Minutes – February 2, 2010

Approval of January meeting minutes. Motion made by Mary Judy; seconded by Jeanine Vaia.
Dr. Lamberson:
Landscaping – “good to go”–approval to move forward in the summer on the next phase of the project to improve the area by the climbing equipment in front of Central. Landscaping projects at Central and Hauser will be implemented over the summer and, hopefully, conclude before school starts in the fall. He is working through the Village approval process.
Parent meeting tomorrow (2/3/2010) at Central for the laptop initiative so the remaining 5th grade students can begin to bring their laptops home on occasion to complete homework assignments, as has been done at Hollywood.
International Baccalaureate Study Group made a presentation to the Board of Education last month with their findings and recommendations. The Board will take up some of their suggestions and begin to explore implementing World Language in the District Curriculum in the next 1-2 years. After April, more information will be available as to needs for study groups, parental input needs, more specific details, etc.
Dr. Limperis:
Esther Hershenhorn will be coming on 2/12/2010 for her first visit to the school! This is the first of her two half-day visits in which she will visit each classroom and merge her creative writing talents with our Regie Routman writing initiative we have been using this year in the curriculum. The goal for the year is for each classroom or grade to create a book to publish.
March 4th is Kindergarten Information Night at Central.
March 5th begins Kindergarten registration for one week.
Snowball wall!! There is a new snowball wall at recess for the kids to play in the snow and hurl snowballs at the wall. They can also wear snowpants and boots to school and play on the Hauser field.
Ms. Nakis:
Ms. Nakis filled us in on all of the wonderful curricular happenings in the school! She started with the world of technology in the 5th grade, where Mr. Elgeness recently won a technology award for a European Podcast project that his 5th graders all completed earlier this year!! She also demonstrated some Wiki and Voci and Voicethread pages where students can all do work and talk to each other and the teacher. She also passed around some winter work and poems and computer generated work from the 3rd and 4th grade classrooms, as well.
2/12/2010 is an early release day and parents are welcome to make appointments to meet with teachers if they feel a need to communicate with a teacher at this time.
Mr. Wolf:
The guidance counselor from Hauser came to speak to our PTO about bullying. The program the teachers have received training on over the last two years has been very effective at Hauser and more teachers at Central are receiving the training, as well.
Mr. Wolf has resources on his web page regarding parenting books and information regarding this matter.
“Ease the Tease” is the elementary school version of the bullying program and Laurie Swanson can be contacted for any bullying questions or issues at Central.
Bradford Woods is the 8th grade trip this year for team building/drug awareness/violence prevention program. It is the first time students will attend this new program in Indiana.
Mrs. Mary Ellen Meindl:
Mary Ellen oversaw the nominating committee this year. They proposed two new amendments to our current by-laws: to allow for co-presidents. Then, also to extend the time allowed for the president and treasurer to be able to serve their terms.
Mrs. Jane Wilhelm:
We have sold $4,500 in Riverside Foods gift certificates!!
Mrs. Molly Carl:
Cultural Arts is running along smoothly. Almost all slots have been filled for all classroom presentations (over 300!)!
Pictures have been moved around in the school for some variety.
The closet upstairs has been cleaned up and organized and looks great!
The recommendation is made that a plan be made for repair and reframing needs for some old and worn paintings.
Mrs. Dawn Gmitro:
Dawn echoed Dr. Limperis’s comments regarding Esther Hershenhorn’s exciting visit to Central next week.
Ecology Club update: great success, many students! They received a $25 award from the Olmsted Society for their work. They are working on introducing a “zero waste lunch” during Earth Week this spring. More details to come.
Mrs. Kathy Dudek:
PTO fundraiser: “The Lightning Thief” movie comes out Friday, February 12th. Central PTO and Hollywood’s PTA have rented the theater at North Riverside for a private showing of the movie on opening day. Details are available on Feed Blitz.
Mr. Greg Nessinger:
The Flexible Boundary Committee has met again to continue to discuss the original intent of the committee and how or if those goals are serving our community today.
Greg is also researching some stencils for the Central playground.

Tattered Book Cover Meetings

Friday, February 5, 8:30a-10a

Friday, February 26, 2010, 8:30a-10a

In the Library

Got the Winter Blues?

• Come where there is plenty of sunshine, in the Library at two Tattered Book Cover Meetings: Friday: February 5, 2010 @ 8:30 am, and Friday, February 26,  @ 8:30am.
• Help cover new books and replace tattered covers, 1 book at a time, even if you only have 15 minutes.
• Complete training will be provided at the meeting.
• If you have any questions, or if you are unable to attend the meeting, but would like to help, please contact Jeannine Glavas.
• Come to the Library and let the Sunshine in…

Please review the Draft January PTO meeting minutes for approval at the February 2010 PTO Meeting.

Central School PTO Minutes

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Introduction: The meeting began at 9:04 in the library. PTO Officers in attendance were: Allyn Pilewski, Nancy Hutchings, Jannifer Sedivy, Samantha Durst, Jeanine Vaia, Jane Wilhelm, Mary Ellen Meindl and Kate Nessinger. Also in attendance: District 96 Superintendent, Dr Lamberson, Central School Principal, Dr.Limperis, Central School Teachers Samantha Lutz and Bill Howes.

Minutes: A motion was made to approve the November meeting minutes by Mary Ellen Meindl and seconded by Jeanine Vaia. The motion was passed.

