HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-06-01-CLARKE-min PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
PIS
APRIL 19T.
Jonas Clarke Middle School
School Site Council Meeting
June l, 2O2l
3:00 PM
Zoom Meeting, Jonas Clarke Middle School
l7Stedman Road Lexington, MAO242l
Meeting Zoom link:
Attendance: DuneDeopreo, Principal; Dana Silverberg, Psychologist; SurahFattu|, Teacher;
Stephanie Svviozcz, Teacher; Nutu]iyuPuquette, Teacher; Emily Sayre, Parent; Melanie,
Tunionoo, Parent; Kim Lowrance, Parent; Hongmei Zhung, Parent; Barry-Ng,Assistant
Principal; Jonathan Wettotone; Assistant Principal.
U. Call toOrder, Welcome, & Public Comment
2. - motioned, 2Od' approved
b. Phnoipa| - fina| meetingofUleyeac
||. Staff, F»mnont*Gumndimn' & Principal Notes
a. Staff Notes ' ydA
b. F»mnont/Fmmmi|yydotes
i. Parent- LeningtonNevvoomene - tryingtoaooeoothemathvideooent
out by the department. How does this affect placement?
1. Principal - video summarized changes over the last 0-8
months. I'll try tofix the link- ifbroken. The video showed the
current program, how itconnects b» LHS, aowell aothe
reduction oflevels. Thegoa| - keeptheoonveneadona|iveand
aware ofthe math philosophy - keeping paths open with full
options (less gatekeeping\.
ii. Parent- why the school day shortened by an hour this year?
1. Principal - they're aware it's back to 2:40PM next year. This
year, we had to supply discretionary time for staff (meetings),
and to adhere to bus schedules, which were aligned with other
schools in the district.
iii. Parent- when is course registration coming out?
1. Tonight or tomorrow morning.
iv. Parent- are staff excited for the shift back to the usual schedule and
routine?
1. Teacher- the consistency with this schedule was nice - always
had time to meet.
2. Teacher- better able to balance meetings and meet student
needs.
v. Parent- curious about volunteers for the PTO.
1. Principal - all those requests going through PTO
vi. Parent- therapy dog? We have a connection here in town.
1. Principal - district has approved therapy dogs. We can start
partnering.
vii. Parent- process for 5th grade students?
1. Counselor setting up video sessions to meet with each group,
ask questions and give a virtual tour of the building.
c. Principal Notes
i. 13 more school days - after today.
ii. Working on end-of-the-year activities for all grades, but specifically
making things more robust for 8th.
iii. Reading Assessment- more of an inventory to assess where
students' literacy skills (in particular comprehension) are.
iv. MCAS -just wrapped up last week. Data from this year's MCAS is
not valid, as students were provided different sessions. Thus, the
reading inventory/assessment will provide us more information about
where students are at with their reading skills. This will help us identify
what interventions we need to provide at the tier 1 level, to every
student.
1. Tier I - at the classroom level in order to support students
(strategies)
2. Tier 11 - next level up in terms of supports - social, emotional,
academic- anything to help that does not alter the students'
schedule.
3. Tier III - formal interventions for students (Guided Learning,
Math, Reading). More frequent check-ins - are we making
progress?
III. Discussing Clarke's School Improvement Plan 2021-2022
a. Goal 1: Improve Academic Performance for All Students
i. Action - Scheduling - Implement anew middle school schedule to
better utilize time during the school day for all students.
1. Currently have a 6-day rotating schedule that mirrors
LHS. Continuing to work through the variables.
2. Staff- can we get a look at that schedule? Can we get one
day to not be on? Social and emotional awareness.
3. Parent - this would be for all students? Is this at
Diamond as well? Any changes at LHS? Proposed
timeline of notification?
a. Principal - summer letter to students and families
will outline more of the details.
ii. Action - SBRC - Promote equitable and informative grading
practices and reporting of student progress by further
developing the middle school standards-based report card.
1. Principal - summer working group with straff from both
schools to develop a SBRC that better matches our needs.
Process standards and how we do that equitably. We are
working internally to get a SB tracking system, allowing
for a more user friendly platform to use and share SB
data. Also working on a survey to better assess what is
needed.
2. Parent -was this in response to the pandemic or already
in the works?
a. Principal - already in the works -wanted to move
away from letter based grades and work towards
more equity in grading and communicating.
b. Parent - permanent change?
c. Principal -yes -feeling it will be a permanent
change.
d. Parent - the parent education piece is essential -
need more information. How in-sync is the work
with the elementary and their work with SBRC?
