Meeting Minutes for 2002-2003 School Year

 May 13, 2003 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Past Minutes are available on-line for review.
2. Treasurer's Report - Printed copies and on-line version available for review. There will be some additional money from Cougarwear sales added to the balance.
3. SPMT - Paideia Day will be Tuesday, May 20th from 9 am to 10 pm. Students and staff will be participating in seminars in homerooms. All are invited.
4. Website - Our space is donated but we owe a yearly domain name fee of $14.00. This payment will be made from the Presidents' Discretionary Fund. Bill Kopp will also be updating contact names and the e-mail list in the next few weeks.
5. Teacher Appreciation Week - This went well. Thanks to all those who helped organized and contributed. The cost to PTO was minimal.
6. Front Sign - City regulations now require an engineering drawing for any signs over 6 feet tall. We will need company to include that for us. Current schedule is for work to begin 2nd or 3rd week in June. Carleton has coordinated with company not to disturb any landscaping.
7. Landscaping Day - Still scheduled for Saturday, May 17th but times changed to 9:00 am to 3:00 p.m. Many plants and some soil has been donated and other supplies bought at significant discount. Unfortunately, special rhodos that were planned as centerpiece are too expensive for now. Big projects will be pruning, mulching, and the AMS rock sign. We approved use of the next to main entrance to plant an ornamental tree (type to be picked by Tim Daly - no Bradford Pears) in "honor" not "memory" of the Kopps. May they rest in the peace they deserve as ex-presidents.
8. 8th Grade Victory Celebration - Scheduled for Thursday, May 29th from 11:00 a.m.to 12:30 p.m. Everything going well. Pizza will be provided and Ron Coleman is getting soft drinks. Families have been asked to donate salads, desserts, and other items. A local bank will underwrite the cost of providing each 8th grader with a frisbee (or something similar) printed with the Cougar logo.
9. Tourists Game - General consensus was to table until next year because too much going on right now. Also, this will be limited officially to staff and adult AMS supporters, although students can attend with families.
10. Stage Curtains - We considered different options and approved the bid for $2714.00 that will cover the replacement of all the black curtains (including the top) on the stage. Our first choice for fabric was Willow - a polyester with texture that would reduce glare, and our second choice is Chevron - a polyester with a pattern. Installation will begin after the AC work is completed in this part of the building this summer.
11. Cougarwear - Jerry Stubblefield agreed to take this on again for next year. It was a good money maker for us and well received by students and staff. There are only a few items left in supply. We agreed that an order over the summer should be made so that there will some items in stock when school starts in August. Lots of t-shirts and some sweatshirts should be ordered.
12. Job Recaps from Committees - We approved that the $25 teacher reimbursements should be available all year as requested by teachers. They will be encouraged to put in requests for funding of major projects ASAP in school year. PTO will make mini-grant applications available on-line.
13. Newsletter - Cost of newsletter production (paper, etc...) will be covered by Huntington Learning Center (new owner agreed) in exchange for line of thanks or acknowledgment (not an ad) in each issue. We approved this arrangement. Discussion about whether something similar could be done for production of directory.
14. New Officers - All Board positions are filled as announced by Collins' at the May General Meeting. Most key committee positions have been filled, too. Judy Bohan volunteered and was accepted as our rep to the SPMT to replace Beth Reeves.
15. There will an officers' meeting in June and an all PTO meeting in July to help prepare for opening of school, a busy time for us. Time and location TBA.
16. Principal's Report - EOGs going well at AMS. Discussion of how retention decisions are made at the school and principal's concerns about how this effects drop out rates were shared.

 April 8, 2003 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Past Minutes are available on-line for review.
2. Treasurer's Report - Printed copies and on-line version available for review. Only small changes noted. There are some small outstanding payments still to be made and some money to be collected from school check sales.
3. Nominations - The Collins are willing to serve as Co-Presidents, Kopps will fill new past president position, V. Duquet agreed to be Secretary again, and there is a rising 6th grade parent (Nash) willing to be treasurer. The Vice-President position is open and Carleton asked for a couple of weeks to keep looking. He will try to have a nomination ready by PTO general meeting in May. Committee positions are all still open.
4. Job Descriptions - Please submit written descriptions of what you did this year so that new participants will have a guide.
5. Audit Committee - This is required by our By-Laws and Carleton is working hard to create.
6. Front Sign - Carleton showed us blueprints of different options to repair and improve front sign.We agreed internally lit one was great but too expensive for now. We approved Option 2 which provides 3 lines for letter messages but keeps same basic design we have now.
7. Open House Recap - Congratulations to Gordon Grant for a great turnout and successful evening. There were estimates of 130 to 175 people there and good representation all members of our rising 6th grade families. Lots of people signed up to help on PTO and Carleton was given this list.
8. Cafeteria Paws - Cougar Paw banners were moved from hallway to cafeteria and everyone is pleased. There are others in school that could be moved to gym lobby to improve its appearance, too.
9. School Checks - We sold all 50 we agreed to purchase. All were encouraged to pay money now due. Other groups in school also sold theirs so this cooperative approach work well.
10. Landscaping - Tim Daly reported that May 17th date is final - rain or shine. Our current goal is to complete landscaping around the front sign but we agreed that it will be better to do this right (e.g. make sure we buy the right plants, allow time for proper planting, etc..) rather than hurry to get done all at once. Barbara Zlatkin has gotten some materials and plants donated already and will continue to contact local nurseries. We reallocated $100.00 from band concert refreshment fund to landscaping and approved an additional $250.00 to used for this project from our current balance. This should give the landscaping project a total of $500.00 for supplies.
11. Victory Celebration - This is hoopla planned for the 8th grade class. It will be held on May 29th. There is a good committee working on this and plans are progressing.
12. Stage Curtains - The current ones have only been installed since 1996. Greenville Stage (who put them in) came to see them and reported that the burgundy ones are in good condition. The tears could be easily fixed with duct tape. The long black curtains have begun to rot because made from fire retardant material as required by law. The moisture in the auditorium is particularly bad but should improve once the AC is installed there over the summer. Greenville Stage is willing to replace these for $2000.00 with an improved polyester material. The top black trim curtains will not be changed because as long as they are not touched deterioration can be avoided. We will not start this project until after AC installation is completed, so in the meantime, Joan will bring a sample to next month's meeting and we can decide how to proceed at that time.
13. Teacher Appreciation - All days for the week are covered.
14. SPMT - Marsha Lipe is organizing staff incentives for landscaping day.We will put a general invitation in the newsletter to families to attend end of the year awards ceremonies because only those whose child is getting an award will receive letter.
15. By-Law Revisions - The current by-laws were adopted in 1994. Proposed changes can be reviewed on-line. There is a new past-president position being created on the Board and Audit Committee selection process is being modified. Some language changes are being made to update titles. These amended by-laws will be voted on at May PTO general meeting.
16. Newsletter - Deadline for last issue this year is technically Tuesday, April 15th but Kopps prefer articles to be submitted by Friday, April 11th so they have time to prepare before spring break. Pegi O'Hagan would like to include info on next year's Battle of the Books so that students have access to the list over the summer. We will make 200 extra copies to be distributed to rising 6th graders through the elementary schools. An extra $40.00 dollars was allocated to cover the cost of these copies.
17. Principal's Report - PTO leaders from all schools are meeting with Central Office administrators to rejuvenate the PTO Advisory Committee and a key communicators group. The Advisory Committee will meet monthly during the school year to keep PTO's informed of important developments and facilitate communication between administrators and the PTO's. The first meeting was very good and lots of information was provided. Key communicators are being identified by various principals to provide administrators with a list of people who can help get the message out to the community.
18. Gym Lobby - Beth Thompson has asked for our help in improving the appearance of the gym lobby. Pam is concerned that painting the cinder blocks might encourage graffiti but we are all open to ideas on how to make this area look better and reflect more school spirit. Since we have a substantial balance this could be a project we help fund next year. We will put as an agenda item for next meeting to consider further how we can help and what can be done.

