Meeting Minutes--November 2, 2009

1) Roll Call
2) Approval of last meeting minutes (Couch/Atkinson)
3) Teacher Compensation Plan- Off the table due to budget cuts (Since no money, Downs plans to write up for Staff Development)
4) Vertical Meetings
Dates: Meet 1 time each quarter. Meeting date: November 30th at 2:15
• Department Chairs:
o Science: Emma Couch Math: Mike McDowell
o Lang Arts: Merideth Ebert SS: John Carderelli
• Focus for the first meeting:
o Best practices
o Data analysis
o Curriculum
o Donor’s Choose-Each teacher sign up for mini grant

5) Unresolved issues
Grants
o Leadership for committee – We need some direction for bigger ones. Goal setting
o Grade level training – When can we start? Hope to create at least one per person in a follow-up session.
o Before coming to follow-up session – We need to have a camera in the computer lab (pictures on Donor’s Choose) and an idea of what you want and why
 Down’s sent link for teacher photos in email
 Duke Energy will match any Donor’s Choose grant for limited time
o Meetings – We could go with 1 meeting per month and use the other for the grant writing team.
 Approved: SIT : 1st Monday of month
Grant writing: 3rd Monday of month
 Grant Writing committee open to all staff:
 Current members: McDowell, Atkinson, LeMay, Couch, Dickey, Downs
 Invite Linda Elmore to join group and meet at 1st session Nov 16th
o Saturday School
o Share interest from meetings/ SIT
 Interests: 6th grade: 5-6 7th grade: none 8th grade: 5-6 encore: none
 1 Saturday a month
 Focus: Academic misconduct 2nd offense
 Incorporate learning piece with community service cleanup
 First date set for November 21st- Mr. Martin admin and teacher volunteers
 Will present to staff at Nov 9 faculty meeting
o Logistics
 To be determined as the students are chosen for Saturday school

6) Penny Drive - Guidance
• Getting behind the idea:
o Need all faculty and students to support
o Each homeroom will get container to collect coins
o Student council/National honor society joint venture
o Money collected daily and counted
o Runs until November 24th
o Written directions in teachers boxes on first day (November 3rd)
o Questions: See Vannoy/ MacDonald in guidance
• How to present the idea to the kids (not a competition, more like tithing)
o Video to be shown to students
o Other activities planned to get students motivated
o $5 donation- sign the large banner near lunchroom. To be sent to kids.
o $1 donation- wear ribbon
o 25 cents a day feeds a child one meal
7) Good of the Order
Mentor/Mentee concern – classroom interruptions
o Discussed teachers need to be considerate of class instruction
o Mentioned the interruptions might have just occurred since quick turnaround from assignment and Tuesday law session.
o Any concerns please see Ms. Wilson-Moore
• Printing Progress reports (Atkinson)
o Now that we have parent assist starting, will we continue printing weekly progress reports?
o Martin/Dickey: continue printing as the glitches are worked out
o Plan would be to go paperless by the 2nd semester (if no problems)
o Questions/Concerns/Parent complaints: see Peggy Dickey
• When does SIT look/complete analysis of data (Thompson)
o Mentioned that the data analysis is normally done in grade level and PLC groups
o Thought it might be a good idea for SIT to look at the data as well
• Workshop policy for teacher workdays (Couch)
o Wanted to know the policy for required workshop attendance
o Several teachers were absent from the required workshops last Thursday
o Martin: The attendance lists are forwarded to him and he was made aware of any issues
 Some teachers had previously approved absences.
• Cultural Diversity Plan (Wilson-Moore)
o Assistant Supt. Wanted a list of TJMS cultural infusion
o Wilson-Moore created plan and will forward to SIT to look over
o Things are what staff already does
 Ex: PLC’s looking at relevant articles, ideas for cultural sensitivity/awareness
Next SIT meeting: November 16th Grant Writing Committee
December 7th (Please forward issues by December 4th)

Adjourned: 3:05 pm

Respectfully submitted: Laura LeMay

SIT Meeting Minutes 10/19/09

SIT Meeting Minutes 10/19/09


2) Approval of minutes (on GOOGLE DOCS) –Minutes were approved with no changes.