Superintendent’s Report: Dr Lamberson reported that construction at Hauser is out to bid. It is likely that the work will be completed this summer. The landscaping and walkways around the school playground is not formally approved yet as part of the playground is on Village property. Dr Lamberson hopes this project will also be accomplished this summer. Dr Lamberson is looking for help identifying Kindergarten students for next year. Planning survey should have been sent home in backpacks. They are also contacting preschools to get us much information as possible. The school would like to make a commitment to full day kindergarten, but there is concern that they cannot sustain classroom space for it.

Principal’s Report: Dr Limperis thanked Dawn Gmitro for supporting the writing initiative this year with the Esther Hershenhorn workshop. Information can be accessed at www.estherhershenhorn.com. Ms Hershenhorn will be working with students on Feb. 12 and April 16. The January Leadership Team will plan how Ms Hershenhorn will be incorporated into the initiative. Dr Limperis reported that each teacher at Central has a web page and they will begin adding their newsletters to the web page. Martin Luther King Day is Monday so school will be closed. January 29 is a half day. There will be a Jane Adams program in the morning of the 29th. Activities to prepare for and follow up resources about Jane Addams and the program will be given to teachers.

Teacher’s Report: Samantha Lutz reported that she updates her web page the first week of each month including her classroom newsletter. She believes the other teachers do the same. Classroom web pages can be accessed through the Central web page. Fourth Grader, Jack Sagan’s grandfather will perform George Washington for the fourth and fifth grade students at Hauser on Thursday morning. This and next week the teachers are testing for the guided reading group. This is the first year they have tested reading mid year. Fourth grade teachers are preparing for ISAT. There will be parent/teacher conferences in February. Teachers will request a conference if there are concerns or if the teacher hasn’t met the parent yet. Parents may request a conference as well.

Music Curriculum: Music teacher Bill Howes reported that he is proposing to the Board of Education, Education Committee to have a Veterans Day show, a Holiday show for grades K-3 and a spring show for grades 4-5. He would like the fourth and fifth graders to have exposure to more than patriotic and holiday music. He would like the fourth and fifth graders’ performance to be more challenging and theatrical which performing at the end of the school year would allow them time to learn.

Officers’ Reports

President’s Report: Allyn Pileweski reported that as per the bylaws two PTO Executive Board members, an alternate and three from the general membership and an alternate are required to form a Nominating Committee for the 2010/2011 PTO Executive Board. The proposed members of the Nominating Committee are: Mary Ellen Meindl and Jeanine Vaia with Jennifer Sedivy as alternate from the Executive Board and Tracey Sloan, Sandy Briolat, and Erin Durkin with Aberdeen Ozga as alternate from the general membership. Allyn made a motion to approve the Nominating Committee and Dawn Gmitro seconded the motion. The motion passed. Treasurer’s Report: Jane Wilhelm reported that the District 96 landscaping fund is now in a CD. The PTO checking is now changed from National City to Riverside Bank where it will earn interest and there is free use of credit cards. Hauser has now converted from PTA to PTO. A $281 check has been received from Box tops. The CPA who the PTO uses is now subject to a peer review so it isn’t worth her while to review the PTO account. A Parent Audit Committee has completed the review in the past. Two to three parents will be needed to spend about 2 hours in July and August to complete the review. The CPA suggested cash deposit procedures be tightened up. Deposit slips are now required and available on the web site and in the office. Cash and checks collected for the PTO have to be turned in within 5 days.

Fundraising: Cathy Daun, Brick Pavers Program Committee Chair, reported that $1,000 worth of bricks have been sold. Each brick is $100. Samantha Durst, Second VP, reported that since Thanksgiving $208 has been raised from the SCRIP program with Riverside Foods who gives 5% back to the PTO. $600 has been raised from the 100% fund since the end of the year plea. There are 40 people in the Riverside community registered with the Target program. Target gives PTO up to 1% of monies spent on their credit card at any store.

Correspondence: Jeanine Vaia passed around thank you notes given to the PTO from Central staff.

December Board of Education Meeting: Nancy Hutchings reported that the Village of Riverside eliminated from their budget funding for crossing guards. The BOE is putting together a resolution. The BOE asked Dr Lamberson to talk to the Village informally. Riverside Brookfield High School is not interested in hiring a crossing guard at First Ave.

Committee Reports

Workshop Residence Project: Dawn Gmitro, Artist in Residence Committee Chair, discussed the Esther Hershenhorn workshop. Ms Hershenhorn is willing to incorporate what is being taught through the Regie Routman writing program in her workshop. The workshop is funded by the Board of Ed grant. The goal is to publish a book for each class or each grade with options to check out these books at the school library or purchase them. Publishing costs have not yet been determined. Next year Hollywood school is having Brian Fox Ellis, a storyteller, perform for the students. PTO is considering funding his performance at Central next year.