 March 11, 2003 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Bill and Joan Kopp opened the meeting at 6:30pm.
2. Time allocations for agenda items were made.
3. Marilyn Gray presented the Treasurer's report. Our current balance is $8,298.57. This number will drop to approximately $5,000 upon payment of some outstanding expenses. Marilyn noted that some funds were still available for projects if the board desired to undertake any new items prior to the end of the school year.
4. SPMT report. Beth Reeves noted a variety of items from recent meetings:
   1. Discussion took place about giving the faculty incentive to participate in our upcoming spring landscaping project on May 17. They will need input from Marsha Lipe regarding this.
   2. 8th Grade Celebration. They had a variety of questions regarding tasks that need to be done and how the days would be split up (field day, awards, etc). Pam Cocke noted that the 8th grade day would need to be on May 29th and that all activities would need to be organized within that day. 6th-7th grades would hold their celebrations on May 28th. Beth also noted some issues surrounding how we would account for funding requests from teachers that have come in late in the year-could they be used toward the celebration?
   3. The SPMT also discussed the need to have upgrades made to the gym lobby. Carleton Collins offered to help in this regard with ideas and talking through possibilities with the group.
   4. An SPMT representative for the 8th grade will need to be in place by May.
5. School Checks. Joan Kopp encouraged everyone to turn in their money for books they had sold or bought. Approximately 15 extra booklets are available for $15 each.
6. Landscaping Project. Tim Daly brought us up-to-date with a variety of details for the May 17 workday. He also encouraged all that could be present to attend. He has been working with a landscape designer who is formulating a plan for our use. Beth Reeves also noted that there is a good deal of trash around the school that could be picked up, even though many home rooms regularly collect trash.
7. End of Year Celebration. Ann Von Brock has a committee that has been meeting to organize various events. Their initial plan is to replicate the type of picnic that was done last year. She also asked how funding was available. Last year the PTO contributed $250, $250 came from the student activities budget and $100 from another source. Peggy O'Hagan moved that the PTO fund $250 again this year. Tim Daly seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved. Pam Cocke will investigate how much is available in the student activities budget and supply a similar amount.
8. Front Sign. Carleton Collins indicated the Crawford Sign was under contract and that he was expecting a conceptual drawing of the changes any day and would bring this to the next meeting for all to review. Concerns were raised about too many lines on top making the sign feel too top heavy.
9. Wal-Mart Donation. Joan Kopp noted that AMS recently received a $500 donation from Wal-Mart due to Ms. Hensley (lunchroom worker) having a relative that worked for the company. Ms. Kirkland, the lunchroom manager was interested in having some additional cougar banners installed in the lunchroom. A motion was made by Celeste Collins to use $50 to purchase 5 additional banners. Barbara Zlatkin made a second and the motion passed unanimously.
10. Stage Curtain. Joan Kopp brought up how our curtains are in poor condition. She solicited a proposal of $1,000 from a curtain maker to replace the black curtain. The board discussed requesting the central office to match funds so that we can potentially replace all the curtains. Carleton Collins will give Joan another name so that we can have an alternative proposal to consider.
11. PTO Project Suggestions. Bill Kopp led discussion about projects we might consider implementing with our remaining funds. Some of these included: stage curtains, repairing non-functioning windows, replacing some of our older chain link fencing, telephone program in classrooms, an inviting front entrance mat, and additional changes to the main sign. Carleton will get a proposal on this last item. If others have additional suggestions please forward them to Bill for discussion at our April meeting.
12. Teacher Appreciation. Joan Kopp indicated that a committee was being formed and that any board members were welcome to participate. Carleton Collins agreed to assist.
13. Open House. Gordon Grant will be holding an open house for rising 6th grade parents/students in the Media Center on March 20th. Any board members that can attend are encouraged to come.
14. Nominating Committee. Celeste Collins said that it was in the process of being formed and would have some recommendations by our next meeting.
15. Auditing Committee. Bill Kopp noted that our current bylaws require that an Audit committee be formed to review the school year end books to make sure that they are in good order prior to the following school year. Minor revisions in language to the bylaw that would affect the timing of this group's activity were discussed. Bill will have a draft available for review at the next meeting.
16. Band Assembly. This event will occur the end of April. Joan Kopp will notify the board when the date is firmly established.
17. Principal's Report. Pam Cocke indicated that there had been no knew news in the No Child Left Behind legislation. She and her administrative staff had been working hard with the teachers on preliminaries and felt that we should have no problem meeting the qualifications once the legislation is passed. She also noted that state budget shortfalls looked like they would be about the same next year as they had been this year. The teachers and staff were also busy getting prepared for end of grade testing.

