PVO and SACS

		PVO (Parent Volunteer Organization) minutes
		SAC (School Advisory Committee) minutes

The parent volunteer organization (PVO) forms a large part of our school life and community. Parent volunteers engage in work throughout the school, in classrooms as well as in the office and behind the scenes. The PVO ass ists the staff of the school with making the school environment better every year for the students. In the past the PVO have purchased new playground equipment, computerized the library, provided teachers with ‘little extras’, and arranged special parties for the students.

The parents of our students pay PVO dues. With this money, the PVO starts major projects that will fund ‘gifts’ back to the school. Parents can also help by volunteering when asked by the ‘room parents’. If everyone pitches in, it makes it a lot easier.

The following parents have volunteered to lead the PVO for the 2006-2007 school year. Please thank them for their time and contact them if you would like to help with one of their jobs.

President –Donna Lopez (Fall Fling Chair, Student Advisory Committee member, and coordinates with the principal on school issues.)

Vice President – Rhiannon Molina (Coordinates Room Parents, succeeds President next year)

Secretary - Karen Ewart (Takes minutes, general correspondence)

Treasurer – Kim Harbison (Head money counter, coordinates with church bookkeeper, manages budget)

Volunteer Coordinator – Pamela Howser (Raffle chair, maintains volunteer hours, organizes end-of-year volunteer party)

Community Fundraiser Coordinator – Jennifer Mathieu (Food Lion coupons, Harris Teeter coupons, Box Top for Education)

Publicity Coordinator –TBD (Keeps parents up to date about PVO events, media publicity for school)

The School Advisory Committee (SACS) provides guidance in establishing policies for Saint Patrick School. It serves as a channel of communication in matters of interest and concern, it supports and encourages the school principal in effectively carrying out the work of administration, and it advises the principal in areas of finance and recruiting.

Ex-Officio Members:
Msgr. Michael Shugrue, Pastor
Mr. Thomas Manion, Principal
Mr. Don Bray, Parish Administrator

Members:
Mike Bryson – President/Finance
Jenna Schutzer- Vice President/Public Relations
Kathy Watson – Secretary / Curriculum

Kelly Fogarty-Stewardship/Curriculum
Chris Faircloth--Finance
Michelle Ping – Facilities
Mary Pat McDonald– Curriculum

Lucy Cain-- Facilities
Theresa Southers- Facilities
Katy Erickson-- Facilities

Margit Hicks--Finance

Donna Lopez -PVO President

PVO (Parent Volunteer Organization) minutes

Saint Patrick PVO

Meeting Minutes

December 2, 2009

Members Present:           Mike Bryson, Jenna Schutzer, Kathy Watson, Chris Faircloth, Theresa Southers, Tom Manion, Margit Hicks, Katy Erickson, Kelly Fogarty, Mary Pat McDonald, Lucy Cain

Members Absent:           Don Bray, Beth O’Leary, Donna Lopez

I.      Meeting was opened at 7:05 p.m. with Prayer for the New Church Building.

II.     K. Erickson moved to approve the minutes of the 11/4/09 meeting. K. Fogarty seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.

III.   Principal’s Report

• The Open House for prospective new families will be Tuesday, February 2, 2010 during Catholic Schools Week. Parent volunteer guides will be needed between 9am and 2pm and then from 6pm to 8pm. The teachers will be present during those times to answer questions as well. PVO and SAC members will be asked to volunteer for shifts. An open house time on Saturday will not be offered this year due to little interest in past years.
• To address some communication gaps between teachers and parents as discussed at the last SAC meeting, Mr. Manion has asked all teachers to inform parents if a student is working at the D or F level 3-4 weeks after the semester starts, then interims, and 3-4 weeks before report cards. This should assist in keeping parents informed throughout the longer semesters.
• The school Advent program is in full swing with three prayer gatherings and an outreach to help our sister parish St. Joan of Arc. Each family is asked to take one ornament from the tree with a gift request on it (it includes name, age and request on the ornament). If ornaments are left over, the parent memo will mention that a family may choose to take another ornament. Additional monetary gifts will be accepted in the office.
• Mr. Manion has requested teachers give their intents for next year to him by Friday, January 22, 2010. He is unaware of any decisions at this time.
• Mr. Manion will have his decision by Christmas. This will give the parish 6-7 months to hire a new principal if he decides not to return.
• The defibrillator is here and will probably be stored in the Family Life Center as that is where most of the activity takes place. Mr. Manion will speak with the staff to determine the best location.

