November 18, 2010 Minutes
Call to Order: 8:02 pm
OFFICER’S REPORTS
President: Angie Morris
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Nothing
VP – Fundraising: Terri Williams
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Nothing
VP-Academics: Caroline Credno
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Last meeting we discussed having a line item on all requests that must be signed
off by Mrs. Walthour – this has been done.
Request from Odyssey of the Mind – Mr. Hearlihy - for $670.00. Odyssey of the
mind promotes creative thinking, abstract thinking and problem solving. These
are goals we also have at Ashburn Elementary this year. The money is for the
fees associated with the program such as coaches training, tournament fees in
March, fees to be a member of the program. There is a fee of $40.00 per team
and we have 7 teams. We have 41 kids participating. These are long term
projects the kids are working on. For example, building something that can go
down a course of a certain length with a certain task. Some are more academic
such as a drama problem where they are a tour guide who is a character from
classic literature and things that are incorporated with that theme. When they get
to the tournament they may get a spontaneous problem where they go in a room
and the judges give them a problem like think of as many things as you can that
are blue. They have 3 minutes to give as many answers as they can and they are
judged on the creativeness of the answers. Team work is a huge part. This is
offered to K-5th grade. This is an after school program. There is already a $35.00
per student fee for supplies which the students have to pay. If the program grows
there may be more fees in the future for next year which we need to consider.
This is all kid driven and the coaches are there to ask guiding questions and they
can teach certain skills but they have to build things themselves. This is a good
program but there are other programs that we need to think about funding like
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Girls on the Run in the future. As a PTO we need to consider possibly shifting
some of these costs back to the families. Maybe not fund this every single year
but parts of it, like the coaches fees. Other PTOs in the area are funding this
program through the PTO. Some schools set aside $2,000 each year and they ask
$50-75 per student. We have had trouble this year finding out costs because they
Odyssey of the Mind company didn’t tell us everything up front. Due to this we
were able to cut some of the costs for this year. Maybe we agree this year and in
the future we look at it each year. Teams are already established so the season
runs from November to March when the tournament occurs. Once a week
meeting then they meet more often as it gets closer to March tournament. More
of the cost needs to be passed on to the families in the future.
MOTION TO FUND – MOTION APPROVED
Treasurer’s Report: Angie Morris for Laura Moynihan
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$2,900 to be deposited for Coupon book sales
$200 for All American Steakhouse
We did decide to cancel all you can eat pizza night in December, we made only
$175.00 last year and Betsey will help with the Spring Fundraiser. They had
raised the prices on pizza last year so we didn’t make as much. It is a hard time of
year to get volunteers. We will have to make this up throughout the year.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Bingo: Jennifer Rodriguez.
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Huge success!
We had over about 500 people and had to set up extra tables
We made about $2,200 before we take out for supplies so we will have made
about $1,800.00.
Cultural Arts: Jen Younce
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November 11 – Our Changing Climate– kids seemed to enjoy it, good response
from teachers, thought it was long and dry but teachers said that the older kids
enjoyed, the younger kids could have handled more engagement.
January 6 – Math Magician
Dinner for Dollars: Jen Younce
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We just had our first on at All American Steakhouse and made $200.77
Rubino’s dinner on Tuesday night seemed to be very popular, still waiting for
proceeds.
McDonald’s most likely for December.
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Fall Fundraiser: Jen McNally
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We made over $10,000, which is really great.
5th Grade Promotion
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Had a meeting November 17, 2010
Looking for donations, have $600.00 from the PTO, will use stuff left over from
last year, will be setting up time to meet with Mrs. Walthour
Grocery Fundraiser: Terri Williams
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Going well – Harris Teeter is farther ahead then last year this time but think we
are right on target.
Hospitality: Angie Morris for Cheryl Hart
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 Had the lunch for the staff for American Education week
 Had chili, sandwiches, soups, etc.
 Donations almost covered the entire luncheon and will ask $40.00 from PTO to
cover the remaining.
LEAP/MSAAC – Mrs. Walthour
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.How to help your child in school at the different levels they are at.
Thinking of having a Principal’s Coffee in January to share the elementary
version so parents can hear what was discussed
Angie Morris had mentioned to Mrs. Vickers about Sylvan Learning Centers who
can come in for free to tell parents ways to help kids study…maybe for a parent
education night.
Odyssey of the Mind
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We had a great response and teams have been formed and are meeting
Kids were very excited about the entire idea of the program
Original Art Work – Angie Morris for Beth Shannon
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Expecting the delivery any day now.
Distributed the week after Thanksgiving
Pizza and Bowling Night – Angie Morris for Betsey Goodwin
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This year we are not doing it but will discuss for 2011.
