Brad Royal - Admin
John Downs - Tech
Sara Billings - Class.
Lisha Vannoy - guidance
John Cardarelli – S.S.
Dave Jenkins – Math
Mark Schnably – Science
Jill Friesen – encore/secretary
Tamara Hughes – encore
Deborah Cummings - encore
Elizabeth Hobson – 6 th
Gail Frank – 8 th
Brent Atkinson – 8 th
Richardson/Edmonds – EC
Karen Parker – Teacher Assistant
not present:
Kelly Hall – L.A.
Candi Fernandez – CC
LaJoi Wilson-Moore - Admin
Stephen Kottenbrock - Admin
Matt Fossa – 7 th
Robin Moon – 7 th
Daniel Bryant – 6 th
M.Hunter/J. Fangmann- PTA
3) Minutes
-Motion to approve last meeting minutes? Minutes approved.
4) Dell Minis and Testing – Fossa (Atkinson speaking for him)
• Fossa: new dell minis tied up during testing, but their purpose in buying them was not just for testing. Fernandez agrees. But apparently the Soc. St. testing window was too short, and during EOQ week, so this shouldn’t be an issue again.
• Downs: We don’t have test schedules set up at beginning of year, it’s not all planned out, so we have used them for convenience to test inthe vicinity to the lab so Downs can monitor and so we can get 1200 kids tested in 1-2 weeks. The test windows are set late, separate EC groups are many and have to be taken into consideration.
• Schnably: Can’t we tell central office that this isn’t enough of a window for testing?
• Downs: it would be nice to be able to do that, but that's not a reality option (especially not with a new administration)
• Jenkins: This is a district mandated thing… they need to just suck it up and make the windows better to work with.
• Carderelli: This is never-ending. You’re right… they should have this planned well ahead of time (and not change it randomly).
• Atkinson: So if we were to keep to our window, the dell minis are taken as a last resort in emergency situations. Central office needs to hear this, but they’re going to do more coming from parents (on parents’ own initiative). We have to keep them aware of the technology situation, the needs we have, that tests are taking the technology so we can’t use it for making web pages, etc.
• Royal: Rationale between these extra district tests is that we aren’t getting good civics scores over-all, and we’re trying to remedy this. Within a few years, all the EOQ testing will be computerized. 2012-2013--The plan is for 8th grade science testing to be on the computer, and for 2014-2015 all standardized tests on the a computer.
Downs: Proposed that we might need to tweak our Proposal for spending technology monies...Perhaps, with the next amount of money that we spend for technology that we first fill the Dell laptop carts to bring them up to 24 laptops each (they each have 15 at this time) If this is a priority that teachers want?
5) Unexcused absences letters (Fossa)
When do they go home? Can we make it uniform? (15th and 30th of each month?)
- Royal: After 3 absences (per year), NCWISE generates the letter, Brad signs them. An email isn’t documentation… a letter is needed.
- Could we make a uniform policy, i.e. excuse letters have to be in by (date), or coded by (date)? For each date w/ letter you need it’s about a minute.
- Blair: Generated generally on Tuesdays. Generated at 3 absences (unexcused), 6 absences, and 10.
- Letters need to go back to administration
What if a child brings a note in past 3 days? He’ll still take them.
- Royal: Honestly, their options to make-up work are the same unexcused v. excused, so it doesn’t matter much that way. But from a truancy standpoint, we need that info, and the AP’s have to make the phone calls after so many absences.
- Royal: You technically have the autonomy to fail a kid based on absences, but run it by me first.
- Atkinson: But M.S. doesn’t have an attendance policy like that… we need to check on that.
- Atkinson: Is it a common thing for teachers to wait on the letters and not put them in when received? Why can’t we just expect teachers to put them in by Friday that same week?
- Royal: A week is ample enough time to do so… on a professional responsibility basis. It’s preferred to do it that day while it’s fresh on your mind. It is an expectation to do it as soon as possible. We don’t need to mandate this.
6) Overdue library books – Billings
- Cindy and Mr. Shoulda… 25 pages of overdue books run the other day, many from before Nov. She runs them off and puts them in teacher’s boxes, but teachers are ignoring them, or not taking them as seriously as they should be. Parents have no idea. Many times they’re in their lockers. But many books are out that need to be returned.
- This should be added to the next staff meeting agenda.
- We don’t need to do more… we just need teachers to actually remind those students about the overdue books.
7) Instant Recess
- Many have said it’s preferred to due it all at the same time
- It’s annoying for the people below us.
- It would have to be either first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. End of the day defeats some of the purpose, so that it doesn’t wake them up for school work.
- Finding a time that coordinates with whole grade-level would be hard, avoiding lunches and everything else.
- Royal: I like the autonomy. But what about spreading it out, like Mondays at 7:30, Tuesday’s at 9:00, Wed. at 9:45, etc…
- Do we really want to change the entire bell schedule for this? Several Yes.
- Another idea: 7:25-7:35 IR, but 1:50-2 daily announcements. But they’re more attentive to morning announcements.
- What if done in the morning it only affects 8th grade daily, minus a few minutes?
- Encore teachers: if all 8th grade is still getting even amounts of time per class, I think most people would be ok with that.
- Royal: If we do this, we need to get rid of some things to make it work… like the student piece on morning announcements, even though I love it.
- Some like the kid piece, some don’t. Eric has to beg people to send thoughts in.
- Black History Month piece was awesome. But how do we do it all? I’m not a fan of IR, but we have to do it.
- Atkinson: Are we saying as a group, that changing the schedule and doing IR all at once in the morning would be preferred? Vote: all voted affirmative. We’ll try to start it by 7:30, then only losing 2 minutes per class. Royal and Atkinson will represent us and reconfigure that schedule.
- Keep doing IR as before until we hear differently, change would happen after spring break at the earliest.
- Royal: Teachers are not required to do this… if you have a hurt back, etc…
8) SIT next year – it is not too early to be thinking about this
Scheduled to roll off:
Grade Level/Encore (elected): Bryant, Hobson, Vannoy, Hobson, Moon, Atkinson, (Frank)
Chairs (appointed by Mr. Royal): Carderelli is the only one who’s been in 2 years. (Soc. St.)
Atkinson: I hope our last meeting of the year (June) involves both groups, so this year people are here with the next year’s people for less confusing change-over. The binders also need to be handed over. Add to them the new agendas. Figure this out now, so we’re ready in June.
8) MVP nominations/award (not voting this time)
Don’t forget about classified employees . . . be looking for next nomination. Just keep it on our radar.
Can be anyone in the building (not cafeteria people).
Frank: Can we have a light put on in the gravel parking lot for safety? Now on the list.
Schnably: ALC isn’t working. Not a SIT issue… talk to administration. Talk to Royal later.
Royal: Study Skills- While I want ideas to keep coming my way, central office has hinted at a standardized study skill schedule throughout the county.
Meeting adjourned
Minutes taken by Jill Friesen.
