HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-02-29-DIAMOND-minDiamond Site Council Meeting Minutes
February 29, 2016, 6:30 PM
In attendance: Anne Carothers, Linda Boardman Liu, Jia Zhou, Dan Strollo, Deepika Sawhney, Curt
Barrentine, Jennifer Burgin, Rose Scampini, Catherine Findlay, Johanna Rodrigues
Enrollment Update:
• Diamond will be adding a half team to the sixth grade for 2016 -2017 school year
• It was discussed that Winchester High School lost students just because the building was under
construction. Will this happen in Lexington?
Building Construction Update:
• Timing and impact of building construction were discussed, and a handout about Diamond
construction plans was distributed.
• Will there be locker rooms that will accommodate transgender students? There are many
unisex bathrooms that can accommodate this need, and there will also be curtained off areas in locker
rooms for students who feel more comfortable with this for whatever reason.
• Diamond building plans were distributed for review at the meeting. The architects are working
hard to minimize cost generated from repurposing rooms over the course of construction. The new
construction will group grade levels together more so than in the past. Special education will be more
integrated space -wise than in the past.
• The practices of room sharing and common teacher workspace were discussed. There will be
increased room sharing next year at Diamond, and this has caused some anxiety among the staff.
However, teachers who are already room sharing often enjoy some of the benefits, like watching each
other teach. Will Diamond invite Clarke teachers to come over and talk about best practices /what
works in these areas?
• Will construction negatively impact after school clubs? We don't think so.
Pilot Schedule Update:
• ICE and TIE Pilot Program Description handout and Impact of 2015 -2016 TIE /ICE Pilot at
Diamond handout were distributed to the group.
• Did TIE meet its objectives? How are TIE blocks scheduled? TIE allows for students to make up
work and get help they need. TIE has helped to alleviate scheduling problems and reduce the number
of students in study halls. Students do need to build skills around using study halls effectively because
they will have them at LHS.
• A slightly larger number of students like TIE more than ICE
• Teachers are feeling a little overwhelmed. The pilot included adding two TIE blocks and a
meeting to teachers' schedules, but taking off lunch duty.
• Why not get the parent feedback to share with teachers before they vote to continue to
discontinue ICE /TIE? Do parents really understand the nuances of the difference between ICE and TIE?
Perhaps not, but most people think that some configuration of these blocks is good for kids.
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Member Comments:
• Does the group have feelings about redistricting at the middle school level? Do we still want to
have 3 elementary schools feed into each school? What about a model where people can choose a
middle school? Would it be good to begin by simply asking people who would like to move?
• Are the dates of these Site Council meetings posted on the website? Could they be?
The site council meeting ended at 8:10 PM.
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