Francis Wyman PTO Old Minutes

2006-2007 PTO Meeting Minutes

May 16,2007
March 21,2007
January 17, 2007
November 15, 2006
October 17, 2006
September 20, 2006

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Meeting Minutes from May 16, 2007

Ms. Sunderland provided an overview of the Primary Source program. This is a non-profit organization that assists teachers in infusing global education into the curriculum. The organization provides resources and professional development for teachers. The program also helps teachers to form a partnership with other school systems and teachers to share resources. The goal of the organization help children understand the global community by increasing the amount of global information presented in the curriculum.
The teachers wish to thank the PTO for the wonderful Teacher Appreciation Luncheon.

Administration Issues
Mrs. Burns announced that Susan Astone has been hired as the new principal of Francis Wyman. Ms. Astone is currently an Assistant Principal and Special Education Director in Hollis, NH. Mrs. Burns has invited Ms. Astone to visit Francis Wyman on June 1st.

Old Business

The last SCRIPS program of the year will be held in early June. Gift cards will be delivered in time for Father's Day.
The suggested improvements to the hard top playground were taken off the warrant article for Town Meeting. The issue will be re-addressed next year.
The suggested improvements to the back playground were not addressed at Town Meeting this year either. There was discussion of forming a committee (separate from the PTO) to raise money to clean up the playground. If anyone is interested in forming such a committee, please contact Wendy Czerwinski at wendycz@rcn.com.

New Business

Mrs. Perry discussed the fact that most of the current 4th graders have registered to go to Camp Bournedale in September. Only about 28 4th graders have yet to sign up. A motion was made for the PTO to provide $600 for scholarships to attend Camp Bournedale. A vote was taken and all were in favor.
There was a discussion on how to spend the money raised by the Box Tops program. It was decided that $125 will be given to each grade, and the teachers can decide whether to use the money for playground toys or for games for the classroom.
Each year the PTO makes a donation to the Burlington Education Foundation (BEF). It was decided that a star award would be purchased for each retiring member of the PTO board, for Mrs. Burns and for a few 5th grade parents that provided a lot of support to the PTO. A motion was made to donate $180 to the BEF in the form of star awards. A vote was taken and all agreed.
It was suggested that $50 be given to Shawsheen Technical School for their graduation party. A vote was taken and all agreed.
Each year the PTO provides scholarship money for the Summer Reading/Writing programs at Francis Wyman. A motion was made to contribute $750 toward scholarships for the program. A vote was taken and all agreed.

Programs for Next Year

There was discussion about doing another fundraiser at the Blue Tulip on June 1st, 2nd and 3rd. There was some concern that parents would feel pressured to shop there to support the PTO. Another parent said that Blue Tulip donated several nice baskets for the carnival and that it would be nice to support them. The consensus was that if you were going to shop there anyway, go on those days and mention the Francis Wyman PTO, but don't feel pressured to go just for the PTO. These types of fundraisers will be addressed in the fall.
Wendy presented the idea of pre-ordering school supplies through a program at Staples. The matter was discussed, but it was felt by most that the packages were quite expensive.
Wendy discussed utilizing email for notifications. It was generally agreed that using email to communicate important matters would be fine. However, there was also discussion that email overload would not be a good thing.

PTO Board Positions

At the March meeting Mary Sweeney was nominated for the position of Co-Secretary to replace Joann Terrio. Barbara Mozzicato was nominated for the position of Vice President to replace Tanya Ikier. No one else stepped forward to be nominated for the positions so a vote was taken. All in attendance voted in favor of these candidates.
A nomination was made for Joan Ford to be the new co-President of the PTO to replace Faydeen Sateriale. No one else requested nomination for this position. A vote was taken and all in attendance agreed to this appointment.

Committee Reports

Enrichment Committee:The Enrichment Committee is bringing Brian Lies, an author and illustrator, for the entire school (K through 5th grade).
Landscaping Committee:Next year Julie Conley will chair the Landscaping Committee. All landscaping sessions will be on Sundays next year.

Next PTO Meeting is Wednesday, September 19th at 7:00 p.m
Meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Joann Terrio, Secretary

Meeting Minutes from March 21, 2007

Welcome and Introduction
Co-President Wendy Czerwinski brought the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. PTO Board members present were: Faydeen Sateriale, Wendy Czerwinski, Tanya Ikier, Sue Frost, Joann Terrio, Kathy Burns and Irene Roque. Teacher Representative, Jean Perry, was also in attendance. There were 11 parents in attendance.

