Evansdale Elementary School Council: Approved Meeting Minutes

APPROVED MINUTES ARE IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

February 4, 2014

CALL TO ORDER 5:04 PM

PRESENT: Kristi Cross, Denise Miller-Tso, Veronica Barnes, Lynn Kerr, Greta Massetti, Sylvia Flower, Pamela McCloud, Joli Mauldin, David McGrail

January meeting minutes were approved. Denise Miller-Tso provided the inspiration.

PTA Report- Lucy Foley reported that the PTA is working on the upcoming Father Daughter Dance, Curtain Call and Book Fair. The next meeting will be February 27th followed by the Black History program. They are assisting the foundation with soliciting donations and volunteers for the Red Hot and Blue (RH&B) fundraiser. The nominating committee for next year’s executive board positions has a meeting Saturday.

Foundation Report- Angie Claussen reported that RH&B is scheduled for Friday, March 21 2014. They are continuing preparations for the fundraiser.

Administrative Report- Pam McCloud reported that enrollment is still at 602 with a few new students and a few who have left. Ms. Yolanda Rahme retired. Ms. Lobo is now full-time. Ms. Patrick is going on maternity leave this month. There is still a need for a part-time ESOL teacher that we would share with Hightower Elementary.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Sibling Preference Proposal- Greta Massetti reported that the Sibling Preference Proposal was submitted to Pat Copeland at the DCSD School Choice office.

Principal Transition Process- Greta reports that Dr. Pringle appreciates the survey information from the community. Meetings were held for both parents and teachers where attendees were asked which qualities were most important in a new principal. Teachers and parents were aligned with similar qualities. A goal to have the position filled by mid-February was stated. The position is still open. Dr. Pringle is very open to suggestions.

NEW BUSINESS

Title 1 Targeted Assistance School Status- Per a federal handout describing targeted assistance qualifications, Evansdale has a substantial population of at-risk students. In 2015, we are scheduled to receive some federal funds to pay for services for eligible students only. All students will benefit as a result of the extra resources. A committee will be formed to develop a plan based on preliminary requirements.

AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2014

Kristi Cross will provide the inspiration.

Meeting Adjourned 5:42pm

Respectfully Submitted, David McGrail, Secretary

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

January 14, 2014

CALL TO ORDER 5:05PM

PRESENT: Kristi Cross, Denise Miller-Two, Veronica Barnes, Lynn Kerr, Greta Massetti, Sylvia Flower, Cynthia Swanson, Angela Dunbar, David McGrail,

November and December meeting minutes were unanimously approved.

Sylvia Flower provided the inspiration.

REPORTS

PTA Report- Lucy Foley reported that the PTA is working on upcoming Spirit Night, Science Night and Curtain Call. They have formed a nominating committee for next year’s executive board positions. They are helping more with the Red Hot and Blue (RH&B) fundraiser.

Foundation Report- Angie Claussen reported that RH&B is scheduled for Friday, March 21 2014. The foundation received and approved a funding request from Ms. Mann. They are looking into the “Donors Choose” program. The foundation will remain neutral with regards to the new principal search, but will provide a letter explaining qualities they’d like to see in a new one.

Administrative Report- Cynthia Swanson reported that enrollment had increased by 1 student to 602. There have been no staff changes.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Sibling Preference Proposal- Greta Massetti reported that it is critical to get the proposal submitted to DCSD this week because of the early school choice lottery. The policy change and survey data indicating strong support for sibling preference were discussed. A motion to approve the new policy was made and passed.

School Immersion Lottery- Angie Claussen reported that the lottery is now a part of the School Choice Lottery scheduled for January 4-28. The current enrollment process favors well-informed, pro-active parents. New parents may not yet be aware of the program. There is concern that there may not be enough applicants to fill the seats and that there may not be enough awareness of the program in the community. It was noted that DCSD will accept late applications through September.

NEW BUSINESS

Status of Principal Transition- Greta Massetti reported that we have received over 100 responses from the community to the principal character trait survey. She will summarize the response. Dr. Pringle will hold a meeting Wednesday, Jan. 15 for teachers and then Thursday Jan. 16 for parents outlining the principal selection process.

AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014

Denise Miller-Tso will provide the inspiration.

Title 1 Targeted Assistance School Status

Meeting Adjourned 6:12pm

Respectfully Submitted, David McGrail, Secretary

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

December 10, 2013

CALL TO ORDER: 5:05 PM

PRESENT: Kristi Cross, Denise Miller-Tso, Marla Watt, Daniel McGuire, Veronica Barnes, Lynn Kerr, Greta Massetti

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Proposal for sibling preference for non-resident families- The draft proposal for sibling preference for non-resident families was discussed. A timeline and process were shared for submitting and obtaining DCSD approval.

