PTO Minutes
HOLY CROSS SCHOOL PTO
MEETING MINUTES – nov. 7, 2024
Attendees: H. Alkhouri, J. Allan, M. Borer, T. Clark, T. Damato, M. DeKay, A. Donnolly, J. Duprey, K. Eberline, A. Gaydo, J. Gaydo, K. Groat, P. Jones, K. Kilmartin, M. Paulus, C. Rachetta, J. Randall, A. Robinson, J. Stach, C. Thomas, M. Thurston, N. Walters
Meeting Called to Order: 6:34 pm
Opening Prayer: Nina Walters
Approval of October 2024 Minutes: 1st J. Randall, 2nd M. Paulus
Principal’s Report (N. Walters): Thank you to everyone who has responded to the email about arriving before the start of prayer at 8:35 am. We are now into November; it is a good idea to say goodbyes to the little ones at the front door. Doing it at the classroom door only makes it more difficult for everyone. We understand how tough the transition can be and thank you for your cooperation.
Matt Davidson has been sharing ongoing video sessions that are being posted at the end of our Sunday emails. These are great to listen to while doing dishes, on your way to work, etc. I personally find them to be wonderful and encourage everyone to listen. We are trying to find a day and time to bring him back in person before March 11th, which is his next scheduled parent night.
Cheerleading registration is still open; another link will be emailed out tonight. The previous sign-ups were in the Sunday email. We will need to start these practices soon and get uniforms picked out before the pep rally on Friday, December 6th at 10:30 am.
A huge thank you to Taylor Clark and Jolie Johnston for heading up our Caring Crusaders. They are doing so much to help those in need, and it’s a big undertaking for these parents.
A new fire alarm system was installed today. Pre-K 3 could not hear the previous system from their classroom. There was an assessment completed to determine where more detectors were needed. Horn strobes were added in the bathroom. Thank you to Fr. Kurgan; it was an expense we didn’t anticipate, so he covered the bill.
Please check the Sunday email! We are much more intentional about meeting to get all of our dates and information in there. It is a great resource for getting the schedule for the week, important upcoming dates and times, lunch orders, etc. If we miss something, we apologize. Parents are always welcome to email with questions, but please check the Sunday email and also the website first. The HCFamily site has a ton of important documents and information.
Pastor’s Report (Fr. J. Kurgan): Not present.
Treasurer's Report (J. Stach): There is not much to report for the last month. The recent, major spending was Special Person’s Day. All receipts have been turned in, and we came in under budget. We spent $863.56 out of a $1,000 budget. The checking account balance as of October 31st is $86,215.59. The savings balance is $20,389. An upcoming expense will be Christmas gifts to all staff members. Teachers are using their Wish List money. They are very excited and thankful to add to their classrooms.
President's Report (M. Borer): N/A
Past Business
After School Activities (T. Clark): All events are in motion. The biggest issue is the need for volunteers. We ask parents to help for at least one week for each club that their children are involved in.
Teacher Luncheons (M. Borer): We have had two teacher luncheons so far. King David’s catered the first one and Blarney Stone catered the second. Both are school families and very generously donated the food. Both meals were delicious, and we are so thankful. If you or someone you know has a restaurant that would be willing to cater, we would be very interested. We are not looking for donations; there is a budget for these luncheons, and we expect to pay.
Spirit Sale (M. Borer): All orders have been distributed. Everything turned out great. A huge thank you to the Groat family and Holy Shirt! About $1,400 was donated back to the school. There will be another sale for the basketball and cheerleading students in the coming weeks.
Parochial Basketball / Cheerleading (M. Borer): The initial meeting went well. Coaches should be reaching out to players to start coordinating practices and uniforms. There is a new cheerleading coach – Mary Pfeiffer. If your child wants to do both basketball and cheerleading, that is an option.
Halloween Events (M. Borer): An enormous thank you to all the mothers that helped to organize, plan, and execute the Halloween Howl. Most volunteers were new, and it was so wonderful to have a fresh group. The decorations that they came up with were perfect. The kids all seemed to have a great time. Trunk or Treat was a big success. We were lucky to have such beautiful weather. Thank you to the parents that decorated their trunks and handed out candy.
