Devon Elementary School PTO Meeting Minutes
February 11, 2015
In attendance:
Dr. Todd Parker, Kate Miller, Lauren Forman, Cathy Rains, Tara Owens, Sam
Elsen, Tricia Jennings, Marisa Campbell, Megan Hillier, Georgann Bernabeo,
Beth Fogarty, Meg Taft, Daiva Sevelis, Christine Jones, Amy Susanin, Beth
Hixson, Wendy Sharkey, Coleen Hillman, Diana Pancoast, Pattie Littlewood,
Katrina Costas, Bhaskar Kende, Mimi Russo
Welcome
Kate Miller welcomed everyone
Review and Approval of Minutes
Kate Miller requested approval of January, 2015 minutes. Minutes were
approved by the PTO. Approved minutes from past meetings can be found on
www.devonpto.org.
Principal’s Report: Dr. Parker
A welcome from Dr. Parker
Enrollment At Devon Elementary is currently 580 students
Valentine’s Day:
o There are some changes to the Valentine’s Day policy
 No food brought in by students can be homemade and must
be pre-packaged with a list of ingredients
 No fruits or vegetables may be distributed unless they are
whole
 Food can be ordered through the cafeteria
Parking:
o We will be adding 29 new parking spaces this summer which
should alleviate some of the parking issues we’ve been having
Cultural Arts:
1
-
o Dr. Parker was very pleased with both the Suzy Becker event and
Day in the Life of a Revolutionary Soldier event and thanked the
PTO for bringing them to Devon
PSSA Tests:
o PSSA tests will be taking place in April for grades 3-8
 English/Language Arts tests are scheduled for April 14-17
 Math tests are scheduled for April 21-24
 Science tests are scheduled for April 28-29
President’s Report: Kate Miller
Yoga Presentation:
o Bhaskar Kende spoke to the Devon PTO about bringing an
introductory yoga class to Devon to encourage children to try
yoga
 The program includes six cycles of Sun Salutations
 Mr. Bhaskar, along with a student volunteer, would lead the
children through the various poses
 The steps are simple and the children can follow along
easily
 Mr. Kende has provided such a program at other schools
(Methacton)
 The PTO discussed the ideal time for Mr. Bhaskar’s program
to come to Devon and decided it would be best to explore
adding it as a station/rotation at Field Day in the spring
 Another option would be to conduct it similar to
Mileage Club and have children participate at
lunch/recess time and they could earn tokens, etc.
Vice-President’s Report: Lauren Forman
Lauren and Kate are looking to fill positions for next year’s PTO
Board
Kate will distribute the list of open positions
2
Treasurer’s Report: Cathy Rains
Camp Fair and Dragon Fund:
o Camp Fair raised over $14,000 this year (over budget)
o The Dragon Fund has raised over $1,000 (over budget)
Parent Social (March 7):
o We are now making money on the raffle
o We have great auction items including school and teacher
donations
o The committee has been working really hard to make the event a
success for Devon
o A Craft Beer Room has been added to the event as an additional
attraction
o The focus is now on attendance
o A Volunteer Spot will be sent out soon so people can get involved
the night of the event
o Lauren Forman will add the event to the Devon Elementary sign
Fundraising: Megan Hillier and Marisa Campbell
Sweetheart Dance (April 18): Wendy Sharkey
o The event will be from 6:30-8:30pm and the cost is $35 per family
o There are currently 30 volunteers from the Got-a-Minute and Save
the Date
o Printed invitations will go home in students’ bags, as well as being
included in Dispatch with a paypal link
o Financial assistance is available for the event if needed
o Since this is the first year for this event, we budgeted it at
zero because we didn’t’ know what to expect, but going
forward we feel like it would be a good opportunity to raise
money for Devon
Communications: Tara Owens
Nothing to report
3
Cultural Arts: Sam Naimoli and Tricia Jennings
Art Goes to School: Sarah Keyes
o On March 9, the Art Goes to School program will take place at
Devon
 Art Goes to School of Delaware Valley is a non-profit
volunteer organization of over 625 members, who bring art
appreciation classes to nearly 155,000 elementary school
children in the Delaware Valley
 Devon students will receive a 40-45 minute Art History
class geared towards elementary children
 There will be 15-16 works of fine art as a sampling for
children to look at and discuss
The Friends of Valley Forge Park: “Day in the Life of a Revolutionary
War Soldier” on January 30 was a huge success and we received
great feedback from students
AudioBody (March 10):
o This high-tech performance combines music, comedy and
technology for a high-energy performance
Suzy Becker:
o The visit from TE alumna Suzy Becker on February 4 was fantastic
 She is in high demand right now with her Kate the Great
series doing exceedingly well
 Suzy gave two pieces of art to Devon which will be framed
and hung in the school
Arts Express Week:
o Arts Express Week will take place May 4-8 and this year’s theme
is Filmmaking
o 4th graders are currently working on the film writing and will give
it to the producers at the end of February
The Cultural Arts team is working on scheduling an end of year
assembly
o They will wait to see what the official last day of school is based
on snow days before finalizing the entertainment
Social Functions: Georgann Bernabeo and Beth Fogarty
Fall Festival: We found a co-chair for the event (Linda Hoffman)
PSSA Snacks: This year’s snacks will be goldfish and water
4
Issues, Affairs & Programs: Meg Taft
- After School Clubs
o After School Clubs have been finalized and will start March 9
and finish two weeks after spring break
o The clubs are as follows
 Garage Band – 4th graders
 Lego Club (3rd and 4th graders)
 Coding Dojo (3rd and 4th graders)
- T&E Care
o All schools are participating in a clothing drive
 Bins will be in the lobby March 5-11
 They are in need of clothing size infant to teen
School Services: Daiva Sevelis (Kate Miller reported on Daiva’s behalf)
Staff Appreciation Lunch
o This year we will be providing lunch on two days and bagels and
heavy snacks on the other days
Yankee Candle Fundraiser (Diane Pancoast)
o For every Yankee Candle purchase made, 40% of the proceeds
goes to The Children’s Dental Clinic
o The Children’s Dental Clinic is a non-profit community clinic
housed in the T/E Middle School open solely to benefit the
children of the T/E and Great Valley School Districts
o Visit WWW.YANKEECANDLEFUNDRAISING.COM. Click on the
“Seller Login” button; Devon Elementary’s Group # is: 99876726
o The sale ends February 20
Other Business
School Clearances: Pattie Littlewood
o The District is working on a process for school clearances for
volunteers working directly with children
o There are three clearances that may be required
 Criminal Background Check
 Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance Check
 FBI Clearance
5
o
o
o
o
 It’s possible that if you live in Pennsylvania for ten
years or more, you do not need to have this clearance
They are exploring how clearances will work for non-citizens
Everything can be done online and the directions can be found on
the District website
If you’ve acquired your clearances within the last three years, you
should be able to renew them
They are still trying to determine how the clearances will work for
visitors vs. volunteers
Future PTO Meetings (all at 9:30am except as noted)
March 11, 2015
*April 8, 2015 (meeting to be moved to 7:00pm)
May 13, 2015
6