- The DCSD timeline for school choice lottery enrollment is very early this year; the dates for parents to enroll families are Jan. 8 through Jan. 24. This timeline is not likely to allow for approval of the sibling preference proposal in time to apply to the 2014-2015 school year. Additionally, parents who are enrolling siblings into the school choice lottery will not be able to identify their children as siblings (thereby allowing sibling preference selection through the lottery) in the electronic system. Despite these timeline complications, it was determined that the school council and the administration would continue to pursue approval for the sibling preference proposal as soon as possible. In past years, the timeline for the school choice lottery was extended.

- The survey to collect data on stakeholder support for sibling preference was completed in Nov-Dec. Out of 42 currently enrolled non-resident families, 16 completed the survey. Response was likely low because the information was sent to families around the time of the Thanksgiving holiday. Notices were sent electronically to families, and a flyer with the link to the online survey was sent home twice in children’s couriers. Paper versions of the surveys will be sent to families who did not complete the online survey through the couriers this week and collected next week. Survey responses indicated strong support for including sibling preference. For non-resident families, this would alleviate a substantial hardship to parental involvement. Survey responses indicated that families would be significantly more likely to keep all of their children at Evansdale if their younger children had preference for future spots. A report summarizing all of the survey findings will be developed and attached to the sibling preference proposal.

- A timeline for revision, approval, and submission of the proposal was discussed. A revised draft of the proposal, including the survey data, will be disseminated to school council members before the January meeting. Pending no substantial changes to the proposal, the school council will plan to vote on the proposal at the January school council meeting. If approved, the proposal will be submitted to the DCSD school choice office by January 10, 2014.

AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING 1/7/2014

A. Sylvia Flower will provide the inspiration.

B. Sibling preference proposal

C. Title I Targeted Assistance School status

D. Achievement gap data

E. Science lab and pull-out schedule

Meeting adjourned 5:35pm

Respectfully Submitted, Greta Massetti, Chair

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

November 5, 2013

CALL TO ORDER: 5:01PM

PRESENT: Kristi Cross, Angela Dunbar, Denise Miller-Tso, Sylvia Flower, Marla Watt, Daniel McGuire, David McGrail, Veronica Barnes, Lynn Kerr, Greta Massetti

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: October minutes were unanimously approved.

INSPIRATION: Dan McGuire provided the inspiration from a 5th Grade student entry in the Principal’s Book of the Month.

REPORTS:

PTA President: Lucy Foley provided the PTA President report. Eagle Trek was successful and raised approximately $70,000. Fantastic Friday was successful as well. The PTA is receiving 3 awards (Pace Setters, Visionary and Early Bird-membership). MALDEF Parent meetings continue on Wednesday mornings. Sandra Nunez, with Dekalb County Schools, is sharing all the good things happening with the Evansdale PTA with other schools. Upcoming events include: Thanksgiving lunches, Science Night and Square T Art Fundraiser.

Foundation: Angie Claussen provided the Evansdale Education Foundation report. The foundation is developing a more systematic approach to grant writing. Red Hot and Blue fundraiser planning is underway with efforts to streamline teacher outings and student art. STEM workshop had 16 participants. A post workshop survey will go out to teachers for feedback.

Administrative Report: Dan McGuire provided the administrative report. No major staffing changes. Evansdale did earn an extra Special Ed para. Enrollment is currently 599 students. Many new enrollees are transient families. Evansdale is currently using a math EIP reduced class size model in grades K-5. A School data handout was reviewed showing current and projected grade level scores for reading and math.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Dual Immersion program: Dual Immersion teacher Ms. Kim is participating in professional learning and being observed by the state doe.

STEM Update: A tentative 3 year plan towards certification. Consultant Liz Parry taught how to implement in the classroom. Developments include a Fernbank retreat for teachers, Lego products acquisition and a Mercer University partnership that will provide student teachers and building space for professional development. Upcoming events include the Atlanta Science Festival in March 2014 and the STEM Committee will visit a certified STEM school, Hightower ES.

NEW BUSINESS

French schedule for non-immersion classes: French is currently offered once a week to 1st grade and twice weekly to 2nd-5th grades.

Achievement gap data review and planning: The College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) was discussed. Extra staffing points are available for foreign language and STEM certification. “Understanding the CCRPI” (A handout by Renee Conner) was reviewed. Economically Disadvantaged is the largest achievement gap area. Better planning with gifted and ESOL pullouts will be encouraged to ensure critical content is delivered for all.

