Meeting Minutes

Concord Elementary School PTO Agenda - additional meeting minutes in blue

Meeting Date:  Wednesday Feb 4th 10:15-11:45 AM @ Concord Media Center Commons

Highlights:

-Read-a-Thon is off to a great start! Kids are reading a lot and the author visits are great!

-Ms. Dang will be honored as the AAPI Teacher of the Year at the Lunar New Year Festival being held in the Edina High School Cafeteria. More information and tickets available here: https://eaaalunar2024.ticketspice.com/lunar-new-year-2026

-Additional bookshelves are being purchased for the library, some to replace carts and some for additional book capacity.

-Ramps and curb cutouts for accessibility to the playground are being planned. In addition, inclusive playground equipment is being looked at and plans are being discussed with the district. This will need to wait at least until snow melts and the space can be planned with greater detail.

-Winterfest went well! Similar turnout to previous years. Three big plastic bags of hats and mittens were donated to Hats & Mittens of MN and they were very thankful for Concord’s generosity.

-STEAM Fair is coming up on Thursday, March 5th. There was some confusion in the announcements but that has been straightened out. 

-VEAP Food Drive will be held March 9-13. More information will come as that approaches.

-School Carnival is coming up and we will need a lot of volunteers for that.

-5th Grade Graduation planning is beginning. We will need some 4th grade parents to help plan so that they can take the reigns next year as well as some 3rd grade parents to volunteer the day of graduation so that 5th grade parents can enjoy the event. (4th grade parents are typically unavailable because they have their End of Year Party at that time.)

-There is a new Ridwell program for schools to recycle flexible films. We are looking into that and will have more information later if we proceed.

-If you are interested in being on a PTO Committee or holding a PTO Board position please let Emma Venteicher know.

Concord Elementary School PTO Agenda - additional meeting minutes in blue

Meeting Date:  Wednesday Feb 4th 10:15-11:45 AM @ Concord

• Principal’s Updates - Paul

  • Great start to Read-a-thon!

  • Mrs. Dang award coming up at the Lunar NY celebration, was in the newsletter

  • Staff training day coming up on 2/17 - curriculum training

  • Conferences will be here in about a month

• Teacher Updates - Chad (sick today)

  • Grants!!

  • Only one grant ask, so Paul will promote it again among teachers

• Treasurer Updates - Cody

  • Treasury updates

    • Targeted to end the year around $115K in the bank

    • $550 for Guest Speaker at SVMS and will budget for it in future years just in case

    • Read-a-thon authors have been paid

    • $39K for money raised and 141,000 minutes; budgeted was $40K

  • Winterfest numbers

    • We were under budget by around $150

  • Building Projects Updates - Emma

    • Media center 

    • 6 double sided book shelf (710 per unit→ $4260)

    • 3 single sided book shelf (690 per unit → $2070)

  • Playground:

    • Reached out to Mert regarding accessibility ramp/access closer to the playground as well as playground update

    • Need to get final ideas on equipment and then we can plan spaces

    • Reached out to additional company but they are the same vendors

    • Action: Send list to Emma of all the things you think we will need and we can determine cost, space, and budget - Taylor

• Events

  • Winterfest recap

    • Raging success :)- similar to turnout previous years. Need more smores for next year- went through 150 in less than 45 min. Forgot to get cash! We improvised and were able to use the Zelle app for most of the pizza/water. Tons of pizza left over. The committee voted that Howard is just really good! Should always try and budget for him for Concordfest/winterfest. Not sure where we landed on money??

    • DONATIONS! We collected and donated 3 large garbage bags full of hats and mittens to donate to local schools in need in Hennepin county. The “Hats & Mittens of MN” organizer was SO thankful! I dropped them off at her house on 1/22.

  • Read-a-thon: Jan 30- Feb 6- Stacey

    • Registrations and reading minutes so far?

    • $39K for money raised and 141,000 minutes; budgeted was $40K

  • Staff Appreciation- Callie/Abby

    • Stock the fridge: 2nd grade

      • ABBY- 2nd grade stock the fridge success! (yesterday)- I need to do a better job updating Alicia. 1st grade (March) and K (April). 

