PIE December 5, 2011

PIE December 5, 2011

In attendance: Steve Hyde, Joyce Wright, Heather Way, Kim Gordon, Kate Dodge, Kitty Frazier, Renee Durochia, Doug Stewart, Kate Suskin Peterson, Ali Douglas

Due to a conflict in scheduling, many regular attendees and PIE officers were at the HCS school budget meeting. Since the group was smaller in size, a more casual conversation was facilitated. Based on tonight’s meeting, the following notes are offered:

Treasurer’s report

• Jennifer McCuin and Sharon Hanlon have come off the Money Market account for the PIE group.
• Kate Dodge and Heather Way are in the final phases of getting current signers on the PIE checking account
• PIE/PTO representatives listed as signers on the Money Market account are Heather Way, Kate Dodge, and Cynthia Ballas. Cynthia is no longer on PIE (was from PTO) and will be removed from the account.
• Heather reminded folks that forms MUST be used to get reimbursed for money spent on behalf of PIE. Once Fundraising committee has draft for request forms approved, all forms will be posted on the website for anyone in the HCS community to access.
• Anyone can have an item raised for discussion at ANY PIE meeting…just e-mail Ali to get it in. Kate will advertise this in the Viking.

2. Playground update:

· A good volunteer showing was noted this past Saturday morning to help with installing Phase 2 of the HCS playground.

· Photos and article to be written up/published in and upcoming edition of the Citizen. Photos are also up on the HCS Blog.

· Kids won’t be able to play on structure until Wednesday (to let the cement cure)

· Bob Goodreau agreed to fund and install new mulch around the playground. Initially this was slated as a spring project; however, due to available funds and fair weather this will be happening sooner than later.

· For the spring, it is hoped that Phase 3 (the final phase) can be achieved. The hope is to replace the last set of swings and perhaps acquire one more freestanding structure.

· Once the playground is completed, we hope to have an official ribbon cutting ceremony and officially thank the many sponsors and volunteers who made this project successful.

· Kate will contact the Wainer family to give them an update on the playground. The playground/park will keep their name even though the structures they helped to fund will no longer be in place.

· $1173 dollars left in the playground fund to date.

3) Fundraising Update:

• Drafts of the documents on how to request funds, guidelines for what projects are eligible for PIE funding, and the form to request fund were shared with the group. A final draft will be established at next week’s CORE PIE meeting.
• Some details about the previous PTO’s funding systems were shared. Notable items discussed included:
• Each classroom was given an annual sum to sponsor scholarships to cover class trips, busing, and entry fees.
• Additional funds that were requested were capped (one per teacher) and annual field trip funding was given under a “use it or lose it” approach.
• A discussion was had about how/if PIE fundraising dollars will help fund specific PIE generated initiatives. This is something that will be further discussed at the CORE meeting (next Monday).
• Discussed a potential loophole of allowing parents/other HCS staff to “buddy up” with a teacher to request PIE funding for projects that would benefit many children.
• This committee has an ongoing list of fundraising ideas and is coordinating with administration to limit the number of fund raising projects initiated throughout the school year.

4) Non-Profit Status Update:

• Currently, PIE is financially NOT it’s own entity. Funds are held by/through the school and CSSU.
• Bob Mason suggested that PIE become financially independent from the school, and seek a Non-Profit status with our own tax exempt ID number (5013C)
• Kate Dodge is meeting with a PIE member at the Shelburne Community School, as they just went through the process…and will be sharing their experience and information with us.
• Once PIE has completed this lengthy process, the Treasurer will be asked to complete quarterly reports (simple forms that state income and expenses) in addition to her regular PIE responsibilities.

5) Communication:

• A lively conversation was had around the use of technology and how information is exchanged/updated. Ideas that came from this discussion included:
• Is it possible to make a one-page update/informational page that gets distributed on the non-Viking weeks. The intentions being that parents could establish a template and collect pertinent information, then pass it along to Deb Lyman for proofreading and distribution.
• The current calendar on the HCS website is blank and HCS staff all use a Google Calendar to keep track of grade level and school wide events. Is it possible to replace the on-line calendar with a Google calendar that includes whole school and grade level events?
• The group remembered previous sharing about e-mail updates utilized at another school in CESU to alert parents to changes in the calendar. Is this something that is possible for us at HCS?
• Kate Dodge has offered to talk to Jeff about potential opportunities and ways of streamlining where to look on-line for current information about HCS events.

