Friday, August 26, 2011

August 22, 2011

 1) Call to Order/Attendance

Brad Royal - Admin
Stephen Kottenbrock - Admin
LaJoi Wilson-Moore - Admin
Candi Fernandez - CC
Tanya Bridges - Tech
Daniel Bryant – SIT Chair
Kelly Hall – LA
Dave Jenkins – Math
Mark Schnably – Science
Gena Loflin – 8th
Cindy M Dietrich – 7th
Matthew A Fossa – 7th
Jennifer Via – 7th
Carleen Mooney – 6th
Deborah Cummings - Encore
Abby Allen - Encore
Jill M Friesen - Encore
Susan Riddle – Encore – SIT Sect.
Beth Raines - EC
Karen B Parker - EC
Dave Kornelius - PTA
Janet Fangmann - PTAa

2) Approval of Minutes from 6/6/2011 meeting

- Red/Green Zone discussion postponed until later in the school year.

Fossa moved to approve the 6/6/11 meeting minutes.
Parker 2nd, all in favor

3) Campus Cleanup - Royal
 a) Honor School of Excellence Signage

   The School of Excellence signage in the lobby is out of date. The banner program was probably cut due to budget cuts. At this time there are three options to consider regarding the banners:

 1) Leave the banners as is
2) Determine how to get signs exactly like those currently hanging (costs)
3) Take them down

Banner Suggestions:

  •  Purchase one large banner similar to the sports banners in gym
  • Royal: Three TVs are being donated and will be located in the lobby to help in creating a 21st century school environment. These could be used to promote school successes at no cost. 1 cafĂ© / 1 concessions /1 guidance
  • Bryant: Suggested a banner to note the YEAR and the Recognition then each year and the new recognition could be added. It could be designated as our Academic Excellence banner. Lower cost than individual banners for each year.
  • Royal: Dietrich and Kornelius will research and present banner options
  • McDowell: Will talk to Martin Patrick about banner options similar to those in the gym
  • Upon hearing reports at the next meeting, discussion will begin about what to do with current banners. At this time banners will remain in the lobby.

 b) Deck the Halls - Royal

   Patriot Pride will be a new program this school year to motivate the staff and student body to take more pride in our school. It will include building and pod care/maintenance assignments. “This building looks like a 1999 building not a 2011!” (Royal) This starts with taking greater pride in our physical facilities-which means the teachers/faculty, students, staff and administration - all have to model Patriot Pride.

Areas to be addressed:

  •  Pegram- Will begin changing out pictures to update them with current students and activities. This can be done inexpensively.
  • Blevins and Hamby are additional picture resources.
  • Change the art work to create a 21st Century look.
  • Sketches and murals throughout the building need to be completed
  • Clean up the front office and the building (work in progress)
  • Spruce this place up!
  • New fencing is going to be installed to keep kids off the grass near the new terracing beside the annex.
  • Cummings, Allen and Pegram will lead the Deck the Halls initiative to begin updating the school/campus.

 Patriot Pride measures already underway for the new school year…

  •  New steps at Guidance entrance
  • New terraced retaining wall beside the annex
  • Loop and chain fence to be installed to keep kids off the grass in the back.
  • Power washing the walks and walls where needed.

 c) Patriot Pride - Bryant

   Contest within the buildings to help maintain Patriot Pride See Attached PowerPoint

  
Buildings are divided into areas of responsibility and are judged weekly based on appearance. Keep in mind that the Custodians shouldn’t clean up after us.

