Parent & School Association

The PSA By-Laws can be downloaded here.

Minutes from PSA Meetings: 2/5/08; 1/8/08; 12/11/07; 11/13/07; 10/9/07; 9/11/07; 8/14/07;  7/10/07;

St. Francis of Assisi
Parent and School Minutes from February 5, 2008

Attendees: Dennis Cuy, Father Kiley, Sue Greco, Julie LeBlanc, Eileen Allen, Kim Raymond, Barbara Dwyer

Opening Prayer

Minutes Approved

Pastor Remarks:

-Catholic School Week was received very well
-Lent begins Wednesday, February 6
-During Lent the church and school will be "Remembering the Troops". Stationary items such as note paper, pens etc. will be collected to be sent to troops in Afghanistan. Emergency hospital items such as blankets, pillows etc. will be collected and sent to Iraq.
-Shaw's supermarkets is honoring a Receipt Program. 1% of total receipt will be refunded to the parish. Funds will be available for the school.
-Weekend of 2/9 a retreat will be held. A visiting priest will be here for the week to see each classroom and CCD students.
-Steak Fry has been moved to May 3rd.
-12 Week Club will be mailed out early March

Principal Remarks:

-February 15 and March 10 are Professional Days
-Meeting for Room Parents is March 6th
-State House is holding a Catholic School Promotion. The Parent Federation is conducting an after school meeting for Catholic Schools to self promote, meet state legislators, and Governor Caceri on March 13th, 2-4. A Chair person is needed for this event.
-During Lent the Boy Scouts will be collecting models to build for the soliders who are currently in rehabilitation.
-Chelo's fund raisers will be held the first Monday of each month.

Committee Reports:

-Treasurer Report:

-Volunteer Coordinator:

-Programs:  St Rose of Lima is holding a dance for 7-8 graders on February 8th.  Girls' PJ Party has been rescheduled for April 4th

-Fund Raising:  The next Chelo's Day for St. Francis is Monday, March 3rd.  Last month's Chelo's Day brought in a little over $200!

Old Business:

-Catholic Schools Week:  Thanks go to Sharon Pietros, Kathie Magiera, Katie Spolidoro, Amy Turiok, Will Gilbert and Carol Augustyn for helping out at the Teacher Appreciation lunch.  Special thanks to Miss Ricci and Mrs. Sargent for organizing a delicious Volunteer Appreciation lunch!
-Ladies Choice Dance:  Thank you to Kathie Magiera, Sue Greco and everyone who helped make a great and fun night!

New Business:

-Technology Committee- A new laser printer was acquired through the Funding Factory with the credit from all the empty cartridges collected.  This printer is located in the Library/ Resource Room.
-Two computer desks have been donated to the school for any teacher.
-A Web Designer is needed to donate time to improve the school and church's websites.

-Mr. Jim O'Connell is being honored on February 19th at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet.  He is the recipient of the 2008 RI Hope Award.  Contact Sue Greco for information on attending and supporting Jim at this award presentation.

Closing Prayer

Next Meeting March 11, 2008 at 6:30

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St. Francis of Assisi
Parent and School Minutes from January 8, 2008

Attendees:  Christine McCarthy, Father Kiley, Linda Makhlouf, Barbara Dwyer, Diane Cedrone, Kim Raymond, Dennis Cuy, Sue Greco, Kathie Magiera, Julie LeBlanc, Mrs. Sargent

Opening Prayer

Minutes Approved

 Pastor Remarks:

-CYO Basketball Shoot-a-thon 1/19 at St. Williams.
-Wednesday, 1/30 during Catholic Schools Week, there will be a Mass at St. Timothy’s Church.
-There will be a Parish retreat the week following Ash Wednesday. 

 Principal Remarks:

-1/22/08 is the next scheduled Chelos day for St. Francis School.  The proceeds from the fund raising will go to support the school’s technology needs.
-Miss Dwyer would like to reissue the sign-up sheets for volunteers to support the remaining school/PSA events for the year.

Committee Reports:

-Treasurer Report:  Balance as of January 8, 2008  $2,499.47.  PSA will be covering buses for the trip to United Skates.  Miss Dwyer would appreciate PSA support for purchasing refreshments for Open House.

-Voluteer Coordinator:  There will be a Room Parent meeting set up to go over remaining events for the year as well as expectations of the Room Parents.  A flyer will be sent out looking for volunteers to support this year’s events.