Sibling preference for non-resident families: The School Council is exploring developing a proposal for an amended Sibling Policy, like theme schools in DCSD have, to address the needs of non-resident families. This would support more stability in enrollment for Evansdale. DCSS has requested data to determine the impact of the current policy on school stability and a proposed structure for determining the availability of seats. A survey will be administered to non-resident families to obtain a numerical estimate of the potential impact of a sibling preference policy.

Title I Targeted Assistance School status: In 2014, Evansdale will be a Title 1 Targeted Assistance School. The superintendent’s “Bridge Initiative” plan will be used to re-allocate funds.

SMART goals (reading and math) were reviewed along with expected improvements throughout the school year.

AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING 12/3

A. Sylvia Flower will provide the inspiration.

B. CCRPI update- January/February

C. Sibling Preference Survey

D. Science Lab/Pull-out

E. Title 1 TA

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2013

CALL TO ORDER – 5:01pm

PRESENT: Kristi Cross

Angela Dunbar

Sylvia Flower

Lynn Kerr

David McGrail

Dan McGuire

Greta Massetti

Joli Mauldin

Denise Miller-Tso

Marla Watt

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: May minutes were unanimously approved

REPORTS:

PTA President: Successful Open House and the PTA theme this year will be Make It Count. Efforts will be made toward each family pledging to volunteer at least 10 hours. There will be a new board position called Volunteer Coordinator. There will be an increase in PTA communications such as text messaging. Eagle Trek is next big event.

Foundation: The Foundation is funding Ms Whited as reading specialist, STAR fees and paid for 10 teachers to attend the Daily 5 workshop over the summer.

Principal: Current Enrollment – 578 (names of non-resident students for several grades will likely be pulled from the lottery in order to meet the minimum enrollment per class for the number of teachers we currently have). Dan reviewed comparison of STAR & CRCT scores and said that STAR is a good reflection on how well students will do on the CRCT. Mock writing will be implemented. There will be a beginning score and then end of year score. Grades 1 – 3 take 2 tests, 4 & 5 take 3 tests throughout the year.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

STEM update: Gretchen Neigh presented 2013-2014 Evansdale STEM Plans. The teachers are now driving the program with a team comprised of staff and community members will meet monthly.
ELL Adult Programs Update: Dan reported that MALDEF will start a 12 part session beginning in September
Dual Immersion Program Update: Ms. Yung-Hee Kim (kindergarten French immersion teacher) gave an overview of the program. The students spend half day in her class exclusively speaking French and then other half day with English speaking teacher. The goal is to add another French teacher each year and by 5th grade students will have a high level of proficiency. She is teaching Math and Science in French.

NEW BUSINESS

Welcome of new School Council members
Election of officers: Greta Massetti – Chair, Veronica Barnes – Vice Chair, David McGrail - Secretary

Meeting adjourned at 5:50 pm

Respectfully submitted, Joli Mauldin, Secretary

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013

CALL TO ORDER – 5:04pm

PRESENT: Cheryl Anderson

Veronica Barnes

Rudyard Alcocer

Angela Dunbar

Lynn Kerr

Greta Massetti

Dan McGuire

Joli Mauldin

Gretchen Neigh

Denise Robinson

INSPIRATION: Kristi Cross

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: April minutes were unanimously approved

REPORTS:

PTA President: Financially PTA is in good standing. The Budget Ways & Means committee is researching avenues to spend extra funds. 5K was successful. Talent show will be next week.

Foundation: Announced new board members. Red Hot & Blue raised over $26K.

Principal: Current Enrollment - 655. Dan will be attending allotment meeting next week. Terry Johnson and Lindsey Hicks will not be returning and he will be interviewing candidates for counselor position.

He reviewed the results of the College & Career Ready Performance Index. At 87.6 – Evansdale is very comparable to other schools in our area. Area of improvement should be in achievement points and achievement gap in Hispanic population.

5^th grade writing scores improved 1% from last year. 89% of students met or exceeded the standard.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

A. Parent Involvement: Greta announced that this will move to PTA because the focus and theme for next year will be on Parent Efforts.

B. STEM Certification Update: Evansdale is applying for recognition through TAG. 4 teachers will be attending the LEGO Professional Learning Class. Dan is going to visit the first STEM school in Marietta.

C. ELL Adult Programs Update: 25 – 30 people attended the meeting. It was a good meeting and the parents understand the need for getting more involved in the community.

