Synopsis of January 8th School Council Meeting

The School Council met from 5:04 pm to 5:55 pm in the Media Center on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013.

All members of the Council were in attendance.

The PTA President was the only non-Council member present for the meeting.

Inspiration was provided by Dr. McGuire and was a letter of thanks for the generous donations of winter clothing during the December giving tree collections.

Minutes from the December meeting were approved and are now available on the School Council bulletin board at the school and on this blog under the "Approved Meeting Minutes" tab.

The PTA President reported the following:
1) Honors Day would occur this week.
2) Science Night is scheduled for January 24th and will include a Science Fair
3) A Symphony field trip and Cultural Arts presentation will occur during January

The Foundation did not send a specific representative but it was noted that the Foundation Auction will occur on Saturday, March 23rd, 2013 at the Greater Good BBQ and the theme would be Americana.

The Principal's Report indicated that enrollment is down to 655 and there were no changes in staffing.

Under Unfinished Business two items were discussed:

1) The Magnet Revision Proposal is still under consideration by DCSD.  It is expected that more information will be available following the January BOE meeting.  Dates for enrollment were pushed back by DCSD until February 11th.  Continued efforts for updates from DCSD on the proposal status will be made.

2) STEM Certification was also discussed.  A meeting of interested parents was help in December and efforts are continuing to start the process.  A presentation to the BLT will be made by Gretchen Neigh in February.  A draft of a letter regarding STEM for all Evansdale parents was reviewed and further changes will be made prior to translation and dissemination of the letter.  More parent involvement will be necessary for the efforts to be successful.  Use of some of the Lego educational programs is being explored.

Under New Business three items were discussed:

1) Security procedures were reviewed and some modifications will be made to the handbook regarding morning procedures and dismissal (these were not voted on; they are administrative decisions).  Specific information will be sent home with students.  In addition, enforcement of procedures stated in the handbook will be increased in efforts to insure safety of students and staff.  Finally, a new check in/check out system will be implemented and details will be provided by school administration in the near future.

2) Test scores were reviewed.  The Mock Writing tests from December showed that 77% of 4th graders and 90% of 5th graders had gains since the previous tests in August.  ITBS results were just released and a cursory review showed that:
- First Grade IMPROVED in all areas over the 2011 scores
- Third Grade IMPROVED in all areas over the 2011 scores
- Fifth Grade IMPROVED in all but one area over 2011 scores and they stayed constant on the final area

3) Funding for foreign language at Evansdale is being explored.  DCSD is submitting a grant for funding of foreign language in several select schools and Evansdale will be a part of the application.  Additional details will be available if DCSD successfully competes for the funding.

The agenda for February was discussed and will include:
1) General Housekeeping and Regular Reports
2) Unfinished Business: Magnet and STEM updates
3) New Business: Parental Engagement Discussion
The agenda for February will be fluid until one week prior to the February meeting.