HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-10-18-Diamond-min
Diamond School Council Meeting
Date: 10/18/10
Members Present:
Anne Carothers
Cindy Starks
Janice Whittemore
Rick Comeau
Phyllis Sachar
Margaret Counts-Klebe
Anne Redmon
Judi Robinson
Kelly Tzannes
Diane Corbett
Deborah Rourke
Minutes:
1.Approval of Meeting Minutes
The council reviewed and approved minutes of the meetings held on April 12, 2010, May
5, 2010, May 10, 2010, May 26, 2010, June 10, 2010, September 15, 2010 and September
21, 2010.
2.School Improvement Plan
Ms. Carothers distributed the final School Improvement Plan and a typed version of the
data cycle diagram that had been distributed at the September 21, 2010 meeting. The
group briefly discussed the changes to the plan that had been agreed at the September 21
meeting and that were reflected in the final plan.
3.Rachel’s Challenge
Ms. Counts-Klebe noted that Rachel’s Challenge had been a subject of discussion at a
recent School Committee meeting, and that it had been noted that the implementation of
the program had differed across the schools that had adopted it.
Ms. Carothers and Mr. Comeau spoke about the implementation at Diamond. Activities
are being made available at multiple points during the school day. The goals and
discourse of Rachel’s Challenge have also been worked into social activities such as the
6th grade ROPES trip. There are club activities focused on welcoming newcomers, the
lunchroom climate, making signs to highlight the Rachel’s Challenge goals and
organizing “warm fuzzies” for good deeds.
4.Budget
Ms. Carothers reported that Diamond’s submission for the district’s capital improvement
budget was submitted on September 30, 2010, and she distributed a copy of the
submission. The submission was built up based upon staff suggestions. It is intended to
reflect what the school wants/needs, and there was not a triage process at this point.
Ms. Carothers also discussed an issue that had arisen regarding the funding of risers for
the auditorium. In the past, the talent show was administered by a school department and
revenues were dedicated to school projects. There are district-wide policy concerns
around fundraisers that are conducted by a particular department to raise funds for that
department. The remaining funds from the talent show account are being allocated to the
purchase of risers. In the future, the talent show will be administered by the PTA and
revenues will be allocated as part of the regular PTA budget process.
5.Communication
The group discussed the feedback from our spring survey concerning communication
issues and the various initiatives that have been or might be put into place to further
improve communications between the school and the parent community.
There was discussion and generally positive feedback about the idea of periodic
principal’s newsletters. Ms. Carothers indicated that she planned to distribute a second
newsletter in the near future.
The group discussed ways of ensuring that listserv announcements reach as broad as
possible a group. It was proposed that emails submitted for the PTA directory could be
added to the listserv unless an individual specifically opts out.
The idea of a fall “Welcome Back” coffee was discussed as something that other schools
host. Diamond hosts a welcome supper instead.
The parent-teacher conference process was identified as a subject for future discussion.
The group discussed the status of the Student Council, which was viewed as an area for
improvement in the spring survey. The Council has not yet been reconstituted for this
school year. No teachers have volunteered to coordinate it. There has been a desire not
to compete with the more grassroots Rachel’s Challenge activities. A question was raised
about coordination of the grade-level dances which has historically been done by the
Student Council. It was suggested that someone might talk to the administration at
Clarke about how their dances are organized.
6.Foreign Language Trips
Ms. Carothers noted that the issue of what to do for students who are not part of the
spring foreign language trips was under consideration. There is a desire to have a
substantive program in place so that students in the classrooms continue to learn but that
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students on the trips are not missing regular classroom activities. To be discussed at a
later meeting.
7.Next Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for November 17, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.
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