6) CORE PIE meeting:

• As PIE is defining it’s protocols and evolving as an organization, it has been agreed upon that business and sharing will be done in two separate venues.
• Regular PIE meetings (first Monday of the month at 6 pm) will be called “PIE forums” and utilized to open the floor to anyone’s concerns, distribute information, and foster collaboration within the HCS community.
• Once a month there will be a separate PIE CORE meeting consisting of PIE officers, grade level reps (as much as possible), committee chairs, and 1-2 PIE members at large. These meetings will further define PIE’s organization, vet and vote on funding requests, and support the more detailed workings necessary to make PIE successful.
• These meetings are open to anyone; however, only the PIE delegates listed above are expected to attend.
• In sharing this change in format tonight, the group suggested that if administration were only available for one meeting, that this would be the meeting to encourage them to attend.

7) Grade Level updates:

• Steve Hyde reported on behalf of the middle school staff:
• The science fair (and teaching of the scientific method, establishing projects/experiments, and research) is beginning. Science fair is typically in the end of January, so stay tuned for details!
• 6^th grade continues to participate in TA’s (teaching advisory groups) and meet 2-3 times weekly with a sponsoring teacher/staff member.
• These are small groups of 8-10 students who meet regularly to work on group building, community building/support, and to facilitate grade and school-related issues.
• The tea-riffic staff appreciation tokens created by the Staff Appreciation committee were indeed appreciated and gratitude was shared with the PIE group.
• Kim Gordon reported for K-2. All grades are learning about pilgrims and Native Americans. Antidotes of cranberry chutney were exchanged.
• Joyce Wright reported out for 3-5
• Common planning time is now fully occupied with “Kid Talk”.
• Kid talk is the teacher’s first line of support in helping students who seem to be struggling in the classroom. Teachers schedule specific students they have concerns about and “present” what the concerns are and what they’ve tried. All teachers present then collaborate and brain storm ideas of additional supports that can be put in place.
• If the suggestions provided require additional support, then a student’s case is brought to an Educational Support Team meeting, which includes a more formal and extensive team meeting.
• While teachers are utilizing the Kid Talk time well, they have lost their common planning time designated for curriculum development and collaboration on common grade-level assessments.
• In 5^th grade, Newton’s laws are being taught/explored in science and students are learning about US government in social studies (a mock trial to happen soon!)

Action Items;

*Kate Dodge to talk to Jeff about user-friendly and accurate calendar to supplement the “off” weeks of the Viking

*CORE meeting next Monday (12/12/) in the flex space 6-7:30. All are welcomed; however, officers and committee facilitators only are expected to be there.

PiE meeting November 7, 2011

PIE - November 7, 2011

In attendance: Alesia Depot, Alyssa Lasher, Carla Wuthrich, Heather Way, Jen Prue, Joy O’Neill, Joyce Wright, Kim Gordon, Patti Drew, Sue Hoeppner, Lisa Falcone, James Goldsmith, Bill Baker, Keith Roberts, Ali Douglas, Jeff O’Hara, Bob Goudreau

1. Treasurer’s report

• Susan Abell is relinquishing her signing rights on the PIE checking account from Merchant’s Bank. The treasurer Heather Way will add Kate Dodge as the second signer on the account.
• A tax-exempt ID number is needed so that PIE can apply for grants and have more autonomy over funds spent. Kate Dodge met with Bob last week about this. The process is in motion; more will be reported as outcomes are achieved.

2. Fundraising Report:

· Kate Dodge (on behalf of the Fundraising Committee) reported that the committee is currently working on the draft of 3 separate documents. The documents are as follows:

§ Guidelines for requesting funds

§ Application form to request funds

§ Document of the overall process of requesting, distributing, and accounting for funds

· Some timely requests have been made known, so this process has been actively worked on for the PIE group (Thanks for your hard work!)

o One request being a funding request to co-host a Parenting on Track workshop with Charlotte Central School

· As the Fundraising Committee meets, multiple questions of process and for clarification have emerged. Based on this:

§ Kate met with Bob to clarify questions that the committee raised.

