Category: PTO Meetings

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.

 

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!

 

PTO Meetings

PTO Approves Budget at First Meeting of School Year

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our first meeting of the year.  We started the year off with some administrative items, including the approval of the budget for the 2017-2018 school year.

The budget includes over $20,000 towards curriculum support in the form of $500 stipends for each grade level, special area instruction, music, art and athletics.  It also includes the purchase of 2 additional Chromebook carts, completing the PTO’s commitment to the school (approved last year).

The PTO has largely spent down the reserve funds which were held in the PTO account in the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year through the contribution of $80,000 to FCASD to supplement the new playground equipment. Another $20,000 has been earmarked for O’Hara courtyard improvements.  Teachers are already making use of the courtyard tables purchased by the PTO, which included six tables with umbrellas.  The district matched the PTO purchase, providing an additional set of 6 tables. A rotating schedule for courtyard use will be set up beginning this week; the courtyard can be used at teacher’s discretion for lunch and classroom instruction/activities.

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Mrs. Batis shared a quick update on construction, noting that work is progressing as planned and thanking everyone for their patience and understanding.  She also provided further clarification on O’Hara’s Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTII) program, a brief overview of which was presented at Curriculum Night. Mrs. Batis emphasized that while the RTII team meets formally each month, students can be referred to RTII at any time needed.

Parents are encouraged to complete the PTO volunteer form if they have not already done so, and to please GET YOUR CLEARANCES.  Initial volunteers for classroom and school-wide events will be pulled from the volunteer form respondents.  The volunteer form also asks respondents to indicate if they would like to be a PTO member, a new change for the school year that is a necessary step in updating the PTO bylaws. PTO membership remains open and free of charge, but parents and teachers/staff must elect membership to vote and participate in PTO business.  Proposed changes to the bylaws were presented at the meeting and will be voted on by members electronically on or after October 24.

Finally, the PTO Board announced that, based on various requests received and poll results, we are going to alternate morning and evening meeting times for the rest of the calendar year. Evening meetings will be held on TUESDAY, October 24th and December 19th at 6:00pm in the Auditorium. Future evening meetings will be determined based on attendance at these two events. We look forward to seeing many new faces!

Full minutes from the 9-22-17 meeting are available here.

PTO Meetings

Social Tonight – PTO Meeting Friday

The PTO is looking forward to seeing you all at the Back to School Social tonight for the grand opening of the O’Hara playground!!  The Steer and Wheel and Franktuary will be on site (hello, dinner!) and of course Good Humor Ice Cream (yeah, dessert!).  There will also be some great raffle prizes.  This is one of the PTO’s largest fundraisers. If you can’t make the event, please consider making a donation via Paypal.

We also invite all who can to attend the general PTO meeting this Friday at 9:15am in the O’Hara Auditorium.  Items on the agenda include:

  • Administration Update from Principal Batis
  • Review of Draft Budget
  • Summary of proposed Bylaw Revisions
  • Volunteers – Clearances Needed and Open Committee Positions
  • Report from 9/19 District Forum Meeting

For those who can’t make Friday’s meeting, a recap and minutes will be shared after the meeting.

Finally, we’d like to thank those who participated in our informal poll on PTO meeting times.  There appears to be some interest in evening meetings. Because previous turn out for evening meetings was low, the Board would like to try alternating meetings only through the end of the calendar year.  The general meetings for October and December would be held in the evening to gauge attendance.  Further details on days/times will follow.  We hope to see many new faces!

PTO Meetings

Meeting Recap: Principal and PTO Board Updates, Planning for Next Year

recap

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the last PTO meeting of the 2016-2017 school year! Here’s what was discussed at the May 19 meeting:

Principal’s Update on STAR and Class Assignments

Students have completed the last round of STAR assessments for the year. Students in all grades will be going home with a copy of their student STAR folder by May 31st. Teachers will be meeting individually with each student to review results, with a focus on celebrating growth and identifying areas of opportunity for the future.

Principals Batis and Edwards have formalized a new data-driven process for class assignments.  The process is designed to achieve balanced classrooms that meet the diverse needs (academic, behavioral and social) of all learners.  Teacher feedback, including input from specialists who work with students at multiple grade levels, will be part of the class roster process.

For more details on STAR and the class roster process, refer to the May Principal’s Update.

Budget and Construction Update

Outgoing Treasurer Tonja Condron provided an update on year-to-date income and expenses.  This year’s income/expenses effectively net out, which was identified as a PTO Board objective for the 2016-2017 school year after careful consideration of the reserve funds held in the PTO account and concerns voiced by families.

Major expenditures for the year include purchase of Chromebooks for students and new art boards.  A significant reserve amount is still set aside for the greenhouse and playground.  Payment to the school has been delayed due to the construction bid process (re-bids are still pending
public school board vote), but construction is still currently slated to begin on June 12th.

Kristina Adams will begin a two-year term as treasurer in the 2017-2018 school year.

Plans in the Works for Next Year

The PTO is working on adding some organized activities to indoor recess.  The plan currently involves several rotating carts that would house various activities, including an option for physical activity designed for the classroom.  If you would like to help,  email Dana Rofey.

Mrs. Johnson also announced plans to increase O’Hara student involvement in the Kids of Steel Marathon Program. Anyone interested in supporting this initiative for the 2018 Marathon should contact Mrs. Johnson directly.

With the school year coming to an end, the PTO Board will be planning out goals and projects for the 2017-2018 school year over the summer. We’d love to hear your ideas!  Comment below or email Sarah Shaffer with suggestions on what you think we should focus on or areas where we can improve.

Committee Chairs and Members Needed

There are several open committee chair and member positions.  Please email Carrie Work if interested in serving on or chairing a committee.

  • Yearbook – Cari Tarasi will be taking over chair position; Interested volunteers should email outgoing chair Lisa Correnti 
  • Hospitality Committee – 3 to 4 members needed
  • Thanksgiving Baskets – Chair needed
  • Book Fair – 3 to 4 members needed
  • Fifth Grade Day – multiple positions open