Slackwood Elementary PTO Meeting Minutes Thursday, September 23rd, 2021 6:30pm Slackwood library (In person) and Zoom PTO Board: Allison Cento, Bobbi Jo DeFelice Attendees: Principal Jeanne Muzi, School Counselor Kristin Hopson, Slackwood Teachers & Admin Michelle Liwacz, Armeen Fatima, Roopali Sharma, Slackwood Parents/Guardians & PTO Board (approximately 9 in person and 29 zoom) Start Time 6:30pm End Time: 7:20pm Topic & Spokesperson Discussion Points
Welcome & Introductions Allison Cento Once we got past the initial zoom ‘can you hear me’ hiccups, board members introduced themselves. We are just getting started as a board and are always looking for volunteers. Please grant us patience as we work through finding our way, we will get there.
Allison Cento-President Bobbi Jo DeFelice-Treasurer/Secretary Please feel free to email us any questions or comments you have. We can be reached at [email protected]
President’s Report Allison Cento Allie kicked off the meeting by reviewing some of the activities we’ve been able to have this year (some funded by in-kind donations).
-Chalk the walk, which was held the day before school, had a fantastic turnout! Many messages, drawings and encouraging words were chalked by the students, guardians and Slackwood staff. The first day, which can be daunting for some, was made a little bit brighter with all the love and encouragement. -On the first day, the teachers were welcomed back with yummy goodies of muffins, assorted pastries and cookies. The PTO decorated the entry ways with colorful banners, balloons and yard signs. -During the first week of school, children were invited to ‘nice time-ice time’ where they got to enjoy a complimentary Kona Ice and play with friends on the playground.
Treasurer’s Report Bobbi Jo DeFelice Bobbi Jo went over the PTO’s cash position Beginning Checking Balance as of 08/01/2021: $1,055.18 Ending Checking Balance as of 9/23/2021: $2,737.08
Withdrawals: Account Maintenance Fee $25.00 Total Withdrawals $25.00
-We are amazed and humbled by the donations that have been coming in. This community has been amazing! Bobbi Jo thanked everyone for donating, we can’t do this without you and we appreciate every single bit of help!
-One of the easiest ways to help us continue our mission is helping us earn passive income. Signing up for AmazonSmile, BoxTops for education and Shoprite for schools helps us earn a portion of your sale (at no additional cost to you). If you need any help, Bobbi Jo is happy to walk you through signing up.
Principals Report Jeanne Muzi Mrs. Muzi welcomed all the families (in person and on zoom)! We’ve had an amazing start to the school year. Summer splash was a fantastic event that got our children excited for the upcoming year. The first month of school has been incredible. Children are happy to be back and the teachers have worked so hard to ensure positive experiences in the classroom. Children have been eager to learn and are doing really well with masking, thank you parents! -Back to school night is September 29th, there will be videos to watch beforehand, emails will be sent out shortly. Back to school will focus on the general/overall operations of the classrooms. Conferences for the progress of individual students will be held in November. -On October 29th, children will operate on a half day schedule so that the ‘mini’ Halloween parades can happen in the afternoon (it will still be a full day in school). Parades will be done by grade to allow for smaller crowds. No parent visitors are allowed in the building this year, but you are welcome to attend the parade. Details to follow. -Please feel free to reach out at anytime with any concerns, her door is always open.
Kristin Hopson Mrs. Hopson let us know that the first all school meeting would be tomorrow, September 24th. Our kiddos will be introduced to some school wide terms (expected behavior and unexpected behavior). Students will be challenged to keep ‘spark’ in mind (Space, Purposeful/Positive Attitude, respectful and kind). -The week of respect (October 4-8th) will focus on anti-bullying by providing grade appropriate instruction focused on preventing harassment, intimidation or bullying. -There will be a newsletter from Mrs. Hopson in the near future.
Upcoming Events Jeanne Muzi/Allison Cento Right now, we are organizing events month by month. We aim to have an event each month, depending on guidelines.
-Trunk or treat will be 10/29/21 from 6:30-8pm. We are looking for someone to chair this event (make the flyer and coordinate the ‘trunk volunteers). We are aiming to have 10 cars decorated on the black top to hand out candy. There will be a read aloud, some games and activities. This will be a FREE event, all Slackwood families are welcome. A flyer will be coming home shortly. Please consider volunteering to decorate your car and hand out candy!!! -Our first dine to donate will be 10/09 at Captain Paul’s from 11am-4pm. Come out and mention our name (or show them the flyer that will be coming home) so a portion of your sale will be donated back to the PTO. -Our first virtual bookfair of the year is tentatively scheduled for October 20-November 5th. Denise Hall will firm up the dates with our Scholastic rep soon. -Spirit wear will go on sale shortly, details to follow. We are hoping to have Ms. Lee-You work with the children to come up with an original design from our own Slackwood students.
Questions/Comments ALL -Question: Siontai McMillan wanted to decorate her car for trunk or treat and wanted to know how to reach out. Answer: A sign up will be coming home, but you can always reach us at [email protected]. We are happy to have you! -Amy suggested we look into yankee candle fundraising. She says that it’s been a big hit in prior years and they will ship directly to your door. -Laura & Fatima suggested that we look into opening an Instagram account to increase our ability to reach and connect with more families. -Allie suggested a coin war (we discussed penny wars for the entire grade where dollars and silver coins created a negative balance, so you’d put pennies in the designated container for your grade and silver coins/dollars in the containers for the other grades or having a coin war where all money in your container counted toward your total-both seem like fun!) -We talked about a gift card fundraiser around the December holiday time.
Adjournment Jeanne Muzi and Allison Cento Without your participation and input, none of this is possible, so thank you so much for coming and offering your ideas and insights. We appreciate it!