Welcome to the Frost PTA!
The Frost Parent Teacher Association supports the Frost Elementary School community of East Brunswick, NJ. We are dedicated to developing and nurturing the Frost community to make it the most engaging and rewarding experience for the children, the teachers, and the parents.
News & Notes
Frost PTA Meeting Notes - 3/19/08
Posted on April 3, 2008 at 9:00 PM
Frost School PTA Meeting
March 19, 2008
Opening:
Co-President, Margaret DallaTorre called the meeting to order and thanked everyone for attending the meeting.
Budget Presentation:
Joellen Bassman, Assistant Superintent of Student Services presented the highlights of the East Brunswick school system. Ms. Bassman discussed some of the achievements of the East Brunswick students. She spoke about the Student Accomplishments in the East Brunswick Schools which focus on Excellence in Academics, Athletics and the Arts.
Some Facts about East Brunswick Schools Ms. Bassman spoke about were:
- 98% of last year’s graduates are pursuing post-secondary education
- The EBHS academic team is the 2008 NAQT New Jersey Champions
- 65 seniors received the designation of “Bloustein Scholar”, a distinction reserved for the highest achieving graduation high school students in New Jersey. Distinguished Scholars are offered an annual award of $1,000 without regard to financial need.
Bill McCann Member of Board of Board of Education spoke specifically about the budget. Bill discussed all the different resources that were not included in the budget. The school board has put a proposal together that is extremely lean and includes the minimum basic necessesities. This is the smallest tax increase in over a decade. So please vote on April 15 to approve the school budget.
PTA Events:
- Tricky Tray: Margaret thanked everyone for participating in the Tricky Tray. The Tricky Tray was a wonderful success. Because of the success of the Tricky Tray, the PTA will be purchasing two new promethean boards. These boards will be placed in the Media Center and a 2nd grade classroom.
- Frost Beautification Day: The Frost Beautification Day at the school will be held Saturday, May 13th the rain date will be May 14th. The PTA will be sending letters to area businesses asking for donations. The day will be a Frost Community Family event. We are asking all family members to bring a shovel and some gloves to truly transform the landscape of the school to a more inviting place for students. Mrs. Meara spoke about the Frost Beautification is one part of our school’s “Frost Kids Care Program” in which to teach the children to care about their school and environment.
Fundraising:
Karen Mandleur, our Vice President of Fundraising presented an update on the current fundraisers.
- Gertrude Hawk: All orders were sent home with the students. This fundraiser raised over $900.
- The Walk-a-Thon: The event is scheduled for Aril 30th. Notices will be sent home with the students to participate in this event.
- Clothing Drive: The Drive is scheduled for Saturday, May 31st. For this year the clothing drive will be held on One day only. The goal of this event is to collect over 50 bags of clothes. The clothes collected will be given to people. These clothes will not be made to rags. Clothes will be used by people who live overseas as well as poorer areas in the US.
Nominating Committee:
Robin Adkins our Co-President read the names for the nominating committee. And called for a vote on the nominating committee. The people in attendance unanimously voted to approve the nominating committee.
Committee Chairs:
Carolyn Frey, Vice President of Committees, reminded members to please sign up to chair committees. The forms should be submitted by April 18th.
Issues from the floor:
- Mrs. Meara addressed the group regarding the East Brunswick community. The education process is very strong and it shows in other communities.
- No Dogs allowed to be walked to school.
- Allergy free tables require a list of children with all allergies.
- Birthday treats for the children can be ordered through the child nutrition. However they need 10 days to complete an order.
Labels: minutes, ptameetings
Frost PTA Meeting Notes - 1/23/08
Posted on January 30, 2008 at 10:20 PM
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
Frost PTA Meeting Notes - 11/26/07
Posted on December 2, 2007 at 9:17 PM
Frost PTA Meeting Minutes
November 26, 2007
In Attendance: Karen Mandleur, Diana Munoz, Debbie Ielmini, Ellen Lavanco-Proia, Jeannie Smith, Vickie Albert, Deborah Cornavaca, Aime Zimel, Stephen Clark, Robin Adkins, Margaret Dalla Torre, Lynne Meara, Carolyn Frey, Rebecca Gallanter.
