HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-05-23-CLARKE-minPUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
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Jonas Clarke Middle School
School Site Council Meeting
May 23,2023
7:00-8:00 AM
Main Office Conference Room,Jonas Clarke Middle School
17 Stedman Road Lexington,MA 02421
Agenda
Members present:
I.Call to Order,Welcome,&Public Comment
a.Review and Approve Last Meeting’s Minutes
i.prior meeting notes approved
b.Public Comment
c.Next/Final Meeting:Tuesday,6/13/23
II.Parent,Staff,and Admin Check-Ins
a.Parents:
i.Graduation ceremony.Some parents disappointed in the
decision of not having parents at graduation
1.Principal:conducted a survey with staff attending a night
time event.With lack of numbers,it is not feasible to run
the event with administration only.
2.Parent:At Harrington we had a graduation committee
and they were able to plan it and provide planning for the
evening.
3.Principal:This year with the D.C.trip and staff attending
that as well as the semi-formal and staff chaperoning that
as well.People’s commitment to events outside of the
work day is not what it used to be prior to the pandemic.
4.Principal:We will be working with the SGA to plan the
final ceremony as well as the field day and final events.
ii.D.C.Trip -Overview
1.Parents asked how the trip went this year.
2.Principal -overall a good trip,students have stated that
they had a great time.Chaperones also provided good
feedback.
3.We did not use the same company as Diamond,we went
with a larger company that had some benefits as
opposed to going with a local company.
4.We are hoping to attend again next year.It is essential
to set the norms ahead of time to ensure students know
what is expected of them if they plan to attend the
meeting.
iii.Parent:Heard that the LEA negotiations and that the
contract is settled.This is good news.
b.Staff:
i.Additional thoughts about D.C.-some staff suggested to try and
go a bit later in the Spring.Perhaps later in May,after MCAS is
over and after some of the major religious holidays fall in April.
1.Students could use a few more days to prepare for the
science MCAS
2.There was one parent chaperone.It was very helpful to
have the parent,as one staff member went out on leave.
3.Boston trips (local trips)for the students that did not
attend D.C.Those trips were very good,the students
enjoyed those trips.
c.The play,Charlotte’s Web was wonderful
1.Always an incredible show.
2.Nice to see the LHS helpers come back and help as well.
3.Director’s note at the end of the program was very
personal and meaningful.
d.Happy with the new grading platform -Teacher Ease.
1.More efficient platform designed for standards based
grading.
2.We will continue with standards based grading next year,
with some adjustments based on the feedback.
3.We will receive the analysis of the data from the family
survey some time this week.
4.This evening is the 8th to 9th grade listening session.
5.We will need to discuss what data/grades will be
available for parents/caregivers and students to see at all
times.We will need to provide teachers with time to get
used to this new platform.
6.Staff/teachers had a question as to what level will be
available to view?Is it every single grade or standard and
where they are at for each standard?
7.Wth the old grading system and Aspen,students were
checking their grades multiple times a day.At LHS that is
a common observation currently.
8.We want our grades to represent where they (students)
are at in their learning now,and to use the feedback to
grow.
9.Is the goal to have a link on the website for
parents/caregivers to access?Yes,we just need to set
the level of access that students and parents/caregivers
will be able to view.
10.Teacher expressed concern that sometimes students
and staff have already met to problem solve a grade or
re-take,make up.Parents/caregivers will not necessarily
see this instantly,as it may take a day or two to insert
updated grades.
c.Admin:
i.Survey going out to 8th graders and to staff.We will be able to
provide that data to the high school.
ii.Step-Up Day will be on June 13,2023.
III.Reviewing Clarke’s Progress on the ‘22-’24 Innovation Plan
a.Comments/Discussion regarding the innovation plan.
1.After we returned from D.C.,we had grade level assemblies to
remind students about expectations and our values here at
Clarke.We called them our “finish strong”assemblies and the
information reflected the importance of respect as well as our
five expectations.We also addressed the topic of racism,and
keeping in mind these ideas when interacting with each other.
Students definitely need more training on what is racism and
racist actions/words/ideas.
2.This year we ran classroom lessons with proactive lessons for
each homeroom in the school with respect to sexual
harassment and gender based harassment.
3.We are seeing similar actions and comments about race.Kids
are seeing and hearing these pieces online and not
understanding that it is highly inappropriate for school/public.
4.After the presentations of sexual harassment,there was a
period of more jokes,but the other students helped shut it down.
5.The importance of consistency amongst staff –setting
expectations helped staff.
6.National pushback?Principal:Not that we’ve seen.
7.Next meeting:review and revise the innovation plan –
b.Link to Innovation Plan “Tracker”version
c.Site Council Members select items from the Innovation Plan for
review and discussion.
IV.Adjournment