D. Language Immersion Program: They met with upcoming Spanish speaking parents of kindergartners and they were all interested in signing up for the lottery. There are 44 slots available. Applications will be accepted between May 13 – June 7. Assistance will be available on May 16 for anyone who needs help with the process. Lottery will happen on June 12.

E. School Council Elections: 5 people put in for 3 openings. Voting will occur for one week.

F. Transition to 2013 – 2014 Council. Gretchen created a School Council Chair transition document that outlined responsibilities of the chairperson.

Meeting adjourned at 5:52 pm.

Respectfully submitted, Joli Mauldin, Secretary

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

CALL TO ORDER – 5:06pm

PRESENT: Cheryl Anderson

Veronica Barnes

Rudyard Alcocer

Angela Dunbar

Lynn Kerr

Greta Massetti

Dan McGuire

Joli Mauldin

Gretchen Neigh

Denise Robinson

ABSENT: Kristi Cross

INSPIRATION: Cheryl Anderson

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: February minutes were unanimously approved

REPORTS:

PTA President: Book Fare was successful. Cultural Arts program during school as well as Art & Music Night are scheduled as upcoming events

Foundation: Red Hot & Blue will be held at Greater Good BBQ and announced they have new board members

Principal: Current Enrollment-654. Kimberly Kulak hired as para-pro for K. Thanked Angela Dunbar for assisting him in putting together the School Data Report. This report highlights tests taken throughout the year and breaks it down by grade and will be uploaded to the school and PTA website.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
A.Magnet Revision Update: Incorrect information was being given over the phone. In-district residents were being told they had to enter their child in the lottery. Correct information is now being given.
B. STEM Certification Update: Dan McGuire and a few other staff members attended a kick-off meeting. He will update us as more information becomes available. Gretchen Neigh reported that a BLOG has been set up for STEM activities.
C. ESOL Parent Update: Gretchen Neigh checked into Title 3 funding availability through the DCSD ELL office. The DCSD ELL office is willing to use a portion of the Title 3 money to support interpreters for presentations to ELL parents regarding ELL options at the school and other relevant topics.

NEW BUSINESS:
A. Lakeside Cluster Meeting: Veronica Barnes gave update from this meeting. The group is looking into how Lakeside can be accredited outside of SACS and also how they can effectively unite both the feeder school of Lakeside and North and South DeKalb.
B. Dual Immersion: Dan McGuire said that program will start in Kindergarten. About 50 students will be chosen to participate. The council discussed best way to create the class. Basically there will be two teachers for the students. Students participating will have the French speaking teacher for ½ day and the English speaking teacher ½ day. Classes will rotate. This will start 2013 – 2014 school year.
C. Foreign Language Offerings: Angela Dunbar wanted the council to address a concern of the focus groups discussion from the magnet proposal. The need for Spanish over French was a common theme. Council members mentioned reasons why we will not switch. 1. Continuity, 2. Funding, 3. Current Grant
D. 2013-2014 School Council Elections: Dan McGuire will send out notice in the courier. 3 members will need to be replaced. The council discussed ways to get better voting participation. Voting days will be expanded and increased visibility for elections will occur.
E. Discipline Plan: Pamela McCloud reviewed a draft of the discipline plan she hopes will be more understandable to students. She visited each classroom and went over expectations and consequences for checks received in a 4 ½ week period. The council agreed to review the discipline plan document and Mrs. McCloud will gather a committee.

DEVELOP AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING

Topics for the next meeting will include:

Old Business: A STEM update, ELL update, Parental Involvement update, Discipline Plan update
Next meeting is April 2, 2013

Meeting adjourned at 6:32 pm

Respectfully submitted, Joli Mauldin, Secretary

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013

CALL TO ORDER – 5:02pm

PRESENT: Cheryl Anderson

Veronica Barnes

Kristi Cross

Angela Dunbar

Lynn Kerr

Greta Massetti

Dan McGuire

Joli Mauldin

Gretchen Neigh

Denise Robinson

ABSENT: Rudyard Alcocer

INSPIRATION: Angela Dunbar

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: January minutes were unanimously approved

REPORTS:

PTA President: Science Night was a success. Consignment Sale, Book Fare, Black History and Spirit Night are scheduled as upcoming events

Foundation: Red Hot & Blue will be held at Greater Good BBQ and recruiting board members

Principal: Current Enrollment-654, allotments not yet released

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

A. Magnet Revision Update: Dan McGuire reported that the Magnet Revision Proposal was accepted as written. The Council reviewed a document and suggested changes regarding the formal announcement. This will go home in Friday couriers

