PTO Meeting Notes 11/4/2026

November 4, 2026


November 4, 2026


In-Person Attendees: 

Lacey Hatfield

Glenis Moon

Shari Moon

Angie Lofaro 

Karen Caldwell, Principal

Rebecca Barker, Vice Principal

Kimbra Johnston, Teacher Rep


Online Attendees: 

Christina Clark

Cindy Salus

Lynnette Tarducci

Hayley Weinstein

Ashley Hull


  • Admin Update – Mrs. Caldwell 

    • PTO vote to pay for new gym sound system passed

      • Mrs. Caldwell has informed the company providing the service; most parts have been ordered and are in with a few still on the way

      • Hopefully will be installed Monday or Tuesday in time for Veterans’ Day program 

    • Veterans’ Day program will be closed to parents and the public during the day but there is a separate performance for families that night at 6:30pm

      • If any BES families have relatives who are veterans (living or deceased) and want them to be featured in the program’s slideshow, please send their name, photo, and military branch to Mrs. Caldwell at karenc@wcs.edu 

      • The school is also writing thank you notes to veterans as a school-wide project 

        • Cindy Salus asked if they need envelopes; Mrs. Barker said probably not but if they find that they do she will let Cindy know

    • Volleyball nets have been installed 

    • Basketball hoops have arrived; need to get proper equipment to install and they should be in soon 

    • New PE teacher, Brenton Lancaster, has started. He is still student teaching and graduating soon. In December or January he will have finalized his paperwork and will be fully onboard. He is doing a great job so far. 

    • Unfortunately, kickball had to be cancelled again due to rain. Mrs. Caldwell plans to reschedule. The food trucks were very gracious and plan to attend when we reschedule again. 

    • The professional development the PTO paid for occurred on 11/3 with follow up activities occurring over the next few weeks. The teachers and staff really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. The administration and teachers thank the PTO for supporting them in this effort. 

      • ZZZ BBQ came and lunch was really good; left their card in case PTO can partner with them in the future 

    • Mrs. Caldwell is looking for Bethesda connections to a local restaurant where they may be able to host a teacher/staff holiday party. If you have any connections please contact Mrs. Caldwell. 

      • Lacey suggested Grecian or the Spot since we have relationships with them

  • Mrs. Johnston had no teacher updates this month

  • Spirit Nights and Upcoming Events

    • Martin’s BBQ 11/9

    • Brentwood Skate Center – 11/17

    • Chick-Fil-A – 12/1 

      • Mrs. Johnston will make sign ups for teachers for Martins and Chick-fil-A; Skate night does not need official sign up but any teachers or staff who want to come are welcome 

    • Spirit Night winners count double in November!

    • Lacey has stickers ready to go for upcoming events

    • All flyers have been sent home already except Chick-fil-A

  • BBQ Wrap Up 

    • Lacey created a google doc for collecting comments and feedback 

    • Ticket sales appear to have been good

    • Auction was not as good as last year, estimated to have made about $8k

      • It was reopened a few days later to sell remaining items which made a little more money although did have a small fee to reopen the site 

      • We did not have any vacation rentals this year which we have had before. If anyone has connections to people with vacation homes they would be willing to include next year please contact the PTO. Lacey has a lead on a few options. 

    • Glenis is still sorting through money and profits so we will get final numbers soon 

    • Being the week right after Fall Break made it a bit harder to advertise and it seemed like the event kind of snuck up on people, but this will be the same case next year so we need to think about it more 

      • Perhaps we should make classroom baskets due before Fall Break so we can add them to website, advertise pictures, etc. more heavily before and during break 

    • Will have a separate BBQ wrap up meeting via Google Meet on 11/13

    • Pie in the face was way better than dunk tank last year 

      • Question of whether whipped cream or shaving cream is better. Whipped cream is edible which is good if it gets in the mouth but it also curdles a bit over time which the shaving cream would not do. 

      • Need to have a better marked line that students stand behind because some got too close 

      • Perhaps make it 5 tickets next year; it was 3 this year 

    • Check Summit/Indy football game weekend before scheduling BBQ next year

    • Princesses were awesome and Indy has superheroes too that we can ask about for next year 

      • Maybe give them a photo op spot to stand at 

      • Maybe make it a few tickets cost to take a photo 

    • Perhaps add more options for buying bulk tickets. This year we had 1 ticket for $1 or 25 tickets for $20. Maybe next year we can offer more options like 12 for $10, etc. 

    • Look into having wristband next year for unlimited ticket games/activities for a set price 

    • Plan to keep “Homecoming” theme every year

    • Alumni shirts are available online 

      • We have a new online shop website where people can buy products year round and get them shipped to home rather than having windows of time where sales are open and then ordering in bulk 

  • Elf Shop

    • Nov 30 – Dec 4 in room 103 with setup and decorating happening before Thanksgiving Break 

    • We have 4 chairwomen: Ashley Fusner, Christina Clark, Jen Messier, and Hayley Weinstein. Thank you all in advance!! 

    • Website is live; flyers went home on 11/4; parents/guardians can look through gift options and setup an e-wallet 

      • They do not have to put in a certain amount of money but rather can have credit card charged for what student purchases 

    • Samples of products were shared at the meeting 

    • Mrs. Barker is working on class shopping schedule and will share with Angie so we can share that info when getting sign ups for parent volunteers 

    • Santa visit will be 12/6 from 2-4pm and Elf Shop will be open at that time, as well 

    • Lacey will send Karen the details to send to families 

    • Lacey will ask her husband to start pulling things out of the shed on 11/5 and decorating can start this week or next 

    • If chairwomen decide they want help decorating or setting up, can send dates and times to Angie to send to the parents 

    • Will have a few decorations outside the door in the hallway but not until the last minute so they don’t get destroyed 

  • Upcoming Events 

    • November birthday celebration will be 11/11 – breakfast purchased by PTO 

    • November teacher/staff lunch will be 11/19 – Thanksgiving Dinner theme 

    • December birthday celebration will be 12/11 – cookie exchange 

    • December teacher/staff lunch will be 12/16 – Italian Dinner theme 

  • Miscellaneous items

    • November early release day was changed by the district due to Veterans Day; no longer on 11/11 but now scheduled for 11/18

    • Book Fair will be Dec 7-11

    • Next meeting December 2 at 9:15am in the teacher’s lounge behind the school office

Bethesda PTO