HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-04-01 School Council - Wood End Elementary Minutes 0"
Town of Reading
' Meeting Minutes RECEIVED
TOWN CLERK
READING, MA.y
Board - Committee - commission - council: 2811 APR -8 AM 10' 50
School Council -Wood End Elementary
Date: 2019-04-01 Time: 3:15 PM
Building: School - Wood End Location: Conference Room
Address: 85 Sunset Rock Lane
Purpose: Monthly Meeting for 2018-19 Year Session: General Session
Attendees: Members - Present:
Ellen Committo, Andrea Freeman, Jessica Hester, Joanne King, Michelle Mini,
Casey Moulton &Jane Roberts
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Michelle Mini
Topics of Discussion:
The sixth monthly meeting of the Wood End Elementary School Council was held in the
Conference Room of the Wood End Elementary School on April 1, 2019.
Call to order:
A quorum of members being present, and the meeting having been duly convened at Wood
End School by the Principal, Joanne King called the meeting to order at 3:20 p.m. and
proceeded with business.
Public Comment:
Teachers reported a very successful Trivia Night and recognized the hard work of the PTO to
organize this event for our school. This Is the largest fundraiser for Wood End, thanks to the
dedication of the Wood End community.
Review and Acceptance of Minutes:
Members reviewed draft minutes from the February 4' meeting. There were no corrections
or additions.
Vote: Minutes Accepted 7-0-0
Old Business: N/A
New Business:
FY20 Budget Update: N/A
Kindergarten Screening:
Paye i i
Screening sessions at Wood End will take place on May 21n and 22nd and there are currently
36 students scheduled to attend.
School Improvement Plan:
March Madness - Classroom visits took place for teachers in K-2 last week. Teachers in
Grades 3-5 will visit classroom later in May, likely after MCAS is completed. Eight teachers
visited classrooms last week and observed all different types of instruction including math,
reading, leveled literary/reading intervention. Our music specialist observed a first-grade
math lesson. There were some challenges with getting enough classroom coverage - we
didn't have two parents in every classroom to cover so we had to do some juggling with
other support staff. lane commented on how great it was to have the opportunity to see
other teachers do their job - classroom management, teaching styles, ways classrooms are
set up. She said she always comes away with a teacher tip or organizational strategy. It
was also great to see how students who were in her class in kindergarten are now
progressing. Jessica suggested maybe doing the teacher survey a little differently next year,
asking teachers to prioritize what they want to see since many listed multiple options.
Will be reviewing the School Improvement plan at the next meeting to monitor progress.
The focus will be on data that supports work being done in reading and mathematics.
Jessica looked at the school-wide reading data and it shows that a great majority of
students are at or above grade level expectations for reading. Teachers will be looking more
closely at those falling below benchmark, seeing what Intervention is in place for those
students, and reassessing to see if they are making gains. We are trying to be more
proactive about students who are not at benchmark and providing support sooner. Teachers
have also received direct support and instruction in Reader's Workshop this year through
coaching received from Kristi Mraz (K-2) and Maggie Roberts (3-5). This has been so
valuable in improving instruction.
In mathematics, all K-5 and special education teachers have attended the Math Perspectives
training (3-day workshops) to better instruct students in developing number sense. The
activities used focus on improving skills through more interactive problem solving
approaches. We will be looking at more of a workshop model In math for next year,
providing more time to practice and Independently reinforce skills.
Parent University: March 300
This series of workshops for parents and community members took place on Saturday from
8:00-12:30. The theme was focused on raising and supporting happy, healthy kids.
There have been a few Incidents of social media concerns at the elementary level -
inappropropriate text messaging, Instagram postings, etc. The elementary schools are
partnering with police, DA's office and middle school students to create presentations on
cyber bulling for our students. The goal is to increase awareness and let student know what
can happen if they are caught disseminating Inappropriate messages sent via text or social
media.
Reading Spring Institute:
Teachers attended a day-long institute on March 22nd with many workshops focused on
equity, diversity, and Inclusion. Assistant Superintendent Christine Kelley sent out a survey
to solicit feedback from attendees.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the School Council adjourned at 4:00 p.m. with plans to
reconvene on May 6, 2019.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michelle Mini,
Recording Secretary
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