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PE does bowling but maybe we could pair with Skate Night instead
Or maybe do with movie night instead
Maybe move to another event and another time of year
Room Parent Coordinator – Betty Mattimore
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This is going very slow this year, I need teachers to respond with information
Teacher’s gifts – wish list for the year, gifts throughout the year, things they
would like to have either personal or classroom ideas, some teachers have on
website. Ideas such as gift cards or movie tickets, etc.
SCRIP: Angie Morris for Beth Shannon
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Just picked up orders – more than last year – hopefully went well
Skate Night: Debbie Cosentino
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Coming up in February
Spirit Wear: Caroline Credno
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We made about $70.00 at Bingo
We have had people asking for T-shirts but we have a minimum order
Idea: copy of order form in all kids backpacks at beginning of year to encourage
more buying
We are at the end of the season for this and we need to not purchase more unless
we get enough for an order
NEW BUSINESS:
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Tabled: Need to discuss after school programs and how the PTO can support
these and what to do regarding those families who can’t afford to pay and how the
PTO might be able to support these kids so they can participate.
Funding for Playground – Sandy Bricka
I’m here tonight to ask the PTO for two things:
1. To vote to remove the outdated playground equipment (which is the silver
gym/monkey bar structure) and replace it with newer, safer equipment that the
children will actually want and be allowed to use, and…
2. To fund this initiative in whole by partially utilizing our existing savings and
supplementing that withdrawal by adding a new fundraiser going forward in late
winter/early spring until such time the PTO deems the additional fundraiser
unnecessary.
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Background Before I get into the details of what that will look like financially, first – let me give a
little background info:
Ask any grade-school child what he or she likes best about school and more times than
not - the answer will be recess. And recess isn’t recess without a good playground.
Uninhibited free play is almost non-existent during school (AES students have
approximately 15 minutes during the school day) - so what little time they do have needs
to be stimulating and fun. The biggest piece of equipment we have is outdated and
underutilized. Not all classes are allowed to use the silver gym and if they do, they
typically can only use it on specific days. Because it’s made of galvanized steel, it’s too
hot to play on during certain periods of the year the teacher’s require the kids to have
‘training’ before they’re even allowed near it. No provision exists for handicapped use.
Yes, we have a newer piece of equipment on the playground but that does not
accommodate a large number of kids at one time and there aren’t that many play
activities to keep them busy.
Some of you might be thinking “Recess is free time for the students” or “Why should I
care about recess? Our money should be spent on education.” In reality, recess is much
more than free time and envelopes what a ‘rounded education’ stands for. Recess gives
students the opportunity to not only engage in physical activity, but also to learn about
and build their character, develop cooperation skills and practice social interaction.
Now - the PTO has funded countless educational programs over the years. We’ve spent
money on technology, cultural arts, landscaping, field trips, scholarships, murals, a
school security system, teacher appreciation luncheons and gifts, educational materials
and most recently $10,000 on library books, $16,000 on new Elmo’s, $1,800 on the art
program and numerous other expenditures. Our expenditures on health and physical
education have been very nominal. A new playground expansion will be something the
kids will be excited about, proud of, something that will provide much needed physical
exercise and a piece of equipment that will be a permanent fixture for years to come.
Ashburn Elementary was completed in 1992 – almost 20 years ago – and that piece of
equipment is original to the school. Just like we would update something in our homes –
it’s time to update our playground for the next 20 years.
Playground Options –
I’ve been researching playground companies and play structures since June of last year.
After many discussions, we feel that an Ashburn-based company -All Recreation of
Virginia which represents Playworld Systems – is who we should be doing business with.
Playworld has the best equipment warranty in the business and their playgrounds are
located in almost every LCPS, almost every county park, and over 98% of all the other
playgrounds in Loudoun County. They also hold the contract for Fairfax County Parks &
Rec and are the same company that put in our other piece of play equipment the PTO
purchased in 1999.
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Playworld currently has a sale that ends Nov. 30th – which is a major reason why I’m
here tonight. This is their first huge sale of this magnitude – and I feel it’s too good to
miss. For every $2 we invest, Playworld will give us $1. For example – if a playground
costs $60k and we invest $40, Playworld will contribute $20k. With the cost of steel and
resources going up and the unreliability of another sale coming up, it’s too good an
opportunity to miss.
So – everyone should have 3 playground proposals in front of them indicating 3 different
play structures at 3 different price points. My recommendation is the first proposal which
comes in at $31, 282. Unlike the other two, this model holds up to 51 children, has the
majority of the design aspects we are looking for – tall slides, varying deck heights,
cabana roofs – 18 ‘play events’ in all. Because of its size, it also allows us ample room in
our existing footprint to expand in the future if we want to add more to the playground.
