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.