Jeff Leake and Scott Dietrich Did a Brief Presentation About Isafe, an Internet Safety

Norton School PTA Minutes January 9, 2012

Location: Norton School Cafeteria Time meeting called to order: 6:32 p.m.

Members present: Lisa Arciero, JoAnn Brown, Lisa Palma, Stephanie O’Connor, Lori Braun, Kelly Grillo, Judy Salemme, Betsy Stewart, Michelle Earley, Louise Johnson, Sally Markowski, Sandhya Desmond, Sandra Smith, Karin Arai, Michelle Wynne, Debbie Quint, Mary Vece and Josephine Carroll-Wiltshire.

Call to Order Lisa Arciero and JoAnn Brown, Norton PTA’s Co-Presidents, called the meeting to order, welcomed all in attendance to the PTA’s January meeting and had everyone in attendance introduce themselves.

Approval of Old Minutes The minutes from both the November and December 2011 PTA meetings were reviewed and approved.

Motion: To accept the November 2011 Norton PTA Minutes. Moved: JoAnn Brown Second: Lisa Arciero Unanimous approval

Motion: To accept the December 2011 Norton PTA Minutes Moved: Lisa Arciero Second: JoAnn Brown Unanimous approval

Administration Report Kelly Grillo, Norton’s Assistant Principal, reported that January is a relatively slow month for Norton. There will be grade-level meetings throughout the month and Norton’s Town Meeting will be held on January 19th. The Quinnipiac University Norton Day hockey game will be held on Saturday, January 14th and the Library’s Nutmeg breakfast is on January 24th. The Parent/Teacher basketball is on Friday, January 27th at Cheshire High School.

Presidents’ Report Lisa Arciero and JoAnn Brown, Norton PTA’s Co-Presidents, said that the Norton PTA Bylaws have been approved and they do not have to be reviewed again for another three years. The School Store will now be open on Mondays instead of Wednesdays. A State Trooper has been invited to speak to the PTA in March about internet safety. Norton will be sponsoring a Shred-It Day on Saturday, April 28th, for a fundraiser. The Boy Scout and Cub Scout charters were signed by Lisa Arciero. In the future, Lisa is requesting that more time is given for a Norton PTA Officer to sign the charter so that the Officer can review the documents and understand what he/she is signing.

Vice Presidents’ Report Co-Vice President, Lisa Palma, informed the group that the Pop’s Pizza Reading Program is going very well in its third month.

Treasurer’s Report Stephanie O’Connor, Norton PTA’s Treasurer, referred to the December 31, 2011 Treasurer’s Report for her account. There were many adjustments to the PTA’s income in December.  Box Tops brought in $1,010.87;  Family Fun Night brought in $355 and took a loss of $95, but Norton School will cover the difference;  Holiday Wreath Sale made $820, and after expenses netted $213.50;  School Store brought in $252.50;  Pitney Bowes dividends was $4; and,  Bank interest income was $1.80. On the Expense side of the PTA account, there were some entries.  Hi-Touch/Hi-Tech for Cultural cost $610 for the 4th grade assembly;  December PTA Social Meeting cost was $91.57;  Sunshine Fund paid $25.67 for the teachers’ hot cocoa day;  T&D Growers for the Holiday Wreath fundraiser was paid $606.50; and,  Clifton Hartman was paid $400 for the Chess Club.

The account balance as of December 31, 2011 was $20,255.40 which is higher than the December 2010 balance of $17,812.37. The 2010 tax return was completed and Stephanie is working on issuing 1099’s to folk art and chess club facilitators, as well as working on filing the Federal Tax Form 1096. Secretary’s Report Lori Braun, Norton’s Secretary, did not have anything to report.

Committee Reports  The Scouting Committee for the Boy Scouts reported that they have about $9,000 in their account.  The Fall Family Fun Night reported a slight loss, but Norton School will pay for the loss and the custodian’s fee.  The Fundraising Chairpersons, Sue DeLancy and Wendy Marino, sent a report that stated the February fundraiser will be recyclable bags, 70 tickets have been sold for the Quinnipiac Hockey Norton Day game, and asked if the PTA wanted to purchase Norton Knights adult sweatshirts that were made in error by Logo’d.

Motion: To accept not purchase Norton Knights adult-sized sweatshirts. Moved: JoAnn Brown Second: Lori Braun Unanimous approval

 Michelle Wynne is finalizing the details for the Parent/Teacher Basketball game on January 27th. T- shirts have been ordered and the cheerleaders and pep band are set to perform during the game. Michelle stressed that children need to be accompanied by an adult in order to attend the game.  The Auction is set for Saturday, March 10th at Lane Construction in Cheshire with entertainment by the band Mean Carlene. A flyer will be sent home shortly asking parents for help in preparing for the Auction.

Old Business No old business was discussed.

New Business Betsy Stewart and Michell Earley, two of Norton’s 5th grade teachers, asked the PTA for assistance in their quest to add more iPads to Norton’s supply. Currently, Norton has five iPads that are available to all in the school. Betsy and Michelle recently acquired ten iPads with covers and charging stations for the 5th grade by applying for a grant through the Cheshire Education Foundation. They spoke about the students’ excitement in learning via this new technology and how much the iPads enhance the students’ learning experience. Although there is a total of 15 iPads in Norton, the purchase of ten more would allow another portable computer lab in the school. The teachers asked for the PTA’s help in buying ten more iPads for the entire Norton school with funds leftover at the end of the year or with the proceeds from the Auction in March. Those in attendance discussed this and felt that the money raised from the Auction should be used to fund the purchase of ten more iPads. The price for these iPads would be $4,790. It was also decided that all Auction flyers should read that proceeds will be used for this purpose.

Motion: To purchase iPads for Norton School with the money raised at the March 2012 Auction. Moved: JoAnn Brown Second: Lisa Arciero Unanimous approval

The next PTA meeting will be held on Monday, February 6th at 6:30 p.m. in the Norton School Cafeteria.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:28 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Lori Braun PTA Secretary [email protected]