§ Plans and goals are welcomed by administration; the more unified PIE can be the better for overall visibility and to build a positive reputation

§ Grant opportunities and donation recruitment sites are being researched.

· Group to send out Survey to teachers to find out what the teachers want/need

3. School House Savings Program:

· Ali reported for Margaret Spivack about the student savings program sponsored by the National Bank of Middlebury.

o Parent volunteers are still wanted for Tuesday morning banking hours.

o 20 new student accounts were initiated this school year.

o Only 2 students from 4^th-6^th grades signed up. As the program progresses, student banking opportunities might be consolidated to a single day.

· Teachers in attendance requested a list of students participating from each classroom, a reminder of day/hours student banking will be made available (and where banking happens) Ali will e-mail this request individually to Margaret.

· Some PIE members voiced concerns about how to handle children who do not have the means to participate in the program. Specific concerns will be brought to administrators (and/or Margaret) as they arise.

· PIT crew was encouraged to review previous PIE minutes. While Margaret did meet with staff, it was after information got sent to families. Some teachers still have questions looming about how it will “look” with regards to their morning program/routine. PIT crew will review the timeline of events and see if having a process in place for initiating, sharing, and supporting information about new programs can be more unified in the future.

4. Playground update:

• A new installment of the playground equipment/structure is scheduled for installation Nov 19^th. This will include a therapeutic swing for increased accessibility for all students.

· Kate Dodge is coordinating this volunteer workday. Approximately 15 people will be needed; more info to come as they day gets nearer.

· Both Bobs (principal and playground rep) believe that there is enough mulch for the time being. Perhaps more will be needed in the spring.

• This is only a partial installation, another installment will happen in the spring.

* Pending grants will play a role in what equipment is purchased for the spring portion of this project

• Trying to get concrete donated…does anyone in the HCS community have any connections?
• Bake sale this Saturday at the town hall; volunteers and bake goods needed. Sign up genius is up to date. 10:30-12 extra help is needed.
• Kate now has blog on HCS website; you can now subscribe by e-mail. Kate will look into adding this to the playground blog.

5. Nutrition

• Nutrition committee has had 2 meetings since the beginning of the year. Last meeting the entire wellness committee (of HCS staff) participated.
• A mission statement was drafted and is available on the HCS website to view.
• The group is following the format presented by Vermont FEEDS program (which is aimed at increasing farm-to-school initiatives)

· Applies the 3 C’s (community, classroom, and cafeteria)

• Kelli has applied for a grant that would get HCS a sponsored participant in the farm-to-school program (only 5 schools get this in the state of VT).

· This is a smaller grant ($1500) is to be used for planning. If won, it would make HCS open to get a larger implementation grant.

· If the grant were not awarded to HCS, the Nutrition committee would coordinate fund raising efforts with the larger fundraising effort to achieve the same end points over the following school year.

• Next Nutrition meeting is this Thursday (Nov 10).
• A group discussion was entertained about how the HCS community celebrates holidays and how staff provides role modeling about healthy food choices/habits.

· These topics tend to be ones that hold strong opinions. Kelli assured the group that any school-wide change would be made only after opening the topic to the larger community for feedback and after careful research/surveying.

6. PIT Crew update:

· Process improvement team (PIT crew) has met 2 times since the last PIE meeting.

· A draft of an organizational flow chart was distributed to illustrate proposed procedures and structure.

· Potentially, PIE would complete business utilizing 3 PIE groups/meetings:

o Subcommittee meetings (no different to what occurs now)

o A CORE PIE meeting which would be more of a working session with more in-depth details with a smaller representation from each sum-committee

o PIE forum open to the general community to share information – comparable to the current PiE meetings.

· Some concerns were raised about the role of the CORE group, and how final decisions were made.

· PIT crew members agreed that it made sense to have a way in which items decided upon by the CORE group could be left dynamic and accessible to the larger group (especially when not all members of the community were in agreement).

