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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-12-10 School Committee MinutesReading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts I;TCEIVEU Regular Meeting of the School Committ' , Open Session t� Date: December 10, 2012 Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Coolidge Cafeteria School Committee Members Present Karen Janowski Chuck Robinson Chris Caruso Rob Spadafom Lisa Gibbs Visitors: Barbara Jones, Reading Chronicle Eric Sprung, Birch Meadow Principal Craig Martin, Coolidge Principal Beth Beaulieu, Parker Assistant Principal I. Call to Order 100 JAN 22 P 3 Sol Staff Members Present John Doherty, Superintendent Mary DeLai, Assistant Superintendent Alison Elmer, Director of Student Services Joanne King, Wood End Principal Isabella Jordan, Wood End Teacher Mia Gaska, Wood End Teacher Stephanie Malone, Wood End Teacher Nancy Bentley, Wood End Teacher Chairperson Janowski called the School Committee to order at 7:04 p.m. She reviewed the agenda and welcomed guests. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (I) Re rts I 1. Student 2. Liaison Mrs. Janowski shared information from the Human Relation Advisory Committee. The Committee is sponsoring its fourth annual arts contest and she reminded the community of the MLK Celebration scheduled for January 21 ". Mrs. Janowski also reported on the very successful Festival of Trees event as well as the state Championship earned by the football team. December 10, 2012 3. Student Services Ms. Elmer reported the recent PAC Workshop featuring Sara Ward. It was well attended and informational. 4. Superintendent Dr. Doherty handed out a memo outlining the student successes this fall for athletics and extracurricular. He pointed out that approximately 70% of our high school students participate in athletics or a major activity with many more involved in clubs. B. Continued Business Middle School Redistnctin Dr. Doherty share Option 10 of the Middle School Redistricting proposals. Option 10 involves a 1 to 1 swap for students that wish to attend the other middle school. Dr. Doherty distributed a letter from parents regarding the DLC program. He went on to review some ideas regarding the DLC program currently housed at Barrows. The fifth grade DLC students are currently placed at Coolidge for grade 6 while the rest of their peers attend Parker. The administration is working on a long tern solution to this by slowly phasing the DLC program to Birch Meadow. There is no space available at Parker to house this program therefore moving the program to Birch Meadow will allow these students to attend middle school with their peers. The conversation continued with Principal Sprung reiterating the need to start the transitioning process earlier than grade 5. The elementary principals are working with the middle school principals on placement of these students. Mr. Martin reminded the School Committee that close attention will be given to class sizes. Ms. Beaulieu agreed and said that it is important to establish a school community where students are identified as a member of the school they are now attending not that the student is from a split school. Mrs. Janowski asked about the transition for the DLC students. Mr. Martin said the DLC transition is strong but there are some students that require more support. Mrs. Janowski wanted the community to be aware that during the process there was never discussion of which middle school was better. The School Committee is making this decision based on what is in the best interest of children. Mr. Spadafora moved seconded by Mn. Gibbs to authorize the Superintendent to move forward with Option 1 including a 1 for 1 swap with the following priority order: siblings, Birch Meadow Library area all JURam families and then all others. Mrs. Gibbs feels it I important to wait until a long term space solution is settled. At that point the Committee could look at the district lines if needed. The Committee members thanked the public for all the emails and support during this process. December 10, 2012 Mrs. Clish, Deering St. resident, asked for clarification on the process for the long term space solution. Dr. Doherty told her that he would be providing information to the Committee early 2013. Mr. Young, Mt. Vernon St., asked for clarification on Option 1 and how it differs from what is in currently in place. The motion carried 5 -0. C. New Business Wood End Presentation Mrs. King provided an overview of this evening's presentation, "Wood End is Evolving ". Wood End has a specific focus on literacy this year. The goal is to increase the academic success of all students in the areas of reading comprehension and writing. She introduced Mia Gaska, Isabella Jordan, Stephanie Malone and Nancy Bentley. Ms. Bentley discussed how Wood End determined this goal. The staff noticed that the students needed more time with eyes on books and pencils to paper, more discussion time and more directed instruction focused on skills. Steps taken to address these needs included a balanced approach to reading and writing, and allot more time for reading and writing by restructuring the specialty teaching model in grades 4 and 5. Wood End students now have one hour of reading and writing daily. Ms. Jordan discussed the Writer's Workshop model. Writer's Workshop is a structure for writing instruction and practice in the classroom that allows for min- lessons, independent writing, conferences