The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2019-10-21 School Council - Wood End Elementary Minutes Town of Reading $ Meeting Minutes w is j ^Vi N CLERK Board - committee - commission - council: 21111 GLI 28 PM 3: 5 I School Council -Wood End Elementary Date: 2019-10-21 Time: 3:15 PM Building: School - Wood End Location: Conference Room Address: 85 Sunset Rock Lane Session: Open Session Purpose: Regular Meeting for 2019-20 Version: Draft Attendees: Members - Present: Lori Abelson, Nicole Cella, Andrea Freeman, Jessica Hester, Joanne King, Michelle Mini, Kevin Sexton Members - Not Present: Jane Roberts Others Present: Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Joanne King Topics of Discussion: The first monthly meeting of the Wood End Elementary School Council was held in the Conference Room of the Wood End Elementary School on October 21, 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 3:15 p.m. and proceeded with business. Dr. King welcomed the new committee members and reviewed the Open Meeting Law materials and Conflict of Interest information. All members provided signed certificates which will be forwarded to Town Hall. Michelle Mini was elected to serve as Co-Chair for this year, and Lori Abelson was elected to serve as Secretary to record the minutes. Dr. King agreed to take the minutes for this meeting and will provide Ms. Abelson with the template for future meetings. These are the terms for this year's School Council members: • Lori Abelson (term ends June 2021) • Nicole Cella (term ends June 2021) • Andrea Freeman (term ends June 2020) • Jessica Hester (term ends June 2020) • Michelle Mini (term ends June 2020) • ]ane Roberts (term ends June 2020) • Kevin Sexton (term ends June 2021) Page I 1 Public Comment: Michelle Mini expressed concerns about the idling of cars on neighboring streets and in front of the school. She is concerned about the negative impact this has on our community's health and the environment. Mrs. Mini wants to discourage this practice and make parents more aware of the issues related to idling cars; Massachusetts laws are in effect due to the significant health hazards related to this practice; MA EPA has idling kits available and Michelle will look into getting resources for our school. Dr. King will talk with Miss Norcross about working with our Student Council to create public service announcements that we could post on the school's website, as well as provide information to families in the weekly blog. She will also reach out to Mike Scouten, traffic safety officer, to get suggestions or _ ideas. Some ideas could include students holding signs during pick-up times at the end of the day. Review and Acceptance of Minutes: Members reviewed draft minutes from the June 3, 2019 meeting. There were no corrections or additions. Vote: Minutes Accepted 7-0-0 New Business: FY20 Budget Update: The budget season will soon begin with plans to establish the FY21 budget. No other information is available at this time. School Improvement Plan: All members of the committee received a copy of the 2019-20 School Improvement Plan for review and information. The three goals are listed below: 1. Data Systems The school will refine and support data analysis to inform our work on classroom and curriculum practices, most notably, the quality of instruction and interventions for all students. • Use SRSS/SIBS, classroom performance, and student assessment data (MCAS, AMC) to develop a list of at-risk students, identify interventions for those students, and monitor progress on a regular basis. • Conduct data analysis at individual student and grade level • Utilize data analytics tool to facilitate collection and analysis of data • Explicit decision-making process for determining student access to Tier 2/3 interventions (entrance and exit criteria) • Regular progress monitoring and data collection cycle • Quarterly data review cycle at each grade level, K-5 • Develop continuous improvement cycle: identify at risk students, select evidence-based interventions (academic, social, emotional or behavior), implement, and monitor student progress/growth 2. Coherent Znstructional Systems The school will provide quality instruction, monitor student progress, and refine standards- based instructional systems to meet the needs of all learners in ELA and Mathematics. • Review curriculum materials (i.e. Units of Study), pacing guides and grade-level standards to align instruction in ELA and mathematics, K-5 • Align ELA and mathematics instruction to power standards; utilize curriculum maps and common assessments to improve consistency in ELA and mathematics instruction, K-5 • Identify and explicitly teach content vocabulary to increase students' exposure and understanding of concepts (i.e. math vocabulary) Page 1 2 • Provide ongoing coaching and PD to improve instructional practices and student engagement for all learners • Conduct learning walks focused on the WHY, student engagement, and instructional practices for teaching all students (Standard II) • Identify evidence of the essential components of the workshop model in reading, writing, and mathematics during learning walks, peer observations, and grade-level meetings • Provide a focus on specific areas during classroom observations (i.e. teacher talk, collaboration between students, use of support personnel) 3. Safe & Supportive Learning Environment The school will provide a safe and supportive learning environment, monitor student progress, and refine systems of support to ensure a healthy and successful learning community while meeting the unique needs of students. • Provide Professional development and workshop opportunities in SEL, equity and diversity • Develop plan for family and community awareness and engagement of SEL standards and practices to reduce chronic absenteeism • Meet with families of students who are chronically absent to develop a plan to improve attendance • Promote supportive school climate (PBIS) to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline and promote supportive school discipline (restorative practices) • Coordinate resource list of state agency and outside services for families to support students in need Outcomes 1. A decrease in the achievement gap on state and local assessments between high needs subgroup (special education, English Language learners, and economically disadvantaged) and the general population of students. 2. An improvement in student performance on state and local assessments including F&P Benchmarks in K-5, AMC assessments in K-2, and MCAS ELA and Mathematics scores in grades 3-5. 3. An increase in positive overall response in student learning environment scores as evidenced by the Student Connectedness survey, SRSS/SIBS, and other student data. 4. A decrease in the number of students who have 10 more absences. 5. An increase in the number of peer observations to improve professional collaboration and more consistent instructional practices, K-5. 6. An increase in teacher self-efficacy and shared decision-making as evidenced by effective implementation of the workshop model in reading, writing, and mathematics, K-5. 7. Instructional practices for continuous improvement: identify grade-level standards, select evidence-based resources, evaluate instructional practices, and monitor student progress. MCAS Spring 2019 Results: Staff and community will be reviewing the recent MCAS results to identify areas for improvement at the November Jgth PTO meeting. Adjournment There being no further business, the School Council adjourned at 4:15 p.m. with plans to reconvene on January 6, 2020. Respectfully Submitted, Joanne King, Recording Secretary Page 1 3