MUDDY BROOK REGIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PTA MEETING
December 8, 2010
In Attendance: Sign-Up Sheet attached as Exhibit A.
Kimberly Houston called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
1. Adoption of Minutes from the Prior Meeting – K. Houston called for the approval of the minutes from the October 13, 2010 meeting (there was no meeting in November).
Motion: Michaela Dohoney made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 13, 2010 meeting. Donna Benham seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.
2. Nominating Committee – K. Houston explained that the current PTA officers would like begin the process of identifying and nominating next year’s PTA officers early in 2011. K. Houston said that many PTAs form a Nominating Committee that identifies potential candidates and approaches them about serving as officers. The group commented that while it is helpful to identify people who have previously been active in the PTA, we would want to be sure that the process is completely open to anyone who would be interested. K. Houston said that everyone should think about whether or not we want to form a Nominating Committee and the best way to get the word out to Muddy Brook parents that PTA officers are needed for next year. This issue will be on the agenda for the January meeting for further discussion.
3. Budget and Fundraising – K. Houston distributed a copy of the PTA’s current income statement and reviewed the various sources of income and expenses for the 2010/11 school year. K. Houston discussed each of the current fundraisers and year-to-date net income generated by each fundraiser:
- Membership – $130.50
- Direct Donation – $2,594.00
- Spirit Wear – approx. $1500.00
- Soccer Concession Stand – $414.90
- Scrip – $462.90
- Box Tops – $350 (but most recent contest Box Tops have not been turned in)
- Good Search/Good Shop – $37.67
- Holiday Craft Workshop – $200.00
Discussion ensued about the various fundraisers. K. Houston reiterated that the PTA’s goal with respect to fundraising this year has been to try to find different ways to raise money through purchases of everyday products that parents would be purchasing anyway rather than selling wrapping paper/magazines/gifts/cookie dough, etc. However, it remains to be seen whether an adequate amount of money can be raised in this manner and the PTA is open to discussing all methods of fundraising. K. Houston explained that the Scrips program is a really productive way of raising money, but we have to try to get the word out to more parents and have a clearer way of explaining it and processing it. K. Houston said that only about 10 families participated in the first Scrips order and it raised over $400, so if we could get more families to participate on a consistent basis it could be a really great fundraising source. K. Houston also discussed the goal of having the teachers provide their funding requests for field trips/residency programs, etc. early in the school year, so that we can work on having local businesses sponsor a specific program. For example, Hannah Dingman has been working on having a local bank sponsor the second grade’s Audubon Program. The PTA also received a donation of approximately $1000 to fund a portion of the fourth grade’s BTF Plays Program from McKenna Powell, who raised the money through a dinner theater production that she did as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project. Finally, the group discussed whether it would make sense to issue a “half-year” request for direct donations and/or PTA membership for those who missed it the first time around.
4. Rewards Programs – Jennifer Knopf has agreed to coordinate the various shopping rewards programs and gave a report on the results to date. J. Knopf said that as part of the on-going Box Top challenge among the classes, approximately $350 had been raised and this amount did not include the most recent set of Box Tops that had been turned in. J. Knopf compared these early returns to the $688 that was raised in all of last year and thought that we can easily beat that mark this year. J. Knopf said that we also already have complied 321 points as part of the Labels for Education Program. J. Knopf encouraged everyone to continue collecting the Box Tops and Labels and also mentioned that the Tyson Chicken rewards program offered $0.24 for each Tyson label. K. Houston again reiterated that this is another way everyday purchases can raise money for Muddy Brook and that this is essentially “free money.”
5. Additional Fundraisers – K. Houston said that the PTA would also like to have an on-line auction as a spring fundraiser, but we need someone to be the chairperson of an organizing committee. K. Houston has run the on-line auction in the past and has all of the materials to get it up and running easily. If someone is interesting in running the on-line auction, they should speak to K. Houston.
6. Holiday Craft Workshop – Audrey Raifstanger reported on the recent Holiday Craft Workshop and said that it was a great success. The students seemed to really enjoy it and it made about $200 for the PTA.
7. Winter Wonderland – D. Benham reported on the preparations for the Winter Wonderland that the PTA is sponsoring on December 11th as part of the Holiday Stroll hosted by the Chamber of Commerce to kick off Great Barrington’s 250th Celebration. The decorations are in place, but additional volunteers are need for the day of the event, as well as baked goods for the dessert bar. The group worked on prepping some of the crafts that would be available for the children to work on at the Winter Wonderland.
8. Family Events – K. Houston reported on the upcoming family events. The next BIFF Second Sunday movie night is planned for January 9, 2011. The PTA has tentatively scheduled another Family Game Night for January 21, 2011. A variety show to be run by Alison Larkin is still in the works and some type of an Arts Showcase is being discussed. Again, anyone who is interested in working on any of these events should contact K. Houston. K. Houston also discussed the possibility of having speakers/parent seminars as part of the monthly PTA meetings or as separate events.
K. Houston adjourned the meeting at 8:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Michaela Dohoney
Secretary