The meeting of the Board Membership of the Meredith Hill PTA was held on the 20th day of September, at Meredith Hill Elementary School. Present were Michelle Hayes and Noelle Malnory, Co-Presidents; Michelle Thompson, Vice President; Beth Shoemaker, Treasurer; and Tia Hendrix, Secretary. Additional PTA members present are reflected on the sign-in sheet (attached to the original minutes). The secretary determined that a quorum, as determined by the 05/16/07 meeting, was present. Proper notice was given to all members before this meeting.

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME: Co-President Michelle Hayes called the meeting to order at 6:42 p.m. and welcomed those present.

BUDGET APPROVAL: Treasurer Beth Shoemaker presented the Fall Proposed Budget and compared it to the Spring Preliminary Budget. Changes were explained and discussed. Surplus from last year was added to the Fall Proposed Budget. Disaster Preparedness was explained because of the increase in funding. Winterfest was discussed. Winterfest is self-sustaining and can be added back into the budget if members are interested in chairing the committee. Shawn Herrick moved to accept the Fall Proposed Budget; seconded by Linda DeVange. Vote called; the budget was unanimously approved for the 2007-08 school year.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the General Membership Meeting on 05/16/07 were distributed. Secretary Tia Hendrix determined that a quorum was present. Noelle Malnory moved to accept the minutes as written; seconded by Sandy Nesbitt. Vote called; minutes were unanimously approved.

DUES – MEMBERSHIP: Membership Chair Tina Angell welcomed the parents. Membership is at approximately 80 people. Membership has constructed a membership tree in the lobby. PTA members are the leaves, staff are the apples. PTA website has been linked to the school’s website; Mr. Navilio was thanked for helping create the website.

STANDING RULES CHANGE: Changes discussed include: State PTA requires that the word “Audit” be replaced with “Financial Review” in the standing rules. Holiday Shop was added back to the Committee List on the first page. PTA membership is now a requirement for grant requests. Kathy Miller moved to accept the Standing Rules changes; seconded by Noelle Malnory. Vote called; Standing Rules were unanimously approved.

WINTERFEST: Shawn Herrick and Laura DeVange agreed to chair the event; Linda DeVange will also assist.

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT: Principal Cindy Kelsey thanked the PTA for an incredible opening to the school year. PTA was very helpful on the first day of school getting students to their classrooms. Principal Kelsey also thanked the PTA for hosting the Family BBQ on September 7th and bringing everyone together. 300 hotdogs were served to the people present. Staff Representatives to the PTA will be Barb Carson, the 3/4/5 GATE teacher, and Kendra Rucker, 1st grade teacher. PTA Clean-up Day was also discussed; those that participated were thanked for their extraordinary work. Another clean-up day may be scheduled in the near future. 456 students are enrolled at Meredith Hill, including preschool; enrollment is stable. WASL scores came out and again Meredith Hill scores were excellent. Mrs. Kelsey then presented the WASL scores for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Meredith Hill welcomed a new staff member, Mrs. Poltz; two student teachers are also at Meredith Hill this year. The FWPS will be holding a levy, which will go before the voters in February. This levy is very important to our district; levies fund programs and staff. More information will be shared as date approaches. PTA members are encouraged to watch the behavior of their children at PTA events to keep them safe. Kathy Miller entered a Campbell’s Soup Back-to-School Sweepstakes and won. Meredith Hill will be granted an assembly, hosted by one the Globetrotters, “CHEER” Challenge.

SIMPLE MAJORITY 4204: School Board member Dave Larson spoke to the audience about school board issues, district programs and achievements, and the importance of the upcoming levy. He also spoke about the Simple Majority Campaign. Currently in Washington State, a supermajority (60%) is required to pass a school levy. Background information was given on the supermajority rule. The Simple Majority would change the requirement to 50% plus one. Educational Issues Forum was discussed; the Forum will focus on the Simple Majority Campaign and the School Board races in Federal Way. The Forum will be held on October 11th at Decatur High School. Flyers will be sent home with students. If you want more information on 4204 or the school board races, please see Tia Hendrix. Kathy Miller made a motion for the Meredith Hill PTA to endorse the Simple Majority Campaign; Cindy Kelsey seconded. Vote called; unanimous decision for the Meredith Hill PTA to endorse the Simple Majority Campaign.

FAMILY DANCE: Nancy Agostino will send information out to parents about the Family Dance; it will have an 80’s theme. Mr. Brown and Mr. Navilio will d.j. the event. It is open to Meredith Hill families and staff and is a great family event.

NEW BUSINESS: Linda DeVange talked about the eScrip program; Safeway and Albertsons both participate. Safeway has designated one day in October (the 13th) to support Meredith Hill sign-up (stores located on 272nd and Des Moines). Volunteers are needed; Linda passed out a sign-up sheet. Linda collected $600 one day by asking Safeway shoppers for their receipts. PTA members were encouraged to sign up for the eScrip program; please encourage in- and out-of-state family and friends to sign-up, as well. Kathy Miller talked about Gift Cards; order forms will be sent home monthly. Everyone in the audience introduced themselves to the group. New parents were welcomed, as were the returning parents.

MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7:40 P.M. Minutes respectfully submitted by Tia Hendrix, Secretary