 February 11, 2003 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Past Minutes - Are available on-line for review.
2. Treasurer's Report - Printed copies and on-line version available for review. Only small changes noted.
3. Newsletter - Many thanks to Kathy Holmes for another wonderful edition despite life's challenges. We all signed a thank you card for her.
4. School Checks - Can be sold starting Friday. We received our 50 and will each take some to honor our commitment.
5. After School Clubs/Tutoring - Joan purchased lots of snacks and drinks that have already been made available for participating teachers to pick up for the kids.
6. Cougarwear for Perfect Attendance - Pam Cocke has ordered 100 sweatshirts to be used as incentives.
7. SPMT report -
   1. Ron Coleman was welcomed to do the No Child Left Behind presentation in Mrs. Cocke's place.
   2. [After this school year] we will need to get a replacement for Beth Reeves appointment to the team. Pegi O'Hagan will serve another year. The team meets every other Tuesday afternoon from 3:45 to 4:45.
   3. The 6th grade is having a dance on March 6th as a fundraiser.
8. Landscaping - Mrs. Lipe wanted to remind us that we could encourage participation by having some kind of grade level competition, e.g. prizes for the grade or team with the most attendance. S. Brittain has hostas available for planting; Tim Daly needs to be notified. Anyone who knows business who might make donations should also let Tim know.
9. School Store - We considered creating a PTO job position for next year to coordinate this project.
10. Stage Curtains - Lifestyle Interiors is coming by the end of this week to give us an estimate on how much to repair/replace these.
11. Rock wall - The one in outside main entrance is busted up and needs to be repaired. Mr. Coleman said that school maintenance should take care of this and he is going to contact them.
12. Science Fair Luncheon - After much discussion of food and its many complications we decided to authorize up to $50.00 to cover costs of meal for judges, teachers, and other dignitaries who come to Science Fair. PTO formed a committee to get raw materials for lunch; Ms. Robert will organize others to prepare.
13. Teacher Appreciation - Marilyn Gray will come up with a thank you gesture for April's official week. The Kopps will contact Ann Grasso to mobilize others to provide ongoing thanks.
14. Motion to Amend By-Laws - Should we add a past-president position to the board so that ex-presidents will stay on to help, at least during the summer, with transition. Another idea would be to say that the vice-president will automatically become president the following year. These ideas will be referred to the Executive Committee and its recommendation will be presented at our next meeting. We will need to decide before the next, and final, general meeting which should be sometime in May.
15. Nominating Committee - We need one for next year's board. The Collins will work to form one; Beth Reeves volunteered to be on it and they will also contact teachers for potential parents to enlist. We can also use 2 broadcast e-mails available to us.
16. Rising 5th grade families - It is the time of year again to think about how to reach out to the new families that will be coming to AMS next year. We want to market the PTO to them and also can look to this group for help. We will have an intro meeting after spring break to introduce ourselves and to provide an initial welcome to this group. We authorized an additional 300 copies of the newsletter to be printed and distributed to 5th graders in all the elementary schools with an invitation to this meeting. The Kopps will contact Ms. Cocke to confirm a date and handle the printing.
17. Front Sign - Carelton Collins reported that Crawford Sign will help spruce up and double our letter space on the top part of the sign for $500. He will have them draw up a design and they will also contact any city officials who need to ok this project. We authorized this amount to be spent.
18. Principal's Platform - Ron Coleman reported for Ms. Cocke and distributed copies of a booklet put together about the No Child Left Behind Act. We are encouraged to read this and keep informed about its requirements as lots of changes are coming as a result of this new law. The PTO would like to help support AMS as it faces these new challenges.

