HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-03-12-CLARKE-min.pdfPUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
Jonas Clarke Middle School
School Site Council Meeting
March 12, 2025
7:00-7:45 AM
Main Office Conference Room, Jonas Clarke Middle School
17 Stedman Road Lexington, MA 02421
Agenda
Members Present: Jennifer Zacharis, , Elisabeth Moeller, Brandy Hartford,
Alison Stevens, Nataliya Paquette, Jamie Welsh, Tiffany Zides, Dane Despres
Call to Order, Welcome, Council Business & Public Comment
a. 7:04 call to order
II. Parent/Caregiver, Staff, and Admin Check -Ins: February in Review
(15 -minute limit)
a. Parents/Caregivers: Lot of anxiety from parents around course
selection. Was on a number of panels and had to reassure families
that teachers and counselors would not let your student leave
school without having what they need.
i. Timeline feels stressful - how am I going to keep track of these
dates. What I want to make sure is that parents know that they
don't actually need to know all the dates.
ii. Lots of rumors this year at the high school level that trickles
down to 8th grade parents about worry about what choices
made in 9th could impact in 10th, etc. Even changes in
messaging (ie: don't take a course you don't know if you can
stick with) created an impression that there were new rules
about level changes.
iii. Admin response: coordinating across levels, seeing more
communication and more things, but maybe it's not centralized
enough and is all over the place. Communication, central
location, etc. Information is coming piecemeal from a lot of
places. Some guiding messages included in the presentation
regarding course selection could be helpful.
iv. For rising 6th grade, we have a website. Timeline, needed links,
etc
1. Parent response: do a really good job keeping the pulse
of the room non -anxious.
v. Survey between MS and HS - when is that happening? Our
window for learning and making changes is closing. Suggested
that we get some parent feedback before its sent.
vi. Are kids prepared for the switch from SBG to high school
grading? Do they know what they need to know?
1. 8th grade (NP) math is starting to grade assessments
both ways - since December break. Using the same
points, but showing what it would be. Dane added that
social studies is doing that, Alison added science is as
well.
2. Survey would help identify the pain points. Lot gets put
on the switch in grading, but so much changes. Teachers
are also starting to pull away some of the scaffolding
around signing up kids for reassessment and instead
telling them they need to ask.
a. some discussion about understanding whether or
not there are reassessment options and whether
it's consistent.
3. Wonder about whether across PLC here at the MS we
should norm retake policies?
a. Math 8 starting to norm the actual retake, even
with different procedures for what kids need to do
b. there is wide variety at the moment
c. maybe we can get some common guidelines
d. one norm is that it goes in as an additional grade
(counts more than the original) but the original is
still part of the grade
e. how do retakes impact course recommendations -
if they meet criteria, but it is through a series of
retakes, what does that mean?
f. Noted that students may have `all green' for math,
but yellow and red for other subjects because they
are giving their all to get into honors. Need to
communicate the need for balance and not
sacrificing other subjects
b. Staff: Students seem happy; They are collaborating, flowing. End
of term is this week and ski trip is coming up.
c. BARK stickers in the wild from 2023, 2024! (On a car in a grocery
store parking lot).
i. Rising 6th grader events!
1. See above
2. Well attended. A number of 5th graders came as well
3. 40 minute presentation followed by parent panel.
a. Big topic was homework
i. elementary schools don't have homework,
except maybe a little in 5th grade, and
assigned reading.
1. one 5th grader in a family does have
homework, but the other does not
4. Will be visits to elementary schools this spring. Work
with counselors and elem schools to get information
about the rising 6s.
ii. ClarkeTank Idea example — BARK mail
1. at Monday's staff meeting we did our first BARK mail.
Getting those out to students soon. Suggested selecting
students based on who has a) made significant
improvement or b) has been really steady but unsung.
Teachers could also pick something else.
2. Will be sent internally - not through USPS.
3. How to best distribute that doesn't replicate the `I didn't'
get any Valentines' ick
a. parent feedback - as long as it's specific feedback
and not `you're my favorite student,' it should be
fine
b. maybe get some feedback after
c. love that this involves peers and kids being able to
recognize one another
iii. Plans to support report card viewing, etc.
1. report cards coming out around the 24th
2. offer some sessions before/after school to get help
viewing the report card / accessing teacher ease. There
will be a couple options in the morning and in the
afternoon. We'll turn on the WIFI!
3. teachers report that some teams have plans to have
feedback sheets that will go home for parent signature
that will also ask parents if they need help accessing the
report card
iv. STAR results to families
1. trying to time that they go out in hard copy with students
around the time of report cards. Families will have
access to those specific results no matter how they
scored.
a. We already do outreach when a student scores in
a concerning range / flags for intervention or
further testing.
v. Conferences in `25-'26 — half-day thoughts?
1. Working idea for next year is to do one full day, two half
days of conferences (during the half-day fridays already
scheduled). Teacher collab/faculty time would then be
frontloaded at the beginning of the year with an additional
in-service day
a. initial staff feedback is that this a proposal that has
a lot of positives
i. full day conferences are exhausting
ii. extra day of prep at the start of the year
would allow us to do a lot more prep to start
well
b. parent feedback
i. I think that seems like a good idea
ii. I like that there remains a full day since the
morning may be preferable to some families
rather than the afternoon
c. wonder about 6th grade half-day -- feedback from
staff is that it wouldn't be a substantial gain.
Rather, having an extended start of year
curriculum about expectations, student skills, etc.
d. Another point of conversation is `what is a
conference? what is it for? how does it differ from
calling a teacher and asking to talk?'
III. Reviewing Updates/Questions about the School Innovation Plan
IV. Adjournment - 7:56am