Emerson Middle School PTO Meeting Minutes
October 5, 2016
Attendance
 Board members in attendance – J. Gaughan, T. Morrison, S. Yadgar
 Staff in attendance – J. Morrison, T. Benka, C. Murges
 11 total attendees
Principal/Vice Principal Report – Dr. Morrison, Mr. Benka
 6th grade transition went well, over 100 students changed their schedules
 Niles librarians came to discuss Rebecca Caudill books; there’s been an
increased interest in those books since the visit
 A new secretary, Vanessa Arza, will be starting on Friday
 PARCC scores should have been received by all students. The test changed last
year and will again this year so until it becomes a consistent process, teachers
and administrators will rely more on MAP scores
 Parent-Teacher conferences coming up on Oct. 18, 20 and 25
 Safety drills have all been completed. The police and fire departments attended
and praised the school for safety procedures.
 No current plans for additional entry vestibule safety features as Emerson is the
newest and currently the most secure of all buildings (prior to Washington’s
upgrade this summer)
 First cross country meet went well; attendees were asked not to bring dogs
Treasurer Report – John Gaughan
 90% of families in the My School Anywhere directory have confirmed/updated
their data; 60% of families have paid PTO dues
 Eggsperience restaurant night was a great success – brought in almost $1,000
 Considering switching from RevTrak to PayPal as the former is more userfriendly, especially from a back end standpoint
ELF – Tanya Morrison
 Please support ELF through their movie event on 11/5 at the Pickwick
Beautification – Tanya Morrison
 Discussed improving the area around benches in the front of the school.
Woodchips or pebbles aren’t recommended as students may be tempted to
remove or throw them. Perhaps the brickwork can be extended – one option is
to bring back ordering of the commemorative bricks, especially with the 20th
anniversary of Emerson’s opening coming up next year. Tom Shelby has a
masonry contact so he will have them take a look at the area and provide and
estimate for brickwork
 Spring flower planning is a big hit with students and staff, this should continue.
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Could potentially use another blue bench around the lunch recess area
Administration would like PTO to focus efforts here: The back of the school
(Oakton side) is very barren – discussed what can be done in this area that gets a
lot of sun, little rainwater due to the large overhang from the building, and there
is no water source on that side of the building. Possibly find a hardy plant such
as milkweed; this would need initial watering to get it going but could then
thrive on its own.
Environmental Awareness – Amy Bartucci
 Reported on two recent fact-finding events – a visit to Prairie Crossing School
and a SWANCC (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County) seminar
 What can be done in schools to increase awareness, education and followthrough with environmental concerns? Would like to see the district come
together to have common initiatives. Furthermore, several schools have
environmental awareness committees but this is not consistent throughout
D64. – Amy Bartucci will look into going to the next meeting of all D64 PTO
presidents
 The School Board is unwilling to pursue green initiatives until it hears from a
larger group of parents that this is an important issue for them. Hoping to get
the PTOs to spread the word and bring in this support.
 Possibly have Mindful Waste (non-profit organization) come to present to the
PTOs on food waste, rescue, and recycling
 Emerson PTO will talk to Lincoln to see what they have initiated; eg. Lincoln has
done away with Styrofoam plates and has purchased reusable silverware
 Some ideas from other schools – food recovery of items such as whole fruit,
milk, unopened chips; these items can go into a sharing basket and/or be
donated to a food pantry
 Research has shown that over time it costs more to haul away trash than it does
to pursue sustainable consumption through recycling, composting, etc.
 There’s an upcoming webinar for people who take care of green spaces to
understand the harmful effects of pesticides and it’s impact on our children –
there’s currently one pesticide-free park in Park Ridge and hopefully this can be
expanded. TruGreen has agreed to spot treat problem areas rather than
spraying entire fields; in addition to decreased pesticides there should be an
accompanying cost savings
Upcoming Events – Tanya Morrison
 10/25 – restaurant night at Jason’s Deli
 11/2 – next PTO meeting; Dr. Laurie Heinz will present
Open Floor
 6th grade social committee asked if they can get early access to the gym to lay
down tape for games. Mr. Benka and Dr. Morrison will look at the schedule also
the committee was encouraged to contact PE teacher Mr. Schaurer at
[email protected]
Adjournment
 7:31pm
Submitted by Susan Yadgar, co-secretary