 January 14, 2003 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Past Minutes are available on-line for review.
2. Treasurer's Report - Printed copies and on-line version available for review. We are a behind on receipts from the Stay-At-Home fundraiser, but ahead on money from ProBan. We have done well with sweatshirt sales and didn't spend as much as projected on mini-grants. So, we are doing well and still have approximately $2000 that can be spent this year.
3. Pro Ban - All the banners are back up including some old ones that have not been paid for again this year. These will be taken down in fairness to the businesses that did renew.
4. Newsletter - Official deadline is tomorrow, but entries can be accepted until Friday, Jan. 17th. Various items were discussed for inclusion; Joan Kopp kept track of these.
5. Outdoor Sign - Carleton Collins has requested a proposal for the project but it has not been received back yet. He expects it will be available for our next meeting.
6. Late grant request - A teacher recently submitted a request for a mini-grant to help cover startup costs for an after school art club. We discussed the issue that this was made after the deadline for mini-grants and so could be unfair to consider under that program. The idea that we could simply fund this from some other money was also considered but drawbacks include opening the door for other late requests. Mrs. Cocke informed us that she would use some student activity money to help this teacher and would to talk to her about it. We decided to table the request until next meeting and deal with the issues raised at that time.
7. School Checks - 2 technology teachers would like to sell these in order to raise money to buy technology equipment. We will stick with our 50 book order and refer them to the ACSF coordinator to get books they can sell directly instead of through the PTO.
8. After School Club and Tutoring help - We would like to support these extra efforts from teachers and students. There are about 12 clubs and tutoring groups with an estimated average attendance of about 10 - 15 students each. It seemed too expensive to agree to provide snacks every week for this many. Instead we authorized Joan Kopp to see what she could provide (e.g. a one time snack gift basket for each involved teacher) with a spending limit of $200.
9. Pam Cocke - She gave us more info about the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act and how it will effect AMS. In particular, she focused on the new requirement that teacher assistants have at least an associates degree and how ACS will try to help them achieve that goal. Mrs. Cocke urged us to talk to anyone we know who might have some influence with the federal government in order to help our concerns be heard.
10. Blinds - Thanks to Dr. Alice Hart, AMS will be getting new blinds all around the school including the cafeteria. We were all happy to hear this because the current ones are so dirty and many are broken. Measurements have been made for these but the install ation needs to be coordinated with the school wide painting so they may not all be up until this summer. In any event, the PTO will not need to help finance this which will allow us to support other projects such as the outdoor sign and landscaping.
11. Cougarwear - The SPMT would like to submit an order for more sweatshirts to be used as incentives for perfect attendance. The PTO provided Mrs. Cocke with an order form and info about how to avoid shipping costs.
12. SPMT - The 8th grade Valentine's Day dance has been rescheduled for February 28th. Someone will contact Mr. Lisenbee so that he can write up an announcement for our newsletter and calendar.
13. Proffitt's Offer - We rejected their proposal for us to sell tickets for a special sale.
14. School Store - We need someone to take charge of this and considered a possible referral to the Special Education classes to use this as a way to teach and reinforce life skills. We could help them by providing start up money. Mrs. Cocke likes this idea and will help talk to the Special Ed teachers. We agreed that to do this right will take some planning so the store could not start until next year. We tabled the idea until our next meeting and will try to decide then the next step for the PTO.
15. Landscaping Day - We picked Saturday, May 17th, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm to have the spring landscaping day. Tim Daly is continuing to coordinate this and will try to contact local nurseries, landscapers, and, yes, even the Biltmore Estate! for help with materials, plants, and labor.
16. Sadly, there was no report about our beloved Trash Cans but I think I speak for everyone when I say no news is good news.

 December 10, 2002 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Past Minutes are available online for review.
2. Treasurer's Report - Printed copies and online version available for review. No significant updates. More exact figures will be made available at next meeting when figures from latest Cougarwear sales will be finalized.
3. November Assembly - This was a very successful event. Will need to review pros and cons for next year. E.g. It was fun to have so much going on, but also tiring. There was also much food left over from West African tasting and this may have been discouraging to some of the cooks.
4. Pro Ban update by Joan Kopp - We have received $875 so far and expect another $175 soon. Question arose about why banners have been taken down and request made that they be up back up before the first home basketball game next week. Joan agreed to call about this problem.
5. SPMT - A new fundraiser was approved for an 8th grade dance. Money is now available to provide some afterschool activity buses on Wednesday for students who stay late for tutoring and other extra activities.
6. Cougarwear - Second order has been made and most sweatshirts will be delivered next week. A few might be delayed because some order forms not picked up from PTO box at school.
7. Mini-grants and teacher reimbursements - We received 18 requests for the $25 reimbursements and deadline is now past so no more will be accepted. 9 people made grant applications and all were approved. There was discussion about why so few teachers took advantage of these opportunities. Joanne R. commented that the deadlines happen to fall at a very busy time of year, but all agreed that teachers got plenty of notice and reminders. There was also general consensus that it was better to give out mini-grants at beginning of school. We considered moving deadlines, but decided to let the next board determine how to handle. We will recommend that the deadline for reimbursements be removed and teachers be allowed to submit for these all during the year.
8. School Checks - Despite our desperate pleas for help, no one stepped forward to coordinate this fundraiser. So, we will use Plan B as decided at our last meeting. Joan will order 50 books and the board members will sell these ourselves. More can be ordered if needed.
9. The 6th grade Medieval Festival was a great success, too. Lots of participation and press coverage. Most of the money was raised by parents soliciting from businesses and no school money was needed to cover costs.
10. Inclement weather - We will not have meetings if ACS close or dismiss early regardless of the actual weather conditions in the evening. The decision whether or not to reschedule a monthly meeting will be made on a case by case basis, determined by how pressing PTO business is that month.
11. Trash cans - Oh no, I am still having to report about this. Seriously, everyone is very pleased that they have all been delivered and installed.
12. Winter and spring goals for PTO - Joan asked us to consider what the PTO should be doing for the rest of the year since many of our projects have been completed or do not require a lot of attention anymore. Ideas suggested were:
    1. Improved parking lot lighting - Pam pointed out this would have to be coordinated with the city.
    2. Replacing and upgrading the announcement sign outside the front of the school. This has been discussed before and is a popular choice. We authorized Carleton (through Celeste) to get more information for our next meeting about our options and the projected costs.
    3. Teacher appreciation - All agreed we need a coordinator for this May event.
    4. Spring Cougarwear - Should we have another sale?
    5. AMS Wednesday tutoring - Could we help provide support (e.g. refreshments, perks for participating teachers) for this vital program?
    6. PTO school store - Is it possible to set up a small concession type stand in the morning to sell pencils, paper, and other school related items?

