Important Information for Board Members

· Board Meeting and Voting: The MWE PTA Board meets on a monthly basis to discuss current and upcoming activities. These meetings are usually held during school hours. General Meetings, open to all PTA members, are scheduled 5 times throughout the school year and are usually held during the evenings to coincide with student performances. Meeting dates and times are listed in the Eagle Express and on our website – www.meadowwoodpta.com. The Secretary will keep a voting roster in her files. During a voting session, only the designated committee member is allowed to vote. Special committee members and general members are not allowed to vote at a Board meeting. All PTA members are allowed to vote at the General PTA meetings. In order for a vote to count, a quorum must be present as ascertained by the Parliamentarian. Voting rights cannot be shared by committee members. Please make every effort to attend as many monthly meetings as possible if you are a voting member! Necessary PTA business cannot be accomplished if we do not have enough members for a valid vote.

· PTA Mail: The PTA mailbox is the bin with yellow hanging files located on the table in the Teacher Workroom (where the copy machine is located). Please check your folder regularly for committee mail and other correspondence. You can also find extra PTA forms for deposits and check requests in the rear of the bin. The Treasurer will put reimbursement checks in the committee chair folders unless otherwise specified on the request.

· Website: PTA is working very hard this year to provide our MWE community with a useful website filled with timely information. Please submit dates, activities, information, etc. for inclusion on the website 7 days in advance. Entries should first be sent to: shirley.labiosa@springbranchisd.com and robalyn.snyder@springbranchisd.com for approval. Once approved, forward your calendar entries to Patty Mustacchia at pattyjoey@sbcglobal.net and Alison White at awhite96@comcast.net.

· Eagle Express: The Eagle Express newsletter is published every week and goes home in the Friday (take home) Folder. All PTA notices of meetings, announcements, or general information should be included wherever possible. Please keep articles short and to the point. All notices must be sent to committee chair Kay Pierce at kpierce@dwhomes.com by Tuesday at noon for inclusion that week. There will be NO exceptions to this deadline. Anything received by the committee chair after this deadline will be included in the next week’s edition.

· KMWE: Information can also occasionally be distributed on KMWE, the announcements broadcast into homerooms every morning before the start of classes. To get an announcement on KMWE, please ask Shirley or Judy in the office which teacher is in charge of announcements that week (it rotates). Contact the teacher in charge with the information that you want to share and who you want to present it (you, your child, KMWE anchors, student council, etc.). Please allow a few days notice when arranging to be on the broadcast.

· Marquee: To advertise an event or otherwise put a notice on the MWE marquee, email committee chairs Debbie Green at debbie_green@sbcglobal.net and Ingrid Hartz at ingridhartz@comcast.net at least 2 weeks in advance of the posting date. Space is limited during busy times of our school year; so plan accordingly.

· PTA Workroom and Shed: The PTA workroom is located in the foyer just off the mall area. It contains PTA supplies and materials. It is used to store games, prizes and activities for PTA events such as class parties, Carnival and Family Fun Night. It also has Staff Appreciation and Hospitality decorations, etc. There is also School Store merchandise and the PTA popcorn machine. If you are looking for supplies, please check this room before purchasing anything. There are binders, paper, pens, markers, bulletin board borders, decorations and more. Before using anything, however, please let one of the officers know what you’re taking out of the room. The PTA Shed is located near the gym, on the corner of Thrower Park. It contains many decorations and artifacts from previous PTA events. Please feel free to use any of the contents. Contact one of the officers for a key.

· Copy Machine: PTA is responsible for our own copying. The copier is located in the Teacher’s Workroom. There will be a copy room schedule posted on the bulletin board next to the copy machine. Please adhere to the copy schedule, but give teachers and staff access if possible. The copy machine is to be used for PTA business only. PTA information should be on blue PTA paper which can be found near the mailbox or in the PTA room. If there is a problem with the copy machine, please contact Shirley in the front office. If you are unfamiliar with operating the copy machine, PTA strongly advises you attend a demonstration from Shirley at the beginning of the school year.

· Volunteer Records: Be sure to record all hours spent working on PTA related activities outside of the school! This includes time spent on the computer, telephone, shopping, etc. as well as time spent cutting, painting, etc. either to help a teacher or for a PTA event. MWE PTA historically logs the greatest number of volunteer hours of any other school in SBISD. Our volunteer coordinator chair, Shannon Saegert, will email you once a month for a tally of your hours. When volunteering in school, please sign in with the front office and obtain a volunteer sticker. Upon leaving, turn your badge in with the time you left written on it.

· Cell Phones: While in the school, please be respectful of the students and teachers by limiting cell phone use. Try to finish conversations prior to entering the building or in the foyer; then place your phone on low volume or vibrate. If you must take a phone call, please step outside if possible. Ringing phones and loud conversations carry in a quiet building and can be very distracting to everyone else.