  •  NO mopping or hazardous cleaning! (not part of the program)
  • Patriot Pride includes keeping the hallways and classrooms clear of trash/books, lockers closed, bathrooms neat (reporting problems) 
Other points mentioned to help demonstrate Patriot Pride:

  •  Pressure washing building and sidewalk to remove chalk (Thanks to Mr. Kottenbrock)
  • FOSSA-If cable ties are used to secure empty lockers, be sure they are looped several times so students cannot yank the lockers open. 
  • Fangmann-Consider outside cleanup for Crosby Scholars as community service -week-end activity (inside of bldg would be harder to arrange on the weekends)
  • Kornelius-Beautification Committee (part of PTA) can help with outside
  • Kottenbrock to get a list of outside projects to Dan Kornelius for the Beautification Committee to assist with 
4) Discipline

 a) ALC Location and Schedule - Fossa

   Because of the time requirements of study skills/PLCs/Grade level meetings this year, the ALC process and schedule will need to be reworked. Currently the move it to ISS simply because of meeting schedule. Other possibilities are being investigated by Moon and Fossa.

  •  Royal: Maybe another team takes Study Skills while one team takes their week of ALC
  • Allen: CTE teachers have some time can be used—Maybe rm. 010 for ALC
  • Royal: (In response to questions about a singular ALC location) The current class schedule causes time gaps between 8th and 7th planning times. Because it seems that there are no other adult supervision options, ALC students could not be left alone during these times. Royal thought that ALC students were taken back to ISS between sessions when waiting for the next grade level to pick them up. If there is an issue with the student interacting with others during transition periods, then take student to the next location 5 minutes before class lets out. Prevent them from interaction during class changes (management issue).
  • Mooney: Last year Mrs. Blevins was willing to put ALC in the small office beside ISS.
  • Royal: That office space can not be used for ALC because it is used by the school social worker and psychologist to work with students. Every other school in the county combines ISS and ALC in one room.
  • Fossa: Will look into ALC change and other options besides ISS and will invite Mrs. Blevins to the Discipline Committee meeting for her input on possibly housing ALC with ISS. There is also the possibility of teachers assisting Blevins with ALC students, but housing those children in the ISS room.

 5) Curriculum

 a) Mandate from Central Office - Bryant

   Each team is responsible for 10 minutes of Instant Recess for every child each day all year long. We are not required to use the videos from last year, but there must be 10 minutes of documented activity every day.

Possibilities/Suggestions:

  • Team time can count—Team time needs to be planned/organized activities (1 or 2 times a week).
  • Can use the IR videos. They will be on the SDrive and use whenever needed. It works best to download them to your desktop. They will also be looped on the TV like last year.
  • Walk track 10 min.
  • Students/Teachers might create videos to be shared
  • Will start on Monday August 30 
  • CORE teacher issue—team plans their schedule
  • Must be documented for each child everyday!
  • How to maintain documentation-forthcoming. 
a) Technology - Bridges

 Bridges is only here on B-days
  • How do we unlock computers if students are locked out? Get generic logins—(passwords will be changed from time to time).
  • Brad: Get generic logins from Candi
  • Riddle/Barfield/Ladson- have open class periods and will be assisting Tanya 
  • Daniel- Start a TECH Response team. ex. Jenkins and other teachers that have some tech knowledge (refrigerator list for technology)
  • Try to KEEP STARS in place. Students are proud of leadership role. Identify kids from STARS.  
Help desk process seems to be working fine so far.

  
  6) For the Good of the Order:

  • Fossa: Classroom 10 is empty. Ask teachers at grade level how many of their working classroom desktop computers they would be willing to donate for a new computer lab. If there are enough computers donated to create a classroom, Mr. Royal will check into getting that room wired. This would provide another location for classes to sign-up/use computers. Please contact Matt Fossa if you have any extra computers for this project. 

  • Fernandez: Staff development-Grade level meetings-1 of 2 will be for staff development. Each team should come up with recommendation for staff development by their September 1st grade level meeting in order to set the calendar for 2011-2012.