B. STEM Certification Update: Gretchen Neigh reported that Evansdale was chosen to become one of the first elementary schools in DeKalb County to pursue STEM recognition. Evansdale will receive more than $25,000 in additional financial support for professional learning for school staff, supplies and materials for teachers to teach STEM strategies to students and STEM lab equipment

C. Student Safety: PTA purchased new security software. It is being received well by all users.

NEW BUSINESS:

A. Public Comments from Welcome Committee: Engagement of Families with Limited English Proficiency: Angie Claussen presented “Engagement with International Parents at Evansdale”. The slides included an overview of Evansdale’s Parent Demographic, Barriers to involvement such as Language, process of communication, roles and expectations, the role of the welcoming committee and gaps where we don’t have the resources to communicate more effectively with foreign speaking parents. Jennifer Hatfield volunteered to contact Dresden Elementary to see if there are any teachers who would be willing to present effective ways to handle language and cultural barriers as well as thing that have not worked well based on their experiences since they have a large ESL population. Jennifer will update us on this at the next meeting.

B. Parental Involvement Presentation and Discussion: Greta provided a handout that categorized parental involvement into four buckets: Schoolwork, School and Teacher Support, PTA Volunteer Activities, and School Community Engagement. We discussed that we would need to determine which of the areas we need to focus on. The School Council agreed this topic should go to sub-committee, to report back next month.

DEVELOP AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING

Topics for the next meeting will include:

· The standard reports

· Old Business: A STEM update and additional discussion of parental involvement

· New Business: Foreign Language Offerings

Next meeting is March 5, 2013

Meeting adjourned at 6:28 pm

Respectfully submitted, Joli Mauldin, Secretary

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, January 8, 2013

CALL TO ORDER – 5:04pm

PRESENT: Rudyard Alcocer

Cheryl Anderson

Veronica Barnes

Kristi Cross

Angela Dunbar

Lynn Kerr

Greta Massetti

Dan McGuire

Joli Mauldin

Gretchen Neigh

Denise Robinson

INSPIRATION: Dan McGuire

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: December minutes were unanimously approved

REPORTS:

PTA President: Honors Day, Science Night and Symphony are scheduled as upcoming events

Foundation: Red Hot & Blue will be held at Greater Good BBQ

Principal: Current Enrollment-655, No new staffing allotments

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

A. Magnet Revision Update: Dan McGuire reported that the Magnet Revision Proposal is at county level and should be voted on at the next BOE meeting.

B. STEM Certification Update: Gretchen Neigh met with 6 parents interested in pursuing STEM certification. They reviewed initial steps and divided responsibilities on the criteria. Council members gave feedback on parent notification letter and Gretchen will modify. It was noted that there needs to be an individual who will take the lead in coordinating. Dan McGuire will recruit at least two staff members to help in the process.

NEW BUSINESS:

A.  Review of Security Procedures: Dan McGuire reported that existing security procedures will be enforced and others will be modified to make the school day run more smoothly. Students will be dismissed from cafeteria at 7:30am instead of 7:40am; No student checkouts after 2:00pm; Parents choosing to walk their child to the classroom must sign in at front desk and wear a visitor sticker; Parents may not take their student out of the homeroom at end of day (causes problems with bus list). This information will be sent home in the courier and also noted in the weekly email blast.

B. Mock Writing Scores: Dan McGuire presented scores and was overall pleased with results on pathway to proficiency

C. Foreign Language Grant Opportunity: Dan McGuire is pursuing a grant for French language classes. More details to come.

Next meeting is February 5, 2013

Meeting adjourned at 5:55pm

Respectfully submitted, Joli Mauldin, Secretary

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012

CALL TO ORDER – 5:03pm

PRESENT: Cheryl Anderson

Kristi Cross

Angela Dunbar

Lynn Kerr

Greta Massetti

Gretchen Neigh McCandless

Dan McGuire

Joli Mauldin

Denise Robinson

ABSENT: Rudyard Alcocer

Veronica Barnes

INSPIRATION: Denise Robinson

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the November meeting was unanimously approved

REPORTS:

PTA President: Next event will be International Night; PTA presented a letter to Dr. Atkinson regarding proposed redistricting. PTA is encouraging attendance at the upcoming BOE meetings.

Foundation: Red, Hot & Blue will be held on 3/23/13. Looking for nominations for new board members. Foundation will fund Orton-Gillingham certification for teachers.

