St. Mary’s School Board Minutes

May 16, 2007

 

Guests:  Tony Allen

 

Board President, Janet Fletcher called the meeting to order with an opening prayer also led by Janet Fletcher.  Board members present included Janet Fletcher, Merri Schneider, Gene Soukup, Lawrence Reiman, John Boyle, Mel Ohri, Luann Shields & Sharon Spencer, along with Norm Hale, Father Nigli and Alice Marx.  Member absent was Dian Edwards.

 

Recognition of Guests – Tony Allen, Athletic Director

 

After review of the proposed agenda, Gene Soukup made a motion to approve the agenda, 2nd by John Boyle.  All in favor, none opposed.

 

The Board reviewed the minutes from the April 18, 2007, meeting, and made an amendment.  Motion made by Sharon Spencer 2nd by Gene Soukup to approve minutes as amended.  All in favor, none opposed.

 

Principal’s Report:

I.       Tony Allen (Athlete of the Year Discussion) – Tony Allen presented two proposals for Athlete           of the Year Award.  There have been some discussions regarding the differences between team      and individual sports.  A subcommittee will be formed consisting of Mel Ohri, Lawrence Reiman &   Gene Soukup, to review the recommendations.  They will meet with Tony Allen, and come to a     consensus to present at the June Board meeting.  Janet Fletcher read a letter of concern which was           addressed to the Board regarding the criteria for awarding Athlete of the Year. 

 

Motion to go into executive session was made by Gene Soukup, and 2nd by Sharon Spencer.   The Board came out of executive session with a motion by Lawrence Reiman, seconded by John Boyle.

 

II.      No Cut Policy - The Board revisited the revised (04/18/07) no-cut policy, and agreed that it will stand and be in place for the upcoming 2007/2008 school year.  Information about this policy will be sent to all parents of interested students, prior to tryouts.  Tony Allen will be overseeing the       tallying of the ballots, and work with the sponsor to ensure the validity of the ballot counting.

III.    Parent Concern - Reviewed letter received from a parent regarding a student who has expressed a    concern regarding St. Mary’s School’s lack of handicap accessibility.  While the schools do not       currently have handicap accessibility at this time, the plans for school improvement which will         begin soon in the coming months should address this matter.

IV.    Girl’s Softball (Discussion) - Norm Hale announced that Amy Shane and the O’Neill Public                       School have voted and approved to include St. Mary’s School in the softball coop program.                             Motion by Luann Shields, second by Mel Ohri, vote, all in favor, none opposed to have St. Mary’s             High School take part in the softball coop program.

V.      Bully Program - Norm is working with Oasis Counseling Service to put a program together                         regarding a faith-based Anti-Bullying Program.  An initial task force has been formed, including                       Norm Hale, Camille Ohri, Gina Clyde, Roger Wiese and Lori Morrow, and other individuals will                             be asked to become a part of this committee.  This will be a Catholic-based anti-violence program.            Surveys will be completed by students, along with additional data collection and post-analysis.                          Local pastors will be involved, and this group will meet again on June 19, to discuss the ongoing                             plans. 

VI.    NDE Visit (04/11/07) - Nebraska Department of Education has informed Mr. Hale that all areas of             concern which were brought up at the April 11, 2007 NDE visit have been addressed, and the                              appropriate curriculums have been forwarded to the necessary teachers. 

VII.            Advertising/New Positions - Mr. Hale informed the Board that he is currently advertising for the                           music and art positions which are now open at St. Mary’s.  Mr. Hale is collecting resumes, and                       interviews will be arranged very soon, with a committee of Board members.

VIII.           Cheerleading Sponsors - Valerie Wecker and Jodi Loecker have agreed to be the cheerleading                     sponsors for the 2007/2008 school year.  As the upcoming year’s sponsors, they have visited with                       Mr. Hale regarding the scope of the program which cheerleaders have to contend with.                                Suggestion was made to divide the responsibilities between both cheerleaders and dance team.                       Mr. Hale will meet with the sponsors from both groups to assist with division of responsibilities.

 

Pastor’s Report:

I.     Elections are underway for Parish Council and School Board.  Alice Marx and Father Hoesing will       tally the votes after next week’s mass, and all the candidates will be contacted regarding the results.      Father explained that the intention with this election was to include all parishioners.  In order to do          that, ballots went out in the mail to all parishioners, and signatures were required, if voting by     absentee ballot.  The signatures were not required if a parishioner was taking part in the voting   during a scheduled mass.

