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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-01-13 School Committee Minutes OFA� ��" '� ``, Town of Reading x ' Meeting Minutes 79.1Ncosor`, Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2014-01-13 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: Superintendent Conference Room Address: 62 Oakland Road Purpose: Open Session Attendees: Members - Present: Hal Croft Karen Janowski John Doherty, Superintendent Chuck Robinson Mary DeLai, Assistant Superintendent Lisa Gibbs Craig Martin, Assistant Superintendent Jeanne Borawski Alison Elmer, Director of Student Services Chris Caruso Andrea Nastri, Student Representative Conner Traugot, Student Representative Members - Not Present: Others Present: Al Sylvia, Daily Times Chronicle Lynna Williams, RMHS Guidance Director Trey Skehan, RMHS Math Department Head Kevin Higginbottom, RMHS Principal Elizabeth Lemons, Parent Linda Snow-Dockser, Parent Rhonda Holt, Parent Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: John F. Doherty, Ed.D. Superintendent Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Croft called the School Committee to order at 7:03 p.m. He reviewed the agenda, announced the meeting was being recorded and welcomed guests. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input(I) Mr. Croft asked for public input. There was none. Pane I Reports(I) 1. Student Ms.Nastri shared that students are getting back into the swing of school after the break and are gearing up for midterm exam week next week. The juniors will once again be participating in the Real World Problem Solving activity for the week. She also shared that on Monday there will be the annual Martin Luther King celebration in the Endslow Performing Arts Center. Mr. Traugot reported on the Improv Show that was held just before vacation. He said it was a great show and the troupe did a tremendous job. The RMHS Robotics Team is preparing for competition. He also reported that seniors have started hearing from schools including him. Mr. Traugot will be attending Duke University in the fall. The School Committee congratulated Conner on his acceptance. He also shared that a panel of RMHS graduates recently shared college experiences with the senior class. 2. Liaison Mrs. Janowski also reported on the upcoming Martin Luther King Celebration on Monday. METCO Director Jason Cross will be the guest speaker. The morning will start with a continental breakfast on Main Street at 9:30 with the program beginning at 10:00 am. Mrs. Janowski announced she will not be seeking reelection to the School Committee. Mrs. Gibbs announced she will not be seeking reelection to the School Committee. Chair Croft thanked both ladies for their years of dedicated service to the board. 3. Superintendent Superintendent Doherty thanked Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Janowski for their service to the Reading Public Schools. He next announced the appointment of Sarah Marchant as principal of the Coolidge Middle School. The Elementary Working Group will be meeting with the architects at the end of the month to review the feasibility of the 5 options. The district has begun A.L.i.C.E training at the building level, starting with the middle school and Killam and Wood End staffs. The middle school student training will be held in the next few weeks. The students at the elementary schools will also go through the training in the near future. The Superintendent assured the community that the trainings will be age appropriate and will not be much different from the previous lockdown drills held in the district. Page 12 The Superintendent shared that the district now has Facebook and Twitter accounts that link to the Superintendent's Blog. We now have multiple means of communication. There was an update on the 2014-15 kindergarten numbers as of this date. We have 280 students and the numbers are spread fairly evenly across the 5 elementary schools. Dr. Doherty included the SEEM Collaborative Annual Report in the packet for informational purposes. He went on to say the Articles of Agreement from both Collaboratives will be completed soon. The School Committee will have to vote to approve the articles. 4. Director of Student Services Ms. Elmer noted that the district will be undergoing a DESE Coordinated Program Review and a notice was placed in the Chronicle announcing the review. She also shared that on January 22 the PAC will be holding a workshop in the Distance Learning Room at RMHS and on February 4 there will be a showing of the documentary"Who Cares About Kelsey" at the Jordan's Furniture IMAX Theater. This event is being presented by RCASA and the Reading Public Schools. B. Continued Business Discussion and Vote to Accept the Calendar for the 2014-15 School Year Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs,to approve the 2014-2015 School Year calendar with the religious holidays as no school days with the option to revisit the calendar at a later date. Dr. Doherty made the recommendation to keep the school year calendar with the religious holidays as no school days because the holidays are part of four collective bargaining units. Mrs. Janowski would like to reevaluate how the School Committee looks at the calendar and vacations. She cited that districts in other parts of the country have a single 3 week break in December/January. Dr. Doherty reminded the School Committee that we are obligated to have no school on state holidays and the vacations are also a collective bargaining matter. Mr. Caruso thanked the community for all of the input the committee received on this agenda item and supports the motion. Rhonda Holt,high school parent, felt there are ways to acknowledge holidays without taking them off from school. The vote on the original motion carried 6-0. Panes I Second Reading and Vote to Accept Policy IMDA—Accommodations for Religious and Ethnic Observances Mr. Caruso moved,seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve and accept the second reading of Policy IMDA—Accommodations for Religious and Ethic Observances. Mr. Caruso began the second reading. Mrs. Gibbs relieved Mr. Caruso and finished the reading of Policy IMDA. The Chair asked for input from the committee. Mr. Robinson would like to create a separate sub-bullet to read "The Superintendent