Lightening Thief Movie Project: Kathy Dudek reported that she and Jennifer Perry, parent from Hollywood school, approached Classic Cinemas in North Riverside and AMC to sell tickets on opening day, February 12, for an afternoon showing of “The Lightening Thief”. The theatre holds 800 people. This would be open to all school to attend. Kathy and Jennifer discussed charging the actual ticket price of $5.50/ticket charge with the fundraiser being a raffle. Kathy proposed raffling off posters and books donated by the Cinema Cinemas. Much discussion was had on an additional mandatory service fee to support our Artist in Residence project. Much discussion was had that a the Central community wouldn’t support a raffle. Nancy Hopkins made a motion to increase the ticket price to $6.00. Jennifer Sedivy seconded the motion. Motion passed. Dawn Gmitro made another motion to raise the ticket price to $7.00 and Kate Nessinger seconded the motion. A vote 16 for the $7 ticket price ($5.50 for the ticket and a mandatory $1.50 contribution to the PTO) and 2 opposed. The motion passed. Kathy will discuss the PTO decision with Jennifer Perry knowing that this was Central’s decision for Central.

Flexible Boundary Committee: Greg Nessinger, Central’s Representative to the BOE committee, reported that the group is evaluating the guidelines of the Flexible Boundary policy. The policy was established in 2002 when there was a large discrepancy in the number of students/classroom between the differing District 96 schools; some schools had 15 children in a classroom while another school had 30. The policy helped equalize classroom size across the district, but recently there has been issues where the policy wasn’t followed (families split between different schools, kids placed at a school farthest from school, families in Hollywood district being moved to different schools, etc). The committee will evaluate the policy, possibly rewrite it, and make recommendations to the school board. Meetings are open to the public. Next meeting is Jan 14th at 7pm in Hauser Library.

Library: Jeannine Glavas Cowell reported there will be a shelving blitz in the library Friday from 8:30-9:30 and book covering at 1:30. The following Friday at 8:30 is another shelving blitz.

Ecology Club: Michelle Marconi reported that there is a meeting this Thursday on solar energy for 3rd and 4th graders at 3:05 in Mrs. Johnson’s room.

Program Chairs: Jennifer Sedivy reported that the Chairs of Science in a Can and Preschool Screening will send a feedblitz seeking volunteers.

Junior Great Books: Aberdeen Ozga reported that Jr. Great Books starts next week.

The Meeting adjourned at 10:32 am.
The minutes are respectfully submitted by Kate Nessinger, Recording Secretary

Please review the Draft November PTO minutes for approval at the January 2010 PTO Meeting.

Draft Central School PTO Minutes

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Introduction: The meeting began at 7:01 pm. in the library. The PTO officers in attendance: Allyn Pilewski, Jennifer Sedivy, Samantha Durst, Jeanine Vaia, Jane Wilhelm, Kate Nessinger and Mary Ellen Meindl. Also in attendance: District Superintendent Dr. Lamberson, Central School Principal Dr. Limperis, and Central School reading Specialists Meg O’Brien and Leslie Redmond.

Minutes: Mary Ellen Meindl made a motion to approve the October 6, 2009 minutes, Jeanine Vaia seconded the motion. The motion was passed.

Superintendent’s Report: Dr. Lamberson presented on the Bright Red Apple Award. District 96 is 81st out of 879 IL school districts. District 96 will receive this award again for the 2009-2010 school year. Dr Lamberson reported that The Village of Riverside will not be funding crossing guards next year which values at about $100,000. The District reimbursed the Village for 1 1/2 of 7-8 positions. The School Board of Education will be discussing this. Dr Lamberson reported that the Health Insurance spending for District 96 is less than projected.

Principal’s Report: Dr Limperis reported that the Veterans’ Day assembly will be held tomorrow at 1:00. The PTO is hosting a first time ever reception for veterans to visit with one another in the Hauser cafeteria. On November 20 is a 1/2 school day. The teachers will be working on various topics: anti-bullying training, MAP testing etc. On November 23 are parent / teacher conferences. There is a State Evaluation visit on December 1.

Teacher’s Report: Dr Limperis gave the teacher’s report for Mrs. Nakis. Dr Limperis passed around examples of community and social studies posters done by First Graders and Sixth grade memoirs done for their writing program.

Regie Routman Presentation: Reading Specialists Meg O’Brien and Leslie Redmond reported on the new writing program. Last year a team was appointed to look at a writing program for the district. The Regie Routman program was chosen. Regie Routman in Residence for writing transforms teaching through writing for audience and purpose.  Last year the Literacy Support Team (LiST) trained the Language Arts committee on the process and they have become teacher leaders training K-8 teachers of writing this year.  The process is based on the optimal learning model of teaching where teachers scaffold students from dependence to independence.  Teachers start with demonstration (I do it), the move to shared demonstration (We do it), into guided practice (We do it), finally to Independent practice (You do it).  In writing teachers will immerse students in a genre, demonstrate the writing genre, have public conferences, hold editing conferences, and finally celebrate the learning.  This is based on the writing for audience and purpose.  It makes the writing purposeful to students and therefore motivates them to be invested in their writing and do their best work.  

Officers’ Reports:

President: Allyn Pilewski reported that we are down on our fundraising and therefore need to make budget cuts. Allyn proposed we make changes in the following areas: 5th grade t shirts, PRIDE/Bradford Woods, Programs, Cultural Arts-field trips, Environmental Concerns Committee, Garden Gurus, Jr. Great Books, Science in a Can, Family Fun Nights, Turn-off-the-TV-week, Cameras for Teachers and PTO Administrative Expenses. These cuts will save us $5,000. Melanie Strubbe made a motion to support changes to the budget. Jane Archer seconded the motion. The motion passed to accept the new budget. Allyn reported that the Board of Education is giving each school in District 96 $2,000 for the Artist in Residence program.

