GO-PTO MINUTES
April 5, 2022
Virtual meeting, 7 pm
ATTENDEES:
Janine Duffy, Sara Wilkinson, Travis MacDonald, Stephanie Murphy, Cassie MacDonald, Julie Vakoc, Andrea King, Ashley Lorenz, Sarah Evans
Principals in Attendance: Brian Meringer
Mme Pierre-Maxwell - Gibbs
Officers PTO Board in Attendance:
- President - Janine Duffy
- Communications - Ashley Lorenz
- Fundraising Coordinator - Travis & Cassie MacDonald
- DIG Representative – Sarah Evans
- Treasurer - Sara Wilkinson, Julie Vakoc
- Recording Secretary - Stephanie Murphy
- Events – Andrea King
- Right on target with classroom supplies. We’ve received a flurry of activities from teachers recently
- We are supplementing the time capsule for the 100th Anniversary
- Supplementing the Teacher Party for the 100th Anniversary
- Providing support for the Teacher Appreciation
- Supplementing Gibbs Field Day
- Fundraiser with Blue Ribbon fundraiser – April 28th
- Fundraiser with Dell’s on May 9th
- Looking at WeCo. Food delivery as a fundraiser. Will research further if there is interest.
Mme Pierre-Maxwell - Gibbs
- Thank you for contributing to Teacher Appreciation coming in May. We are doing a beach theme. We are doing a bag and towel, deck of cards, and a few other personalized items.
- We will have pizza for lunch so we can put funds into the gift.
- Purchasing items from Amazon and Costco.
- Want to create a proposal for next meeting to plan ahead. This year – another field day on June 22nd. Met with Phys Ed teachers to start planning.
- We’ve defined some jobs to have parent’s volunteer sign up for (water buckets, water bottles, help transport and distribute popsicles, support for water balloon toss)
- We will split the students into two groups. Half the students will be at the field while the other half is in school. It will be more manageable that way.
- Checking with Principal Danato about the field.
- We do not have a tradition yet for the students for moving on to 7th. We are working on something.
- Working on a transition for the 5th graders. In June each school will have a day to visit. We are asking the parents to deliver the children to us for Advisory. They will have a bus back to school at 11. Each LC will host a school. The LC teacher will select 10-15 student guides to host the students that day.
- They will visit each of the core classes and meet with the Principal and their school support staff.
- We are working on Planning an Outward Bound activity to create opportunities for the children to bond with adults in the building.
- Looking at spending the first two weeks of school on Executive Functioning skills. We are looking at activities for the teachers to play with the students here and on a field. We want to make that our tradition for Gibbs and spending more time on the Core Values.
- 5th grade parents have received an email for Math selection, Language and Band.
- Mr, Meringer will collaborate with the Gibbs team to transition the students. We will have an opportunity for the students to visit Ottoson by LC.
Principal Meringer
- April is the beginning of transitions.
- Today was MCAS for 7th graders
- Planning for 8th grade graduation. We will need parent volunteers to help organize the 8th grade activities
- We have a tradition last week of school. Field Day, lunch, Canobie Lake Park,
- Exploring bus costs as this is expensive. Least expensive option is to use Arlington transportation. But we would need to leave later and stay later. Talking with staff about that schedule.
- Exploring a dance option
- Last day of school the students go directly to the high school
- Trying to make the last week fun for this unique group due to covid
- PTO has been helpful in collecting the money for these activities.
- We are going to ask parents to form a committee for last week.
- Will speak with the Assistant Principals about Teacher Appreciation
- We have some fun things planned for the kids. Hoping to have the students feel good about the end of middle school and have some closure.
- Last year we were outside and we will try to be outside again. It was better than being inside. That will be the plan again weather permitting,
- We will be visiting Gibbs to introduce ourselves and then there will be two days that the Gibbs will visit OMS. We will have a parent’s night.
- Next meeting is May 3, 2022 @ 7pm meeting at Ottoson.