West Fork Public Schools

West Fork Elementary PTO
Meeting Minutes 10/01/07

This meeting took place on 10/01/07 in the computer lab.  We were pleased to have Brett Stone present us with information on the ICAN program that will be initiated at West Fork Elementary beginning October 22.  This program is part of a study that will take place at several rural schools that are part of the Boston Mountain Coop.  The sessions will cover a span of 9 weeks and are broken down into two parts.  All third and fourth graders will take part in the study which will provide them with high protein snacks each afternoon and will be pre-tested and post-tested to evaluate their knowledge of health and nutrition.  Volunteers are being accepted for Part One and Part Two of the program that involve extra physical education and activities as well as access to a dietician for information and tips.  Information should have gone home with the third and fourth graders.

The report from the treasurer showed the current balance at $5254.57 with recent deposits of $25 from the May Math-a-thon and $120 collected as membership dues.  Thanks to the outstanding participation from the community we were able to generate $667.78 from the September 22nd pancake breakfast.

Jess Goodwin presented her October calendar that will be distributed to the school children this week.  It contained lots of events and we hope this will be a good source of information to the families.  Our first hat day is scheduled for October 19.  For the price of 25 cents, a child or staff member will get the opportunity to wear a hat all day.  

Based on the research to obtain a replacement laminator for the school, Ann Schott came up with an estimate of $1549.00.  The current laminating rolls will fit this new equipment.  Once tax and shipping is added, the total will be presented to the PTO for payment.  We approved the ordering of this equipment.

We also gave approval for $1000.00 to be used by Debbie Rich to add to the low level non-fiction section in the library.  She will order those and present us with the invoice when those books arrive.

The new link to PTO information is now available on the school website.  We have information about the organization and upcoming events.  Thanks to Sarah Brock for being the coordinator on this project.  

Jennifer Johnson is working to get additional guest speakers.  It looks like we will have someone from the Fayetteville Police Dept. speak to us about Internet safety at our meeting on February 4.  No one under the age of 18 will be permitted to attend due to the nature of the talk.  For this reason we will need to arrange for ‘kid sitting’ so as many parents as possible can attend.  We will consider contacting the local Girl Scout troop or work with 4H members to provide fun activities for the children in the atrium during the meeting.  With all the talk these days about the dangers of the Internet we think this will provide valuable information for the parents and guardians.  

The Fall Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27 in the activity center from 6:00pm – 7:30 pm.  We are interested in participating, so Tracy Roebke will notify the organizers that PTO will take part.  She will contact Papa John’s to see if we can get the pizza donation that they have provided the last few years.  In addition to selling slices of pizza, we will have our photo booth.  We are also checking into having a kiddie pool that we can fill with straw or sand and have the participants dig for treasures.    

Ms. Skelton is gathering a list of the clothing items for the benevolent fund.  Once we receive this we can arrange for the shopping to replenish the clothing closet for those in need.

Much discussion was given to having a family movie night.  Prices for a license are $375 per year or $75 for a one time showing.  We decided to give it a try and see what kind of response we can get from the community.  At this point we will try to get the movie “Meet The Robinsons” and will have it shown in the Activity Center.  Scheduled date for this will be Saturday, December 8.  We will see what donations we can secure for offering concessions of hot dogs, popcorn and sodas.  This event will require further discussion to determine pricing, event time and security measures.     

The next scheduled meeting is for Monday, November 5.