PTA Meeting Minutes, October 1, 2026
Sag Harbor Elementary PTA, Meeting Minutes
October 1, 2026, 9:15 a.m.
Location: Sag Harbor Elementary, 68 Hampton Street, Sag Harbor NY 11963
BOARD AND STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Matt Malone (Principal), Lissette Silva (President), Renée Forys (Vice President), Emily King (Treasurer), Samantha Henderson (Recording Secretary), Maggie Holdsworth (Corresponding Secretary), Lianna Lenhart (Membership Chair),
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Sarah Steyert, Lauren Vichinsky, Emily Michael, Beatrice Bernard, Gabrielle, Ciamillo, Bibiana Martinez, Jennifer Tripp, Yavanna Gettling, Susan Michael, Daniel Hernandez, LuAnne Geffen, Caroline Whelan, Julia Greenberg, Jillian Gunning, Summer Romeo, Stephanie McDonald, Nicole Lipp, Christine Hanhausen (?), Eva DeLesia.
Meeting Notes
Class Parent Selection and Yearbook Process
Class parent selection is complete; emails will go out Oct 1–2, 2026, notifying parents if they are class parents or helpers. Class parents will coordinate parent support for classroom activities throughout the year.
First yearbook meeting is next Wednesday; class parents invited for training.
Monthly photo submission process: class parents will email monthly photo batches to the Sag Harbor yearbook Gmail account; include event name and grade in the subject/body; photos should feature at least three children per picture. A WhatsApp group is available for yearbook volunteers. Confirm and clearly communicate the exact yearbook email address format.
Pizza Day Program and Financial Update
Reminder to sign up for Pizza Day; the “Pizza Hero” donation program is seeking funds to cover slices for families in need. A yearly slice donation is $64; approximately $1,088 is needed to cover 17–18 remaining students. Miss Grant (school counselor) can provide context on support.
Bank balance: $36,785.73 (driven largely by pizza sales; expected to decrease). Weekly pizza cost is ~ $683 (about half of last year).
Enrollment push continues; PTA will not purchase surplus for late sign-ups due to limited funds.
Tax return completed; accountant paid $715; documents are available for review.
Promote general donations via the Givebacks site and QR codes at events; general donations can be allocated across programs (pizza, gingerbread, Mitten Line). Document a donations allocation policy for transparency.
Connectivity for Events
Ongoing issue: no service/Wi‑Fi at school affects payments (Wix, Square), texts, and operations for events (merchandise, yearbook sales, Gingerbread Night, book fair, pizza sales).
Approved up to $720/year for a hotspot (approx. $60/month, 50 GB), paid by the PTA; if Starlink is cheaper and meets needs, proceed with Starlink; otherwise proceed with an AT&T hotspot.
Define technical requirements (device capacity, peak data needs, security settings) and confirm compatibility with payment apps. Leverage PTA 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status for purchases.
Merchandise Vendor and Strategy
Three quotes reviewed: First Place Spirit Wear, Custom Ink, and Fisher’s. Fisher’s offered to beat the lowest price by 3%, with a 7‑day turnaround (vs. 14). Example: $11.25/shirt for a 25-unit order. Fisher’s is local with a good track record (e.g., field day shirts).
Fisher’s unanimously voted in for the initial order. Explore a two‑year contract with Ron at Fisher’s for better rates.
Strategy: emphasize pre‑orders to gauge demand and cover costs; maintain some on‑hand inventory. Solicit community input on product mix (sweaters, sweatshirts, blankets, T‑shirts/Friday shirts, hats/beanies, socks, sweatpants, athletic/mesh shorts), ensuring school-appropriate items and considering grandparents/broader community.
Consider a merch customization event (patches, “bling”) with volunteer leads; prefer patches over tattoos. Establish pricing strategy, margin targets, and an inventory/returns policy before ordering.
Events and Programs
Picture Day is Oct 6, 2026; enough volunteers are confirmed.
Halloween preparations:
Donations of easy‑to‑set‑up/take‑down/store decorations are needed. A volunteer sign‑up to decorate on Thursday, Oct 29, 2026, will be posted Oct 1 so the school is decorated for Friday, Oct 30. Create a sign‑up for taking down decorations to prevent damage.
The school maintains a “costume closet”; donations of outgrown costumes are welcome.
