PTO President Molly Brennan in the Office Conference Room called a regular meeting of the EMS Parent Group to order at 7:10 p.m.

Attendees: Principal Ken Sanders, Molly Brennan, Melody Herr, Laura Hedgecook, DJ Holmes, Sue Reynolds, and Sue Coscarelly

Approval of minutes: The minutes from the January 2008 meeting were approved.

Principal’s Report:

The NJHS sold “Pie-a-Teacher” tickets to raise money for Sweet Dreamzzz, a charitable organization that donates sleep kits to needy children. They raised $230. Ms. Shammami, Ms. Sih and Mr. Vermullen were selected to get “pied” on Wednesday.

Don’t miss the all-bands concert Tuesday, 02/12/08 and the orchestra’s concert Wednesday, 02/13/08. Both concerts begin at 7:00 p.m. The choir concert is Wednesday 02/27/08.

Harrison Freshman orientation is Thursday, 02/28/08.

Volleyball has begun. The girls have already played their first game at Abbott last Friday. The games this month are:

Tuesday, 02/12 @ Dunckel - 3:30 p.m. Thursday, 03/06 vs. Abbott - 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, 02/14 vs. Warner - 3:30 p.m. Monday, 03/10 @ Orch. Lake - 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, 02/26 @ Power - 3:30 p.m. Thursday, 03/13 vs. Power - 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, 02/28 @ Warner - 3:30 p.m. Monday, 03/17 vs. Warner - 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, 03/04 vs. Dunckel - 3:30 p.m. Weds., 03/19 League Meet - TBD

Wrestling will begin the week after break. The exact day has not been determined. The third week of March will be the first meet.

Thank you to all the parents that spent a little time in the building during the Presidential Primary Election. The turn-out for the election wasn’t great, but your presence was greatly appreciated.

A reminder that mid-term progress reports will no longer be sent home by the school. These grades are always available for view through Family Access.

This Friday (02/15) is an early release; students will be dismissed at 11:55 a.m.

Mrs. Blanzy and Mr. David are talking to the current 6th and 7th grade students this week about elective choices for next year. Students will be receiving their registration materials to take home and talk to the parents at that time. The forms are due back to the Guidance Office by March 7. Students will be entering in their requests on the computer the following week.

Thanks to all the parents that helped chaperone and sell baked goods and soda pop at our school dance. Mrs. Iatrou appreciates the support the Parent Group gives the Student Council.

The Book Fair was a great success. Mr. White thanks all the parents for helping out last week.

Congratulations to all the winners in the Geography Bee and Spelling Bee. A list of winners can be found in the Newsletter online.

Have a great break next week. Classes resume on February 25. The last day of the 2nd trimester is March 7, which is a ½ day for students (dismissal at 10:40 a.m.)

Active Committee Updates:

* Spiritwear: Discussion regarding online spirit wear sale that could run year-round. Accounting for current sales in underway.

* Creative Expressions Program - it would be nice to run entries in a PowerPoint presentation on the East TV network. Extra credit is offered by Language Art teachers for participation. The program is still looking for judges and we need to develop a judging criteria. The deadline for entries was extended to Friday, March 7.

* Good Citizen Field Trip Field trip for the second trimester will take place after Easter Break.

* There is a Parent Forum on Bullying being held March 10.

* Suzanne Schut has agreed to chair the 8th Grade Recognition

* Mr. David has graciously has agreed to donate $1 from each From Glory Days book sold online or in stores following it's reprint in February 2008 until the end of this school year.

* Because the Parent Group is no longer associated with the National PTA, new bylaws were written and will be voted upon by the group next month. We are also in need of a new acronym for the Parent Group.

New Business:

* Several parents asked about the bus service for East, stating that their child’s bus has been late in the mornings. The reason for this appears to be the lack of substitute bus drivers in the district.

* Starting with the 2008-2009 School Year… The FPS will be following the Oakland County School Calendar, meaning all Oakland County schools will share the same breaks/vacations dates. This means spring break will no longer necessarily coincide with the Easter holiday. Beginning next year, spring breaks will occur during the first full week in April (i.e. next year, spring break will be the week before Easter). The schools will always have a long weekend for the Easter weekend, as there will be no school held on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter. Also, Winter break will become a full two-week long break. The mid-winter (February break) will not necessarily continue to be one-week long; rather, it will be set based on the rest of the school calendar (i.e. in 2009-2010, the FPS will likely not have a full-week off in February due to the late start of the school year [school begins Sept. 8th]).

Next Meeting: The next meeting of the EMS Parent Group will be in the LGI room on Monday, March 10th at 1 p.m.

This meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m.