January, 2003

St. Joseph School
School Advisory Committee (SAC)
Meeting Agenda
January 9, 2003

Committee Members

Sr. Christina Marie Luczynski, Principal

 Attendees:       Sr. Christina Marie, G. Hebert, L. King, P. Knauf, M. Caito, K. Keenahan, M. Malone, D. Dedee Doyle, D. Overfield, K. Lechner

The meeting was called to order.

December SAC Minutes – No changes.  K. Keenahan moved to approve; seconded by L. King; unanimous approval.

Budget Review – L. King briefly reviewed the YTD actual vs. planned budget.  Revisions have been made to certain line items to reflect new information.

Committee Reports

Principal’s Report – Sr. Elizabeth Meegan (Superintendent of Monroe County Catholic Schools) visited the school on Thursday, January 9 stopping in each of the classrooms to meet the children.  Learning celebrations are scheduled for the week of January 20.  ELA testing will occur February 4 – February 6 for the fourth grade.

On Thursday, January 23, St. Joseph Church will sponsor a series of workshops presented by Mac Bledsoe entitled “Parenting with Dignity”.  Parents are encouraged to attend either the morning session ( 9:30 – 11:00am ) or the evening session ( 7:30 – 9:00pm ).  Additional details are available in the St. Joseph Church bulletin or by calling the Malley Building .

Catholic Schools Week is the week of January 26.  Students will greet parishioners and read at the Sunday Masses.  Fruit baskets will be assembled and given to those who provide services to the school.  On Monday, January 27, the children will be attending a roller-skating party in the gym.  The two sessions will be based on grade level groupings.  A nominal fee of $3.00/family will be charged.  SAC will fund the remainder of the cost of the event.  A permission slip will be required of all children wishing to skate.  Helmets (bike, hockey, etc.), if desired, must be brought from home.  On Thursday evening, January 30, the school will sponsor an Open House.  Children must be accompanied throughout the school by an adult for the entire event.

 Registration for the 2003-04 school year for families currently in the Catholic School system will begin Monday, February 3.  Open registration will begin Monday, March 3.

Development – M. Malone stated that he has received additional alumni information via the website.  Those classes where someone has offered to be a point person have responded well.  Anyone wishing to become a point person for their specific graduation year should contact M. Malone.  Interest has been expressed by some alumni regarding a get-together to celebrate St. Joseph School ’s 40^th Anniversary.  M. Malone will send a questionnaire to registered alumni to explore the extent of interest.

Enrichment – Registration forms for the winter Creative Themes sessions was distributed in the Wednesday Envelope on January 8.

Fundraising – The Hockey Game/Silent Auction fundraiser is February 8.  Donations for the Silent Auction are currently being gathered.  Donation forms are available in the office.  Tickets are available from C. Manno and at the School Office.  The Fundraising and Public Relations committees are working concurrently to promote this event.

Public Relations – After some discussion, it was determined that the benefit of placing a partial page advertisement in the Catholic Courier during Catholic Schools Week would not be worth the cost.

Special Events – Ice Cream Social is scheduled for Thursday, January 30 during the Open House.  The committee will be contacting volunteers shortly.  Letters have been mailed to several vendors requesting donations for the Ice Cream Social.  Signs will be placed at the entrances of the school gymstating that all children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Winter Carnival is scheduled for Friday, March 7.

Technology – Technology Night will be held on Thursday, January 30 to coincide with Open House.  The 5^th and 6^th graders will demonstrate computer class curriculum and projects.

One of the newly donated laser jet printers has been installed in the main office; the other will be installed in the Computer Lab.  The displaced printers will be configured for network use by the classrooms.  An external CD writer has been installed in the Computer Lab.  A donated IBM system has beenset up in the Art Room to be used for art software and Internet access.

Welcoming – The Welcoming committee is preparing for the activities of Catholic Schools Week.

 Other Topics/Discussion

Filling Open SAC positions – The Vice Chairman, Enrichment Assistant Chair, Development Assistant Chair and the PreK-3 Member-at-Large position are still open.  Names of interested candidates should be forwarded to Sr. Christina Marie or G. Hebert.

Security Update – M. Antetomaso is in the process of organizing a small group of parents to meet with Fr. Kevin to discuss security issues.

Parish Renovation – St. Joseph Church held WOW Night on Thursday, December 19 where the final design of the renovation plans was displayed.

Proposed Tuition/Financial Aid Model – On Thursday, January 9, Sr. Christina, G. Hebert, D. Dedee Doyle, D. Overfield and P. Knauf met with Sr. Elizabeth to discuss the status of the tuition plan proposed by the diocese in November.  G. Hebert will prepare a summary of the meeting to be distributed in the Wednesday Envelope.

Miscellaneous – K. Lechner stated that Julie Buscemi, a special education teacher on leave from the Penfield School District, has offered to act as a referral consultant/advocate for parents looking for information about what is available for children with special needs (for example, speech testing) and how to navigate through the administrative procedures.

Adjournment – K. Keenahan moved for adjournment; D. Dedee Doyle seconded.  All approved.