OWNCS2 PTO General Meeting Minutes – September
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 6:30PM via Zoom
Meeting called to order by: Treasurer- Shaenne Toussaint-Islam at 6:40PM
Note Taker(s): Secretary- Esther Wallace
Timekeeper: President- Kathy Vergara
Attendees: President- Kathy Vergara, Vice President- Yaritza Cano, Treasurer- Shaenne Toussaint-Islam, Secretary- Esther Wallace, Communications Officer- Clorinda Rivera, OWN2 Staff- Mrs. Wallace, Mrs. Valencia, Mr. Crusante, Mr. McLean; a quorum was reached.
ORDERS OF BUSINESS
Welcome Introductions
PTO would like to welcome back all returning families and new
PTO President- Kathy Vergara
PTO Vice President- Yaritza Cano
PTO Treasurer- Shaenne Toussaint-Islam
PTO Secretary- Esther Wallace
PTO Communications Officer- Clorinda Rivera
Financial Update
Last Year’s PTO Expense Account (2021-2022)
Starting account balance - $2,041.20
Ending account balance - $4,621.22
Total income for the year - $14,839.78
PTO budget for the 2022-2023 School Year
$500 – School Activities
$500 – Graduation
$500 – Specials
PTO fundraising goal this school year: $13,000
Thank you all for last year’s support and successful outcomes
Last School Year Recap – PTO events
Thank you for all your assistance and support in helping us pull off the many events that we were able to have for the school last year. These included:
Gobble Grams, Heart Health Awareness, Heart Wall, St. Patrick’s Day treats, Pi Day, Easter Egg Hunt, April Fool’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Day/Gift, Mother’s Day plant/craft, Father’s Day craft, End of Year Carnival
Our school Carnival was a success last year. We are planning on repeating this event at the end of this school year, but can only do so with increased volunteer support from parents
21st Century – After School
21st Century will be coordinated by OWN2 staff- Mrs. Wallace, Mrs. Buonomo, Mr. Crusante, Mr. McLean
The after-school program is funded by a federal grant by NYS Education Department and dispersed by NYS to qualifying schools
The after-school program is officially scheduled to run from September 27th to April 20th
Mark Crusante, Director of External Affairs, will continue to seek additional funding for the after-school program which may possibly extend the dates to May or June
The program time will be from 3pm-5:45pm and will be divided into 3 periods:
English/Math
Homework Help (assistance will be provided but there is no guarantee all homework will be completed)
Enrichment/Partnership
OWN currently has a partnership with Alvin Ailey dance who will provide instruction for the students in 3 cycles:
African/Modern
Hip Hop
Jazz/Contemporary
Students will participate in a mid-year dance recital and families will also receive free tickets to watch an Alvin Ailey performance in Manhattan which will be coordinated by the school; more details to come
OWN will also look into the possibilities of having sports, chess, field trips, etc. as part of the enrichment portion of the program
A snack will be provided to students in the after-school program. Parents can also feel free to send students with their own snacks
The program can take up to 150 students. This is decided on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis. All parents to completed the enrollment form should have received either an acceptance email or a wait-list email. If you have not received any correspondence from the after-school program or have additional questions please email own2afterschool@owncs.org
If you have not yet signed up for 21st Century after-school program and would like to be added to the waitlist, please email own2afterschool@owncs.org to request an application form
After-school program will not operate on the days of OWN2 school closures or half days
New Business
PTO September Events:
School Supply Raffle (completed)- one winner from each grade received a complete school supply set; extra supplies were donated to a classroom whose teacher expressed a need for additional supplies
Food Service Appreciation Day 9/27/22- Please submit letters, drawings or cards for the Kitchen Staff by 9/23/22 to the PTO office
OWN2 September Reminders:
Please return all Lunch forms, Housing Questionnaires, Medical Forms and Emergency Contact Cards if you have not already done so. If your child has a scheduled doctor’s appointment coming up to complete the medical form, please contact Ms. Valencia to let her know
Back to School Night- September 21st 5:30p- 7pm in person at OWN2
New Picture Day Vendor
PTO received many complaints last school year in regards to the Picture Day company.
PTO has identified a new vendor and will be meeting with Mrs. Wallace to begin the process of changing companies.
If there are any questions regarding the new vendor or if you are interested in seeing a sample of their work, please reach out to the PTO.
Picture Day information will be sent out to all families by the school in the upcoming weeks.
Arrival and Dismissal Times
Please be mindful of the start time for class. Classes begin at 7:50am. Free breakfast is served between 7:35a-7:50a
Please make every effort to have your child in school. Poor attendance will adversely affect the funding for the school and school programs
Dismissal Times: Grades K, 2, 3- Dismissed at 3:10p; Grades 1, 4, 5- Dismissed at 3:15p. If your child is repeatedly dismissed late, please contact Ms. Valencia.
PTO Meetings - New Format
PTO has been provided an events/trainings calendar that the school staff will focus on for that month. PTO will request, if applicable, to have a staff member present those updates to parents at the following month’s PTO meeting
An allotted time will be set aside at each PTO meeting for updates from the OWN staff. This can include topics about the curriculum, the specials classes, etc.
School Safety
Double parking and triple parking by parents dropping and picking up students remains an issue. Please instead find a legal parking spot or park in the mall lot and walk your child to the building entrance. It may take a few extra minutes but it will greatly increase the safety of our children
There has been an increase in trash build up outside of the school. The school administration is aware and has already reached out to building management to request garbage be removed and business be reminded to refrain from dumping trash there
Trucking- Although somewhat decreased, there is still an issue with trucks parked in front of the school outside of the posted loading/unloading hours. PTO as well as the school administration has made many complaints in the past and will continue to follow up with the illegal truck parking. PTO/School request that all parents reach out to complain regarding the trucking so that there can hopefully be a more permanent response. If you are unsure who you can reach out to please email the PTO
Volunteers
PTO continuously needs your assistance with events and fundraisers. Support is greatly needed from the parents in order to make anything we do a success. Please email the PTO if you are interested in volunteering. Also, regularly check the PTO website for upcoming events that you would like to assist with.
Fundraisers
PTO will be resuming the sale of snacks and drinks during school dismissal on Wednesdays. Updates and reminders will be posted. Please continue to check the PTO website as well.
If you would like to volunteer at the fundraising table, please email the PTO your availabilities
CLOSING
Next meeting is Thursday, October 13 at 6:30PM
Meeting adjourned at 7:40 PM
Minutes approved by PTO President
PTO Email: pto_own2@owncs.org
PTO Website: www.own2pto.com
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