not to store heavy items on top of shelves in the classrooms. This is so that in the event of an earthquake nothing would fall on the children. Question about the hoses in the event of a fire, these are outdated and should be removed. Cleanliness of the bathrooms was a concern, Olivia will check with the cleaning service. Signs have been added outside each bathroom confirming the restrooms are for student use only during school hours.
c) Development Committee: Phil has been trying to work with the Development Committee for a list of needed supplies and recommendation of where to place the artwork for the Nestle container.
d) Dryden Street: It would be helpful to have a red zone added to Dryden Street so that cars do not park too close and block the entrance near the gate. Phil will work with this Nestle contacts on this request.

V. Treasurer-Jim Thiering:

a) Jim provided an update of the schools expenses and revenue as he did at the recent PTO meeting. Jim confirmed that over the last five years the fundraising profits have increased. We did not have a lot of capital expenses this year as we have been saving for the electrical upgrade.

VI. Parent Involvement: Ann Marie Smith

a) Home Room Parents: Ann Marie recently met with the Home Room Parents and provided them with a handbook and guidelines outlining their responsibilities.


Next meeting November 4th at 6:30pm

Important Upcoming Events:
October 13: No School
October 16: Picture

Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.

PTO Board Meeting Minutes, September 1, 2008

Members Present: Father Paul, Olivia Carrillo, Diana Girskis, Joe Chavez, Tom Olona, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Phil Le Franc, Robert Mahan, Ann Marie Smith, Doug Bennett and Mandy Viole. Absent: Alex Perez. The meeting began at 6:35 p.m. and adjourned at 8:10p.m.

Opening/Closing: Father Paul opened and closed the meeting with a prayer.

The minutes from the August meeting were reviewed and clarification was made to item #8a, Fundraising. Joe mentioned that the school has two major fundraising events each year. They are the Jog-A-Thon and Auction Dance. The goal should be to keep focused on these two major fundraising events so we are able to reach our full potential and not have to ask parents, friends and family members to support “smaller” fundraising events throughout the year. Also, fundraising events should benefit the entire school or athletic program not a particular event or sports program. Fundraising ideas should be directed to Bob Mahan for review. Father Paul suggested that we look into fund raising events that would not require an out of pocket expense but could bring in extra money for the school. Examples are recycling ink containers, collecting box tops or turning in used cell phones.

Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.


I. Father Paul:
a) Catholic Loyalty Cards: Father Paul provided an update on the Catholic Loyalty program. Initially when the program was first set up, the number of local vendors was around 35-40. The program now has over 100 local vendors who are participating. Father Paul would like to see each parish and school family use the cards as there is no out of pocket expense. A presentation by a company representative will be given at the General PTO meeting.
b) New Property/Pre-School Update: Work is continuing at the new property. The classrooms are being updated and furniture has been ordered. We are waiting for the licensing paperwork to be completed. Hope to have the facility ready at least by the end of the year.
c) Seminarian Rafael: Father Paul introduced Rafael, who is a visiting seminarian from St. John’s in Camarillo. Rafael will be here from September to the middle of June. Rafael is originally from Uganda and hopes to learn many new things here in the United States. He is excited to be apart of the parish community this year.
d) Mass Participation: Father Paul mentioned that many of the school families do not attend mass regularly. Father Tim has been working to update the 9am children’s mass to try to get more families involved and participating in the liturgy. In addition, surveys will be sent out to families to get a feel for what they expect from mass and the, church community etc. All families are encouraged to participate in weekly mass as we are a parish school and work together with the parish to build a sense of community.

II. Principal-Olivia Carrillo:
a) First Day of School: The first day of school went very well. Ms. Carrillo was able to visit all the classrooms to welcome the children back to school.
b) Fundraising: Ms. Carrillo gave Bob information on a cell phone fundraiser and also suggested we look into collecting Box Tops. Father Paul mentioned that the parish families also help collecting the box tops and an announcement should be made at mass to inform the parish members. Ann Marie volunteered to be the coordinator.
c) School Reach: Ms. Carrillo participated in a demonstration for an updated phone system that would allow school wide messages to be sent out directly to parents in the event of an emergency. The phone system can also send out reminders for upcoming events and text messages. Everyone agreed this was a great tool to add and the system should be implemented. Parent will be informed about the new system and the General PTO Meeting.
d) Server: A new server should be installed shortly, this will eliminate the need to use gmail. The final cost was lower than anticipated.
e) Virtus Training: Ms. Carrillo confirmed again that everyone who volunteers at the school will need to complete the Virtus Training. This is a mandatory requirement. The new handbook that was passed out on September 2, 2008 included a handout that is required to be completed. Tom will check what the requirements are to conduct the training session so perhaps he can teach the class for the school parents. Fingerprinting is required for supervisor roles, i.e. field trips, yard duty etc. Records indicating who has completed the training session is available in the office.

III. President-Joe Chavez:
a) General PTO Meeting: Confirmed the first General PTO meeting will be held September 16th from 7:00 to 8:30pm. Topics will include the following: Catholic Loyalty presentation by company representative Joe Malek, Virtus Training requirements, Carpool, School Reach (new phone system information to parents), Scrip update from Jenn Bunt, Fundraising (confirm the target goal for this year), Nestle Container (information parents of the container and the purpose of storing it on site).
b) Kinder Picnic: The picnic went very well. Thank you to Mandy and Ann Marie for organizing the picnic. Ann Marie mentioned that Liz Perez took the lead in organizing the event.
c) School Directory: Mrs. Leon has volunteered to update the directory again this year. The forms for updated information were included in today’s Home Messenger.
d) Back to School Night: Back to School Night is scheduled for September 18th at 6pm (K-5) and September 25th at 6pm for 6, 7 and 8th grades. No assistance is needed from the PTO Board.
e) Participation Hours Sign-Up Sheets: The sign-up sheets from the first day of school were passed out to the responsible PTO member. PTO members were asked to review the list and try to find a chairperson. The sheets will also be available at the General PTO meeting. Joe mentioned that the chairperson will get 40 hours for the responsibility of being the chair; this includes room parents and car pool participants who commit for the entire year. Mandy is going to print the free dress passes.
f) Participation Hours: Joe suggested that a form be included in the annual re-registration packet so families can confirm how they will meet their 40 hour participation requirement. This way the families will confirm ahead of time their plans to reach the 40 hour goal and the various committee members will be able to start planning right away.

