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Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
School Council -Wood End Elementary 161b DEC 20 P b: 51
Date: 12-5-2016 Time: 3:15 PM
Building: School - Wood End Location: Conference Room
Address: 85 Sunset Rock Lane
Purpose: Monthly Meeting for 2016-2017 School Year
Attendees: Members - Present:
Andrea Freeman, Joanne King, Caitlin Koehler, Lynda Michel, Melissa
Murphy, Elena Raffa
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Melissa Murphy
Topics of Discussion:
The third monthly meeting of the Wood End Elementary School Committee was held in the
Conference Room of the Wood End Elementary School on December 5, 2016.
Call to order:
A quorum of members being present and the meeting having been duly convened at Wood
End School by the Wood End Principal, Joanne King called the meeting to order at 3:15 p.m.
and proceeded with business.
Public Comment:
None.
Review and Acceptance of Minutes:
Members reviewed draft minutes from the November 7, 2016 meeting.
There being no discussion, Mrs. King moved that the minutes from the November meeting
be accepted as drafted. Mrs. Michel seconded the motion. The members then voted
unanimously to approve the minutes.
Vote: Minutes Accepted 6-0-0
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New Business:
Building Budget:
The Director of Finance and Operations is working on the school budget for 2017-18 school
year. The first budget meeting with our budget parents will be in January. Kelly Mahoney
and Brian O'Mara are representing Wood End.
Leadership Team:
The Leadership Team is still looking for a parent volunteer for the Tier 1 group. The
commitment is a meeting once per month for an hour. We brainstormed the best ways to
get the right parent volunteer. We think it needs to be put in the weekly newsletter to
drum up some interest. The Leadership Team hopes to have this position filled within the
next couple of months.
Wellness, Allergies, Safety and Health (WASH):
Lisa Suglia would like to attend a meeting to discuss the possibility changing some of the
allergy protocols we have in place in the cafe - for example, allowing a table at lunch where
students would be able to eat peanut butter, or other nut -containing products. Mrs. Koehler
and Mrs. Murphy felt this could cause more problems, but will wait to hear from Mrs. Suglia
at an upcoming meeting.
Homework:
The group read and discusses one article about homework, "A Texas teacher stopped
assigning homework: The Internet gave her an A+" and reviewed the Center for Public
Education's website section on homework research. The goal is for this group to create more
consistent guidelines for homework, K-5.
http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Mai n-Menu/Instruction/What-research-says-about-the-
val ue-of-homework-At-a-glance/What-resea rch-says-a bout-the-va I ue-of- homework- Research-
review.html
https://www.washi ngton post.com/news/ed ucation/wp/2016/08/23/a-texas-teacher-stopped-assigning-
homework-the-internet-gave-her-an-a/?hpid=hp hp -more -top -stories education-
homework835p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Mrs. Koehler was surprised that the Center for Public Education didn't have much research
to support whether homework improved academic success. Ms. Raffa felt there were
supporters for and against homework and its impact on student achievement. Mrs. Michel
felt we needed to come up with grade level goals for homework and a progression - as
students get older, the amount of homework assigned may increase. Several questions
were raised:
• How do we want to solicit feedback from parents of the Wood End community to get
their thoughts on homework?
• What are the goals for teachers with regard to assigning homework?
• What does homework look like at each grade? In each classroom?
Mrs. Koehler and Mrs. Murphy agree that no homework doesn't seem productive. They both
like to see what their children are doing in school. Also, assigned homework is very helpful
for things like spelling tests when students can work on their words every night.
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Some suggestions for computer-based programs to help kids with basic skill development
were discussed. These sites often enhance what students are working on in class - Raz Kids
and Moby Max.
Other Business:
Mrs. Koehler asked if the DPW has fixed the bricks on the lower playground. Mrs. King
stated they had not been fixed to date. Mrs. Koehler said she received a message that DPW
would take care of bricks. Mrs. Murphy offered to reach out to the head of the DPW.
NOTE: The DPW repaired/removed the loose bricks on the lower playground the
same afternoon.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the School Council adjourned at 4:30 with plans to
reconvene on Monday, January 9, 2017 at 3:15 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Murphy,
Recording Secretary
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