IV.   PVO Report

• Casino Night
• This will most likely be moved from February 6th (Care Clinic fundraiser) to Saturday, April 17th. Some of the best supporters of Casino Night would be tied up with the Care Clinic fundraiser so PVO thought it best to move the date.

• Diner Cards 

1.     There will be a note in the next parent memo requesting unsold cards be returned. Sales are in the black, there is a $1500-2000 profit at this point.

V.    Old Business

• Art Auction

1.     Mr. Manion passed out an income and expense report showing a net profit of $7,006. This pays for one Smartboard.

2.     There are some paper product expenses unaccounted for and unused products can be saved for Catholic Schools Week.

3.     It may be worth discussing in the spring whether to skip a year to give this particular fundraiser a break. To some patrons it’s “the same old art” but to fresh faces it was a hit, so finding the right balance will require serious discussion.

4.     It should be noted that Bob gives St. Patrick’s a bigger cut of the proceeds than he gives most of his other clients. We should make sure patrons are aware of this so they are more likely to support the fundraiser.

• 2010-2011 Budget
• As stated at a previous meeting, salaries will be increased by the step only.
• Tuition will be increased 3%. Last year it was increased 4½ %. This works out to $120 for a single child (less with multiple children).
• There will be no increases in book fees, pre-school or extended care.
• Goals include an upgrade to the computer lab (replace all computers, keep monitors, move those computers into the classrooms) and purchase two smartboards. This will be paid for by Art Auction funds, walk-a-thon funds and budgeted money. It was mentioned that if a great deal/discount was offered on monitors with a bulk purchase of computers, this would certainly be considered.
• The finance subcommittee will be e-mailed the budget over the Christmas holiday and they will meet on Monday, January 4th at 6:30pm in Mr. Manion’s office to go over the budget before the next SAC meeting.

C.    Update on Lynn Mehring

• A note from her doctor said the earliest she can return to work is the end of February. She cannot stand on her ankle for long periods. This would allow her to return for the last semester. She is still anxious to get back to work as soon as her health will allow.

VI.   New Business

• Catholic Schools Week

1.     After much discussion, the following refreshments will be served after the masses the weekend of 1/30 and 1/31 to kick off CSW:

        a.     5:30pm – sheetcake and beverages (including leftover Art Auction wine)

        b.     7:30am/9:30am/11:30am – donuts, coffee & juice

        c.     1:30pm – ½ sheetcake and beverages

2.     The boyscouts may be available to help with cleanup. A pancake breakfast was ruled out so as to not conflict with the 8th grade pancake breakfast.

• Comments

1.     Mike Bryson mentioned that the SAC minutes and roster have not been updated on the school website since last year. Karen will be notified.

2.     The Art Auction winner and ticket number should be mentioned in the church bulletin. Beth will be notified.

3.     Kelly Fogarty inquired about the khaki uniform shorts for girls. The teachers have been giving her daughter a hard time about hers being too short. Kelly’s description does seem to be too short for school, but she ordered them from the Educational Outfitters roster for St. Patrick’s. She will bring them in for Mr. Manion to see and the shorts selection for girls may have to be changed at the uniform company.

• Parents are responsible for dressing their children appropriately for cold weather. Some boys refuse to wear the uniform pants because of the way they fit.
• Mr. Manion handed out the school calendar for December.
• The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 6th at 7p.m. This will be a very important meeting as the budget, Catholic Schools Week and the Open House will all be discussed.

VII. Adjournment

• The meeting was adjourned at 8:00p.m. 

Submitted for approval by Kathy Watson on December 7, 2009.

SAC (School Advisory Committee) minutes

Saint Patrick School Advisory Committee

Meeting Minutes

November 4, 2009

Members Present:           Jenna Schutzer, Kathy Watson, Chris Faircloth, Theresa Southers, Tom Manion, Don Bray, Donna Lopez, Margit Hicks, Katy Erickson, Kelly Fogarty, Mary Pat McDonald, Lucy Cain

Members Absent:           Mike Bryson, Beth O’Leary

I.      Meeting was opened at 7:00 p.m. with Prayer for the New Church Building.

II.     K. Fogarty moved to approve the minutes of the 9/2/09 meeting. D. Lopez seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.