IV.Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay: Jimmy reviewed the cost of participating in the swim team including the cost per swim meet, swim suit and the cost for practices. Swimming is one of the more expensive sports and does require that practices are held away from the school. The car wash fundraiser would be to help pay for the cost of the practices. Ms. Carrillo confirmed that the cost to join the swim team is $50 per family. The sports fee needs to be kept consistent for all school athletic events.

V. Maintenance: Phil Le Franc
a. Carpool: Phil and Doug have done a lot of work on the carpool and have a great system in place now. They are always looking for more volunteers. Confirmed the goal is to have 5 volunteers each day.

VI. Fundraising:-Robert Mahan:
a) Auction Event: The auction will be held April 25, 2009 at the Castaways in Burbank. The event will be a mid-day affair 11am to 4pm. Confirmed the funds will be for the electrical upgrade. Goal is to start promoting the event right away. November will be the target date for distributing the raffle tickets.
b) Jog-A-Thon: The Jog-A-Thon will be held on November 21st. Bob has emailed Anne Marie to see if she would be able to help coordinate the event again.

Important Upcoming Events:
September 16: General PTO Meeting
September 18: Back to School Night-Kinder-5th
September 25: Back to School Night-6, 7 & 8
September 27: Back to School Hop and Book Fair Opens


Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.

PTO Board Meeting, August 5, 2008

Members Present: Father Paul, Olivia Carrillo, Diana Girskis, Joe Chavez, Alex Perez, Tom Olona, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Phil Le Franc, Robert Mahan and Ann Marie Smith. Absent: Doug Bennett and Madeleine Viole. The meeting began at 6:30 p.m. and adjourned at 7:50p.m.

Opening/Closing: Father Paul opened and closed the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the June meeting were reviewed and approved.

Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.


I. Father Paul:
a) World Youth Day: Father Paul attended World Youth Day in Australia. Approximately 225,000 youth’s from around the world attend World Youth Day. It was a wonderful experience for our youth. Please be sure to check the website to see beautiful pictures!
b) New Property/Pre-School Update: Getting the new property updated and ready for the Pre-School to open has been slower than anticipated due to the recent move by the Archdiocese and requests from the City of Glendale. Licensing paperwork was received back and is being reviewed. The major work ahead is to update the kitchen and bathroom. The church will be rented out to Church of the Nations as the Korean church left a few months ago.
c) New School Year: Father Paul is looking forward to a great school year. Welcomed back Olivia and Diana and thanked them for their efforts.

II. Principal-Olivia Carrillo:
a) Staff Update: All the teacher positions have been filled including a Science position for all grades. There are two vacant positions for Teacher’s Aid, but offers have been made and hopefully the positions will be filled shortly.
b) Handbook: The handbook is under review and will be updated to include language required by the Archdiocese.
c) Calendar Update: The academic decathlon will take place on March 14th. Spaghetti Dinner is planned for March 7th. Dates were switched due to a date change for the decathlon.
d) Kinder Picnic: The kinder picnic is scheduled for August 24th at Nibley Park. Ann Marie is going to contact the kinder teacher and parents for help in arranging the picnic.
e) Parent Seminar: Olivia brought up the idea of offering a parenting seminar. Tom volunteered to teach the seminar as he is very familiar with the course and topic. A specific date will be determined by Tom and Olivia.

III. President-Joe Chavez:
a) Meeting Minutes: Our goal will be to have timely information posted on the website, therefore, the meeting minutes will be posted a few days after the PTO meeting. However, the minutes are subject to change and are pending finalization after review and approval by the PTO Board Members at the next PTO Board meeting.
b) Parent Involvement: Joe asked that all PTO Members reach out to the parents so everyone becomes involved. The hope is to get everyone to work together and build a sense of community. We can get more accomplished if we reach out to all parents and each family. Father Paul also mentioned that with everyone’s participation we can build a strong sense of community within the school.
c) Committee Positions/Responsibilities: Reviewed the assigned positions and responsibilities for the upcoming year. Diana asked for clarification of rolls and responsibilities specifically for the Home Room Parents and Yard Duty. At the last General PTO meeting, sign up sheets were available. Ann Marie is going to contact Angie for copies. Once we have the sheets all Board Members will be given their assigned sheets so they are able to contact those that signed up. The master list for yard duty volunteers will be given to Tom so he is able to find a lead parent to fill the yard duty needs.
d) Directory Update: Olivia indicated that the Leon family usually updates the school directory. Joe will contact them to see if they will be updating the directory this year as well.
e) New Parent Social/Orientation: The new parent social and orientation is scheduled for August 18th at 6pm. Joe asked that PTO members attend and welcome the new school families. Mandy will help coordinate the event.
f) Back to School Event: The Back to School Hop is scheduled for September 27th. The book fair will also begin that week. Maribeth will check with Mrs. Alonso to see if help is needed.

VI. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:
a) Swim Team: Practice for the swim team has been set up at Chevy Chase for the months of August and September. A few questions have come up: 1) is a checking account an option for expense purposes? Father Paul indicated that the Archdiocese does not allow checking accounts to be set up. 2) canopies will be needed for the swim meets. Phil will check with Nestle to see if they will be able to assist in getting the canopies and report back to Jimmy. 3) is it possible to waive the fee for the swim team? Jimmy will confirm how many swimmers are participating and to confirm the cost and report back for further review. Maybe a fundraiser would be an option, i.e. car wash. The goal is to be consistent across all sports, currently all sports teams have a fee associated when participating.
g) Sports Banquet: Jimmy confirmed the dates for the fall (December 10th) and spring (May 6th) Sports Banquets.

