HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-02-28-BRIDGE-min BRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SCHOOL-BASED SITE COUNCIL
55 Middleby Road, Lexington, MA 02421
FEBRUARY 28, 2020 MEETING MINUTES
Attendance: Lucia Brower, Margaret Colella, Erin Cerat, Tiffany Crooker, Kristen Gray,
Kimberly Hensle Lowrance,Amy Kvaal, Zeba McGibbon, Sejal Patel, Deirdre Schadler,
Melanie Tanionos, Brienne Thibodeau, Maria Totniou, Shawn Wood, and Betty Yee.
The Bridge Elementary School School-Based Site Council held its monthly meeting on
February 28, 2020 in Room 19.
The meeting began at 8:05 AM with a thank you to the planners of Literacy Night,which
had been held last night and was a great success
The January meeting minutes were approved.
Meg Colella next provided a redistricting update. LPS will be hosting "circles" for families
who are moving schools, starting next week. These circles are based on a Restorative
Justice model and will run by school counselors.They will be an opportunity for parents to
talk about the transition and to share tips for how to talk to their children about the
change.
Meg also reiterated that staff will be impacted. Bridge will go down four sections
(classrooms), decreasing from 26 classrooms to 22. Normally,that would mean four
classroom teachers would have to be let go from Bridge,but due to retirements and a leave
of absence request, only one classroom teacher will have to move on. The hope that this
teacher can move to Hastings,where the sections will increase from 21 to 30. The impact
on specialists (ex: ELL, reading, etc.) have not yet been addressed.
Conversations have not yet happened at school about redistricting, though teachers have
language to use if it comes up. Focus is to be positive, acknowledge the change
Open Houses will be held before then for families to go through new schools together
Move up day is June 2 -taking kids who are moving from Bridge to their new school
Bridge is losing students but not gaining
Schools are trying to sync activities related to redistricting
Parents shared that
Currently 515 - next year 492 (estimate)
Class sizes will rename the relatively the same
A lot of discussion about sections and class size
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Principals do talk to one another about staff who may not be able to stay at the school due
to decreasing sections — so if a position is cut, teacher would be suggested to another
principal if they have an opening
Goal is to keep specialists and teachers within the district
Specilists can teach 20 sections; after that, we need to get intinerant staff— so some of these
staff will have to be placed elsewhere
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts at Bridge
Disrict is really looking at disportionate of discipline children of color
Meg said Bridge does a good job of not overclisclipining any one group
Still looking at what's happening in classrooms —teachers have been looking at what
practices they have in place and what additional supports that are needed
Students with emotional needs are higher—though we do have a therapeutic learning
program that has kids from Bridge and two other schools —we have disportionately there —
these are students who really need support and have behaviors that call for serious steps
What qualifies kids for this program? Students who exhibit behavioral and emotional
needs. If this program was not in-district, these students would have had to have been
redistricted — not all kids with these needs are in the program.
Bridge (9 students in program right now, some are brought by van, others are driven by
families, others come on the bus because they were already at Bridge) and Estabrook have
TLP
ILI) at Fiske
LLP at Bowman
DLP at Harrington
Parent asked a question about the management of an afterschool program at Bridge.
Students have been disruptive.And the balance of encouraging students to get involved
versus forcing them to engage. Really difficult to shift parental mindset about student
pressure. Meg agreed this is important issue and requires consideration.A related topic is
the way children are spoken to during recess and lunch — students misbehaves and whole
class is held responsible. Meg said recess is not taken away from an entire class —they can
held longer from going out— challenging. Larger discussion — next time — ask Meg to
describe
The meeting concluded at 8:44 AM.
Upcoming SBC meetings include March 27, May 1, and June (TBD).
For additional information, contact Meg Colella, Principal and Co-Chair
(mcolella(@Iexingtonma.org), or Kimberly Hensle Lowrance, Parent Representative and Co-
Chair
(khensleftmail.com); or visit https:I/www.Iexingtonma.org/bELdge-
elementary./about/site-council/
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