 November 12, 2002 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Comer Process - Barbara Zlatkin reviewed and assigned Comer process roles and emphasized the importance of setting and keeping time limits for agenda items.
2. Past Minutes Are available on-line for review.
3. Treasurer's Report: Printed copies and on-line version available for review.
4. Stay at Home fundraiser: Treasurer's Report is current. here was no big influx from the names printed as thank you's in the newsletter as hoped for. The Kopps will do a promo on Thursday night and we will all keep trying because this is an ongoing fundraiser.
5. Pro Ban update by Joan Kopp - We had six renewals this year but no new businesses ordered banners. Our renewal deadline is October 1st so we need to recruit someone to organize this effort during the summer to get more new sponsors in time for the deadline.
6. SPMT - Our request for a 2nd Cougarwear order was approved and no new requests were made by SPMT.
7. Trash Can Update: Thanks to the Collins' hard work 4 trash cans have been ordered and should arrive in 10 days to Mr. Coleman's attention. These will be placed around the outside of the school and do not need to be secured in cement. If vandalism becomes a problem we can look into the possibility of doing this, however. I personally would like to schedule a tour of the trash cans (perhaps like a gallery stroll with food and refreshments at each stop) for our December meeting and will really miss our monthly discussions.
8. Cougarwear - We have already sold and delivered 94 - 96 sweatshirts and because of this success would like to do another pre order (see SPMT approval in item #6) in time for the holiday gift giving season. This second order will be coordinated by Michelle Louzon (sp?) and she would like to send the order forms in this coming week's midterm reports. She would also like to include a version with no hood and pocket which can also be ordered in a large youth size. We approved this and the following costs:
   
   • Youth large (14 - 16) - $12
   • Adult (S - XL) - $14
   • Adult (XXL) - $16
   Prices for the other sweatshirt with hood and pockets will remain the same.
9. Mini-grants and teacher reimbursements - The deadline for grant proposals is Friday, Nov. 15th at 2:30. So far only 3 requests have been made but more should come in right before the deadline, we will be firm about this limit, however. Bill Kopp will send one more e-mail reminder to teachers. The committee will meet soon (Emilie Freeman will contact members and set up a time) because decision needs to made over weekend so the money can be disbursed next week as promised.
10. School Checks - This fundraiser by the Asheville City School Foundation (ACSF) as been handled by the PTO in the past but needs someone willing to organize to ensure that we can sell the checkbooks we order. No one at the meeting volunteered for this so a pitch will be made at Thursday's general meeting and someone will contact Ann Grasso to see if she can come up with a volunteer from the list. If no one is found then the PTO will order 50 books and the board members have committed to sell at least that many. The order deadline is December 13th. There was some discussion about coordinating sales with another school group (e.g. the strings or band programs) or to simply cede the fundraiser over, but we did not pursue this plan.
11. ACSF celebration - Joan reminded people of the ACSF fundraiser at the Grove Arcade and provided details of timing and cost.
12. College Week and AVID success - Pam Cocke summarized the plans and purpose of College Week to be held at AMS next week and told us about the AVID program's recent honor in being selected as the first national demonstration cite in North Carolina. Way to go!
13. Teacher Appreciation - Joan floated the idea of not limiting our appreciation of teachers to the official week in the spring, but trying to do small gestures throughout the year. We agreed this would be a nice idea and Carol Rovello (I think) agreed to give Thanks to You type Thanksgiving cards to all staff at AMS in time for this upcoming holiday.
14. 6th Grade Medieval Festival: Barbara Zlatkin reported that they still need help with cleanup for this event to be held on Tuesday, December 10th. Help is needed around 12:30 pm to cleanup after the food is served and around 3:30 pm after the event is over
15. Thursday general meeting - A reminder of the logistics and focus of PTO invovlement for the night was given.

 October 8, 2002 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Past Minutes are available on-line for review.
2. Treasurer's Report: Printed copies available for review.
3. Stay at Home fundraiser: Has raised $2285 to date (an additional $200 since T's report printed). We all need to keep soliciting for more people to contribute. There will be a short form for participation in next newsletter. Gail Ely is going to ask businesses to contribute that have helped us in the past. We approved spending $50 to buy 2 gift certificates as prizes for the raffle at Nov. general meeting (Marilyn will purchase). Current donors will be listed in next newsletter (no amounts, just names and thank you). If any complaints arise we will make anonymous giving an option next year.
4. Cougar Wear: Preorder was very successful. Sweatshirts are currently being made at AHS. Delivery should be within 2 weeks. We hope to do another order ASAP if Jerry Stubblefield is willing.
5. Student Directory: Missing returned info sheets from 1 class, otherwise ready to be copied at Central Office tomorrow.
6. Pro Banner: We have had some renewals, everyone encouraged to get more businesses to participate.
7. Trash can update: Sadly, and despite strong protest, this discussion was tabled until next board meeting.
8. SPMT:
   • The PTO contribution to the SAC notebook is complete.
   • Pam informed us that the school's entire notebook is almost done.
   • End of the day announcements will now be made at 2:45 (to try to accommodate some class schedules). So, submissions must be made by 2:30.
   • We need to be aware of and try to cooperate with the African American Mart that will be held on Nov. 14th the same evening as the general PTO meeting. PTO could help by mentioning this event (a fundraiser for the art department) in our announcements about the meeting.
9. Landscaping Day Will be Saturday, October 19th. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come help out. Pam cannot be there, but will make sure another administrator is present at some point and that someone gets the necessary access keys.
10. November Assembly: Will be held on Thursday, Nov. 14th, Joan will try to get help from the volunteer list. (There are several other events happening that night, so careful planning and cooperation are needed). Schedule as follows:
    • 5:30 - 6th Grade spaghetti dinner fundraiser in cafeteria
    • 6:00 to 7:00 - Adult dance workshop with Chuck Davis
    • 7:00 - PTO meeting. Brief business (raffle drawn) and then Choral and Strings to perform, followed by Chuck Davis dancers.
    • After - African food tasting in cafeteria (put on by 7th grade) and African American mart will be open
    • Ongoing - The Book Fair will be open during the evening, too.
11. PTO project ideas:
    • Joan received one response from teachers from her e-mail asking for ideas. The 7th grade would like help funding a cultural diversity trip to Atlanta.
    • In addition, there is an idea that Phone Master may help in getting the word out to parents about school events. (Voice mail for teachers would be too difficult for us to take on because of the chaotic wiring in the old part of the building.)
    • Finally, the YMI which is sponsoring the African American curriculum day (including dance workshops with Chuck Davis) for 7th grade students needs financial help for this program. They requested $500. After a lengthy discussion about the important value of the program and how to balance all the worthy projects we are asked to help fund, the PTO approved $300 for the YMI.
12. Mini-Grants:
    • Emilie Freeman wanted input about how to get the application process going and what types of requests to fund. A committee will be formed to decide these issues and last year's report was made available to Emilie for guidance.
    • We approved another $25 one time reimbursement to any teacher who requests it to cover cost incurred in buying classroom supplies.
13. 6th Grade Medieval Festival: Barbara Zlatkin asked the PTO to please put a word of thanks to those who have donated already to this event in hopes it would encourage others to donate. There has not been a great response to the 6th grade's need for money and help. She will put an announcement in the newsletter and we will try to pass on ideas on other money sources
14. College Week: No report because Joanne Robert not present.