VII. Maintenance: Phil Le Franc
a. Nestle: Phil mentioned that working with Nestle last year took a lot of time, but a great relationship has been established. Phil will continue to work with Nestle this year.
b. Carpool: Doug will head the carpool this year with Phil assisting. They will need five volunteers. Joe mentioned that the number one priority for the carpool needs to be safety. It is absolutely essential that parents do not park their car and walk the children across the carpool lanes. Parents need to drop the children off first and then if they have business at the school they can park and walk across themselves. Children should not be walking in the lanes of traffic. Thought also given to “lining” the carpool lane so that there would only be one lane and there would be no way to get around the “lining”. Phil will look into ideas.
c. Earthquake Preparedness: In light of the recent earthquake Phil would like to ensure that the school is safe and updated. Phil noticed that some of the classrooms have items on top of the closets that could fall or tall book shelves, etc. Father Paul confirmed that the buildings were built after 1933 so they do not need to be retrofitted; all earthquake standards have already been met. Discussion around not being able to contact family via cell phone in the event of an emergency. Phil mentioned that a better solution is to text versus trying to use a cell phone. Thought given to preparing a mass email list or to having the school phone system automatically call parents with information in the event of an emergency. The email or phone message could be sent out to parents giving instructions or information regarding the emergency; easing fear and concern. Further thought and research will be given to this topic.
d. Condition of School: The school looks great. One of the large planters needs to have the bricks replaced.

VII. Fundraising:-Robert Mahan:
a) Auction Event: Joe confirmed that the auction will be held April 25, 2009 at the Castaways in Burbank. The event will be a mid-day affair.
b) Jog-A-Thon: The Jog-A-Thon will be held on November 21st. Bob would like to get a list indicating the number of students in each class so he can start to get pricing from printers. Father Paul asked that Coastal Printworks be contacted regarding pricing for the t-shirts.

VIII. Open Discussion
a) Fundraising: Tom mentioned a possible fundraising idea; selling note cards with the children’s art work on the front. Note cards and even Christmas cards could be an option. Joe mentioned all fundraising ideas should be presented to Bob for review. Joe also mentioned that the church and school has a fundraising coordinator who will be assisting in fundraising events. The goal will be for the school and church to work together and coordinate the fundraising efforts. Father Paul asked that the church be notified of fundraising events so that events are not occurring at the same time.


Important Upcoming Events
August 18: New Parent Social-Orientation Meeting
August 24: Kinder Picnic at Nibley Park
September 2: First Day of School
September 16: General PTO Meeting
September 18: Back to School Night-Kinder-5th
September 25: Back to School Night-6, 7 & 8
September 27: Back to School Hop and Book Fair Opens


Note: These minutes are not finalized and are subject to change after review by the PTO Board at the upcoming board meeting.

PTO Board Meeting, June 3, 2008

Incarnation School PTO Board Meeting Minutes

Members Present: Father Paul, Olivia Carrillo, Greg Dumansky, Joe Chavez, Juliet Mendoza, Alex Perez, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Phil Le Franc, Jennifer Bunt ,Angie Gonzalez, Doug Bennett, Tom Olona, Ann-Marie Smith and Madeleine Viole. The meeting began at 6:35 p.m. and adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Absent: Robert Mahan and Diana Girskis.

Opening: Father Paul opened the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the May meeting were reviewed and approved.

I. Father Paul:
a) PTO Board Members: Father Paul thanked the outgoing members and welcomed the new members to the board.
b) Congratulations: Father Paul congratulated Ms. Carrillo for a great first year.
c) Pre-School Update: The hope was to have the pre-school opened by the fall; however, due to the many State requirements the process for licensing is taking a little bit longer than anticipated. The good news is that work is proceeding and will continue throughout the summer months.
II. Principal-Olivia Carrillo
a) Olivia thanked the PTO Board for their assistance during her first year and also welcomed the new board members.
III. President-Greg Dumansky:
a. Auction Recap: Almost everything has been completed for the Auction Dinner. The thank you letters have been sent out. There was a small program glitch that Jim Thiering is working to correct. There are five items that need to be reconciled once the computer program is able to print the final document.
b. Electrical Upgrade: The electrical upgrade has been approved by the Archdiocese.
c. PTO Board New Members: Welcome to the new PTO Board Members.
d. Gym Logo: Greg met with Rita regarding the logo colors etc. Final steps are to review the logo again with Mrs. Ghantous and the project can begin in August.
e. Scrip Coordinator: Reminded everyone again that Jenn will be taking over as the new Scrip Coordinator. Greg and Jenn are hoping to meet with Rosanna this week. Greg reminded Jenn to get the banner back from Rosanna. Greg mentioned that the goal for scrip will be to develop a manual including the step by step process so that in the future anyone can pick up and take over the program. Greg and Jenn will be working on this together. Joe mentioned that it’s very important to reconcile the figures with Rosanna before beginning the new program.
f. Disaster Drill: The drill went very well, a few minor changes are needed but overall the drill was successful. Phil mentioned that Nestle is working on a recap and suggestions for improvement. Further information to follow regarding improvements (tent, tarp, maybe adding holes in the yard to make the tarp more secure).
IV. Parent Involvement: Angie Gonzalez:
a) Hope for the Pope: The free dress day earned $760.50. Angie will be presenting a check to the Glendale Red Cross. A certificate will be given to the school showing their appreciation.
d) Altar Server Picnic: The picnic went very well, about 30 students attended. Father Tim attended and thanked the altar servers by presenting them with a gift.
e) Home Room Sign-up Sheets: Home Room sign up sheets were available at the last General PTO meeting. Some parents signed up, but overall participation was low. The sheets will be available again once school starts.
V. Vice President-Juliet Mendoza:
a) Swim Team: Juliet mentioned that the school swim team is not able to practice as the school’s insurance policy does not include liability insurance while the swimmers are practicing at another pool (i.e. YMCA, Chevy Chase etc.). Jimmy will look into what other schools are doing for practice and if a waiver policy can be purchased. Fundraising events to pay for the policy could be an option.
VI. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:
a. Coaches Code of Conduct: Jimmy and Olivia will meet once school ends to review a manual/code of conduct for the coaches.
b. Sports Banquet: The Spring Sports Banquet went very well, many families attended. Thank you to the volunteers that helped.
VII. Maintenance: Phil Le Franc
a. Nestle: The City of Glendale is requiring that the container be placed in the same location that it was before. This is a concern as there are power lines above the location that could come down in the event of a major earthquake. Father Paul gave approval for the location and would like to move ahead. Father Paul asked that Nestle continue to work on a solution regarding the power lines above the metal container. Phil mentioned that Nestle is working with their specialists to see what solutions are available. Phil also mentioned that Nestle has been a great partner, they have acted in good faith, delivered what they have promised and allowed us access to their internal communication system. Hopefully in the future this will aid in our fundraising events as we are able to notify the employees of raffles etc. They also donated $500 for the Auction Dinner.
b. Carpool: Phil does have a parent to assist with putting out the cones in the morning. This prevents parents from leaving the parking lot at an angle. Phil would like the parents to have signs for kinder and first grade so the carpool volunteers know these children will need extra assistance. Angie will print the signs and give to the office so the signs can be included with a mailer going out in August. Phil also requested that the volunteers be given yellow vests/jackets so that they are clearly visible in the parking lot. Also an idea is to have the volunteers be given stop signs in an effort to prevent the parents from walking the students across the carpool lanes in the morning. Question also came up about when does the carpool end? The carpool ends by 8:10 when the gates are closed. Any cars left in the parking lot will need to go to the office to be let out of the gates.
VII. New PTO President-Joe Chavez:
a) Auction Recap: Joe hopes to get the final numbers by the end of the month. The winner of the car attended the 12:00pm Mass on May 25th and was introduced to the parish members.
b) Looking Ahead: Joe is hoping to get the parishioners to look ahead to next year’s raffle prize. Idea is to have parishioners save a quarter a day so that when the raffle comes around they will already have the money saved. The goal will be to have school families increase their sales above the $100 requirement. A chairperson is already in place for next year and is already looking into locations. The date for the event will be April 25th not April 4th as Father Paul would prefer the event be held after Lent.
c) New Board Members: After the old Board Members left Joe summarized his plans/thoughts to the new Members. The plan is to have meetings start at 6:30pm and end at 8:00pm. This will keep the meetings on track and focused. The nature of the positions were reviewed as a group and thought given to who would be best suited for each position. It makes sense to separate some of the positions for two people to handle, this way every effort will be made to reach out to the parents and strive to get their involvement and participation. As PTO Board Members our efforts should be to increase our fundraising efforts and to continue to get all families involved. Focus will also be placed on the carpool so that safety is a first priority. Reviewed with Ms. Carrillo what positions are open for next year. Ended the meeting with JustFaith Group Guidelines, which indicate that we should honor differences, listen to others with respect, give everyone an opportunity to speak and to fully participate.
The next meeting will be on August 5th at 6:30pm.

