The Mothers Club of Benet Academy. Wednesday, August 20, Benet Academy Library

Transcription

1 The Mothers Club of Benet Academy Wednesday, August 20, 2014 Benet Academy Library Business Meeting President Karen Weinewuth called the meeting to order and welcomed all in attendance to the first meeting of the school year. Karen expressed the goal of the Mothers Club building a community, making memories and making connections with other Benet moms. There were approximately 90 members present. Fr. Ed Kucera opened the meeting with a blessing and the Lord s Prayer. He continued by encouraging all moms present to urge their children to attend Confession. Confession is offered 9 hours a week at Benet. After all his years as a priest and his time in the Navy, nothing the children will say will shock him. Please discuss Confession with your kids and support them in receiving this sacrament every month or two. Karen continued the meeting by introducing a special speaker, Susie Fischer. Susie is a Benet mom and staff member within the Office of Development. Susie Fischer Manager of Special Events and Volunteer Relations Susie announced that the annual Auction Dinner The Great Gatsby Gala will be held on Saturday, November 8, This the 24 th annual auction dinner. The auction dinner is Benet s premier fundraising and social event. Proceeds from this event provide for the many operational needs of Benet Academy and tuition assistance for the students in need. There are many volunteer opportunities if you are interested in helping on this fabulous evening. Also coming up is the Gear Up for Gatsby on Sunday, September 14, This auction kick-off luncheon will begin with Mass at 10:30 in the Chapel of St. Therese. Following will be a luncheon and style preview in the Benet cafeteria. This event will provide details on the upcoming Auction dinner and outline volunteer opportunities. You can register online if you would like to attend this lovely gathering. Mothers Club Executive Board Karen introduced the following executive board members: 1 st Vice President Sandy Szymborski 2 nd Vice President Therese DeSitter Secretary Mary Tuttle Treasurer Becky Smilak

2 Mothers Club Committees Karen asked for committee chairs to present an explanation of the committee and any report they many have. Prayer Group Bev Kapustiak and Barb Abdoo Bev explained that the Prayer Group meets once a month. They meet to pray for the needs of the children, families, faculty and the Benet family. Prayer is important and is a wonderful gift for our children. You can feel Christ with us at the Prayer Group. The first meeting is right after All School Mass on Friday, August 29 th beginning around 10:15-10:30. The group meets in the chapel. Meetings last approximately hours. It is a very comfortable group so please come and join us! Christmas Breakfast Amy Manion and Susan Euritt Amy advised that the Christmas Breakfast is held during the annual Christmas Drive. This year it will be held on Tuesday, December 9 th. The breakfast is $5 and is an all-you-can-eat event for the students. All proceeds are donated to the Christmas Drive. Volunteers are needed to serve the students, prepare breakfast dishes, decorate and donate various items. A sign-up sheet is located in the back of the room. Directory Lynda Valentino and Janet Hulet Lynda explained that this printed directory of the Benet community will be available late September or early October. The Demographic Form we were required to complete and turn in at registration is the information used to compile the directory. Please make sure that this information is correct. The cost of the directory was included in your student fees. Directories will be distributed during the lunch periods to the students. The directory will be available on Edline and a few extra copies will be printed for sale. Graduation Signs Clare Nelson and Anne Dever Clare announced that orders for these special yard signs will be taken around Christmas time. They will be available at the end of the school year. More details will follow. Young Hearts For Life Sandy Szymborski, Fernanda Valentino, Lynda Valentino and Michelle Serino Sandy advised the group that this vital heart abnormality screening is held every 2 years. It will take place in April and approximately 120 volunteers are needed. Young Hearts For Life will train all volunteers and no medical background is needed. This service is complimentary to all Benet students. Parents are encouraged to sign-up their students for this screening. All results are ed to families by Young Hearts For Life. More details will follow as we approach this event.

3 Homecoming Pam Diltz and Linda Reid Pam explained that her committee works closely with the Student Government to support the student activities. The homecoming theme will be announced at the next meeting. Pam reminded the group that Freshman are not permitted to attend the Homecoming dance on Saturday evening, October 4 th, however, they are included in all homecoming activities during Homecoming Week. Volunteers are needed for a variety of activities but especially for decorating the school on Sunday, September 28. Hospitality Tracy McGinnis and Julie Kohler Julie announced that this committee will host 3 luncheons for the Benet staff throughout the school year. The first lunch is Wednesday, September 10 th. The main course is catered, however, volunteers are needed to bring salads, desserts, soda, and ice or help set-up, serve and clean-up. If you are interested in helping with this luncheon, please sign up in the back of the room. Mother/Son Night Teri Lavelle and Sharon Martin Teri informed the group that this event for all Benet moms and their sons will be a Casino Night and will be held on Saturday, February 21, Casino games, dancing and a new DJ are some of the highlights. Consider organizing a group of your son s friends and their moms for dinner before the event. It is a great night out with your son! Mother/Daughter Event Liz Stout and Juliann Petersen Juliann explained that this luncheon for all Benet moms and their daughters will be held on January 25, This afternoon event is an opportunity for moms and daughters to enjoy each other s company for a few hours. Committee meetings will begin in October. Moms of boys are encouraged to help with this event. A sign-up sheet is located in the back of the room if you are interested in helping out. Mother/Son Communion Brunch Laura Uher and Mary Frey Laura announced that the annual Junior/Senior Mother/Son Communion Brunch will be held at the Abbington on Sunday, April 26, There will be Mass, brunch, videos and raffles. It is a wonderful morning for moms and their sons. Volunteers are needed, especially moms of girls, so please sign up in the back of the room if you are interested. Spirit Store Renee Moore, Cari Minik, Susan Weber and Kim Channell Karen Weinewuth reported on behalf of the chair people. If you haven t seen the new, permanent Spirit Store located in Martin s lobby, please stop by and take a look. The chair people did a fantastic job setting up this new site and getting it ready for business. Thank them if you see them around for all their hard work. The Spirit Store is one of the two revenue sources for the Mothers Club. Please support this endeavor whenever possible. Ideas for the store or new merchandise are always welcome. Feel free to contact the chair people. The Spirit Store will be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:00am 1:00pm.

