Willoughby-Eastlake Association for the Gifted and Talented   WEAGT  

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WEAGT MEETING – OCTOBER 8, 2009 

MINUTES:

Present:  Board Members:  Sue Luck, Tonya Mihalek, Ryan Cummins, Joyce Hribar Fiebig; 

              Administration:  Betty Stevens, Amy Harker; 

               Parents:  Shanti Blatnik, Amy Soltesz, Lynann Panchula, Anna Stanich, George Transky, Kim Vitello, Trixie Higgins; 

Meeting began at 7:07 PM.  

Welcome by Sue Luck;  All attendees stated their names and name(s) of their Zenith student(s). 

Minutes from the September meeting were distributed and approved with minor changes;  They will be posted on the website. 

Comments from Mrs. Stevens:   The school website is an excellent source of information.  The “no-reply e-mail” system is the primary method of informing the Washington community about school news and updates.  It is a very effective, immediate way of informing parents of issues and events going on at the school.  

Comments from Mrs. Harker:  She and Mrs. Ciferno are busy working on differentiation materials for gifted elementary students in the district.  Three teachers will be attending the OAGC (Ohio Association for Gifted Children) conference from October 12-13.  Those teachers are:  Mrs. Van Fossen (3rd), Mrs. Zalar (2nd) and Mrs. Simpson (6th).  They are all looking forward to the conference and are looking forward to sharing their experiences with fellow teachers.  

Treasurer’s Report:  Ryan Cummins stated the budget for the year was passed at the September meeting.  The overage of funds not currently budgeted ($6,344) plus funds that will not be spent soon, need to be invested at the best rate possible while maintaining liquidity.  Our current bank, Chase, offers 30 days CD’s for .08 %.  Lynann Pachula mentioned that ING offers higher rates as they do not have local brick and mortar buildings which keeps their overhead low.  Ryan checked on their rates during the meeting and found that they offer an account at the rate of 1.8% and do not have withdrawal penalties.  He will be looking into this arrangement further and report back next month.  

November levy information.  Sue stated that WEAGT may not endorse the upcoming school levy, but encouraged all attendees to get the facts regarding the upcoming levy and be sure to vote.  She explained why the levy is on the ballot, citing decreasing property tax values, increasing costs including the mandatory offering of all-day kindergarten, and mentioned that the Willoughby Eastlake district does have the lowest millage rate of all the local school districts.  

PTA President Amy Soltesz spoke regarding the upcoming Nautica Charity event taking place later this month on October 27th and 28th.  She stated that last June PTA raised $8,200 over two nights time.  If the same amount can be raised this month, these funds will be sufficient to purchase new computers for the library.  She needs approximately 30 volunteers to meet the need.  Volunteers are needed from 4 PM until 12 Midnight.  Split shifts are available.  PTA sent a flyer home recently and all contact information is on that sheet. 

Upcoming Events.  The WEAGT membership drive continues until the end of October. 

-         The OAGC parent day is Sunday, October 12th in Columbus. 

-         An e-mail will be going out seeking candidates for a By-Law review committee. 

-         An auction chairperson position is still open. 

-         The need for a parent information meeting or information sheet regarding Independent Study projects is needed.  This should happen perhaps in February.

-         A meeting to explain the auction class project is necessary to better inform parents of the classroom projects and to explain the auction event itself. 

-         Science and Social Studies Enrichment.  PTA is able to offer a field trip to all classes this year and WEAGT will offer two field trips for all Zenith classrooms.  

Mrs. Harker then presented a power point on the Written Education Plan (WEP) form that she developed.  This Plan will offer a detailed outline of how each child will be enriched during the school year.  These plans will be presented at parent teacher conferences in November for all of the gifted school population.  It includes goals for each child.  This will be done on a yearly basis. 

Meeting adjourned at 8:10 P.M.  

Submitted, Joyce Hribar Fiebig, Secretary

 

 
                                                                                                           Last modified: April 15, 2010