The meeting was called to order at 7:36 pm.
Thanksgiving Donation
Frost’s Thanksgiving baskets provided meals for seven families. It was suggested that we donate more than once per year, as there was at least one family which had no food in the home. It was suggested that we do a food drive right before Passover, for example, when people are cleaning out their kitchens prior to the holiday. Perhaps we can purchase roasted chickens from Sam’s Club or elsewhere so that we can also provide fresh food.
Invited speaker: Ed Weiner, Co-President of SEPTA
Ed discussed the function and background of SEPTA (Special Education PTA). He explained that after a period of dormancy, SEPTA was re-started three years ago. Meetings normally take place at the East Brunswick Public Library the last Monday of each month, 7:30 pm. Ed has a 12 year-old daughter with Cerebral Palsy, she attends Hammarskjold. The group features speakers on various topics, works with the Recreation Dept.’s buddy ball sports leagues and other recreation activities. For the first time, a special needs group is competing at the National Cheerleading Competition in Florida; this was organized through SEPTA via the St. Bart’s Buffalos. At the last meeting, there was a presentation on team teaching, which is a method in which both the mainstream and special education teacher work together as a team within the same classroom. SEPTA has also worked toward providing a yoga program for children with special needs within the township. SEPTA represents families of children with Cerebral Palsy, Rett Syndrome, Down’s Syndrome, Autism and many other disabilities. A survey has been sent out to assess the needs / interests of SEPTA members. SEPTA maintains a positive working relationship with the schools, including Child Study Teams and staff members often attend SEPTA meetings. Upcoming topics include presentations by: Dr. Cavan Brunsden, a special needs dentist; Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, Children’s Specialized Hospital and more. Carolyn Frey is the SEPTA representative for Frost school; there is also a website link for SEPTA through ebnet.org or the Frost PTA site
Get out the Vote Committee: Deborah Cornavaca, Co-Chair
Deborah provided an early reminder to vote for the school budget, to be in touch with assembly members, write to the Sentinel , etc. regarding this issue. A letter will be distributed in December reminding our families about voting. Deborah suggested contacting school families by phone to remind them as well. Perhaps we can also do a “global connect”.
Fundraising: Karen Mandleur
Entertainment Books brought in $2,900, last year was $3,500. Cookies raised $975 vs. $440 last year. Sally Foster raised $1,500 vs. $2400 last year. Art by Me brought in approximately $1,200-1,400 (final tallies TBA). Pies raised $975 (166 pies were ordered). Technically there had needed to be 200 pies ordered so that we could qualify for free shipping and 5% higher profit on the sales; however, despite the lower number of sales, the company did give us those benefits. Mrs. Meara praised Mrs. Rosenberg and thanked her for her efforts in organizing the artwork for Art by Me in a mere three weeks. Barnes and Noble raised $470, which was lower than last year but there was also a lower percentage of the profits (B & N changed its policy). The students love B & N day, many great poems and essays. We noted, however, the need for a better sound system. Ellen Lavanco-Proia distributed a list of donations that have been received, including some new items. She reported that we hope to secure all the items we have gotten previously. One company donated $1000, which we used toward the purchase of a flat-screen TV. Some suggestions that were given for raffle items included: a day for a student to visit all his/her former classes/ teachers; preferred seating for the Theatre Week show. One grand prize item that is still needed is the four one-day hopper passes to Disney Beaches.
Teachers’ Holiday Luncheon
Bakers/ chefs are needed to prepare items for the Teachers’ Holiday Luncheon, to be held on December 17th. A sign-up sheet was available at the meeting. Please contact Robin Adkins if you can participate; both entrees and desserts are needed and we ask that it is prepared in a half-tray container (if the item needs heating in wire racks/sternos).
Holiday Store
Some volunteers are still needed for the holiday store (11/27-11/29); even helping for a half hour would be appreciated.
Frost Beautification
An Eagle Scout is working on this outdoor project. We are in need of persons to supply shrubs, etc. to beautify the front of Frost school.
Meeting Minutes
Stephen Clark asked that PTA minutes be e-mailed to him, so that he can post them on the Frost PTA website.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:30.
Labels: minutes, ptameetings