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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-05-28 School Committee MinutesReading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts Regular Meeting of the School Committee Open Session Dale: May 28, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Superintendent's Conference Room School Committee Members Present Karen Janowski Chuck Robinson Arrived at 7:26 p.m. Hal Croft Chris Caruso Lisa Gibbs Mr. Spadafora Staff Members Present John Doherty, Superintendent Alison Elmer, Director of Student Services Patty de Garavilla, Assistant Superintendent Visitors: Karen Callan, Barrows Principal Mike McSweeney, RMHS English Department Head Sarah Lanzo, Barrows teacher Heather Murphy, Barrows teacher Laura Gemme, Town Clerk I. Call to Order Chairperson Janowski called the School Committee to order at 7:03 p.m. She reviewed the agenda and welcomed guests. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (I) Reports I (Out of Order) Student Student Representative Tmugot shared the following: Senior activities are in full swing with the prom on Thursday night Scholastic Awards Night was held last week Class Officer and Student Council elections were held recently The Boy's Track team finished 2nd at the State Meet The Senior Cruise/All Night Party is tonight. 2. Liaison Mr. Caruso attended Mr. Hechenbleikner's retirement party. He said it was a great event. May 28, 2013 Mrs. Gibbs attended the dedication of the William Endslow Performing Arts Center. It was great to have the honoree share in the event. 3. Director of Student Services Ms. Elmer reminded the community of the upcoming presentation hosted by RCASA of "Who Cares About Kelsey" 4. Assistant Superintendent 5. Sunrintendent Dr. Doherty updated the School Committee on senior activities and several ongoing searches. The Barrows Principal announcement should be made within the week as will the RMHS Assistant Principal announcement. The Superintendent is interviewing the METCO Director finalist this week. He hopes to make an announcement in mid -June. B. Continued Business C. New Business Barrows Presentation (Out of Order Heather Murphy and Sarah Lanzo shared information on the use of iPads in the grade 4 classes at Barrows. Ms. Murphy introduced grade 4 students Luke Kilduff, Luke Backer and Dana Granary who each shared projects they created using the iPads. Luke Backer and his group created a slideshow on Wheels and Cranks. His group gathered information from books and created a slideshow which included how to build and axle and wheel crank. Mrs. Lanzo said that his project was part of the simple machine unit and the students work in small groups and then the group presented the information to the rest of the class. Mr. Backer then shared a stop motion video he created using a video app on the iPad. Luke Kilduff shared a slideshow his group created for a Social Studies unit on the Northeast. He also shared a slideshow he created on the Civil War using the Educreation app. His group shared the information with the rest of the class. He said using the iPads in class makes learning more interesting and they are fun to use. Dana Granam presented information on the flashcard lesson she developed on the Midwest unit. Students are able to do matching exercises and use note taking apps to enhance the learning experience. She also shared a slideshow presentation on Screws as part of the Simple Machine Unit. Mrs. Lanzo said that the iPads have created opportunities for the students to teach the teachers and share ideas. The iPads are being piloted in grade 1 and 4 this year. The staff and students are working out the kinks and all the units have the same apps installed on them. She also feels that having the iPads available in the classroom has been a gift. May 28, 2013 Ms. Murphy also said that the students are able to view videos and read articles on the iPads Mrs. Janowski thanked the group and called a brief recess at 7:25 p.m. Mr. Robinson arrived at 7:26 p.m. Mrs. Janowski called the meeting back to order 7:27 p.m. Real World Problem Solvine (RWPS) Presentation Mike McSweeney and several high school students were at the meeting to share their experiences as part of the Real World Problem Solving exercise this year. Mr. McSweeney provided a brief background of the program. 2013 was the second year of this program. This year, all juniors participated instead of taking midyear exams. RWPS is an exercise in collaborative problem solving. This year there junior class was divided into 28 teams. There were 28 facilitators which included teachers, administrators, former staff and current staff. Four case studies were developed. Mr. McSweeney thanked the team that developed the case studies. The final portion of the exercise was a presentation by each group before a group of panelists. Mr. McSweeney then presented a short video. hto://www.youtube.com/watch'?v=OFVBtwGiA-I&feature laver detailoaee RMHS junior Leah Lattanzi shared information on her group's project — Sustainable Ways to Support the Reading Food Pantry. She felt this unique opportunity enabled students that are not in the same social circles to work collaboratively as a group. It took her group approximately half a day to decide on an idea. They wanted to get the elementary students involved. They visited all the elementary schools and met with the principals to discuss their idea. The group felt it was best to target the lower grades for a longer lasting impact. Each school would have a month during the year to collect donations for the Food Pantry and the winning classroom would have an opportunity to participate in an activity with high school students, perhaps a kick ball game. The group also approached town businesses for support and was pleased that several businesses were willing to help out with fundraisers or donations. The group also explored the idea of creating a website for the Food Pantry. Justin Halley presented his group's project — Putting Memorial Back in Reading Memorial High School. He shared that like other groups; they struggled determining the most feasible idea. They decided to establish a club at the high school that would partner students with a veteran. They would correspondence via pen pal letters. In developing the plan the group met with veterans and officials at Camp Curtis Guild on ways for veterans to reconnect with the community. Partnerships with veterans for Run to Home Base and the Wounded Warrior Projects are also ways