HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-01-17 School Council - Killam Elementary Minuteso�' orx o
Town of Reading
,� _ , Meeting Minutes
oar°'`
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
School Council - J Warren Killam Elementary
Date: 2023-1-17
Time: 3:15
Building:
Location: virtual
Address:
Session:
Purpose: Quarterly
Version:
Attendees: Members - Present:
RECEIVED
TOWN CLERK
REAO;,�! MA.
RJc-
023 JAN 26 AM 7: 36
Sarah Leveque, Tonle McGuire, Marc Cerasuolo, and Christopher Mauro
Members - Not Present:
Katie Cole, Brian Jarmusik
Others Present:
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Christopher Mauro
Topics of Discussion:
1. Call to order
• Quarterly council meeting called to order at 3:15pm by Sarah Leveque
2. Public Comment: Members had no public comment.
3. Review of Committee Responsibilities
• Discuss School Improvement Plan
o Reviewed district strategic goals of rigorous instruction, sense of
belonging and retention of teachers and staff.
o see below for more detail
• School Building Budget
o see below for more detail
• Revised/updated Parent Handbook with new regulations
o No changes were discussed this meeting, will continue to be worked on at
the district level and return to discuss at the committee level in the near
future.
4. Review/Acceptance of Minutes (October 25, 2022): Members had the opportunity to
review the draft minutes from the June 2021 meeting and voted unanimously to
approve them, 4-0.
5. New Business: Focus areas for this year
Page 1 1
Professional Development - what does the math and literacy programs look like
for our teachers and students?
o Tonia spoke specifically about the literacy program and current student
re -assessments underway.
o Sarah discussed how as teachers develop greater understanding of and
comfort with the curriculum, student assessments become richer and
more accurate. Teachers are better able to fine tune teaching methods
based on results of these re -assessments for the 2nd data cycle.
o Sarah reviewed the math curriculum in its full implementation year K-5.
Discussed upcoming math MCAS for grades 3-5 teachers working to
orient students to acceptable ways to show math work in writing. This
represents a change for students since in class they have been able to
show math work in pictures or verbally.
o Chris asked if teachers and schools are able to give feedback to the State
about the discrepancy between approved curriculum/teaching methods
and the way students are asked to respond to MCAS questions - ie: having
to "teach to the test". Sarah responded that there are different avenues
for feedback that Reading schools actively take advantage of.
o Sarah reviewed on-site curriculum coaching that teachers participate in 8
days per year, format includes 1:1 support, demo lessons with debrief,
group discussion/support, etc. Principals also receive additional coaching
tailored to their role.
Larger budget discussion in relation to elementary schools
o Discussed ongoing work towards the goal of free full-day kindergarten in
Reading over the next few years. This budget proposal includes tuition
reduction for FY24 towards that goal.
o Discussed full time Asst. Principal role, SFTEs proposed across the
Reading elementary schools. Sarah discussed benefits of staffing this role
including increased efficiency and support for principal tasks, increased
feedback/guidance/support for teachers and staff, growth opportunity for
current staff, and increased participation in the various community
committees and activities.
o Discussed Math Coach role, 2FTEs proposed K-8. Sarah discussed the
benefits of this role including leading professional development
opportunities, collaboration with other teacher groups, 1:1 coaching,
participation in onboarding new staff.
o Multilingual Learner (MLL) teacher, 1.5FTE. Sarah discussed increase in
MLL students this year and DESE requirements related to MLL instruction.
Supporting language development is essential to academic and social
progress. Increase in MILL teachers will align with DESE standards and
allow for more individualized learning.
6. Other: Discussion of School Adjustment Counselor/METCO Coordinator role and what
this looks like at Killam.
• Sarah introduced Korrey Lacey-Buggs and described her role as the full time
Killam Adjustment Counselor and METCO Coordinator. 50% of Korrey's role is to
support students in the METCO program through lived experience. Korrey
provides individual support to students when needed and serves as a link for
families to the Reading schools. The other 50% of her role supports the Killam
Page 12
student body with short term social -emotional support, problem solving and
referral to formal mental health services when needed. Korrey also supports
teachers and staff when challenges arise in the classroom, and participates in
town/community outreach activities.
7. Adjournment: The meeting was adjoined by Sarah at 4:15pm. School Council will
reconvene April 11, 2023
Gage 1 3