-Programs:  A survey of children in grades 4-8 indicated that they would like to see more coordinated activities that they can participate in after school outside of Extended Care.  Suggestions included baseball, softball, crafts, etc.  A middle-school dance is scheduled to be hosted by St. Kevin’s School.  More details to follow.

Old Business:

-Elf Shoppe/Christmas Pageant/Cookie Walk – Special thanks was given to those who helped make these events successful and fun including, Sue Greco, Mr. Pare, Julie LeBlanc, Diane Cedrone, Ju-wayne Parker, Rachel Flaksman, Brenda Storti, Linda Williams, Thomasina Ekroth, and Christine McCarthy.
-Ladies’ Choice Dance is scheduled 1/25 – Kathie Magiera coordinating.
-Gentleman’s Choice is scheduled ?? – Linda Williams, Donna Aubin(?) coordinating.
-PawSox Fundraiser – Still awaiting dates to become available.  Likely that we will hold this after the school year is done similar to last year’s game.

New Business:

-Catholic School Week is from 1/27 to 2/1 – Need to get sign-up sheets out for events.  PSA will pay for school buses for United Skates.  Need people to help out during Teacher Luncheon.  Mass at St. Timothy’s at 11:00 on 1/31.
-Book Fair is due to arrive on 1/29.  Sign-ups are needed to support sales at the Book Fair during the day.
-PJ Party is scheduled for 2/1 – Anne O’Connell coordinating.

Closing Prayer

Next Meeting Scheduled for FIRST Tuesday of February because of Church  retreat.  Next Meeting 2/5/08, 6:30PM.

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St. Francis of Assisi
Parent and School Minutes from December 11, 2007

Attendees:  Christine McCarthy, Father Kiley, Linda Makhlouf, Barbara Dwyer, Diane Cedrone, Kim Raymond, Dennis Cuy, Thomasina Ekroth, Kathie Magiera, Sara Wolf

Opening Prayer

Minutes Approved 

Pastor Remarks: 

-May Breakfast is May 25^th
-Discussion of Fund Raisers:  The school did away with a few fund raisers and charged a $50.00 fee for all students.  We left social events in; however, it is very important to have everyone involved.  A notice will go out to all parents explaining how important these social funds raisers are.   

Principal Remarks:

-Miss Dwyer presented a graph showing the income/expenses of the school.  The graph is broken down into several categories and the majority of the income goes directly to salary/benefits of the staff.
-Karate activities are going well.  Classes are Monday for K-3 and Wednesdays for grades 3-8
-Video Streaming – PBS is having video streaming to support education in the classrooms connecting child and computer.
-Mrs. Durkin has a special group for pre-algebra classes.  Criteria are to develop and accelerate progress groups. 

Committee Reports:

-Treasurer Report:  Balance as of December 11, 2007   $2,144.47. 

-Special Election:  Christine McCarthy has been elected our new Vice President 

Programs:

-Chelos night brought in $202.00 further discussion on possibly having this once a month, every 3^rd Monday.-Elfe Shoppe December 11, 2007; Cookie Walk December 14

Old Business:

-PawSox Fundraiser tabled until next month. 

New Business:

-2007-208 Calendar – No changes

-classroom notices are not getting to parents.  Inform upper grade students to send classroom notices home to parents.

Closing Prayer

Next Meeting January 8, 2008 at 6:30

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St. Francis of Assisi
Parent and School Minutes from November 13, 2007

Attendees:  Christine McCarthy, Father Kiley, Linda Makhlouf, Barbara Dwyer, Diane Cedrone, Kim Raymond, Donna Aubin, Sue Greco, Julie Leblanc, John Pare, Dennis Cuy, Thomasina Ekroth, Meredith Sargent, Kathie Magiera.

Opening Prayer

Minutes Approved

Pastor's Remarks:

-Silent Auction collected 14,154.18.  Thank you to Diane and Donna for a job well done.  Thanks to the families that attended.
-This week new alter schedules will be in place.  The alter services have been good.
-We are conducting a Capitol Campaign project.  School will send out letters to families to donate and contribute to the Capitol Campaign.  It is a pledge for two years.
-Flyers should go to the Rectory to inform Father Kiley about issues at the school for entry into the church bulletin.

Principal's Remarks:

-Thank you again to Diane and Donna regarding the Silent Auction.
-Thank you to all the parents regarding the surveys.  Over 47% returned.
-Jim O’Connell will be recognized for his heroic acts done in regards to an accident in CT.  Recognition will be by the RI and MA State Police.
-Karate schedule is still being worked on.  Flyers will be going home to parents.
-In regards to the lunch parents, teachers are recommending a monthly confirmation of who will be doing the lunch for that day.  We would like to have at least 5 parents a day.