Secretary's Report
Joann Terrio, Secretary, presented the Minutes from the January meeting. They were circulated for all to review. Please note that the meeting Minutes are posted on the PTO website as well as on the bulletin board outside the office

Treasurer's Report
Sue Frost, Treasurer, presented the financials. Sue reviewed the financial projections through the end of the year.

Parent Issues
A parent brought up the School Committee Meeting and the fact that there are cuts proposed for Francis Wyman for next year. As of tonight, it is proposed that the Instructional Aid and ½ of a Guidance Counselor position will be cut for next year. It was suggested that all concerned call the School Committee members and voice your opinion. A letter will also be put together to send out via email to let parents know about the cuts and to get more involvement.

Teacher Issues
The teachers wish to thank the PTO Enrichment Committee for the recent author/illustrator visits. The K-3 graders enjoyed a visit from David Biedcycki. The 4th & 5th graders enjoyed a visit from Mitali Perkins.

Administrative Issues

Mrs. Roque gave an update on the improvements for the playground. Craig Robinson has estimated that the improvements to the hardtop playground will be approximately $62,000. There is no money in the budget to pay for this item. She explained that a Warrant Article would have to be put before the Town Meeting for a vote to obtain the money to pay for these improvements.
The lower playground improvements are estimated to cost $32,000. The Disability Action Committee has agreed to pay for a portion of this amount (a figure has not yet been determined). However, there is no money in the budget to pay for the balance of the improvements. Like the hardtop playground, a Warrant Article would have to be put before the Town Meeting. Mrs. Roque is going to follow-up with Craig Robinson on both of these issues.

Old Business

The next SCRIPS deadline is March 26th with delivery of the gift cards on April 3rd. The next order/delivery dates will be before Mother's Day and Father's Day. Someone suggested putting a table at the Carnival to promote the SCRIPS program.
The Dare Graduation was a huge success. Thank you to all who helped out.

New Business

Nominations are underway for PTO Board Positions which will be vacant at the end of this year. Mary Sweeney was nominated for the position of Co-Secretary. Barbara Mozzicato was nominated for the position of Vice President. There were no nominations made for the vacant position of Co-President. Another Co-President is needed to keep the Board running for next year. Anyone interested in being nominated for any of these positions (Co-President, Co-Secretary and Vice President) can contact Faydeen Sateriale at faydeen@hotmail.com or (781) 272-3755 or Wendy Czerwinski at wendycz@rcn.com
A Motion was made to form a committee to find someone for the vacant Co-President position.

Committees

Carnival: The Francis Wyman Carnival will be held on Saturday, March 31, 2007. More volunteers are needed to help with the Carnival. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Nancy Minghella @ bamb2@aol.com or (781) 229-1198.
Enrichment: At the end of May Brian Lies will make a presentation to the entire school (K-5th grade).
Teacher Luncheon: The annual Teacher Luncheon will be held on Monday, May 7th. Kathy Webb is chairing this committee.
Website: Mary Sweeney has taken on the job of web master. Mary will be redesigning the current PTO website.
Kindergarten Open House Letters: Kristine Brown and Ann Langenfeld volunteered to assemble and send out (by April 30th) our annual welcome/reminder mailing for the scheduled May 10th Kindergarten Open House.

Reevaluated Budget Items
At the January meeting it was decided to postpone the decision on the following budget items:

A vote was taken and passed to donate $100 toward the Burlington High School graduation party.
A vote was taken and passed to donate $100 to BEF. It will be determined at the May meeting if an excess of 5 Star Awards will be given out to graduating involved PTO parents ($20/each). If it does go over 5 parents, a vote will need to be taken to increase the amount above $100.
A vote was taken and passed to donate a $25 Barnes & Noble gift care to the annual DARE Day. It was suggested to use the SCRIPS program to buy the gift card. .

Committee Reports

Newsletter/Community Notification: All articles and submissions for the Newsletter are due by March 22nd. The Newsletter will be going out in the next few weeks.
Landscape/Beautification: The coordinator, Karen Sullivan, is looking for someone to take over this committee next year. She will be training that new person during the Spring landscaping session. Anyone interested in heading up the landscaping (spring/fall), should contact Karen at sullivankzs@rcn.com or at (781) 229-7951.

