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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-04-05-SC-min SC Meeting 4/5/10 page # 1 LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, April 5, 2010 Cary Hall, Estabrook Room 1605 Massachusetts Avenue Present: Superintendent Paul Ash, School Committee Chair Margaret Coppe, School Committee Members Sandro Alessandrini, Jessie Steigerwald Mary Ann Stewart and student representative Liam Gandelsman. The minutes were taken by Leora Tec. The meeting was convened at 6:39 p.m. I. Call to Order and Welcome (Margaret Coppe). Rod Cole is attending the Board of Selectmen meeting to answer questions on Article 16. II. Public Comment Father (Retired Priest, Saint Brigid’s Parish) James Bertelli: On Good Friday kids are practicing for sports teams and attendance is taken. My nephew at LHS informed me that the baseball team had a game with Arlington on Good Friday. This is the holiest day of the year for Catholics. If there are no classes why do athletic teams get special treatment? I would like the School Committee to reflect on this. Dawn McKenna: The same thing happens on Patriots Day. We do a lot as a town to educate students. Every year we have the same conflict with coaches. I think there should be no school activities on Patriots Day. The “voluntary” practices, are not truly voluntary; if a student does not attend he/she may not be able to compete in the next meet. III. Superintendent’s Announcements Two important people to the School system recently passed away. 1. Moment of Silence for Don Gillespie. He taught in LPS from 1946-1983. He laid the foundation for the current music program. He was much loved and very caring. The high school auditorium is named after him. There will be a memorial concert over Columbus Day weekend. He was an extraordinary man. 2. Moment of Silence for Freyda Siegel. Ms. Siegel worked for the Lexington schools as a guidance counselor and psychologist for 40 years and retired at age 90. 3. The first annual LHS Senior Art Exhibit will be held in the LPS Central Office, April 8 through May 6. We are proud of our students and our teachers. SC Meeting 4/5/10 page # 2 IV. Members’ Reports / Members’ Concerns Mary Ann Stewart: One of our School Committee goals is to look at best practices in family engagement in schools. Sandro and I are getting some names together for a sub-committee on this. Sandro Alessandrini: April is Autism Awareness Month. Please look at the CDC site; 1/110 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with autism this year. Margaret Coppe: I received an invitation from The Antony Committee to attend some of the events associated with the delegation from our sister city Antony, France. I would like to confirm a May 11 date for a School Committee retreat. It would be late afternoon, probably 4-8. There may be a proposed amendment made to Article 4 (the FY 11 budget) made on Town Meeting floor. Are you all familiar with this? We should be prepared if we are called upon. Motion to oppose the proposed amendment to Article 4, line item 2130 (Steigerwald, Alessandrini). The motion passed 4-0. Tonight the recognition of seniors by Jay Kaufman and the presentation of the Sharyn Wong- Chan/Sara Harrington Diversity Award will take place at the beginning of Town Meeting. V. Discussion 1. Report on Services Offered to Youth and Families — Presented by Laurie Henry, Town of Lexington Assistant Director for Youth Services. Charlotte Rogers, Director of Human Services for the Town of Lexington was also present and answered questions. There were questions and comments from the Committee. Dr. Ash invited Ms. Henry to use the LPS listserve to inform parents about programs. VI. Action Items 1. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of March 2, 2010 Motion to approve School Committee Minutes of March 2, 2010 (Stewart, Alessandrini). The motion passed 4-0. 2. Vote to Accept a $959 Gift from Wilson Farms to the Bridge School Motion to accept with gratitude a $959 gift from Wilson Farms to the Bridge School (Alessandrini, Stewart). The motion passed 4-0. VII. Motion to recess to reconvene on Town Meeting floor and adjourn at end of tonight’s Town Meeting (Steigerwald, Stewart). The motion passed 4-0. The meeting was recessed at 7:30 p.m.