Consider a kid-friendly Halloween event to reduce chaos: external venues favored (Sag Harbor Cinema, Shine) due to school facility logistics (staffing, security, cleanup). Past partnership examples include Toy Story with MainTel Eight and the cinema. Shine hosts drop-off movie nights; potential revenue-sharing for PTA.
→ Fundraising committee (Another potential Committee chair volunteered, Luanne Geffen; Trish Golumbic volunteered at prior meeting) to refine format (cinema, dance/Monster Mash, pumpkin decorating, haunted trail with rented statues), timing (before Halloween to reduce overstimulation), ticketing, and attendance limits. [Speaker 9] will inquire about a Friday outdoor option and report back.
Gingerbread House Event:
Event scheduled for Friday, Dec 4, 2026; exact time TBD based on parent feedback. Gingerbread kits were pre‑ordered from Costco; sales are needed to cover the purchase. Sales open Oct 2, 2026, to determine if more kits are needed.
Participants must attend the event to pick up kits; they won’t be sent home. Donation option available. Confirm Costco payment deadline to manage timeline.
Community outreach:
Harborfest booth participation may require local commerce membership; explore rates/discounts for local organizations/high school students. Recruit volunteers (consider fifth graders).
Homecoming involvement is unclear (event postponed due to high school Texas game); clarify PTA role and any donation plans.
Policy on alcohol: No alcohol at school-sponsored, child-attended events. Alcohol may be served at adult-only fundraisers (e.g., Bell and Anchor).
PTA Website and Communications
PTA lost the previous domain; new site is live at sagharbor-pta.org. Request a ParentSquare announcement via Ms Miller to communicate the update. Determine the communications owner and deadline for this message.
General promotion request: attendees could promote Pizza Day and the Gingerbread event on class WhatsApp groups; “call to action” posts drive participation and sales.
Teacher Engagement with PTA
Teachers want to participate but have limited availability. Actions: send agendas ahead for feedback; consider evening or Zoom meetings; potentially appoint a teacher liaison. PTA will create and share a committee list with the union for teacher sign-ups. Explore remote participation options; use a Google Form for interest (not formal voting). Define the liaison process, contacts, cadence, and agenda timelines.
Custodian Appreciation
Custodian Appreciation Day recognized; sandwiches will be provided for custodians. Volunteer sign-up is active and will be re-sent/shared via WhatsApp; ensure sign-in sheet completion.
Next Arrangements
Send emails announcing class parents and helpers (Oct 1–2).
Post volunteer sign-up for Halloween decorations (setup Oct 29) and create a take‑down sign‑up; post request for outgrown costume donations.
Promote Pizza Day and Gingerbread sales on class WhatsApp; launch general donation QR codes and set up on the Givebacks site.
Open the Gingerbread kits sales link on Oct 2; confirm Costco payment deadline; finalize event time after parent feedback.
Research Starlink pricing/feasibility; if not cheaper, procure the AT&T hotspot under the approved $720/year; define hotspot technical requirements and security; confirm payment app compatibility.
Merchandise:confirm pricing and place the first order; ask Ron about a two‑year contract; implement a pre‑order process with fulfillment timelines; set pricing/margin targets; establish inventory and returns/exchanges policy; collect community input; assess a customization event and recruit volunteer leads.
Events/outreach: fundraising committee to define the Halloween event format, timing, venue, and ticketing; [Speaker 9] to report on a Friday outdoor option; contact local commerce about Harborfest booth and determine participation; clarify PTA role in homecoming and any donation plans.
Website/communications: send ParentSquare announcement about sagharbor-pta.org; define communications owner and deadline.
Yearbook: hold the first meeting next Wednesday; class parents to email September photos following the “three or more children” guideline; confirm and publish the exact yearbook email address.
Teacher engagement: share PTA committee list with the union; establish PTA–teacher liaison roles; explore evening/remote meeting options.
Flagged Open Items
Decide Gingerbread Night time after gathering parent feedback; confirm Costco payment deadline.
Research pricing on Starlink and proceed with Hotspot purchase (up to $720/yr approved).
Establish merchandise pricing/margins and inventory/returns policy.
Document a donations allocation policy across programs.
Clarify Fundraising Committee leadership and publish plan/schedule.
Flesh out how to improve PTA–teacher relationships / how best to assist and support teachers and staff!
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