and end of workshop share. Ms. Jordan particularly likes the ability to conference, either individually or in small groups, with students while others are working independently. This allows for explicit instruction and demonstrates to the students that the teachers care about the student writer. The students benefit from the Writer's Workshop by developing more independence and motivation to be writers, lifts the level of student work and broadens the scope of writing instruction; the needs of all students are met by working with students of similar skill sets together and students learn how to evaluate their own writing in order to improve. Ms. Malone discussed Reading Instruction and the role it plays in student success. By exposing students to rich literature this allows some opportunity for choice and provides high interest topics and themes. This leads to engaging discussion that stay focused on the text and allows students to share thoughts to gain a deeper understanding of the text. The instruction is aligned with the Common Core Curriculum standards now being introduced with focused instruction on skills and continual monitoring of the students' progress over time. Ms. Gaska feels that professional development opportunities are vital for the program to be successful. Mrs. King concluded by saying that at Wood End the specialty teaching has focused the approach to time on reading and writing. December 10, 2012 Mrs. Janowski asked about student attitudes. The Wood End teachers are pleased with the level of enthusiasm at all levels. Students are now taking ownership of what the write. Mr. Spadafora asked how the staff handled the need for instant satisfaction. Ms. Malone explained that a balanced approach is used; teaching the kids to sit and think through the process and to stick with it to resolution. Mrs. Janowski thanked the Wood End teachers for providing the information. Approval of Field Trips III. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) b. Approval of Minutes Mr. Caruso moved seconded by Mr. Spadafora to approve the open session minutes dated November 26, 2012. The motion carried 5 -0. c. Bids and Donations Donation Samantha's Harvest Michele Sanphy and Samantha Gibbs presented a donation to the Reading Public Schools on behalf of Samantha's Harvest. Killam Donation Mr. Caruso moved seconded by Mr. Robinson. to accept the Enaland BioLabs to the Killam School to be used to purchas systems for the grade 1 classrooms. The motion carried 5 -0. Parker Middle School Donation December 10, 2012 Coolidge Middle School Donations RMHS Donati on Mr. Caruso mop several donors t motion carried Calendar IV. Information Mrs. Janowski cancelled the December 17's meeting. V. Future Business VI. Adioumment Mn. Janowski declared that Executive Session is necessary to protect the position of the School Committee Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. December 10, 2012 Handouts: Letter from Concerned Parent Fall Accomplishments and Honors o F. bohe4 Ed.D. k0erintendent of Schools December 4, 2012 Karen Janowski, Char Reading School Committee 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 Dear Ms. Janowski, As the parents of students in the Developmental Learning Center (DLC) at Barrows Elementary School, we are petitioning to have the support our children receive at Barrows continue through middle school at Parker. It is not our intention to have these services replace the current program at Coolidge. Rather, it is our intention, and hope, to have the same services made available at Parker Middle School. We feel this is important for several reasons. • The dedicated and hard working teachers and support staff at Barrows have put forth years of effort fostering friendships in fully integrated classes. • The students at Barrows have grown up with our children and have learned to understand and enjoy them. • The culture of their student body helps to ease the anxiety of many DLC supported students. This foundation of support will carry over to Parker where it can continue to grow. • Without this culture of support, friendship and peer familiarity, school may become a place of stress and anxiety for many of our children. A child can have a supportive teaching environment, however if their peers to not understand or accept them, their ability to learn and succeed will be greatly diminished. Middle school is a difficult transition for typical children. Our children who struggle so much with social skills should not be expected to leave the community of peers they've grown close to for 6 years and start over from a social standpoint. Many of our children are not heavily involved in sports or other community organizations. They are connected to the community through the Barrows families and these families will move forward to Parker. These connections simply can not be taken lightly. Children on the Autism Spectrum are extremely vulnerable. To force our most vulnerable students to go into an unfamiliar environment and start over is not in their best interest. As it stands now, in the next 3 years there are over 13 students moving to middle school. This seems to be perfect timing to revisit this issue with new understanding and greater information of how environment and comfort directly impact how our children learn. It is the right thing for our children and the future of the program. Kind Regards, Name Address Phone 2`�5`>zf�t� I �7FO 9�fK -sSY� �z4 Eniguxlih= ¢dl�rrano --`���I`.a'. i.cwE� �. vvjj�p FF `Tti4VV l,l ' � { - IL ,�� p , �r iii tJl�h: r5 wi -�`i�f kk ��u l OFRpgO� y c t^Q r 4Q J63s :lmr ,a�P� READING PUBLIC SCHOOLS Preparing Reading's Youth to Be Respectful and Productive Citizens of a Global Society John F. Doherty, EdJ). 