Don't Forget to Clip Those Box Tops!

We will continue to collect and cash in Box Tops for Education this year, so please check all the products your bring into your home for the box tops logo. Each of those little rectangles is worth a whole dime--cash!-- so don't throw them away!
If you want to learn more about the program, click HERE. You can also click HERE to read one mom's blog post about box tops. It's a simple way to provide supplies for our school and every little helps. We also want to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to all the parents who've sent in box tops so far...it looks like we've collected over $150 already, so let's keep the momentum going!

October Meeting Minutes

Winans PTO Meeting Minutes
October 4, 2011 / 6:30pm / Winans Library

Attendance: Principal Jim Huntzicker, Lora Brown, Lessie Sites, Jessica Tyner, Muffy Norquist, Jamie Melin,

1. More communications sent to families
• Welcome letter explaining PTO, our blog and mailing address, meeting times, plans/purposes, etc. Jamie will fwd the one from last year and Lora &/or Jessi will edit & distribute

• We will collect email addresses from parents by attaching a form to the Welcome Letter; forms can be returned to the PTO inbox and Jamie can add them to the email list.

2. Fundraisers
• Send a more detailed letter out about Innisbrook and its purposes, especially for families new to Winans

3. Popcorn Early Release Days
[A huge chunk of our meeting time was spent trying to find ways to make Popcorn Fridays work—should we take a count? How should we distribute popcorn, etc. Our final decision was this:]

• Popcorn will be popped and served to everyone who wants it on Early Release Wednesdays right after lunch. We will send a flyer home announcing that EVERYONE gets popcorn on Early Release Wednesdays and parents can make a $2 donation to the PTO popcorn fund to cover their child (each child) for the year.

• Muffy Norquist is our popcorn coordinator.

4. Committees
We still need parent volunteers for the following committees this year

• Read Week- publicize read week activities (usually through newspaper and take-home flyers) to inspire community involvement; recruit volunteers from the community to come read to the students during the week (March 5-9, 2012); coordinate with Marcia and teachers to organize volunteers; Coincides with the Green Eggs and Ham Dinner/ Dr. Seuss Birthday Party being coordinated by The Melin Family.

• Carnival- in April or May, committee active from February through carnival, will work closely with Eastside PTO committee

• Teacher Appreciation- week of May 7-11, 2012. Think of ways to recognize and thank our teachers and staff throughout the week, traditionally culminating in a potluck luncheon on Friday the 11th.

• Muffy Norquist is our Popcorn coordinator
• Lessie Sites is our Box Tops for Education coordinator

5. Officers and Future Meetings
• Lora Brown has been elected PRESIDENT
• Jessica Tyner has been elected TREASURER
• Jamie Melin will serve as SECRETARY (again)

• Meetings will be held the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm in the Winans Library starting NOVEMBER 1st unless you get an email stating otherwise.

• We are in desperate need of more involvement with our PTO; please let us know if you can serve on a committee or what you are willing to do; get signed up for PTO emails and tell your friends to do it, too. Parental involvement, even to a smallest degree, improves your child’s experience at the school and keeps you informed.

6. November 10th Soup & Bread Dinner for Teachers during Parent-Teacher Conferences; Lora Brown is donating meat & vegetables for Jamie Melin to make and serve 2 soups; volunteers needed for rolls and desserts. Please email Jamie Melin if you want to donate sweets or bread or drinks for this event (drop off anytime on Nov. 10th)—jamiemelin@msn.com

• Treasurer report: Same status as last month; Jessica Tyner was elected Treasurer at this meeting and will present a report at our next meeting—November 1st at 5:30pm in the Library.

Innisbrook Fundraiser Begins TODAY!

September 2011 Meeting Minutes

Winans PTO Meeting Minutes
September 20, 2011 / 6:30pm / Winans Library

Attendance: Principal Jim Huntzicker, Lora Brown, Christina Howell, Jessica Tyner, Muffy Norquist, Terry Chambers, Pat Thums, Jamie Melin, Superintendent Rich Moore

No officers were elected last year, so Principal Jim Huntzicker led this meeting


What do we want PTO to be? Review of fundraising, activities, goals

1. Fundraising:
• agreed to continue to raise funds to support teachers with stipends and field trip funds
• agreed to continue with Innisbrook (fall) and Braided Bread (spring) fundraisers; motion by Jamie to hold Innisbrook fundraiser Oct 3-17 as contracted, seconded by Christina, all in favor.
• Teacher stipend amounts will be determined based on Innisbrook earnings at our next meeting.

2. Popcorn Fridays have been changed to “Popcorn Early Release Days”
• After much discussion and many suggestions, it was decided at least for now, to do popcorn on Early Release Wednesdays and deliver them to classrooms before dismissal. On ER days, it was suggested that teachers take a popcorn count (just like the lunch count), which will be reported to the “poppers” and delivered to avoid mess and distraction. Muffy and Lora volunteered to do Popcorn, but would appreciate more parent volunteers and would like to schedule a popcorn orientation to learn how to pop and how to maintain the machine and inventory and how to clean the machine.

3. Combining Eastside & Winans Activities
• Each school will maintain separate PTO’s and officers and fundraisers, but will combine for large activities like the Crazy Mountain spring play and the Carnival.
• We still want to do Read Week and Teacher Appreciation; Jamie Melin will do the Dr. Seuss Birthday Party again, but we still need to set up committees for Teacher App and Carnival

4. Parent Advisory Committee
• Mr. Moore, our new superintendent, is setting up a committee of parents to give feedback and help draft a new Parent Involvement Plan (“PIP”). The first meeting is planned for mid-October. Please give Mr. Huntzicker your name if you are interested in serving on the committee.

5. Officers and Future Meetings
• Lora Brown and Jessica Tyner will serve as co-presidents
• Jamie Melin will serve as secretary (again)
• Meetings will be held the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm in the Winans Library starting NOVEMBER 8th unless you get an email stating otherwise.
• We are in desperate need of more involvement with our PTO; please let us know if you can serve on a committee or what you are willing to do; get signed up for PTO emails and tell your friends to do it, too. Parental involvement, even to a smallest degree, improves your child’s experience at the school and keeps you informed.

Treasurer report: We do not have a treasurer for this year YET (hint, hint); Jim is guardian of the funds/checkbook until we do.