CDC Board Meeting—January 20, 2005

Mount Cross Child Development Center

Board of Director's Meeting December 13, 2007

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:20 p.m.

Opening Devotion: Barbara D'Addario led the opening devotion and prayer.

Attendance: Those present: Tanya Carter, Cathy Channels, Barbara D'Addario, Aaron Laskey, Melinda Sheller, and Bridget Thornton. Those absent: Trish Gucciardo and Barbara Spandrio.

Minutes: The minutes of the October 4, 2007 meeting were approved as submitted.

Reports:

Director's Report:

1. Cathy reported that the October 7^th Open House went very well and was well received. She thanked the board again for their help.

2. Cathy requested that thank you notes be sent to Ola's and Underwood Farms for their donations to the Open House raffle. Melinda will send notes to both.

3. Cathy attended an ACSI meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 6^th.

4. Cathy gave a SMART Tuition update. She and Tanya are still having trouble getting responses to their questions. She included a copy of a letter written by Pastor John to the president of SMART Tuition regarding these difficulties. This letter was not given any response either. Further discussion will be covered under the treasurer's report.

5. Cathy gave a "thank you" to Trish Gucciardo for helping with the refreshments at the Family Christmas Celebration. This event was also a success. The Pastors and teachers reenacted the Christmas story and led the families in carols. After the program, families returned to the classrooms to receive a framed Christmas picture of their children.

6. Cathy brought up the possibility of hiring a flexible team teacher for the p.m. classes (just as already exists in the a.m. classes). She would like this to be put in the upcoming budget if possible.

7. Cathy submitted a copy of the CDC annual report which is part of the church's yearly church-wide annual report.

8. In looking to the distant future, Cathy reviewed CDC by-laws as to if the CDC Director needs to be a church member. She also spoke with Pastor John about this. His feeling is that requiring the director to be a member of Mount Cross could be limiting in adequately filling the position. The by-laws support this position. Although she is not planning on retiring in the near future, Cathy is researching possible options and qualified candidates for this important position.

Treasurer's Report:

1. The treasurer's report was submitted by Tanya Carter. It was approved as submitted.

2. Some time was spent further discussing SMART Tuition. Tanya feels matters are going much more smoothly overall and has taken several on-line classes to help her better understand the system. Tanya recently met with Cathy to show her how to check the school account on-line.

3. The current balance is a little lower than usual at this time due to the way SMART deposits payments. Although deposits are supposed to be in real time, Tanya has found that this is not so when checking our account.

4.. The list of outstanding balances is greatly reduced from the past, largely due to SMART Tuition.

Old Business: None was discussed.

New Business: The January meeting date was set for Thursday, January 10, 2008 due to Christmas vacation the week prior.

The meeting was closed with a prayer led by Barbara D'Addario and adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

Mount Cross Child Development Center

Board of Director’s Meeting

September 6, 2007

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m by chairwoman Barbara Spandrio.

Opening Devotion: Barbara Spandrio led the opening devotion and prayer.

Attendance: Those present: Tanya Carter, Cathy Channels, Barbara D’Addario,, Trish Gucciardo, Aaron Laskey, Melinda Sheller, Barbara Spandrio, and Bridget Thornton.

Minutes: The minutes of the June 6, 2007 meeting were approved as submitted.

Reports:

Director’s Report:

1. Cathy welcomed everyone back and thanked us for our time and support.

2. The staff back-to-school luncheon went well. Pastor Erik led an inspirational half-hour and joined the staff for lunch. The luncheon centered around a garden theme to emphasize the nurturing and caring the staff gives to each student, family, and to each other. Cathy showed the lovely power point which she presented that day. It was based on the book Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden and included photos of the staff with students.

3. Cathy distributed a copy of the current school handbook which contains a current school calendar and staff list.

4. The October open house speaker will be Dr. Peter Alsop. Cathy was able to secure a $2000 grant from the Wrather Family Foundation to help pay his fee.

5. A thank you note and homemade cookies were presented from the Needham family in gratitude for the scholarship which was approved for their son. Tanya gave an encouraging update on the family and Baby Zoe.

6. Cathy asked for approval to purchase six new classroom tables from Constructive Playthings. They are much lighter than the present tables (some of which are broken) and have folding legs to help with storage issues. The table purchase was moved, seconded, and approved .