Important Upcoming Events

August 18: New Parent Social-Orientation Meeting
August 24: Kinder Picnic at Nibley Park

September 2: First Day of School
September 16: General PTO Meeting
September 18: Back to School Night-Kinder-5th
September 25: Back to School Night-6, 7 & 8
September 27: Back to School Hop and Book Fair Opens

Note: These notes are subject to change after review by PTO Board at upcoming board meeting.

Incarnation School PTO Board Meeting Minutes, May 6, 2008

Members Present: Olivia Carrillo, Greg Dumansky, Joe Chavez, Juliet Mendoza, Alex Perez, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Phil Le Franc, Robert Mahan, Jennifer Bunt, Angie Gonzalez and Diana Girskis. The meeting began at 6:35 p.m. and adjourned at 9:35 p.m. Absent: Father Paul

Opening: Ms. Carrillo opened and closed the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the April meeting were reviewed and approved.

I. Principal- Olivia Carrillo:
a) New School Year Calendar: Olivia handed out the school calendar for next year. Dates were completed for kinder picnic, orientation and new parent meeting, General PTO meetings, Sports Banquets, etc.
II. President-Greg Dumansky:
a) Auction Recap: The final dollar amounts are being finalized, but overall the results from the silent and live auction and raffle tickets look positive. Money is still being collected including the money for those parents that bid on the gym logo. A letter and invoice will be sent out to the parents who bid on the logo so they can send in the amount owed. Greg suggested a de-briefing meeting be held so we can start planning ahead for next year. This will help the committee members to see what worked and what would need to be revised for future auctions. Jenn mentioned that the children had a great time selling the tickets. Six awards were given to the children since the final ticket sales were very close between a few children. Jenn mentioned that it may be a good idea to continue the incentives next year and maybe even add a cash prize for the most tickets sold. Joe asked that any comments or concerns from the evening be sent to Georgette’s attention so they can be reviewed with Brandview. Joe reminded us that 15% of the auction proceeds will be given to the church building fund.
b) Electrical Upgrade: The first phrase of the electrical upgrade has been approved and will be sent out to bid.
c) PTO Board Elections: The next PTO meeting is scheduled for May 13th. New board members will be elected.
d) New Property Gym Usage: Usage for the gym at the new property should be coordinated through Olivia. Coaches will be updated so they know to schedule through Olivia.
e) Scrip Coordinator: Starting with the new school year Jenn will be taking over the scrip program. Announcement will be made during the next PTO meeting. Jenn mentioned that she would like to have a co-coordinator to help with weekend sales. Angie will check with a parent to see if she is interested.
f) Disaster Drill: The drill is scheduled for May 16th. Specific details will be reviewed during the General PTO meeting on May 13th.


III. Fundraising-Joe Chavez:
a) Auction Dinner Dance: Final numbers are being calculated. Joe has spoken to the raffle winner, she is deciding if she would like the car or the cash option. Any comments or concerns can be sent to Joe or Georgette.
IV. Secretary/Public Relations: Maribeth Spensiero:
a) Spaghetti Dinner: There was a profit from the spaghetti dinner that is available. Olivia suggested that the money could be used to upgrade the school email system. All members agreed to this suggestion.
V. Student Affairs: Jennifer Bunt:
a) Student Council: The students were able to participate in “Glendale Clean and Beautiful” week by planting trees.
b) 8th Grade Graduation: Jenn mentioned that she has not been asked for help with the graduation, but is available if needed. Jimmy indicated a meeting was recently held so Jenn maybe contacted soon. Availability of the new property gym was in question due to construction that will be starting prior to the graduation.
VI. Parent Involvement: Angie Gonzalez:
a). Teacher Appreciation Week: This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Two gifts from the PTO Board Members will be passed out during the week.
b). Uniform Sale: The uniform sale went very well. $219 was earned and will be used for the 7th grade lunch/brunch. The lost and found stack is starting to pile up again so the 8th grade may want to hold another sale.
c) Hope for the Pope: The free dress day earned $382 for the Holy Childhood Association. The next one is scheduled for May 23rd.
d) Altar Server Picnic: A picnic for the Altar Servers will be held on May 30th in the church patio. Information was sent home in the Home Messenger.
e) Home Room Sign-up Sheets: Angie mentioned that the teachers have asked if a sign up sheet for those interested in being a Home Room parent could be completed at the last General PTO meeting. This way the teachers will have an idea in advance of who is interested. Jenn and Joe also mentioned that sign up sheets for the auction and sub-committees should also be available so that planning for next year could begin.
VII. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:
a) Sports Banquet: The Spring Banquet has been scheduled for May 29th at 6:00pm. Jimmy will let the board members know what help he needs.
b) Sports: Confirmed that Jimmy will remind the coaches that scheduling is done through Olivia.
VIII. Maintenance: Phil Le Franc
a) Nestle: The relationship with Nestle is a work in progress. Nestle does have wonderful programs available for the community and schools. Phil will continue to work on the relationship and hopes to have a long successful relationship. Nestle will be in attendance for the Disaster Drill on May 16th.
b) Carpool: Phil found a parent to assist with putting out the cones. This prevents parents from leaving the parking lot at an angle. There is one additional sign (“no cell phone use”) that needs to be visible. Phil suggested that the sign be placed on the gate. A safety concern was raised about the number of parents walking their children across the carpool lanes. Many parents are parking their cars and then walking across, this is a huge safety issue that needs to be addressed. Parents will be reminded again during the General PTO meeting that they must drop their child off first and then if they have business at the school they can park.