Next PTO Meeting is Wednesday, , May 16, 2007
Meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Joann Terrio, Secretary

Meeting Minutes from January 17, 2007

School Nurse, Ann Azarian, reported on the recent small amount of lice cases in the school. There have been 9 confirmed cases at the school. Ann stressed that it was a small amount of students, and she does not consider this an "outbreak of lice." There are currently no new cases of lice. Ann discussed the school's policy on head lice: (1) the school notifies the parent of any child found to have head lice and the child must leave school immediately; and (2) the school has a "no nit" policy - this means a child cannot return to school until they no longer have nits on their head.
A parent recommended that the school better inform the parent population when lice are found in a classroom. This parent believes all parents in a classroom should be notified if a child in that class is found to have head lice. Ann discussed the need for confidentiality and the school's current policy of refraining from such notification so as to keep parents from overreacting. Mrs. Roque said she would talk with Mrs. Burns about reviewing the current notification policy keeping in mind the need for confidentiality, as well as parents' need to feel forewarned of an outbreak of lice in their child's classroom.

Secretary's Report
Joann Terrio, Secretary, presented the Minutes from the November meeting. They were circulated for all to review. Please note that the meeting Minutes are posted on the PTO website as well as on the bulletin board outside the office.

Treasurer's Report
Sue Frost, Treasurer, presented the financials. The cookbook sales have now broke even - any sales beyond this point are a profit for the PTO. The PTO needs additional ways to sell the cookbooks before they become outdated. They will be sold at the family carnival but another way to sell is needed. The day at the Lowell Devils game was a source of much fun for all who participated and netted a $477 profit for the PTO. The SCRIP program has been a very profitable fundraiser for the PTO netting a profit of over $1,700.

Parent Comments/Issues
One parent brought up the issue that the school bulletins posted on the school website are not current. There was discussion that in order for the website to work, it needs to be up-to-date. Mrs. Roque said she would discuss this with Mrs. Burns.

Teacher Comments/Issues
None

Administrative Comments/Issues

Mrs. Roque thanked the Enrichment Committee for the upcoming author visits for the students at Francis Wyman.
The importance of dressing kids appropriately for the cold weather was discussed. Mrs. Roque stressed the need to dress kids in layers and with hats & mittens. If it snows, boots and snowpants are suggested.
The recent coat drive resulted in the collection of over 200 coats. Great job to all who participated.
Mrs. Roque discussed the fact that Mrs. Burns will be retiring at the end of this school year.
Mrs. Roque thanked the PTO for their continued support.

Old Business

There are links on the PTO website for food allergies and head lice.
The issue of upkeep for the school playgrounds was further discussed. Mrs. Roque already emailed Doug Gillingham of the Recreation Department regarding this issue. Doug and some others met with Mrs. Burns and inspected the playgrounds. A member of the disabilities commission participated in this inspection. It has been discussed that the handicapped students of the school are unable to access the playground because their wheelchairs sink in the wood chips. There was discussion about replacing the woodchips with a rubberized material. Mrs. Roque will follow-up on this issue, and she will contact Craig Robinson about making repairs to the hardtop playground at the front of the school. There was a discussion regarding the logistics of having work completed so as to minimize the impact to the students' use of the playgrounds. Mrs. Roque agreed to discuss making the updates during April vacation week, and she agreed to provide an update on the issue at the March PTO meeting.
The Lowell Devils Day was a huge success. It netted a $477 profit for the PTO. Thank you to Julie Conley who spearheaded this project.
The reading garden benches have been installed. The reading garden is located by the back entrance to the school (behind the office).
Mrs. Roque discussed that the hand sanitizers are working well. Sanitizer dispensers have been installed in the cafeteria (6 dispensers) and in the nurse's office (1 dispenser)..

New Business

The SCRIP program has been a great success and has netted a profit of over $1,700 for the PTO for the November and December sales. The goal is to offer the program to parents each month. The program allows participants to purchase gift cards for grocery stores, movies, restaurants, department stores, etc. Providers such as Kohls allow you to use these gift cards to pay balances on Kohls credit cards. A percentage of the cards purchased is returned as a profit to the PTO.
A motion was made and accepted to reevaluate the "Removed Budget Items" at the March PTO meeting.
There was discussion regarding the need to reevaluate the recruitment of Kindergarten parents. It is important to recruit new people to continue the efforts of the PTO.

