CSPN Board Meeting

October 5, 2007

In attendance: The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. with Pam Rose, Dr. Susan Copeland, Claudia Lakey, Senese Duhart, Janet Denkler, Lee Meyers, Bethany Walker, Beth McGoldrick and Janice Kessler in attendance.

Minutes: September 14 board meeting minutes were approved as submitted.

Bank Statement: Since the board meeting was held early in the month due to fall break, there was no September bank statement for Lee to review. 

Support Drive: Janet reported that the support drive has raised a record $12,181.30 so far, with a few more checks still coming in. There was 85% participation school-wide, and three classes reached 100% participation: Ms. Thomson’s class, Ms. Faulkner’s class and Mr. Stearnes’ class. The board congratulated Janet on a job well done. Janet asked for input on how to handle benefactors, those parents who offer to give on behalf of other parents. It was agreed that since the support drive is used as a gauge of parent support and donations of any amount from parents are welcome, funds from benefactors would not be accepted. This maintains process integrity and ensures that classes rewarded with a blue jeans day truly represent 100% class participation.

Treasurer’s Report: A formal report is not yet ready, again due to the timing of the meeting. A line item will be added to the Treasurer’s report to show the dollar amount of the CiCi’s credit we earn with Pizza Nights. Up to now we have just redeemed the credit for pizzas to be used at Spring Fling, Fall Fest and class pizza parties, but it will be useful to capture the dollar amount in our financial reports. Senese asked for approval to sign CSPN up for on-line statement review. The group agreed to on-line access for statement review only.

Fall Fest: Co-chair Bethany Walker reported that preparations for this October 25 event are going very well. Claudia agreed to help with the silent auction, and Pam and Senese will handle auction payments. The group will also secure volunteers to help retrieve items for purchasers at the end of the auction. Parents are asked to bring auction items to school by Wednesday, October 24. Preparation of class scarecrows is underway.

Holiday Fair: This event will be held on December 12-14 this year, and it will be co-chaired by Brooke Sanders and Mary O’Kelly.

Fundraiser Idea: Janet brought a fundraising idea for the board to consider. She explained that “Spirit Shoes” are athletic shoes that can be produced using the school logo. Sales would include a percentage to CSPN. The board asked for additional information about alternate vendors, alternate pricing structures and how to handle sizing questions. Janet will gather additional information and report back.

Parent Concerns and Suggestions: Senese brought forward several concerns that had been expressed to her by other parents, and Susan responded to each as follows:

• Emergency school closing procedure: Susan noted that the most recent school emergency closure on Monday, October 1 involved a lack of clarity about who has the authority to convey school closing information to the news media. Susan has asked for clarification and she assured the board this will go much more smoothly in the future. No tardies or absences will be counted for October 1. As always, the safety of the children will be paramount in any decision making. Susan indicated that the university was closed for grief and mourning purposes as the authorities had determined the area was safe. Nevertheless, Campus had the benefit of two police cars stationed at the school all day for added safety. Susan will address this issue in greater detail in the next issue of Tiger Tracks.
• Cafeteria serving food leftovers: MCS does not always serve what is included in the published menu, but there is a new cafeteria manager who guarantees there will always be at least two choices. Occasionally this may include food left over from one day prior. Leftovers are served only rarely and Susan will ask that this always be documented so it can be tracked.
• Morning parking lot procedures: Mr. Alexander will begin serving as an attendant in the half-circle drive during morning drop off on Monday, October 22. Susan will send very specific instructions to parents to minimize delays.
• Skate Night during fall or spring break: Susan is willing to give this a try.
• Tardy policy: The policy is that if the child is not in the classroom by 8:00 a.m., they are counted as tardy. Susan will renew efforts to make sure this policy is consistently applied. Consideration for traffic/train delays will be given as an equity concern has been communicated. All students who are not in the classroom by 8:00 a.m. will be counted as tardy.
• Proof of insurance for field trip drivers: Susan committed to re-focusing on this issue. In the future, there will be a box to check on the field trip form to confirm that the parent has current proof of insurance on file in the office. Teachers will be responsible for ensuring copies of insurance information are obtained.
• Field trip driver notification: Some parents have asked to know who will be driving their child in advance of a field trip. Susan pointed out this would be logistically difficult because teachers don’t always know early enough who has volunteered to drive. Parents can tell the teacher confidentially if there is a specific person(s) who they don’t want their child to ride with. A record of driver and passenger assignments is kept in the office during field trips.
• Rules for perfect attendance: Beginning next year, early dismissals will count in the calculation of perfect attendance. The state requires 3 hours and 16 minutes of attendance for a child to be counted as present for a given school day, but for purposes of defining perfect attendance, the child will have to be in school until dismissal beginning next school year.

The board thanked Susan for her candor, and she encouraged board meeting attendees to bring forth any concerns of their own as well as concerns they have heard from other parents. 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for November 9 at 1:30 p.m.