November 2, 2017 Parent Group Meeting Minutes

Parent Group Volunteer Signup Genius (Click Here)

Discussion	Who responsible	Timeframe
Welcome ·       Thank you to DeAnna Kraak for providing the assortment of chips and dip and refreshments! ·       Thank you to Tomeika VanNoord for providing childcare for the meeting!
Budget ·       Tom Smolinkski reviewed the 2016 budget: how much we raised and how and where it was distributed. ·       Tom reviewed the proposed 2017-2018 budget. ·       The Parent Group voted in favor of adopting the proposed 2017-2018 budget.  For a copy, please contact Tom Smolinski. ·       A question was raised about distributing leftover monies from the 2016/17 budgets into student "accounts" to pay for future large field trips.  The Board will discuss this at the next meeting.
Hand2Hand ·       Leslie reviewed the Hand2Hand program.  This organization provides free weekly backpacks filled with food to students whose parents have indicated that they are in need.  Leslie has sent home the application form to each family (look for a green paper).  Any family that feels like they need assistance with food can confidentially fill out the form and backpacks will be provided starting in November. For further information on this amazing program, you can visit: http://hand2handbackpack.org/ ·       If you or someone you know would like to apply, here is the LINK to the form. ·       Once Leslie becomes further acquainted with the program and the needs within ZQuest, she will communicate how we as a group can further help out so that no child is hungry.    ·       Leslie also reviewed what a "Title I School Means and how these State funds have benefited ZQuest.  For more information on Title I schools, visit: http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-6530_30334-69709--,00.html
Volunteer Leaders: ·       Parent Ambassadors:  Coordinated the recent Halloween Classroom Parties that were a huge success.  ·       Boxtops for Education- Boxtops were recently submitted but there are collection dates throughout the year that earn us "bonus" money.  Those dates will be communicated.  Please keep collecting Boxtops to submit when collection dates are announced.  For more information, visit boxtops4education.com. ·       Shoparoo- The Third Graders won the ginormous trophy for the most Shoparoo points for the month of October.  This trophy will move to whichever class racks up the most points on Shoparoo for the month.  For more information, visit https://www.shoparoo.com/. ·       The Color Run-  Scheduled for Saturday, June 23, 2018.  The Color Run team is up and running getting ready for this major fundraising event.  One of the major fundraisers for ZQuest. ·       Fork It Over- Scheduled for Friday March 2, 2018.  This team has been meeting since August.  Major donations are usually required to be 6 months notice or more, so they are working on soliciting donations for this fun night out for parents. ·       Quality Car Wash Vouchers- Quality CarWash has changed the way that they conduct this fundraiser.  This year they are offering free cards to be distributed.  The card is then taken to a Quality Car Wash and you can either purchase a car wash on the spot OR purchase vouchers for car washes for use in the future or to use as gifts.  40% of the proceeds benefits ZQuest.  There was discussion surrounding this change and if it was worth doing, since participants have to physically go to the Car Wash to make their purchase.  It was decided to proceed with the fundraiser despite the changes.	Anne Kollen Tomieka VanNoord    Mindi Windemuller Felicia Holland, Mindi Windemuller    Kyle Murray Sarah Mullins Tom Smolinski Krista Schopmeyer	Ongoing
October Volunteer Recap ·       Lego Club:  Not enough Legos have been donated yet to be able to proceed with the club at this time.  We will continue to collect Legos for this purpose in hopes of having a date in January or February. ·       Roller Skating Party:  No update was received on this event.	Heather Bouathong DeAnna Kraak Nichole Bordeau	January January
Upcoming Events Planning Parent Group Volunteer Signup Genius (Click Here)                  November 2017 ·       Celebrations:  Magical Christmas Parade on Monday November 27.  Tomieka VanNoord has volunteered to coordinate this event. ·       Service:  Veteran’s Day Observation.  150 cards were made by students and will be sent to either ZQuest families with Veterans and the remainder will be sent to a Veterans organization for distribution.   ·       Enrichment: Sewing Classes provided by Kyle Murray (and helpers) are in progress!  Contact Kyle if you would like your student to participate.   ·       Classroom Events:  Stone Soup on Friday, November 17, 2017.  Help out by signing up at:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090944a5ad2da57-stone1.      December 2017 ·       Celebrations:  We will check into doing a Horse Drawn Trolley Ride downtown Zeeland for next year (2018)  The logistics needs to be worked out and the timeframe is rather short. ·       Service:  Project Cozy.  Collection of winter coats to donate to those in need.  Donations are happening now.  Get any coats to Kyle for donation.  Coats need to be GENTLY used and clean.   ·       Social:  Cookie Decorating is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5 at 4:45pm.  Students decorating cookies with the help of parent volunteers.  Students will get to take cookies home.  . ·       Enrichment: Holiday Craft Event has been cancelled.  If you are willing to volunteer to coordinate this event, please contact Leslie. ·       Classroom Events:  Classroom holiday parties.  "Holidays Around the World" is being moved to a less busy time of year in January or February and will be renamed "Celebrations Around The World" to include more multicultural enrichment.  Stay tuned for information! January 2018 ·       Celebrations:  Need a proposed activity and a volunteer to make it happen.  ·       Service:  Teddy Bear Drive and Shoe Donation to benefit “Safe Families”.  Rachel Lauraine explained this organization and the collection of teddy bears to benefit children newly placed in emergency volunteer foster care.  The shoes are donated and the proceeds also go to benefit Safe Families.  For more information on Safe Families visit https://www.bethany.org/other-services/safe-families-for-children.  Rachel Lauraine has volunteered to organize this activity. ·       Social Activity:  Need a proposed activity and a volunteer to make it happen.  ·       Enrichment: ?Martin Luther King Day?  Need a proposed activity and a volunteer to make it happen.  ·       Classroom Events: ?100th Day of School?  Need a proposed activity and a volunteer to make it happen.  ·       Fundraising Events:  Spork It Over School Carnival.  January 26, 2018.  Kyle Murray and Jil Hartman have volunteered to organize this activity. February 2018 ·       Celebrations:  Celebrations Around the World.  Date to be determined.  Jennifer Kroll has volunteered to organize this activity. ·       Service:  Need a proposed activity and a volunteer to make it happen.  ·       Social Activity:  Need a proposed activity and a volunteer to make it happen.  ·       Enrichment: Depending on availability of Lokers Auditorium, the play “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood” will be performed.  Sandra Griffin has volunteered to organize this activity.  ·       Classroom Events: Valentine’s Day.  Classroom Ambassadors have volunteered to organize these activities. ·       Fundraising Events:  ______________________	Tomieka VanNoord Anita Saenger Isabella Cuevas Kyle Murray ALL -- Kyle Murray Jil Hartman Open Rachel Lauraine Kyle Murray Jil Hartman Jennifer Kroll Sandra Griffin Classroom Ambassadors	November November November Novermber December December January January February February February
PARENT LEARNING ·       If you need assistance with syncing the ZQuest Google Calendar(s) to your computer or device, please contact Leslie, who will get you in touch with someone who will help you accomplish this.
NEXT MEETING: ·       Thursday, January 11, 2018 from 6:30-8:00pm ·       Location:  ZQuest Expanded Education Space, Roosevelt Elementary. ·       “Hot Chocolate Bar” will be the refreshment provided by the Parent Group. ·       Link to the Facebook Event

