HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-09-17-LHS-min I'log�V
� Lexington High School
t' 251 Waltham Street ❖ Lexington,, Massachusetts 02421
Andrew Stephens
Principal 781-861-2320,x69103
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Twitter: @LexingtonHSMa astepens@lexingtonma.org
FAX: 781-861-2440
September 2018
To: The Lexington High School Site Council
From: Andrew Stephens
Re: September Meeting
LHS School Site Council Meeting met on September 17, 2018 from 6:15-7:55 PM in the World Language
Building, Room 505D.
Present: Andrew Stephens, Suzanne Lau, Shiv Chandra, Kate Vogelzang,Leslie Zales, Ed Li, Katie Cutler,
Liz Curtin,Erin Barrett,Bryce Spalding, Nancy Shepard, Angela Chang,Cathy Swan and Sheera Knecht.
Guest: Christina Lin (Parent,PTO co-President)
I. Introductions
II. Approved the June 2018 meeting minutes
III. School Council membership updates
• Reviewed contact information and made corrections
• Update on Science Dept. and Sophomore Representative
Andrew Stephens (AS) is working on identifying a new member from the Science building. The new
sophomore representative will be elected at the same time as the upcoming Freshman elections.
• Suzanne Lau was re-elected as Parent co-chair for the School Council
IV. Review of Approved School Improvement Plan (2018-2019)
• Highlighted topics to address
0 1:1 laptop rollout
o Review DCAP with District
o Explore creating college and career planning center
o Share information on available LHS support and intervention services
o Continue working on HW policy
o Identify and address needs around diversity, equity, inclusion and cultural proficiency in
conjunction with district— System wide report and plan to be presented at School Committee
meeting on September 25, 2018.This will include a district wide audit.
o NEASC process and articulate Core values.
o Improved online handbook
o Propose new building
V. Meeting Dates and Topics
• Approved meeting dates and time; moved meeting location to World Language building,Room
505D.
• Brainstormed topics for the year—divided in three groups for brainstorming. Common themes are
listed first. Brainstorm topics are then listed by Group.
o "Communication roadmap
■ Parent-school communication
■ Counseling
• Career college roadmap
■ Brevity and clarity advised
■ Piecemeal vs. comprehensive (memo,newsletter,website)
■ website " -search bar is not very good
■ FAQ's needed for
0 Counseling
0 Communication
0 Community service
0 Website tutorial
o Equity—within building
o HW Policy
o Group 3:
■ New High School plans; communicate information/updates
■ Homework policy—revision and conflicts between students and teachers (impact on both)
■ Swimming pool—impact of Minuteman High School new building
■ Better way to get alumni feedback
0 Career day
0 Alumni survey: what worked,what did not,what prepared you,what did not.
■ Chromebooks: Add printing capability and improve speed
■ Percentage turnover,admin.Counselors,deans,teachers—year to year?
■ Headway on adding more counselors to lower student to counselor ratio
o Group 2
■ College &career planning—Counseling load is 225:1
0 Making more resources available to kids
0 Communication of college career roadmap by grade (brief)
0 How to get people to those timelines
■ Equity for teachers
0 Number of classes and students differs by subject
0 5 classes vs.4 vs. 3
0 Split teachers (AP &CP 1 and 2)—more focus on AP?
■ Q &A strategies for students and teachers
o Group 1
■ Timeframes for grading and returning of work by teachers— standardized?
■ HW policy
0 impact on AP when other areas of the country have more time (disadvantage)
■ How to promote self-advocacy for students—add parent programming?
■ Homeroom—is this an effective use of student time?
■ Add self-scheduling for I Block?
■ Grade Level Assets—continue to visit
■ Athletic program issues—where can these be addressed?
VI. Announcements from Council members
• Stephens updates:
o Schedule
0 Dates back to 1996
■ Keep block system; add longer periods
■ Consider classes meeting less often and having fewer transitions
■ Scheduling committee will present 3 options for discussion and review
■ Eventually leading to faculty advisory vote and a decision
■ Coordinate with middle school (shared staff considerations)
o Technology
■ Chromebook distribution to 9th and 10th graders went smoothly.
■ Different models in high school and middle school.
o Security Upgrades
■ Electronic doors are open at passing time.Monitoring to see if enough buffer time is
allowed.
■ Monitor
o NEASC Accreditation process
C-A 10
■ Self-report has been distributed to parents and feedback solicited.
o Statement of Interest
■ Due date April 2019
VII. Feedback
• Start of School year
• 1:1 Chromebook rollout
o How do we publicize the great things happening in the classroom? Need to communicate
benefits of Chromebooks for teaching and learning.
o Where in the curriculum do we instill digital literacy?
o Monitoring software for Netflix and other distracting internet sites.
o Charged—bring Chromebooks to school charged.
o Desire to talk about the good ways devices are getting used
o Intersection between school and device control
■ Better communication and information about device management to parents.
• Parking
o Assembly with Seniors to clarify parking (no more parking in wetland areas, $175 per student
permit/term in the lottery for 25 spots, 18 Visitor parking spots)
• Vaping event at Cary Hall at 7:00 pm on October 17, 2018.
• Presentation by motivational speaker Mike Smith to 10tth,11 th and 12th graders.
• Author of the book"Why are all the black kids sitting together at the cafeteria?",Beverly Daniel
Tatum to give a lecture at Brandeis College at 3:30 pm on October 3, 2018.
VIII. Adjournment 7:55
/ � A �
Andrew Stephens—Principal