Glen Grove Elementary School

December 12, 2006

Meeting called to order at 9:30 AM

Present: Julie Wrona, Jodi Kay, Merryl Brownlow, Val Hausman, Becky Dean, Patty Patt, Mary Riley, Lisa Antzis

Treasurer’s Report: Julie Wrona reported. Current balance is $72,461.59. The old checking account 1 is still waiting for a few checks to clear and then will be closed. Checking account 2 is officially closed.

Teacher’s Reports:
– Westbrook Becky Dean reported.
• Kindergarten – Working on units about bears and trees. They are hard at work practicing for the holiday program.
• 1st Grade – They are studying holidays around the world. Each classroom is teaching a different holiday. The author study is Tommie DePaolo.
• 2nd Grade – The tadpoles are looking for families to adopt them. In January they will begin to learn cursive writing. The Science unit will be Solids, Liquids, and Gases.
• Fine Arts – Thank you to the PTA for all the extra materials that were needed. They are working extra hard preparing for the holiday program.
• Library – The students are reading Monarch books and working on the computers to review the books and write about what they read. There is a web page on the school website all about Monarch books.

– Glen Grove Val Hausman reported
• Thank you to the PTA for the wish list. The display case is beginning to fill up with the student’s artwork.
• The January cultural arts program will feature the life of DaVinci.
• 5th grade classes are hard at work practicing for the January show “Of Mice and Mozart”.

Principal’s Reports:
– Westbrook Merryl Brownlow reported
• The holiday programs are this week: 12/ 14 – 12/15. There are morning and afternoon programs scheduled for both days.
• We are in need of additional snowpants and boots for students who do not have them. If you have any extra items, please send them to school. Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Giving Tree.
• Due to the snow day, a substitute will be provided for each teacher to reschedule conferences. We appreciate your flexibility and patience as we work through this.
• Thank you to the PTA for sponsoring our last cultural arts assembly. The students enjoyed watching Matt Wilhelm, X Games Medalist, perform a variety of bike tricks. Second graders rewrote this message into “big books” as part of their study of nonfiction.

– Glen Grove Merryl Brownlow reported
• Enrollment: 3rd – 138. 4th – 129, 5th – 125, NSSED – 9 Total = 399
• Next week we look forward to the Dickens Carolers from GBS.
• Service Learning – We collected over 500 items for the food pantry. We are in the midst of collecting school supplies for children in Guatemala. They will be sent to a very poor area most likely in the Department of San Marcos. This area was hit hard by civil war brutality in the 1970s and 1980s. After vacation we will recycling in jet cartridges and earning funds to be donated to a charity. We also will be collecting sneakers to be recycled and reused. More information to come on both of these projects.
• The World Drumming program played for the November 20th board meeting. This curriculum initiative came as a result of multiple GEF grants. The GEF will also be featuring our student group at an upcoming meeting after the holidays.
• The plans for our building addition were approved. John O’Connor plans to attend a future meeting to review the proposed configuration.
• Our 3rd annual Reindeer Round-up is scheduled for next Wednesday. It will feature 3rd graders in sing-along activities, the third grade chorus and our IMEA singers. The entire school will participate at the AM show and a 1:00 PM show is planned for parents.
• Upcoming events in December and January:
Thursday evening is the winter concert beginning at 7 PM.
Dickens Carolers are performing the morning of 12/21.
Holiday parties will be held on Thursday, Dec. 21.
School resumes January 8, 2008.
The Geography Bee will be held Jan. 12. Classes are currently working to identify their representatives for competition.
The 5th grade musical will be performed on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Parent performance at 1:00 PM.

Committee Reports:

Dinner Dance: Invitations were sent out in Friday Folders. Classroom creations are doing well, most of them are finished. Volunteers are still needed for the day of the event.

Cultural Arts: Future assemblies will feature DaVinci, Child’s Play and the Rope Warrior.

Pizza Bingo: $996 was donated to the Debra Gelfand Fund.

Market Days: Forms are due 12/ 21 and due date for online orders is 1/5 by noon. Pick up date is Tuesday, January 9.

Movie Night: Glen Grove will host a movie on Feb. 2. Volunteers are needed.

Meeting adjourned at 10:20. Submitted by Lisa Antzis