  • Kornelius: Jefferson Middle School’s PTA now has a Facebook page

  • Hall: Reactivate the old Mad Minutemen Club- fundraiser for athletic department.   
 -Cost was $25.00 and only good for basketball games (several years ago).
 -Cost would have to be reviewed and the inclusion of volleyball season considered.
 -Will be discussed with Francis and Schnably
 -There must be a staff member managing the group's organization and appropriateness at sporting events
             
Students in the original group received:
 -T-shirt- When wearing the shirt they received free admission to home basketball games (excluding championship games) and seating in a designated section beside the cheerleaders.
 -Ration Card for 1 free drink and snack

Monday, June 6, 2011

June 6, 2011

1) Call to Order
2) Attendance
Brad Royal - Admin
LaJoi Wilson-Moore - Admin
Stephen Kottenbrock - Admin (absent)
John Downs - Tech
Candi Fernandez – CC
Sara Billings - Class.
Lisha Vannoy - guidance
John Cardarelli – S.S.
Kelly Hall – L.A. (absent)
Dave Jenkins – Math
Mark Schnably – Science
Jill Friesen – encore/secretary
Tamara Hughes – encore
Deborah Cummings - encore
Daniel Bryant – 6 th
Elizabeth Hobson – 6 th
Matt Fossa – 7 th
Robin Moon – 7 th
Gail Frank – 8 th (absent)
Brent Atkinson – 8 th
Richardson/Edmonds – EC
M.Hunter/J. Fangmann- PTA
Karen Parker – Teacher Assistant
Jenifer Holland
Gena Loflin
Susan Riddle
Carleen Mooney
Cindy Dietrich

3) Minutes



-Motion to approve last meeting minutes? Fossa motions, Bryant & Hughes and Parker 2nd, all in favor.


4) Classroom solution– Atkinson
-Social Studies proposals for “classroom solution” have been submitted by J Holland and J Garwood.
• Both proposals were read, but because of the guidelines set at the last meeting, Jennifer Holland was approved for the classroom solution.


5) Changing of guard – need to elect a new SIT Chair from next years members
Nominations: Need a majority vote to become chair. There will be a run-off if there are are 2 high nominees
• Daniel Bryant, nominated by Fossa and K. Parker
• Fossa, nominated by Jenkins and Loflin. Fossa declined… too many sports.
Daniel Bryant was the only one available, no one was opposed, so he is now the SIT chair.
SIT Secretary: Jill Friesen will be 80% next year, so may not be best as secretary.
Susan Riddle was nominated and 2nded for secretary, with none opposed. Susan Riddle will be next year’s secretary.


6) Red/Green Zone: It needs to be a first order of business for SIT next year. Also, professionalism and ALC scheduling (especially during testing time) need to be addressed at the beginning of the year.
Royal- Maybe this (professionalism) should be a focus for single school culture. This has been scoffed at previously, but it can be a powerful thing. You hold each other accountable of that.
Atkinson- We as a staff weren’t taught or told anything about single school culture… we were just told one day that for that we’re all going to walk on the right side of the hallway.
Bryant- I thought we had to choose what type of school we were: single school culture (2 years ago), or PLC school (this year).
• Royal: What if we pick one goal per quarter to work on as part of professionalism? Ex. 1st quarter- we focus on everybody being on their duties on time. 2nd Quarter- we focus on gum, etc.
Atkinson- A huge part of single school culture is the accountability piece- me being willing to go to Matt Fossa (for example) and say, you aren’t doing your duty on time. You need to do that. And he needs to be ready to hear that and accept it without throwing a hissy fit.
Royal: Both administration and teachers are to hold each other responsible for that. EVERYONE must be in agreement or it falls to pieces.
• Dietrich: It’s all about consistency and eliminating the gray area. This is similar to my Time to Teach training.
Royal: You all scoffed at a half-baked idea. Whatever idea you decide to do has to be all the way thought through. That is not just one meeting. That is a series of well laid out meetings.
Gum chewing discussion… when/how to write up, between classes, differences between how teachers respond, etc. … Need to refocus back to Single School Culture. Obviously this is an important issue that we can work on tackling next year as part of single school culture.
Bryant: We can’t just keep doing the exact same things over again, because we’re just walking in circles. We need to be proactive and reactive.
• Royal: I’m really irritated about the physical appearance of the hallways. Papers, trash, all over floors, lockers open, bookbags halfway in them. This shows no respect for our school. I’d like for administration to pick a hallway a week to focus on, and reward that team for keeping it clean or something. Maybe called the Patriot Pride Award. Expectations can, should, need to be high.
-Carderelli- I think it’s a great idea. But I think we should take down some of the ancient pictures, art, and photos that are up and put up more recent stuff.
-Not just hallways, also bathrooms, outside walkways, etc. Maybe we can put more trash cans out there… there’s some recycling money we could use for that.
-We need to work with business partners to come up with rewards. I can make this a Brad Royal thing, but I’d like it to be everybody working together on this. It will take some work to set up. We need to ALL work together, and we also need to model pride.
-Carderelli- I think we should start with something tangible like hallways and gum, but ultimately we could lead into an honor code system… I will not cheat, I won’t contribute to graffiti, I’m proud to be a student here, BECAUSE I go to TJMS. Once it gets started it snowballs… bathroom walls become a message board.
-Bryant: This is a good place to start, and there’s no better time to start that than the beginning of the year… that’s when the school is the cleanest.
• Atkinson- If you haven’t read about single school culture before, you may want to go back and look into that.