82 Oakland Road Mary C. DeLsd Superintendent Reading, Massachusetts 01867 Assistant Superintendent of Field Hockey Telephone 781.944 -5800 Finance &Administration Patricia A. de Garavills Fax 781- 942 -9149 Assistant Superintendent of Elizabeth Conway Curriculum & Instruction Human Resources Administrator TO: Reading School Committee FROM: John F. Doherty, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools DATE: December 6, 2012 TOPIC: Fall Accomplishments and Honors The fall season at Reading Memorial High School was extremely successful for the extra- curricular activities and athletics. Below is a list of recent recognition: Athletics League Championships Qualified for Post Season League All -Stars Volleyball Morgan O'Brien, Hannah Conroy, Alex Hopkinson, Jenna Maroney, Shannon Sciarappa Girls' Soccer Emily Collins Boys' Soccer Lee Jacobs, Johnathan Millett State Championships Football — Division 2A The Reading Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, corm, sex, reheam. national orian, sexual orientation a— nr di —h:itw Tournament Girls' Swimming Golf Golf Football Football Field Hockey Cheerleading Boys' Soccer Volleyball Swimming Volleyball League All -Stars Volleyball Morgan O'Brien, Hannah Conroy, Alex Hopkinson, Jenna Maroney, Shannon Sciarappa Girls' Soccer Emily Collins Boys' Soccer Lee Jacobs, Johnathan Millett State Championships Football — Division 2A The Reading Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, corm, sex, reheam. national orian, sexual orientation a— nr di —h:itw Football Drew Belcher, Matthew Comerford, Alex Valente, Ryan Maney, James King, Robert DiLoreto, Peter Fodera, John Donnellan, Andrew Bourque, Liam Kenneally, Zack Krugman, Chris Godwin, Alec D'Agostino, Greg Connery Girls' Swimming Christina Tzianabos, Amelia Panek, Alexa Bosley, Amanda Adreani, Kasey Lamb, Erin Daly Cross Country — Girls' Lucy Armstrong Field Hockey Sarah Hunt, Kate McCarthy Golf Scott Tully, Alec Tzianabos, Matt Casavant Extra- Curricula Drama Footloose Band & Color Guard Best Music Performance Award, Best Color Guard Award, Gold Medal Season (20" in a row) Globe All- Scholastic Player of the Year Drew Belcher Globe All - Scholastic Matthew Comerford Globe & Herald All Scholastic Erin Daly Wood End is Evolving Our school improvement plan has a specific focus this year on literacy, across all content areas and grade levels. Our goal is to increase the academic success of all students in the areas of reading comprehension and winning. The two areas the school wanted to strengthen were reading comprehension, especially with making inferences and deeper connections within the text as well as topic development in writing. We noticed To address these students needed needs we: . mme eyes on books and - provided a balanced pendls to paper approach to reading and smWN. . more ame to discuss what they were reading - alldted more time for and share what they were reading and writing by Wait. restructuring our specialty, teaching model In grades - more direct ineuechon 6 and 5, roased on skills. Professional Development Teachers College Columbia University TOM Tom- Lucy Calkins Units of Study Writer's Workshop 'Teaching begins with seeing the f . significance of what children are Lucy Calkins doing - -- and almost doing." What is Writing Workshop Writing Workshop is a structure for writing instruction and practice in the classroom. . Mini - lesson . Independent Wnting . Conferences . End of Workshop Share Mini Lesson A mini lesson is explicit instruction in a specificivriting technique 4 types . Preoadure and Organization . Strategies and Processes Skills . Craft and Techniques Independent Writing _ . Students choose the •..,9., topics that they want to write about. - . Std Is re at different stages of writing. 'When you re done, ! youve just begun" Conferencing . Occurs during indepandent ending . Conference with individual R I �• students and mail groups. - The point of a conference a s Y td help students became betterwritera - E plisht feedback and n mocish, relevant to s _ student' a wailing. - - - Student has role in conference - Communicate that we care about docents as people and writers. )eveloping a Love for Reading Exposing students to rich literature. Allowing some opportunity for choice. Providing high interest topics and themes. Engaging in Literary Discussions 4. . Teacher as well as student led literary discussions grounded in the text. - Students listen to and entertain ideas of others to help gain a deeper level of c understanding. Aligned Instruction Focused instruction on skills: . Whole class . Small group / guided practice . Independem practice Assessment . Continual monitoring of student progress over time Professional Development is Key The rigorous demands of the Common Core State Standards require teachers to participate in quality professional development opportunities to research and promote best practices. . Wnters Workshop Summer Institute 2012 . Pathways to the Common Core Workshop - attended in October . Resources for PLCs In Closing By aligning our curriculum and assessments to the Common Core, participating in quality professional development, and continuing to promote best practices, we will improve our students' success.