HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-05-12-Hastings-minSchool Council Agenda
May 12, 2005
I. Writing the School Improvement Plan
■ Procedure for writing the improvement plan
II. Deciding Topics for School Improvement Plan
Possible Topics Based on our work this year:
❖ Anti- Bullying and the Implementation of Open Circle
Curriculum
❖ Differentiating Instruction in Math
❖ Improving Communication for parents /staff /administration
❖ Building an inclusive community for all students (Boston
resident students, students who participate in the ILP program
and students with special needs)
•3 Healthy lunches and positive lunchroom atmosphere
❖ Physical activity for students
❖ Tools for Schools
III. Updates:
• Listsery
• Special Needs Brochure
• Elections
VI. Next Meeting
Page 1 of 2
.f.lane
From: "j.f.lane" <j.f.lane @mindspring.com>
To: "Tammy Mulligan" <TMulligan @rcn.com >; "Susan Campbell"
<scampbell @sch.ci.lexington.ma.us >; "Maria Moxon" <maria @moxonsonline.com >; "Lynne
Stinson" < Istinson @sch.ci.lexington.ma.us >; "Reem Yared" <reem @growthwise.com >; "Diana
Partyka" <dave.diana @rcn.com >; "Ms. Zichittella" < mzichittella @sch.ci.lexington.ma.us >; "Janet
Lane" <j.f.lane @mindspring.com>
Cc: "June Hsiao" <jyhsiao @rcn.com >; "Beth Somers Stutzman" <bethsomers1 @cs.com >; "Jessie
Steigerwald" <jess @shininghours.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 9:54 PM
Subject: Minutes from 4/13/05 meeting
SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING 4/13/05
Present: Lynne Stinson, Reem Yared, Sue Campbell, Jessie Steigerwald, Tammy
Mulligan, Janet Lane, Beth Somers Sutzman.
BULLYING PREVENTION:
Upcoming talk sponsored by PTA. There is a great deal of interest in
bullying prevention due to issues arising in several grades. Celeste and
Lynne have been meeting with the 5th grade girls using the help of a video
to generate discussion. Most of the bullying has been from home via email.
Children found bullying have had some of the 5th grade year end events
denied them as a consequence for their behavior. Problems have arisen at
other grade levels.
Jessie Steigerwald presented some policy guidelines regarding bullying
behavior from Estabrook and from a High School in England. Several people
present discussed their desire to have some common language between grade
levels, carried throughout the school and taught to parents so that simple
concepts could be understood and reinforced. The Hastings staff were all
trained in the "Responsive Classroom" antibullying program, but this
information is adapted individualistically and has not been taught to
parents. Currently each classroom teacher works on developing pro - social
behaviors in their own way and language used is different grade to grade
because age and ability levels vary widely. We have no common "slogan" or
touchstone phrase used across all grades. Several people wished for
something posted in the halls that was simple enough for all children.
The Open Circe program will come to Hastings and Estabrook next year. This
will involve staff training, and probably a parent training will be
included. This may the opportunity to invent a common language or adopt a
phrase to focus the school community on postive behavior..
Reem Yared and Celeste Freeman are working on describing Hastings' current
practices regarding bully prevention . A written description will be posted
on the Hastings Website when it is done. A first draft has been written.
5/4/2005
Page 2 of 2
An Office Report Form is currently used at Hastings when a child is found
to be bullying. The form asks a child to explain why they were sent to the
office, what they did wrong, and what ways their behavior could be changed
or alternate actions they could have taken. This form is signed by a parent
and staff person and is written by or with the child. Lynne said her file
of Office Report Forms is relatively small for a school our size.
LUNCH:
Reem presented a floor plan of the cafeteria serving area with suggestions
on how to make the serving lines flow more efficiently. She and Lynne will
meet with Cathleen Higgins to present these ideas to Chartwell, the company
that manages our lunch program.. Parents should continue to be encouraged
to buy lunch tickets to make serving lines move more quickly.
SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS:
Tammy Mulligan and Janet Lane agreed to work on this. May 9 will be the
deadline for candidates to submit a statement of their skills and interest.
LIST SERVE:
Jessie Steigerwald and Anne Khudari have offered to work on the actual data
entry and on posting the content to the list serve. Tammy Mulligan will
speak with the PTA leadership to make sure we are ready to go forward with
creating a Hastings List serve. Parents will have to submit their names to
show they want to be listed, we will not use emails obtained for other
purposes to create the list serve.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN:
Beginning in the May meeting we will agree on the topics to be covered and
delegate who is to write each section.
