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Minutes of General Meeting
Sandia Prep Parents Association
Minutes of General Meeting
September 21, 2009
Attending:
Officers: Anne Sapon, Shawne Blackburn, Linda Byrd, Linda Kier, Cathy Taylor, Martye Womble Sandia Prep: Dick Heath, Susan Walton Chairs and Parents: Tom Billson, Jeanne Collins, Hilma Chynoweth, Margaret Garcia de Duran, Hossein Giahi, Daphne Harvey Strader, Colette Jury
Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 12:02 p.m. by Anne Sapon.
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes of August 24, 2009 were approved by consensus.
Headmaster’s Report - Dick Heath:
• The Annual Fund Phonathon calls will start on Tuesday, September 22. From an e-mail Dick sent to all parents over the weekend, 18-20 parents already responded electronically.
• The Community of Concern booklet will be mailed to all new families within the next two weeks. In Dick’s opinion, this is the best booklet for certain topics like teen partying.
• Homecoming is this Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26. A game schedule for soccer and volleyball was distributed. There also is a tennis tournament, and the cross-country team will compete in a meet at Academy on Friday.
• The upcoming Advisory Conferences (formerly known as Parent Conferences) will be led by the students. The intent is that students will be more involved and have more ownership of the process through their own goal-setting.
• First Choice interviews start on October 1, and acceptance decisions are made by December 18.
• Enrollment numbers are good. The number of students budgeted was 660, and there currently are 657 enrolled. The target is 6 sections of 16 students per grade, e.g., 96 students per grade. Prep expected some attrition due to the economy. There are 141 new students this year.
• Meet Prep is planned for October 25. Marketing is underway, and advertising for the event begins this week on the radio. All students are encouraged to be tour guides.
• Back to School Night changes have been proposed for next year. Some recommendations are as follows: It will start at 6:00pm and try to end by 9:00pm. No sports events or practices will be held that day. Heartier snacks will be served and they will be located in the Commons instead of the Student Center.
• The date of the College Fair at the Convention Center is October 11, 2009. A list of participating colleges is on the attachment. All high school students are encouraged to go.
• Margaret Garcia de Duran asked why the senior class is so small. Dick responded that ten students who were directly or indirectly responsible for an issue at camp a couple of years ago were no longer at Prep.
• Hossein Giahi asked how many students apply for 6th grade. Dick answered that there were 280 applicants last year.
• Dick noted that Prep’s Admission staff is working on visiting different 5th grades throughout the city extolling the benefits of a Prep education.
Treasurer’s Report - Linda Kier:
Linda Kier announced that August is the busiest month finalizing the finances from the 08-09 school year. The annual PA gifts committed from last year are not paid until the current year. The Used Book Sale made a profit though there was an unplanned expenditure for a three-year supply of forms. The Supply Store accounts look good. The only expenditures were for the summer parent get-togethers.
Booster Club Report – Margaret Garcia de Duran:
Margaret announced that the Homecoming t-shirts are available for sale. Cotton shirts are $10 and polyester shirts are $15. The next Booster Club meeting is on Tuesday, September 29. Anne noted that the Homecoming Committee sent flyers to all visiting teams and to all Prep team parents advertising the Homecoming t-shirts.
Committee Reports:
Back to School Night: Anne reported for Laurie Hall. Held on Thursday, September 10, opinions are that this was a success Laurie has a lot of leftover cookies in her freezer. Hossein Giahi mentioned that parking was problematic. Dick acknowledged that parking can be a challenge on days in which many visitors come to campus. Colette Jury suggested that volunteers at Prep events be reminded to park on El Paraiso in order to free up some parking spaces. Dick noted that though there is a small parking lot off of El Paraiso, it is unavailable for use due to zoning issues.
School Photos: Cathy Taylor stated that she spoke with One of a Kind Photography about increasing the number of employees they provide for school photos. Next year, more parent volunteers are needed, too. The final count of photo packages purchased will not be available until December, so the profit Prep made is unknown at this time
Supply Store: Colette Jury reported that things are running smoothly. There is a waiting list for volunteers. Some big selling items include photo mat boards and composition books. Booster Club items are also moving briskly.
Middle School Dance: Jeanne Collins announced that there has been a good response from parents who want to chaperone and who offered to bring drinks and snacks to the Homecoming dance on September 25. A suggestion was made to check with Laurie Hall about using the leftover cookies from Back to School Night. The next dance for Middle School students is on October 30 for Halloween. An announcement will be in PrepTalk.
Volunteer Coordination: Cathy Taylor said that there are approximately 130 volunteers, so numbers are slightly off from last year, though are at acceptable levels. Anne noted that Trish Bennett already designed and implemented an electronic acknowledgment which gets e-mailed to new volunteers once their form is received by the volunteer chairs.
Homecoming: Anne Sapon noted that volunteers are set, though any parents wanting to help with clean-up at the end of the day are welcome. Zanios will deliver the food on Friday morning. The BBQ starts at 10:30 through 3:30. The Jazz Band plays from 11:30-12:30. The Alumni Association will have a jumper, snow cones, and balloon artist available for kids. Martye Womble asked about food costs. Our supplier, Zanios, had a change in ownership, and the price breaks Prep received in past years was uncertain. The actual costs will not be known until Friday delivery, but expectations are that there should not be a significant change. There is an established relationship between Prep and Zanios, and a Zanios child is a student. Margaret Garcia de Duran asked where the food goes that athletes bring in for Homecoming. Anne Sapon replied that food goes to the Front Office, and Cheryl takes it to the Faculty Lounge. Fruit gets put in the refrigerator.
Admission Hospitality: Shawne Blackburn reported that she is finalizing shifts. Volunteers will work from November 1 through December 12, and from January 5 through February 10. There is am 8:00am – 9:00am morning shift and 2:15pm-3:15pm afternoon shift. Twenty volunteers originally signed up although only six could attend the first meeting. If additional volunteers are needed, Shawne plans to use the on-call list. The expectation is that one volunteer per shift is sufficient, although Jan Vanderburg will keep tabs on the volume. There are generic business cards available so that parent volunteers can give out their name and phone number to prospective parents.
Faculty Appreciation Snacks: Anne Sapon reported that Mollie Bell has volunteers lined up through the rest of 2009.
Action Items:
Volunteer Acknowledgement Receipt: This item was mentioned in the Volunteer Coordination section above.
Outside Vendor Donation Programs: Anne indicated that an article will appear in October’s PrepTalk about the Target card. Susan Walton contacted Albertson’s about their Community Card. Details about using the card will be in November’s PrepTalk. Because of its focus on elementary school grades, Prep does not participate in the Box Tops for Education program.
New Business:
Additional 2008/09 PA Gift: Anne said that the additional $3,300 the PA had from last year was gifted to the school. $300 was used to purchase two new microwaves for the student lunchroom. The remaining $3,000 was given to make improvements in the PAC’s Anderman Concourse.
Phonathon: Anne reported that the annual Phonathon is set for September 22 through the 24. Parents and Board members make the calls. Over the past weekend, Dick sent an e-mail to parents reminding them about donations.
Next PA General Meeting: Monday, October 26, 2009 at 12:00 p.m. in the Heath Board Room.
Meeting Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 12:44 p.m.
Submitted by Linda Byrd, SPSPA Secretary