2nd VP Fundraising: Samantha Durst reported that she and Jane Wilhelm are working on a SCRIP fundraising plan for this year. She will need volunteers to help collect money for the gift cards.

A letter regarding the 100% fund will be sent to encourage giving this year with a tax benefit.

Treasurer: Jane Wilhelm went over the current budget and reminded members that there is a sales tax form in the office and online to use when making PTO activity purchases.

Board Of Education Report: Jeanine Vaia attended the October Board of Ed meeting. Jeanine reported that parents will be able to access progress information on their children by the end of the third trimester. The teachers can also utilize this to see how students are doing in other classes. The Early Childhood Education program will not be housed at Blythe next year. Hollywood 5th grade students are taking their laptops home. MAP assessment gives us students’ scores quickly. There was a discussion on the H1N1 vaccination program. It was decided that District 96 would not be chosen to or interested in giving out vaccinations at the schools.

PTO Committee Reports:

Library: Jeannine Glavas reported that she is having a book covering Friday after drop off.

Blacktop Stencils: Kate Nessinger reported for Greg Nessinger that a survey of the blacktop is completed and he is working on design with 1st grade teacher, Erin Feldman. Costs of the stencils are higher than anticipated and a fund raising committee may be formed to raise money. There is $400 available from the –’08-’09 Philanthropy expenditure.

Cultural Arts: Allyn Pilewski reported for Molly Carl that art work in the school is being reviewed for framing and re-hanging.

Announcements:

November 17 is the BOE Building Committee Meeting and BOE general meeting

December 14 is the holiday concert

The meeting adjourned at 9:00pm

The minutes are respectfully submitted by Kate Nessinger, Recording Secretary.

Central School PTO Minutes

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Introduction: The meeting began at 9:01 am in the library. The PTO officers in attendance: Allyn Pilewski, Jennifer Sedivy, Samantha Durst, Jeanine Vaia, Jane Wilhelm, Nancy Hutchings, Kate Nessinger and Mary Ellen Meindl.

Minutes: A motion to amend the September 1, 2009 minutes was made by Allyn Pilewski to thank Nikki Hajer for making cupcakes. A motion to approve the amendment was made by Mary Ellen Meindl and seconded by Nancy Hopkins. The motion passed.

Officers’ Reports

President: Allyn Pilewski reported that she attended the September District 96 Board of Education meeting. The B.O.E. is discussing the flexible boundary policy and Allyn encourages all parents to attend future meetings. The electronic communication between the PTO and parents is not completely set up. The board requested feedback from the PTO regarding how the membership would like PTO e-flyers distributed. The membership indicated they would like the e-flyers on the PTO website along with the Central website. E-backpack is up and running but not hooked up to feed burner. The district Feedburner service, a service similar to the PTO feedblitz is now an option for the District and Central website. By signing up for the Feedburner service when the websites are updated you will receive notice, between 3:00 – 5:00, that the site has been updated that day. The surveyors will be measuring the school playground Friday to gather information for the Village Building Committee regarding landscaping the playground. A Building Committee meeting will be held on November 17 at 6:00 at Blythe. Allyn encourages all parents to attend and show how important this project is to us. The PTO has $9,000 that can be spent on the playground area. The surveyors measured the school playground last Friday. In November the Building Committee will make a recommendation to the Village.

2nd VP Fundraising: Samantha Durst reported that we have collected $6,100 for the 100% Fund and budgeted $11,000. We have collected $5,500 from Innisbrook with a goal of $12,000. The Target fundraiser earned us $709 from spring to date. Samantha is looking for a volunteer to take on new SCRIP fundraiser. This program gives the PTO up to 5% when gift cards are purchased online.

2nd VP Member Services: Jeanine Vaia asks that we let her know of any special life events occurring in the school community. PTO calendars are for sale in the office at $5. The school directory may be available Friday.

Treasurer: Jane Wilhelm made a motion to amend the budget for $100 to supply reimbursement to teachers. Jane reported there is $9,364 left over from the landscaping fund and during the conversion from PTA to PTO we gave the district the money to hold until Sept 1, 2009. Jane is asking for the money back now and will put it in the PTO checking account. Each year a CPA reviews finances and a tax filing. Audit is complete and the filing is almost done. Jane asks that when collecting money count money and attach to a spread sheet stating the name of person along with cash amount or check number and turn this over within one week. Copies of reimbursement forms are available online.

Principal’s Report: Dr. Limperis reported that the State has made cuts to the budget and will no longer reimburse families for transportation. The school is sending letters to the families to notify them. There will be 1/2 day of school Friday as the school will have parent teacher conferences by invitation only. There will no school Monday and Tuesday. There will be changes made to report cards. The kindergarten and first grade report cards will look the most different. Third graders will no longer receive letter grades. The Fall Map course scores will be discussed at the fall parent teacher conference. There will be a presentation on Map testing at the November PTO meeting.

Teacher’s Report: Ms.Samantha Lutz brought in an assignment from the forth grade class as an example of the “Writing for a Purpose” writing program. Ms. Anastasia Nakis brought in samples from a fifth grade social studies class exercise in which the students write to each other through Wiki spaces. Ms. Nakis reported that the school purchased the new edition of “Everyday Math” and highlighted the improvements.