7. Beacon Fire and Safety was at school checking the fire extinguishers. They recommended the purchase of a Class K portable fire extinguisher. Barbara will present this to council as a church property issue. Tanya will talk with her husband (a fire fighter) about the actual necessity of the purchase.

Treasurer’s Report:

The treasurer’s report was submitted by Tanya Carter. It was approved as submitted.

Council Report:

1. Barbara gave a list to the property committee of the repairs needed by the CDC.

2. She reported that the wireless internet connection to Cathy’s office is completed and in working order.

Old Business:

1. The Director’s evaluation was submitted to Cathy, signed, and filed.

2. Smart Tuition update - Cathy reported on the problems with the new tuition program. Due to a misunderstanding on the forms that were submitted for each enrolling family, tuition amounts billed were actually 1/10 of the accurate amount. Cathy has been talking to several people at Smart, with little results. At this point it looks as if the automatic deduction amounts have been corrected. Those who paid the incorrect amount for September by credit card or check should be invoiced for the balance due in the October tuition payment. Tanya will take over dealing with them at this point. Cathy also had the late fee date moved to the 15^th of the month for all accounts.

New Business:

1. The CDC Open House will take place on Sunday, October 7^th from 4:15-7:00.

2. Event planning took place. Church member Louise Vincent has offered to coordinate the food and shopping for the dinner. Cathy has arranged for people to grill and for Scott Ingram to put tables and chairs away for $50. The board will meet to set-up tables and decorations after the third service on Sunday, October 7^th. Melinda and Aaron will greet guests and distribute raffle tickets. Barbara D’Addario and Barbara Spandrio will serve food. Bridget will purchase the apples, flatware, and napkins from Costco. Barbara D’Addario will purchase the red checked tablecloth rolls. Cathy will check the stock of plates and raffia and purchase more if needed.

3. Raffle prizes were discussed. Trish will donate a Patagonia blanket and request an Ola’s gift certificate. Tanya will create four complimentary lunch bunch coupons. Barbara Spandrio will contact Underwood Family Farms about a gift certificate. Melinda will donate Scholastic books.

Next meeting: Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.

Adjournment: The meeting was closed with prayer and adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

Mount Cross Child Development Center

Board of Director’s Meeting

June 6, 2007

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:13 p.m by chairwoman Barbara Spandrio.

Opening Devotion: Barbara Spandrio led the opening devotion and prayer.

Attendance: Those present: Karen Carr, Tanya Carter, Cathy Channels, Trish Gucciardo, Sharyl Priest, Melinda Sheller, Barbara Spandrio, and Bridget Thornton. Barbara introduced incoming board members for 2007-08, Barbara D’Addario and Aaron Laskey.

Minutes: The minutes of the May 2, 2007 meeting were approved as submitted.

Reports:

Director’s Report:

1. Cathy reported that the locking cabinet for the young three’s classroom was delivered that day. The teachers are very grateful to have it.

2. The Father’s Day workshop was well attended and lots of fun. The fathers and children enjoyed their Saturday morning together.

3. There are many Spring science activities in the classrooms including baby chicks, tadpoles, and an ant farm.

4. Closing ceremonies for the pre-k classes will take place at the end of chapel on Tuesday, June 12^th and Wednesday, June13th. Parents are invited to attend chapel on those dates. The students will sing a few songs and receive a certificate of completion of the Mount Cross pre-k classes.

5. A summer school staff meeting will take place on June 13^th in the afternoon. Some staff will be cleaning and organizing on June 14^th.

6. The staff appreciation luncheon will be on Friday, June 8^th at Ric’s restaurant in Camarillo.

7. Cathy submitted the parent evaluations for review at the end of the meeting.

8. Contracts for the 2007-08 have gone out to all the CDC staff.

9. Cathy expressed her gratitude for the board’s support this year. She has seen much growth and improvement in the school and thanked the board for their help in this. She very generously presented thank you notes and gifts to all board members and “welcome aboard” gifts to our newest members. She expressed her sincere thanks to our two departing board members, Karen Carr and Sharyl Priest.

Old Business:

1. Barbara will draft a reminder letter about SMART tuition with an attached authorization form to send home with all students early next week. This will help assure that all forms are in by the late June deadline so that the SMART program can start in September. This reminder will hopefully greatly cut down on the amount of reminder calls Cathy will need to make about the authorization forms.

