Irving PTO Meeting Minutes
 April 9, 2015
 6:30 p.m.

2. Oak Park Education Foundation Presentation from Nora Flynn
   Nora thanked the PTO for generous and sustained commitment and shared that OP schools participate in four OPEF programs: ART Start, Architecture, Science Alliance, and VEX Robotics.
   The Foundation’s funding is independent of D97. Tapping parent strengths helps to do more. Programming dovetails with what teachers are doing (so it is not something extra they have to do). An upcoming project focuses on the spoken word and may be geared toward middle school.
   The Staczyk Gala (fundraiser) is this Saturday night. The PTO purchased a table for this event.
   Base Camp is still accepting enrollment.
   Mission to be as equitable as possible. Where programs end up have to do with parent involvement. Next year, PTO needs to think about how to support OPEF (in past it has been for event funding). OPEF would like to have PTO funding turn toward things that directly help kids.
3. Principal’s Report
   April 6-26 – Student Council is doing a points-based food drive called the Can Do Community Challenge with the Oak Park Food Pantry. Students are asked to bring in various types of foods. Flyer went home on Monday. Goal is to help the food pantry reach 100,000 points.
   April 22 – Academic Fair and Egg Drop (flyer went home, also on website)
   April 13 – 1:30 p.m. The Opera for the Young is putting on Beauty and the Beast in the gym. Ms. Hiolski trained a chorus of Irving kids to participate and sing along.
   April 17 – Former Irving parent Chris Brown works for WCIU TV. He will be here to interview 10 first and 10 fourth graders about their parents for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Permission slips/releases to go home tomorrow.
   Golden Apple Award (teaching) – 600 nominees, 30 finalists, Ms. Saliny made it to the final 30. The Golden Apple review team will come to the school for interviews with teachers, students, staff, and parents to help determine 10 winners. They would be awarded prize, interviewed on channel 11, and considered mentor teachers after winning.
   April 9 – Email went out today about lockdown situation on Gunderson. Police closed off street and asked schools to hold students who lived on block. School did this. Situation resolved.
   April 15-16 – Spelling Bee date change. Grades 3-5 on April 15th. K-2 on April 16th.
   April 29 – May 1- PARCC testing. Two Irving students opted out of first round. Teachers are not teaching to test, just teaching Common Core standards. The second part of PARCC this year will be paper and pencil again. Tests take place when 75% and 90% of the school year are complete.
   PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System) – Moving to Tier 2 Level. Posters focus on what it looks like to be Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Peaceful, Be Safe in the classroom, library, etc. As part of Tier 2, want to have a check in, check out system with a

particular teacher (may not be home room teacher) to focus on what needs to happen throughout the day. Individualized help over six weeks. Mr. Hodge showed a PBIS video the kids made. Students have seen video and responded very well to it.

4. PTO Communications Update from Carmen Rivera
   Carmen shared the Standard Operating Procedures for the PTO Vice President of Communications. (SEE ATTACHED). Email Carmen (communications@irvingpto.com) if you have any suggestions.
5. Treasurer’s Report from Wynne Lacey
   (SEE ATTACHED).
   Hannah O’Connor brought up that we need to plan for how the PTO will donate to the Oak Park Education Foundation (aside from table at Gala dinner) going forward. This should be added as an agenda item to the next PTO meeting.
6. PTO Executive Board Nominations
   Looking for nominees for PTO Board openings (Co-President, Co-Vice President, Co- Treasurer, Co-Secretary).
7. Eagle Extras Update
   In the second week of the spring session. Just over 200 total enrollments. Amy Struckmeyer will be stepping down from coordinator position. Meredith Farster will continue but is looking for someone to help.
   Vote on New Registration/Payment System – Laura Crawford shared the two options. (SEE ATTACHED). The PTO approved proceeding with Blue Snap.
   Vote on handling of credit card fees – The PTO approved going with separate line item of 3.9 percent for credit card transactions.
8. Upcoming Events:
   April 29 at 6:00 p.m. – Family Trivia Night – Gloria Cockerill/Michele Greco Blosnski – Currently low registration. Flyers have been sent home. Trophy at stake! Mr. Sakellaris will MC. There will be light appetizers, desserts, and drinks included for a cost of $10. Hope to pay for 5th grade send-off, year book,etc.
   April 20-24 – Scholastic Book Fair – Meredith Farster shared this update from Stephanie Hartman:
   We desperately need volunteers, including 5th graders.
   Next week is our Classroom Coin Collection Challenge. Once again some of the money goes to buy children’s books for Parenthesis Family Center for their clients. The winning classroom will get to help select those books as well as make some suggestions for books that Ms. Noonan should purchase from the sale for our school library (last year we had the kids directly grab books for her and it was….chaos. This year they will give me ideas that I will pass along to Ms. Noonan, and she will come in alone and shop). The winning class will also get to come in and pick some books for their own classroom. In addition, Scholastic then meets our donations by giving books to two national foundations that get books to schools, communities, and children in need (schools destroyed by tornados, impoverished areas, etc). Last year we raised $1,773.39 with our collection.
   Doing the Coin Collection allows Ms. Noonan to use those funds to purchase books directly from the fair. That frees us up to take our spring profits mostly in cash instead of Scholastic points. Ms. Noonan used last year’s cash profits to help bring author Aaron Reynolds to our

school for a wonderful visit.
Wednesday night during the Academic Fair we will be having an Under the Sea craft table for bored siblings. 🙂
Wed and Thur morning from 7:55-9 am we will have Grown Ups Only shopping…with coffee! We NEED people to come to this if we are to continue it. And we need volunteers to help staff it.

9. Approve March Meeting Minutes – Approved.

Adjourned at 8:30 p.m.