Principal: Current Enrollment-666,

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Magnet Revision Discussion

Dan McGuire reviewed the Proposed Magnet Program changes with DeKalb County board. They did not suggest any changes to Points 1, 2 or 3. Suggested revision to Point 5: Out of district students selected to enroll at Evansdale Elementary may continue enrollment through the highest grade level. Enrollment will not be based on academic performance. The council discussed that historically out of district kids do maintain a B average and there are safety nets in place if students are struggling. A motion was made to accept the revision. 3 opposed 5 in favor, Motion passes.

Suggested revision to Point 4: Each grade will contain non-resident students determined by the Magnet Program and the Planning Department based solely on enrollment, class size, and grade size. Students will be selected via the existing DCSD Choice Lottery. All current students will remain enrolled. Dan discussed county’s reasoning for taking principals discretion out of the proposal. The county can see the bigger picture as far as trends and population of the community. Leaving it to the principal can also become politically heated within the community where the county would be objective in decision making. The council discussed negative consequences of the county have too much control but Dan countered that in the past input is taken from the principal before final numbers are drawn. A motion was made to accept the revision but add with input from Evansdale Administration. Unanimously approved.

NEW BUSINESS

a.  STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Certification Process - Gretchen Neigh presented power point on STEM information. She outlined the STEM certification process and went over criteria that would need to be met in order to start the application process. Additionally, Dan McGuire presented information he gathered from meeting with Henderson Mill (already STEM certified). Many areas of the criteria are in place at Evansdale already. The council discussed presenting the idea to the Evansdale community and the need to get teachers as well as parents on board with the initiative. A motion was made to create a flyer outlining benefits and what it means to pursue a STEM certification. Unanimously approved. A motion was made to set up an unofficial committee to explore what is involved in meeting the STEM criteria. Unanimously approved

b. STAR testing update – Dan McGuire reviewed handout with the test data and is overall impressed with the scores. Most grades made gains but he mentioned 2^nd and 5^th grades need additional focus.

Next meeting is Tuesday, January 8^th, 2013.

Meeting adjourned at 6:31pm

Respectfully submitted,

Joli Mauldin, Secretary

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, November 13, 2012

CALL TO ORDER – 5:05pm

PRESENT: Rudyard Alcocer

Cheryl Anderson

Kristi Cross

Angela Dunbar

Lynn Kerr

Greta Massetti

Gretchen McCandless

Dan McGuire

Joli Mauldin

Denise Robinson

ABSENT: Veronica Barnes

INSPIRATION: Jennifer Hatfield, Dan McGuire, Greta Massetti

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of both October meetings were unanimously approved

REPORTS:

PTA President: Received $15K check from Eagle Trek, Fantastic Friday was on budget, Wellness Committee secured a $3K grant

Foundation: D. Christopher reported on financial standing

Principal: Current Enrollment-662, Ms. Lobos (PT ESOL) and Ms. DeFrancis (1^st grade) have been hired, five 5^th grade students have been moved to magnet homeroom to alleviate overcrowding

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Dan McGuire presented the updated School Improvement Plan

Magnet Revision Discussion

Dan McGuire reviewed meeting of all focus groups. Common themes at all focus groups were: clear divide between magnet/non magnet homerooms, some parents stated demographics did not matter, French instruction not necessarily the language to continue, Science Lab is integral part of Evansdale.
Team Reports on Proposal Points

1. Dissolve the magnet homerooms and distribute resident and non-resident students among all homerooms

Greta Massetti and Denise Robinson presented relevant data such as test scores and demographics of magnet vs non-magnet homerooms. There is a disproportionately higher percentage of economically disadvantaged and ELL students in non-magnet homerooms. The team reviewed some specific warm and cold feedback. Looping was suggested but arguments against this option found it not to be feasible at this time. The general feedback with regard to the data presented shows an overall support for the proposal to dissolve the self-contained magnet homerooms.

A motion was made to retain Point 1 as stated. Approved unanimously, motion passed

2.  Continue the Science Lab as is

Gretchen Neigh and Lynn Kerr reviewed the warm feedback and reported science lab could be enhanced and expanded by researching other avenues for grants and certifications.

A motion was made to retain Point 2 as stated. Approved unanimously, motion passed

3.  Offer French twice a week to all students in grades 1-5

Rudyard Alcocer and Joli Mauldin reviewed warm and cold feedback. Warm feedback showed desire for continuing foreign language instruction and more frequency for the non-magnet students. Cold feedback revolved around changing language to Spanish, discontinuing foreign language so focus could be on core subjects, effectiveness of exposure to a foreign language two days a week and if one teacher could feasibly teach all students two days a week. In general there was no clear consensus of feedback. It was decided since the budget for next year has not been released, point 3 should be changed.

