PTO Meeting, September 8th, 2023 at 9AM

Attendees

Jocelyn DiRienzo                    Kristi Cobb                  Susan Harris               Amy Martin

Julie Pfund                              Jackie Hamilton          Allyson Small              Beth Dean

Julie Holt                                 Danielle Freeman        Katie Hundley             Lauren Gannon

Amanda Abele

Welcome - The meeting was called to order by Jocelyn DiRienzo at 9:00 AM. Julie Pfund made a motion to approve August’s meeting minutes, and Amanda Abele seconded the motion. All were in favor, and the motion carried.

President’s Report - The school dance is tonight. Mojo’s spirit night went smoothly, and everyone enjoyed the food while supporting the school. Everything is going well at this time.

Treasurer’s Report - Kristi Cobb provided the August financial information. Julie Pfund made a motion to approve the August budget, and Julie Holt seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried. Kristi Cobb received the clover device. It was used a few days ago for the Wednesday concessions and for the football game last night. It was easy to use. Clover works best if it is connected to WiFi to determine if funds are available with each card transaction. Currently, we used individual HotSpots because the school’s wifi doesn’t reach the concession area. We need to consider purchasing a HotSpot if one isn’t available for that area of the school.

Principle/Administrator’s Report - Dr. Finch was able to arrange an open house for parents. She wants to hear feedback from the PTO and other parents. The teachers felt like everything went well. Overall, the school is still needing 4 TA’s. Covid is still an issue. There are a lot of kids and staff missing school due to Covid. HMS has a new newsletter look. Feedback on the new look has been positive. There will be a “No Tardy Party” at the end of this quarter during study hall. The kids that have no tardies will be able to go outside onto the football field during their study hall, and they can also enjoy their lunch outside. They will be split by grade. Lunch will be combined with their study hall. The county bought the Navigate 360 program that was discussed during the last PTO meeting. HMS will not need to trial and purchase the program now!

Committee Reports 

• VP of Events - The aloha dance is tonight. 307 tickets have been sold. We can still accept cash at the door, but we may not be able to make change. We are working on the dance decorations after the meeting. We will also work in the gym after dismissal to assemble balloon arches. We will be back by 5:30. We will have helpers to check in students, help traffic flow, hand out leis, secure the doors, and supervise the snacks.
• Membership - The HMS magnets are being placed in envelopes today and will be given to the students who have Invested in HMS this year. We will do the reward before fall Julie will create special tickets for the students. The students will receive an ice cream treat and be able to do pie in the face on participating staff. We are thinking this will be done outside on the football field during the combined study hall and lunch period per grade.
• Hospitality - Beth Dean has White Shepherd Coffee coming this month. There is a signup for parents to help donate items, such as bagels, cream cheese, etc, to supplement the coffee. Chick-fil-a will be donating a chicken mini tray, and the PTO will be purchasing a chicken mini tray. Martin’s BBQ will be doing October’s TA lunch. Big Bad Breakfast has expressed their ability to provide a breakfast buffet. The PTO calendar has the dates and themes for each month’s teacher appreciation event.
• Corporate Sponsors - Amy Martin thanked everyone for reaching out to potential sponsors. We have brought in $21,000 and at least $9000 in traded goods. Thank you notes have been sent to all sponsors.
• Communications - The sponsor banners are hanging. They look great. The PTO will take a group photo and post it on the Facebook page to thank all the sponsors for their generosity. Fliers have been made for the TA breakfast. Julie Pfund said she would add a spot for the homeroom teacher on the Invest Form to make it easier to distribute the HMS magnets in the future. It would help the PTO get the magnets to students faster. Julie is welcome to any videos or photos of HMS teams or events, so she can share them on the Facebook page.
• Front Office/Badges - Badge making dates are listed in the weekly newsletter.
• Copy Room - There is a sign up genius with copy room dates. Copy room duties are getting done, and the teachers do appreciate the help.
• Spiritwear/School Supplies - We had the school supplies delivered to the school for this school year, but next year, school supplies will be delivered to homes next year. Spiritwear has been going well. We have sold over $5000 and the PTO has brought in $500 so far.
• Beautification - The front office makeover looks amazing. There are some before and after pictures on the Facebook page.
• HMS Athletics - Football and Volleyball season are almost over.
• Concessions - Jackie and Amanda are keeping the concession stand stocked.
• Lost and Found - Nothing to report.

Teacher requests - The band is needing new music stands. Dr. Finch is asking for a percentage to help cover band stands. The gym floor needs to be re-coated during winter break. Mrs. Winters has been raising money for her theater projector, and she may still need the PTO to help with her final amount. Allyson Smalls made a motion to approve $1,800 to the gym floor maintenance and $3,200 to the band stands, and Amy Martin seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion carried. Nurse Megan has asked for help on November 14th to help call students into the nurses office for screening.

Upcoming Dates

• October 6th - Invest Party
• October 9-13 - Fall Break
• October 20th - Next PTO meeting
• October 26th - Teacher Appreciation (Martin’s BBQ)

Meeting adjourned by Jocelyn at 1000am