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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-05-24 School Committee Minutesf"'CEIVED READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE .F 0 W N CLERK .EADI G, MSS. Reading, Massachusetts Regular Session Z00 s~a- 24, 20 4 32 CALL TO ORDER Chair Dahl called the regular session to order at 7:40 p.m. in the Superintendent's Conference Room. Present were Mr. Dahl, Ms. Webb, Mr. McFadden, Mr. Spadafora, Mrs. Gibbs and Mr. Carpenter. Also present were Superintendent Schettini and Associate Superintendent Richards. ROUTINE MATTERS Bills and Payrolls were circulated for signature. GIFTS Mr. Schettini stated the estate of Hilda J. Mello donated $640 to the Killam School, Mr. & Mrs. Jankowski donated computer equipment to Parker Middle School. Mr. Spencer Warncke of Steffian-Bradley Architects donated computer equipment for educational use to Parker Middle School. Mr. Peter Axelson of Garnet Consulting donated $2,340 for technology purchases at Parker Middle School. Mr. Schettini thanked all the donors publicly and stated that the appropriate thank you letters would be sent. Mr._ Spadafora made a motion to accept the above-mentioned gifts as outlined in Superintendent's memorandum dated May 21, 2004. Mr. Carpenter seconded the motion. The vote was 6-0. Mr. Dahl, Ms. Webb, Mr. McFadden, Mr. Spadafora, Mrs. Gibbs and Mr. Carpenter. Ms. Webb stated that she sincerely appreciated all of the gifts. AWARD Mary Jane Fawcett from the New England League of Middle Schools presented Coolidge Middle School Principal John Doherty with the 2004 NELMS Administrator's Award. NELMS seeks to honor administrators who value, understand, and support effective middle level education that promotes powerful learning for young adolescents. Mr. Doherty thanked Ms. Fawcett for the award and stated that the award reflects all the great things going on at Coolidge Middle School. Superintendent Schettini congratulated Mr. Doherty. Mr. Carpenter wanted to validate the language on the citation stating that Mr. Doherty was a--dynamic leader. Regular Session -2- May 24, 2004 Chair Dahl offered thanks and congratulations to Mr. Doherty. Chair Dahl called a two-minute recess at 8:46 and then called the meeting back to order at 8:48. CITIZEN'S INPUT Chair Dahl asked if there was any citizen's input. Mr. Robert Brown from Susan Drive stated that he went to a meeting at the Massachusetts Department of Education and had obtained a folder of information. He gave the folder to Mr. Schettini. He also stated he had information regarding surplus equipment and school furnishings. He gave the information to Mr. Schettini. Mr. Gary Phillips stated he wanted all copies of the March 23, 2003 School Committee minutes corrected. Chair Dahl told him the matter would be taken under advisement. REPORT OF COMMITTEE CHAIR, LIASIONS & SUPERINTENDENT ' Superintendent Schettini stated Science Olympiad Team at Coolidge Middle School placed 8th out of 54 teams at the National Science Olympiad which was held this past weekend. Superintendent Schettini stated they would be highlighting and celebrating curriculum, instruction and assessment. We are always looking for ways to improve but tonight we are highlighting and celebrating all the hard work. Tonight would have been student representative Joseph Kwiatek's last meeting. Mr. Kwiatek was unable to attend. Mr. Schettini stated there would be an abutter's meeting on June 15, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. in the Reading Memorial High School Lecture Hall. At this time a time line will be issued and situations will be addressed. Superintendent Schettini stated that Coolidge Middle School is one of three finalists in the 21st Century School Distinction Awards Program for the category "teamwork". He congratulated Mr. Doherty and the Coolidge community. The award will be presented at the National Technology Conference at the end of this month. It was quite a feat to get to this point. Mr. Schettini explained the Middle School Parent Satisfaction Survey will be on line Regular Session -3- May 24, 2004 Mr. Richards stated parents could log on to www,surveymonkey_,com/readin_g. At the June 21St School Committee meeting the results of the survey will be presented. Mr. Spadafora asked about elementary and high school surveys. Mr. Richards explained that this was a very ambitious project requiring a lot of time and work. This survey reflects middle school issues. He worked closely with middle school parents, middle school principals and middle school cultures to produce the