Meeting adjourned @ 3:00pm.
Minutes submitted by Jill Friesen.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

SIT Meeting, May 16, 2011



Attendance
Present:
Brad Royal - Admin
John Downs - Tech
Candi Fernandez – CC
Kelly Hall – L.A.
Dave Jenkins – Math
Mark Schnably – Science
Tamara Hughes – encore
Deborah Cummings - encore
Daniel Bryant – 6 th
Elizabeth Hobson – 6 th
Matt Fossa – 7 th
Jill Friesent--Secretary
Gail Frank – 8 th
Brent Atkinson – 8 th
Karen Parker – Teacher Assistant
Stephen Kottenbrock - Admin
Lisha Vannoy - guidance
John Cardarelli – S.S
Richardson/Edmonds – EC
Robin Moon – 7 th

Not present:
Janet. Fangmann- PTA
LaJoi Wilson-Moore - Admin

3) Minutes
-Motion to approve last meeting minutes?
-Karen motions, Matt seconds, all in favor

4) Tech update – Atkinson

New Classroom Solutions – One to Mr. Schnably, as he was the only other person to write a proposal for round one. One to a sixth grade social studies teacher IF district will insure equipment in the pods. If not, a 7th social studies teacher in the main building.
-Royal: Yes, they can put them in a pod, no it’s not insured. (We’re self-insured… if that money is gone or they don’t want to pay it as the school system, we’re on our own. So it’s really just a maybe. That’s the best answer he can give us.) The TV would have to be put on a rolling cart… much easier to steal. $8250… but 6th should have one.
-Downs: But, not to be against 6th grade, if it’s our money now we might should lean on the safe side. and wait till the 2012 bond to equip the PODS?
-Atkinson- Hopefully any emptied classrooms will turn into computer labs, but we won’t double up (on our own money) and put solutions in the labs.
This completes “phase one” of our tech acquisition plan. Yeah!

Phase two has been modified to fill 4 dell mini laptop carts, one for each grade level and encore before returning to solutions. (They hold 24 each)
-Fossa: I think it’s silly to decide which building the solutions go in? If someone has a better proposal, why shouldn’t they get it? Answer: Soc. St. already met about this. No one is moving rooms… we’re all the same school. Why should we be so restrictive? It will eventually force someone to take one, due to location and restrictions, as opposed to those who will really use it.
-Atkinson: They can’t be on the same team: that’s a parent issue. So it’s more a team thing, but buildings make that easier to decide.
-Downs: Another reason to do it geographically is if teams switch around in future years.
-Royal: I don’t personally care where we put them, but it does geographically make sense.
-Carderelli: I think this resoves the issue, because after this one is placed downstairs, it makes the next one open to anyone.
-Atkinson: So after this, do we want to say that it goes to the best proposal period? Since one will be close enough regardless.
-Atkinson: So we need to know… are we adamantly against putting one in 6th grade? We have to decide this in order to move forward.
-Royal: "Maybe" in Central office means no. So we need this to go to 7th grade.
-Carderelli: Motion to make the next solution downstairs in 7th grade social studies. The motion was seconded, unanimous vote that way.


