PTA Meeting Notes from September 15th, 2022
Members Present: 33 people
Principal’s Update: Corey Hafey
Safety Issues at Appleton: Our school district, in trying to adjust to what is happening around our country, is trying to keep our interior doors closed at all times. This is hard for Appleton because we have so many volunteers here every day. In an emergency, teachers will open doors and get anyone that is in the hallways into a classroom.
Appleton has been at the forefront of safety for over a decade!
During a safety drill, safety officers have a scoring guide, and Appleton is always the #1 safety scoring school in the valley.
We are “a good soldier” and trying to do what the district is asking, and please know that we will always do everything we can to keep our students safe.
We have already done numerous safety drills (evacuation drills, lockdown practice, calling tree practice, etc.) this school year.
Spell-A-Thon: Hillary Soria
Coming up soon
If we want Spelling Lists changed at all, now is the time!!
Corey explained how fund raising used to be done at Appleton – Selling of food, wrapping paper, etc. We found that we were getting very little of the money!
A number of years ago, we switched to the Spell-A-Thon and it has been highly successful. We make lots of money, we get to keep 100% of the money, and it is academically relevant.
This is a fun and high-energy activity AND a great fundraiser!
Jared – There will be a new tab on the PTA website with all of the information that you may need for Spell-A-Thon.
Carnival – Small Group Breakout:
Carnival Questionnaire done in table groups!
Groups discussed their impressions of the 2022 Carnival
Thoughts about the Hillbilly Grill & Food Truck:
10 out of 10!
Easy to pay!
Music was great
Love supporting an Appleton family!
Volunteers were helpful
The line was clear & quick
Make sure we have plenty of volunteers next year
Awesome!!
Use smaller bread for buns
Liked being outside
Great atmosphere!
Nice that teachers could eat early and then go work our stations
Good for parents. Maybe another option for kids?
Look for food donations for next year? Some companies will make a donation and that could lower costs &/or offer different options
Maybe 2 food trucks next year!
Please keep the Hillbilly Grill!
Adding Tables & Chairs was great!
Shade??
Hotdogs were great!
Ways To Improve the Carnival in the Future:
Lines for the games could move faster and be marked in a clear way
Face Painting – Really long line!
Security Team?
Have the Bookworm Brigade attend in force
Updating some of the games
Silent Auction was really full! It’s jam packed especially towards the end of the night. Maybe look to moving it to the South Gym
Raise prices slightly for the tickets. Kids have lots of tickets at the end of the night.
Right now, it is fifty cents per ticket/fifty cents per game
Where to put things at the end of the night? Teachers need to communicate better with parent volunteers because some teachers were gone or helping in other areas and parents didn’t know what to do with the stuff.
Cake Walk – Some packaging was too small (only 3 cookies in a pack).
Find more options for the older kids. They liked the karaoke!
Silent auction was really full!
Lots of people commented – When Corey got on the loud speaker to make an announcement, it sounded like a lockdown initiation!
Some Highlights or things you really liked:
Music Outside – liked that!
Spread out was great
Outdoor eating area was relaxing and had a nice feel
Good Game additions – Yeti Operation was fun!
Music outside was very nice
Extra Food Truck was great
Karaoke, outdoor eating, silent auction, bum & jumps, etc. – all great!!
Like that it was spread out over the whole campus.
Think of a Contingency Plan for inclement weather
Food Line – Better set up for getting tickets for food would be nice.
Cornhole tournament – Maybe another night would be fun!
Maybe a family game night in the spring
Movies under the Stars would be fun
Corey – It is very costly to do this!
Corey - “I thought Carnival was phenomenal!!”
The fundraising was great, family fun was great, etc.
Shared a story about a Dad and what he did at the Silent Auction!
The generosity of Appleton families is AMAZING!!
Kids are looking at school and thinking “School is a great place!”
Student volunteers from middle and high schools were very helpful. Saying things like “I wish I went to elementary school here!”
Parking Spot at Silent Auction
The bidding war was happening!!!
We ended up “selling” two reserved spots.
In the end, two parents paid $1,200 for the spots!!
Treasurer’s Report: Brooke Bray
Carnival Numbers – Should come close to $20,000 this year
We have some PTA Memberships coming in. If you know of any businesses that would like to join, please reach out to them!