SIT minutes available on SITTJMS.blogspot.com

3) Staff development – Kathy Fox- Voted and approved $330 Band Workshop

4) Mentoring program – Wilson-Moore

Parent permission slips going out in the next week or so

40-50 students signed up in program

Tues Oct 27th-first afterschool mentor activity: Youth and the Law by WSPD

Encourage all mentees to attend. ALL WELCOME to attend whether have mentee or not

Let Mrs. Wilson-Moore know of any more kids that need to be referred.

Check website for kids available to mentee and sign up on list: ( http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ApexppJsFByqdHROVmgtWE9PZG94c3U3eWFfa0hhNXc&hl=en )

5) Saturday School


Drew Davis mentioned it might be an option

This is a VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY- allows flexibility for those to cover Sat school instead of weekly ASD or Corralling

Thoughts are:

1 time month

Possible lesson/focus sheet/clean up duty

Bully counseling?

Will require lots of organization

In exchange for ISS or OSS – Admin choice

DON’T Overuse

Mr. Martin volunteered to take the first Saturday school to get the ball running

Discuss further at Grade Level Meetings in order to find out interest of staff.

6) Honoring Leila Punger

Tree was planted earlier in year in her honor

7) Grants

Grant writing ideas/grants available on the Employees Tab

Make sure parents/businesses are aware of our needs in case they can help with grant requests.

Digital wish – (Downs) http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/home and TJMS Grant Idea Page

Best Buy Grant – (Hobson) http://www.at15.com/contests_scholarships/teach

$1500 gift card awarded weekly for classroom use

Strategy ideas

Grant Writing: Strategy Idea #1

Level 1: Donor’s Choose

Plan of Action:

Make a wish list for the classroom or a program that you would like to start/continue

Training with Downs during technology training date (Thursday)

Awards points for the number of grants that you write

1 grant = 5 points

2 grants = 15 points

3 grants = 30 points

Bonus points = receive funding for 1 grant = +5, 2 grants = +15, 3 grants = +30)

Grant Levels 2-5

Plan of Action:

Determine what is out there

Train/meet with experienced grant writers (Lemay, Atkinson, etc….)

Decide if this is going to be done by a department, small group, or grade level

Divide the work between those interested in joining

Set agenda for meetings

Award points

Each grant is worth 10 x level (example: level 3 grant x 10 = 30 points)

Bonus points = any grant won will receive the number of points earned to write it as a bonus

Level 2: Small Grant ($1.00-$1,000)

Level 3: Medium Grant ($1,001-$2,000)

Level 4: Large Grant ($2,001-$3,000)

Level 5: Major Grant ($3,001-$5000)

Level 6: Extreme Grant ($5001 and up)

Points

5 – 30 Chick-fil-a, duty free lunch for a day

31 – 45 Duty free lunch for the week

46 – 60 Car wash by administrative team

61 – 75 Administrative team covers your ASD

76 – 90 Comp day on a teacher workday

91 – 100 Date Night Package – Dinner and a Movie

101 - ? 2 Carolina Panther/Charlotte Bobcats/WFU Basketball Tickets

8) Good of the Order:

Spirit Week Concerns:

Positive: Loved seeing the examples on TJTV for each day

More students seemed to participate this year

Could we move to a different time of year when school less busy

More specific details to students (ex: no PJ’s, not every day is a hat day)

Maybe make TJMS spirit day as option

Consider less “WILD DAYS”- extremely difficult for the EC kids to focus

Emma Couch will talk with Lisha Vannoy about concerns/recommendations.

Meeting Adjourned at 3pm

Next MEETNG: Monday, November 2

Submit ideas/concerns by: Wednesday, October 28

**Be ready to share the number of people interested in possibly volunteering for Saturday school**

Respectfully submitted by Laura LeMay

10/26/09

(* Please excuse delay. I was on coast trip Oct 21-23rd)