Committee Reports:

-Treasurer Report:  Balance as of November 13, 2007 is $2,136.66.  Teacher supply funds have been sent out.  Start up money is non-taxed.

-Volunteers Report: Room Parents - Kathie Magiera – We are requesting a list of what parent has been trained/and saw the Safe School video.  Every lunch parent must be trained.

Old Business:

-Review of Calendar of Events:  Elf Shoppe December 12; Christmas Pageant December 14.

-Special Elections forms will be sent out to replace VP spot.

 Closing Prayer

Next Meeting December 11, 2007 at 6:30

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St. Francis of Assisi
Parent and School Minutes from October 9, 2007

Attendees:  Mike Allard, Linda Makhlouf, Kim Raymond, Kathie Magiera, Christine Reilly, Christine McCarthy, Dennis Cuy, Barbara Dwyer, Sue Greco Julie LeBlanc, Lucy Apollonio, Diana Otero.

Opening Prayer

Minutes Approved – Accepted with correction below:

“Bishop Hendricken will open 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade classes.”

Pastor/Principal's Remarks:

Committee Reports:

-Treasurer Report: Balance as of October 8 is 2,336.66, less 200.00 auction donation.

-Volunteers Report: Room Parents - Kathie Magiera – Thanks to the room parents for attending meeting. We are moving towards adding a monthly classroom newsletter, in addition to Bits and Bytes that comes out of the school. Also it will have classroom news and whatever the teachers want to add. Notices will be sent out again to all Parents, upper levels are needed.

Old Business:

-Review of Calendar of Events: Elf Shoppe November 30; Christmas Pageant/Cookie Walk December 14.

-Mike Allard, our Vice President will be leaving us at the end of December. A notice needs to go out for nomination.

New Business:

-Enrichment Activities - Karate lessons will be introduced to the students. Instructor will meet with Ms. Dwyer.

 Closing Prayer

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St. Francis of Assisi
Parent and School Minutes from September 11, 2007

Attendees:  Mike Allard, Linda Makhlouf, Kim Raymond, Kathie Magiera, Sharon Pietros, Lori Mars, Christine Reilly, Linda Williams, Kelly Bastien, Christine McCarthy, Diane Cedrone, Donna Aubin, John Pare, Marie Romano, Father Kiley, Thomasina Ekroth, Dennis Cuy, Barbara Dwyer, Sue Greco, Julie LeBlanc, Jamie Asadoorian

Opening Prayer

Minutes Approved

Pastor Remarks: 

-On September 10 there was a meeting with Bishop Tobin regarding the reconfiguration of the schools. St. Francis will still be Pre-K thru 8 grades. However, St. Peters and Rosa will become Pre-K – 6. Bishop Hendricken will open 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes. St. Kevin’s will be closing as a grammar school and open as a middle school.
-Father Kiley will be introducing Hebrew, Latin and Greek to the 6, 7 and 8th graders.
-K – 5th graders will be receiving small budget envelopes and the 6, 7, and 8th graders will receive large budget envelopes that can be used here at St. Francis or at the students own church.

Principal’s Remarks:

-Losing the Spanish teacher at St. Francis. Foreign Language teachers usually go to high schools. It is not a requirement with the Office of Higher Education, it is a luxury. We may possibly use Spanish tools borrowing from another school. The University of Phoenix has a unique program for Spanish that we can look at.
-We have some retired teachers will go teach Physics to the 8th grade.
-We also have a classroom aid on Tuesdays for Kindergarten who is also a nurse. Also, we have a Guidance Counselor to come into the school on a monthly basis. The Guidance Counselor is retired from Cranston School Department and will be part-time.
-Reading resources – we have a retired teacher with Masters who is available in two weeks in the morning.

Committee Reports:

Treasurer Report: Thomasina Ekroth - Next month we should have a full finance report.
-Teachers’ Start-up Money – Primary is $125.00 and alternative is $75.00, will be disbursed end of September, 2007.

        Action Item: Teacher Distribution totaling $1600.00
        Motion Approved for payment

-Volunteers Report: Sharon Pietors/Kathie Magiera – Four parents signed up for the Silent Auction. Also we had an additional sign up for room parents at the Open House. Room parents are needed to send a message out about the daily on-goings in the classroom. Lunch parents are still needed for Wednesday and Thursday. They must process a BCI and sign the disclaimer form.

