Attendees : Gene Escalona, Pang Vang, LaTanya Perry, Tracy Corwin, Peter Pearson, Gary Wieser, Chiana Loreti, Tom Bohn, Amina Sirad, Martha Huerta, Maria Garcia, Todd Tischer, Amy Watkins, Kim Winkelman, Julie Linder.

Hopes and Dreams:

Parents of a kindergartner brought up that the Club’s Choice fundraiser is too much for a kindergartner to sell. It was agreed that we need to consider something else for kindergarten and will discuss it in the spring when we plan next year’s activities.

Webmaster: Peter Pearson

Peter gave a presentation on the Garden City Web Page. There is a section for PTO and he can update and add items as needed.

Elections: Amy Watkins – President

PTO is in need of a Vice President and a Secretary. Kim Winkelman will call Roxanne Ellis to see if she is interested in being Secretary. These are elected positions. Roxanne was elected last spring but it wasn’t clear if she accepted.

There are two parent openings on Site Council. They meet the 1 st Monday of the month at 4:30pm at Garden City. Site Council helps make decisions about goals and improvements for the school including budget allocations for staff, etc. Pang Vang volunteered at the end of the meeting.

DPAC (District Parent Advisory Council). This group reviews curriculum district wide and meets six times a year. Every school in the district is invited to have a parent representative. We are in need of one parent to represent Garden City. Contact Amy Watkins if interested. watkinsamy@aol.com

Treasurer’s Report: Kim Winkelman

The budget was approved in September at an Officer’s Meeting. (The regular PTO meeting was cancelled). The budget was trimmed from 18,000 down to 15,000. The total amount PTO made last year was $7,000. Club’s Choice is our big fundraiser of the year. This year about 70 students participated. Last year we made about $3400.00 and we are on track to make about the same this year.

Soup Labels and Box Tops for Education: Tracy Corwin

Tracy will prepare a product list for Campbell Soup labels to be sent home in Wednesday envelopes. We no longer need to save the front of the label. The UPC part of the label is what we now need to send in. In this program we earn points and buy merchandise out of a catalog.

In the Box Tops for Education program we earn cash. The Box Top symbol needs to be cut out and saved. General Mills cuts checks twice a year. Box Tops sent in March 1-October 31 have a payment date of December 15 th. Box Tops turned in November 1 – February 28 have a payment date of April 15 th.

Kemps Milk Lids: Kim Winkelman

Do NOT wash the lids. This causes them to mold.

There are collection boxes in the school entry way for Campbell Soup Labels, Box Tops for Education and Kemps Milk Lids.

Conference Meals: PTO will provide food for the staff on October 17 th. Items should be brought to school by 3:30pm on October 17 th.

Principal’s Report: Todd Tischer

-We currently have 402 students enrolled.

-The ice cream truck and fire truck announcing open house and the first day of school were both a success.

-Multicultural Night was also a big success. Hats off to Tonya Allen for organizing it in less than three weeks!

-Upcoming Events:

*Thursday, October 12 th at 2:00pm is the Character Education kick-off rally.

*Conferences are Oct 17, 23 and 25. It is critical to the success of the students for parents/guardians to attend.

* Friday, Nov 3 rd – Coffee with the principal. The exact time is not set yet. The purpose is for parents to have open communication with the principal about ideas, concerns, etc.

-Site Council: They will be focusing on reading/math and looking at ways to get parents and the community more involved at Garden City.

-Core Strategic Planning Groups – These groups make long term plans for the district. Parents are encouraged to get involved. Todd has applications from Susan Hintz if anyone is interested.

Volunteer Coordinator Report: Julie Linder

Anyone volunteering at any school in the district needs to complete a volunteer application form. The district wants to keep track of who we have in our schools as part of risk management.

It’s not too late to send in an application form if you are interested in volunteering at school.

Art Adventure: Amy Watkins

Volunteers will be needed to help facilitate this program. Training takes place at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Those trained then come to school to teach students about art. It is a great learning opportunity for volunteers.

Turkey Bingo will be Friday, November 17 th from 5:30 – 8:30pm.

There will be a planning meeting soon.

Applebee’s Fundraising: Tonya Allen

Tonya brought up that Applebee’s offers a deal on Saturday mornings were you get pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee. They provide the food and the cooks. You supply the wait staff. The cost is $5.00 per person which your group gets to keep.