Committees

Enrichment
Ann Langenfeld and Valarie Giogas discussed the upcoming author visits to the school:
- On February 15, David Biedcycki will make a presentation to the Kindergarten through 3rd graders. A couple of David's books will be available to preorder and have autographed by David.
- On March 7, Mitali Perkins will make a presentation to the 4th and 5th graders. Mitali is the author of "Rickshaw Girl".
- At the end of May, Brian Lies will make a presentation to the entire school (K-5th grade).
Carnival
The Francis Wyman Carnival will be held on March 31, 2007. The Committee currently needs 3 or 4 more parent volunteers to assist with the planning of the Carnival. The next meeting will be held on February 6, 2007.

Next PTO Meeting is Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 7 p.m
Meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Joann Terrio, Secretary

Meeting Minutes from November 15, 2006

Welcome and Introduction
Co-President Faydeen Sateriale brought the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PTO Board members present were: Faydeen Sateriale, Wendy Czerwinski, Sue Frost, Joann Terrio and Irene Roque. Teacher Representatives, Donna Murphy (reading specialist), Tina Sosnowski (1st grade teacher) & Diane Jefferson (1st grade teacher), were also in attendance. There were 8 parents in attendance.

Secretary's Report, Treasurer's Report

Joann Terrio, Secretary, presented the Minutes from the October meeting. They were circulated for all to review.
Sue Frost, Treasurer, presented the financials. The Genevieve fundraiser amounted to over $19,000 - 50% of this amount will go to the PTO.

Parent Issues

A parent expressed concern about the lock down that occurred on Tuesday after the emergency situation at the high school. It was very upsetting to parents that no recorded message was sent out to let parents know when the lock down was over and the kids were being sent on the busses. Mrs. Roque said she would make this recommendation for the lock down procedure.
A parent expressed concern that the cafeteria door was open today, one day after the emergency lock down. Mrs. Roque informed all that the holiday pie sale was underway and there were parents in the cafeteria to receive and distribute the pies.
A parent suggested that the 3rd grade bake sale should include a notice being sent out to parents to include a label whether there are nuts, etc. in the baked good.
A suggestion was made to make a link on the PTO website to allergy websites that include recipes for people with allergies.
A parent expressed concern at the condition of the hard top play area outside the cafeteria. She explained how there are many deep holes in the hard top in need of repair, and she asked what the plan was to resurface it. It was discussed that the DPW would probably be the one to resurface the hard top. Mrs. Roque said she has looked into this matter and will follow-up on it.
A parent suggested having a Tag Sale to raise money for the PTO. It was discussed that timing of the event would be very important. It was suggested that the fall would be a better time for such an event. The issue will be readdressed at the May PTO meeting. .

Teacher Issues

The teachers emphasized that the first priority in the lock down that occurred on Tuesday was the safety of the children. The children were terrific and handled the process very well. >
Mention was made of the disgraceful condition of the hard top play area. >
There was a discussion about the back playground. Concerns were voiced about the overgrown weeds and the condition of the mulch being displaced. Kristine Brown said she would check with the Recreation Department about supplying the workers to spruce up the playground. >
Donna Murphy thanked the PTO for their contribution to the A to Z subscription.

Administrative Comments/Issues

Mrs. Roque thanked the PTO for providing wonderful refreshments for the Student Council induction.
The Physical Education department has requested padding for the two basketball hoops in the gym. The PTO had previously agreed to give the department $300. The school will pay the $110 difference for the installation of this padding system.
The new process of having recess before lunch has been working out nicely. It has resulted in children eating more of their lunches and less visits to the school nurse. The one drawback of this new process is the need for the children to clean their hands after recess. Parents have been contributing wipes for this hand cleaning purpose. However, the administration has elected to install 6 hand sanitizer machines in the cafeteria and 1 in the nurse's office. The dispensers and the first 2 boxes of sanitizer will be donated by the company, Stoko. However, the school will be required to supply the sanitizer refills. Mrs. Roque made a request for the PTO to pay half of the $900 purchase of sanitizer refills. A motion was made to contribute $450 to this endeavor and a vote was taken. All were in favor of this contribution.