5/4/2005
School Council Agenda
May 12, 2005
Writing the School Improvement Plan
■ Procedure for writing the improvement plan
II. Deciding Topics for School Improvement Plan
Possible Topics Based on our work this year:
❖ Anti- Bullying and the Implementation of Open Circle
Curriculum
❖ Differentiating Instruction in Math
❖ Improving Communication for parents /staff /administration
•,• Building an inclusive community for all students (Boston
resident students, students who participate in the ILP program
and students with special needs)
❖ Healthy lunches and positive lunchroom atmosphere
❖ Physical activity for students
❖ Tools for Schools
III. Updates:
• Listsery
• Special Needs Brochure
• Elections
VI. Next Meeting
Page 1 of 3
.f.lane
From: "j.f.lane" <j.f.lane @mindspring.com>
To: "Tammy Mulligan" <TMulligan @rcn.com >; "Susan Campbell'
< scampbell @sch.ci.lexington.ma.us >; "Maria Moxon" <maria @moxonsonline.com >; "Lynne
Stinson" <Istinson @sch.ci.lexington.ma.us >; "Reem Yared" <reem @growthwise.com >; "Diana
Partyka" <dave.diana @rcn.com >; "Ms. Zichittella" < mzichittella @sch.ci.lexington.ma.us >; "Janet
Lane" <j.f.lane @mindspring.com >; "June Hsiao" <jyhsiao @rcn.com >; "Beth Somers Stutzman"
<bethsomersl @cs.com >; "Jessie Steigerwald" <jess @shininghours.com >; "Mary Jane Weinstein"
<mjw95 @rcn.com>
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 8:01 AM
Subject: Minutes of May 12, 2005 meeting
PRESENT:
Janet Lane, Tammy Mulligan, Diana Partyka, Mary Jane Weinstein, Reem Yared,
Marcia Zichatella
PROCESS FOR WRITING SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR 2005 -6
This years School Improvement Plan will be useful a tool to summarize our
view of the school for the new principal, Steve Adler. We reviewed the
content and format of last years plan and will try to replicate as much as
possible the same format,. to create a document in outline form that is
easy to read. The document should reflect goals for improvement that are
concrete, and include mention of constructive efforts that are currently
underway to help the new principal preserve initiatives that we value and
seem to be working, as well as listing the problems that need to be
addressed.
We reviewed a list of potential topics and come up with the following school
improvement goals, (listed below) and assigned people willing to draft the
first description of them.
DEADLINES:
First drafts of each goal need to be completed and emailed to the committee
members for comment by Thursday May 19th. The authors will review their
first drafts, incorporate comments and have a paper copy ready to submit to
Lynne Stinston by May 24. These will be reviewed the whole committee on the
June 9, 3:30 meeting.
GOALS:
1- Anti- bullying and the implementation of Open Circle:- Reem Yared and
Diana Partka
This will include positive behaviour management skills, and the need to
support teachers in devising consequences other than /and in addition to
denying recess time.
This will include continuing development of the brochure /web site
information that Reem and Celeste Freeman have been working o n.
5/16/2005
Page 2 of 3
2- Differentiated Instruction in Math: Tammy Mulligan
3- Improving Communication for Parents /Staff /Administration: Tammy Mulligan
This will include the implementation of List serve
recommendation of providing pizza and childcare for parents attending night
meetings,
use of the Volunteer Handbook,
use of the Special Education Services Brochure
continuation of All School Meeting and the Weekly Bulletin
use of the website to inform parents on school practices, such as the
anti - bullying information written this year
Development of other means of communication between the school community
4- Inclusion, building a community for all students, with special concern
for students from Boston, and students receiving special education
assistance: Sue Campbell and Janet Lane
This will include use of the Special Ed. Services brochure
Measures to increase awareness of Special needs, including parent
informational meetings
Measures to encourage friendships with families in Boston and Lexington
(suggestions have been allowing children with "Family Friends" to eat
breakfast together at Hastings, creating School Council coffees during
parent conference times, continuing the mentoring program of staff and
students, continuing Family Friend events).
5- Health: Reem Yared, Marcia Zichatella, Janet Lane
This will include:
Postive lunchroom atmosphere including revision of the flow of the serving
line (Reem)
Healthy lunch nutrition, continuing the dialogue with Cathleen Higgins, the
students and School Council representatives (Reem)
Encouraging physical activity - finding ways to increase understanding of
the importance of recess among parents, staff and minimize the times recess
time is lost, (Janet)
Air Quality - learning about the town wide Tools for Schools initiative
being organized by Stand for Children with intention of possibly joining
this in a later year (Marcia)
6- Parking and Safety - Diana Partyka
This will include and explanation of measures currently being adopted with
a mind that the model is constantly changing to suit the staffing and space
we have to work with.
This will include the need to inform parents of the procedures/ policies
currently used and insure that we are following them.
Issues to address are
Drop off - how to insure the basket ball court is safe for all children and
5/16/2005
Page 3 of 3
not overwhelming to the young children.
Pick up- review current pick up policy to insure safety in the halls, without
constructing barriers to communicating with teachers,
Emergency procedures -what is the current model if the school needs to be
evacuated.
UPDATE/ LIST SERVE:
List serve has been approved. June Hsiao has helped to organize a "self
serve" system so that parents who want to be included can sign themselves
up. Room parents will go on the list serve first to receive information
for parents on how to sign up. Room parents will then contact families in
their room to invite them to participate in the list serve.
UPDATE /SPECIAL NEEDS SERVICES BROCHURE:
This has been written, revised, approved by Lynne and will now going for
review by parents who have children in the ILP Program and families with
children with moderate needs.
UPDATE/ SOCIAL COMPENTENCY PROGRAM (formerly ANTI- BULLYING) BROCHURE:
A revised draft was submitted to the committe for review. Comments will go
to Reem Yared
NEXT MEETING
June 9 3:30 in Lynne Stinson's office
5/16/2005
Maria Hastings School
OFFICE REPORT FORM 2004 -2005
(This form is to be signed by a parent or guardian and
returned to school the next day.)
DATE:
NAME:
Grade: Teacher:
1. I was sent to the office because my behavior was (Check all that apply):
Disruptive to the class
— Disrespectful to another student
Hurting another student
Disrespectful to an adult
Other:
2. Description of what I did that was wrong:
3. How I can change my behavior or what I could have done differently:
Staff Comments
Office Signature
Date
Parent Comments
Parent Signature
Date