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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-04-04-CLARKE-minOVS MopNi O 1775 he (� 0 Qry - SD Jonas Clarke Middle School 3 a v APRILI9' `FxI N 17 Stedman Road ❖ Lexington, Massachusetts 02421 Anna W. Monaco, Principal Office: (781) 861 -2450 Jennifer E. Turner, Assistant Principal Fax: (781)674 -2043 Jonathan R. Wettstone, Assistant Principal Site Council Meeting April 4, 2013 3:15 PM In Attendance: Anna Monaco, Principal; Kristen Rangel, Teacher; Kelly Manor, Teacher; Sarah Franford, Teacher; Suzanne Cherenson, Parent; Sandra Mayo, Parent; Lorelle Yee, Parent; Jonathan Schechner, Teacher; Krystal Bavin, Teacher; Andrea Foley, Teacher;, Jennifer Turner, Assistant Principal; Jonathan Wettstone, Assistant Principal I. Approval of minutes from January 2013 - Minutes Approved II. School Updates Mrs. Monaco provides update on hiring for next year: A. Moving our 4th team up to 8th grade B. Teachers on that team have not been made public yet C. Next step is presenting to faculty D. Open positions: 1. Tech App /Economics - retiring a. Mrs. Monaco provides explanation of how challenging it is to hire for this position and how we want the Tech Apps course to shift over time to reflect the technology skills that we would like students to have moving forward. 2. 6th Grade Math Coach /Specialist 3. PE .6 FTE 4. Engineering and Design -.3 FTE to account for increase in enrollment S. ILP Mrs. Monaco provides an update on the upcoming trip to China: A. Ten teachers will be traveling to visit the partner school and visit Beijing B. Primary Source came in to provide a workshop on the differences between US schools and Chinese schools 1. Parent asks about the plans for the exchange - Mrs. Monaco explains it is still in the works and this visit is the first step - we are hoping that by next April 2014 we would be able to send a small cohort of 8th graders. We have applied for an LEF grant for another cart of Ipads for the 8th grade to use in a blended learning environment A. Teacher talks about how technology was implemented into a geometry unit - small videos that she created allowed students to experience an enrichment activity B. Another teacher describes how he has used present.me to give students short videos to watch at home so that students could come into class prepared - positive feedback was around the ability to watch the videos at their own pace C. Parent discusses the inherent motivation of being able to use technology for homework D. Parent discusses the benefit of the flipped model when students are absent III. Survey Mrs. Monaco said the survey went out to parents this week and explains that she shared with the JCSA this morning the purpose of the survey. Parent suggested a reminder should be sent out next week with a reminder and the link again Parent asked about when the students will take it - Mrs. Monaco explains we will align it with course selection in early May. Parent asked about a closing date - Mrs. Monaco said we would see how many responses we had after vacation and then we would close IV. School Improvement Plan - Draft Review Mrs. Monaco explains that next year we will be revamping goal #1 - wanted to take a few minutes to look at goal #2 - asks people to consider things that may need to be changed or updated. Parent asks about how much of the monitoring has been completed at this point. Mrs. Monaco gave an update on Rachel's Challenge - another parent mentioned that she didn't like the program and that she found there were religious undertones and that it was outdated. She would like to see a review of more current programs. A discussion took place around the program benefits and drawbacks and the updates that the organization has provided. Parent explains that there is a group of 7th grade mothers that meet once a month to talk about stress and also bullying and how important it is to increase physical activity. She also said they heard some teams did some physical activity before MCSA testing. Teachers confirm that they did incorporate some physical activity into the day such as running around the building, umping jacks, etc. Mrs. Monaco talks about the Student Health Advisory Committee and acknowledges the importance of physical activity for students during the school day. Another parent talks about the importance of getting the message out to parents that teachers are incorporating physical activity into the school day. Parent mentions that Dr. Madigan came and perhaps we could include that for next year as well to assist students with stress management. Survey plans include a twice a year implementation. Mrs. Monaco will add that to the goal for next year. Parent asks if we as a school are aware of students that may be susceptible to bullying or stress or depressing. Mrs. Monaco talks about our Monday meetings and how we use that time to update on student that appear at -risk. Parent shares the brochure from a conference she went to on students who do not participate in class and what that silence could mean. VI. Questions or Concerns None VII. Next Meeting May 23rd - The next meeting may be moved up to earlier in May in order to review the draft SIP for the 2013 -2014 school year prior to sending it to the School Committee for review and approval.