September 14, 2016 Parent Group Meeting MInutes

Parent Help Signup Genius (Click Here)

Discussion	Who responsible	Timeframe
Introduction of the Board ·       President: Jil Hartman- Mother of Maggie (7th Grade) and Gerritt (6th Grade) ·       Vice President: Deanna Kraak- Mother of William (2nd Grade) ·       Secretary: Jennifer Kroll- Mother of Henry (2nd Grade) and Emersen (Kindergarten) ·       Treasurer:  Tom Smolinksi- Father of Abigail (4th Grade)
Change in Parent Group Structure ·       Parent Group meetings will now be 30 minutes longer but will be every other month instead.  This is to help facilitate the new format of the meetings to get more done in less meetings. ·       Childcare will be provided at each meeting.  Tomieka VanNoord has volunteered to provide childcare.  A movie will be shown, but please send any items that might help keep your child(ren) entertained during the meeting. ·       The “Committee Structure” has been eliminated in favor of the group of parents deciding what activities to offer, and then seeking volunteers to make those desires into reality.  It truly does take everyone helping a little to accomplish a lot!  ZQuest was founded around the idea that Parent Participation is key in the education of our children and we are fulfilling that belief!	Tomieka VanNoord	Each Parent Group Meeting (or finding a sub to cover)
Volunteer Leaders: ·       Parent Ambassadors are parent(s) of a child in a classroom who have volunteered to plan class parties and solicit the help of other parents to make the classroom fun experience as good as it can be. o   Parent Ambassador Coordinator:  Leslie Rindfliesch is the in order to ensure good communication between all classroom ambassadors and sharing of ideas. ·       Boxtops for Education- Collecting “Boxtops for Education” to be submitted in a return for a cash reward.  Last year we made over $600 that was used for playground equipment and other school needs.  Please let Leslie know if you would like to help out with this. o   It was suggested that ZQuest do a “Roaming Monthly Trophy” to increase participation/profit.  Jennifer Kroll will obtain a donated trophy to use and get it to Anne Kollen. o   Coordinator:  Anne Kollen ·       Shoparoo- An app that is downloaded to your smartphone.  Snap pictures of your receipts (no info about credit card numbers is there).  The receipt either gets ZQuest points or Sweepstakes entries for points.  A free way to raise money for ZQuest. o   Coordinator:  Volunteer needed. ·       The Color Run-  One of the major fundraisers for ZQuest.  The Color Run is a 5K Run/Walk and takes place in June at Ridgepoint Community Church and is open to the public.  This is one of our major fundraisers for the year. o   Coordinators:  Felicia Holland, Mindi Windemuller ·       Fork It Over- Our "parent’s night out".  It will be Friday 3/2/2018.  This is a really fun evening for parents to get out and meet each other, have fun and support our school.  Whether you have $1 to spend or $1 million (we wish!), we would love all parents to be there.  If you would like to help, contact Leslie. o   Coordinator- Kyle Murray ·       Quality Car Wash Vouchers- We sell car wash vouchers in November and it is a great way for us to bring in a good amount of money.  A good percentage of the profits are kept by ZQuest.   Tom will have this ready for the Parent Meeting in November.  They can be used as stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts.  If you would like to help Tom with this, please let Leslie or Tom Smolinski know. o   Coordinator- Tom Smolinski	Signup Genius requesting Ambassadors Signup Genius requesting help for Anne Kollen with Boxtops Signup Genius requesting Shoparoo Cheerleader Signup Genius requesting help vounteers to help Felicia Holland & Mindi Windemuller Signup Genius requesting volunteers to help Kyle Murray Signup Genius requesting volunteers to help Tom Smolinkski.  Tom will have information about this fundraiser and present at the November Parent Group Meeting.	September 2017 September 2017 September 2017 September 2017 September 2017 Volunteers by September 2017. Tom presenting November 2017
