Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance:  The meeting of the General Membership was called to order at 7:34 PM.   Cary Sweeney, President, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Program:   A panel of four teachers and one senior student talked about Senior Exhibition (SE).   This is a challenging project that is unique to Hillsdale among the SMUHSD schools, and it's the one assignment that the entire senior class is required to do.   SE began several years ago, in recognition that many seniors had completed their required credits well before their anticipated graduation; this was seen as a way to engage the students in going beyond the minimal graduation requirements.   The requirements of SE include in-depth research, expert interviews, and a written paper that reflects synthesis and analysis and argues for a given point of view; at the end of the year, each student must present their topic verbally to a panel of faculty and peers.   Through SE, Hillsdale seniors get the opportunity to explore topics of their choice, and to determine what kinds of questions need to be answered.   Two months into the academic year, this year's seniors have already done a large amount of research and submitted their proposals.   All students work with assigned mentors, with whom they consult and conduct mock interviews.   Throughout the year, working on SE helps the kids develop life skills as well as academic skills.   Parents of seniors are encouraged to get involved with their kids projects, by proofreading the drafts (there will be three drafts, total), asking questions, and helping the kids think through their arguments.   The senior, George, says the hardest thing is meeting those deadlines!   Yet, he added, it's helpful to learn organizational skills, and to how to tell both sides of a story.   George said he is learning more about himself through his project, a cultural study related to his Tongan heritage.

Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the Oct. 13, 2003 PTSO general meeting were read and approved by majority vote.

Treasurer's Report:   Toni Johnson presented the financial statement for October 14 - November 10, 2003.   The opening balance was $5071.34.   Expenses for the period reported included $350 to Barbara Whiteside for her presentation at our Parent Education night, and $200 for Courier postage, totaling $550.00.   Interest income on our account amounted to $0.45; deposits included $122 for memberships and a $300 contribution to the gift for Tom Mohr from the Athletic Boosters, for $422.45 total deposits.   The Budget to Actual balance remained in the black, with a net balance of $4,943.79.   The Treasurer's report was approved by majority vote.

Principal's Report:   After offering his congratulations to the Drama Boosters and the cast of Fame, Don Leydig mentioned, the "demise of HHS football" rumor will not die - but neither will the football program.   He said his expectations for the Grid Dance were great, that ticket sales for the event were strong.   Weight training class was not canceled either - officially, at least.   Rumor had it that no weights are actually being lifted, due to a safety concern, specifically that there were 35 students to just 1 teacher; there was a two-week hiatus, Mr. Leydig said, but the class was to have resumed.   The school PE student:teacher ratio is 45:1.   The school has applied for a grant for new equipment; assuming the money comes through, we will get rid of free weights.   Parents with concerns about safety related to the construction are encouraged to please write a letter to Don (or email dleydig@smuhsd.k12.ca.us).   There have been a couple of construction delays; for example, the canopy was to have been finished by October month-end; there was also a problem with some girders (wrong size ordered), but it's all coming along.

President's Report:   At Cary's invitation, Gari Patton talked about the Barbara Whiteside evening and the feedback she'd received, and solicited discussion at this meeting.   Approximately 45 people attended the presentation; overall, the comments were quite positive.   Peggy Williams suggested we make use of the school web site to post some information about this event and other PTSO news and activities.   Mr. Leydig responded that the HHS web master was the unfortunate victim of budget cuts, so it's been difficult to get updates onto the site.   Although he can't replace the lost position, he got some money from last year's AKOTT; so if we know of anyone who'd be interested in doing some contract web administration, please have them contact Don.   Gari attended the Parents/Presidents Council meeting on November 10, and reported on the district's plan to help teachers to buy local homes.   The SMUHSD Board approved the program, so low-interest, District-guaranteed loans will be available for qualifying teachers beginning in spring 2004.   One of the requirements is that the homes must be within 45 minutes' commute of the District; we want teachers to feel that they belong to the community and the community belongs to them.

Drama Boosters:   Jean Abeles reported that Fame was very successful.   The Drama Boosters are contributing $200 to the gift for Tim Mohr.

Music Boosters:   Kaye Sharma said the parent of a San Mateo High School student said after Fame, "Wow, the [Hillsdale Performing Arts] program is really getting better!"   Several factors seem to be contributing positively to this, including the use of professional musicians to accompany the students' performance.   There are four musical performances coming up in December, including community events.   [Check the HHS web site home page for details.]   The Pep Band got rained out so was absent from the November 7th home football game, but gearing up for the November 15th game against Aragon.

Athletic Boosters:   There was no report, but one announcement:   This month's meeting was pushed back one week, to Tuesday, Nov. 18.  

Dance Boosters:   (No report)

AKOTT:   Liz Wiegand reported that the first mailing, requesting donations, went out to organizations.

Membership:   Kaye Sharma reported that PTSO membership for the current academic year is up to 566, already well over the 2003-2003 membership figure.   The number represents a big increase in the student memberships, and a significant increase (17.6%) in faculty memberships, as well.

Hospitality:   N/A

New Business:   N/A

Old Business:   Cary reported that no one volunteered to be a contact for the SM Youth Sports Foundation.   Don Leydig went to meetings, along with the city attorney, district attorney & district architect. They're working on plans; there's some question about how far the city will go in its support of the proposed plans to upgrade sports facilities at the schools.

The district PTAs were soliciting contributions for a gift for Tom Mohr, in recognition of his many years of service to SMUHSD.   The intended gift is a 3' X 4' engraved bronze plaque.   As reported above, $300 was contributed by the HHS Athletic Boosters.   There's some question about their intent and expectations, i.e., as to whether the $300 was a refund to PTSO or whether there should be some refund to the Athletic Boosters as other Boosters groups chip in.

Release of funds:   N/A

Closing:   The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:15 PM.   The next meeting is Monday, Dec. 8 @ 7:30 PM

Respectfully submitted by,
Christina Reynolds
Recording Secretary