M. Paulus noted that it was a lot to have two back-to-back nights with children out late. Moving the school event to a night other than before Halloween should be considered.
Current Business
By-Law Proposed Amendments Vote (M. Borer): Majority vote passed the by-law updates.
Caring Crusaders Updates / Poinsettia Sale (T. Clark): The Diaper Drive is complete. Thank you to everyone for donating. Students went on their first field trip on Monday, giving up time on their half day of school. They visited the CNY Diaper Bank to help sort and organize diapers. We completed the Halloween candy collection, which was a student’s idea. We received so much candy! It was bagged this week and donated to Sarah’s Guest House. The annual poinsettia sale will take place next. Flyers will be going out in the Sunday email. Students will sell poinsettias, then bag and distribute them. The money will go toward donating Christmas gifts to an organization that the students select.
Uniform Closet (T. Clark): There are so many items in the uniform closet. It’s located in the basement of the school. We encourage everyone to visit and take what their children need. Everything in the closet is donated. Thank you to Kelly Shetsky who has jumped in to help organize. If anyone is interested in helping Kelly, it is a large job and any additional help would be wonderful. Please reach out to anyone on the PTO board if you’re considering helping out.
Auction Committee (M. Borer): The first auction meeting is tonight. For those that don’t know, it is our biggest fundraiser for the school. It’s a fun, adult-only event. We need help with sponsorship, donations, and so much more. It’s a lot of work and needs many people to make it a success. It will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Musical Announcement (M. Borer): The musical this year will Alice in Wonderland. It will be held on Thursday, March 20th and Friday, March 21st. The paperwork is currently being prepared to go home with students. It will be a rolling admission, starting with 6th grade. We are maxing out at approximately 50 students. Anyone that tries out will be guaranteed a role.
Auditions will be held in early December. The principal characters will meet a few times before Christmas to read the script and start practicing. Mr. M. is the head director with Mrs. Dunlap as assistant. There will be a big call for volunteers to help with practice.
Pep Rally (M. Borer): On Friday, December 6th at 10:30 am in the school gymnasium.
Christmas Shoppes (J. Stach): The flyers have gone out. The event is scheduled for Friday, December 13th. Students will shop during the day. There will be a link to an Amazon Wish List. We also welcome homemade gifts. We really need to replenish gift bags, tags, and tissue paper. The children shop in grade order, starting with 6th grade. We will need as many volunteers as possible. We plan to set up the day before, depending on basketball practices. The event starts at 9:00 am. We need gift wrappers, personal shoppers, and people to restock inventory. The cost is $10 for 10 tickets. We donate 80% to Emmaus Ministry and 20% goes to the PTO. If you want to help, please reach out to Jillian Stach.
Christmas Concert (M. Borer): The event is scheduled for Tuesday, December 17th at 6:00 pm in the church. The band will perform first, followed by violin. Pre-K 3 and 4 will sing, then be dismissed. We will be doing a nativity play this year instead of the traditional concert. Kindergarten through 6th grade are involved.
Christmas Class Parties (M. Borer): Parties will be held on Thursday, December 19th at 1:30 pm. The PTO provides a staff luncheon from 11:30 am until 1:00 pm. Parents cover the classroom so teachers can enjoy their luncheon. This involves managing lunch and recess. Class parties will take place immediately afterward.
Committee and Event Volunteer Opportunities (M. Borer): Please reach out to anyone on the PTO if you’re interested in helping with any events.
Looking Forward (M. Borer): Please note the change in date for December’s PTO meeting.
Open Forum
Motion to Adjourn: 1st C. Rachetta, 2nd M. Paulus
Meeting Adjourned: 7:11 pm
Meeting minutes respectfully submitted by Kate Eberline.
Next meeting: Wednesday, December 4th at 6:30 PM.
**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM THE ORIGINAL DATE.