PTO Committee Reports

Environmental Concerns Committee: Dawn Gmitro reported that this new committee is in planning stages and is focusing on the Ecology Club’s wish list. Some ideas the group may pursue are: zero waste lunch, recycling at school and an energy audit of the school

Special Education Committee: Dr. Mary Polk, Director of Special Education, started this new committee and Mary Judy is the our parent representative. There will be a PTO representative from each school in Districts 96 and perhaps District 208. Mary Judy stated that her the Committee’s goals are to provide community support, increase awareness of special needs individuals and families, to bring special education resources to the local park districts and to be a communication vehicle between parents and teachers.

Cultural Arts, Classroom: Paintings in the hallways our Cultural Art program are being evaluated to determine which ones will be framed. the quality of each paintings frames. The Cultural Arts committee will review and present their finding at the November meeting.

Announcements: Students are needed to paint Halloween pictures for the business district windows. More information can be found at halloweenwindows.org.

The Olmsted Society Riverfest is being held on Sunday, October 18 from 12:30-6:30.

Aberdeen Ozga reported that there is a “Reflections on Poetry” volume, poetry written by our students, at the Riverside Library. The Village Board has approved Riverside Brookfield High School’s arcade mural and that paint donations are being accepted at the Riverside Arts Center.

The meeting adjourned at 10:31 am.

The minutes are respectfully submitted by Kate Nessinger, Recording Secretary.

Please review the September PTO minutes for approval at the Oct 6 9:00 AM PTO Meeting.

Central School PTO Minutes
Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Introduction: The meeting began at 9:04 am in the Library. The PTO officers in attendance: Mary Ellen Meindl, Melinda Brom, Michelle Marconi, Jane Wilhelm, Nancy Hutchings, Linda LaBelle, Jennifer Sedivy and Patrick O’Laughlin. Also in attendance: District 96 Superintendent Dr. Lamberson, Central School Principal Dr. Limperis and Central School Teachers Samantha Lutz and Stephanie Musgrave.

Hauser Pride Trip Reports: Elise Castelez, Hannah Claywell and Thomas Leary spoke about their experiences at the Pride Conference. They thanked the PTO for sponsoring them to the conference. They all had an enjoyable time and stated that it was an amazing experience.

Minutes: A motion to approve the April 7th, 2009 minutes was made by Nancy Hutchings and seconded by Allyn Pilewski. The motion passed.

Staff Member and Volunteer of the year: The Executive Board selected Stephanie Musgrave for Staff Member of the year for her work creating the C.A.K.E. program and Dawn Gmitro for Volunteer of the year for her work on the Striding Lion program. Their names are engraved on plaques in the Library.

C.A.K.E.: Central School Teacher Stephanie Musgrave reported that the C.A.K.E. (Courteous And Kind to Everyone) theme has been successful. Every month is dedicated to a character trait and is encouraged during that month. The C.A.K.E. theme will be continued for next year. She also thanked the PTO for their help.

2009/10 Officer’s Election: A motion was made by Beverly Aieta and seconded by Linda LaBelle to accept the officer slate for the 2009/10 Executive Board. The motion passed. The 2009/10 Executive Board is: President: Allyn Pilewski; Co-1st Vice Presidents Committee and Room Parents: Nancy Hutchings and Jennifer Sedivy; 2nd Vice President Fundraising and Philanthropy: Jeanine Vaia; Treasurer: Jane Wilhelm; Recording Secretary: Kate Nessinger; and Parliamentarian: Mary Ellen Meindl.

Officers’ Reports:
President: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that cakes (for the C.A.K.E. theme) will be delivered to classrooms for decoration on May 28th.

Philanthropy: Nancy Hutchings reported that philanthropy requests were made for conference tables, A/R tests, Kindergarten author lists, recycle bins (Ecology Club) and playground stencils. The total cost is approximately $1600. A motion was made to approve the requests for 2009/10 by Michelle Marconi and seconded by Kate Nessinger. The motion passed.

Correspondence: Jennifer Sedivy passed around invitations to the Installation Luncheon at The Chew Chew.

Treasurer: Jane Wilhelm distributed account statements. Items of note: Teacher week cost about $1,000 and we still need to pay for books from the book fair. Please submit any receipts you may have for this year.

Principal’s Report: Dr. Limperis thanked everyone involved in Turn Off the TV Week, it was a lot of fun. On May 12th at 12:05pm we will have a fire drill from the Cafeteria. The 5th Grade D.A.R.E. graduation is on May 15th at 1:30 pm. The last day of school for the 5th Grade is June 4th and June 5th for everyone else. The K.I.T.E. program will be a 4 day a week program for next year. Please pickup information on after school programs in the office. Please note: it doesn’t include a half day program for Kindergarten.

Teacher’s Report: Samantha Lutz reported that the Open House was a huge hit. The Teacher Appreciation week was great. The 4th Grade will take over as patrols for the end of the year. Abe Lincoln was the historical perspectives presentation last Thursday.

Superintendent’s Report: Dr. Lamberson thanked everyone for a fabulous year. Next year the 5th Grade students will have laptops.

PTO Committee Reports:
Teacher Appreciation Week: Melinda Brom reported that the Teachers and Students are having a great time with Teacher Appreciation Week.

Library: Melinda Brom reported that for National Children’s Book Week students can guess their Teacher’s favorite books on the bulletin board in the Library.

