O'Hara Elementary PTO

December Meeting Recap

December’s evening meeting was short and sweet. Here’s a recap:

Committee Reports

Yearbook

Yearbook order forms have gone home. Families are encouraged to order online at Balfour by December 31st to take advantage of the lowest cost.

Indoor Recess

Bins are now in all 30 homerooms! Thank you to everyone who provided financial support and donated their time to make this initiative possible, and a huge shout out to Melissa Troutman for spearheading this effort!

Thanksgiving Baskets

Thanksgiving basket collection benefiting Fox Chapel’s Back Pack for Hunger program went well! Thank you to everyone who sent in donations, and to the parents and fifth graders who helped to sort and deliver donated items. Thanks to the teacher’s dollar days funds, 15 families received gift cards to use to purchase a Thanksgiving meal. Next Year’s collection will continue to support Back Pack for Hunger, but will also solicit more gift cards to help O’Hara families in need.

Math Pentathlon

Sign up is open for Math Pentathlon. The after school program is open to all Fox Chapel Area School District students, grades K – 5. Math Pentathlon is a wonderful way to build gamesmanship and math skills in a fun and structured environment. Kids who enjoy board games, learning, and competing with friends will love Math Pentathlon! Our Math Pentathlon program involves six practice sessions on Thursday afternoons starting January 18^th, with a district-wide Game Day on Saturday, March 3^rd at Dorseyville Middle School. Download the registration form here. Questions about Math Pentathlon may be directed to Marcy Kaufman or Danielle Ramirez.

Please note: scholarships are available to cover the $35 registration fee; contact Mrs. Grove or Mrs. Squeglia to coordinate your registration.

Board Updates

Fundraising

The Zoup Fundraiser earned nearly $150 dollars (20% of sales). The next “dine and donate” event will be held on January 17 at Panera Bread.
Shop Amazon Smile to support O’Hara PTO!
Square 1 Art raised approx. $3,600, up from last year. We were just shy on participation to earn an extra 5% on sales. Attendees suggested an option for items to be picked up from school without students seeing them (so that they can be purchased as gifts for students), as well as allowing the students to pick their own art project.
Spread the word: Donation matching has been set up with Google for employees!

By Laws

Just a handful of votes are needed to pass the PTO By Laws. If you are a member and have not voted, please contact Sarah Shaffer.

Meetings

Based on attendance at the two evening meetings held in October and December, the PTO will continue to alternate general meetings between morning and evening. The next PTO meeting will be held on January 12th at 9:15am. Date and time for the February evening meeting TBA. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to attend the PTO meetings – your feedback is instrumental in shaping the PTO’s focus and contributes greatly to the success of our yearly programs!

PTO Meetings

Agenda for Tuesday (12/19) Evening Meeting

There was a great turnout at October’s evening PTO meeting – we’re looking forward to seeing you all again (and maybe a few new faces). The meeting will start at 6pm and will be held in the O’Hara auditorium. All are welcome! Here’s what’s on the agenda:

O’Hara Administration Update (Mrs. Batis and Mr. Edwards)

PTO Board Update

Fundraisers
By Laws Vote – 20 more needed! (Members: email sshaffer@rhodes-group.com if you did not receive the electronic ballot)

Committee Updates

Indoor Recess Bins Now in all 30 Classrooms
Report from Thanksgiving Basket Collection
Math Pentathlon Sign Up Open
Yearbook

PTO Meetings

November Meeting Recap

Missed the November 17th meeting? Here’s your handy recap. We hope to see you at our next evening meeting, to be held Tuesday, December 19th at 6pm.

O’Hara Makes Significant Gains in PSSA Rankings

Mrs. Batis was on hand to share some exciting news regarding O’Hara PSSA test scores and rankings. We think the numbers speak best for themselves, so here you go:

A full copy of the presentation from Mrs. Batis can be found here: O_Hara PTO Data Presentation 11-17-17. Mrs. Batis credited teachers working collaboratively across grade levels as one reason for the increase in rankings. Parents had several questions regarding the data, and you may too. Comment below with you questions and we’ll report back!

