Cornwall Parent-Teacher Organizations

Cornwall-on-Hudson PTO

234 Hudson Street, Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY 12520

PTO Meeting

November 19, 2008

A regular meeting of the Parent Teacher Organization was held Wednesday, November 19^th in the Cafeteria of the Cornwall-On-Hudson Elementary School. PTO Officers AnnMarie Dunn, Kristen deBree, Sonja Briggs and Laurie Smith were present.

Call to Order:

PTO Co-President, AnnMarie Dunn called the meeting to order at 9:01 am.

Review and Acceptance of September and October minutes:

Kristen deBree made a motion to accept the minutes with a second from Laurie Smith.

Principal’s Report:

Mr. Schmidt reported on the following items:

• The Halloween activities were very successful.

• American Education Week and Parent Classroom Visits went very smoothly.

• Report cards were distributed on November 12^th. The first grade and second grade reports were separated this year.

• November 14^th was school spirit day.

• Parent Teacher Conferences were held earlier this month. They consisted of two days of afternoon meetings and one night of meetings.

• The tutorial programs began today. They are held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7:45am to 8:45am. This program concludes on January 8^th.

• Stone Soup for the first grade classes will be held on November 25^th.

• The Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast is scheduled for November 26^th.

• The Student Council has been formed. It consists of four members of each fourth grade class. They will be meeting on December 5^th.

• The third grade will be visiting Black Rock on November 22^nd.

• The December to Remember Assembly is scheduled for December 11^th.

• A special education self contained class comprised of students from all three elementary schools was added to the building on November 17^th. This class is located in the Resource Room on the first floor. A bus and lunch period has been added to accommodate these students.

• We are currently waiting on state approval for the elevator. The funds for this project have been earmarked. The installation is scheduled for this summer and will result in the lose of some space which will require the relocation of some rooms.

• The new sound system in not working properly. The bass line is not very good. Mrs. Boden is talking to Mr. Ostrander regarding this problem. The old speakers will be used for the winter concert.

• A playground proposal will be presented at the next meeting.

• Some parents have expressed concerns regarding the outdoor policy as winter approaches. The general rule is as long as it is sunny with no wind or snow they children will be permitted outside in the mornings and during recess.

• Holiday Events are as follows:

December 2^nd	Winter Concert
December 7^th	Village Tree Lighting
December 19^th	High School Choir will be caroling throughout the building
December 21^st	Menorah Lighting
December 21^st	Breakfast with Santa at the Middle School
December 23^rd	Holiday Dress Up and Caroling Santa Visits

Budget Report:

Mr. Schmidt reported on the following items related to the school budget:

• Currently the State Assembly has voted to take no action on the proposed emergency education budget cuts.

• Superintendent Rehm sent home a letter regarding immediate budget cuts being implemented throughout the district.

• The Larkin Grant will not be affected by these cuts as the funds are already earmarked.

• The Superintendent will report on budget updates as they become available.

Officer Reports:

President

• AnnMarie Dunn had nothing to report.

First Vice President

• Kristen deBree reported on the last bussing update as discussed at the last Executive Council Meeting. The information is as follows:

Capacity Guidelines:

66 Children

44 Adults

No Standing Allowed

According to NYS guidelines elementary aged children only need to be bussed if they live more than 2 miles from the school.

Second Vice President

• Laure Smith reported that the Yankee Candle Sale exceeded expectations. $6000.00 of merchandise was sold giving us a total profit of $2323.50. The only complication of the sale was the storage and pickup of the merchandise

Treasurer (via proxy)

• AnnMarie reported for Dawn Ackerman.

• Currently there are very few available funds in our checking account.

Corresponding Secretary (via proxy)

There was nothing to report.

Hospitality Chairperson

There was nothing to report.

Grade Parent Chairperson

• Joanne Incognoli reported that this spring local photographer Jimi Fererra will be doing a photo fundraiser exclusively for COH families at his studio in town.

Committee Reports:

· Wendy Cucci reported on the upcoming Discount Card sale. The sale begins December 4^th and lasts approximately 12 days. The cards are $10.00 each. If you buy ten you get the eleventh free.

· Freya Lee reported on the upcoming Holiday Bazaar scheduled for December 1^st thru December 5^th. They are planning to setup on December 1st. Currently they are finalizing their volunteer list.

Teacher Requests:

Mrs. Jacques requested the author visit money be used for a visit by illustrator Bryan Collier. He has illustrated several books including a Barack Obama biography. She would like to schedule this visit as part of African American Month. The executive board voted unanimously to allot the entire $1000.00 budget for this visit.
A request for a new DVD/VCR combo was presented for the auditorium. Teacher grant money in the amount of $92.76 was approved for this purchase.
Mrs. Prusinski has requested the PTO purchase 11 new digital cameras totaling $1400.00. The executive board will meet to discuss this at a later date.

New Business:

Two $50.00 gift certificates will be purchased for Mr. Ostrander’s sons who helped with the installation of the new sound system.
The books will be audited for the PTO and the Kids Klub.
An email list of all participating PTO members will be compiled.
Robin Hastey will be contacted regarding the current PTO website.
Pam McArdle will organize a cleanout of the banking and drama set closet.
The Fall Book Fair and Halloween Spooktacular will be reported on next month.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 am.

Respectfully submitted,

Kristen deBree, First Vice President

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