· Suggestion about if/when the CORE group makes a decision should show proof of how the outreach/information was gathered

· Alternatives could include break out sessions, pre-advertising of forum agenda items and hard dead lines for decision making

· Core group coming up with agenda items makes sense… larger conversation about how decisions are ultimately made (how voting occurs and final decisions) still needs to be refined.

· Creation of a Mission statement and a more seasoned and vetted policy will help make this a fluid/dynamic process

· January is an estimated timeline for a more finalized procedure outline to be shared and made public for the PIE procedures

7. Communication
   * Jeff O’Hara reported out about the following:

· First student news segment going out tomorrow!

· Student news will be linked to the HCS website and the FaceBook page.

· Protocols are in the works for protecting student identity.

· Fan page on FaceBook is an emerging way of sharing information with students and parents

· Most feedback about use of a FaceBook page has been positive.

· Jeff is responsible for monitoring the content and adjusting/deleting inappropriate content posted.

· The hope is that there will be teaching moments to introduce e-mail and Facebook etiquette, give more information for parental monitoring, and modeling appropriate on-line use and expectations.

· Talked about age limit of age 13 (set by Facebook)…and how home values met with school-led content

· Facebook meant for 7^th and 8^th grade (thus meeting the “age 13” limitation).

· Ultimately, trying to find unique and tech-savvy ways to share the many cool things that happen on a daily basis each day in a more public way.

8. Grade level updates:

• K-2 update
• Kindergarten went to Sylvester and the Magic Pebble at the Flynn.
• Pumpkin carving done in conjunction with Burton. $200 being donated to Mrs. Lasher’s class and students will each receive a Burton hat!
• Danny McHasckel is a pro-biker admired by all. Students wrote to him and he wrote back! He answered all of their questions…this is a great talking point in Mrs. Lasher’s class!
• First Grade has been finishing up a writing unit and sharing with kindergarten, Mrs. Stanton’s class has published their first books and shared with an audience.
• 2^nd grade has been working on ant math unit; Mrs. O’Brien did a walking history of the town of Hinesburg. Tulip bulbs being planted

• 3-5 update”
• Revolutionary war unit test is over. Moving onto teaching US government. Students will be visiting VT historical museum and
• Water is Rising at the Flynn (in conjunction with ecology unit)
• Book Trailers (photo story and advertisement for a book) in conjuntion with literacy
• Grade 3,4,5 working on science curriculum.
• 3^rd graders are studying Native Americans and excited about focusing on one specific tribe and sharing with the larger group.
• 6-8 grade update
• 6^th graders did, by all accounts, an amazing job hosting Funo’ween with the younger students. Thanks for the great interactions and fun
• UA update

Elementary students at HCS will again be invited to participate in the "Reading is an Investment" program through the school library. This program is sponsored by the office of the Vermont State Treasurer's office. Look for a letter explaining the program and a website with more information in the next Viking.This year's focus will again look at the benefits of saving and will also focus on opportunity costs. Last year Corinna Stanley, our school librarian, received feedback from some parents that November and December were great months to focus on money skills. Many children were applying the lessons from the "Reading is an Investment" program to their wish lists and holiday shopping. Kindergarten through 2nd grade are beginning the program immediately. All other grade levels will begin later in November after current library units are completed. Watch for a reading log and recommended money reading list to come home with elementary students in November.

9. Book Fair:

· Scholastic Book Fair is slated to run from December 1^st to the 8^th.

· Stay tuned for more information in the Viking!

· Contact Sue Hoeppner if you have talents/time you would like to contribute to the effort: shoeppner@cssu.org

PIE Meetings to be held on the first Monday of the month at 6 pm

(Next meeting December 5th)

PIE roles & volunteers

K-2 representation:

Parent: Kim Gordon

Staff: Alyssa Lasher

Grades 3-5 representation:

Parent: Carla Wuthrich and Renee Durochia

Staff: Joyce Wright

Grades 6-8 representation:

Parent: Pam Mathews and Patti Drew

Staff: Steve Hyde

Co-Chairs: Jen Prue and Staff (to me named later)

