Dinwiddie Elementary School
PTO Meeting
September 19, 2019

5:30 p.m.

Agenda and Treasurer’s Report Distributed

Welcome/Introduction of New Board

• President: Erica Chaplin
• Vice-President: Angela Thompson
• Treasurer: Maranda Bell
• Secretary: Beverly Godwin

PTO Goals for 2019-20

• More student activities; a mix of small and large activities
• Increased parental involvement/volunteers
• Increased community engagement
• Greater communication

Sign-Up Genius  – New App for Volunteers

• Lots of folks have signed up and are using the app; a much more efficient process
• Volunteer opportunities- Need book fair volunteers for October 14 – 19, duty-free lunches for teachers, Tuesday folders, etc.

 Parent Involvement

• PTO served coffee and pastries on the first day of school; this was well received
• PTO will plan a coffee/hot chocolate bar for parents, possibly in December; good opportunity to reach out to parents and get the word out about the PTO

Update on Fall Activities

• Fall Fundraiser – kicked off on September 16; all orders and funds are due October 8
• Fall Pictures – September 16
• Spirit Wear Orders– Due September 20
• Birthday Celebrations (monthly) – September birthday celebration will be held at the end of the month; PTO will provide cupcakes and juice boxes; Ms. Merrill will provide stickers and pencils
• Upcoming book fair– During evening shopping hours, PTO will sell popcorn
• Harvest Festival – Date: November 16 (Still in the planning stages)
  • Silent auction (enlisting donations from local businesses)
  • Food trucks (Bishops, Carytown Burgers, Icees)
  • Popcorn, cotton candy (pre-packaged)
  • Planning for an outside event, weather permitting (will be moved inside if necessary)
  • Ideas for new games (pumpkin ring toss, bowling, fortune teller, apple game, etc.)
  • Looking for a balloon animal artist; also planning for face painting, mini farm, barrel rides
  • Tickets to be sold for each game
  • Prizes: Idea to give prizes related to the game theme (i.e. candy apples, bouncy balls)
• October “Pink for Pennies” – Idea to have all grades compete; winner with the most pennies will get a donut party or another reward
  • The idea to donate proceeds to a local organization supporting breast cancer patients and survivors
  • More details forthcoming
• Santa Shop – Dates: December 10 – 13
  • Always a popular fundraiser
  • This year gift labels will pre-printed to save time on packaging

Questions/Comments

Mr. Roberts stated that all fundraisers must have a purpose. It is important to set a goal and communicate specifically what the fundraiser will support.

• Other ideas shared for future activities
  • Read-a-thon; Jump rope for the heart
  • Student talent show
  • Daddy/Daughter, Mother/Son event- This is already in the works for this school year. The group preferred to have two separate events (possibly February and March); need to work out the logistics.
• More after school clubs and activities (i.e., jump rope, running, crafts, coding, chess clubs, etc.)
• More spirit day activities- Spirit wear contests – Idea: Class with the highest percentage wearing spirit wear would keep the spirit stick for a month
  • Students can wear any shirt with DES (including field day shirts)
• Suggestion: Get parents to donate a child’s old gently used spirit wear to other children
• Student Spirit Store
  • Idea: Pencils, cups, pins, etc. with DES logo
  • Open store 2 days a month maybe during lunchtime (non-instructional time); teachers could also use the store as a reward for students; would be run by parent volunteers
• Other comments, suggestions about fundraisers:
  Comment: Parents should have the option to give a donation directly to the school in lieu of the traditional fundraiser. It was suggested that the PTO set a donation goal. If the goal is reached, reward all students equally with a school-wide pizza party or ice cream party.
  Comment: Donations can be made on the vendor’s online shopping site; however, the school will not receive the full amount. It is better to give monetary donations directly to the school.
  Chaplin shared that in the future, the PTO may consider pushing the big fall fundraiser to the spring (due to the various back to school expenses parents incur during the fall.) The spring might be a more ideal time for the fundraiser. The PTO and DES administration will discuss if this change is feasible, and how the transition would take place.
  Preferred time for PTO meetings: The majority preferred 5:30 p.m.

Save the Date – Future meeting dates (Subject to change):
October 17
November 14
February 20
April 23
May 14

Meeting adjourned 6:45 p.m.