PSFA Meeting Minutes – September 12, 2024

Meeting Minutes

Communications High School – PSFA Meeting

September 12, 2024 – Call to order at 7:03pm by Janet Schneider 

Executive Board Members Present: 

  • Janet Schneider, Co-President
  • Patti Riddle – Co-President 
  • Janelle Checkett, Vice President Fundraising
  • Melissa Skrocki, Recording Secretary
  • MaryAnn Doyle, Treasurer
  • Brenda Connolly, Corresponding Secretary

 

  1. SGA Report – Phin Whedon, President
    1. SGA developed a welcome board to welcome back the students and organized Italian Ice last week to welcome all the students back.
    2. Coming Up:
      1. Info Sessions for 8th graders on 10/1 and 10/5
      2. Back to School Dance hosted by the Sr Class – Friday, Sept. 20, 6:30-9pm; tickets are $10 and are on sale at lunch.
  2. Principal’s Report – Ms. Bonilla
    1. Last Friday the Freshmen Class had a team building day at Thompson Park and seniors attended to provide mentorship for the freshmen. It was a great success and the school received compliments from the staff at Thompson Park on the behavior and respectfulness of the students.
    2. The carpets were removed from the school and tile floors were laid over the summer to provide for a cleaner school environment.
    3. Cell phone policy – While CHS does not plan to ban cell phones in the building, the school has rolled out a policy that cell phones have to be left in the classroom when students go to the bathroom. Additionally, some teachers have established centralized locations for phones during class (ex: a desk near the door).
    4. The school hosted a club festival today to promote all of the great clubs in the school and provide students an opportunity to get involved.
    5. Teachers will be posting office hours for student aid. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this extra time with teachers to answer any questions or review class materials. Peer tutors are also available via the National Honors Society.
    6. The district updated the CHS website over the summer. Thank you to everyone for your patience while we work through some of the new features and challenges that come with a new website and communication system. If you are having any issues receiving communications, please reach out to the main office or email Ms. Bonilla.
  3. President’s Report – Janet Schneider
    1. Super 50/50 – The PSFA is running a Super 50/50 in lieu of a donation drive. There are 300 tickets available and we are hoping to sell all of them. The funds all go back into the school. The PSFA provides a lot of support for student activities and we are encouraging each family in the school to sell a ticket. We have sold 104 tickets so far. Drawing is Dec. 12. The link for sales is available on the PSFA website and is: https://chs-psfa.org/super-50-50-raffle/
    2. SAT Prep Course – The PSFA is sponsoring an SAT prep course which will be 8 sessions of 2 hours in a virtual format. The cost is $995. First come first serve for students. The class begins in Oct. 15 in preparation for Dec. test. https://chs-psfa.org/virtual-sat-prep-sessions/
    3. Driver’s Education – The PSFA is sponsoring a driver’s education online course for the written exam. Classes begin 9/19 and registration is available online: https://chs-psfa.org/drivers-education-course-2024/
    4. Club Crawl – The PSFA will host a Club Crawl on Dec 12 to show parents what the clubs do. The event will be held before the Dec. PSFA meeting and will also provide the clubs with an opportunity to hold some fundraisers as well.
    5. Sept. 21 Beach Social – All families are welcome. There will be a sand castle contest and a few other contests for the classes to compete in during the day. The winning grade will have PSFA funds added to their class bank, which helps fund events for senior year celebrations. Registration is available at: https://chs-psfa.org/september-social-meet-greet/
    6. Oct. 10 Parent Chat (6pm) & PSFA meeting (7pm) is virtual. The Parent Chat will be the National Arts Honor Society, National Tech Honor Society and National Honor Society presenting about what is needed to join each organization during students junior or senior years.
    7. Nov 14 Parent Chat (6pm) and PSFA meeting (7pm) is in person at CHS. – Mx. Laura Gesin, who teaches programming and technology courses at CHS, will be presenting on AI and academic integrity.
    8. All classes will be doing a joint fundraiser which will be a Fall mum sale. More details to come.
    9. If you aren’t a member of the PSFA, please sign up. In order to be included in the family directory, you must be a member of the PSFA. Additionally, volunteers for Color Wars are chosen from individuals who have volunteered for the PSFA throughout the year. Finally, the PSFA senior scholarship is only available to families who have been members. Dues are paid one time. Enrollment is online. If you are looking to get more involved, please reach out. https://chs-psfa.org/membership-renewal/
    10. Please read the Communique – the PSFA newsletter. It is posted on the PSFA website: https://chs-psfa.org/category/communique/
  4. Recording Secretary, Melissa Skrocki
    1. All meeting minutes are posted on the PSFA website.
    2. The meeting minutes from June were posted. A motion to approve the minutes was made and seconded.
  5. Corresponding Secretary – Brenda Connolly
    1. We received a thank you from the Freshman Class for providing funds for transportation for their trip to Thompson Park.
    2. We received a thank you for providing funds for transportation to the Dodge Poetry Festival on October 18.
  6. Treasurers Report – MaryAnn Doyle
    1. We have gotten off to a good start with the raffle sales. This has the potential to be a big fundraiser for the school. Please share the link for sales with friends and family.
    2. Membership – About 1/3 of freshmen parents have joined the PSFA to date. Please consider joining the organization and supporting CHS!
    3. Drivers Education for the Fall starts next week. We are still accepting sign ups on the PSFA website.
    4. We ordered new merchandise with the school’s new logo which is available this evening and on Back to School Night. Sales of the merchandise will support school functions and activities.
  7. Committee Reports
    1. Merchandise – Hope Pressler
      1. We have a new logo and have purchased a few new items which are available for sale. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you would like any items for your student or family.
    2. Membership – Krista Kingsly
      1. We’ve had a good start with about a 1/3 of families signing up. Please consider joining the PSFA so that you can be in the directory and volunteer in the school.
    3. Public Relations – Maureen Gilbert
      1. The PSFA is on Facebook and Instagram – please like and follow. It is a great way to stay up to date on events and activities at school.
    4. Book Club – Patti Riddle
      1. There is a parent book club meets once a month in the evening. It’s a great way to get to know other parents. There is a sign up sheet in the back of the room or parents can reach out via the PSFA to join the club.
    5. Hospitality – Lisa
      1. The PSFA hosts bagel breakfasts for all midterms and finals. We also provide food for Color Wars, Back to School Night and Open Houses. We would love for volunteers to help provide supplies, set up and help at events.
    6. Sign Up Sheets – There are committee sign-up sheets available for parents available at the meeting and for any others who may not have had the opportunity, please email the PSFA. Email addresses are available at: https://chs-psfa.org/about-the-psfa/
  8. Motion to Adjourn 7:52 pm