PTO Fundraising On Track for the Year

Thank you everyone who has supported the PTO so far this year – we’re on track to hit our projected income, making all of our plans for the 2017-2018 school year possible. The PTO directory brought in nearly $3,000 in ad sales, and the Chipotle Fundraiser brought in an extra $900. We’ve also received over $2,800 in direct donations, with an anticipated $1,500 match. Over $2,000 was contributed directly towards indoor and outdoor recess equipment, one of the PTO’s major objectives for the year.

The PTO bank account balance is a healthy $37,166. After reserve funds and committed expenses, that leaves the PTO just over $5,000 in working funds.

Report from District Forum

District Forum Rep Mary Beth Dadd shared an update from the November 14th District Forum meeting. Much of the meeting focused on plans for the new Kerr Elementary School, as well as the district’s 5-year plan around projected enrollment. Many questions have been raised over 3 new potential or in progress housing developments. Mary Beth shared that students from the new Richmond Estates Development, which includes 168 homes and is a “done deal”, will go to Hartwood Elementary. Two other developments still in the works (the Riverfront 47 project in Sharpsburg/Aspinwall and the development planned on Dorseyville and Fox Chapel Roads) were not discussed in detail as the plans are not yet finalized. The district emphasized that none of the planned housing developments would result in a “redistricting.”

The Kerr construction cost is currently estimated at $21 million. Repairs to the existing school building would have cost more than that. The new school is being constructed to house approx. 550 students, based on projected enrollment, without consideration for housing in development. To learn more about the proposed construction, you can join the District for an Act 34 Hearing on December 11th.

The Eureka Math curriculum was also discussed at the meeting. Eureka has been used for the past 5 years and was selected from 5-6 options evaluated by a committee of 50.

Member Business

Please remember to VOTE on the Proposed By Law Changes. Email sshaffer@rhodes-group.com for a copy of the ballot if you did not receive an email to vote.
Leadership positions are available for next year. Interested? Tell a member of the PTO Board!
Members approved the potential need to spend some unanticipated funds to cover the cost of Thanksgiving dinner for 15 families in need. Teacher rep Mrs. Sherwin shared that the teachers had also voted to allocated a portion of their dress down dollars to purchase Giant Eagle gift cards.

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PTO Meeting Tomorrow!

The PTO invites all interested O’Hara parents, teachers and staff to join us tomorrow (11/17) from 9:15 – 10:15am in the O’Hara Auditorium for our monthly meeting.

Topics on the agenda for the meeting include:

O’Hara Administration Update (Mrs. Batis and Mr. Edwards)
PTO Board Update
- Treasurer Report
- By Laws Vote
District Forum Report from 11/14 Meeting
Committee Updates

Have a topic you’d like addressed at a future PTO meeting? Contact the PTO Board!

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PTO Meetings

First Evening Meeting Trial A Success – Here’s What You Missed

The PTO held the first of two trial evening meetings on October 24th with over 50 in attendance. The second evening meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 19th (November’s meeting will be at its regularly scheduled time of 9:15am on 11/17). After the December meeting, the Board will decide whether to continue alternating morning and evening meetings for the remainder of the school year. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl – we look forward to seeing you at an upcoming meeting! Here’s what you missed last Tuesday:

Indoor Recess Update

Lunch and recess volunteer coordinator Missy Troutman shared that students are loving the new indoor recess bins! The cost of the initial set of 10 bins was offset by a generous sponsorship by Smiles by Smith. The bins are currently rotating between the three recess periods for K and 1st grade, 2nd and 3rd grade, and 4th and 5th grade. Moving the bins to the different classrooms has required a TREMENDOUS effort from lunch monitors and PTO volunteers (thank you to everyone who has helped!!). The PTO is currently accepting donations to fund the purchase of additional bins so that there will be one bin for each classroom to use at recess. Because the black top is currently off limits due to construction, parents should anticipate that students will be kept indoors for recess much more frequently this winter than in previous years. The indoor recess bins include options for physically active play in addition to games and craft options. Student favorites include magnetic dart bards, indoor bowling and hallway yoga. If you would like to make a donation specifically for indoor recess, you may include it in the online donation or check memo field. The cost of each bin is approximately $120. Excess funds will be allocated to the PTO general operating fund and/or used to replenish bin supplies throughout the year. Once each classroom has a bin, they will be rotated on a bi-weekly or monthly basis.

