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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-09-29-DIAMOND-minDiamond Site Council Meeting Minutes September 29, 2015, 6:30 PM In attendance: Anne Carothers, Linda Boardman Liu, Jia Zhou, Dan Strollo, Johanna Rodrigues, Deepika Sawhney, Curt Barrentine, Jennifer Burgin After general discussion about the site council, Linda Boardman Liu elected to serve as parent co -chair for this academic year. Discussion about site council training (suggested, not required) opportunities were discussed, as well as the town -wide site council roundtables. Suggested that each parent member could attend one roundtable to ensure coverage, but no final decision or agreement reached. Role of site council discussed in detail, with emphasis placed on the role of advisory group to the school principal as well as a conduit for information to /from families & teachers. Discussion of site council norms and Diamond practices relative to respectful discourse were discussed and embraced by all members. Determined that an agenda item of "member comments" would be included in all meeting agendas. The council had a discussion reviewing the School Improvement Plan. Items 1 and 23 on the plan are set by the district and adopted by all schools in the district. Items 3 and 4 are set by each school individually, and the actions pursued for all goals are also set by the schools independently. In general, the planning timeline for the Diamond plan is to review and revise the annual in the April /May time period. Each plan runs thru the academic year, and ends in June of each year. It is presented to the school committee by the principal. Items 1 and 2 focus on the teaching, learning and healthy development, while goal 3 is about the facility and building projects. Anne senses a real commitment to function of the building being the focus of the proposals and plans for the building work, with potential for some very useful teacher workspaces. There is a lot of thought being put towards who would move and why, and an appreciation for the benefit of geographic teams in the support of students and creation of cohorts. Work is currently believed to begin summer 2016 and is estimated to take two years to complete. General discussion about the SIP planning cycle and how and when to begin revisions. Anne Carothers indicated that she views the planning revisions as adaptive, ongoing, and iterative each year. Diamond uses the SIP as a planning and management document, so it is truly evolutionary and used in ongoing management. The plan guides both the principal and the faculty's work, and is revised each year based on the successes /challenges that arise from this implementation. The council discussed the 2 non - traditional blocks in the schedule, TIE and ICE. TIE solves various structural challenges in the scheduling process, bringing each week to 34 class blocks. TIE stands for Team Intervention and Enrichment, and allows team teachers to engage with students outside class for additional supports, make up work, or other interventions. It appears well received by students and teachers alike. It was suggested that a communication explaining TIE block to families could be useful, perhaps a brief video overviewing TIE for all families. As TIE has scheduling /planning /preparation implications, there was discussion that would be great to figure out if TIE has changed the lunch block "call backs" from teachers. For TIE to be institutionalized, will need to be supported by the teachers through their union. Looking forward, need to gather information and feedback from teachers and students on TIE as the year unfolds, in particular as it related to team culture, use of the TIE block, and students engagement with TIE. ICE block continues to be enjoyed by many participants, with a growing cohort of students 'teaching' the ICE offerings with an advisor on board. The council discussed additional supports for students. ICE and TIE both serve pro - social and academic goals for Diamond. MegaMath continues for students who are recommended for additional math support by teachers, or based on MCAS results. Diamond now has a full time social worker on staff, who is providing some casework for IEPs, as well as general support to students. The new Guided Learning program has 2 fulltime faculty, and they are providing supports in executive function, reading, and other areas to strengthen students. Students are engaged in Guided Learning based on team recommendations, parent discussions, or thru the child study work. An interesting discussion ensued about how elementary students may be identified for middle school supports, and how the high school might receive similar information when a middle school student transitions to LHS. Currently, information from parents /guardians, former teachers, and guidance counselors is shared in the transition to and from middle school. The site council briefly discussed homework and stress and the fact that the district is looking at these issues; this item will appear for more detailed discussion on a future site council agenda. The site council meeting ended at 8 PM.