Schools

April 4 McAnnulty-Whitehall PTO Meeting Notes

McAnnulty's student store and the PTO's May 2 elections are discussed. Also, a May 14 flea market is in the works.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that parent-teacher groups aren't busy, let alone important.

The  and 's joint Parent-Teacher Organization, for example, covers a wide array of topics at each of its meetings, including reports from over 25 different committees.

The McAnnulty-Whitehall PTO also acts as a sounding board for concerned parents, and its April 4 meeting was no exception. The parent of a McAnnulty student attended the PTO's meeting that Monday and brought up the subject of McAnnulty's school store.

Find out what's happening in Baldwin-Whitehallwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The woman said that her son was recently not given the ability to purchase items from the school store with pseudo-currency that the school's teachers give out for positive behavior.

The woman admitted that her son did not "earn" any currency but that she was under the impression that every student would get enough currency to at least purchase one item so that no students would feel left out or embarrassed.

Find out what's happening in Baldwin-Whitehallwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The PTO's officials were under the same impression. Though, they said that each teacher has the ability to award the pseudo-currency however he or she deems fitting.

The woman said that her son was forced to wait in a hallway while the other students shopped.

"The point is that each teacher's doing it differently," she said, "and the intention of the actual behavior modification is not working with the kids that actually need behavior modification.

"(My daughter) will probably earn all of her points, and she's parented and disciplined by the same parent. They're not responding the same way, and in this case, I feel like it's backfiring. And it's hurting (my son's) self-esteem. And he's having resentments."

PTO President and Baldwin-Whitehall school board member Laurencine Romack advised the woman to take her concerns directly to McAnnulty administration, and after the meeting, Romack could be heard asking for the woman's name so that she could follow up on the matter.

Also at this meeting, the PTO voted unanimously to hold a fundraising flea market in the Whitehall Elementary gymnasium on Saturday, May 14. No exact time has been set for that event yet.

Those interested in selling goods at the flea market will have to reserve a table and pay for it ahead of time. The price per table and the deadline to reserve one have not been determined yet.

The PTO reminded meeting attendants that a will be held at the auditorium on Saturday, April 16, from noon to approximately 4 p.m.

The next McAnnulty-Whitehall PTO meeting will be held in the McAnnulty cafeteria on Monday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. That meeting will include elections for new officers.

The PTO's three-person team of Kelly Bischoff, Kim Maiden and Lisa Sadler turned in its list of nominees for those May 2 elections at this April 4 meeting.

That list includes current PTO officers Chrissy Deiley, Cristy Stipetic, Chris Rostek and Colleen Mondello.

Deiley, currently serving as the PTO's Vice President-McAnnulty, has been nominated for PTO President. Stipetic, serving as Corresponding Secretary, has been nominated for Vice President-Whitehall. Rostek, serving as Recording Secretary, has been nominated for Vice President-McAnnulty. Mondello has been nominated to remain as PTO Treasurer.

Neither Romack nor Vice President-Whitehall Jeannie Barone have been nominated for positions for May 2.

However, Bischoff and Maiden have been nominated for Corresponding Secretary and Recording Secretary, respectively.

The team of Bischoff, Maiden and Sadler reported receiving no other nominations for officers, but Romack said that any parent of a McAnnulty or Whitehall student can run for a position at the May 2 meeting "from the floor."

You can contact the PTO or learn more about it through its website.

Note: The location of the PTO's April 4 meeting was changed from Whitehall's Room 115 to the school's library. Interested attendants were told of the revised location upon checking in with the school's visitors log.


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