III.   Principal’s Report

• Lynn Mehring is recovering, but very slowly. She is anxious to come back to work but this will not happen until at least after the Christmas holidays.
• A reminder that school is closed Monday and Tuesday for a joint diocese conference including both Charlotte and Raleigh for the staff. School is also closed Wednesday for Veteran’s Day.
• Please try to attend the Veteran’s Day program being led by Mrs. Hatcher and Mrs. Rideout on November 13th at 1:30p.m. in the church. Students are encouraged to bring in (copies of) pictures of family who have served in the military for the event.
• Next week the school is hosting two other Catholic schools in our computer lab on new products developed for the testing program. Mrs. Hatcher and Mr. Manion will attend on behalf of St. Patrick.
• The police will be conducting a lockdown procedure on Thursday at 1:30p.m. for the benefit of Freedom Christian Academy.
• Mr. Manion is looking at a new administrative management system for the school. This will hopefully allow for a smooth transition for reports on absentees, grading, report cards, profiles, etc. He will try to have it in place for 3rd semester, but will have it in place for next school year for sure.
• The new defibrillator is on order and should arrive soon. It will be placed in the Family Life Center.
• Please make school purchases with advance money so that the school can request the tax back. Request an advance check from Karen and turn in all receipts.

IV.   PVO Report

• Fall Fling
• Receipts so far total $12,452 and there is still some money to be accounted for. This includes $5,653 from the raffle. Fall Fling made about $13,000 last year.
• Meet & Greet 

1.     The dates are November 14th & 15th.

2.     Diner cards will be for sale.

C.    Diner Cards

• School has made $5,100 so far – the break even point is $5,250.

 D.   Casino Night has been set for Saturday, February 6th. It was mentioned that this was the same evening as the Care Clinic dinners and could be a conflict for many people. This will be investigated further.

V.    Old Business

• Art Auction

1.     Invitations, flyers and tickets are out/available.

2.     Petty cash for the door that night will be $200 in 5’s and 10’s.

3.     The sign up sheet was passed around again for those who missed the last meeting.

4.     We are still looking for donations for soda and/or water.

• Mike has solicited donations: 6 cases of beer and four 1½ liter bottles of wine.
• Parents will still be asked to donate desserts.
• A note will be included this Friday’s Parent Memo.
• A Chagall print has been shipped to Kelly to show off as the door prize. It will be available for viewing at the Meet & Greet.
• H1N1 School Plan

1.     School has only had 2-4 cases this year (very fortunate). School has had low absentee rate. School has been following recommendations of the Cumberland County Health Dept. Handwashing, wiping down tables and desks have been priorities.

• Parents have been very good about following the 24 hour rule and any student with a fever has been sent home.
• Katy asked if the glass doors could be wiped down regularly as well. This would be much more difficult to accomplish, but an effort will be made.

C.    Grading of Handwriting & Academics

• Mr. Manion passed out a policy regarding this issue as well as the Homework Policy. There is concern with some parents that handwriting is graded too harshly if not “perfect” rather than a matter of being illegible.
• There is also concern with some parents that not enough communication exists between parents and teachers if a student is doing poorly and the first indication that a student is making a “D” or “F” in the class is the progress report. One suggestion is checking in with the teachers via e-mail early and often – they seem to respond well to that means of communication. Mr. Manion will take these communication concerns to the teachers.
• A test calendar has also been established in the office so teachers can be aware of other tests that students have scheduled on the same day.

D.    Online Tuition Assistance

        1.     All tuition assistance forms will be filled out on-line next year. This will be simpler and quicker. It will also save money. It cost $150 for the paper copies.  

VI.   New Business

• Salaries for 2010-11

1.     The base salaries will remain the same as this year for the diocese, but the principals have agreed to do the “steps” for the teachers. Mr. Manion passed out a schedule showing the base salaries for the “A” license and the “G” license with all the steps.

2.     Mr. Manion is looking to upgrade the computers in the computer lab between fundraising money and some budget money.

• Comments

1.     Mr. Manion will be working on the budget over Christmas.

2.     There will be a pep rally before the first home basketball game of the season to get the students excited. It was suggested to have a No Homework night as well to encourage students to attend the game. One comment was that the cost of the games prevented more people from attending ($3 per adult/$2 per student). It was suggested to sell a family booster pass for the season to encourage more attendance. This idea was well liked by the committee. The pass could have the home game schedule printed on it. Costs of $10 to $20 for the season were suggested.

3.     This booster theme was extended to a suggestion for a business booster of the month, similarto what VanStory Elementary does (we could potentially utilize Village Drive). We would first need to investigate sign ordinance rules and get permission from the parish. Mr. Manion stated it would have to be volunteer led as well.

• The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 2nd at 7p.m.

VII. Adjournment

• The meeting was adjourned at 8:05p.m.

Submitted for approval by Kathy Watson on November 6, 2009.