HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-05-05 School Council - Wood End Elementary MinutesOFRi
y: Town of Reading
A -1 Meeting Minutes
OWN
C L E R K
DING. t SS.
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
School Council -Wood End Elementary H14 PAY 2cl P 2: 51
Date: 2014 -05 -05 Time: 3:10 PM
Building: School - Wood End Location: Conference Room
Address: 85 Sunset Rock Lane
Purpose: Regular Monthly Meeting
Attendees: Members - Present:
Joanne King, Keri DiNapoli, Maureen Fennessy, Debbie Hattery, Pooja
Parsons, Frederick Van Magness, Jr.
Members - Not Present:
None.
Others Present:
None
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Frederick Van Magness, Jr.
Topics of Discussion:
A regular monthly meeting of the Wood End School Council was held in the Conference Room of the Wood
End Elementary School on Monday, May 5, 2014.
CALL TO ORDER
A quorum of members being present, and the meeting having been duly convened, Wood End Principal
Joanne King called the meeting to order at 3:15pm and proceeded with business.
REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES
Members reviewed draft minutes from the last meeting, which was held on April 7, 2014.
There being no discussion, Mrs. Hattery moved that the minutes be accepted as drafted. Mrs. Parsons
seconded the motion. The members then voted unanimously to approve the minutes.
VOTE: - Minutes Accepted 6 -0 -0
NEW BUSINESS
2014 -2015 Budget
Mrs. King updated the members of the School Council as to the status of the district budget for next year.
The budget has been approved by the School Committee in an amount that requires a reduction of $285,000
from anticipated funding levels. This reduction is being reflected in cuts to technology replenishment,
professional development, and the elimination of two full time equivalent staff positions (one at the high school
and one at the middle school level). At Wood End, budget cuts are not expected to result in the elimination of
any staff positions, which will help our school keep class sizes down. In addition, the K -8 writing workshop
which was planned in cooperation with the North Andover school system is still scheduled to take place. The
writing workshop program has been a valuable experience in the past and has been identified as a top priority
for this coming year.
Page 1 1
Camp Bournedale
Mrs. King informed members that plans for the Camp Bournedale overnight field trip for students in next year's
fifth grade class are proceeding on schedule.
On May 6, Mike Martin, Camp Bournedale's Program Director, is scheduled to visit each elementary school for
a one -hour presentation to students and staff and to answer questions. That evening, Mr. Martin will be making
a presentation to parents at Coolidge Middle School at 7pm.
The trip will be an important team building exercise for students in the fifth grade, allowing them the chance to
form collaborative partnerships with students in other schools before they go to middle school. Camp
Bournedale specializes in promoting such activities within a science -based camp setting, offering students two
full days of enrichment activities. There was 100% participation by Birch Meadow and Killam students who
attended the camp program last year, and it is strongly hoped that there will be 100% participation by all five
elementary schools' students this year. The anticipated cost of the program is $200 per student, of which
families will be asked to pay $150 (with need -based scholarships available) and $50 will be paid by the
school /PTO.
2014 -2015 Planning
This was the last School Council meeting for Co -Chair Maureen Fennessy and member Pooja Parsons, whose
terms are expiring. Mrs. King led the members in thanking Mrs. Fennessy and Mrs. Parsons for their service on
the School Council, and she presented each outgoing member with a plant in appreciation of their efforts.
Additional members will be recruited to fill open spots on the School Council next year, with the goal being to
have equal representation between parents and staff, as is required.
As for next year, there is a very large incoming Kindergarten class of 58 students. Kindergarten screening was
recently completed successfully. Next year, there will be two full -day Kindergarten classes of 21 -22 students
each, and one half -day class of 15 -16 students.
Differing class sizes across grades require grade level staffing assignment changes for next year, which have
now been completed as follows:
• Full Day Kindergarten — Jackie Peffer and Sarah Bielicki
• Half Day Kindergarten — One half -day teacher is still to be determined
• Grade 1 — Elena Raffa and Leshia Duffy
• Grade 2 — Isabella Jordan and Maureen Habeeb
• Grade 3 — Marian Nihan, Nancy Bentley, and Barbara Sheehan
• Grade 4 — Keri DiNapoli, Courtney Poirier, and Lindsey Tainsh
• Grade 5 — Ellen Commito, Stephanie Malone, and Mia Gaska
In addition, Grades 4 and 5 will continue with a model of specialized instruction, with either no or limited flex
groupings in other grades, which is a decision that will be implemented district -wide next year.
TELL Mass Survey Update
Mrs. King informed the members that the TELL Mass Survey was recently completed by Wood End staff and
results have been received. This survey is conducted once every two years, and is designed to elicit an overall
sense of school operations from the perspective of school personnel. Wood End had 100% staff participation in
this year's survey.
Mrs. King is sending members of the School Council the full survey results for their review. Results of the
survey and feedback received will factor into the School Improvement Plan going forward. The last survey from
two years ago indicated a need for improvement with professional development initiatives, and such initiatives
have become an important part of the School Improvement Plan since then.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the School Council adjourned at 4:20 pm, with no plans to meet again this
school year. The School Council is expected to resume its meetings in September or October, 2014.
Respectfully submitted,
Frederick Van Magness, Jr.
Recording Secretary
Page 1 2