Minutes 2014-11-18.pdf - Laserfiche WebLink

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Laws and ethics issues. Executive Session issues; the amount of energy and time involved in this when it is not related to the school,the building,or the students;the need for ADA compliance,and the caution not to be paralyzed by fear of abuse were raised. A suggestion was made to include Ms. Castagno,as the issue is of greatest concern to her presently,and the following vote was taken: ACTION 2014#121 Moved(Flood)and seconded(Weis) To accept Ms. Castagno's Draft Remote Participation Policy as 1st Reading,and to direct the Officers,in conjunction with Ms.Castagno,to revise it to minimize the concerns raised Vote: 7 in favor,4 opposed,1 abstention(with 1 member out of the room) 8. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT,Ed Bouquillon Hearing no objection,the Superintendent reordered the items of his report. a. Report on a Request to Establish a 501 (c)3 Susan Carrabio,a member of the General Advisory Committee and 1St Vice President of the Lexington Rotary,read a letter from Chris Bateman,Chair of the General Advisory Committee,in support of establishing a 501 (c) 3 at Minuteman(Attachment E). Members of the School Committee shared their experience with such organizations, explaining the benefit to the schools. They urged careful consideration of the purpose and structure, and the need to avoid commingling of funds.The many rules associated with these organizations, setting priorities for fundraising, and referencing other successful organizations were discussed. The Superintendent noted that this is for information only at this point,with no vote being requested, and he extended thanks to those involved in the effort to date. b.Overview of the Minuteman Middle School Technology Outreach Program,Brian Crossman and Andrew Patenaude,MM Tech/RJ Grey Middle School Teachers,Acton-Boxborough Regional Michelle Roche distributed materials related to the middle school program(Attachment F), and informed the School Committee of efforts underway for mentoring girls in STEM. She then introduced two teachers at Acton- Boxborough Regional who described work they are doing in 7th and 8th grades focused on confidence building in the engineering design process. These teachers explained their program,and shared samples of student work,which included a model bridge,a shoe,a truck,a bob-sled,and a speaker. They emphasized the importance of communication,and discussed 3D printing and biotech projects. Some School Committee members wondered why this program is not being offered in all schools of the district,and the Superintendent explained that scheduling and communication with other superintendents are typical stumbling-blocks. He pointed out the benefit of students feeding into Minuteman through this program. c.Out-of-State,Late Night Field Trip: Design Visual Communication(DVC)Students to Museum of Modern Art,New York City Details of the proposed trip were discussed,with assurances that it meets all School Committee requirements. Associated costs were raised as a concern,and the Superintendent noted that there is a fund available to help any student for whom the cost presents a burden. He also noted that this trip involves a celebration,as this the first graduating class of the DVC program. The following vote was then taken: ACTION 2014#122 Moved(DeLuca)and seconded(Weis) To approve the out-of-state late night DVC student trip to the Museum of Modern Art May 15,2015 from 8:00 am-10:30 pm,as presented Vote: Unanimous d. Out-of-State Overnight Field Trip: Minuteman Baseball Team to Double Day Field,Cooperstown,NY during April Vacation,2015 Details of this proposed trip were discussed,and it was noted that it meets all School Committee requirements. Having a similar experience for girls was discussed. The following vote was then taken: ACTION 2014#123 Moved(Castagno)and seconded(Mahoney)