Written by Edna Reed
Friends of CAHS PTA
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 by President Penny Winkle. Those present introduced themselves to the group. We had 30 people present.
Penny reminded us of the different locations set for meetings this year. This policy was started to try to accommodate parents who live in different parts of the city. The October 2nd meeting will be held at the Martin Luther King branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
There was no principal’s report because Mrs. Powell was ill and unable to attend.
Secretary’s Report: The minutes of the June, July and August meetings were presented and approved. Edna Reed also reported that we currently have 34 members.
Treasurer’s Report: Trish Geogehegan
Trish presented the draft of the budget. Several additions were suggested. The budget will be finalized at the upcoming officers’ board meeting. The treasurer’s report was accepted and filed for audit.
We discussed the Meals on Wheels route which Toni Dodge delivers on Tuesdays between 10:45 – 12:30. This program will contribute approximately $300.00 per quarter to the PTA. Toni is looking for others to help with this route. Anyone who is interested should contact Edna Reed who will pass the information on to Toni.
We also discussed the Kroger cards. Kroger returns 5% of all that you spend to the PTA. You can purchase a card from Penny Winkle. The card will have money on it (the cost of the card) so there is really no cost to you. The shopper puts money onto the card prior to checkout and then pays with the card. The card is reusable.
Hospitality Report: Gail Sech
Gail explained the staff breakfasts/treats that we provide throughout the year. She will contact those who volunteer to donate.
Gail has chaired this committee for several years and is looking for a volunteer to ‘inherit’ this job.
The first breakfast is Friday, September 14th.
Grant Writing Report: Stephanie Ludwig
Stephanie discussed the proposal for the collaborative arts activities with the Welcome Center students who are housed in the CAHS building. Funding would be needed for artists in residence and/or paid OSU grad student mentors/artists. Some possible programs include reading through drama, improvisations and community life, focus on use of rhythm in song and dance styles across the globe, digital video storytelling, language study and improvisations.
Fundraising Report: Maddie Rivera
We discussed a proposed Movie Night at Studio 35. Many possibilities were brought up. The details will be worked out and presented at the next meeting. We will look at dates for a CCS (CPS) day off or a day during winter break. Studio 35 is on Indianola Avenue which is on the COTA bus line.
Publicity Report: Gerry Brevoort
Gerry passed around samples of the type of publicity she was able to get for us last year. If you know of any events or awards that should go into the Suburban News, contact Gerry.
Volunteer Report: Carolyn Rhodes
We welcomed Carolyn as the new Volunteer coordinator. She provided lists which were passed around for parents to sign up to volunteer throughout the year. If anyone would like to volunteer please contact her by email at jazzcarolyn@sbcglobal.net.This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Old Business:
Candidates Night: Candidates Night will be held on Wednesday, October 24 in the school auditorium. We propose the there be three questions from PTA, three from Student Senate, three from Ms. Thornburg’s government class and that each candidate have one minute to respond. This will be a collaborative effort of PTA and students.
We want to know their position on credit recovery and lottery schools retaining their mission. We need a moderator and a person to time responses (Toni Dodge). A committee will work on the details: Penny Winkle, Mark Hill, Chuck Zalac and Tracy Taylor. A flyer will be created by Tracy Taylor.
Bracelet Days: We would like to have the first bracelet day bake sale on Friday, September 21st. We will set the rest of the dates with Mrs. Powell.
Update on contact with other academic open enrollment schools and CCS(CPS): Anne Hoke
Parents have volunteered to contact high achieving public high schools (from the Newsweek list). Those parents should ‘Google’ the school they contact to learn more about it. Any information that you receive should be sent to Anne. A sample letter to mail is available from Anne Hoke.
Credit Recovery information: Anne Hoke
Anne is trying to get the policy on Credit Recovery. Downtown school officials are supposed to be providing documents by September 10th. The Credit Recovery program was explained to the new parents.
Chuck Zalac contacted Shauna Gibbs to get her opinion about how to proceed with supporting the strong academic program at CAHS.
CAHS Website Suggestions: We discussed our concerns with the development of the CAHS website. Several suggestions were made to help the process.
Have the PC class work on the website
Pay a webmaster to set it up
Have one or more students work on it as an internship day project.
Connect writing articles for the website to the school newspaper
It was pointed out that other schools have students work on the website. Eastmoor Academy was cited as one example.
Talent Show: Leslie Jones, Jeff Sherman and Penny Winkle have met and are working out the details. Several suggestions were made about how to organize this project. Prizes ($$) will be given. The committee will meet again. A prospective date for the Talent Show is the Friday before Thanksgiving.
Letterhead for Friends of CAHS PTA: It was discussed that we need to develop a letterhead. Any ideas should be given to Penny Winkle.
Respectfully submitted,
Edna Reed, Friends of CAHS PTA secretary
