Friends of SW Charter School
Monthly Meeting
April 1, 2014
In Attendance: Christina, Liz, Hanne, Marlene, Jeff
Review March minutes, questions, comments, open community comment time
Pennies for Patients Fundraiser
Teachers received collection boxes for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Pennies for Patients” drive over spring break. Marlene emailed teachers about distributing the boxes to the kids.
We will be collecting from April 1 – 18th.
Run for the Arts 2015 Update
We would like to form a committee to discuss whether we should continue with Young Audiences next school year or whether we should organize our own “Run for the Arts” event.
Young Audiences takes 7% of total we raise and the amount of paper shuffling required with the pledge forms is overwhelming. Adrienne would like to have a brainstorming session in the next month (before the next Friends Meeting 5/6/14) to see what direction we want to take.
We discussed that it would be helpful to have 3 coordinators instead of just one. The work could be divided by pre-event, day of event, and post-event activities.
Young Audiences needs to know by September, so we have plenty of time.
It was suggested that we approach Nike for a matching-funds grant or a sponsorship. Marlene has a copy of the Nike grant she wrote a while back for a 5K run that was never submitted.
Marlene mentioned that school may be getting SMART Sheet Online Project Management software that may be helpful for planning and executing our own Run for the Arts event.
Jeff is willing to participate on the Run for the Arts committee.
Christina will talk with Adrienne to schedule a meeting.
OAKS Testing & Parent Meeting 4/7/2014
While we adults have mixed feelings about statewide testing, unfortunately the survival of SW Charter depends on our test scores. On Monday, April 7th at 6:30 pm, there will be a meeting to learn more about what is at stake and how you can help to make testing a positive experience for your child. Grade 3-8 parents should be sure to come, but all are welcome.OAKS Testing starts on April 28th.
Plant Sale
Plant sale order forms are available on bulletin boards and on the Friends blog. Orders are due Tuesday, April 15th. Sarah Gilmore is coordinating again this year. Last year, we made approximately $300. Orders will be delivered to school and available for pick up on Wednesday, May 7th in time for Mother’s Day.
Community Life Update
Aileah was not able to attend tonight; Christina gave her report.
The Community Movie Day was a success! About 50 people attend and we received about 50 book donations to benefit the Children’s Book Bank. Book collection will continue in the school lobby until April 10th.
We need to find a replacement for Aileah for next year. Marlene can send an email to new families that decide to enroll after the lottery. Christina will also promote open positions at the kindergarten summer get-togethers. We will also look for volunteers using the blog and Facebook.
Pizzicato Dough for Dollars fundraiser is underway. Order forms are due April 15th and will be delivered to school April 22nd. In addition to pre-orders, on April 22nd you can dine in or do take out at the Hillsdale Pizzicato. 20% of the day’s sales go to school.
Financial Update
Nicki was not able to attend tonight; Christina gave her report.
Finances are on track and look good. Friends has $5000 budget, we’ve spent about $1500.
We received $196 from Terra Cycle. We also received a new projector screen from either our Box Tops or Labels for Education points.
All our auction sponsors have paid and there have been some awesome in-kind donations like those from Roaring River Retreat. Auction budget is separate from the regular Friends’ budget. We have spent approx. $450 on décor.
Marlene will put out a reminder about the Fred Meyer Community Rewards program to encourage people to sign up.
We will be taking orders for SW Charter sweatshirts at the auction. They are front zip hoodies with an old-school pennant style logo on the front. We need to do at least 42 adults and 42 kids to do the print run. We will purchase them for all teachers and aides.
Field Day 2014 – Coordinator Needed, Ideas
We are looking for coordinator(s) for this year’s Field Day scheduled for the last day of school Friday, June 13th.
We would like to get PE Teacher Mark involved. Kathy and Hanne are willing to help. Jonathan would also be a great addition.
We will post about needing other parent coordinators at the beginning of May.
Hanne did a great job last year and would be happy to share her experience and insights.
Hanne’s assessment of last year’s field day:
- Kids really liked the tug of war
- Kids tire of stations after a while
- If you don’t have an enthusiastic parent at a station, things go downhill quickly
- Tournament style kickball
- Ice cream distribution needs to be improved. Maybe give each teacher a cooler with ice cream and kids have to gather with their teacher to receive ice cream.
- We still want to work on having a nice goodbye at the end of the year.
- Dodgeball may be a better team activity.
Staff Appreciation Week – Melissa
Melissa could not attend tonight; Christina gave her report.
On April 11th, a Teacher Planning Day, Friends is sponsoring a bagels and fixings treat for teachers and staff. Christine and Melissa will take care of this.
Staff Appreciation will be in May. More information to come.
If we do the treat trolley again, it might be better to do during recess time instead of during the morning.
Auction Committee Update
Juli and Nicki could not attend tonight; Christina gave their report.
Christina needs completed live auction item flyers by Thursday at latest.
We are still looking for wine donations for the Wall of Wine. We are still hoping for more ticket sales as well.
Auction committee is still looking for day of event volunteers:
- One person from 5-10 pm to enter purchased items into the software. Ticket and dinner included.
- Someone strong to move the rowboat and other heavy items. Jeff is willing to help with this.
Closing Comments
Next Meeting: May 6, 2014 6:30 pm social time, meeting starts 7 pm
For a Google docs version of the minutes, click here:
Friends of Southwest Charter School 