It’s a bigger ‘bang for your buck,’ so to speak. If we don’t take advantage of the sale, this
playset would normally cost $41,731.
Financing it –
How are we going to pay for this? The PTO currently carries about $39k in savings.
Right now, we are under budget for expenses and have done well on the income side.
I’ve done a bit of research and what I’ve found is that most PTO’s like to carry enough
funds over from year to year in order to cover any expenses that may pop up in the first
few months of school. We carry a huge excess and this is an excellent opportunity to
make a long term, positive capital investment in our children and Ashburn. We have the
ability to spend the majority of the funds each year on the kids so they realize an
immediate benefit to our fundraising efforts.
If you want to take a few minutes to look these over and if I can answer any questions,
please let me know.
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Angie Morris: We have $43,000 in reserves, this playground discussion goes
back years, we built up a reserve and every year that this sits collecting interest
the kids are deprived of the ability to use it. Newton Lee’s playground cost over
$60,000 so we are not asking for an over the top for playgrounds. I don’t think it
is unreasonable to spend this amount on a playground. We really as a non-profit
organization should not have this kind of money in our account. There are no
laws that say how much we can or cannot have but as a PTO we are governed by
our own by laws. PTA says that funds should not exceed about $16,000 is what
we should not exceed. There is a PTO.org website with a ton of guidance who
can answer questions. This question of extra reserves was brought up and it was
stated that start thinking about what are key objectives, no dictates but why not
saving for certain big items like a playground. Also looked up information about
non-profits and there is a point where if you have income that is excessive they
can take away your non-profit status.
County must approve the site. We are working with Mrs. Walthour to work
through this. We are using an existing site so they have to agree to maintain it.
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The small little playground by the black top only has about 3 things to do and
most of the time not more than a few kids can be on it.
Concerns are having enough funds to fund after school programs, math masters,
etc. with all the budget cuts coming.
People know the kind of money the PTO has so why should they continue to
support the PTO with fundraisers when there is so much money sitting in the bank.
We can always do more fundraisers if we need more money.
We have tried to look at what else is coming but there might be a short fall in the
future but we don’t know. Our hope is that we would come together as a school
to raise whatever money we need. We might need a new shed or some new
signage. Hopefully we can make some repairs to the shed ourselves. The only
things that might be coming but neither one is critical at this point. We will build
up our reserves again and add another fundraiser.
Don’t think that getting a new playground is going to limit us because we have
been able to do all the funding requested and still have money left over.
Things are in pretty good shape in our school even with all the budget cuts at this
point.
What about getting a company to fund some of these things, maybe for other
items we need. Trying to get some grants but totals of budget have to be provided
which showed the excessive money we have in the bank. We may not be getting
approved because of our surplus. We are known as the school with all that money.
The playground is still going to leave enough space that we can expand it over the
coming years with further fundraising. We can build on just by taking off a panel
and adding a new piece and expanding out. This is the first and only sale the
company is having so we are tight on getting approval and getting the order in.
Order on the 30th – 3-4 weeks to make and will install as soon as it arrives as long
as the ground isn’t frozen. We would like the County to take it out and have
requested them to do so but we will explore other routes if they choose not to do it.
MOTION TO FUND – MOTION APPROVED TO PURCHASE
PLAYGROUND
Teacher’s Report: Mrs. Weisman
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Teachers really appreciate the lovely luncheon that was put on by PTO, lots of
compliments
Principal’s Report: Mrs. Walthour
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Again, thank you so much for the wonderful luncheon especially with budget cuts
and furlough days the teachers were very appreciative of the lunch
The County has decided to now pay the teachers for the 2 furlough days by Dec.
15th
Principals meeting: There is a new Capital Improvement Plan going on in the
County and we are being asked to keep a close eye on things because what has
been proposed is not in line with what is coming 10 years down the line. We
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need to build and without this we will have safety issues with our education
system. We just need to stay aware!
American Education Week – went very well! Teachers and students worked very
hard.
Family Bowling night is coming up.
December newsletter – new part called Math/Science Connection – please take
time to read it. Good way to spend time with your children.
Science Showcase – January
Conferences were well attended
Tech Time will begin in January – kids who need more assistance in other areas
such as Math.
Budget Item: Angie Morris
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One other item in our budget: Cohen Research Group donated $1,000.00 to the
school. Purchased things for multiple departments – Laptop for PE, camcorder,
goal was to make sure the purchases would be used by all students.
Adjournment: 9:06 pm
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