the group decided to put the Memorial Back at RMHS. Raising Awareness - Fair Trade in Reading was the third topic. Dan Staffer said his group meshed well. The 10 members communicated well and worked well as a team. They discovered that not many people knew what Fair Trade practices were including several vendors in town. The group contacted supporters of fair trade in town. The group felt that Friends & Family Day would be a great opportunity to showcase fair trade and possibly offering coupons for products from vendors that support fair trade. May 28, 2013 Sam Bacon shared his group's project for creating a Community Garden. The group brainstormed the logistics of location, why a garden was a good idea, who should be involved, when it should happen and how it can become a reality. He said his group brainstormed ides and met with people in town to pitch the idea. They also visited towns that currently have community gardens to get an idea of what need to be done. The group chose Bare Meadow as the location for their proposed community garden. He shared that the experience was very positive and learned that it is important to be professional when dealing with people. Shannon Weir shared that the RWPS activity was a great opportunity for students that struggle with traditional testing to be able to share and show their strengths. She felt the activity was very beneficial and good for student self - esteem. It offered different ways of learning and had a positive impact on the whole class. Mr. Robinson asked how groups dealt with members that did not pull their weight. The response was that group leaders were elected. Mrs. Gibbs asked how roles were determined in each group. Shannon Weir said members would express interest and share their strengths and skills. Mrs. Janowski what the next steps would be and if any of these ideas have been put into action. Tristan Barros shared that students at the high school are creating a club to reconnect with veterans. Mr. McSweeney said that methods to move projects forward are being explored. He is working with groups and panelists that may benefit from these presentations. Mr. Croft made a presentation of a Reading Rocket flag that had flown over Afghanistan on 5 missions with RMHS graduate Capt. Wade Gauthier, USMC. He wanted this to symbolize the kick -off of a veteran's presence at RMHS. Mrs. Janowski thanked the group for their presentation. Ono Meeting Law & PAC Training Ms. Gemme, Town Clerk addressed the School Committee to update the School Committee on Open Meeting Law procedural concerns by the PAC. She felt that since the School Committee oversees the PAC they should be aware, although no violations have occurred to date, that changes have been met with some resistance. Ms. Gemme believes that the work of the co- chairs needs to be supported by the group and she has seen that occurring to some extent. Mrs. Gibbs, PAC liaison, shared that the group has not been effective and feels the current by- laws are part of the problem. She feels Ms. Gemme has been very accommodating to the PAC enabling them to meet to address the by -law concerns. Ms. Gemme indicated that the group is posting their meetings but members are not getting sworn in in a timely manner to allow for the group to have a quorum at their meetings. May 28, 2013 Mrs. Gibbs feels that the PAC role needs to be more clearly defined which may alleviate the concerns. Michele Sanphy, outgoing PAC Co- Chair, shared that three3 by -law subcommittee meetings have been held and the group has a rough draft of the new by -laws. A culture of change is happening and the new role is defined as a place for resources and information versus support. She shared that an amendment to the by -laws has reduced the quorum to 5 and is in effect now. Kindergarten Update Dr. Doherty reviewed the latest 2013 -14 elementary enrollment numbers and reiterated that we do not have enough space in our schools to accommodate our incoming kindergarten students. There will be a presentation at our next meeting on the Woburn Street project. Representatives from Ai -3 will also be at our meeting to share information. Dr. Doherty also indicated that Friends & Family Day will be a great opportunity to share information on the project. He went onto review the memorandum that was in the packet. It was pointed out that all AM kindergarten will be dismissed at 11:30 next year. Several parents from the Barrows School expressed concerns of the space being used at Barrows for the %: day class. There were also concerns about equity in learning hours between the half day programs. Donation (out of order) Mr. Croft moved seconded by Mr. Spadafora, to accept the donation in the amount of $20,000 from the Barrows PTO to be used to purchase additional Wads and Wad covers. Mrs. Callan said that this money will allow Barrows to put 5 iPads with covers and apps in each classroom grades K -5 The motion carried 6 -0. Second Reading & Approval of the Revised Chemical Health Policy JICH Mr. Croft began the reading of Policy JICH and JICH -R Mrs Gibbs moved to waive the full readine Mr. Caruso seconded. The motion carried 6- 0. Dr. Doherty followed up on a previous question regarding medical marijuana. There are no specific accommodations for medical marijuana therefore the policy would be in effect. There has also been MGL language added to address constructive possession with regard to underage drinking. Mrs. Janowski asked to change Athletic Director to Assistant Principal for Athletics and Extracurricular. Mr. Croft moved seconded by Mr. Spadafora to approve & accept the second readine of revised Policy JICH — Druz and Alcohol Possession or Use in School Facilities and at May 28, 2013 Second Reading & Approval of the Revised School Nutrition and Physical Activity Policy — ADF Mr. Croft began the reading of the policy. Elementary Math Mrs. deGaravilla shared information on the Math in Focus program and said that it will also be included in grade six. Mrs. Janowski asked the Committee to review the materials and we would have a presentation at a future meeting. Ill. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) b. Approval of Minutes Mr. Croft moved. si 6.2013. The motiot c. Bids and Donations Donations Calendar IV. Information V. Future Business VI. Adiournment Mr. Caruso moved seconded by Mr. Soadafora to adjourn. The motion carried 6-0. Meeting adjourned at 9:23 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. Jo F. Doherty, Fd.D. Su rintenden[ of Schools