Washington High School PTA
Meeting Minutes
September 14, 2004
President Tracy McPartland called the meeting to order at 9:08 a.m. Introductions were made. Fifty-five people were in attendance.
Secretary – The minutes of the May meeting were approved as circulated. If you did not receive email notification about the first meeting and would like to in the future, please let LaNae know via email at Ceryanec@mchsi.com . You will then also receive the meeting minutes each month as well as other PTA updates.
Treasurer – Judy Baird circulated the proposed budget and explained changes in the format. A motion was made to approve the budget. It was seconded and approved. We have already surpassed our budgeted income for Blue Chip donations. Please use the PTA expense form to report any committee expenses. The form can be found in the PTA mailbox in the main office or on the PTA page on the WHS website ( www.crwash.org ).
President – Tracy is looking for two people to work on the academic support committee. Lori Doyle (WHS staff) arranges tutors per students' requests. The committee would do a small amount of publicity around the school and coordinate a reception at the end of the year to recognize these tutors. The time commitment is minimal. Tracy is also looking for anyone interested in serving on the Art committee. Please let her know if you are interested in either. tracymcp1@mchsi.com
Dr. Ralph Plagman, Principal, first addressed the question of morning PTA meetings. Attempts at evening meetings have resulted in consistently poor turn outs. Morning meetings continue to have exceptional attendance, therefore we will continue with what works best. There are 57 AP Scholars listed in Dr. Plagman's handout today. If you have a question as to why your child may not be listed, he will be happy to double check records, but the fact that some AP courses only count for a half year may account for that.
Dr. Plagman announced the formation of the 50 th Anniversary Commemoration Steering Committee, chaired by Debbie Jones, and formed to raise funds for two major projects to commemorate WHS's Golden anniversary in the year 2007. The first project will be the transformation of the conference room, room 128, into the Grant Wood-Marvin Cone Art Gallery . The Grant Wood mural, entitled Kanesville, will be permanently placed here along with four other Grant Wood originals and one Cone original. Grant Wood and Marvin Cone are both graduates of WHS. Renovation of the room will be necessary to display these very valuable paintings. The second project will be the renovation of the WHS courtyard which has been an important part of WHS tradition, providing a gathering place for state championship celebrations, Frankfurter Fest, Fall Sports Night, the Homecoming Dance, freshman orientation picnic and dance, Ethnic Fest, and daily lunches. Plans include replacement of the existing patio with a larger paved area to better suit the staging requirements for the above mentioned events, and to provide space for students to enjoy “lunch in the courtyard”. Plans also include improved sidewalks, new trees and shrubs, and an appropriate lighting and sound system. If you are interested in learning more about these projects there will be a meeting in room 128 on Tuesday, September 28 th at 7 pm .
Mr. Dave Coates , Director of Guidance, summarized the busy testing schedule coming in the month of October. The PSAT test, for the National Merit Scholar awards, is also a valuable practice test for sophomores. The test date is October 16, with an alternate date of Oct 13. This test does return answers to the students. The PLAN test is scheduled for October 11. Students can register for this test up until the day prior to the test. This is a good predictor for the ACT test and also gives students a career assessment. ITED tests will also take place for all students in the month of October. Mr. Coates thanked Beth Roof and Sue Harken for their hard work in the counseling office organizing college materials. (If you have old college view books or SAT study books that you would be willing to donate, please let counseling know). Mr. Sherman always updates scholarship and financial aid information on the counseling web page at http://counselors.crwash.org/ . Please let Janelle Parks ( lpsplinter3@mchsi.com ) know if you would like to volunteer to help with upcoming test reading to students. Finally, this year's College Panel will be held September 27 th at Jefferson H.S.
Dr. Peggy Hardesty , Faculty Liaison and 9 th grade Counselor, reported that freshman orientation was a success and the current class count is 479 students.
Legislative/By-Laws – Mary Taylor has agreed to take this new position, keeping PTA posted on legislative issues regarding our schools.
College Panel – As previously stated, this year's College Panel will be held on September 27 th at Jefferson High School . Contact Jenny Becker becker.jenny@mcleodusa.com or Judy Baird knollwood4@mchsi.com if you have questions.
Cookie Sales – The first PTA cookie sale is Wednesday, Oct 27. Sara Sauter passed a sign up sheet for cookie decorating. Let her know if you would like to help. sesauter@aol.com
Foreign Exchange – no report. This committee works with the counseling office to host an event or two for our exchange students at WHS.
Fundraising – Barb Protsch has received Blue Chip donations from 130 families to date.
Laura Mattison explained the Target Visa program. WHS has earned $10,000 from Target since the program began in 1997. Apply for a Target Visa and you can designate Washington High School to be the recipient of 1% of your charges. Laura noted you can charge on the card at check out, then immediately pay your balance at customer service, so that you do not carry a balance.
If anyone is interested in coordinating the School Cents program for WHS to earn additional funds, please contact Tracy . tracymcp1@mchsi.com
Graduate Follow-up – Leslie Rambo will again be tracking Washington 's most recent graduates.
Grounds – Sue Winegarden reported she will be forming a committee of people interested in maintaining and improving the school grounds. A sign-up sheet was passed, but anyone interested should contact her. swinegarden1@mchsi.com
Health Ed – All health awareness sessions at Washington are set, and dates are included on the school calendar. The main topics addressed throughout the school year in grades 9-11 are Substance Abuse, Sexual Health, Mental Health (11 th grade only), and a “Life after High School” session for 12 th grade. Julie Zimmerman will present the results of the latest APPC (Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition) survey at the beginning of the October PTA meeting. Any questions may be directed to Lynn Dennis. dennis.lynn@mchsi.com
Hospitality – A sign-up sheet was passed to donate food or money for events such as conferences. If you have additional questions, you may contact Bobbie Pearson. bobbiepearson@aol.com
Membership – WHS PTA has 230 members to date.
Surveryor – For a $15 donation, Surveyor will mail a copy of each school newspaper (9 issues, one per month) to home s. A subscription form is available, or contact Ellen Johnson, Surveyor staff advisor. The PTA ad this month will feature the college planning night.
Volunteer Coordinator – A volunteer disclosure statement must be completed by each parent volunteering at Wash. Janelle Parks asked that everyone submit all summer volunteer hours, including hours spent working at home , in school and at meetings.
Reflections – Sorina Abernathy will be coordinating the PTA Reflections program at Wash this year. The fine arts included in this PTA-sponsored competition are photography, literature, music, and art work.
Data Entry – Lynn Comried has lists of volunteers available for all committee chairs.
• Audit information – The audit has been approved
• Framing Project – Laurie Stewart has offered to donate her time to matting and reframing items on the wall in the main office. She will have a materials estimate for PTA approval at the next meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 10:50 a.m. followed by questions/answers with Dr. Plagman.
LaNae Ceryanec, Secretary