West Middle School PTCO

WMS PTCO General Meeting
Tuesday, November 8, 2022

WMS in person 

• Call to order 

1. Attendance

Executive Board members – Brian Brown (president elect), Lisa Britt (treasurer elect), Jill Smith (communications), Kara Martin (secretary)

WMS personnel, including Monica Garcia (principal)

WMS parents, caregivers, and community members (attendance roster signed)

Special Guests: WMS SRO Rodney Valenzuela and Greenwood Village Detective Tony Costarella

1. Notes below taken by Kara Martin 

• Minutes from August 30, meeting: Minutes approved unanimously upon motion of Tanya Rinebarger, second by Jill Smith

1. Hospitality Funds: PTCO received $10,270 in hospitality contributions, exceeding the hospitality budget of $7,500, which is based on the Parent Council guideline of no more than 5% total budget spending on hospitality/non-student related expenditures. Two options for handling this excess: a) spend down the excess in the year of receipt (i.e., 22-23) or b) earmark funds for 23-24. Hospitality expenditures as of Nov. 2 are $1,206, leaving a balance of $9,064. Possible expenditures include Fall and Spring conference dinners, Veterans Day snacks, December 16 Staff Holiday Luncheon, Teacher Appreciation Week, etc. ** moves to approve expenditure of the additional funds exceeding the $7,500 budgeted for hospitality, in this school year (i.e., 22-23). Jill second the motion. The motion is unanimously approved. 

1. Volunteer of the Year: Jill Smith was named WMS volunteer of the year! Congratulations for a job well done, Jill!

1. Drugs and Social Media Presentation, WMS SRO Rodney Valenzuela and Greenwood Village Detective Tony Costarella

**Action Item:  At the next General PTCO meeting on February 7, 2023, approve minutes from the November 8, 2022 meeting

Please join us for our next General PTCO Meeting

CATCH Global Foundation in partnership with the PTCO at West Middle School is providing a webinar to educate parents and caregivers on the dangers of the youth vaping epidemic.  Join us on February 7^th from 9:30-11:00am to arm yourself with an important tool in this battle—knowledge—and with this information, you are becoming a vital part of the solution.

This will be a hybrid webinar offered in person at WMS and virtually (whatever is best for your schedule):  Click here to join the meeting: Click here to join the meeting

As the U.S. Surgeon General has stated, the problem of youth vaping has risen to the status of a national epidemic. In other words, we are in a crisis, and it is imperative that we act quickly to stop the problem from spiraling further out of control. E-cigarettes were developed as a safer alternative to combustible cigarettes, but they have quickly become an on-ramp for nicotine addiction for young people. The CDC has warned that e-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women, or non-smoking adults.

Marcella Bianco, the Director of Community Relations for CATCH Global Foundation will be our guest speaker (in Nashville, TN). The mission at CATCH is to empower school communities to cultivate whole child wellness as a lever for student success and social equity. Our SRO, Rodney Valenzuela, will also join us, so he can answer any questions as well.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend this informative webinar!