Old Business

The pickup for the Genevieve fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday, November 16 from 4-6 p.m. and Friday, November 17 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parents should stop by the library to pick up their orders during this time.
National Education Week is this week. The PTO voted last month to provide all teachers with a $50 gift card to Staples. The teachers will be presented with these gifts this week.
Last month Chris Deluca requested the basketball nets be replaced and that the 4-square boxes be repainted. The basketball nets have been bought and put up. The 4-square boxes were repainted over the weekend. Thanks to Jim & Sue Martin for generously donating their time to repaint the 4-square boxes.
Last year the PTO voted to pay for 2 benches to be installed in the reading garden at the back of the school. The benches have been purchased and put together. They should be installed next week.
The Spirit Wear sale raised $500 in profit for the PTO. There is an inventory of $300 worth of spirit Wear items. If anyone is interested in purchasing an article, please contact Faydeen Sateriale at (781) 272-3755.

New Business

A handout was given regarding parent teacher conferences. It was emphasized that it is very important for parents to attend the conferences.
There will be a town-wide family day on January 14, 2007 at the Lowell Devils hockey game. The first ordering deadline will be December 13, 2006 and all who register by that date will be entered into a contest to win a signed hockey puck. The 2nd and final ordering deadline will be January 9, 2007. The price will be $13/ticket which is a discount from the regular ticket price of $20. The Marshall Simonds A capella group will be singing the National Anthem at the game.
The SCRIP program is underway. We would like to thank Annie Smith for volunteering to coordinate the program. The 1st order was completed on Monday, November 13 and totaled $6,490. 28 families participated in this pilot order and created a $466 profit for the PTO. The next order deadline is December 5 with delivery on December 15.

Committees

Yearbook: The 5th Grade Yearbook committee is underway. The committee has chosen the same printer used last year, Paradigm Graphics, Veera Mogilicherla owner.
Fundraising:
- Box Tops for Education: The Box Tops for Education program has raised $346 so far this year. Thank you to Kristine Brown for running this program. Log onto boxtops4education.com to view the current promotions to benefit our school.
- Sox Top Hood Milk Tops: The Hood Sox Tops collection resulted in a profit of $40 for the school. Thank you to Karen Sullivan for running this collection. It was discussed that for the amount of work involved in this effort, that perhaps it is not a good fundraising opportunity for our school. .
Newsletter: The Newsletter will be sent out next week. Look for it to come home in the children's backpacks. .

Next PTO Meeting Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 7 p.m.
Meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Joann Terrio, Secretary

Meeting Minutes from October 18, 2006

Welcome and Introduction
Co-President Faydeen Sateriale brought the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PTO Board members present were: Faydeen Sateriale, Wendy Czerwinski, Tanya Ikier, Sue Frost, Kathy Burns and Irene Roque. Teacher Representatives, Chris Deluca (classroom teacher), Betty Kerr (art teacher) & Marie Cormier (special needs teacher), were also in attendance. There were 19 parents in attendance.

Secretary's Report, Treasurer's Report
Sue Frost, Treasurer, presented the financials. The Genevieve fundraiser amounted to over $19,000 - 50% of this amount will go to the PTO.

Parent Issues
There was discussion of adult style fundraisers such as a 70's dance night or wine tasting. It was suggested that a survey be sent out to determine how many would participate.

Teacher Issues

It was mentioned that the playground has a $1,000 swing for handicapped children. However, there is no way for wheelchairs to get to the swing. There was discussion about a rubber floor for the playground. The issue will be forwarded to the Disability Access Committee Contact, Kenny Tigges.
There is an optional competition for grades 2-5 called the Mile Masterpiece Carton Design.
The Artist in Residence this year will be a China Wood block artist. The artist will be at the school for 5 days. The fee for the artist is $2,000 with a $400 materials fee. The PTO contributes to the Artist in Residence Program. There was also discussion of getting a grant and/or running a t-shirt fundraiser to offset the costs.
Arts Night will be May 10, 2007.
Chris Deluca requested 2 basketball nets and the repainting of 2 of the 4-square areas on the hard top area near the cafeteria.

Administrative Comments/Issues
The Halloween parade will be Tuesday, October 31 at 1:15 in the gym. No parents (except room parents) will be allowed in the classrooms before or after the parade.