Upcoming Events Planning          October 2017 o   Celebrations:  The ZQuest float for the Pumpkin Parade has been cancelled due to lack of interest. o   Service:  It was decided to have Leaf Raking as a service activity. §  Volunteer Needed. o   Social:  It was decided to offer a Roller Skating Party.  Nichole Bordeau has volunteered to coordinate this event.  o   Enrichment:  It was decided to offer Lego Club.  Heather Bouathong and DeAnna Kraak have volunteered to coordinate this event. o   Classroom Events:  Fall parties/Halloween classroom parties will be coordinated by Classroom Ambassadors and Leslie Rindfliesch.          November 2017 o   Celebrations:  Magical Christmas Parade.  Tomieka VanNoord has volunteered to coordinate this event. o   Service:  Veteran’s Day Observation (Observed Thurs 11/9/2017 at ZQuest).  It was decided to make cards for our men and women service women.  §  Volunteer needed. o   Social:  It was decided to offer an Art Club. §  Volunteer Needed o   Enrichment: It was decided to offer a Sewing Class.  Kyle Murray has offered to coordinate this event. o   Classroom Events:  It was decided to offer Stone Soup.  Jennifer Kroll has offered to coordinate this event.          December 2017 o   Celebrations:  We will check into doing a Horse Drawn Trolley Ride downtown Zeeland on Dec 6, 7, or 8  and perhaps a movie with hot chocolate and snacks to follow.  Jennifer Kroll has volunteered to coordinate this event. o   Service:  Project Cozy.  Collection of winter coats to donate to those in need. Kyle Murray has volunteered to coordinate this event. o   Social:  Cookie Decorating.  Students decorating cookies with the help of parent volunteers.  Students will get to take cookies home.  Jil Hartman has volunteered to coordinate this event. o   Enrichment: Holiday Craft Event. A time to make a craft around the holiday season.  Jessica McRae has offered to coordinate this event. o   Classroom Events:  Classroom holiday parties will be coordinated by Classroom Ambassadors and Leslie Rindfliesch.	CANCELLED Service:  Signup Genius requesting a coordinator  to plan Raking Leaves. Social:  Nichole Bordeau Enrichment: Heather Bouathong and Deanna Kraak Classroom:  Fall/Halloween parties by Classroom Ambassadors & Leslie Rindfliesch Celebrations:  Tomieka VanNoord Service:  Signup Genius requesting coordinator for Veteran Card Making Social:  Signup Genius requesting coordinator for Art Club day or days. Enrichment:  Kyle Murray Classroom:  Jennifer Kroll Celebrations: Jennifer Kroll Service:  Kyle Murray Social:  Jessica McRae Classroom: Classroom Ambassadors, Leslie Rindfliesch	September 2017 October 2017 October 2017 November 2017 November 2017 November 2017 November 2017 November 2017 December 2017    December 2017 December 2017 December 2017 December 2017
Suggestions for Ideas        The following were suggestions from parents for ideas for upcoming          events:         ·       Anita Saenger suggested soliciting a parent volunteer to take quality          photos of students.         ·       Anita Saenger suggested a Date Night Childcare provided by ZQuest        on a monthly basis so that parents could reserve a spot and drop their          children off while they went out on a date.  Donations could benefit            the class that the volunteers serve.	Anita Saenger
Parent Educational Opportunity         ·       There was a brief tutorial on how to create a SignUp Genius and how         to use it.  If anyone (in attendance at the meeting or if unable to                   attend) has any questions or needs assistance in creating one, you can         contact Leslie Rindfliesch or any member of the ZQuest Board.  We           use this website heavily in organizing events.  The ZQuest Board is           looking into purchasing an upgraded membership to facilitate an                 easier and more effective communication and planning through                   Signup Genius.
NEXT MEETING:         ·       Thursday, November 2, 2017 from 6:30-8:00pm.         ·       Location: ZQuest Expanded Education Space, Roosevelt Elementary         ·       “Chip, Chip, Hooray!” will be the theme and the Parent Group will            provide various chips and dips for snacking.