IX General Comments:
a) Jenn asked if there is away to eliminate the number of flyers that are included in the Home Messenger each week. She suggested that parents are given the option to receive the information via email instead of paper. Olivia also suggested that the information is included in her letter instead of on a flyer.

PTO Board Meeting, April 8, 2008

Members Present: Olivia Carrillo, Greg Dumansky, Juliet Mendoza, Alex Perez, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Phil Le Franc, Robert Mahan, Jennifer Bunt, Angie Gonzalez and Susan Thiering. The meeting began at 6:35 p.m. and adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Absent: Father Paul, Joe Chavez

Opening: Ms. Carrillo opened and closed the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the March meeting were reviewed and approved.

I. Principal- Olivia Carrillo:
a) Electrical Proposal: Rita asked if the proposal has been reviewed and if it is ready for Father Paul’s signature. Greg said he has reviewed it and it looks fine, it is ready for Father Paul to review upon his return.
b) New School Year Calendar: Olivia handed out a tentative school calendar for next year. The dates will be finalized shortly. A letter from the parish office manager was handed out with a reminder note about scheduling school/PTO events. The Back to School Hop has been scheduled for 9-27. The book fair will be coordinated around the same time.
c) Safe Guard the Children: There will be a Safe Guard the Children meeting on 4-29 from 7-8 pm in St. Michael’s Hall.

II. President-Greg Dumansky:
a) Dodger Game: The Dodger Game is scheduled for 4-11. 142 out of 150 tickets have been sold so far. Four people will be able to go onto the field prior to the game. They will be holding the INCA banner. Raffle prizes and giveaways will be given away during the game.
b) Transition Meeting: Greg attended the recent transition meeting regarding the new property. The gym is in the process of being updated with new floors, bathrooms etc. Since the updates are taking place it maybe a good time to include new padding for the walls, backboards for the basketball hoops, updated volleyball polls in the floor and possibly a school logo added to the wood floors. Greg will confirm the pricing and see if the school has any funds that could be utilized toward the upgrades.
c) PTO Board Elections: At the end of the year five positions will be vacated. Joe suggested a letter be included in the Home Messenger to see if any parents are interested in joining the board. Juliet will work on the letter. Greg asked that we continue to speak to parents as well. Next general PTO meeting is scheduled for May 13th.
d) Finance Committee: Heliberto Cano from the Finance Committee was present to review how the finance committee reviews the tuition for the upcoming year. When the finance committee meets to determine the tuition for the school many factors are taken into consideration. Factors such as; the current economy, tuition costs at other local schools, the number of families that are active parishioners versus non active parishioners and the number of children per family. The committee must work with the current data they have available at the time, they do not know what the make up will be when school actually starts in September. In comparison to other local schools, the tuition at Incarnation is in the middle and is really one of the only schools that has a multi family discount. Heliberto also reviewed a pledge system. Other schools have a pledge system currently in place. A family would pledge how much they could contribute each year and could pay that amount on a monthly basis. This may eliminate the need for fundraising throughout the year. The pros are that there would be proof of the contribution for tax purposes. Also, companies could provide a matching gift directly to the school with the pledge system. The cons are that if families pay their contribution directly to the school, we could lose the community feeling. Susan mentioned that many high schools use the pledge system and very few families know each other. With the current fund raising programs everyone gets involved to work toward the fundraising goal. Heliberto mentioned that the goal would not be to eliminate the social events or the participation hours, they could be scaled down. The goal with the pledge system would be to maximum fundraising efforts. A suggestion was made to survey the parents.

III. Vice President: Juliet Mendoza:
a) Auction Dinner Dance: Juliet is supporting Jenn with the auction sales. Working toward getting the book completed by 4-18.

IV. Secretary/Public Relations: Maribeth Spensiero:
a) Science Fair: Will contact the paper for the science fair.

V. Student Affairs: Jennifer Bunt:
a) Science Fair: The science fair will take place on 4-21 and 4-22 for all grades. The parent viewing night will be on 4-23. Still need judges for the science fair.
b) Auction Dinner-Ticket Sales: Ticket sales have been going really well. 37 families have returned their ticket packets so far. The children are very excited about the prizes.
c) Scrip Program: Starting in the Fall Jenn will take over the Scrip program. The goal will be to revamp the current program and strive to increase sales to school families and parishioners. The research Jenn has done reflects that a lot of other schools earn a large portion of their fundraising from scrip sales. The goal will be to re-education families and make the program more user friendly. Plan is to have a quick turn around time to receive the cards and someone on hand to sell cards at the school and after mass. Strong marketing efforts and education will be key to the success.

VI. Parent Involvement: Angie Gonzalez:
a). Class Auction Projects: The class projects are on track and will be finished up shortly. Angie confirmed that the Home Room parents know it is their responsibility to get the project to the event.
b). Uniform Sale: All the unclaimed uniforms will be sold for $2 after Mass on Sunday. All uniforms with names have been delivered back to the students.
c) Pope Blessing-Service Hours: The Pope Blessing/service hours program was explained to the students at the assembly as well as sent home in the Home Messenger. We will continue to remind the students. We will also be collecting donations for our charity in the next couple of months.
d) Teacher Appreciation Week: Teacher Appreciation is coming up in May. Angie’s hope is to do something for the teacher’s everyday during the week of May 5-9th. Thoughts are to decorate the doors, banners, Mass with blessing.

