HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-08 School Council - Wood End Elementary Minutes - DraftOFq
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Meeting Minutes
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Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Date: 2024-10-08
Building: School - Wood End
Address: 85 Sunset Rock Lane
Time: 3:15-4:15 pm
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Session: Open Session
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Purpose: Regular Meeting for 2024-2025 Version: Draft
Attendees: Members - Present: Kristine Crowley, Sally Edmonds, Christina Erb,
Maureen Habeeb, Chris Kowaleski, Victoria Lydon Ruelos, Nicole Schwartz,
Lindsey Tainsh, Christine St. Hilaire
Members - Not Present: Peyton Daley
Others Present: N/A
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Christine St. Hilaire
Topics of Discussion: The first meeting of the Wood End Elementary School Council for
2024-25 school year was held via Zoom on October 8, 2024.
Call to Order: A quorum of members being present, and the meeting having been duly
convened for Wood End Elementary School by Principal, Nicole Schwartz called the meeting
to order at 3:20 p.m. and proceeded with business.
The Committee members Introduced themselves, including the role they serve in the Wood
End community.
Principal Schwartz requested for Committee members to volunteer as Co -Chair and
Secretary. The following members volunteered for the positions:
Kristine Crowley- Co -Chair
Christine St. Hilaire- Secretary
Principal Schwartz discussed Open Meeting Law and requested Committee members to submit
the signed acknowledgement to her after the meeting, if not already submitted. Principal
Schwartz proceeded to explain the role of Site Council (a.k.a. School Council) to the members of
the Committee.
Public Comment:
Christine St. Hilaire submitted two items of public comment:
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- Families are excited about the new opportunity to volunteer in Mr. Bauer's physical
education classes.
- One parent raised a question about whether the Extended Day program could offer more
nutritious options for Extended Day snack, noting that the Extended Day program
operates under Reading Community Education, separate from the operations of Wood
End. Principal Schwartz commented that food is ordered through the Wood End cafeteria
and she would raise the comment to the food purchasing team.
Review and Acceptance of Minutes: Members reviewed draft minutes from the May 28,
2024 meeting. There were no corrections or additions.
Vote: Minutes Accepted 8-0-0
New Business:
Principal Schwartz discussed the status of the draft School Improvement Plan (SIP), which will be
circulated to the Committee for review as part of the drafting process. Principal Schwartz noted
the following items about the SIP:
- The draft SIP will be shared with Wood End staff in the near-term
- 4 objectives in the SIP are consistent with the prior year SIP, including the WIN (What I
Need) block, which gives focused time for teachers and staff to support specific student
needs, and cross -class teaching to help groups of students with similar areas requiring
attention.
- The draft SIP includes enrichment blocks for grades K-5. The enrichment blocks Include
team teaching (i.e. Ms. Norcross and Mr. Bauer doing coordinated literacy/movement
activities) and Chorus for the 5th graders.
- Teachers will have a window within their schedules dedicated to examining data from
recent testing completed by the students. Teachers will use the data to identify gaps in
student learning to be addressed in the classroom.
Principal Schwartz discussed the SEEM Collaborative classrooms, new to the Wood End
community for the 2024-2025 school year. Students in this program will join their grade -level
peers as determined appropriate by the team, including in specials (Art, Music, Library), eating in
the cafe, at recess, and in school -wide assemblies. The school will continue to identify
opportunities for inclusion throughout the school year.
Principal Schwartz discussed some additional changes or things to look forward to in the 2024-25
academic year:
- Mr. Bauer is running a volunteer program for families to participate in physical education
classes. He ran a pilot program during the 2023-24 academic year, which went well.
- The school offers breakfast to students each morning. Wood End is serving over 100
breakfasts per day on average.
- There are 5 district coaches available to assist teachers align their teaching strategies.
- Math intervention program will continue in year 2 of it's roll out.
- Student assemblies planned for the year are based on core values with an Olympic
theme. These Include a recent assembly with an Olympic fencing athlete and future
programs focused on Wood End core values, cultural dance, Native American literature,
and a preview of the RMHS play.
Other Notes:
Christine St. Hilaire inquired about the status of MCAS results. Principal Schwartz responded that
MCAS results from school year 2023-24 have been published. They will be discussed at an
upcoming School Committee meeting at the district level, with Wood End staff at an upcoming
staff meeting, and will be included in Principal Schwartz's family newsletter soon. Individual
results will be sent to families around the end of October/beginning of November.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the School Council adjourned at 3:51 p.m. The next
meeting will be held at 3:15 pm on January 21, 2025.
Respectfully Submitted,
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Christine St. Hilaire,
Recording Secretary
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