As for me - it's confusing. We need some
communication tools.
e. Parent -what is the system at LHS?
f. Principal -letter grades - not aware of plan to
switch to SBRC. Zeros disproportionately affect a
students'grade. They have some PD scheduled for
the summer to address some of this.
g. Parent - send out the SBRC video again, which was
a great communication tool for parents.
h. Parent -kids are not taking it seriously. What
should they expect?
i. Parent -you worked with a consultant around the
SBRC? What were some of their responses?
j. Principal - students feel the lack of clarity and
consistency, which requires more of a daily
conversation - normal, everyday. The more we can
align and communicate the purpose -they more
students will understand and get us through the
implementation stage.
k. Parent - how are students assessed throughout the
school year? SB grading in the classroom?
1. Teacher -we gather as teachers to create common
(must do) assessments which are skill based and
standards based in reporting. Terminology
aligned with SBRC is used.
m. Principal - are rubrics used to communicate the
various levels of the skills? Yes.
n. Parent - no longer getting a quiz that states 85% -
they are instead getting "beginning, progressing,
mastering"
o. Teacher - clarity needed around re-assessment
opportunities. I see much better results when I
communicate - this is your only chance, versus
multiple opportunities to reassess.
p. Teacher - I'm better tracking student work, which
turns into better communication with the kids.
Every single thing gets them feedback.
q. Parent - confusing for the parents -we don't know
the everyday student work.
iii. Action - RTI - Continue to develop the RtI process at the
secondary level in order to more effectively meet the needs of
our diverse learners.
1. Principal -this is the intervention process, which is
supported by the student response team in a very
thoughtful process. We want to tighten the
communication turnaround. We want to pilot SEL
interventions next year. We're seeing misbehaviors more
than double with this full-return, which tells us we need
more proactive skills and supports.
b. Goal 2: Improve Social and Emotional Supports for All Students
i. Action - School Culture - Establish&practice consistent Tier 1
SEL instruction across the building, helping students clearly
understand and meet expectations and practice healthy social
habits at Clarke Middle School.
1. Principal -top priority for our school.
2. Teacher - echo wanting to put parents into the teacher
seat. System and routines -more consistency.
ii. Action - In support of our restorative justice practices, Clarke
will run regular "circle" discussions so that every student has at
least one community circle experience during the school year.
1. This works towards a more equitable process for justice
within the school community. Instead of using it as a
reaction -work to be proactive - hosting circles on a
regular basis. Counselors are going through training this
summer, with the goal of hosting restorative circles in
each homeroom. We eventually want this to be a
staff-wide initiative.
2. Parent - can you give an example?
3. Principal -feelings around homework- how do we
manage, how do we feel -what's in common -how can we
support each other?
4. Parent - is there time built into the homeroom period for
facilitation?
5. Principal -no -looking into the future for a possible
advisory block.
iii. Action - DEI - Develop new and revise current practices and
systems to make Clarke a more equitable and inclusive school
for our diverse community.
1. Principal -Anti-bullying, anti-bias training -build these
back in proactively. Include career options - allowing
kids to further explore interests.
c. Goal 3: Improve School Safety & Discipline Procedures
i. Action - School Discipline - In coordination with district-level
administration and Diamond Middle School, Clarke will develop
and pilot a tiered behavioral intervention model.
1. Principal -we have a student handbook and staff
handbook. We need to further clarify what is truly owned
in the classroom and what gets sent to the office. Build a
systematic approach to addressing the various
misbehaviors observed. We want to remove bias from
disciplinary actions.
2. AP - meeting with K-12 representatives to address a few
of these questions, which includes a common form and
language.
ii. Action - Review school safety procedures and provide
informational sessions, professional learning opportunities, and
collaboration opportunities with staff, students, parents, and
public safety officials.
N. Other action items or questions?
a. Parent - transitions or processes needed in the move back to
full-return?
b. Parent - in-coming 5th grade students are not vaccinated -what
does school look like?
i. Principal -these might be good action items to include in the
SIP. What next year will look like -we'll need to develop as the
summer goes along.
c. Teacher - students need time to discuss rules and protocols. Due to
the pandemic and being at home - out of sync with the typical
school day.
d. Parent - reminders to continue washing hands and stopping the
spread. Possibly wearing masks in the winter months, eating
outside, etc.
`19-'20 SIP:
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