Facilitator: Carla Wuthrich

Treasurer: Heather Way

Communication/PR: Kate Dodge, Sue Hoeppner, Kim Gordon

Secretary: Ali Douglas

HCS School Board representative: TBA

Unified Arts Representative: TBA

Administration Representative: Bob/Jeff

K-4 Play: Joy O’Neil and Kate Peterson

Staff Appreciation: Ali Douglas, Sue Hoeppner, Jamie Cudney

Funds Planning: Kim Gordon, Calen King, Alyssa Lasher, Jamie Cudney, Alesia Depot, Kate Dodge

Process Improvement Team (PIT Crew): Patti Drew, Jen Prue, Ali Douglas

PiE meeting October 3, 2011

PIE

October 3, 2011

In attendance: Amy Elkins, Kitty Frazier, Andrew Dennison, Bill Baker, Jim Goldsmith, Kim Gordon, Elisabeth Garvey, Marie Ayre, Kate Dodge, Nancy Behun, Margaret Spivack, Gina VanHook, Doug Stewart, Kelli Brown, Jim Frazier, Jeff O’Hara, Alyssa Lasher, Lindsay Hay, Jen Prue, Mrs. McGuire, Mrs. Branch, Renee Durochia, Frank Twarog, Ali Douglas, Carla Wuthrich, Kelli Brown, Alesia Depot, Patti Drew, Kate Suskin Peterson

1. Grade Level and Administration Check-Ins

· Administration Update:

o Viking newsletter has been offered on a weekly basis. Recently Jeff proposed going to an every-other week publication, which has met with mixed responses.

o Steve discussed the benefit of having it weekly to keep announcements and events posted on a regular basis.

o Keeping to the first page, announcements, and then new announcements (to keep the length far less than 15 pages!)

o Question about the overall participation level (use) of Viking.

o Suggestion of updated website that you can sign on via a subscription to get daily updates.

o Wanting to keep options open to having opportunities for students to write articles and to become more interactive

o Grade level updates, sports updates, extracurricular activities are things people would like to read about in the Viking

o Wondered about the potential of getting a college communications intern to help get these ideas organized and to initiate a format and develop it

· K-2 Level updates:

o Kim Gordon and Alyssa Lasher introduced themselves as the grade level rep.

o Diane Barber and Sue Hoeppner are developing a math website http://hcskindergartenmath.blogspot.com/ Stay tuned for more!

o K and 1^st grades had a visit from the fire department this past week.

o 1^st grade’s themes are community helpers and continuing on teaching on “how to develop being a reader” (and reading coach) and they are studying insects/bugs. Writing samples and posters were passed around to share with the group.

o Preparing for first visits from Four Winds..so talking about what it means to be a scientist.

o 2^nd grade is studying Hinesburg long ago (Looking for volunteers to come and talk to the children about the history of Hinesburg).

· 3-5 Grade Level updates:

o Gr. 5 has gone to the Audubon Center for Ecology

o Gr. 5 has gone to the Maritime Musuem, Mount Independence & Fort Ticonderoga for the Revolutionary War

o Gr. 3-5 went to Stowe to see Bully Be Gone musical performance

o 3^rd grade is starting to learn about Native Americans.

o Curriculum night was last week for 3^rd grade parents to walk through the year’s plan and how things will shift in a “straight grade” versus a “looped grade levels”.

o 5^th grade is no longer staying with an individual teacher and now switching between the 3 teachers throughout the day.

o 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th grades are preparing for NECAPS next week.

· 6-8 and Unified Arts update

o 6^th graders worked with the student teacher from China about her country and their culture.

o 7^th -8^th grades are preparing for NECAPS and doing additional assessments

o Team building field trips were done in both 7^th and 8^th grades

o VCAT (Vermont Kids Against Tobacco) had its first meeting last week.

o Grades 7-8 will have fitness testing next week.

o Library asked to announce that they are looking for volunteer sewers to repair stuffed animals. Contact Corinna Stanley if you’re wanting to help.

o Gina talked to Steve about the potential of hosting a parenting group based on coaching parents through. Students have divided education as part of health class. A parent group to further supporting teaching to their kids about these topics has happened in the past. This has now been divided into “boy world” and “girl world”.

2. School House Saving Program

· Margaret Spivack and Mrs. Branch spoke about the program sponsored by the National Bank of Middlebury.