Old Business

The pickup for the Genevieve fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday, November 16 from 4-6 p.m. and Friday, November 17 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parents should stop by the library to pick up their orders during this time.
The Adopt-a-Class Pie fundraiser pickup is scheduled for Wednesday, November 15 in the cafeteria.
The Spirit Wear orders will be delivered to the school prior to the end of October. Any extra items will be sold on a first-come first-serve basis totaling approx $300.

New Business

It was proposed to purchase Staples gift cards for the staff for National Education Week. A vote was taken and $2,500 was approved for this purchase. Staples has offered the PTO at 6% discount and 2 free $50 gift cards with this purchase.
The Scrip gift card program is about to start. A chairperson is needed to run this program.
It was proposed that $4,200 (increased from $3,600) be appropriated for field trip busses. A vote was taken and all were in agreement.
A motion was made to increase the contribution for the Artist in Residence program from $1,200 to $1,500. A vote was taken and all agreed on this motion.
A vote was taken to provide $600 to the Reading A-Z programs. All were in favor of this motion. The funding for Dr. Seuss hats will be discussed at the Jan meeting.
Blockbuster has chosen November 1 as Francis Wyman night. 10% of all profits for that night (patron must choose Francis Wyman as their organization) will go back to the PTO. Please note Blockbuster offers 2.5% of profits (when patron chooses Francis Wyman PTO) during regular business days. Blockbuster has pledged up to $20,000 (in total) for the 20 organizations participating in this program.
There will be a Lowell Devils Family Night (formerly the Lowell Loch Monsters) on January 14, 2007 at 2:05 pm. This will be a town wide event. The Lowell Devils will be playing the Philadelphia Phantoms in this game. There was discussion regarding (1) who would be singing the National Anthem; (2) would there be a raffle of hockey sticks and (3) there will be 2 dates for purchasing the tickets to allow for purchases for holiday gifts.
The Burlington Education Foundation (BEF) needs spellers for its Spelling Bee fundraiser.

Committees

Fundraising:
- Genevieve Fundraiser: The profit from the Genevieve fundraiser is estimated at $9,500.
- Spirit Wear Sale: The spirit wear sale resulted in a profit of $500 for the PTO. The products will be delivered to the school by end of October. There is approximately $300 in inventory remaining for future sales.
- Box Tops for Education: The Box Tops for Education is having a 10th anniversary promotion. For each sign up in Francis Wyman's name at boxtops4education.com, the PTO will receive 10 bonus box tops ($1.00).
- Sox Top Hood Milk Tops: The Hood Sox Tops collection ends on October 24. The profit from this collection is estimated to be $200.
Enrichment: The Enrichment Committee is currently investigating the possibility of grant money to support their programs.

Next PTO Meeting Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 7 p.m.
Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Joann Terrio, Secretary

Meeting Minutes from September 20, 2006

Welcome and Introduction
Co-President Faydeen Sateriale brought the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PTO Board members present were: Faydeen Sateriale, Wendy Czerwinski, Joann Terrio, Tanya Ikier, Kathy Burns and Irene Roque. Teacher Representatives, Jean Perry & Eloise Orsini, were also in attendance. There were 27 parents in attendance.

Adopt-A-Class
Tom Kililea, Co-Chairman of Adopt-a-Class, explained the principles of the program. A sponsor who helps in fundraising events for that class' scholarship funds represents each graduating class. The money raised from the fundraisers is used to issue scholarships for some graduating seniors. Tom emphasized the fact that involvement by parents and students in Adopt-a-Class events adds up to points, and the points are used to determine who gets the scholarship awards.

Camp Bournedale
5th grade teacher, Jean Perry, presented a slide show of this year's 5th grade trip to Camp Bournedale. This was an overnight trip to Plymouth, MA for an intense science experience. The children participated in 3 particular experiences including hauling lobster traps, beach ecology and a project adventure type challenge. There were 10 parent chaperones that attended this program. Mrs. Perry thanked the PTO for their generous contribution, which assisted in the offering of scholarships for some students to attend the program. A special thanks was given to parent, Jim Martin, who volunteered to transport the luggage for all attendees - thanks Jim!

Administrative Comments

Principal, Kathy Burns, thanked all who took the time to attend tonight's meeting.
Mrs. Burns said this was the smoothest school opening to date.
Assistant Principal, Irene Roque, thanked the PTO for their hard work and support throughout the year.