2. The board end-of-year dinner will take place on Monday, June 11^th at 6:30 p.m. at Bistro 13 in Camarillo. All current and incoming board members are invited.

New Business:

1. The church Strategic Planning Committee would like a list of recommendations of items that the CDC currently needs or needs repaired. This will help them in their long-term planning. Cathy will work on the list for Barbara to submit before the upcoming June Council meeting.

2. The election of the 2007-08 CDC Board Officers took place. It was moved, seconded, and approved to have Barbara Spandrio remain as President; Trish Gucciardo,Vice President; Tanya Carter, Treasurer; Melinda Sheller, Secretary; Bridget Thornton, Staff Liaison; Barbara D’Addario and Aaron Laskey, Members at Large.

3. It was decided to meet on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. for the 2007-2008 year. Meetings will take place in the Parish Life Center.

4. It was moved, seconded, and approved to offer a full 3- day- a- week scholarship to a registered student for the 2007-08 school year. Cathy read a letter from the family explaining their current situation and why they are in need of tuition assistance. The money will come from reserve funds and through a donation from a memorial fund.

Next meeting: Thursday, September 6, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.

Adjournment: The meeting was closed with prayer and adjourned at 8:20 p.m.

Voting Members Reconvened for Director’s Evaluation: After reviewing staff and parent evaluations of our director, suggestions for the annual director’s evaluation were given. Barbara will finalize the report and set-up a time to review it with Cathy.

Respectfully submitted,

Melinda Sheller, Secretary

Mount Cross Child Development Center

Board of Director’s Meeting

May 2, 2007

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m by chairwoman Barbara Spandrio.

Opening Devotion: Cathy Channels led the opening devotion and prayer.

Attendance: Those present: Karen Carr, Cathy Channels, Melinda Sheller, Barbara Spandrio, and Bridget Thornton. Those absent: Tanya Carter, Trish Gucciardo, and Sharyl Priest.

Minutes: The minutes of the April 4 , 2007 meeting were approved as submitted.

Reports:

Director’s Report:

1. Cathy reported that a new sand/water table has been purchased.

2. A new valance has been built for the pre-school office and will be installed by Pastor John. Cathy is very grateful for his help and talent.

3. Angie Wetherell has been hired to join the staff. Cathy submitted her resume for review. Cathy knows her personally and is excited to have her on board.

4. Cathy expressed a need for anew locking cupboard for the young three classroom. There has been some problem with people getting into the existing cabinet after hours and on weekends. This will be further discussed in New Business.

5. Cathy submitted the staff survey regarding summer school. The results were as follows: 10 teachers are not interested at all, 4 would rather see a 3 day a week, 4 week total program, 1 teacher was left to respond. This will be further visited in Old Business.

Treasurer’s Report:

The treasurer’s report was submitted by Cathy Channels. It was approved as submitted.

Council Report:

1. Although the 2007-2008 CDC budget was submitted prior to the last Church Council meeting, it will be discussed at the upcoming Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 8th.

Old Business:

1. After reviewing the results of the staff summer school survey; it was moved, seconded, and approved to cancel the summer session for 2008.

2. A motion was made, seconded, and approved to recommend Aaron Laskey and Barbara D’Addario to the Church council as new CDC Board members for the 2007-2008 year.

3. Some time was spent discussing and making necessary modifications to the CDC Handbook for the 2007-2008 school year.

New Business:

1. It was moved, seconded, and approved to purchase a locking cupboard for the young three classroom after some security issues have arisen. Cathy showed the cabinet she has selected and will place the order.

2. The agenda for the June meeting was discussed. We will spend time reviewing the Director evaluations, electing the 2007-2008 Board Officers and introducing the new Board members, and selecting our meeting day and time for next year.

3. We will have a Board member dinner on June 13th to celebrate our year together. The location will be determined at our next meeting.

Next meeting: Wednesday, June 6th, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.

Adjournment: The meeting was closed with prayer and adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Melinda Sheller, Secretary

Mount Cross Child Development Center

Board of Director’s Meeting

April 4, 2007

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m by chairwoman Barbara Spandrio.

Opening Devotion: Melinda Sheller led the opening devotion and prayer.