 September 10, 2002 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Treasurer's Report: Is available on-line for review.
2. Board Points of Contact: Kopps gave to Collins to review.
3. Open House: Schedule worked well. Lots of volunteers present and good feedback received. Question raised of how best to thank large number of volunteers.
4. Student Directory: This is still being compiled but going well. Will be out long before last year's. Joanne Robert suggested an alternative to grade level directories. At her old school they did an all school one that worked well once database set up to handle because it avoided duplication.
5. New teacher packets: These were greatly appreciated by the 11 new teachers and thanks went to all those who donated items including Teacher's Ed.
6. Trash Cans: We are all now experts about waste receptacles. Carleton Collins reported that there are several types of aggregate cans to choose from but a limited amount of vendors. Prices vary quite a bit. We agreed to spend up to $1000.00 on these. The Collins (and Paula Lindsey) will follow-up by
   • talking to the custodians to seek their input about where to place the cans and what type would be the best,
   • keeping Pam Cocke informed, and
   • going ahead and making what seems to them all the best buy for our money. They will report back at our next meeting about what was purchased.
   My personal thanks to the Collins and Paula for being willing to take on this task and allowing the rest of us to avoid having to talk trash anymore.
7. Student Lunch Money: PTO authorized giving the administration $150.00 to use as a fund for students who do not have lunch money. This will help teachers who often pay out of their own pockets for student meals. Every attempt will be made to have the students repay the money and records will be kept to ensure this service is not abused.
8. SPMT:
   • All our fundraisers were okayed. Questions concerning the presale of Cougar sweatshirts were raised and answered. We will accept cash, checks, and money orders. Teachers will collect and give students receipt from PTO order form. All money will be put in safe by Jan Thomas under PTO name, no money is to pass through school's accounting system.
   • PTO needs to provide paperwork to SPMT by 9/18 (give to Beth Reeves) as part of recertification process. They need records of mini-grants and minutes as far back as we can find them.
   • Questions have been raised about why some teams go on field trips (especially to places like Camp Greeneville) and others do not. Pam explained that school policy authorizes, but does not require, teachers to take field trips that have an educational component. Therefore, some teachers choose not to participate in these type of trips.
9. ProBan: We are encouraged to find businesses that would like to have an advertising banner in the B gym. We receive $90.00 of initial orders, but $175.00 of each yearly renewal. This is an easy way for the PTO to make money as ProBan does all the legwork.
10. Cougarwear: Refer back to SPMT entry.
11. Stay at Home Fundraiser: Cards are ready to mail and will be sent next week.
12. Projects the PTO could raise funds for:
    • There seems to be a general consensus that it is important to identify some projects we want to fund as an incentive for people to contribute. PTO has already committed to give - $150 for lunches, $1000 for trash cans (oh no, we're talking trash again!), and a significant amount for mini-grants and teacher reimbursements.
    • Joan will also solicit ideas from teachers and refer to Pam's wish list for further ideas. She will report back ASAP.
13. Mini-Grants: Suggestion was made that committee begin to formulate its philosophy on types of projects we will fund so we can give this information to teachers before they write proposals.
14. Open Board positions: Carleton reported we have several unfilled. These are posted on web site and will be added to our bulletin board at school. Suggestion was made to list all current PTO members on most paperwork as a way to recognize their contributions and show appreciation, but also as a recruitment tool. The hope is that if someone sees that lots of other people are involved they will not be intimidated from helping and may recognize someone's name that they know and be comfortable joining in.
15. Calendar: This can be reviewed on-line.
16. College Week with AVID program: This will be held around Nov. 18th and will include many wonderful activities. PTO can contribute in many ways.