VII. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:
a) Sports Banquet: Working to finalize the date for Spring Sports Banquet.
b) Auction Update:
• Dinner reservations are coming in at a steady pace. Currently 20 reservations from parishioners have been received.
• Volunteer meeting scheduled for 4-24. During the meeting positions will be assigned. Volunteers to help on the day of the event have been sent a reminder. Another reminder will be sent out shortly regarding the deadline of April 18th .
• Auction items are coming in for both the live and silent auction.
• Brandview contract has been signed.
• Silent Auction will be from 6-8 pm, dinner will be from 8-9, live auction from 9-10, dancing from 10-1am.
• Class projects will be displayed on the 2nd floor.
• Raffle ticket sales currently total $16,465 ($4810 parishioners, $8155 school families, $3500 through facts)
• Cashiering: meeting with Carlo and Jim to make sure that the cashiering will run smoothly.
• Everyone has pulled together and stepped up to help to make the event a success.

VIII. Maintenance: Phil Le Franc
a) Nestle: Agreement has been finalize with Nestle. A signed copy was passed out. Special note included within the Agreement reflecting the relationship between Nestle, Incarnation and school families. Encouragement of fundraising is included ie ticket sales etc.
b) Internal Disaster Drill: Selected May 16th from 12-3pm to conduct an internal drill for the school. Recourses at Nestle will be available to provide feedback. A note regarding the drill will be included in a upcoming Home Messenger.

Incarnation School PTO Board Meeting Minutes, March 4, 2008

Members Present: Father Paul, Olivia Carrillo, Greg Dumansky, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Phil Le Franc, Robert Mahan, Joe Chavez, Jennifer Bunt and Angie Gonzalez. Absent: Juliet Mendoza, Alex Perez and Diana Girskis. The meeting began at 6:35p.m. and adjourned at 8:45p.m.

Opening: Father Paul opened the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the February meeting were reviewed and approved.

I. Father Paul:
a) Electrical Upgrade: A proposal for the electrical upgrade has been received. A meeting will be set up to review the proposal.
b) Catholic Loyalty: Announcements regarding the new Catholic Loyalty program were made at Mass on Saturday and Sunday. Throughout the month of March the goal is to add new merchants to the program. The hope is that many parishioners and school families will participate as this is a great opportunity to reduce our debt. An announcement along with a card could be included in the Home Messenger. Registration is very easy; it can be done directly online.

II. Principal- Olivia Carrillo:
a) Music Teacher: We have hired a new music teacher. The hope is to be able to have a spring show. Olivia will confirm with Jennifer if a show is possible so front row seating can be included in the auction.
b) New Pre-school: Olivia and the new pre-school director attended a meeting regarding establishing a licensing for the new pre-school. Additional meetings will be attended.
c) Facility Meetings: Olivia’s plan is to utilize the facility meeting time for staff development. Currently staff meetings are held on Friday’s from 2:00 to 3:30. Reviewed feedback to see if changing early dismissal to another day instead of Friday would be possible.

III. President-Greg Dumansky:
a) Coastal Print Works: Presentation given by Coastal Print Works. They have done the PE Uniforms and the Jog-A-Thon t-shirts in the past. Brochures and business cards provided.
b) Finance Committee Meeting: Hopefully we will have a few of the Finance Committee members present at the April PTO meeting. Concern around the increase in tuition was raised. Reminder that the increase in tuition was not taken lightly, much thought and time went into the decision. Father Paul reminded everyone that tuition assistance is available and should be considered for families that need assistance.
c) Scrip: Follow up needed with Rosanna. There maybe some changes needed so we are able to capitalize on the full potential of the scrip program. It seems the participation and commitment has declined.
d) Gym Usage: Recently there have been some scheduling concerns with using the gym. In general, games should take preference over practices. Jimmy will work on a Code of Conduct for the coaches. Guidelines for using the gym should be revised for next year. All coaches and teams will need to work together to coordinate the scheduling of the games and practices.
e) Dodger Night: Dodger night planned for 4-11-08. Greg will be ordering the tickets and include a flyer in the next Home Messenger.
f) Carpool: Announcement was sent out regarding the change to the rainy day carpool. We will try the new guidelines on the next rainy day and adjust if needed. For early morning carpool (7am), the gates on Dryden should be opened first so the normal carpool route is taken. Cars should not be entering from Central.

IV. Vice President: Juliet Mendoza:
a) Lunch Program: The changes to the lunch program have been made. All lunches now include fruit/salad on each tray. The portions for bread have been reduced. The chips have changed to baked and water has been added.

V. Secretary/Public Relations: Maribeth Spensiero:
a) Hospitality Committee: Confirmed the Spaghetti Dinner will be on March 8th, the time is 6:30pm.

VI. Student Affairs: Jennifer Bunt:
a) Science Fair: The final date to submit an entry form for the Science Fair is 3-17. Entries have been slow to come in. Jenn will include a reminder notice in the next Home Messenger.
b) Recycle Bins: Recycling bins have been added around the school.
c) Auction Dinner-Ticket Sales: The ticket sales have been going really well. The children are very excited about the prizes. The children are receiving the prizes during the Monday assembly.

IX. Parent Involvement: Angie Gonzalez:
a). Lenten Soup Supper: The Lenten Soup Supper went very well. A record was set, earning $630. Three charities will benefit from the profit.
b). Spring Book Fair: The Spring Book Fair is planned for April 6- 10th. A flyer was sent out in the Home Messenger looking for volunteers.
c) Auction Event-Class Projects: A letter was sent out to the Home Room parents confirming what their project will be. Angie is waiting to hear back from some of the parents. Follow up will be needed.
d) Participation Hours: 260 surveys were sent out in the Home Messenger confirming which families need participation hours. Only 15 were returned. The ones returned were given to either the teachers or the auction committee. Beth Campbell confirmed that only 16 families opt to pay in full instead of doing participation hours.

X. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:
a) Sports Banquet: The Spring Sports Banquet will be held in May.
b) Athletics Director: Jimmy would like to work with the new Athletic Director for next year to walk him/her through the process, sports programs, uniforms, sports banquet, gym usage etc.