Attendance: Those present: Karen Carr, Tanya Carter, Cathy Channels, Trish Gucciardo, Sharyl Priest, Melinda Sheller, and Barbara Spandrio, . Those absent: Bridget Thornton

Minutes: The minutes of the March 7, 2007 meeting were approved as submitted. Barbara inquired as to the status of the two thank you notes requested at the last meeting. They will be sent out in the next few days.

Reports:

Director’s Report:

1. The Open House (Spring Sing) was a huge success. Cathy was pleased with the children’s performance, the great turnout, and positive feedback. Several families expressed an interest in further information about the church following the program.

2. Registration for September is overbooked by three students but there are historically always some cancellations.

3. Parent evaluations have gone home. Cathy expressed the importance of these as a measure of how the school is doing. She read samples from a few evaluations, all of which expressed very positive feedback.

4. “Pure of Heart” portraits will be taken on April 26^th and 27^th. Cathy passed around an informational flyer about this wonderful opportunity.

5. A scholarship request for the remaining three months of school was submitted by a current family. This will be further discussed under New Business.

6. Forms for the student’s files have been updated. Cathy shared a few of the new samples.

7. Parent handbook revisions need to be made. These will also be further discussed under New Business.

Treasurer’s Report:

The treasurer’s report was submitted by Tanya Carter. It was approved as submitted. Some time was spent discussing open invoices.

Council Report:

1. Barbara spoke with a Property Committee representative about the possible placement of a low shed behind the current BBQ. This area is not available due to future church expansion plans. If Cathy would like to select an alternate site, the Property Committee will gladly review it.

2. Barbara has submitted the 2007-08 CDC budget report to the council for review at their upcoming April meeting.

Old Business:

1. Cathy will be polling the staff regarding the possibility of cancelling the summer school program for 2008.

New Business:

1. It was determined that we will be in need of one board member beginning in the 2007-08 term. Sharyl Priest has fulfilled her term and will be stepping down. The new member needs to be a member of Mount Cross. Cathy will put an announcement of this vacancy in the upcoming Grapevine.

2. Time was spent reviewing the CDC Handbook and current policy. Several alterations were made to the current financial agreement to align with SMART Tuition and in an effort to avoid some of the late/non payments that occur each month. Board members were asked to look over the remainder of the handbook at home and to be prepared to discuss further changes at the next meeting.

3. A ½ scholarship fo the remainder of the school year (April-June) has been requested by a current family. It was moved, seconded, and approved to grant the scholarship in the amount of $78 per month.

Next meeting: Wednesday, May 2^nd, 2007

Adjournment: The meeting was closed with prayer and adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Melinda Sheller, Secretary

Mount Cross Child Development Center

Board of Director’s Meeting

March 7, 2007

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:13 p.m by chairwoman Barbara Spandrio.

Opening Devotion: Barbara Spandrio led the opening prayer.

Attendance: Those present: Tanya Carter, Cathy Channels, Sharyl Priest, Melinda Sheller, Barbara Spandrio, and Bridget Thornton. Those absent: Karen Carr and Trish Gucciardo

Minutes: The minutes of the February 7, 2007 meeting were approved as submitted.

Reports:

Director’s Report:

1. Cathy reported on the status of the Fall 2007 registration. At this time there is a total enrollment of 141 students with almost all classes enrolled to capacity. Summer school is also full.

2. The issue of summer school for the 2008 year was discussed. It is difficult for Cathy to staff the program each year. Cathy will poll the teachers for their input and interest and the board will discuss it at a later date.

3. A new wagon has been donated to the CDC by the Dullam family. A thank you note will be sent from the board.

4. The recent Child Development Resources conference was attended by 6 staff members. Many new ideas, suggestions, etc... were received by those in attendance.

5. The tentative date for the Open House is October 7, 2007. Cathy has spoken with Steve Erwin about possibly speaking at the parent program.

6. Spring Sing will take place on the afternoon of March 25^th. An invitation has been sent home to all the CDC families.

7. Cathy read a thank you note from a future CDC parent expressing her gratitude for the school tour and her excitement about the upcoming year.

8. The possibility of building a low shed behind the BBQ to house the large playground equipment such as bikes and wagons was discussed. Barbara will take the matter to the Church Council for further investigation.

Treasurer’s Report:

The treasurer’s report was submitted by Tanya Carter. It was approved as submitted.