4 Mother/Daughter Fashion Show Sarah Gradel, Patti Johnson, Jill Clark and Christine Conroy Sarah advised that this annual Junior/Senior Mother/Daughter fashion show will be held on April 19, 2015 at the Abbington. There will be Mass, brunch and a style show with fashions modeled by senior girls. Please sign up in the back of the room if you are interested in helping on this committee. Used Books Lisa Korte and Regis Watson Lisa explained that the Used Book sale is a huge fundraiser and one of the two revenue sources for the Mothers Club. Lots of volunteers are needed for this event which takes place at the end of May and beginning of June. This is a consignment sale of classroom textbooks. No meetings are involved with this committee. Preferred shopping days are given to those who volunteer for two shifts during the book return days and sale day. Ideally, a Freshman mom would take over as Vice Chair for the next school year so anyone interested please consider volunteering for this very important fundraiser. Yard Signs Joli Murphy and Tricia Stephens Tricia advised that yard signs for all fall sports and activities are now on sale. Orders are due September 2 nd and distribution of the signs is anticipated for mid-september. Order forms are available on the Mothers Club webpage. Look for information on winter and spring sport/activity sales in the future. Cookie Day Lisa Leuer and Karen Scoles Lisa announced the first cookie day of the year will be Thursday, September 25 th. This is a SURPRISE for the students. There will be 5 cookie days this school year. Volunteers are asked to bake 3-4 dozen cookies and arrive at school at 2:40pm to pass out your treats to the kids at dismissal. The time commitment is only about 30 minutes. If you are interested in participating in this fun day for the students, please sign up in the back of the room. Concussion Testing Carrie Kelly, Mara Cooney and Mary Ann Fornatto Karen Weinewuth reported on behalf of the chair people. This committee coordinates baseline testing for all athletes participating in impact sports. This committee works in conjunction with Nurse Schaffer. The purpose of the testing is preventing athletes from coming back too soon to an activity following a concussion. This committee is underwritten by the Mothers Club.

5 New Business President Karen Weinewuth encouraged the members to volunteer and become involved. The volunteer sign-up form on the Benet website is a great tool, however, it takes a while to process through all of the names. If you are interested in helping out on a committee with an event that will be taking place in the near future i.e. Homecoming, Hospitality, Cookie Day, please use the sign-up sheets in the back of the room. If, for some reason, you do not hear from a committee that you expressed interest in, please reach out to that chairperson. All chair people are listed on the Mothers Club roster found on the Mothers Club webpage. All help is welcome! Karen thanked the Used Books committee for their incredible effort and hard work put forth during the sale at the end of the school year. Karen also thanked Christine Parisi for her work on the Uniform Collection that benefitted schools in Latin America and the Caribbean. Karen reminded the members that the meeting next month will begin with Mass at 7:00pm in St. Therese Chapel on the 3 rd floor. The meeting is September 17 th. Why moms love the Mothers Club Karen introduced a few mothers and asked them to share why they enjoy the Mothers Club and what benefits they receive by attending the meetings. Here is what they had to say. Karen Flavin This is Karen s 12 th year as a participant in the Mothers Club. Karen s youngest child is a senior this year and this will be her last year attending the meetings. Karen feels that the biggest benefit she has received from the Mothers Club are the friendships she has made. Her friends are the parents of her children s friends. Faith, academics, role models these are just a few of the reasons we send our children to Benet. Her advice is to get involved and enjoy these high school years with your children. Lastly, Karen loves coming to the meetings to find out what is trendy to wear!! Clare Nelson Clare has been a parent at Benet for 8 years. She remembers her first meeting and encountering Karen Flavin. Karen was so welcoming that Clare knew she would have at least one friend if she came back to the next meeting. Clare has gotten involved and met other wonderful moms along the way. This is Clare s last year attending the Mothers Club meetings as her youngest child is a senior. Clare encourages everyone to try new ideas and see if they stick. Come to the meetings to learn about important events and happenings at school.

6 Closing Remarks It was reiterated that it would be beneficial for moms of boys to volunteer for Mother/Daughter committees and moms of girls to volunteer for Mother/Son committees. This is a great way to allow parents to enjoy the event with their child. Karen closed the meeting with a special wish for all the moms present and a Hail Mary. Next Meeting September 17 th 7:00pm Mass in St. Therese Chapel/7:30 Meeting (library) Upcoming Meetings October 15 th 7:00 Social/7:30 Meeting (library) Respect For Life Month. Speaker will be Kelly Gorsky, co-founder of Waterleaf, a crisis pregnancy clinic November 19 th 7:00 Social/7:30 Meeting (library) Speaker Mr. Marth, Principal Adjournment and Raffle Gift Karen thanked everyone for attending this evening s meeting. She looks forward to seeing everyone next month. Numerous spirit store items were raffled off and the meeting was adjourned at 8:25pm.