Grant PTO Meeting
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
5:30PM Grant Gym
Present: Erica Pilger, Nichole Marshall, Karolee Gleason, Troy Berryman
Teacher Report: Karolee Gleason reported that her third grade students are enjoying their math studies, working with adding and subtracting bigger number, after spending most of the first semester working on multiplication and division facts. They are also currently working on writing a fictional narrative about the day in the life of a frog. The piece will be written from the frog’s point of view. Ms. Gleason also told us that her third graders were studying poetry, life cycles in science and local government, Presidents and Black History Month in social studies.
President/Treasurer Report
Not much of a report-- no new money in or out!
We were able to secure a grant from Norfolk Family Coalition--were able to purchase 19 new Chromebooks with it. We have found that 1 of the new machines is defective--needs new keyboard
Nichole has written two additional grants and is hoping to hear back from them soon.
Action Items
Our School Store sales have been poor. Only 4 sales have been made so far. Reasons may include this being the first time we’ve tried something like this, families not wanting to purchase online, and COVID. The store is still open through February 7 and you can still order Grant clothing at
https://nebraskascreenprinting.com/product-category/team-apparel/grant-elementary/
Upcoming Events
Parent-Teacher Conferences--We are using Sign-up Genius to get families to donate snacks for teachers on Monday and Tuesday. Our Savior is donating Uncle Jarrol’s for the staff on Thursday.
Principal’s Report
We have kicked off this year’s One Book, Grant School program! We are reading Charlotte’s Web this year.
School going well; enrollment up 3 students since September
We now have 218 students; 114 girls, 104 boys
Library bookshelves--Phase Two of the project is now complete. We just have a few more bookshelves to purchase to complete the entire project!
We are now offering Wednesday after school help for students returning from COVID. Students who are behind due to COVID or quarantine may stay at school and receive some extra time and help from 2-4pm on Wednesdays.
Construction at Grant! We are building an elevator at Grant! In addition to the elevator, we will have two brand-new bathrooms on each floor and the existing bathrooms will be turned into usable space for students and teachers. Look for more information in the near future, but bids go out late this month and construction may start as early as mid-May!
Next Meeting: Tuesday, March 2 at 5:30PM
Grant PTO Meeting
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Tuesday, December 1, 2020
5:30 PM Grant Gym
Minutes from November Meeting: Grant PTO minutes 11.3.20
Agenda Items
Reports from Teachers
Ms. Cindy Brown, Title I Reading Specialist, said that this year was much different than any other year in which she’s taught. She said that we have had to make adjustments across the board, including within the Title I program. Many of the “fun nights” we’ve been able to hold in the past have been cancelled. Even the required Title I Parent Night was different this year, taking place via Seesaw and Zoom. Parent support is huge in helping kids learn and we want to continue to keep parents involved; we just have to do it differently this year.
We are doing our “One Book, One School” activity this year. The title of the book has been chosen, but it is still a secret! We will get that going after Christmas. Ms. Brown also said she focuses on reading interventions with her students--working with students “beyond” the reading instruction they get with everyone else in the classroom.
President/Treasurer Report
Nichole Marshall was unable to attend the meeting and was not able to provide any updates.
Action Items
Troy is working on creating a school store with Custom Sports in town, where we can sell T-shirts and sweatshirts and other items if we choose.Troy is hoping to have a mockup done by the January meeting and possibly getting an order organized for February.
You can see Custom Sports’ online store at this LINK (Hover over the “SHOP” tab and you’ll see the schools that already do this!).
Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Suckstorf are working on lining up some “Dine-Out Nights” at local restaurants, starting in January.
Upcoming Events
Grant has been chosen as the recipient of the Hy-Vee West Recyclable Bag program for December. Program Information
Principal’s Report
Mr. Berryman discussed the difficulty we’ve had filling open teaching and para positions. He told the group that a few changes in the December calendar may occur.
The last day of School is December 22
First day back for students is January 5, 2021. PTO meeting is that night at 5:30.
Mr. Berryman also mentioned that the ELVHD Risk Dial had gone back to the orange level.
Adjournment
We adjourned the meeting at 6:10pm.
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Grant PTO Meeting
November 3, 2020
5:30 PM
Minutes from October Meeting:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GHeTVooIJERFuJGNSeTxGw6UN7OE9Bkapgx65LRc1CM/edit
Agenda Items:
Reports from Teachers
Mrs. Groninger told us that her 4th grade students are surprising themselves with their knowledge of math. Both during 2-digit multiplication and again with long division, many students thought they’d never understand the concepts. But with practice, they’ve been more successful than they thought they’d be. They are also loving the study of Nebraska maps and counties.
Mrs. Suckstorf was thankful that all of the routines and practices that she spent many hours teaching in the first nine weeks were now paying off as her Kindergarten students now know the routines in her classroom. She told us about Kindergarten’s first dive into MAP testing and thanked the PTO for the food for Parent/Teacher conferences and the glow sticks for the kids at Halloween.
President/Treasurer Report
Nichole reported that we had $823 in our PTO account. She expressed interest in trying a program such as Sign up Genius to help families volunteer to donate pre-packaged snacks or drinks for the February P/T Conferences.
Action Items
We will have our December meeting in the gym. Masks must be worn.