XI. Maintenance: Phil Le Franc
a) Nestle: Hoping to finalize the agreement with Nestle so we can move ahead with the placement of the bin and supplies. Once the plan is finalized Father Paul will be able to sign the agreement.
b) Internal Disaster Drill: Selected May 16th to conduct an internal drill for the school. Phil would like the resources at Nestle to review our process and help coordinate the event based on their expertise.

XII. Fund Raising-Joe Chavez:
a) Auction Dinner Event: Packets with menu selections and seating choices went out this week.
b). Raffle: The ticket sales are going very well. Envelopes including the tickets were handed out at all the Masses last weekend. Planning to hand out packets again at Mass in March and April.

Incarnation School PTO Board Meeting Minutes

February 5, 2008

Members Present: Father Paul, Olivia Carrillo, Greg Dumansky, Juliet Mendoza, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Robert Mahan, Joe Chavez, Jennifer Bunt, Angie Gonzalez, Alex Perez and Diana Girskis. Absent: Phil Le Franc. The meeting began at 7:00 p.m. and adjourned at 9:15 p.m.

Opening: Father Paul opened the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the January meeting were reviewed and approved.

I. Father Paul:
a) New Property –Pre-School: As mentioned at the General PTO meeting, we will be opening a Pre-School at the new property. The goal is to open the school around September for children age 3-5. A director has been hired and is currently working with Ms. Carrillo to obtain the necessary licenses, classroom furniture, etc.
b) New Property-Gym: Work will continue to be done at the new property, focus will be placed on the lounge and bathrooms. At some point, the kitchen maybe useable for food service but not for food preparation. This is due to the costly expense of updating the kitchen.
c) Catholic Legacy: Incarnation and Holy Family will be the first parishes in the US to participate in the Catholic Legacy program. The program partners Catholic churches with local merchants to give back 10% of the merchandise sale. Further information about this program will be given. The hope is that many parishioners will participation.

II. Principal- Olivia Carrillo:
a) Jog-A-Thon: The final numbers are a little bit lower due to the recent pizza parties.
b) Coastal Print Works: Coastal Print Works would like to rebuild the relationship with our school. They have been invited to attend the next PTO meeting.
c) Rainy Day Carpool: Four options were reviewed for rainy day carpool. Decision made to try option 1. Finalization of the plan and communication to parents will occur shortly.
d) Registration: We have received new applications for next year. Thought is to place an AD in the Glendale Newspaper.
e) Nestle Agreement: Agreement is almost finalized. Nestle is running the final copy through their Legal Dept.

III. President-Greg Dumansky:
a) General PTO Meeting-Follow Up: Follow up to the recent PTO meeting. Some parents did mention that they are in need of participation hours. Angie will ask Beth to pull the names of those parents that are less than 20 hours so they can be contacted.
b) Finance Committee Meeting: The Finance Committee recently met and finalized the tuition for next year. Father Paul approved the 3% increase. A comparison was done with other local schools and we are very close in terms of tuition. Next meeting is on 2-12.
c) Scrip: Follow up needed with Rosanna to confirm her process.
d) Fundraising: Phil Raba is a professional fundraiser that has assisted Holy Family with their fundraising efforts. He is available to do a presentation for the Board. Further review is needed to determine if Mr. Raba is able to help with grants.
e) Dodger Night: Dodger night planned for 4-11-08.
f) Electrical Upgrade: The plan is to move forward with the drawings and hopefully to get updated numbers soon.
g) Disaster Drill: Need to set a date for the disaster drill.

IV. Vice President: Juliet Mendoza:
a) Lunch Program: There was a great response to the lunch program survey. 109 surveys were returned. Consistent feedback on the surveys was to cut back on chips and sugary juices. Plan is to reduce serving chips and replace the chips with fresh fruit and veggies. Make sure there is water available instead of juice and reduce the number of carbs served in one meal.

V. Fund Raising: Bob Mahan:
a) Jog-A-Thon: Pizza parties were held recently. This concluded the 2007 Jog-A-Thon.

VI. Treasurer: Alex Perez:
a) Jog-A-Thon: We did raise less money than in the past. It appears the expenses were increased and we had fewer sponsors than in previous years

VI. Secretary/Public Relations: Maribeth Spensiero:
a) Hospitality Committee: Confirmed the Spaghetti Dinner will be on March 8th.

VII. Student Affairs: Jennifer Bunt:
a) Science Fair: The final date to submit an entry form for the Science Fair is 3-17. It is critical that the forms are returned so Jenn can determine how many entries there will be and to ensure there are enough judges etc. Jenn will try to include the entry form in the Home Messenger again.

VIII. Parent Involvement: Angie Gonzalez:
a). Lenten Soup Supper: The Lenten Soup Supper is planned for 3-17
b). Spring Book Fair: The Spring Book Fair is planned for the first week of May. Mrs. Hihn will need help to run the fair, Angie will generate a flyer asking for volunteers.
c) Auction Event-Class Projects: Angie will be meeting with the Home Room Parents regarding the class projects. Reviewed questions and ideas for the projects. Confirmed the budget for the class projects is $200.

IX. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:
a) Gym Usage: Clarification regarding use of the gym is needed. Rita will maintain the master list, including all games and practices so there isn’t any confusion on who is scheduled to use the gym.
b) Uniforms: Some of the shorts are two short for the kids. Options are to have the kids wear their PE shorts or replacement shorts can be purchased.
c) Score Board: The new score board is available for use.
d) Funds for Sports: Jimmy would like to purchase new canopies for the swim team. Funds should be available from the See’s Candy fundraiser and the upcoming Dodger game.
e) Spring Banquet: A Spring banquet will be planned.

X. Fund Raising-Joe Chavez:
a) Auction Dinner Event: The venue, menu and parking have all been finalized. Volunteers are still needed for all areas. Alex will give Joe the laptop. The dinner/ticket cost for the parishioners will be $45. The packets for the school families will be out in the middle of February. The packets for the parishioners will be handed out after mass on February 23rd and 24th.
b). Raffle: Jenn is working on the incentives for the top ticket sellers. Announcements will be made to the children at an upcoming assembly.
c). Advertisements/Sponsorships: Thought given to including ADS in the auction book. A committee member would be needed to head up this project.