5) Encore meetings – Friesen

Meeting more often than encore would like. Only want/need 2 meeting per month.
-Royal: We don’t have grade level meetings unless there is something to be discussed. We can’t know ahead of time when things will come up.
Atkinson: how many parent meetings do you do in there too? I know it’s your lunch, but… Grades take a long time with 2-3 times the students.
Candi and Brad: out of necessity… we can’t necessarily say now that they will only be twice a month.
- Friesen: Also, can we choose events: concerts, plays, banquets, etc. Instead of having to go to all, like we have in past years. Atkinson: We’ll talk about that next time since it wasn’t on the agenda.

6) Student Agenda for 2011-2012 – Hall

Changes for gum, etc if not to be enforced
- Hall: Battle against gum is done, right?
- Royal: Not set that way, but I don’t want my administrators tied up dealing with it. Maybe when it turns into insubordination. But get it off the books… you can do something about it if you like, but not on the books.
- Hall: If it isn’t going to be supported by administration as a school rule, lets take it off the agenda, and deal with it again. Previously when a repeated offence (insubordination), we wrote it up for an ASD. I’m seeing gum everywhere. Everywhere. We need to either take it off the books or take it on. But this isn’t just about gum… it’s about rules in general.
- Royal: Gum chewing in hallways and at water fountains… how can we monitor that?
- We have never had the nasty gum mess that we have now.
- Fossa: Do not Take it off the books… so we can still enforce it in on our own… and be able to tell them to spit it out.
- Frank: Make it known that it is still a rule: some teachers are letting them chew gum.
- Atkinson: And letting them use cell phones.
- Bryant: Teachers are doing it too.
- Atkinson: Gum scraping service has to be really monitored with whatever time teachers are willing to give. Whatever you decide is your punishment and you enforce it yourself, you should see some decline. But she’s right… to be in the agenda we have to be united on it.
- Royal: How do you encourage people to be professional? That’s what this is about. How do we hold each other accountable? Single-School culture… not just walk on the sides of the halls. We have to tackle the staff first. This is more about professionalism and holding each other accountable. That is something that we as a staff next year could really improve on.
- Atkinson: In May now, we can’t send directives out right now. But since there isn’t a SIP to be done next year… we can tackle that next year straight off. Because if everybody just did what was expected of them, then this wouldn’t be an issue.
-Carderelli: I suggest we discuss this by grade level, and decide how we want to deal with it… make it a team thing, etc.
- Vannoy: But if the consequences are always different, then isn’t that confusing to kids too?
- Atkinson: Time to move on: it’s professionalism. To be dealt with next year.

7) Creation of PTA business center – Bryant

-To meet the needs to parents, to email parents, check parent assist, pay bills, etc. I think it would be helpful to provide some access to parents. Church used to be the center of the community, but it isn’t doing it anymore, so I feel like now it should be the school. Can we give value to coming in to using the doors, etc. So why couldn’t we form a PTA headquarters, in say, Mr. Messick’s old office, for parents to use if not already used?
-Atkinson: Great idea IF the resources are there. Even if only a few use it, the PTA would appreciate it.
-Royal: I’m thinking more a business professionals’ office. But I love the idea.
-Bryant: And I think it needs to be in place right at the beginning of the year, and easily accessible.
-Royal: I love this idea… how inviting is it to be so inviting the community.
-Copies may be a problem.
-Atkinson: Parking may be a problem. I think it’s time to consider making visitor parking really just for visitors (in the past we didn’t have enough, so we had to use it for employees), but we need to offer them somewhere to park.
-This would also reduce that parking in front of the building and blocking traffic.

