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Home My WebLink About2010-09-27 School Committee Minutes6 Reading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts IVSD � rj:K Regular Meeting of the School Co6unitte4` Open Session 1010 OCT 12 A IIS 49 Date: September 27, 2010 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Open Session) Place: Barrows School Cafeteria School Committee Members Present Staff Members, Present Chuck Robinson John Doherty, Superintendent Hal Croft Patty deGamvilla, Assistant Superintendent Karen Janowski Kim Oliveira, Director of Pupil Services Chris Caruso Lisa Gibbs David Michaud Matthew Conway Student Representative Visitors: Karen Callan, Barrows Prinicpal Dr. Jeff Ryan, RMHS Teacher Kristen DiGiovanni, Barrows Assistant Principal Joanne Alvarez, RMHS Teacher Bob Mooney, RTA President Matt Casey, Reading Patch Steve Hagan, Reading Advocate Christine Lyons, Reading Chronicle I. Call to Order Chairperson Canso called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. The Chair reviewed the agenda and welcomed guests. Mr. Caruso reminded the School Committee of thejoint RCASA meeting on Thursday evening. It. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (Il B. Reports 1 1. Student Student Representative Conway reported that the fall sports and drama activities were well underway. He also shared that it was a very positive experience at the high school hosting the Spanish exchange students for everyone. Student Representative Conway reported that the Reading Street Faire was a great success with many student activities and groups participating. Be also shared that a group of Spanish exchange students are at RMHS for 8 days. 2. Liaison 3. Superintendent's Report Dr. Doherty reported on the upcomingjoint RCASA meeting. He indicated that Ms. McNamara would be presenting a lot of data from the police and fire departments as well as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. September 27, 2010 The Superintendent reported on the annual Middlesex Partnership for Youth Superintendent/Chief breakfast which was attended by Mrs. de Gamvilla. At the breakfast, the to annual Patrick A. Schettini Memorial Award was presented to Nashoba Valley Tech. High School Superintendent Judith Klimkiewicz 4. Director of Finance and Operations Director of Pupil Services C. Continued Business Naming Committee Process Dr. Doherty reviewed the proposed timeline for the submission of names for facilities. Notification of the acceptance of proposals will go in the papers this week. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve the Timeline for Naming Process as outlined in th Superintendent's memorandum dated September 23, 2010. Mr. Michaud asked if there was any flexibility in the schedule, especially new the end since it tends to be a busy time of year for people with the holiday season. D. New Business Barrows Presentation Dr. Doherty introduced Mrs. Callan and Mrs. DiGiovanni and thanked them for hosting tonight's meeting. Mrs. Callan and Mrs. DiGiovanni did a presentation on the Barrows Elementary School Shining Stars. The goal of the Shining Star initiative is to build a positive culture and sense of community. By instilling lifelong guidelines and life skills such as trustworthiness, truthfulness, active listening, no put-downs and personal best the teachers and staff are able to nurture a positive cohesive community. Each week has a theme and teachers are able to modify the week's goals for thein grade level. The school culture is nurtured further by the creation of a school pledge and Khoo] song. Reminders of the Lifelong Skills are posted throughout the school as a reminder to the students, staff and families. Mrs. Callan indicated that the students have been involved in several community outreach projects such as Pennies for Peace, the Pajama Program and the Mitten Tree. The Barrows School has also held several events to bridge the parent school gap and there is a weekly newsletter posted on the website. Chair Camw thanked Mrs. Callan and Mrs. Di Giovanni for sharing the great happenings at the Barrows School. MCAS Presentation Mrs. de Gamvilla provided an overview of the Reading Public Schools 2010 MCAS, AYP and the Student Growth Percentile model. Presentation Topics: • MCAS • AYP-Adequate Yearly Progress • The Growth Model • Initiatives in Place to Address Gaps Mrs. de Garavilla reviewed the Reading student performance on the 2010 MCAS. Overall the district showed improvement at several levels and there are still a couple of areas of concem. The administration will review the data and develop a strategy to assist our students to improve. September 27, 2010 Assistant Superintendent de Garavilla went on to review the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the fora factors that determine AYP. All of our schools met AYP aggregate in both math and ELA. There are a couple of subgroups that did not and the administration will be looking at this data to determine a course of action. Mrs. de Garavilla presented the DESE tutorial on the Student Growth model. This is the second year that this measurement has been used. This allows the administrators to look at the individual students and how they have progressed over the years. The students are measured against the state and the district. The goal is to achieve 100% success rates per the NCLB act by 2014. Mrs. de Garavilla finished up by reviewing the School Improvement plan initiatives to address WAS as well as Curriculum & Instructional initiatives in place. The School Committee asked clarifying questions and thanked the Assistant Superintendent for the information. Approval of Field Trips (Om of Order) Dr. Doherty introduced Joanne Alvarez who presented a powerpoint on the proposed trip to Spain as part of our exchange program. She indicated that the trip correlates with the curriculum and is a true learning experience. The students stay with host families, attend school and travel during their 13 day stay. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski, to approve the RMHS field trip to Spain as part of the exchange Program in February 2011 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated September 23 2010. The motion carried 6-0. Dr. Doherty introduced Dr. Ryan who gave an overview of his proposed trip to Russia and the Baltics. This is the fust time this trip has been offered and Dr. Ryan is very excited to offer it to his students. He indicated that there is interest in this trip even being two years away. Mr. Camso thanked Mrs. Alvarez and Dr. Ryan for their presentations. III. Routine Matters • Bills and Payroll (A) • Approval of Minutes Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to approve the open session minutes dated September 13. 2010. The motion carried 6-0. • Bids and Donations (Out of Order) Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Croft, to accept the donation from Mr. Kevin Murray, of twelve storage cabinets to be used at the Killam School as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated September 23.2010. The motion carried 6.0. Calendar September 27, 2010 IV. Executive Session V. Information vi. Adiouman Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs to adjourn. The motion carried 6-0 VI. Future Business Meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as sorted in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. Jofn F. DohertykVd.D. S erintendent o Schools E