Meeting Minutes September 2024

September 3, 2024
Raley’s One Loft, Truckee, 6:00 pm
Present: Laurie Kuntz, Hilda Vazquez, Brandy Christensen, Hien Larson, Dyan Johnson, Kate Lord, Pam Madigan, Kate Parkhill, Autumn Lincoln, Stacey Jacobs, Kristin Cooksey, Erica Garcia
Quorum Present?: Yes
Welcome/Intro, Laurie K.:
-Meeting called to order at 6:07 pm.
-Adopt June 2024 meeting minutes.
-MOTION to approve the June meeting minutes made by Hien L.; Kate L. seconded, passed without dissent.
Treasurer’s Report, Kate L.:
-Quick review of last year and shared copies of last year’s budget. In 2023/24, we focused efforts on sponsorships and the auction, meaning we didn’t have to fundraise throughout the year, except for the Touchdown Tamales raffle before the Super Bowl. This new direction was a big success: Sponsorships brought in $11,300, the Silent Auction, $9,450; and the Open House Kermes dinner, $2,150. Eighth-grade promotion party was wildly successful. Haven’t fully reconciled accounts yet, but the committee brought in over $4,000 to cover the costs of the party.
-Shared copies of the 2024/25 proposed budget. The Board made some minor changes at the end of last year. This is a working document that can/will be amended throughout the year at PTO meetings as needs arise. We increased money for assemblies, SWEP, field trips (transportation costs), student celebrations, and teacher grants for curricula. -The Board would like to mindfully spend down a fraction of our reserves this year.
-MOTION to approve 2024/25 budget made by Brandy C.; Stacey J. seconded, passed without dissent.
Principal’s Report, Hien L.:
-Best back-to-school in years! ACMS got a visit from the Superintendent and various School Board members. Everyone was very impressed with the calm, joy, and excitement of the students. 
-This year’s focus is on building community and celebrating middle schoolers.
-The first rally was held on Friday. Haven’t had a real rally since Covid. Leadership plans the whole event, games, songs, etc. The 8th-grade class was honored, there was lots of competition, many Cougar Pride giveaways, and teachers were super involved. Leadership’s goal is to have a rally once a month. They’re held on Fridays after 2nd period, following the posted rally schedule. 
-BTSN is on Thursday. Parents will report to the gym for Hien L.’s introduction of the staff and information about the school year plans, then parents follow their child’s class schedule. There are about 10 minutes allowed per period to meet teachers and hear about class plans. 
-Site Council: There are three positions open this year and three candidates up for election; please vote. Site Council is a great way to see what’s happening with goals and budget.
-ELAC community meeting on September 18th @ 5:30 pm, jointly with Truckee Elementary (meeting will be held @ TES). PTO will aim to have a joint meeting/social in October if possible and definitely in April before the Open House/Kermes. 
-Thursdays and Fridays are spirit days: Thursdays are college/career days;  wear your favorite college or company shirt. Fridays are ACMS days; wear red or ACMS swag. 
-Leadership will give out Cougar Pride cards for student participation on these days. There will be a bigger class prize at the end of the year for the class with the most participation.
-Laurie K. will get Hien L. more gift cards for Cougar Pride giveaways.
-Picture Day is this Friday.
-Grizzly Ranch: This year, the whole 6th grade going together, two days and one night. Very exciting! It’s the first year since before Covid that has been allowed.
-Sports: XC and basketball starting. Parents need to upload forms to Register Your Athlete, plan ahead, make appointments, and do the paperwork early. The administration is trying to get the word out about the low-cost options for sports physicals, about the necessary timing, etc. Right now, middle schoolers only need sports physicals every two years; once they get to high school, new rules dictate they are needed every year. 
-Suggested donations for sports fees go towards transportation costs and towards subsidizing physicals.
-The new PE teacher, Jasmine Lance, is a BIG hit all around. Kids are psyched, the PE department as a whole is energized, and the locker room looks amazing. It’s going to be a great year for learning lifelong fitness!
-ACMS student numbers are up to 560. New students from North Tahoe, SELS, TEA, and out-of-town.
New Business, Laurie K.:
-Grant request from the administration: Requesting $2,500 to cover half the cost of the Renaissance program (AR tests, etc). Admin was told that this year, money to cover program renewal must come out of the site budget. Other schools have asked for and gotten PTO support, including GES. This will benefit ALL students with goal setting and pushing towards the 1 Million Word Club, and successes will be celebrated at rallies. 
-MOTION to approve $2,500 towards Renaissance renewal made by Kate L.; Stacey J. seconded, passed without dissent.
-Grant request from administration/Leadership: As part of this year’s goal to build community and school pride, the Student Council would like to design and print t-shirts for all students to wear on rally days and on Cougar Pride days. The PTO’s concern is that we have been burned with spirit wear and that if we buy the shirts, they go home, and then kids forget or refuse to wear them when they’re asked to. Could we keep them at school? There was discussion about putting sponsors on t-shirts, but kids are unlikely to wear them around town, at least initially. The original guesstimate was $10/shirt, but Leadership is now trying to get a cheaper quote. Hien L. will return to Laurie K. with an actual estimate, and then PTO will vote (via email) on how much support we can provide.
-Sponsorships: The campaign is live until September 23rd. We have a few returning commitments already totaling about $5,000, with more letters in the mail. Our (very conservative) goal is $10,000, but we would like to beat last year’s $11,300 and have a cushion heading into conference week teacher meals and any unforeseen upcoming grant requests. More effort put here by everyone means less burden on parents throughout the school year. There was a suggestion to also hang a banner in the 7th-grade drop-off area. Laurie K. will speak with Hien L. Seems like a terrific idea.
-Conference Week: Quick overview of what has been done historically. PTO is actively looking for two new people to take over organizing this year’s lunches, coming up with new themed days, updating SignUp Genius with parent food donation requests, etc.
-Board Positions: Laurie K. is President, Brandy C. is Vice President, Kate L. is Treasurer, OPEN position of Secretary, Jill C. is Communications/Social Media, and Hilda V. is the ELAC representative. Hoping a new parent will take on the secretary position. Doesn’t require a ton of effort–mostly taking meeting minutes–however will necessitate the commitment to be at most meetings.
-Big kudos and thanks to the new 6th-grade parents who joined us tonight. And to the other 7th- and 8th-grade parents who were joining us for the first time!
Meeting adjourned at 7:13 pm by Laurie K.
Next Meeting, October 1st at 7:45 am at ACMS
Minutes submitted by President, Laurie Kuntz

​