OWNCS2 PTO General Meeting Minutes - April
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 6:30PM Via Zoom
Meeting called to order by: President- Kathy Vergara at 6:35PM
Note Taker(s): Secretary- Esther Wallace
Timekeeper: Treasurer- Shaenne Toussaint-Islam
Attendees: President- Kathy Vergara, Communications Officer- Clorinda Rivera, Treasurer-
Shaenne Toussaint-Islam, Ms. Valencia. There were 27 attendees; a quorum was reached.
ORDERS OF BUSINESS
I. PTO Events/Updates
a. Pi Day- Recap
Pi Day was held on 3/30/23
Staff and students really enjoyed the event
Pi Day fundraiser raised $3,840 out of the $5,000 goal
Proceeds will go towards funding the end of year Carnival
If the fundraising goal for the Carnival is not met, a smaller event will be held
b. Easter Egg Hunt- Recap
The Easter Egg Hunt event was also a success
Thank you to all parents who participated and volunteered
PTO was able to raise $1,000 from the event
Parents who did not receive their printed photos can pick them up at the PTO
cookie sales table on Wednesdays
c. Mother’s Day Event
Mother’s Day tea party even will be held on May 7 th at OWN2
Some activities include: professional photographer with photo props,
raffle/giveaways, on site make-up artist to help with photo touch ups,
tea/macaroons/snacks,
This event is for all students of OWN2 along with their families and friends
The event may be canceled if the minimum number of ticket sales is not
reached
This will be the last major fundraising event for the PTO this school year
d. Father’s Day
PTO is planning on having a Father’s Day breakfast for fathers/guardians to
spend the morning with their child at OWN2
PTO is looking into getting Home Depot projects that can be donated as an
activity father’s can complete with their child
The date is still being finalized but will tentatively be on June 16 th
e. PTO Elections
A Google form was sent out to parents for those interested in running for PTO
executive board members for 2023-2024 school year
Roles: President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer,
Communications Officer
Three volunteers are also needed for the Election Committee- responsibilities
include collecting names of nominees and counting elections electronic votes.
Members of the Election Committee cannot also run for office or be a current
member of the PTO
Please complete the form as soon as possible if you are interested in running.
Also feel free to contact the PTO with any questions or concerns
II. School Updates
a. Principal Interview Committee
OWN has begun the search to hire a new and capable principal for the 2023-
2024 school year
The goal is to have a candidate identified by July 1 st
An interview committee has been put together to thoroughly screen all
candidates. The committee includes 2 members of the PTO in order to
represent OWN2 parent’s questions and concerns
All parents should feel free to email questions/concerns to the PTO which will
then be discussed with the committee
b. International Day - 6/8/23
Mr. Thompson is still in need of parent volunteers during the event and
parents to donate artifacts, food and international snacks
This year’s International Day will focus on South America, Central America
and Spain.
However, children and families can feel free to represent their countries of
origin or pick a country that they are fond of
This year’s activities will include red carpet fashion modeling, international
cuisine, live entertainment, games and more
The school will allow 32 parents inside of the building to assist with the
events. Any parents interested in volunteering during the school day can
email Mr. Thompson (kthompson@owncs.org)
c. Anti-Bullying Presentation
The school held an anti-bully presentation in 2 sessions (one session for
lower grades and one for the upper grades).
Children were able to put on skits of different scenarios and discuss the
effects of bullying
While the students and staff fully participated, not many parents were able to
attend. This may have been due to the scheduling of the presentation
The school has discussed increasing repercussions for repeat bullying
offenders
Parents who did attend also enjoyed the presentation and request for it to be
done more regularly
d. State Testing Pep Rally
OWN2 held a pep rally for 3 rd -5 th graders to show support and help relieve
some testing anxiety
Many students expressed feeling happy and supported at the pep rally
The video from the pep rally was uploaded to OWN2’s Instagram page
e. Art Gallery – May 3 rd
OWN2’s art teacher, Mr. Palacio, will be holding it’s annual art gallery
The art gallery will be held between 4-5p and 5-6p in 15-minute increments
Although admission is free, tickets will need to be claimed online to keep
each slot to a max of 20 people
Student’s art will be on display and available for sale
PTO will have refreshments available for sale
Mr. Palacio is still looking for volunteers to assist with preparing bulletin
boards for the art show. Any interested parents can email Mr. Palacio directly
f. Field Day
Mr. Callegati will be coordinating OWN2’s annual field day
The date is still to be determine, but will likely be at the end of May/beginning
of June
Parents can purchase shirts with the school logo through their classroom
teachers- ($15 each) or parents can instead dress their child in their grade
colors (K- blue, 1 st - purple, 2 nd - yellow, 3 rd - red, 4 th - green, 5 th - orange)
Mr. Callegati is requesting for donations of water bottles for field day. Parents
can drop off the water bottles during drop off and pick up at the front desk.
Any parents interested in volunteering during field day can reach out to Mr.
Callegati
g. Summer Program
OWN2 will have Summer Boost program return this summer from 8am-2pm
Emails for the students who are eligible for the program have been sent out
to parents already
The school is still unsure if another summer program will be offered besides
Summer Boost
Parents who are looking for a summer program or need additional hours
during the day are encouraged to sign up for the NYC DOE Summer Rising
program which are held in local public schools and runs from 8a-6p. The
deadline to apply at this time is May 1 st
Both Summer Boost and Summer Rising are free programs and consist of
academics in the morning and enrichment in the afternoon
h. Graduation
Graduation dates: Kindergarten- June 21 st , Fifth Grade- June 22 nd
Graduation will be held at OWN2 in the multipurpose room
5 th grade is holding a popcorn fundraiser to go towards their 5 th grade dance.
Please support if you can
Graduation Trips: Kindergarten will be going to Launch on June 15 th , Fifth
grade will go to Dave and Busters on June 16 th
III. Reminders
a. Traffic and Congestion – Please remember to be courteous when picking up and
dropping off your child. Do not double and triple park in front of the school building as
this creates an unsafe environment for our students and families
b. School Calendar – Remember to continue checking the school website regularly for
any changes to the school calendar related to Half Days or Holidays
c. Important Dates in May:
Week of May 8 th - Teacher appreciation
May 10 th - Half a day
May 15 th -17 th – Mobile Dentist
May 18 th - Kindergarten trip to Prospect Park Zoo
May 22 nd - Week of the Science Expo
May 25 th - 5 th grade trip to Prospect Park Zoo
May 29 th - No school (Memorial Day)
CLOSING
Next meeting is Thursday, May 18th at 6:30PM
Meeting adjourned at 8:20PM
Minutes approved by President, Kathy Vergara
PTO Email: pto_own2@owncs.org
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