· Last year Mrs. Barber’s and Mrs. Branch’s classrooms piloted this program with parent volunteers supporting the process.

· Would like to open this to grades k-3 this year, and ideally the entire school in the future.

· This is a school initiative supported through the Bank of Middlebury, so needs support from parents.

· When money is deposited (adults help children count money and fill out a pre-printed form and account numbers are never revealed at school) children’s receive small tokens/prizes for their participation/deposit.

· The hope for this year would be to have 1 banking day for the lower grades and 1 banking day for the older kids. (If this is opened to the entire school).

· Margaret would be the coordinator for volunteers and help to set a schedule.

· Teachers may be asked to participate. This would involve getting paperwork to parents and allowing the class time for children to do their banking. There is a potential to make the banking day “office hours” available before school.

· At the end of the year, each grade may be able to tour the bank for a field trip to see where their money goes.

· Jeff asked Margaret to make a pitch at the next staff meeting to present the program, talk about what this could look like, and get feedback from the teachers before implementing the program.

3. Open House:

· October 13^th is the Open House 6pm -7pm (dinner starts at 5 pm)

· Harvest dinner provided (by donation to support the playground fund raising) and then the school is open for children/parents to meet and greet the teachers.

· A PIE table has been hosted in the past; all PIE members should wear (or buy) their PIE t-shirt that night to make themselves visible.

· Kelli shared the

o Vegetable Pot Pies made with vegetables donated by Hinesburg farmers

o Parents are being sought 8-10:30 on October 12^th

o Shelburne Apples are allowing apples to be picked Oct 10 and 11^th. $9 per bushel to make apple desserts for the Open House. PIE will reimburse those who pick. Contact Kelli if you plan to pick them for more information and how/when to get the apples to school to Deb.

o Elisabeth, Jen, Kate, Lindsay, Kelli, Steve, Maria, and Ali have all volunteered to help clear tables the night of the Open House (please wear/buy your PIE t-shirt)

o Volunteers should be there right when the doors open.

o Deb Bisonnette is making dinner. Kelli will double check with Deb to make sure that she has adequate staffing to serve and clean dishes.

o Kelli will help finalize the details for volunteers. E-mail Kelli if you are interested in helping.

4. NECAP

• · State assessment 3-5 math, 6-8 reading/writing are happening next week.
• · Healthy snacks and rest have been demonstrated to show improved results on testing.
• · Middle school team is organizing snacks to be provided on the 11^th, 12^th, 13^th of October
• · Looking for parents to help distribute snacks during the testing day.
• · Third and Fourth grades have arranged snacks in-house.
• · Trying to get more healthy snacks available to kids during testing (more apples, less donuts).
• · If parents of these children can e-mail and ask if they can help, it would be appreciated.

5. Mini Fund raising group:

· Kim has created a one-page document to outline how the school can make money through box tops programs, etc. Kim will send out this document to those on the PIE list-serve, please contact her if you’d like this information. It is hoped that after review and collaboration, a final draft will be shared with the entire HCS community.

6. Safe Routes to School:

• New sign for cross walk has been received.
• Walking school bus is now back…check Viking for details
• Some conversation held about how to support kids walking to school from Lyman Meadows
• 12 kids now live at Lyman Meadows; so planning a safe route (before the snow flies) would be greatly appreciated.
• Crosswalks have to be sidewalk to sidewalk; this has historically been the difficulty with getting a crosswalk in place for those coming to school south of the school on Route 116.

7. Volunteer and Staff Appreciation:

• Ali shared that the sub-committee for Staff Appreciation met last week. The hopes for the immediate future is to coordinate a monthly pie raffle for staff, create a teacher-friendly volunteer connection source (bulletin board, website link, volunteer data base, etc), and to have some kind of sweet treat at all staff in-service days.

8. Golf Tournament:

• Despite being a cold and near-rainy weather day, the tournament went off without a hitch!
• 46 golfers participated, raising over $3200 for the playground!
• Thanks to all the sponsors, golfers, and volunteers who participated.
• Looking forward to hosting another tournament in the future.