 August 14, 2002 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. Board positions:
   1. Those listed on website, etc... should be viewed as wish list/guidelines only, people can volunteer to do other things.
   2. New positions filled include: Ann Grasso - volunteer coordinator, Sybil Bowers - bulletin board, and Ann Von Brock and Sherman Fearing - 8th grade parent reps.
   3. Can get descriptions and list of open/closed positions on web site.
2. President and Vice President contacts - Carleton and Celeste will share coordinating tasks with the Kopps. All board members will have a contact assigned with either Pres or Vice Pres - look in e-mail for this soon.
3. Newsletter, etc...
   1. The newsletter issued before school opened was successful.
   2. New brochure has been done by Carleton and Celeste to promote PTO, it has been distributed at Meet the Teacher and is available for other big events and for all to hand out as needed.
   3. Web site is now using blind addresses for board members.
   4. Bulletin Board will post, among other things, volunteer opportunities, special events, PTO calendar, contact lists, newsletter, athletic schedules. Contact Sybil Bowers if you want to post something. She will try to get a "shoe bag" to hang for extra copies of leaflets, newsletters, etc... to be stored.
4. Open House - Will be held Monday, August 26th from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. First 30 mins. will be in Auditorium for AMS staff welcome and PTO business. Then people will circulate throughout school according to child's schedule. To encourage, but not insist upon this, there will be times posted, students reminded, and AVID students acting as guides. PTO will start to serve refreshments at about 6:45 in the cafeteria on a drop-in basis. We agreed to send a colorful postcard invitation directly to parents as a reminder.
5. Treasurer's Report - Marilyn was available to answer any questions about the report and proposed budget she had prepared and distributed at meeting. We agreed to act under the proposed budget for awhile and delay formally adopting it until we have a chance to discuss (this will be on agenda for next meeting).
6. SPMT (School Planning and Management Team) report - Met Tuesday, August 13th and will meet every other Tuesday from now on. Beth reviewed positions on the team and its general purpose to aid in matters that effect students' education (not discipline). All school fundraisers must be approved by SPMT (including PTO's) in order to coordinate these efforts and avoid duplication. 2 Fundraisers have already been approved for teachers taking classes to Camp Greeneville. First, is Aug. 26th - Sept. 1st for Ms. Cannon and the second, is Sept. 9th - Sept. 25th for Mr. Lisenbee.
7. Student Directory is being prepared. Teacher reps have been asked to encourage colleagues to get forms filled out and returned by students, ASAP.
8. Cougarwear will be printed by graphics department at AHS after 2 different proposals were considered. We will do a pre-order to help advertise and to get a sense of how many to order on 1st printing. There will be a pre-order discount offered. We agreed that the PTO will promote school spirit with these sales, but will also use them as fundraising opportunity (i.e. there will be some markup in price over cost).
9. Orientation and Spruce-up Day - Thanks were given to all who helped and there was general agreement that outside of school looked good. We learned that Kevin Maxwell's class does upkeep on the sign so PTO will not be responsible for this. We considered cleaning windows, fixing/replacing blinds, etc... to improve "face" of building as possible project for PTO to take on this year (see below).
10. Trash cans - C. Collins agreed to coordinate plan to get more outside trash cans. She'll use information provided about Rubbermaid products and consult with custodians before ordering anything.
11. Vinyl banner with PTO logo on will be used at events for advertisement will be made either from material provided by J. Roberts or ordering all form local company. We approved up to $50.00 to be spent for this purpose.
12. Pam's wish for goody bags for new teachers presented. We will consider this as well as building "facelift" as possible projects for us to do this year. This will be on agenda for next meeting.

 July 9, 2002 AMS PTO Monthly Board Meeting

1. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS: Co-presidents Bill and Joan Kopp welcomed everyone and had each person introduce him/herself to the group.
2. TREASURER'S REPORT/BUDGET: Marilyn Gray presented the first draft of the 2002-2003 PTO budget. The ProBan Banner renewals line item of $300 was discussed as a revenue source that was not followed up on last year, but Joan Kopp said she will find out the specifics of the contract with the company and billing the banner sponsors. The line item for newsletters was increased from $375.00 to $550.00 because there is a postage increase which may impact our bulk rate, and there will be four newsletters this year instead of three. The PTO project will be decided later in the year as money from the fundraiser comes in and other expenses are known. The budget will be adopted [at a future date].
3. WEBSITE: Bill Kopp reported that our PTO website is up and available at www.amspto.org. SysAdmin is donating the site. Bill reported that 2/3 of the site is in development. He will be working on getting all the pages complete in the coming weeks. Everyone expressed their appreciation to Bill for his work.
4. BULLETIN BOARD: Pam Cocke said that she will be glad to have a bulletin board in the school designated as the PTO bulletin board. It will probably be the one right by the main office. Ideas for bulletin board content: PTO newsletter, volunteer recruitment, Asheville City Schools tutoring information, and calendar. The hope is that someone will volunteer to be the bulletin board caretaker.
5. NEWSLETTER – COUGAR TRACKS: There was a lot of discussion about the content for the first addition of Cougar Tracks. The goal is to have it mailed by August 1 to reach families before the Orientations on August 6th. Ideas included: 8th grade celebration, new officer slate, Cougar Wear, information and welcome from the presidents on behalf of the PTO, PTO membership information/form, letter form the principal, student directory information reminder, website, school wish list, club descriptions (Odyssey of the Mind, Battle of the Books, Math Counts), and some selected content form the handbook.
6. LANDSCAPING: There is continued progress on the long range plan for landscaping that Tim Daly developed last year. October 19th will be the Fall landscaping day to prepare for Winter. Other ideas for landscaping/grounds: create an "adopt an area" program, buy trash cans, replace entry rugs (this could be something thet school maintenance takes care of). There was lots of discussion about trash and trash cans. Jones [Elementary] PTO got new trash cans last year; Paula Lindsay was involved in that project. She indicated that each ran was several hundred dollars and she has the ordering information if we are interested. Joan Kopp and Paula Lindsay will research getting new trash cans. The group approved purchasing four new trash cans for $1000 or less.
7. COUGAR WEAR: Jerry Stubblefield has agreed to handle the Cougar Wear sales and re-ordering. There is no "school store" location, so most sales occur at school events. AMS Booster Club runs the concession stand at athletic events; perhaps they would allow Cougar Wear to be sold at games.
8. BOARD OPENINGS: At this point we need an 8th grade parent rep. The person who had agreed to do it will have her child at a different school this fall. Bill Kopp told the group about the website/email addresses he is setting up for PTO contacts. He will set up email addresses such as "president@amspto.org'" for each of the PTO contacts. These addresses will be forwarded to the personal addresses of the people holding those PTO positions. This preserves confidentiality of our personal email addresses and allows the email address to remain the same even if the person holding the position changes.
9. SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAM: Pegi O'Hagan and Beth Reeves will serve on the SPMT.
10. PTO DUES: After a lively discussion the group decided that we will not charge dues to be a member of the PTO. A donation jar will be available at each PTO event and parents/teachers will have the opportunity to contribute through the Stay-at-Home Fundraiser.
11. MEMBERSHIP FORM: Carol Rovello designed the PTO membership form for this year. There were some changes and suggestions made to the form. Carol will coordinate with Bill and Joan [Kopp] to get the revisions made so the form can be included in the newsletter.
12. STUDENT DIRECTORY FORM: Susan Reiser will be in charge of creating and distributing the form to gather information for the student directory. The forms will be available at Meet the Teacher day (especially for 6th graders) and can be sent home with the emergency contact form that parents have to fill out.
13. ORIENTATIONS: On August 6th, there will be two orientations for incoming students. 6th grade @ 6:00 p.m. 7th and 8th grade in the afternoon. PTO members were asked to sign up to staff the PTO table and also help in the halls during those two orientation sessions. Pam Cocke said she will update the faculty on PTO activities at the upcoming staff meeting.
14. STAY AT HOME FUNDRAISER: This important effort is being handled by Emilie Freeman. Our target is to have the mailing go out towards the end of September.
15. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday August 13, 2002 at 6:30 at Asheville Middle School.

