WHRHS PTO
Minutes from October 14, 2007
Unapproved Minutes
The meeting was called to order by President
Liz George.
The Treasurer’s Report was given by Sue
Regan.
- The membership drive has raised over
$12,000, which meets our membership goal.
The Vice President, Sandy Barta, gave the
membership report.
- We currently have 56 staff and 785
families who have paid their dues ahead of where we were last
year at this time. It is expected that there will be more
requests for membership once the directories go home.
- Nadine Grasty brought copies of the new
directory with her to the meeting. They are ready to be
distributed in home room this week, along with student ID
cards. Additional copies of the directory will be available for
$15.00. Please contact Nadine (Grasty@optonline.net)
with any concerns.
President’s Report by Liz George
- Thursday, October 18 will be the Michael
Fowlin assembly for the freshmen. It will be offered again at
7:00pm for anyone to attend. For more information on Michael
Fowlin, see his website at
http://www.michaelfowlin.com/qopening.htm
- Sweepstakes calendars will be mailed this
week. We are distributing 2 each to 1750 families!
-
There was a meeting of the PTO Dinner
Dance Committee who are working on the 50th
Anniversary dance. Help is needed to make this a great event.
Committees are forming for Invitations, 50/50 raffle,
decorations, baskets, and clean up. Please mark your calendars
as this will be a fun event. We are in need of volunteers to
help on all committees!
- Please note
that the PTO Dinner Dance has been rescheduled to FRIDAY, MARCH
14th. This was not the date discussed at the meeting.
Speaking this evening from the Board of
Education was Rob Horowitz.
He began with the offer to answer any questions
people might have.
Q: RE: Sports Booster Clubs.
Is it true that the individual sports booster clubs will be asked to
turn over all of
their funds to the high school?
A: No, perhaps this is being confused
with the Athletic Club, who does turn over whatever they raise
to go toward the
payments on the turf field!
Q: Girls Hockey Team. What
would it take to start a girl’s ice hockey team?
A: It is unlikely that any other
athletic team will be coming on line right now.
Q. Watchung Hills Booster Club.
What are the chances of getting a school-wide club active again?
A. There is no reason why a strong
volunteer effort would not be welcomed.
Green Thumb/
Beautification Initiative.
When one drives up to the high school, they are struck by the
absence of landscaping, shrubbery or gardens. The Environmental
Science classes, along with input from Building and Grounds, are
working on design a plan.
It would be a wonderful project for the high school community to
help see this plan become reality. There is hope that volunteers
will come forward to help solicit financial support to realize the
project. Whether general funds were raised or people were able to
pay for specific elements of the project, there is need for a
committee to spearhead the appeal.
Questions were raised concerning the ability of the students to
create a plan appropriate to the site, environmentally sound and in
lines with global warming. There are all valid concerns and
certainly appropriate topics for the Environmental Sciences
curriculum. If you are interested in being a part of this project,
please contact Liz George at
NKG@aol.com
Also! The Theater could use an Arts Committee to recruit
tenants for the venue. An immediate goal might be to raise money to
purchase a high-quality theater sound system. If you would be
interested in working on this project, contact Liz George at
NKG@aol.com
Correspondence last month, as reported by
Colleen Mehegan,
included a get-well
card to teacher Jim Kanach.
Congratulations were
offered by Liz George to Dr. DiGanci on the recent wedding of his
son.
The minutes from the September meeting were
approved.
Other Business:
- Elise Tanner, Curriculum Rep. At
the first meeting there was an introduction of new faculty and
an overview including a discussion of policy and guidelines. The
second meeting will be this week.
- Band: Marching Band is in full
swing and there is another competition this Saturday. You can
support the band through Talent Show in April, or right now by
buying cheesecake and cookie dough. See a band member for
details!
- West Wing Ambassadors will be in
place again this year from 10-12 each day. Help sign in
visitors and direct them to the correct office. An easy and fun
way to see what an hour in high school is like!
Contact Karen Ehrenberg to sign up. (908-647-6366,
egbjsk@aol.com
- Bylaws. The bylaws of the PTO need
to be reviewed, with recommendations for updates and changes.
Would anyone like to volunteer?
NKG@aol.com!
The Administration Report was given by Dr.
DiGanci
tdiganci@whrhs.org
- Tonight was the Lady Warriors (soccer)
Senior Night. Senior night is a wonderful tradition by each
sports club that recognizes graduating players and their
parents.
- The Michael Fowlin assembly is this week.
570 freshmen will be mesmerized for an hour as Fowlin speaks on
tolerance, diversity, drugs and alcohol. Parents and students
are invited to come back in the evening for an encore
performance.
- Please support the Athletic Foundations,
which was founded 4 years ago with a mission to upgrade the main
field to turf. They raise money through the year with events
such as Beetlemania, and the upcoming October 22 Golf Outing.
Details are available on the website at:
http://whrhs.org/NewsArticle.cfm?ID=246
- Theater: The fall presentation
will
be Shakespeare’s The Tempest
- School got off to a great start, welcoming
2100 students. The addition of the West Wing opens up the
buildings beautifully. The flow of traffic is greatly improved
and the congestion is somewhat decompressed.
- Newsdaze – are you getting yours?
Includes morning announcements and more! To subscribe, visit
whrhs.org and click on the
Technology button.
- Other communications news, the high school
has purchased a reverse 9-1-1-system for notification.
- Sad news, Linda Gannon, Director of
Guidance, will be retiring in February.
- The High School will start this year with
a Hall of Fame to recognize not only alumni, but staff and
others who have had an impact of our kids. The first awards
will probably be given our in mid-April, 2008
- This year is the 50th
Anniversary of the high school. The south building, without the
2nd floor was the original building. Additions were
done to the building in 1961 and 1964. In 1972 the north
building was added, and of course the west wing was opened in
2006. Watch for anniversary activities all year!
- After preparing for a general science
section to the HSPAs, the state will now be testing a specific
Biology test (see last months notes.
- The PSAT for sophomores and juniors will
be this Saturday, October 20.
The Update from the liaison for the
Teachers was given by Brian Ford.
- The teachers are excited to offer a Third
Teacher’s Scholarship for a student in pursuit of a Career in
Education.
- The September faculty meeting was
cancelled. The October meeting will be held next week.
- Comment on progress reports, they are
conservative estimates of a students progress. The reports come
out after only 3 or 4 weeks, and in many cases there may not be
actual tests or projects completed.
- A lot of academic departments are
undertaking some cool initiatives. Check on activities by going
to WHRHS.org and clicking on the Departments link.
There was a motion to adjourn.
These minutes are unapproved pending the next
meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, November 13
