Monday, April 10, 2006, 7:00 pm

Minutes from the February 6, 2006 PTO Meeting were approved as submitted.

Take Charge of Education Donation (Andrea Wood):  Andrea, as a representative of Target and parent of a Capitol Hill student, gave PTO a check from the program for $1186.30.  These funds come from people using a Target charge card and designating Capitol Hill as the recipient.  We will put information in the newsletter about how to donate to Capitol Hill through this program.

4-6 Grade Dance:  The DJ showed up so late, they only charged half-price, so the dance cost much less than expected.  PTO needs to give more guidance on how much to spend on advertising the dance and how much to mark things up.

Mural Update (Mary Reis):  The mural is done and the work order is in for it to be hung. The panels look great!

Acoustics:  Annie will talk to Louis separately about pursuing a solution for the system in the gym.

Carnival Update (Laura Park):  Permits aren't done yet, but will be soon. Randi will add a carnival page on the PTO site that links to forms, the newsletter, and more info.  There will be a chili contest, more inflatables, a room for 7-8 graders, hair braiding, tattoos, spin art with frisbies, sand art, and much more.  Buy lots of tickets!

Site Council Liaison (Serena Butts Ward):  The SCIP will be finalized soon.  The next site council meeting will decide whether the second language will be included in the SCIP. The Second Language Task Force did not recommend implementing a second language in Fall 2006. The Site Council is looking at different budget options for implementing in the fall.  Other options may also be explored, like offering Spanish through Community Education.  PTO wants Site Council to be more public about agendas, minutes, etc.

Treasurer's Report (Anne Hartnett):  We discussed the need for a school policy on bad checks.  We're only $100 short of our goal for the direct drive.

Benjamin Mays Playground (Anne Hartnett):  Anne met with representatives from Ben Mays.  The school district will pay half of the total cost of new equipment.  They are looking for about $5,000 from Capitol Hill.  The equipment would come from Gametime.com.  They need the money during the summer of 2007.

MLK Tot Lot Playground (Darlene Haecker):  There is supposed to be a tot lot and also a playground for older kids at MLK.  Only the Tot Lot exists.  The playground for older kids is number 39 on the city's list of 80  playgrounds to improve, so it is unlikely to happen anytime soon.  A better way to get it done is to work with the community to get them on board for the need for improvement.

Sidewalk to crosswalk (Darlene):  The sidewalk to the crosswalk at the intersection of Carroll and Mackubin will be poured this summer.

Use of the CH email list (Annie Yetter):  A parent from Hamline wants to use the CH list to ask for volunteers to house two ELL teachers from Indonesia.  Consensus was that this is not a use supported by what people understood when they gave their email addresses at the start of the year.

Rondo Days (Serena Butts Ward):  Rondo Days is looking for money and support.  CH has a booth and may march in the parade this year.  It's a recruiting tool for CH.

The meeting was adjourned at 9 pm.

Respectfully submitted by Randi Madisen, PTO Secretary