Nichole continues to work on a PTO creed/mission statement as well as a budget plan that illustrates probably income and expenses.
We continue to need more parents to join us. We need to generate a list of parents who we can call to invite to future meetings. We would like teachers to help us with a few names of people to call. Teachers could also help us by letting us know any classroom needs that they have that may fall outside of the school budget.
We decided to have the school provide popcorn for a Thanksgiving treat. We have purchased a cotton candy machine and would like to use it later this year as a treat for the students.
Upcoming Events
We are interested in providing another Grant Clothing order, but need someone to take charge of that. Nichole said she would look into it.
Mrs. Suckstorf told us that she had made some contacts from last year involving Dine Out Nights at local restaurants. She said she would try to line some of those up again for this year.
Principal’s Report
Mr. Berryman asked the parents in attendance about how parent/teacher conferences went this year. Parents reported that it was different and there were some good things about a Zoom meeting. One mentioned that she would have liked it more if she’d be able to get the information from school a little earlier. Another mentioned how “disconnected” she felt from school due to the restrictions caused by COVID-19.
Mr. Berryman also thanked the PTO for their support during the Family Pumpkin Contest. It was a success on all accounts and will be added to the regular PTO activity schedule. Some possible improvements were discussed as well.
Adjournment
We adjourned the meeting at 6:20pm. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, December 1 at 5:30pm.
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Grant PTO Meeting
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
5:30 PM
Agenda Items
Reports from Teachers
Mrs. Coffin reported that the third graders are really hitting multiplication hard. She also mentioned that the students are doing a terrific job, especially considering how different things are this year. Third grade students are just starting to work on cursive writing and are enjoying the new science curriculum.
Mrs. Lingenfelter said she was also proud of her second graders. Students are understanding 2nd grade procedures and protocols. They enjoy using the new Chromebook touches. She also said she was happy that she was starting to figure out how to do more hands on and partner activities while still keeping her students safe.
President Report
Nicole Marshall purchased some flowers and decorations for the front of the school. She put them in just this morning and already staff and students had noticed and made positive comments. She will purchase Halloween glow sticks for students and count them out for each classroom. Delivery date is TBA; we discussed getting them to students earlier if things like Downtown Trick or Treating or Trunk ‘N Treat happen this year.
Action Items
Classroom Cash--with no large fundraisers this year, it was decided to suspend classroom cash for at least the first semester.
Dine Out Nights have been approved, but we need someone to organize this project.
We approved paying $225 for meals and drinks for teachers during P/T Conferences. We discussed if we could ask parents to provide pre-packaged snacks and drinks for the February conferences.
We discussed the discontinuation of the Shoparoo program and the Boxtops app. More information is at btfe.com
Grant clothing--we discussed if another order of Grant clothing should be offered.
Upcoming Events
The school is hosting a Family Pumpkin Decorating Contest. PTO officers will meet at school to judge the creations on Oct. 21. Small prizes will be given to pumpkins in various categories.
Principal’s Report
Mr. Berryman gave a short update on how Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held this year. He also gave an update on the NPS plan for hybrid learning and the Elkhorn Logan Valley Health Department risk dial.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 6:32pm. Our next meeting will be held on Nov. 3 at 5:30pm.
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Grant PTO Meeting
September 1, 2020
5:30 PM
Attending: Nichole Marshall, Jennifer Hausmann, Erica Pilger, Jesus Duarte, Madelin Duarte Santos, Mrs. Commerford, Mrs. Morgan, Miss Cronin, Mr. Berryman
Mrs. Morgan, Mrs. Commerford and Miss Cronin provided updates on some of the things that are going on in their classrooms. Getting to know each other, the new Chromebook touches, and the new “hands on” science curriculum were discussed. Both the teachers and the parents agreed that, despite the changes due to the coronavirus, students were glad to be back in school. All three teachers talked about how pleased they were and how impressed they have been with their students’ adjustment to the new procedures we have had to put in place.
It was noted that some parents are wearing masks as they pick up students at 3:15, but that many more are not. This was addressed in the September family newsletter (“The Grant Gazette”). The teachers also mention that they verbally thank the parents who are wearing masks at pickup times.
A discussion about fundraising was held. While we are not doing any large fundraisers--like the Fun Run or the selling of items such as frozen food, cookie dough, etc.--the parents wondered if things like Dine-Out Nights could still be held. In addition, they asked if businesses that they support or work at could be asked to provide materials or a monetary donation. Mr. Berryman will check into where these actions fall under our “no fundraiser” policy.
DOGS (Dads of Great Students) was discussed. This is a program where dads could sign up to spend a day volunteering at Grant. They could help as students arrive, in classrooms, at lunch and recess, and at dismissal. However, we are not really advocating to have volunteers in the classrooms right now. Another way to get more parent involvement could be a “DOGS Night” where we find 4-5 volunteers with a special talent that they could share with groups of students during an evening. Again, we’re not hosting those types of events right now, but will keep in on our radar.
We had a short discussion about some of the items that the school would love for the PTO to support. Big-ticket items include a picnic table and/or some outdoor seating on the playground or around the building and new iPads or Chromebook Touches. Smaller items included playground balls and equipment, mask inserts, water bottles, styrofoam or Dixie cups, and water bottle holders.
We adjourned the meeting at 6:32 pm.
Submitted by
Troy Berryman