Sheila V. -- You can use the QR Code to join PTA
Right now we have over $40,000 in our PTA budget
Corey – Years ago our PTA budget at this time of year would be about $6,000. That gives you some perspective on where we are now.
We would like to get Smart Boards for some of the other rooms in our building – Moderate needs special education classroom, etc.
Corey – We are completely transparent with PTA funds. If you ever have any questions about the money, what is spent, etc., please ask.
Brooke: “I need help auditing each month. It takes about half an hour. I need two people to help me.”
April F. “It’s super easy!!”
Please reach out to Brooke Bray if you are willing to help with this process. Thanks! 😊
Angelo’s Ornament Night: April F.
Heather Bennett has volunteered to organize this year. YAY!!
Cost of Ornaments: We need to decide $10 or $12 because the cost for us has gone up this year. Most schools are charging $12 this year.
Discussion --
$12 might out-price some people
This isn’t a profit-maker. It is a Community Event.
It helps a local business “do their thing!”
Lots of families participated last year.
Jared – How many attended last year?
Not many, but enough to be fun!
Brooke – Let's keep it at $10 so it’s accessible to more families
Sheila V. - Agrees with the $10!
C. Crone – How about $11 – Split the difference! 😊
Corey – Nobody has ever complained about the price in the past.
Jaylean - It would be nice if something stayed the same price as before
Sheila V. – Move to leave it at $10
C. Crone – 2nd it!
All in favor -- All!
Opposed – Zero!
2022 – 2023 Events Calendar: Mark Your Calendar!
Friday, September 9th Appleton Carnival
Tuesday, October 18th – November 29th Spell-A-Thon
Thursday, October 20th 2nd Grade Music Program
Thursday, November 10th 3rd Grade Music Program
Tuesday, November 15th Angelo’s Ornament Night
Thursday, December 8th 5th Grade Music Program
Thursday, January 26th 4th Grade Music Program
Thursday, February 23rd 1st Grade Music Program
Friday, March 3rd Art Night
April 10th – 28th Book Fair
Thursday, April 27th BINGO Night
Thursday, May 4th Kindergarten Music Program
Monday, May 22nd Field Day
Tuesday, May 23rd 5th Grade Graduation
2022 – 2023 PTA Coordinators:
Carnival – Joy Zeller
Staff Appreciation – Joy Zeller
Spell-A-Thon – Hilary Soria
Art Heritage – Nicole Farabee, Brooke Bray, & Kelli Lange
Angelo’s Ornament Night – Heather Bennett
Art Night – Kelli Lange
Membership/Business Partnerships – Kelli Lange & John Zeller
Restaurant Nights – Krisi Gustad & Mary Coleman
Community Partnerships – April Fogarty (We need a new volunteer for this position!)
Summer Learning – Krisi Gustad
T-Shirt Orders – Heather Kendall
BINGO Night Coordinator:
We need a volunteer for this
Communications Team:
We need help with this! Adding to our website, photos, writing, etc.
Please talk to Jared if you are interested at all
Silent Auction Coordinator for Carnival & Art Night – Sheila Vrooman
We need a volunteer to shadow Sheila Vrooman this year to help next year.
Jared – We always like to have an “understudy” for each of the coordinator positions, so that when their kiddos “age-out” of Appleton, we are prepared to move forward. If any of the above positions interest you, please reach out and start “shadowing” that person this school year. 😊
T-Shirt Orders: Heather/Jared
Orders are ready to go!
They will go home in Tuesday Folders very soon. Keep an eye out!
New products coming this year!
Looking Forward:
Last year we talked about new playground equipment, etc. We need to start thinking about our future goals. This will be on the October PTA agenda.
Corey – We want to have a plan, save up, and make great purchases!
Joe – “I was at lunch today, eating with the kids, they were saying they don’t want to go to middle school because they don’t have GaGa Ball!”
Other Ideas & Thoughts:
Camille Chapman – “My husband never comes to Carnival. He had to pick me up and said ‘I didn’t know Hafey was an auctioneer!’”
Well done Mr. Hafey!
$275 made from Chipotle last night!
New Mom - “The carnival was great! Our older kids went to Pomona, and this was so much fun!”
Next Meeting: October 20th at 4:10 p.m. in the library