of Schools will identify other (if any) major non-national religious holidays on an on-going basis and communicate them on the school calendar at the beginning of the school year. " Mr. Robinson would also like to have the reference to Muslim holidays stricken from the last paragraph of the policy. He felt it was important not to exclude any other observances. Superintendent Doherty would like to strike the phrase "school sanctioned" in the third bullet on page 2 and revert back to the previous language with the addition of `for religious holiday". Elizabeth Lemons,high school parent, wanted to clarify her statement as reflected in the minutes of December 16, 2013. She wanted the School Committee to know she supports this policy and her statement, regarding the difficulties encountered by teachers around block scheduling, was in no way to be perceived as a negative remark. Linda Snow-Dockser,high school parent, fully supports this policy and feels it sets an awesome example for our district. This policy takes pressure off the students who would have to make a decision regarding a religious holiday. She thanked the Superintendent for listening and adding an attendance code in Administrators Plus. Mrs. Janowski feels that adoption of this policy sets the tone that Reading is a welcoming community. Mr. Traugot is pleased that the needs of students are being addressed by this policy and feels the communication with students needs to continue. Mrs. Snow-Dockser requested that the School Committee rethink the removal of the reference to the Muslim holidays, she felt it was important to acknowledge the Muslim community. School Committee members felt that the addition of the separate bullet "The Superintendent of Schools will identify other (if any) major non-national religious holidays on an on-going basis and communicate them on the school calendar at the beginning of the school year. " would encompass all other religious holidays. Page 14 Dr. Doherty suggested that the committee revisit this policy in a year. Mrs. Gibbs made a friendly amendment, seconded by Mr. Caruso,to direct the Superintendent to place policy IMDA on an agenda in a year to be reviewed. The motion carried 5-1. Mr. Robinson voted against. The vote on the original motion as amended carried 6-0. C. New Business Math Presentation Dr. Doherty shared that Mr. Martin would be sharing information on Grade 6—9 math. He said that this presentation has been given to parents at both middle schools. Mr. Martin thanked Mrs. Williams and Mr. Skehan as well as the teachers who have worked long and hard to align our instruction to the new standards and to develop sequences that allow for students to achieve at appropriate levels. He also thanked the community and teachers for providing input. Mr. Martin shared the topics he would touch upon in this presentation which include Shift in Standards,New Math Sequences, Options for Sequence Changes, Placement for 7th Grade and Curriculum Resources and Information. As mentioned in previous math discussions the curriculum standards have changed to emphasize coherence at each grade level—making connections across content and between content and mathematical practices in order to promote deeper learning. He pointed out there are eight Standards for Mathematical practice that are consistent throughout the grades. The content changes by grade level. The standards can be used to challenge math learners to use problem solving and critical thinking skills. Mr. Martin went on to review the math sequences for grades 6— 12. He reviewed the math courses for both grades 7 and 8. Both levels will offer opportunities for students to take an enhanced offering that would go at a faster pace than the standard math. There will also be an accelerated offering. Students will be placed based on their math ability which will be determined by several types of assessments. As previously discussed the math curriculum standards have become more rigorous than in the past. Mrs. Janowski wanted assurances of flexibility for students based on teacher recommendations, parental wishes and student interest and enthusiasm. The math sequence options were discussed next. He once again thanked the teachers that worked on aligning the curriculum and the sequences for being creative and providing a path for all students to be successful. He reviewed the Summer Geometry Class offering for students who are entering grade 10 in the fall,have successfully completed Algebra 1 and would like to pursue an advanced/accelerated path. Mr. Martin also shared information on curriculum resources and information for the new math standards. Pam= 15 III. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) The following warrants were circulated and signed. Warrant S1426 12.19.13 $305,507.50 Warrant S1427 12.26.13 $296,889.56 Warrant S1428 1.2.14 $97,855.22 Warrant S1429 1.9.14 $37,835.80 Warrant P1413 12.20.13 $1,363,217.99 Warrant P1414 1.3.14 $1,358,055.11 b. Approval of Minutes Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs.Janowski,to approve the open session minutes as revised dated December 16,2013. The motion carried 6-0. c. Bids and Donations Accept Donations Accept Donation from Friends of Reading Rockets Hockey Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson,to accept a donation in the amount of$1,500 from the Friends of Reading Rockets Hockey to be used to support the coaching assistant for the boys' hockey team. The motion carried 6-0. Accept a Donation from Reading Lacrosse Association Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson,to accept a donation in the amount of$1,500 from the Reading Lacrosse Association to be used to support a coaching assistant for the girls' lacrosse team. The motion carried 6-0 Accept a Donation from White Mountains Capital, Inc. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski,to accept the matching donation from White Mountains Capital,Inc. to be used to purchase additional copies of books for a high school psychology class. The motion carried 6-0. Calendar IV.Information Page 16 V. Future Business VI.Adjournment Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs.Janowski,to adjourn. The motion carried 6- 0. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. Ii1 411}1114 \ � \ c Jc1 F. Doherty d.D. S • rintendent of Schools Page 17