Minutes of Frost School General PTA Meeting
January 23, 2008
Lesley Lewkowicz, Recording Secretary
Meeting called to order at 7:36 p.m. by Robin Adkins, Co-President
Guest Speaker: Jack Levitt from EB Education Foundation
Jack Levitt from EBEF (East Brunswick Education Foundation) was the guest speaker at our general meeting.
Jack is the Executive Vice-President of the EBEF and gave an informative speech about what the EBEF does for our schools. He told us that the EBEF is looking for new members to support the foundation and help raise money for our schools in East Brunswick. There are mostly original members and they are looking to change and bring in a new generation of volunteers. The EBEF has a new logo and is going through what Jack called a “metamorphosis”, and has urged us to get involved.
The EBEF raises money to give away to all of the schools in East Brunswick. They do not have budgets to follow, so they can give grants to any school that requests it for a specific project or item that the school wants. For example, Frost School has recently applied for a grant for the music classes to get I-Pods – we are waiting for their response.
Jack informed us that there are a few types of grants for which schools can apply. One is a mini-grant of $500, for which the school can apply at any time. A larger grant for up to $2,500 can be applied for larger projects, and a “Blue-Ribbon” grant, for up to $7,500, can then be applied for, for specific projects.
The grant applications are reviewed by the committee at the EBEF. Jack told us that they almost never deny a grant to any school. This year, so far, $100,000 has been given to various schools by the EBEF, and $1 million in total has been given away by the EBEF, since its inception.
The EBEF gets its grant money by hosting all types of fundraisers. They’ve had fashion shows, and this year, are having two new fundraisers. One fundraiser will involve the children of the East Brunswick Elementary Schools and Hammarskjold Middle School. It’s “Principal of the Day”, and each student has an opportunity, for $5, to enter a drawing to become the Principal of the Day at his/her school on February 29, 2008. There is an East Brunswick alumnus who is going to match the fundraising effort, up to $15,000.
The EBEF also hosts a “Partner in Excellence Dinner”, which this year is honoring St. Peter’s University Hospital, two teachers at Hammarskjold Middle School, and the owner of The Colonial Diner, The Americana Diner, The Skylark Diner and The Pines Manor. The price of the dinner has been reduced from $110 to $55, and will be held on a Wednesday in March.
In October, 2008, the EBEF will be having a Kitchen Tour, and have asked all of the PTA’s for volunteers (Frost School has 3 volunteers, to date). It will $45/ticket, and the money raised will be put in a separate fund specifically for PTA use. Various restaurants will provide food and recipes at each host’s home. There will also be raffles.
The EBEF meetings are held one Wednesday, each month, from 7:30-9:00 at the Board of Education building. There is also a website, www.ebef.org.
Fundraising Report by Karen Mandleur:
Tricky Tray is the big fundraiser that Frost School is now working on, being held on 2/22/08 at East Brunswick High School. Tickets are on sale now – we are only selling 400 tickets, so everyone is urged to purchase before they sell out
Grand prize for Tricky Tray is 42” plasma television
Ellen Proia reported that a 2nd notice went home, asking for $5 donation per family towards the Tricky Tray. Ellen reported that everyone attending the Tricky Tray will go home with a door prize, donated by Liz Poholsky (either a mascara, wallet, or flashlight)
Starbucks will be serving coffee at the Tricky Tray
Principal’s Report:
Mrs. Meara reported about all of the activities the children have been engaged in for “Kindness and Justice Week”, in time with Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday observance.
Winter Walks on Wednesdays inside the school until weather permits – 4th-5th graders can come to school at 8:30 and walk through the halls with Mrs. Meara – promoting fitness and nutrition
Other Events and Items
Gertrude Hawke orders are going home soon
Walk-a-thon will be held in April
Clothing Drive to be held sometime in the Spring
Fit is Fun Club will begin in the Spring
January 22 was the Chorus, Band, and Strings Concert
No items were brought up from the floor.
Meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m.
Labels: minutes, ptameetings
The success of the Frost School Tricky Tray depends on you!! We are collecting baskets for our 2008 Tricky Tray to be held on Friday, February 22, 2008.
Baskets of all shapes and sizes will be accepted and appreciated. Kindly place your unwanted baskets in the bin in the Frost School lobby by Wednesday January 23, 2008.
Also, any items you would like to re-gift will be gladly accepted.
Thank you for your support.
Frost School Tricky Tray Committee
Labels: events, trickytray
East Brunswick Educational Foundation is sponsoring a Kitchen Tour in May. They are looking for help from the East Brunswick PTA's to work on some committees. For those you who do not know what a Kitchen Tour is, it is eight to ten houses in East Brunswick that are opening up their kitchens for local restaurants to come and cook in.
While the event is not until May, we are looking for volunteers now to get involved with the event committees and start planning for a successful event!! As more details become available and the date approaches, we will post more information. If you are interested in participating, please contact Margaret Dalla Torre or Robin Adkins.
The following are the Committee Descriptions for this event. All Committees will appoint a Chair who will be responsible for attending monthly meetings to report on the Committee’s progress. Each Committee Chair will be responsible for planning the meetings that will be needed for their individual tasks.
House/Restaurant Committee: 5 members
This committee is responsible for scouting and approving the 8 homes and sponsoring restaurants for the tour. After creating a checklist for both categories, the committee will visit the homes and meet to make the final decisions, as well as work with the restaurants to establish the menu. The committee will also match the home with the restaurant. In addition, they will meet with the homeowners at least twice during the process to provide information and do a walk through the evening prior to the event. Several homes and restaurants have already volunteered to participate and it is anticipated that several more will present themselves shortly.
Journal/Sponsorship Committee: 8 members
This committee is responsible for locating sponsors for each of the 8 homes as well as soliciting the ads for the journal and, along with the publicity committee, submitting the final copy. In addition, it will locate a printer.
Cookbook Committee: 3 members
This committee is responsible for obtaining recipes for the tour cookbook to include one from each homeowner, sponsoring restaurant and the EB community at large. The committee will determine the publisher through the fundraising sites and will distribute a flyer through the schools. In addition, this committee is responsible for the sale and distribution of this cookbook.
Ticket Sales Committee: 6 members
This committee is responsible for all ticket sales for the event, including any same-day sales, if they are available. They will work with the publicity committee to have flyers and tickets printed and sold in advance and will distribute those tickets.
Publicity Committee: 2 members
This committee is responsible for all publicity and written information about the event. The committee will work with the journal committee and the ticket sales committee. The committee will be responsible for placing information on Channel 3, magazine and newspaper ads and blurbs and will try to have an article placed in one of the local papers. The committee will also design the logo for the event.
Volunteer/Logistics Committee 4 members
This committee is responsible for coordinating the volunteers for the event and assigning the locations. In addition, the committee will set up the central location for the journal/ticket distribution. They will distribute information to the volunteers via email and/or a meeting and will coordinate with the House/Restaurant Committee to plan logistics for each home.
50/50 and Basket Raffle Committee 4 members
This committee is responsible for obtaining the appropriate licensing for the raffles. The committee will have the 50/50 tickets and the raffle tickets printed and will distribute the 50/50 tickets, along with a flyer/letter to the schools in early March. In addition, the committee will obtain the basket donations through the schools and outside vendors and is responsible for making the baskets and ticket vessels and for disbursing the information to the publicity and journal committees. The committee will decide on the venue for the public drawing immediately following the event and carry out the process, including telephoning the winners.
Please contact Margaret Dalla Torre or Robin Adkins if you are interested in participating!!
Labels: ebef, kitchentour