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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-07-HASTINGS-min MARIA HASTINGS EIIIL IllE- 1\4IIIc u;; N T A III PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE Meeting School Based Site Council— Maria Hastings Elementary Date Monday, 10/7/19 Time 7:45 am—8:30 am Location Library, Maria Hastings Elementary, 7 Crosby Road, Lexington, MA Agenda 1. Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year and get-to-know our members a. Present: Sarah Davison, Louise Lipsitz, Lisa Contre, Grace Lee, Kim Ryan, Daniel Pan, Beth Bristol,Jane Kalinski, Brenda Rich 2. Approve minutes from 6/10/19 meeting a. Motion to accept: Jane Kalinski, Second by Kim Ryan; unanimous passed 3. Member Input a. Kim Ryan asked if the school has gotten any new feedback since the redistricting plan was released; Daniel Pan expressed some of the feedback he has heard, including that some families feel this has been a second move for their child(ren). Louise responded that the plan considered past redistricting plans and avoided doing a second "redistrict" for families. Louise said she would like to hear from people who maybe have a child who has been redistricted more than once, because this was a situation that was thought about and the intent was to avoid this situation. Louise also explained that the reason changes were made across the entire district is to respond to the fact that the two largest school buildings are on one side of town, and the population is not necessarily higher in those geographic locations, plus the fact that there are multiple school buildings that are currently overenrolled, so this is an opportunity to get all the schools to a "just right size". Louise reviewed that the plan allows for current 4th graders to stay in their current school, and also that some families are able to request a special exception through the Superintendent's office. Grace Lee asked if those who got Maria Hastings Elementary School 17 Crosby Road I Lexington,MA 102421 a special exception would have to provide their own transportation, and Louise explained that has been true in the past and is likely to be true for future families. Louise also reviewed the schedule for the feedback forums that are happening later this month as well as the link on the website to give feedback electronically, and some families have asked for a meeting with Louise. Kim Ryan asked how many students will be leaving Hastings under the current plan. Louise answered that the number is approximately 40, and explained some of the changes that are highlighted in the plan. Kim Ryan expressed the thought that it will be likely to be difficult for a while, and that having "right sized" classrooms for everyone is important and will be worth the transition we will be going through. b. Kim Ryan asked about when the current building would be demolished. Louise explained that it will begin this spring, because we need to have the parking lot finished for August 2020. Louise explained some of the aspects of the current building that will come to the new building. She also explained that there will be a parent group to help with planning for saying "goodbye" to the current building, for those who are interested in being more involved. 4. Update on School Improvement Plan a. tt s:ld ocs. oo le.coml ocument d1D mx1C C u �CXS9 UkiH2 D S JrC Ccledit?us =sharing i. The Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiative is a big focus for the district, and that focus is also reflected in this year's Hastings School Improvement Plan ii. Building project and move to the new building this spring is an area of focus for this year iii. Incident Management Training for safety will continue this year, but we will not be doing any new drills with students, with the exception of likely doing a drill to help people practice going to our"evacuation site" which is the Methodist church 5. Update on Diversity & Equity Call to Action a. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in The Lexington Public Schools Position Paper: tt s:ld ocs. oo le.comL ocument dLlDn®IiHLZr5 i i rIGT mSzJbViril ® v2r k Dtk (edit?ts= bba3e0 i. New position in the district: Director of Equity and Student Supports,Johnny Cole ii. Mr. Cole will be conducting the Equity Audit for the district 6. District Strategic Plan Update a. The district's strategic plan was reviewed, specifically the mission, vision and core values. b. We are now at the stage that schools are creating action steps to meet this vision, and this week Hastings staff will use professional development time to do this work. The superintendent is encouraging the adults to take risks in learning as we make positive changes for students c. Part of the supervision and evaluation for all school staff is writing goals, and the strategic plan is informing the goal setting for individuals and teams 7. Jane Kalinski moved to adjourn at 8:35, Beth Bristol second; unanimously passed