9. Accessing raised funds:

• A process needs to be established very soon to talk about distributing funds raised.
• Kelli shared that Deb Bisonette asked for $200 for sending staff to a workshop of nutrition.
• After the PIE meeting ended, the fund raising sub-committee met and approved the $200 grant for Deb’s staff. They will be looking at how to create a process (form, set expectations for fund use, and distribution) to present to the group in the near future.

• Action Items: (To be done before the next PIE meeting)

· Kelli: Will confirm with Deb about help needed at Open House. Those interested in helping at the Open House should contact Kelli Brown.

· PIE T-shirts: PIE t-shirts (as modeled at the Ice Cream Social) are available for $12 in the main office. Those who volunteer (or are wanting to do so in the future) are encouraged to add a PIE t-shirt to their wardrobes as soon as possible!

· Margaret: Will connect with Jeff O’Hara about when she can pitch the school-banking program at a staff meeting. Those interested in volunteering should contact Margaret Spivack.

PIE Meetings to be held on the first Monday of the month at 6 pm

(Next meeting November 7^th)

PIE roles & volunteers

K-2 representation:

Parent: Kim Gordon

Staff: Alyssa Lasher

Grades 3-5 representation:

Parent Carla Wuthrich and Renee Durochia

Staff: Joyce Wright

Grades 6-8 representation:

Parent: Pam Mathews and Patti Drew

Staff: Steve Hyde

Co-Chairs: Jen Prue and Staff (to me named later)

Facilitator: Carla Wuthrich

Treasurer: Heather Way

Communication/PR: Kate Dodge, Sue Hopeener, Kim Gordon

Secretary: Ali Douglas

HCS School Board representative: TBA

Unified Arts Representative: TBA

Administration Representative: Bob/Jeff

K-4 Play: Joy O’Neil and Kate Peterson

Staff Appreciation: Ali Douglas, Sue Hoeppner, Jamie Cudney

Funds Planning: Kim Gordon, Calen King, Alyssa Lasher, Jaime Cuden, Alesia Depot

Process Improvement Team (PIT Crew): Patti Drew, Jen Prue, Ali Douglas

PiE meeting Sept 12, 2011

PIE

September 12, 2011

In attendance: Kate Dodge, Alyssa Lasher, Joyce Wright, Calen King, Jamie Cudney, Doug Stewart, Kitty Frazier, Steve Hyde, Heather Way, Kim Gordon, Renee Durochia, Joanne Crawford, Deirdre Gladstone, Catherine Goldsmith, Bob Goudreau, Frank Twarog, Jen Prue, Ali Douglas, Carla Wuthrich, Elisabeth Garvey, Joy O’Neil, Amy Sayre, Kelli Brown, Alesia Depot, Patti Drew, Kate Suskin Peterson, Margaret Spivack, Pam Mathews, Marie Ayer

1. What is PIE?

· Working Partners in Education group in its second year made of parents, educators, and community members to support the children at HCS.

2. Who’s who on PIE?

· Parent/staff partnering from each grade level (k-2, 3-5, 6-8)

· Treasurer

· Secretary

· Facilitator

· PR and communications

· Unified Arts

· Administration/HCS school board

3. How do I get involved?

· Shared “official” PIE roles (see above) as well as initiative sub-committees.

· Folks are invited to come to gather information and join in the monthly discussion; ALL are encouraged to participate at the level they feel comfortable with as all gifts of talent and time are appreciated.

4. Initiatives

· Playground Improvement

o Jen shared an update on the previous playground efforts (led by Kate Dodge).

o Phase 1 (of the large ‘main’ structure) required large community support and raising a large amount of money.

o Phase 2 is currently underway $14,000 (of $38,000) currently collected.

o This current phase is a “quieter” phase, looking mainly at grants.

· Nutrition Improvement Status

o Kelli Brown spoke to the group about updates. Last year a beautiful garden was planted and maintained all summer.

o Looking for small number of staff, parents, and community members to meet to create nutrition objectives. Some of these ideas could include utilizing local farmers, bringing in consultants to look at creative ways to stretch money while increasing nutritional values.

o Please contact Kelli at kelli_mcgonigal@yahoo.com if you are interested in joining this group.