    • Staff Lunch plan

      • ABBY- Next staff lunch is on 2/10 (Abby ordering). Will chat with Alicia- good to go on that!

      • ABBY- We will do heavy snacks or potentially sandwiches?? Again for the classroom teachers on 3/3 for conferences after school 

  • STEAM Fair: March 5th 

    • Tri-fold boards ordered 

    • Registration & parent sign up to open in a few weeks

    • Info up on the PTO website

    • Paul recommends rewards not being extra recess!

  • VEAP food drive: March 9-13th- Emma

    • Jamie Quinn, Abby Banks, Ali Wirth, connected them with Jen Skavnak

    • Received posters in the mail

      • ABBY- We are good to go! Recycling all the old social/comms from last year. Will get the blurb and sign up genius out to Deborah. 

      • ABBY- Jamie, Ali and I are meeting next week to finalize things but it should be easy! Ali is putting up the posters. 

  • Yearbook - Emma 

    • Final deadline?

      • 5th grade baby pictures - missing about 11- Shanda and Melissa are working on this

      • Working on collecting pictures from classrooms

      • Please encourage all pictures from 5th grade memories, steam fair, student council

      • Skyzone party (Highlands & Cornelia)- April 17th

        • ABBY- we have been in contact with Highlands & Cornelia- they are good to go. We will once again run ticket sales through our ClickBid platform for the entire event for ease

        • ABBY- last year we made money- request for funding from the PTO in case there are some students who need a scholarship? Again this should be a break even event, scholarships included- but just in case :)

  • School supplies - Stacey

    • Check in with teachers after spring break to start making their new lists

  • Carnival April 18th

    • First planning meeting February 6th

  • 5th grade Graduation

    • Need to reach out to committee to get them up and running

      • ABBY- We have our first planning meeting next Tuesday (2/10)! I don’t think we need anything at the moment

      • ABBY- Kelsey and I met with Mark (and Paul) before winter break- we are changing the timing a little bit to accommodate for the Senior Clap Out the high school is doing- 5th graders will be having a pizza lunch in their class that day. 

      • ABBY- I will have more specifics on time, communication needs, and plans at the March meeting 

    • We had reserved spots for seats and parking spots auctioned at PNO will need to get those

    • Will need help finding some 4th grade parents

      • ABBY- 4th grade parents should get involved with our planning process so they know what to do next year!

      • ABBY- recruit 3rd grade parents (or younger) to help with the actual graduation ceremony (refreshments, program hand out etc)- typically 4th gr has their EOY party at Rosland that day so those parents are out on helping- just need 2-3 people

  • Curriculum night-Stacey

  • Ridwell Plastic Film Recycling-Nate/Betsy

    • Piloting a one-time free event at schools for education purposes - for plastic films only!

    • Register, communicate, setup drop-off station

    • If families signup, then we can get a free year next school year

    • Signup by February 13th

    • Questions

      • How big is the container? About the size of the recycling bin or slightly wider.

      • Can we schedule an earlier pickup so we could align with VEAP?

      • Could we get a promotional code?

      • How much plastic film is the school currently generating and what is currently being done with it?

• Miscellaneous

  • Screen time at Concord

    • Especially in younger grade have received a lot of parent concerns re: amount of screens students use on top of their normal learning apps

  • Recruiting!!!

    • Trying to start earlier this year to have all committees lined up before end of year

    • What are your plans for next year? Know someone who would be a good fit for the Exec Board?

    • Reach out to your committee chairs- will they be back next year?

      • Don’t know what committees you’re in charge of? Reach out and I can help ya :)

ABBY- Mert reply 

• Regarding plans to update the interior of Concord. Looks like it will be mostly flooring this summer in the main hallways. He promised they will not be touching any of our artwork or murals

• Regarding playground funding- it is an ongoing topic. Currently the district is unable to fund any additions or new items to the playground. BUT they are able to maintain or replace any additions the PTO may add. However, there is some concern about equity across the elementary schools- because we all know that Concord parents are so generous in what we are able to raise. It may need to be further discussed with Mert on cost before we make this the focus of maybe a PNO or RAT next year.