Other Business:
April Board of Education Meeting Update: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that school fees will remain the same for 09/10 (same as the past 4 years). The Laptop Coordinator will be Liz Whaley (tech person at Hauser). The technology budget is $171,000 and $150,000 is being reallocated to the laptop program. The computers currently being used by the 5th grade will be used by the other grades. Enrollment per class for Kindergarten was 20 now it has been increased to 23. Only one family has been asked to relocate to another school. The Hardscape/Landscape for Ames has been approved and will begin June 1st, Hauser work is back to the drawing board. National Investigations has been hired for the residency check of all District 96 families. As of April 21st, 1455 are enrolled in District 96.

Announcements: Thank you to Book Fair Chairs: Beverly Aieta and Nancy Hopkins and all the volunteers; Ice Cream Social Chairs: Julie Tucek, Nadine Espisito and all the volunteers; 5th Grade Games Chairs: Deb Gardnier and Olga Prybl Pierdinock and their team of volunteers; Garden Gurus: Michelle Marconi, Kate Nessinger and volunteers; Turn Off TV Week Chairs: Ingrid Lulich, Dorie Skiest and their volunteers; Program Chair: Karen Layng; Talent Show Chairs: Kim Jacobs, Tiffany McManus and volunteers; Teacher Appreciation Luncheon: Maura Braun; Teacher Appreciation Week: Sandy Briolat, Melinda Brom and Lauren Zobel; Webmaster: Chris Hajer; and our Library and Cultural Arts Volunteers.

The meeting adjourned at 10:15 am.
The Minutes are respectfully submitted by Patrick O’Laughlin, Recording Secretary.

Central School PTO Minutes
Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Introduction: The meeting began at 9:00 am in the Library. The PTO officers in attendance: Mary Ellen Meindl, Melinda Brom, Michelle Marconi, Jane Wilhelm, Kathy Dudek, Nancy Hutchings, Linda LaBelle, Jennifer Sedivy and Patrick O’Laughlin. Also in attendance: District 96 Superintendent Dr. Lamberson, Central School Principal Dr. Limperis and Central School Teacher Samantha Lutz.

Minutes: A motion to approve the March 3rd, 2009 minutes was made by Linda LaBelle and seconded by Melinda Brom. The motion passed.

2009/10 Officer’s Election: A motion was made by Beverly Aieta and seconded by Linda LaBelle to accept the officer slate for the 2009/10 Executive Board. The motion passed. The 2009/10 Executive Board is: President: Allyn Pilewski; Co-1st Vice Presidents Committee and Room Parents: Nancy Hutchings and Jennifer Sedivy; 2nd Vice President Fundraising and Philanthropy: Jeanine Vaia; Treasurer: Jane Wilhelm; Recording Secretary: Kate Nessinger; and Parliamentarian: Mary Ellen Meindl.

Officers’ Reports:
President: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that the Ecology Club (sponsored by Mrs. Visek and Mrs. Johnson) requested funding of T-shirts for the April 25th Village cleanup event. A motion was made by Allyn Pilewski and seconded by Lauren Zobel to approve the $100 expense for T-shirts. The motion passed.

Correspondence: Jennifer Sedivy passed around letters from Hauser students going on the Pride trip. Central School’s PTO sponsored three students going to the conference.

Treasurer: Jane Wilhelm distributed account statements noting that $405.00 will be going to Garden Gurus to inject the elm trees in front of the school.

Parliamentarian: Linda LaBelle distributed copies of the revised Bylaws and Standing Rules. A motion to adopt the Central School PTO Bylaws and Standing Rules was made by Melinda Brom and seconded by Jane Wilhelm. The motion passed.

Principal’s Report: Dr. Limperis thanked everyone involved in the Book Fair, it was awesome. The kids loved the visit from 39 Steps author Peter Larangis. In May there will be a fire drill when the children are not in the classroom (during lunch and recess). On Friday, May 8th, from 9-10:30 am the two social workers would like parent volunteers to come and share their views of the social work curriculum. Three volunteers are needed. If you are interested, please contact Mary Ellen Meindl.

Teacher’s Report: Samantha Lutz reported that teachers will meet at the end of April to decide the best fit for the students and teachers for next year. Open house night is April 23rd. Thank you for all the hard work on the Book Fair, the students loved it. Also the author visit was a huge hit. Science in a can is going well; next week is the 6th week.

Superintendent’s Report: Dr. Lamberson reported that for next year, 158 have registered for Kindergarten (59- Central, 18- Hollywood, 33- Blythe and 52- Ames). The numbers will change a little. Ames is the only school beyond capacity. The School Board prefers to change the class size from 20 to 23 for Kindergarten, which would allow Ames to have 6 more students remain at their school. Only one family will need to relocate to another school. Class sizes for next year will be K-3rd: up to 23 and 4-5th: 23. The Kite program gives assistance to Kindergarteners who need extra help to get up to speed. It meets two days a week in groups of 4-6 kids for intense work with specific skill sets to help the students have success in 1st grade. About 28% of all Kindergarteners are in the program (about 30 kids). The District 96 website is up and running. Please check it out and give any questions or comments. There will be scrolling quotes on the site which will be populated with positive messages by parents and students. If you would like to include a message, please contact Mary Ellen Meindl. In April, a project coordinator will be recommended for the Laptop program. The Board still needs to approve the money for the program. 170-175 laptops would be added to the program.

PTO Committee Reports:
Teacher Appreciation Week: Melinda Brom passed around a signup sheet for Teacher Appreciation week.