 Tuesday June 18th AMS PTO Transtional Meeting

1. Introduction of 2001-2002 Board Members
   
2. Introduction of new 2002-2003 Board Members
   
3. Proposed Calendar
   
4. Membership (donations, vote)
   The issue of dues vs. no dues was discussed, and will be voted upon at the next meeting.
   
5. Communications
   1. Website -AMS will establish a site at amspto.org; domain registration is $14/year, and space has been donated by Keith Thomson and Nancy Patterson of Sys Admin Services Inc. Budget, Calendar, Contacts and Newsletter to be posted online.
   2. Newsletter - an additional (early) newsletter to be added for distribution prior to first day of school
      Most time-sensitive:
      • Membership Forms - Carol Rovello will draft a new form for review/input from Board and Volunteer Coordinator Tisa Futch
      • Newsletter - addressed above
      • Cougar wear - We need someone to handle sales/bookkeping and to look into purchase of additional clothing items.
      • Orientation - We are asking for all available PTO Board Members to attend on behalf of the PTO.
      • Open House - PTO to provide refreshments. We need someone to steward this event, and are again asking for all available PTO Board Members to attend on behalf of the PTO. The calendar and budget will be voted upon by the general membership at this meeting.
      • Stay-at-home Fundraiser - Gail Ely will coordinate this project.
6. Next Meeting - Due to construction at AMS, the next meeting (Tuesday July 9) will be held at the Asheville City Schools offices, 85 Mountain St., at 6:30pm in the Board Room.

 Tuesday June 6th AMS PTO Executive Board Meeting

1. The 1st official all PTO Board meeting will be Tuesday, June 18th at AMS. Go to the front entrance and find meeting place from there. Old Board members also will attend to facilitate transition.
2. Calendar for the year.
   1. Pam reviewed initial days of school for next year.
      6th grade formal orientation will be in the evening on Tuesday, August 6th.
      7th and 8th grade informal orientations will be in the afternoon of this same day.
      PTO should have a presence there but this will not be our big kickoff event.
   2. Open House - this will be our big kickoff event
      Pam would like to have before Parent/Teacher conf. day already set for Sept. 13th.
      Date picked - Monday, August 26th from 6:00 to 7:30.
      We will use beginning of meeting to conduct official PTO business (e.g. present and adopt proposed budget, hand out calendar... Other suggestions included having sign up in newsletter and at meeting, make every parent an automatic member, but ask for voluntary dues with suggested amounts.)
      We will also work with Pam to create and enhance opportunities for parents to interact with each other at team/homeroom level. Ideas include - better scheduling to ensure all go to team/homeroom first, serve refreshments in homerooms instead of cafeteria.
      
   3. Next school wide PTO meeting will be in November (probably Nov. 14th) to coincide with concert by ?. Pam will confirm this date.
   4. An April organizational meeting for 2003 - 04 year will be held. Exact date, time and location TBA.
   5. Final school wide PTO meeting will be in May (after EOGs and to coincide with Spring Band concert). Pam will get us copy of Ms. Weeks' band schedule when she gets it sometime in August.
   6. Target deadlines/dates for PTO programs and projects:
      • Newsletter - We will have 4 issues this year. 1st issue to be sent at very beginning of the school year (Discussion about what content should be indicated this would be worthwhile). Deadline for submissions will be July 15th, newsletter to be sent in 1st week of August. Joan will set exact deadlines for other issues by June 18th meeting. (Suggestions included having a corporate sponsor for each issue to defray costs.)
      • Student Directory - Try to publish in October this year.
      • Landscaping - Dates for this year's project days to be decided by Tim Daly with proper deference to mother nature.
      • Stay at Home fundraiser - Prefer to have mailed by end of Sept. but will defer to Gail Ely on this as she will be coordinator again. Ask for money before Nov. PTO school wide meeting so amount can be announced at that time. (Other suggestions were to have more cards available at AMS office and/or on a PTO bulletin board throughout the year; in general we would like some permenant bulletin board space and distribution box.)
      • Mini-grants - Deadline for proposals will be Nov. 15th. Applications will be sent out to teachers by Oct. 15th but hopefully would be available before then for teachers who are ready to complete. Need to get this committee up and running ASAP.
   7. Monthly PTO Board meetings will be 2nd Tuesday of the each month to start at 6:30.
3. We will have another Board meeting on Tuesday, July 9th to make plans for 1st newsletter and orientation. This will be held at AMS but will use front door plan and then find meeting plan because of continued construction.
4. Treasurer presented and accepted some ideas for next year's proposed budget. These included not allocating all of Stay at Home money to mini-grants because of budget constraints due to state revenue shortfalls. Begin to get ideas for big PTO project for school - in the past these have included benches outside, outside announcement sign, Cougar footprints, etc.... We may also get additional money by contacting business that display signs in gym and collecting space 'rental' fees.