Question & Answer Period

Principal, Kathy Burns, thanked all who took the time to attend tonight's meeting.
One parent asked about the new cafeteria policy of only allowing children who forget their lunch money to choose from sandwich selections when they charge their lunch. Mrs. Burns explained that this was a new town-wide policy. It was not instituted to penalize children who forgot their lunch money but to ensure that they didn't go hungry. The limitation on selections was to prevent the cafeteria from running out of entrée items for those children who actually brought their lunch money. It was explained that the charging lunch program is in effect so that the children don't go hungry, but it's not meant for children to accrue charge balances. Parents should send the money for a charged lunch in on the very next school day.
One parent asked how long the CORI checks were good for. Mrs. Burns explained that all adults (parents, grandparents, employees, etc.) who participate in school events (field trips, classroom parties, etc.) must pass a CORI check before being allowed to participate in school events. The CORI check is good for a period of 3 years. CORI forms must be completed at the Superintendent's Office at the High School. The process can take up to 3 weeks to complete, and applicants must report in person to the Superintendent's Office.
Another parent asked who checked at Francis Wyman to verify that any chaperone has been granted a CORI check. Mrs. Burns said the school secretary, Mrs. DiPerna, ensured that the CORI check was completed before allowing chaperones to participate in the school events.
One parent asked if the new recess before lunch program would be in effect for the entire school year. Mrs. Burns discussed the national statistics that recess before lunch has proved to be a beneficial event for children. Both Francis Wyman and Memorial Schools are trying this program on a one-year trial basis. This new program has had a positive effect on the children. They are quieter, eat more of their lunch and there have been a reduction in visits to the nurse during the lunch/recess period. The only drawback is the need to cleanse the children's hands before eating their lunch. Parents have been asked to send in wet wipes for the children to clean their hands after recess.
One parent mentioned that her sister is involved in the Woburn Schools. They got Purell to donate and install dispensers of their sanitizing gel. Mrs. Burns is going to look into this for the cafeteria.
One parent asked if the teachers are in charge of getting children (4th & 5th graders) to private music lessons. Mrs. Perry explained that it is children's responsibility to watch the clock and go to their music lesson when scheduled. She noted that there are makeup lessons at the end of the day.
One parent noted that the music teacher, Mrs. Peabody, will soon be going on maternity leave. She asked if the substitute teacher would be an experienced music teacher. Mrs. Burns said that Mr. John Middleton, the music director at the High School, is conducting the search for her replacement.

Let's Dish PTO Fundraiser
A town-wide PTO fundraiser is in effect. Let's Dish on the Mall Road has agreed to donate $25 to Burlington's PTO's for each 8-12 dish meal program purchased. Participants must give the appropriate code ("BURLPTO") in order to have the donation distributed to the PTO's. The total amount raised will be split between all Burlington schools' PTO's.

Membership
The annual membership drive is under way. The cost to join the PTO is $15/family. The PTO dues are used to fund PTO programs. These program benefit the entire school population. The drive for this year is on schedule. Anyone who has not already joined the PTO, can download the membership form from the PTO website (see below for details of website).

PTO Website
The PTO now has a brand new independent website. The website can be located at FrancisWymanPTO.org. A parent has volunteered to be the new webmaster for the site and will commence duties next month.

Committees

Yearbook: The 5th Grade Yearbook Committee is scheduled to have their first meeting on September 27 at 7 p.m. in the Art Room. The 5th Grade Yearbook is a project funded by the PTO and distributed to all 5th graders in June. Anyone interested in joining the committee should attend the meeting on September 27.
Landscaping: The Landscaping Committee and volunteers spruced up the school grounds this past Monday. Thanks to all who participated and to Karen Sullivan for chairing the group.
Fundraising:
- Genevieve Gift Wrap Fundraiser: The fall fundraiser, Genevieve Gift Wrap, is underway. There is currently a raffle underway for all participants who return their entry forms by Monday, September 25.
- Spirit Wear Sale: The spirit wear sale ends on Friday, September 22, 2006.
- Box Tops for Education: Sam Coe has handed over the reins of the Box Tops for Education Committee to Kristine Brown. Sam encouraged all parents to send in their clipped box tops. Last year the school earned approximately $1,200 from this program.
- Sox Top Hood Milk Tops: Send in your Hood Milk Sox Tops. The school will receive 5 cents for every top sent in.

Next PTO Meeting Wednesday, October 18 at 7 p.m.
Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Joann Terrio, Secretary