St. Mary’s School Board Minutes

August 9, 2006

Guests:  none

 

Janet Fletcher called the meeting to order, and Father Nigli began with an opening prayer.  Board Members present included Janet Fletcher, Lawrence Reiman, Merri Schneider, John Boyle, Gene Soukup, Luann Shields, Mel Ohri, Sharon Spencer and Dian Edwards, along with Norm Hale, Father Nigli and Alice Marx.

 

Lawrence Reiman made a motion to approve the agenda after additions, and Sharon Spencer seconded the motion.  Vote:  All in favor, none opposed.

 

After review of the minutes of the June 28, 2006 meeting, Gene Soukup made a motion to approve, and Dian Edwards seconded.  The minutes from the July 12, 2006 meeting were also reviewed, and a motion was made by John Boyle, seconded by Gene Soukup to approve these minutes as well.  Vote:  All in favor, none opposed.

 

Principal’s Report:

·       North Central Accreditation -  Mr. Hale will meet with Barb Schwager, to discuss where St. Mary’s stands.  Norm stated that the school will celebrate the achievement of five years of accreditation.  A steering committee will be formed to study any areas in which there may be a deficit, and measures will be taken to improve these areas.

·       Locker Room Update – The locker rooms and lockers have been painted and the carpet ordered.  Work is being done for the suspended ceiling and there will also be plate holders on the lockers.

·       Home School Students (Half-time Attendees) Athletics – After discussion, a motion was made by Lawrence Reiman, seconded by Gene Soukup, to look into the possibility of allowing home/schooled students to take part-time classes and be allowed into athletics.  Mr. Hale will inform the board of his findings.

·       Parent Night – The Booster Club had suggested a change in the parents’night recognition ceremony.  Some Booster Club members had requested that all students/parents be recognized.  After discussion on this matter, the Board decided to leave the ceremony as it had been in the past, with only the seniors and their parents being recognized on the field/gym floor.  All other students’ names will be announced, and their parents will stand in the bleachers for recognition.  This allows the recognition to remain special for the senior year, and also reduces the amount of time used during half time of these activities.

·       Separation of Academic and Awards Night – The Booster Club also requested a separation of these two honors nights.  The suggestion was made to have an Athletic banquet, with a potluck dinner and awards, and then a separate evening for honoring the Academic achievements of the students.  This will allow sufficient time for all types of recognition for the students/athletes.

 

Curriculum:

·       Graphic Arts Software 899.00 – Norm will order this software in order to have it in hand for Casey Wolta, the new art teacher.

·       Spanish for Elementary Diocese of Kansas City – The remainder of the software has been ordered to complement the textbooks.  The curriculum is also in place for the elementary students, beginning in 2nd grade.

·       Music – The music teacher schedule is being finalized.

 

Handbook Revisions:

·       Mr. Hale handed out the most recent revision of the school handbooks for one final review.  Norm asked for any revisions to be sent to him as soon as possible, so that the final handbook can be printed for the upcoming parents meeting.

·       Discussion was held regarding whether the substance abuse policy should be in effect year-round (during the summer months).  After much discussion, a motion was made by Sharon Spencer to leave the policy as revised, which will be enforced twelve months per year.  Vote:  Five in favor, two opposed.  Motion carried.

·       Discussion was also held regarding the no-cut policy for activities, which was added to the handbook.  This will be revised to state that there will be a no-cut policy, however the decision regarding an individual’s ability to be included in a performance will be at the discretion of the sponsor.

 

New Business:

·       Janet Fletcher mentioned that ideas for the new embroidered sweatshirt logo will be chosen by the students, and Mr. Hale will make the final decision regarding the logo.

 

Old Business:

·       Profit/Loss Budget Reports – Janet requested that the Board be provided with these reports for review during monthly meetings.  This has always been done in the past, but had been neglected at some point during the last school year.

·       Paid Tuition – There are still several families with unpaid tuition bills from the previous school year.  Father Nigli is still working with these families in order to collect the unpaid bills.

·       Student Retention – An exit review letter will prepared and sent out to any families who leave St. Mary’s Schools.  Every attempt will be made to meet with these families for a personal review as well.

·       Active Involvement/Recruitment – Father Nigli recommended that when new people move into town, a member from the school needs to go to visit with them, taking a welcome from St. Mary’s Schools.  Also would like to explore the possibility of taking a gift to families upon the birth of a baby (a t-shirt with “Future Cardinal” logo).

·       Norm Hale handed out the calendar and schedule which has been prepared for the first two days of school.

 

Election of Officers:

·       Methodology of Vote – Janet Fletcher explained that names will be offered for nomination of new School Board Officers, and then a vote will be taken.

·       Election of Officers – Nomination was Janet Fletcher for President, Gene Soukup and Mel Ohri for Vice President, and Merri Schneider for Secretary.  A paper vote was taken, and the following are the new officers for the 2006/2007 school year:  President – Janet Fletcher, Vice President – Gene Soukup, Secretary – Merri Schneider.

 

There was no need for executive session, so the meeting was adjourned with a motion by Gene Soukup, seconded by Lawrence Reiman.  Meeting was closed with a prayer led by Father Nigli.