Book Fair: Beverly Aieta reported that we had a great year for the Book Fair with over $11,400 in sales. Nancy Hopkins entered all the books into the laptop to lookup titles during the Book Fair. The visits with buddies went well. The author Peter Larangis was impressed with how well the kids listened, participated and behaved they were. If anyone is interested in co-chairing next year’s Book Fair, please contact Beverly Aieta.

Other Business:
March Board of Education Meeting Update: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that the Task Force on Before and After School Care has chosen PAV as the provider for the program at school. Hollywood has its own program. If needed, Ames and Blythe will combine for this program. The draft of District 96 school policy is posted on its website. Student lunch fees will remain the same for next year. For the 2009/10 school year, school will increase fees to cover the school supplying wipes, tissues, etc.

Announcements: Thank you to Flying Carpet Club Chair: Aberdeen Ozga and her team of volunteers; Central Book Fair Chairs: Beverly Aieta and Nancy Hopkins and their team of volunteers; Ice Cream Social Chairs: Nadine Espisito and Julie Tucek and their volunteers and the Library and Cultural Arts Volunteers.

The meeting adjourned at 10:02 am.
The Minutes are respectfully submitted by Patrick O’Laughlin, Recording Secretary.

Central School PTO Minutes

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Introduction: The meeting began at 9:04 am in the Library. The PTO officers in attendance: Mary Ellen Meindl, Melinda Brom, Michelle Marconi, Jane Wilhelm, Kathy Dudek, Nancy Hutchings, Linda LaBelle and Patrick O’Laughlin. Also in attendance: District 96 Superintendent Dr. Lamberson, Central School Principal Dr. Limperis, Central School Teachers Mindy Keller and Samantha Lutz.

Minutes: A motion to approve the February 3rd, 2009 minutes was made by Kathy Dudek and seconded by Nancy Hopkins. The motion passed.

Officers’ Reports:

President: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that there will be a Kindergarten registration informational meeting on March 5th and registration will begin the next morning. Dawn Gmitro did great work on putting together the Striding Lion program. The PTA/O Candidate Forum for District 96 & District 208 will be March 10th at Hauser. Nominations are being taken for Volunteer & Staff of the Year award, which will be announced at the May meeting. Please submit any nominations to the suggestion box in the office. Kim Frank is collecting yearbook pictures, so if you have any, please send them to her.

2nd VP of Fundraising: Kathy Dudek reported that paver orders are now being accepted for spring installation.

Treasurer: Jane Wilhelm distributed account statements noting that the student directory ($400) was $50.00 more than budget.

Parliamentarian: Linda LaBelle reported on the revised Standing Rules and Bylaws, including the change in the officer structure. They are posted on the website, so please check it out and send any feedback to Linda.

Superintendent’s Report: Dr. Lamberson reported that the school calendar has been approved for next year. The State Board of Education has awarded Central and Blythe academic excellence awards for being at or above 90% for a 3 year time period. Next year, all schools in District 96 will be in the academic excellence category. The 5 for 4 laptop program is still a proposal being studied, which if approved by the Board of Education will begin with next year’s 5th Grade.

Principal’s Report: Dr. Limperis introduced Mindy Keller as the Administrative Intern. A note from the nurse will be sent home letting parents know when a child goes to the nurse and what was done. A new visitor’s pass will be coming out in the next month listing visitor’s destination and time. The 5 for 4 laptop program will have 3 onsite visits with trainers. The first training for 5th Grade teachers is May 6th. Kindergarten Registration Informational night is Thursday.

Teacher’s Report: Samantha Lutz stated that the past six weeks working on the Striding Lion program has been awesome. The program was totally student made: lyrics, dialogue and choreography. The students who viewed the performance enjoyed it as well. The only cons to the program are that it takes a lot of classroom time (3 times a week for 45-50 minutes for six weeks). Samantha thanked the PTO for their support of this program.

PTO Committee Reports:

Nominating Committee: Melinda Brom presented the nominating committee’s proposed slate for the Central PTO’s Executive Board, which will remain open for 30 days until the election. The slate is as follows: President- Allyn Pilewski; Co-1st Vice Presidents of Committees and Room Parents- Nancy Hutchings and Jennifer Sedivy; 2nd Vice President of Fundraising and Philanthropy- Samantha Durst; 3rd Vice President of Member Services- Jeanine Vaia; Treasurer- Jane Wilhelm; Recording Secretary- Kate Nessinger; and Parlimentarian- Mary Ellen Meindl.

Book Fair: Beverly Aieta reported that the theme of this year’s book fair is “Lights, Camera, Book Fair”. The profit from last year’s book fair allowed us to get many books and 15 DVD players. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Beverly.

Library: Jeannine Glavas invited everyone to the “Tattered Book Club” on Monday, March 9 from 8:30 – 10:00 to cover books.

Talent Show: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that there will be a meeting for the Talent Show on Thursday, March 12 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm in the Library.

Teacher Appreciation Week: Melinda Brom sent around a donation sheet for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon: Mary Ellen Meindl sent around a volunteer sheet for volunteers to cover for paraprofessionals to supervise the kids at recess.

Other Business:

February Board of Education Meeting Update: Michelle Marconi reported that the topics for the February Board of Education Meeting were residency verification and Kindergarten enrollment.

D 96 Board of Education Candidates Introduction: We were introduced to the District 96 Board of Education Candidates: Mary Ellen Meindl, Linda LaBelle, Nancy Jensen, Mary Stimming, LaFonzo Palmer and Jennifer Leimberer.

