MOANALUA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA INC.
PTO BOARD MEETING
January 13, 2010
CALL TO ORDER: President Lori Shimoda called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. in the MES cafeteria.
VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT: Lori Shimoda, Lei Fukumura and Maddie Ledda.
NON-VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT: Vice Principal Carol Mann-Molay, Kirsten Kajiwara, Daryl Kanayama, Lyanne Yano-Figart, JoAnne Oshiro, Susie Okumura and Lauren Kamikawa.
SECRETARIES REPORT:
The December 16, 2009 PTO Meeting Minutes were distributed. However due to a lack of quorum the meeting minutes were not approved.
TREASURER’S REPORT: No report.
ADMINISTRATION’S REPORT: Vice Principal Carol Mann-Molay introduced Interim Principal Robert Ginlack.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
FUN FAIR – L. Shimoda reported that later this month we will have a Fun Fair wrap up meeting. She asked that those who assisted with the Fun Fair bring whatever they need to pass on to next year’s replacements.
MES PTO Website: L. Shimoda reported that in the future, such as next year when the packet goes out, the PTO wants to ask parents for an email contact address for the purpose of creating a contact list which would lead to better communication. The contact information would be for the purpose of receiving school news, PTO news, and other valuable information.
Stephen Figart is trying to create a demo for Mrs. Wong’s second grade class. The focus is on-line learning. He needs to speak with the school administration to identify specific needs. He also needs to make sure it’s what the school wants instead of meeting the needs of just one specific teacher or grade level. S. Figart is also going to expand another tab with Amazon to generate more income for MES. The Google advertisement is working and so far the MES PTO has earned $51.00. When the Google advertisement earns another $9.00 the website will have paid for itself.
OLD BUSINESS: None reported.
NEW BUSINESS:
A. Campus Beautification: Joanne Oshiro, PTO Teacher Representative, wanted to know if the MES PTO has a project in mind. L.Shimoda responded that currently there is no campus beautification project because the committee has no chairperson thus nobody is working on selecting a campus beautification project for MES. It was commented that there used to be benches around the base of trees on campus until the benches were destroyed by terminates. Vice President Mann-Molay said that she is working on this issue with the military liaison. It was suggested that the Cub Scouts take this on as one of its projects.
B. Interim Principal Robert Ginlack: Interim Principal Robert Ginlack was introduced. He shared his professional experiences with the Board. He also announced that Carolyn Okuhara is a substitute counselor who will be here until a decision is made regarding the sixth grade incident. He also stated that the faculty approved the Academic Financial plan and that current enrollment is 694 students. He reported that if enrollment reaches 710 students it will be possible to hire another counselor and a half time clerk. Interim Principal Ginlack cannot imagine, regardless of funding, this school having only one counselor. Usually a school turns in its enrollment count in mid September and afterwards adds a position. He reported that MES can look at its count in the month of May. He does not want to wait until September or else the best qualified individuals will already have been selected by other schools. Interim Principal Ginlack likes what he sees at MES and found that MES has good staff. He believes that if a school has good people in the classroom and good support staff then what happens on top won’t affect the school too much. He does not know how long he will be at MES. Regarding the goal of achieving student enrollment of 710 students he stated that students cannot be added in the Pre-K level. Also, the first and second grade is limited contractually to 20-21 students. However, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades can be adjusted. Regarding the demand for paper, Interim Principal Ginlack stated that he is aware that paper is in demand at MES and that he believes that there are many ways to obtain supplies to address a deficit.
C. Susie Okumura: S. Okumura reported that MES elected to participate in the Health Behavior Survey. The participants will be Ms. Nanett Arakawa and Gloria Matsumura’s fifth grade and sixth grade classes. MES is an active consent school so parents are required to sign a consent form in order for their child to participate. General questions will be asked of the students. Students will remain anonymous. The data will help the State of Hawaii develop programs. The packets were sent home today. The survey will take place on January 25, 2010.
Ms. Okumura also reported that regarding “Reading and Rithmetic 2010”, which involves reading responses and math problem solving skills, there will be a informational session on January 28, 2010 to teach parents how to support their children.
D. Lauren Kamikawa: L. Kamikawa reported that the Fun Run will replace the May Day program. This event will double as a fund-raiser to support MES technology upgrades. The committee needs to come up with a reasonable goal. This is MES’s first attempt at putting on this event. T-shirts were printed as a fundraiser which ended today. The Fun Run will take place on February 19, 2010. This is not a furlough day. The event will end before lunch. In the afternoon an assembly will be held and awards will be given out. Local celebrities will attend. MES will partner with Tripler on the health side. A packet will be sent home with students. S. Okumura reported that the committee needs the parent-volunteers. She stated further that teachers may recruit two parents per classroom. They are currently waiting for approval to use the larger field next door. More information will be forthcoming. A question was asked as to what is meant by “upgrading technology”. It was reported that this will have to be discussed by the committee members. It may mean that the website will be updated or that software licensing will be purchased. There are specific needs to meet but based on the amount collected the needs will be prioritized.
L. Shimoda stated that parents are interested in seeing if a computer lab can be opened up and made available after school. She also inquired if parents could be used as volunteers to watch over the computer room. Interim Principal Ginlack said that he did not see a problem with having parents monitor the computer room. Principal Ginlack agreed to meet with the technology teacher first and then meet with L. Shimoda.
E. March 2010 General Membership Meeting: L. Shimoda reported that the next general membership meeting will be held in March. She also reported that the Board needs to start thinking about selecting a nomination committee to elect new officers. T. Hirashima will be moving on to a new school and L. Shimoda’s term is up. There is a two term limit of two years each. It’s permissible to switch offices but L. Shimoda has already been recycled. She also cannot serve on the nominating committee. She asked that any interested parties contact her. Currently there are no firm dates for the general membership meeting since it is usually held on the same date as an event such as the Starlite Concert.
ADJOURNMENT: President Lori Shimoda adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: The next PTO Board meeting will take place on February 10, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. in the MES cafeteria.
Lei Fukumura
MES PTO Secretary