The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2018-11-30-BRIDGE-min BRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCHOOL-BASED SITE COUNCIL 55 Middleby Road, Lexington, MA 02421 781-861-2510 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 MEETING MINUTES APPROVED DECEMBER 21, 2018 Attendance: Lynnette Allen, Lucia Brower, Erin Cerat, Meg Colella,Jon Cunha,Amy Kvaal, Kimberly Hensle Lowrance, Ruth Litchfield, Zeba McGibbon,Anita Patel, Sejal Patel, Deirdre Schadler, and Shawn Wood. Absent: Amelia Brower, Megan Brown, Kristen Gray, Huan Liu, Beth Murnaghan, Kira Sevene, Debbie Side, Melanie Tanionos, and Maria Totniou. The Bridge Elementary School School-Based Site Council held its monthly meeting on Friday, November 30 at 8:00 AM at the Bridge School Library. The first order of business was a follow-up from the September meeting's discussion on the Homework Policy. In response to questions from parents, Kristen Gray sent a survey to Bridge's teachers about their homework strategies. (See Appendix A for a summary of the results of this survey. Meg will include write-up of this survey in her next newsletter to the Bridge community.) Meg explained that LPS does not have a "no homework" policy; rather,we have a "use your judgment when assigning homework so it's meaningful" policy. Homework, she explained, should help students practice a skill or reinforce content. A parent asked: How will students manage their time if they don't have long-term projects? Meg explained that the guidance to staff is to make projects thoughtful and meaningful, with steps broken down so students learn the various aspects to managing a project. Ms. Gray also reached out to Mary Barry-Ng, one of the assistant principals at Clarke,to ask about the preparedness level of Bridge students when they come to Clarke. Ms. Barry-Ng said that there's a normal adjustment period for all students, and most of them adjust very quickly. She noted that some students get overwhelmed with the volume of homework so the administration is trying to coordinate efforts so projects are assigned sequentially, not simultaneously. Based upon this conversation,there is no recommended change to the homework practice at Bridge. Ms. Gray also asked Bridge's special educators and specialists for their input on homework, and some of them assign specific homework for students when needed,but most don't assign homework. Meg noted that research consistently indicates that assigning homework at the elementary school level doesn't help students achieve better,thought it does have a small benefit on time management skills (if the project is structured to focus on these skills). John Hattie 1 wrote a book about student achievement and is a resource to those looking for more information on this topic. Meg added that if parents are adamant about more homework,teachers can direct them to websites where students can practice their skills. One parent noted that one of the downsides of not having consistent homework assignments is that parents don't know how their kids are doing at school. Meg explained that Bridge teachers are responding to this by expanding their newsletters and websites, making them more robust and including details about what students are learning. Ms. Arthur and Ms.Watkins are two excellent examples of this move to increased parental communication. Parents also can log onto their child's Google drive account to see their writing, and math assessments are now coming home for parental review (except kindergarten which does not have paper-based math assessments). A parent asked: How can this information about homework at Bridge be shared with our community? Can the PTA host a speaker on this topic, perhaps in conjunction with another school, or now district-wide talk? Meg will reach out to the superintendent's office to see if there is interest in hosting a talk. Or, could this topic be a session during Bridge Learns? That's a possibility, said Meg. Bridge leadership is currently discussing the possibility of hosting the next Bridge Learns during the 2019-2020 school year. Shawn Wood made the point that parents naturally expose their children to travel, music, theatre, etc., and these activities—what families do together—are so much more valuable than any worksheet. Meg agreed, adding how important it is for kids to be with their families and to have free time to play. SBC members discussed how there are different expectations of homework and class participation from students who come to Bridge from other cultures. Deirdre Schadler spoke about efforts to engage community groups, including IAL, KoLEX, CARL, and others, in a conversation about school experiences in their home countries (focusing on parent involvement, discipline, school environment, homework, etc.) so as to make those students feel comfortable here in Lexington.A summary of this work will be presented to the staff in April. One parent referenced a packet of activities that she had received that helped engage children in curriculum-related efforts. Meg said she can include such a resource in her newsletter. In other news, Meg shared she was recently notified that Bridge will be getting a new playground in the summer of 2019.This playground,which will cost close to a $300,000, is being driven by the district in order to comply with the ADA. The new playground will include new flooring and safer structures. The swings,web climbing structure, and Quinn- inspiration elements are staying. Pictures of the playground are hanging outside of Meg's office and were sent out in Meg's recent newsletter. The feedback from the students has been very positive. 2 Our next SBC meeting will be held Friday, December 21 at 8 AM in the Bridge School Library. Tentative topics include the approval of the September, October, and November meeting minutes; cultural competency; and an update on Lexington Learns. NEXT MEETINGS: Other upcoming meetings are scheduled for January 25, March 1,April 26, May 24, and a TBD June date (based on the last day of school). FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact Meg Colella, Principal/Co-Chair (mcolella@lexingtonma.org), or Kimberly Hensle Lowrance, Parent Representative/ Co- Chair (khensle@gmail.com); or visit https:.//lps.1exingtonma.org/domain/481. Appendix A: Current Homework Implementation at Bridge Practice of Assigning Homework Beyond Nightly Reading 47% only recommend/require nightly reading 37% assign additional weekly assignments 10% assign occasional projects 6% assign extra practice for specific students Frequency of additional homework assignments (outside of nightly reading) 36% never 11% 1 night a week 18% 2-3 nights a week 18% 4 nights a week 7% once a month 10% as needed Do you differentiate your homework? (Do you adjust your homework to meet the needs of individual students?) 90% yes / reading books are self-selected 10% everyone gets the assignment • Kindergarten - no homework • Grade 1 - no additional homework o Recommended nightly reading (sometimes with a log) o Once a month writing idea generation at home • Grade 2 - average 1 night a week of additional homework o Nightly reading (sometimes with a log&comprehension question) o Some teachers: ■ Once a week writing assignment • Grade 3 - average 2-3 nights a week short homework assignments 3 o Nightly reading o Math worksheets o Word Study practice • Grade 4 - average 2 nights a week o Nightly reading (with log) o Occasional word study o Math worksheets o Occasional long-term projects • Grade 5 - average 2 nights a week o Nightly reading o Weekly written reflection o Differentiated homework per needs of students o Occasional long-term project SBC Homework Discussion The Research The Case For and Against Homework Robert J. Marzano and Debra J. Pickering http:://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/marO 7.1vol64.1num06/The- Case-For-and-Against-H omework.aspx Estabrook Homework Policy (2016-2018): https://lps.lexingtonma.org/domain/1551 Giving Up Homework:Research, Leadership and Change in Massachusetts Schools http://frontandcentral.com/k-12-trends/giving-homework-research-leadership-change- massachusetts-school/ Homework:An unnecessary evil?... Surprising findings from new research Valerie Strauss https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/26/homework-an- unnecessary-evil-surprising-findings-from-new-research/?utm term=.bd5291334200 LPS Homework Policy: https://lps.lexingtonma.org/domain/1712 4