HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-11 School Council - Killiam Elementary Minutesl--Mbo
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Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK
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Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 2022 JAN 24 AM 8: 48
School Council -J Warren Killam Elementary
Date: 2022-01-11 Time: 3:00 PM
Building:
School - Killam
Location: Meeting Room
Address:
333 Charles Street
Session: Open Session
Purpose:
Quarterly
Version: Draft
Attendees: Members - Present:
Sarah Leveque, Kim Adamo, Tonia McGuire, Bryn Panee Burkhart
Members - Not Present:
Marc Cerasuolo
Others Present:
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Bryn Panee Burkhart
Topics of Discussion:
The second quarterly meeting of the J.W. Killam Elementary School Council was conducted
virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, from 3 - 4 p.m.
Call to Order: Once a quorum of members was present, Sarah called the meeting to order
shortly after 3 p.m.
Review and Acceptance of Minutes: Members had the opportunity to review the draft
minutes from the October 2021 meeting and voted unanimously to approve them, 4 - 0.
Updates:
COVID-19 Health CheckIn: The Omicron variant has impacted Killam attendance post -
holiday break. Sarah shared that 66 students are being watched for COVID (out of
approximately 450) since returning from winter vacation. Most symptoms are mild, like a
cold. So far, staff have been OK. But with the increasing numbers of kids out, the test and
stay program may be impacted. Sarah shared that when they get new guidance re: COVID,
it is updated in the newsletter, parent portal and website. In addition, she shared that DESE
extended the mask mandate through Jan. 15, but it's expected that will stay in place longer.
The amount of kids out has an impact on those who are in school. Ms. McGuire shared that
she had six kids out her class last week, and it is hard to make sure those who were absent
can get caught up while keeping her other students moving forward. Ms. Adamo noted that
the social component of being in school is so important in order to nurture developing social
and interpersonal skills. Social/emotional health is still a prevalent issue. For example, Ms.
Adamo noted that she sees separation anxiety amongst kids who were remote last year and
who may be nervous about being back at school.
School Improvement Plan: Sarah shared progress on the School Improvement plan. This
plan is ambitious (b/c COVID is still immediate need) but they are still moving ahead.
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Sarah shared details on one component of the Improvement plan called Student Support
Team (SST). This team is comprised of a teacher and specialists, who come together to
brainstorm and support a child that the teacher identifies is in need of help. Typically, the
SST works with students who are struggling, and it could be a pre -cursor to special
education. It could also support students who are in need of enrichment opportunities. The
SST process looks at all aspects of a student's day including academic and social -emotional.
Every 6 weeks each grade level meets to discuss a student. Teachers and specialists come
up with a gameplan whereby the teacher can try new methods or interventions to support
the student. Before this happens, the teacher will have identified a student, filled out forms
that detail the primary concern, what they specifically see as an issue, and comment on the
students' strengths. The teacher may also note any previous interventions and impact of
those.
The teacher brings this to the SST, and they become solution -minded, brainstorming
options and possibilities to further address the problem. This enables robust data in the
event they want to recommend further testing. It helps ground conversations in facts and
data. Sarah shared that SST met on 18 students this year across grade levels. Issues
ranged from behavioral, academic and social. She noted that if a student makes progress
as a result of SST recommendations, it's less likely the issue is COVID related. But if the
student is not making progress, it can be a larger issue.
The outcomes of SST align with the goals of the School Improvement Plan. Sarah said that
it has helped uncover questions like:
Where are gaps in our interventions?
What materials could we purchase or use to further help/support the student?
What are the Gen Ed concerns? (e.g., anxiety).
Last year, SST enabled literacy and math tutors to track and follow specific problems, and
to buy materials that supported positive outcomes. Last year, there was not a lot of
structure due to COVID, but this year there is structure. Families are aware if their child is
part of the SST discussions, and teachers benefit from having extra support for their
students.
Budget: Sarah shared new budget information & its impact on Killam. The School
Committee met last week. There are discussions around redesigning the budget at the
elementary level that will impact Killam. For example, the Killam budget currently buys all
curriculum materials. Moving forward, Central office will likely absorb that, so now the
building -based budget will be specifically for Killam purchases that support things like SST.
Sarah mentioned this would make budget requests more transparent and enable her to
share a narrative for requests and purchases. Having the data to share about why requests
are made is exciting.
Sarah also shared that RPS is trying to get a school adjustment counselor assigned to every
school, which will enable more Gen Ed work and share of workload (e.g., SST process).
This would have a positive and direct impact on students.
Sarah also there are no anticipated changes in staffing at this point for next year. They will
be going down to three fourth-grade classes next year from four third-grade classes. Plan is
to supplement with Merrimack College graduate students full-time during the school day.
These graduate students will be assigned to the fourth grades next year to help with co -
teaching and offset the larger class sizes for the fourth grade.
Adjournment: The School council adjourned at 4:00 p.m. with plans to reconvene on April
12, 2022.
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