II.    Incoming 7th grade parents have begun a discussion regarding the possibility of changing the dress        code.  Mr. Hale addressed this issue with the teachers at a faculty meeting.  Suggestions that came     from this group, were to change the elementary dress code to allow the students to add red polos for          girls and boys, along with the existing white for girls, and light blue for boys.  There will be no   change in the requirements for the students’ pants and belts.  Luann Shields made motion to add the   red polo to the uniform standards for the elementary school dress code.  Gene Soukup seconded the        motion.  All in favor, none opposed.

III.   Father Nigli presented a proposal for a new crest which includes the following religious symbols:        The Tau cross with the wounded hands (universal symbol for the Franciscan Order); stylized “M”     for Mary, (patroness of our school founded in 1900); and also local symbols of the cardinal (school           mascot); and the state of Nebraska (shamrock marks the site of Irish capital of NE, and a line of Hwy       275 emphasizes connection to the Archdiocese of Omaha). The banner surrounding the shield would        also include the wording for Magnificat – “Our souls magnify the Lord”.  The banner would be    topped with a crown for Mary.  Cardigans could be offered for 11th & 12th graders, also to teachers,       and alumni to wear for special occasions, sporting this crest on the left breast.  This logo will also be          included on the school letterhead and other printed communications.

IV.  Norm will be putting out a letter next week to the parents, with more details regarding the Cardinal         logo contest.  The deadline will be June 15 for this contest.  There will be four individuals from the booster club, several students from the student council, and a couple of other coaches/faculty who       will vote on the three finalists, and the Board will determine the top two choices. 

V.   Father mentioned the Day of Celebration on the last day of school for Seniors.  The        Awards/Grandparents Breakfast and the Athletic/Activity Banquet were both tremendous successes.           The people behind the scenes who prepared for this went to great lengths to put this program    together.  Comments and suggestions have been received, and in the future, there will be a few items          tweaked, but overall this was a very successful program.

VI.  Teacher appreciation – In lieu of a separate brunch, or evening barbecue, cash awards were given to      each to the teacher’s based upon years of service.

VII. Father was very pleased with our graduation ceremony, held as a solemn event, and discussion was    held regarding any improvements which may need to be made. 

VIII.  Father Nigli stated that we need to include the faith dimension in such pieces as the advertising for     Catholic Schools Week, the upstart of the school year, and also the senior slide show.  Also would      like to explore the options of getting more print in the Holt County Independent.

IX.  The Spirituality Team would like to have suggestions as to how to enhance the programs that they        are involved with.  They would like to have some input on the things they have implemented, they          are asking for opinions and suggestions from everyone, in order to improve the development of their      programs. 

X.   Tuition situation – Letters were sent out to all families of seniors who had paid tuition in full; and        other letters to those who have been paying, but are severely past due. This letter requested that         families      make arrangements to discuss the past-due tuition, and arrange for payments.  All    families have met with Father, to discuss their situations, and payment arrangements will be put in place.  Motion by Mel Ohri, second by Sharon Spencer, to require that any families who have       outstanding tuition due by February of each school year, must apply for the archdiocese tuition   assistance program, by providing financial data.  If this assistance is denied, further review will take    place by Father in a confidential setting.  All in favor, none opposed.

 

XI.  Father gave an explanation of the process by which Jr./Sr. High School scholarships are awarded.        There has been some concern regarding the manner in which they are granted to students.  The plan         which was originally set up has been honored; however there needs to be better communication to       the families as to how this process is handled.  This will be communicated to the families at the          potluck at the beginning of the school year.

XII.  Father Nigli announced that with new changes enacted by the Archdiocese, parishes which have          schools will continue to have Sunday giving and Holy days taxed, as they always have.  The new changes will allow that these parishes will not be taxed on tuition, development, foundation, auction,          etc.  This is a very positive change for the finances of St. Patrick’s.

XIII.  An issue brought to Father Nigli’s attention was that band class uses Suburban to get back and forth         from class.  Currently this ties up the Suburban when it may be needed for other school activities.           Consideration has been given to purchasing another Suburban.  Father would like to propose the                   purchase of a 32 passenger bus to take care of transportation for games and other activities.  This        possibility will be explored and Father will report back at the next meeting.

XIX.  In the past, the parish has not had a comprehensive plan for the use of funds from various groups.  Would like to put a plan into place, where individuals and groups plan in advance, for the school          year, and then make requests based on needs, not wants.  Auditors have encouraged the streamlining      of the funds.  Teachers would prioritize their needs and make requests.  This needs to be        communicated to the various groups and also the faculty.

 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned with a prayer led by Father Nigli.  Motion to adjourn by Lawrence Reiman.