Fundraising Updates

Box Tops – The Fall Box Top collection recently concluded, but parents are reminded that there will be a second collection in the Spring, so please don’t stop clipping! You can also earn extra cash for O’Hara by downloading the Box Top Bonus App. Current promotions in the app include 100 bonus points ($10!) with the purchase of 4 Lysol products. Simply scan your receipt after you make your purchase.

Square 1 Art – Students have finished their artwork for the annual Square 1 fundraiser! Students will be coming home with their free sticker sheet and personal order form in early November. All items ordered will be delivered by December 13th, just in time for the holiday season. The fundraiser earns on average $4,500/year. O’Hara receives 33% of sales, but with over 45% participation, that amount increases to 38%. Happy shopping!

Scholastic Book Fair – Thank you to everyone who helped with the book fair! The sale earned $2,900 that will go directly to the library fund, which now totals over $10,000. These funds will surely be put to great use after renovations to the library are completed next summer!

Special Guests from “Start School Later”

Representatives from the Start School Later, Western PA Chapter joined the PTO to provide information and get elementary parent feedback on the possibility of later high school start times. Due to the high cost of busing students, later high school start times often mean swapping elementary and high school start times. Currently, there is no formal proposal to change start times in Fox Chapel District, but several area high schools are considering and/or implementing the change. These schools include North Allegheny, Pine Richland and Hampton. Multiple research studies have shown that early start times are detrimental for adolescents due to their natural circadian rhythms. Nationally, 400 – 500 schools have changed high school start times over the past 10 – 20 years. To follow this issue, stay tuned for a District Forum meeting on the topic.

Administration & Teacher Rep Update

Mrs. Batis provided a quick update on renovations. The first round of updated classroom spaces should be complete by November 3rd, which means 5th graders will soon be moving into their regular classrooms. If your child will be moving from their current classroom, you will receive a email notifying you of the change. The Commons Area should be significantly complete by Thanksgiving.

Mrs. Batis also shared that students are enjoying the changes to ELA and science curriculum, which includes Journeys for ELA and National Geographic (“Nat Geo”) for science. Mrs. Batis commended the level of rigor Journeys is bringing to students and noted that it is exciting to see students respond to the materials. The Nat Geo science curriculum provides hands on learning kits. Students also continue to enjoy their time in the Small Lab.

Teachers Representatives Mrs. Sherwin and Mrs. Buckley were also on hand for the meeting. They thanked the PTO for their continued support. They also shared that Mrs. Johnson will be sending home flyers for Kids of Steel. Parents interested in helping with the training efforts can email Mrs. Johnson directly.

Volunteer Form to Close Nov. 1st

Last call to fill out the online volunteer form! The form will close Nov. 1st so that we can provide all committee and activity chairs with a list of volunteers. Please complete the volunteer form now if you haven’t already done so.

Get Ready to Vote!

PTO members will be receiving an email with a link to vote on proposed changes to the PTO by laws. A majority vote of ALL members is required to pass the changes, so we ask that you please participate in the vote. Thank you in advance!

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Agenda for October’s EVENING Meeting

The PTO invites all interested O’Hara parents, teachers and staff to join us tomorrow (10/24) from 6 – 7pm in the O’Hara Auditorium for our monthly meeting. This is the first of two evening meetings planned for 2017 (the next will be 12/19 – mark your calendar!).

Topics on the agenda for the 10/24 meeting include:

O’Hara Administration Update (Mrs. Batis and Mr. Edwards)
PTO Board Update
- Evening Meeting Trial (Dana Rofey)
- Fundraising – (Faith Moser)
  - Save the Date: Chipotle Fundraiser 11/15, 4pm – 8pm
- Treasurer Report – (Kristina Adams)
- 5th Grade Day Chairs (Carrie Work)
- Update on Online Volunteer Recruitment (Sarah Shaffer)
- Voting on Changes to By Laws (Sarah Shaffer)
Committee Updates
- Indoor Recess (Dana Rofey / Missy Troutman)
- Square 1 Art (Elizabeth Carter)
- Thanksgiving Baskets (Meg Helsel / Becca Tobe)

Have a topic you’d like addressed at a future PTO meeting? Contact the PTO Board!

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