Incarnation School PTO Board Meeting Minutes

January 10, 2008

Members Present: Olivia Carrillo, Greg Dumansky, Juliet Mendoza, Maribeth Spensiero, Jimmy Mueckay, Robert Mahan, Joe Chavez, Jennifer Bunt, Phil Le Franc and Alex Perez. Absent: Father Paul and Angie Gonzalez. The meeting began at 7:00 p.m. and adjourned at 9:25 p.m.
Opening: Ms. Carrillo opened and closed the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the December meeting were reviewed and approved.

I. Principal- Olivia Carrillo:
a) Registration for next year: Registration information is being put together for new and current families. Finalized information will be confirmed once the 2008/2009 tuition is determined.
b) Lunch Service: We are working with M & F Kitchenette for optional menu items. Olivia also received a menu from an organic lunch program.

II. President-Greg Dumansky:
a) Sees Candy Fundraiser: The total profit from the Sees Candy fundraiser was $2875. The funds will go toward purchasing needed P.E./sports equipment.
b) Gym Clean-up Project: Clean up project in the planning states. Follow up needed with Father Paul.
c) Finance Committee: Next Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for January 14th.
d) General PTO Meeting: The next General PTO meeting is scheduled for January 29th. Greg is working on the agenda items and will forward to the PTO members prior to the meeting.
e) Carpool Concerns: Teachers discussed ideas to improve the rainy day carpool so that the teachers are able to stay dry and keep the children and themselves safe. One idea is to take the ASP kids to the ASP room first and have the other children remain in the auditorium until their parent arrives. Parents would follow the same carpool procedure as normal, but once they reach the front of the carpool line a walkie-talkie would be used to get the child from the auditorium. Parents would then walk their child/children from the benches to their car. Further discussion and finalization of revised plan is needed before any changes are made.
f) Afternoon Carpool: Reminder from the teachers that Coach Francisco should be directing the afternoon carpool. He should be given respect from the parents while he directs the traffic into the appropriate lanes. Cell phones and newspapers should be put away during carpool this will speed along the process and ensure safety for the children.
g) Faculty Member Added to Board: We would like to invite the teachers to join the PTO meetings at any time. Mrs. Girskis would like to join as a representative for the faculty.

III. Vice President: Juliet Mendoza:
a) Lunch Program: Juliet met with M&F Kitchenette to discuss the lunch program. M & F Kitchenette is willing to work with us to make improvements as we strive to serve a healthier lunch for our children. The hope is to make valuable changes in a couple of phases. A survey will go out to the parents to get their feedback on the lunch program. This will start phase one.

IV. Fund Raising: Bob Mahan:
a) Jog-A-Thon: Thank you letters and awards have been given out. Bob will be scheduling the pizza parties with the teachers.

V. Treasurer: Alex Perez:
a) Jog-A-Thon: The final amount for the Jog-A-Thon reflects we raised about $5000 less than last year.
b) Electrical Up-grade: The funds are available for the electrical upgrade. Hopefully we will be able to begin the electrical upgrade project this summer.

VI. Secretary/Public Relations: Maribeth Spensiero:
a) Hospitality Committee: Will be working on the Spaghetti Dinner which is scheduled for March 8th.

VII. Student Affairs: Jennifer Bunt:
a) Science Fair: Jenn is beginning to work on the Science Fair. She will need help to get judges. The fair will be taking place in April. The format will be a little bit different this year in that a science project is only mandatory for Jr. High. Children in other grades are still able to present a project, but it will not be mandatory as in the past. Jenn is working on a letter for the Home Messenger once she hears back from the teachers regarding their plans for class projects.
b) Recycling Project: The Student Council has collect a tremendous amount of recyclable cans and bottles. Since they have collected so much they need to have additional bins to store what is collected. This will help to ease the clutter and provide a specific location for recycling items.

VIII. Parent Involvement: Angie Gonzalez:
a. Santa Pictures: The Santa pictures went very well. With the money raised we were able to purchase a color printer for the computer lab.

IX. Maintance-Phil Le Franc:
a) Nestle: Phil provided an overview of his meetings and progress with Nestle. Phil has made tremendous progress in developing the relationship with Nestle. This relationship will allow us to partner with Nestle in the event of a large disaster. Nestle has asked that they be allowed to store a large container on our property. Within this container they will include enough food, water and supplies for Incarnation students and staff. A list of requirements presented by Phil to Nestle has been approved by Nestle. Phil will need to get approval from Rita before any of the plans can be put into place.
b) Scrip: Phil will speak to Rosanna DeVito to see if the scrip table can be moved to a more visible location. Also present the idea of making a board to show which cards Rosanna and her team have available. Many times people walk past the table and are not clear that scrip cards are being sold. A board would clearly reflect the cards that are available and draw people’s attention to the table.
c) Wish List: Phil’s wish list includes a web sight where Incarnation families can exchange products and services. In addition, Phil wishes for families to be given information on how to protect their family through charitable trusts. This may be beyond the score and nature of the PTO Board’s responsibilities.

X. Athletics: Jimmy Mueckay:
a. Sports Banquet: The Fall Sports Banquet went very well. The winning Football team was introduced. The food was great and it was a very good turnout.
b. After School Basketball Program: Jimmy will check with Mr. Sonner to see if they have started an afternoon basketball program for the ASP kids.
c. Equipment: We are in need of some new equipment, i.e .volleyball nets. Olivia indicated that any ordering needs to be done through Catholic Purchasing Services.
d. Title 5 Funds: Jimmy is looking for another volunteer from the school to attend the Title 5 meeting on January 24th. Title 5 is a program that may provide money to private schools. In the past we have been able to buy books for the library. The meeting is held once a year.

XI. Fund Raising-Joe Chavez:
a. Auction Dinner Event: There will be a kick off meeting on 1-17 for the Auction Dinner Committee Members. There will also be a dinner set up for food tasting.
b. Vehicle Raffle: The ticket prize/amounts will be revised as follows:
• $10 for 1 ticket or 3 tickets for $25
• Each school family will be required to sell $100 worth of tickets.
• Each school family will be given 30 tickets with the hope that many will sell beyond the required $100 amount.
• Talked about giving incentives to the children (i.e free dress) who sell beyond $100.
• Tickets will be handed out to the parish members the weekend of 2-23
• To show our progress a “thermometer chart” could be made and put on display.
• The car will be available for display after mass. Tickets would also be sold after mass in the upcoming months.
• Goal is to hand out the tickets at the general PTO meeting on January 29th.