-Silent Auction: Letter will be going out to the families regarding the various baskets we will be auctioning off. They will be:

        Pre K, K and 1 grade – Coffee, Tea basket
        2 & 3 grade – Chocolate basket
        4 & 5 grade – Box Tops
        6 & 7 grade – Superbowl basket
        8 grade – Thanksgiving basket

-Sponsors for the Auction will be recognized in the booklet.

        Action Item: Board to donate $200.00 to Silent Auction
        Motion Approved for payment

Old Business:

-Review of Calendar of Events:    Hoe Down/Harvest/Halloween – October 13;
                                                Silent Auction – November 3;
                                                Elf Shoppe – November 30;
                                                Christmas Pageant/Cookie Walk – December 14

New Business:

-Open House: will show video on Rubric grading system. The President of the PSA will introduce the committee and speak briefly about this committee. PSA dues will be collected, along with a no uniform dress down day pass for $5.00 if the parent wants.

 Closing Prayer

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St. Francis of Assisi
Parent and School Minutes from August 14, 2007

Attendees:  Mike Allard, Sue Greco, Father Kiley, Barbara Dwyer, Dennis Cuy, Donna Aubin, Linda Makhlouf, Kim Raymond, Kathie Magiera,  Kelly Bastien

Opening Prayer

Minutes Approved

Pastor Remarks: 

-The enrollment at St. Francis has been good.
-Building maintenance is still going on.
-Flyers went out to approximately 200 families.

Principal’s Remarks:

-As Father Kiley mentioned, the enrollment is good from K thru the higher grades with approximately 22 new students. 
-The building maintenance and updated electricity should be done by end of week.  We will be up to fire code standards.  Thank you to Father Kiley for getting this in process.
-Parent Representatives role was discussed – Kathy and Sharon made up flyers requesting room parents.   We would like to see two parents in each class and to ask teachers what they want from the room parent.
-Thank you to Kathy who helped organize the uniforms.

Committee Reports:

-Silent Auction:  Letters have been sent out for donations.  There has been a new letter designed and will be sent out to companies and families of the school.  We would like to ask each family to donate at least three new items for the Silent Auction.

Old Business:

-New Family Orientation is scheduled for August 22 at 6:30. Kathy will take care of the uniform closet and we will have model students dressed up in various uniform attire.
-Review of Calendar of Events:    Family Fair Open House – September 19;
                                                Ham/Bean Supper – September 29;
                                                Hoe Down/Harvest – October 13;
                                                Silent Auction – November 3;
                                                Elf Shoppe – November 30;
                                                Christmas Pageant/Cookie Walk – December 14
-Standard CAT testing for grades 3-8 for the 15-22^nd

 Closing Prayer

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St. Francis of Assisi
Parent and School Minutes from July 10, 2007

Attendees:  Mike Allard, Sue Greco, Father Kiley, Barbara Dwyer, Dennis Cuy, Donna Aubin, Diane Cedrone, Linda Makhlouf

Opening Prayer

Minutes Approved

Pastor Remarks: 

-Few updates to the school include Fire Alarm, smoke and heat detectors

Principal’s Remarks:

-Teachers are ready for this fall; new 8^th grade teacher Ms. Sarah Wolf; Mrs. Bastine will be taking 13 weeks leave in October.

Committee Reports:

-Silent Auction:  Need someone to sponsor auction this year, another meeting is scheduled for discussion.

Old Business:

-Field day and Lip Sync was a success.
-Possible Fund Raiser at PawSox Tent, $25.00 a ticket – all you can eat.
-Rubrics seminar did not attract many parents; possibly review this at the open house for parents.
-Golf Tournament cancelled.
-Home/School Board Responsibilities Review should be an orientation Parents also a copy of By-Laws should be sent to Parents.
-Synopsis of minutes to be added in Bytes & Bites.  Also the minutes of each meeting should be put on the St. Francis website.

New Business:

-Family Orientation is scheduled for August 22 at 6:30.  Members of the Board should attend.
-Review of Calendar of Events:    Family Fair Open House – September 19;
                                                Ham/Bean Supper – September 29;
                                                Hoe Down/Harvest – Tentative Dates October 12 or 13;
                                                Elf Shoppe – November 30
-Standard CAT testing for grades 3-8 for the 15-22^nd
-Impossible Dream – Breakfast with Santa

Closing Prayer

Next Meeting August 14, 2007 at 6:30

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