· Staff Appreciation

o Ali spoke to the group about the formation of a small staff appreciation group. The hope is to have a small token or support to keep the staff aware of PIE, and most importantly share our gratitude for guiding our children in such a positive manner.

5. Upcoming Events/Volunteer opportunities:

· Golf Tournament

o Fundraising project October 2, 2011 at Cedar Knoll. (8 am)

o Kate Dodge is spearheading the effort and has had posters printed to get to kids/teachers/community members.

o Anyone interested in helping in preparation for this or to help the day of, please contact Kate Dodge at dodgeopton@gmavt.net

§ Need volunteers to set up sponsorship at each hole, to help with day-of registration, photographers for team pictures, score tabulators, getting prizes for awards

· Open house tentatively scheduled for October 13^th.

o Traditional spaghetti menu to be changed to a harvest dinner.

o Parent volunteers needed to “man” the PIE information table.

o Donations will be asked for to pay for the dinner and to be a fundraiser.

o More information will be shared at the October PIE meeting. Please contact Kelli Brown if you want to learn more.

· Recycle Bowl Competition

o A teacher shared that students can participate in this. Parent educators needed to help raise awareness of recycling programs.

§ Safe Routes to School (encourages more kids to walk/bike to school where it is safe, and to identify unsafe routes to improve them). Programs such as the “Walking School bus”, mini-grants, and classroom education is offered through this organization. This is a national program with local support from VTRANS. Looking for a co-facilitator

o

§ PIE t-shirts available for volunteers to wear on the day of ($12 per shirt).

6. Things We’d like to see in the future:

o Master Calendar

o Bob elaborated that there are 2 school-wide fund raising efforts (fall and spring) with proceeds going to each classroom based on their earnings.

§ If the fall one is successful enough, there may not need to be a spring fundraiser.

§ No classrooms/teams endorsed to do independent fund raising.

§ Sometimes kids ask to spark their own fundraising efforts based on their own ideas (raising money for Irene victims, cancer research, etc)

§ Some parents asked for more information about where the money goes to support.

§ 50% of the proceeds go to the school. Some discussion was had about allowing/offering parents to write a check instead of buying/selling fund raising products.

o K-4 Play

o Enrichment programs

o Fund planning and fund raising

o A committee to continue refining the process of starting/sustaining an organization.

o School House Saving through the Bank of Middlebury

o Box Tops/Campbell Soup Labels

o Greater connection between HCS school board activities and PIE meeting agendas

** See chart on last page of notes for the names of those who have volunteered and where there is still space/a need for volunteers!!

7. Action Items: (To be done before the next PIE meeting)

· Ali: Create PIE List Serve for those attending (and those who want continued updates)

· Kate to write more about the golf tournament and hole sponsorship for this week’s Viking (one scholarship

· Jen will send out an e-mail to find out how to match a middle school student with a scholarship offering.

· Jen will e-mail the chair of the school board to open the conversation about how to increase visibility at PIE meetings.

· Alyssa and Bob will talk to other staff members to find a co-facilitator for the PIE group.

PIE Meetings to be held on the first Monday of the month at 6 pm

(Next meeting October 3^rd)

PIE roles & volunteers

K-2 representation:

Parent: Kim Gordon

Staff: Alyssa Lasher

Grades 3-5 representation:

Parent Carla Wuthrich and Renee Durochia

Staff: Joyce Wright

Grades 6-8 representation:

Parent: Pam Mathews and Patti Drew

Staff: Steve Hyde

Co-Chairs: Jen Prue and Staff (to me named later)

Facilitator: Carla Wuthrich

Treasurer: Heather Way

Communication/PR: Kate Dodge, Sue Hopeener, Kim Gordon

Secretary: Ali Douglas

HCS School Board representative: TBA

Unified Arts Representative: TBA

Administration Representative: Bob/Jeff

K-4 Play: Joy O’Neil and Kate Peterson

Staff Appreciation: Ali Douglas, Sue Hoeppner, Jamie Cudney

Funds Planning: Kim Gordon, Calen King, Alyssa Lasher, Jaime Cuden, Alesia Depot

Process Improvement Team (PIT Crew): Patti Drew, Jen Prue, Ali Douglas