A motion was made to change Point 3 to state Offer French or other world language instruction as funding allows. Approved unanimously, motion passed

4. Each grade will contain at minimum of 10 non-resident students. All current students will remain enrolled

Angela Dunbar and Kristi Cross presented facts on number of out of district students and projected enrollment until 2018 with and without 10 out of district students. Warm and cold feedback was reviewed and after discussion on different options put forth it was decided point 4 should be changed.

A motion was made to amend Point 4 to state: Each grade will contain a minimum of 5 non-resident students with a variable option to increase that number as determined by the principal based solely on enrollment, class size and grade size. Approved unanimously, motion passed

5.  Provide tutoring and remediation services if any students performance is below B average or a student tests below grade level

Cheryl Anderson reviewed warm and cold feedback. As tutoring is already available to all students this point seemed redundant. Currently, out of district magnet students sign a contract agreeing to maintain a B average. After discussing different options it was decided point 5 should be changed.

A motion was made to amend Point 5 to state: Out of district students must maintain a B average to remain enrolled in Evansdale Elementary. 8 in favor, 1 opposed, motion passed

The council will give attention to points made beyond the scope of the proposal in future meetings such as; STEM certification, how the magnet classes would be dispersed, logistics of offering foreign languages, parental involvement/engagement

The next steps will be as follows:

The proposal will be revised based on changes made at council meeting
Dan McGuire will arrange a meeting with council members and Pat Copeland to review the proposal (TBD)
The proposal will proceed through chain of command

No New Business

Next meeting is December 4.

Meeting adjourned at 7:09pm

Respectfully submitted,

Joli Mauldin, Secretary

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, October 16, 2012

CALL TO ORDER – 5:01pm

PRESENT: Rudyard Alcocer

Cheryl Anderson

Kristi Cross

Angela Dunbar

Greta Massetti

Gretchen McCandless

Dan McGuire

Denise Robinson

ABSENT: Veronica Barnes

Lynn Kerr

Joli Mauldin

REVIEW OF MAGNET PROPOSAL

The facilitator of the focus group sessions provided some feedback on the proposal that resulted in changes to the document. This meeting was scheduled to review and approve those changes. The changes are as follows:

· Moved Current Data section to the beginning of the document

· Added the Evansdale Mission and Vision

· Added the review of the Evansdale Mission and Vision to the Agenda and re-ordered the agenda to follow the changed flow of the document

· Took the first two bullet points out of the Focus Group Guiding Questions section because they were yes/no questions, not guiding questions

· Added a bullet point in the Current Magnet Funding section to clarify the cut of magnet allotment from 4 to 2 in 2010 and the effect on the student population

· Put the Proposed Magnet Program points in a table that compares the proposals side by side with the Current Magnet Program. The wording of the points was changed so that they focus on key phrases that are clear and quickly understandable. The School Council made additional clarifying edits. Two items, about future funding and budget, were removed because they were not points about the program changes.

· Agreed to add page numbers to the document

A motion was made to approve the proposal pending the changes discussed in the meeting. The motion was unanimously approved.

DISCUSSION OF THE FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS

The evening session on Nov. 1 was added. It will be facilitated by Dr. McGuire. School Council members were asked if they could help facilitate the small groups during the session. Anyone available needs to let Dr. McGuire know.
The focus group sessions will be in the Media Center and will have flip charts to capture warm feedback, cold feedback and alternate ideas
The facilitator will remain completely neutral
There was discussion among the School Council about whether or not this format would adequately capture the feelings and ideas of the participants, and it was agreed that it would

PROCESS TO REVIEW FOCUS GROUP FEEDBACK AND FINALIZE THE PROPOSAL

Dr. McGuire will pull together the focus group feedback, identify common themes and send this information to the members of the School Council at least one week prior to the November 13th meeting
Two School Council members will be assigned to each point in the proposal. They will review the feedback relevant to their point, summarize it before the November 13th meeting, and be ready to present and discuss it at the meeting. The assignments are as follows:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]--> Dissolve the magnet homerooms and distribute resident and non-resident students among all homerooms	Greta, Denise
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. <!--[endif]-->Continue the Science Lab as is	Lynn, Gretchen
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. <!--[endif]-->Offer French twice a week to all students in grades 1-5	Rudyard, Joli
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. <!--[endif]-->Each grade will contain at minimum of 10 non-resident students. All current students will remain enrolled.	Angela, Kristi
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. <!--[endif]-->Provide tutoring and remediation services if any students performance is below B average or a student tests below grade level	Cheryl, Veronica