Announcements: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that the Ice Skating party was well attended. Thank you to Dawn Gmitro for all her work on the Striding Lion Program as well as to the teachers for all their effort. Thank you to all the volunteers.

The meeting adjourned at 10:09 am.
The Minutes are respectfully submitted by Patrick O’Laughlin, Recording Secretary.

Central School PTO Minutes

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

Introduction: The meeting began at 7:02 pm in the Library. The PTO officers in attendance: Mary Ellen Meindl, Melinda Brom, Jane Wilhelm, Kathy Dudek, Nancy Hutchings, Linda LaBelle, Jennifer Sedivy and Patrick O’Laughlin. Also in attendance: Central School Principal Dr. Limperis.

Minutes: A motion to approve the January 13th, 2009 minutes was made by Linda LaBelle and seconded by Sandy Briolat. The motion passed.

Officers’ Reports

President: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that the District 96 is looking for positive messages from Central parents to parents new to Central. Please send any messages to Mary Ellen about “What I like about Central School”. The district is looking at a new vendor for contacting parents in 2009/10 since School Reach has increased their prices greatly. Dr. Lamberson is looking for members for three advisiory councils: Communication, Before/After School Program and Long term planning for the International Baccalaureate Program at Hauser (will affect current 1st Grade students when they attend Hauser). Upcoming events: Preschool screening February 19th & 20th; Kindergarten registration March 5th at 7 pm; District Hardscape Plan will be addressed at the February Board of Education Meeting; PTA/O Presidents will host a meet and greet for the District 96 candidates on March 10th from 7-9 pm at Hauser.

Treasurer’s Report: Jane Wilhelm distributed the financial statement through January. Items of note: the student directory was paid for today about $400; Innisbrook Internet sales are about $1600; the Riverside Township grant of $1000 for the Striding Lion program is listed under Specialized Fundraising.

Principal’s Report: Dr. Limperis reported that the bully prevention program will be at Hauser tomorrow. With bullying, it is repetition that causes problems. The program helps to identify bullying and cyber bullying. There will be a presentation and question and answer sessions with the trainers and police. So far, the 5th Grade teachers, 6th Grade teachers, 5th & 6th Grade Specials teachers, Social worker, Ms. Berman and Ms. Westin (Asst. Principal at Hauser) have been trained. There are plans to contract with the IVPA to provide training to the other grades. This year, the Kindergarten Tea will be cancelled, since there is an afternoon Kindergarten. The first days of Kindergarten are being redesigned, so if you have any thoughts on what would make school easier for beginning Kindergarten, please email Dr. Limperis. A World Language Committee is being created to look at languages for Central school as well as a timeline for implementation. The Committee will meet once in the spring and six meetings next year. Anyone who is interested to serve on this committee, please contact Dr. Limperis. There will be a new writing program for next year and a new science curriculum is being evaluated. If anyone has an old musical instrument they would like to donate to the music program, please contact Dr. Limperis.

Teacher’s Report: Dr. Limperis gave Samantha Lutz’ report, since she and Michelle Laughlin began a Master’s program tonight. Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on Friday February 13th in the afternoon. Ben and Karen from Striding Lion gave a great performance today and the kids were very inspired. It was called “How the Sun and Moon got in the sky”. A parent is needed to tape the student’s performance on February 26th, since it is required for the Illinois Arts Council grant. There will be a dress rehearsal at 10 am, a performance for the students at 1 pm and an evening performance at 7 pm. The 100th day of school is wrong on the calendar, it should be February 10th. For 5th Grade their last day will be after the clap out. They will not have to come back the following day. Dr. Limperis passed around a 4th Grade project with two hearts: one the student wrote how they were thankful to their families and the other the parents wrote back. In March there will be an all school art project called Youth in Art. Mrs. Mathis will project silhouettes and any creative parents who would like to help put up the display are needed.

PTO Committee Reports

Artist in Residence/Striding Lion: Kathy Dudek reported that K-3 will use voices and bodies to tell stories about characters in their imaginations. All 4th and 5th Grades will use poetry, music and geometry to create an imaginative show. There will be a multigenerational performance on February 11th at 3:30 pm at the Scottish Home.

Preschool Screening: Kathy Dudek stated that 8 volunteers are needed for the preschool screening on February 19th and 20th. It will be a half day commitment to take kids to the screening station and back to their parents.

Library: Jeannine Glavas spoke about an opportunity to volunteer in the Library making book covers on February 9th after drop off at 8:30 am.

Teacher Appreciation Week: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that the Teacher Appreciation Week Committee is co-chaired by Lauren Zobel, Sandy Briolat and Melinda Brom. The first meeting will be Friday in the Library at 9 am. The theme for this year is “Central School Teachers- you take the cake”. Teacher Appreciation Week is in May.

Nominating Committee: Mary Ellen Meindl reported that the Nominating Committee is progressing well and the slate will be presented at the next meeting.

Other Business: District 208 Candidates Mike Welch and Matt Sinde came to speak about their candidacies for District 208 Board of Education. Lisa Freel encouraged all to attend the Riverside Children’s Theater Guild’s performances on February 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22.

Announcements: Thank you to all the volunteers.

The meeting adjourned at 8:02 pm.
The Minutes are respectfully submitted by Patrick O’Laughlin, Recording Secretary.