8) PTA meetings on Thursdays – Fossa

- This goes with what Jill was saying about scheduling… but I remember SIT saying meetings only on Thursday to have long day at the end of the week, since we have to have such late days.
-Downs: I think this one was just switched due to the scheduling of the band concert.
-Kottenbrock: That may be partially my fault, because I was standing in for Brad that day, but they like that to have more audience and members.
-Atkinson: The choosing options, when I chose mine and came, only a few came.
-Frank (and others): That was really only a problem in December. And there are also problems for parking.
-Atkinson: So since the PTA meetings for next year have not been set, we can make an effort that way.
-Hall: But if there are more things a month, and we still have option, then I think it would be enjoyed, etc.
-Communication next year should be somewhat better too, because we’ll have a full-time band teacher next year. (Kottenbrock)
- And we all left that particular meeting unhappy because it was so hot, muggy, and rainy. We need some handicapped seating… that was a major problem.
-Royal: We are NOT having another meeting in the gym during the month of May.

9) D-1s for Tardies – Fossa

-Is it possible for NC Wise to handle D-1’s to handle 3rd tardy? Can Steve Blair run those reports, instead of us dealing with it because it happens so much.
-Royal: Easier for whom? How many referrals are you asking 2 administrators to write up, versus 60 people? It’s just a shift of responsibility.
-Fossa: We don’t even keep track of tardies anyways… NC WISE does. It’s an efficiency issue. If Steve Blair could even run a report and email it to us to write up, but for us to go through it… so much to scroll through. The way we do it, is hard… we can’t be consistent because they go to encore and we don’t see the slips
-Downs: Why don’t we ask Steve Blair about it, and see what’s possible?
-Cummings: Encore teachers can just give the pass back for them to take to homeroom teachers after seeing it.
-Vannoy: Maybe some teachers may need to teach others the efficiency of how to deal with it.
-Royal: I’m all about holding our kids accountable. If is kid is tardy, the kid should be disciplined. But (rhetorically) are we really disciplining the right person? We shouldn’t get so caught up in consequences for this, and remember the reasoning behind it.
-Frank: Then we need to change how it’s written in the agenda.
-If we take it out, we’ll have an increase in tardies.
-Some parents ask me to write them up… they just won’t get out of bed.
-Atkinson: The agenda at least needs to be looked at, not just last-minute-like. Royal: If you want things adjusted in there, email administration about it.

10) Short shorts – EC
- Back to the agenda issue… so let’s just focus on professionalism.

11) ISS assignment requests – EC
- Need requests in boxes sooner than morning of assignment. EC teachers get that slip the morning we walk in the door, and they can’t leave kids in the classroom, etc. Maybe email assignments?
-They can call her too. Or send kids with it to Cathy. Or Cathy does have something there to work on if just once in awhile. Cathy doesn’t mind if it’s a little late as long as they have something to do.
-Royal: In other schools I think we should schedule ISS a day in between assignments. But if the kid needs to be out… they need to be there next day.
-Atkinson- I think I’m speaking for the staff- we would not be happy if there was a lag there if the kids really needed to be out.
-Kottenbrock: And maybe if we schedule that before 11am, then it should be for the next day, but if they are scheduled after that time, maybe it should lag a day.
-And if she needs work, she often calls the room.
Vannoy: What about holey jeans? I mean, up past the thigh. –Send to add to agenda.


12) Close of school year and furlough days – Royal
-Scratched for today.

13) SIT next year – Who is replacing whom?

-Loflin replacing Atkinson as 8th rep.
-Carleen Mooney replacing Hobson
- Riddle? Replacing Hughes
-Dietrich replacing Moon
-Bryant is staying on, replacing himself.

Royal: Friday you’ll receive a close of school packet of checkout stuff. Grades will be due by 3pm Tuesday June 14th. You’ll get report cards by the 15th, first thing in the morning, and have to stuff them that day. Quick turn around. That’s all the time we’ve got.

14) MVP nominations/award: MVP TBD.