The format to review the proposal will be as follows:

The School Council will go through each point one at a time.
Dr. McGuire will summarize the point and common themes from the feedback sessions
Each School Council member assigned to the point will present their summary
A motion will be made to either vote on the point or defer voting to get more information if the School Council is not ready to vote on the point
Before voting, there will be a discussion during which each School Council member will be able to talk about the point being voted on
Once voting has occurred, the School Council will move on to the next point

The School Council will attempt to get through all the points and vote on a proposal at the November 13th meeting. However, if there is more work to do, the School Council will continue the discussion at an off-schedule meeting in December.
It will be very important for anyone requiring any additional information for their point to gather it before the November 13th meeting so that the School Council will have everything they need available to them at the meeting in order to keep the process moving.

OFF-SCHEDULE DECEMBER MEETING

The School Council normally does not meet in December. However, they will meet in December so that they can get through agenda items that they won’t be able to cover in November and to continue the discussion of the magnet proposal if necessary.

Next meeting is November 13, 2012

Meeting adjourned at 6:02pm

Respectfully submitted,

Denise Robinson, Vice Chair (in the absence of Joli Mauldin, Secretary)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

APPROVED SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, October 2, 2012

CALL TO ORDER – 5:04pm

PRESENT: Rudyard Alcocer

Cheryl Anderson

Veronica Barnes

Kristi Cross

Angela Dunbar

Lynn Kerr

Greta Massetti

Joli Mauldin

Gretchen McCandless

Dan McGuire

Denise Robinson

INSPIRATION – Veronica Barnes

APPROVAL OF MINUTES – The minutes of the September meeting were unanimously approved.

UPDATE FROM THE PTA PRESIDENT - Jennifer Hatfield

Consignment sale took place and sales were not as good as last year

EagleTrek taking place on Thursday

EVANSDALE FOUNDATION - No update

PRINCIPAL - Dan McGuire

Two additional staff members were hired. Ms. Patrick (K) & Mr. Jones (PT Custodian)

Enrollment is at 654. Cross and Watt are exceeding homeroom size by one student each. He is waiting to hear from the county on ability to hire additional teachers.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

a. School Goals were presented by Dr. McGuire. A motion was made and seconded to approve the document. Approved unanimously

NEW BUSINESS:

a. School Improvement Plan was reviewed by Dr. McGuire and school council members added changes

b. Discussion of Proposal to Update Magnet Program. Dr. McGuire reviewed the first draft of a proposal for the revision of the Magnet Program. The proposal was a starting point for Council discussion and the draft proposal detailed a conversion from a Magnet Program to a Magnet School. The draft was based on research regarding the history of Magnet, the current demographics of the school, the current funding availability, and the feasible options for the program revision. School Council members raised questions and concerns regarding the proposal. Ms. Lewis reviewed two options regarding French class. Council members discussed the best practices for the upcoming focus group to promote representation and input from all stakeholders. A flyer announcing the focus groups will be sent home in couriers and announced through PTA email blasts.

In response to the proposal to expand the Magnet Program to a Magnet School, one School Council member made the case that the proposed changes actually resulted in removing the Magnet Program from Evansdale and as such that the name Magnet should be removed from the school. The motion was then made to remove the name Magnet from Evansdale. The motion did not receive a second and therefore a vote did not occur on this motion.

A motion was made and seconded to pull 10 students per grade level out of district. 8 in favor 2 opposed. Motion passed.

A motion was made to maintain current proposal of 4^th & 5^th grade students receiving French instruction every day. 3 in favor, 7 opposed. Motion failed.

A motion was made to offer French to 1^st – 5^th grade students 2 days per week. 7 in favor, 2 opposed 1 abstention. Motion passed

A motion was made and seconded to keep language as is in bullet point 3 and 5 but add the option of additional language instruction should funds become available. Approved unanimously

A motion was made and seconded to present the updated draft of the Magnet Proposal as amended in the focus groups scheduled for October 31^st and November 1^st. Approved unanimously

A draft of the proposal will be made available online and in the front office prior to the focus groups.

Feedback from the focus groups will be compiled prior to the November Council Meeting. A revised draft of the proposal will be discussed and voted on at the November meeting. The date of the November meeting has been altered due to Election Day the November Council Meeting will occur on Tuesday, November 13^th.

Next meeting is November 13, 2012

Meeting adjourned at 6:57pm

Respectfully submitted,

Joli Mauldin, Secretary

Evansdale Elementary School Council

Pages

Approved Meeting Minutes

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