HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-02-CLARKE-min Jonas Clarke Middle School
School Site Council Minutes
October 2, 2019 (7AM)
Attendance: Dane Despres, Principal; Jonathan Wettstone, Assistant Principal; Mary Barry,
Assistant Principal; Stephanie Swiszcz, Teacher; Nataliya Paquette, Teacher; Meghan
Kilpatrick, Teacher; Lauren Jigarjian, Teacher; Wendy Riseborough, Parent; Jennifer Velis,
Parent; Hongmei Zhang, Parent;
L Welcome, Introductions, and Thank Yous
a. Determine meeting dates, 2019-2020
b. Group went around the table, making introductions.
c. Search for a parent co-chair was brought up by Mr. Despres.
i. Jennifer Velis volunteered and was approved by the attendees.
ii. Mr. Despres gavea brief outline of role/responsibilities of the co-chair.
11. Approve Minutes from June 2019
a. Mr. Despres asked group to review minutes from last year- June 2019
session. He reminded the group that the SIP was attached.
i. Parent noted a vague note in regards to the POS discussed. It was
clarified by staff present in that meeting.
ii. Parent asked about the school climate committee.
1. Mr. Despres identified the consultant and his work, as well as
the continuation at Diamond.
iii. Parent asked about YRBS data
1. Mr. despres briefly discussed the background of YRBS data
and how that would be discussed in the next meeting.
b. Mr. Despres asked for a motion to approve the minutes, along with norms
around motions and approvals. This was followed by a parent question
regarding the protocols.
i. The motion was brought forth and approved.
III. Public Comment
a. Parent noted that bullying was discussed in the prior meeting minutes. They
asked how this was tracked and what progress was made and/or if it was
included in the SIP.
i. Mr. Despres identified how the conversations continue and how they
are separate - SIP is school wide goals.
IV. Review 2019-2020 SIP
a. Mr. Despres began the conversation around examining the 2019-2020 SIP.
Before reviewing, he asked for panel questions. No questions posed.
b. Goal 1 - Scheduling: first goal - has been on the docket for multiple years.
i. Mid-morning break comment- not achievable for this school year, but
one that we can include in the new schedule slated for 2020-2021. Mr.
Despres is working (weekly)with Mr. Turner(Diamond Principal)to
develop and refine the schedule based on work and notes from last
year's committee. Goal is to have schedules align between the two
schools.
ii. Parent- question about changes to this year's schedule.
1. Yes -four lunches, which aligns with notes in last year's
meetings. Goal is to develop a laid-back lunch, creating a
quieter experience for students in need.
2. Lunches are not shorter- same length as last year.
3. Mr. Despres noted efforts by staff to meet this need by having
slight overlaps in lunches.
4. Group discussed the logic around the 4 lunches and student
needs.
5. Parent- do you have samples from other schools with their
schedules?
6. Yes -we do have current schedules and will be making site
visits to see things in action.
iii. Parent- can you give us more background on the "scheduling"
discussion?
1. Mr. Despres outlined a few constraints of the current schedule
and our efforts to resolve pinch-points. He went on to discuss
examinations of rotation schedules and how to meet student
needs.
c. PBL Discussion - opened a discussion of how PBL is a different way of
teaching/learning. This is an opportunity for each staff member, as we
continue to offer professional development.
d. Diversity Curriculum -Mr. Despres discussed conversations with the English
Department Head around curriculum and literature to bring forth
conversations.
i. Parent- asked about the different cultures that come together at
Clarke. Is there a way to better to expose and help all student learn?
ii. Mr. Despres identified a new position within the district-the director
of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and that staff members role in
helping the district.
iii. Parent- asked about math curriculum. The math coach responded.
e. Technology Education -Mr. Despres read from the SIP, noting how our
implementation coach is working with staff to integrate technology.
i. Parent noted the science experience in her own home - email came
home related to the experience.
ii. School and teacher websites are moving to a new platform -Mr.
Davey is supporting these moves. We are looking forward to a more
accessible and organized web site, organized by population.
iii. 1:1 technology - new this year, all students have a 1:1 device.
iv. Peer leader training - how peers can help support one another in efforts
to reduce online bullying.
I. Ms. Barry discussed current efforts to address online bullying
and harassment. MARC has a peer leadership program to train
kids on how to address online aggression in real-time.
2. We have a bullying log to track any/all data related to this
issue.
a. Parent-it's hard to instruct your child on what to do.
There is no real training on how to stop bullying from
happening. She went online to identify steps to stop it
from happening. I would encourage you to give the
kids more tools to manage the situation.
b. Mr. Despres -the social media piece has such a big
impact. The work we do here at Clarke is frequently
undone by outside social media.
c. Ms. Barry -the elementary schools are implementing
online social media classes on a weekly basis.
d. Group discussed difficulty around managing socia
V. Adjourn
a. Next meeting date - norm in the first Wednesday of each month.
b. Wednesday, October 30, 2019 is recommended.
i. will bring YRBS data to discuss further
ii. will bring updates regarding potential schedule models for 2020-2021