2019-05-15-ESTABROOK-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Estabrook School Council Meeting Wednesday, May 15, 2019 MINUTES Members Present: Joyce Dvorak, Christina Gavin, Amy Klotz, Chhandomay Mandal, Lisa Riendeau, and Rick Rogers Others in Attendance: Elaine Yang (parent) Welcome to Incoming Principal Lisa Riendeau Council members introduced themselves and welcomed Incoming Principal Lisa Riendeau. Lisa shared an initial impression that staff are engaged in thoughtful conversations about students, indicating a high level of care. School Council Elections The Estabrook PTO is responsible for running the election of parent representatives for School Council. Voting is available on-line this week through Sunday, May 19. Three parents are running for two openings for two-year terms on the Council. Approval of April 10, 2019 Minutes: On a motion by Chhandomay Mandal, seconded by Joyce Dvorak, the minutes of April 10, 2019 were approved. Setting Priorities for School Improvement Plan The Council continued its discussion of priorities for the new School Improvement Plan (SIP). We reviewed the results from a survey completed by 47 staff members and 91 parents: School Improvement Plan Priorities Summary. Members commented on the difference between what staff rated highest (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and PBIS) and what parents rated highest (STEAM Project Based Learning & Math Differentiation). On the other hand, 3 of the top five things for both staff and families were the same (DEI, PBIS and Parent Partnerships). Some discussion followed about STEAM PBL and whether the focus was on STEAM or on project based learning. An example of PBL from Gr. 5 was shared. Also discussed was specifying action steps for the DEI goal and clarifying the math goal (Our data points to a need to address an achievement gap for students with special needs in math. Emerging as shared priorities were:  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  SEL & Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS)  Project Based Learning  Math Differentiation  Parent Partnerships Some discussion of parent communication followed. There is a need to clarify expectations for how teachers should be communicating with families about what children are learning in the classroom. We need to clarify expectations without dictating a format or timing. 1