survey. Ms. Webb stated that Mr. Guerrette does a paper survey every year. Mr. Richards stated that if they had thirty percent of the parents respond they would have a good outcome. Mr. Dahl stated he had a call from a concerned citizen about level three sex offenders residing in Town. She feels there should be more information available. Mr. Dahl told her this information was available at the Police Department. Mr. Schettini stated the School Committee needed to set a date to discuss the naming of the new school. The date was set at July 12, 2004. Mr. McFadden stated that the third grade readers in Ms. Steven's class at the Barrows School read over 60,000 pages between them. Their goal was 50,000 pages. They had a pizza party and a raffle of Red Sox tickets. Mr. Schettini stated Reading Memorial High has recently finished an evaluation by the New England Association of School and Colleges, Inc. Commission on Public Schools. Mr. Orlando stated that as part of the RMHS accreditation process the high school under went a two-year self-study. The educators visited the high school from October 5-8, 2003. Mr. Schettini stated we have an excellent high school and he thanked Mr. Orlando for his contributions to Reading Memorial High School. Chair Dahl thanked Mr. Orlando and wished him well in his retirement. Chair Dahl called for a two-minute recess at 8:45 p.m. At 8:50 p.m. Chair Dahl called the meeting back to order. Associate Superintendent Richards gave an overview of the Teacher Induction Program. Regular Session -4- May 24, 2004 Mr. Guerrette stated it was a pleasure to be back speaking about the induction and mentoring program. He explained the what and the why of the induction program and the value of mentoring. Mr. Davidson stated that everyone benefits from mentoring. He stated he meets with proteges a few times per year providing a good basis of familiarity and connection. Mr. Orlando stated that mentoring programs offer support decreases feelings of isolation. Mr. Doherty gave a presentation on why teacher induction programs are necessary in retaining highly qualified teachers. Sarah Doane, an art teacher from Coolidge stated she had worked in two other districts with mentoring programs. She stated the program in Reading was very productive, very strong and supportive. Paul Morrissey taught social studies for eight years. He thought he knew how every high school worked. Jill Krumperman, first grade teacher at Barrows, stated she still has ten questions a day for her mentor. She found the program very helpful. Craig Martin, Coolidge teacher, stated everyone becomes a better teacher therefore, the students benefit. Mr. McFadden stated the presentation was excellent. Mr. Spadafora stated the program is excellent. He asked Mr. Guerrette how the mentors were picked. Mr. Guerrette stated that most of the people just step forward. Chair Dahl stated he was impressed with the program and that the program had come a long way in two years. It is money well spent. Superintendent Schettini stated the pool of teachers is not as deep as it once was. The teachers interview us as much as we interview them. We need to train our teachers. We need high quality instruction. We have a high hurdle to attain Professional Teacher Status in Reading. We have to help the teachers get over the hurdle. The mentoring program helps them get over the hurdle. Chair Dahl thanked everyone. At 9:55 he called a recess. Regular Session -5- MU 24, 2004 Chair Dahl called the meeting back to order at 10:05 p.m. Associate Superintendent gave an overview of the social studies curriculum. The state approved the curriculum framework for social studies last August. Our programs will change to be in alignment. There will be consistency across town with a three-year social studies initiative starting in grade four and grade five. The framework changed the grade four social studies curriculum completely. Mr. Doherty stated that the aligning of the curriculum with the framework in grade six and grade seven would also be in line with the social studies MCAS testing in the future. Mr. Darren gave an overview of the factors motivating changes in social studies. Chair Dahl thanked the curriculum presenters. Mr. Richards introduced Mr. Joseph Finigan. Mr. Finigan gave an overview of the freshman transition committee progress. He went on to explain professional development areas at the high school. There is professional development dealing with technology, general instruction strategies and content specific instruction strategies. They surveyed staff needs and analyzed NEASC recommendations. Chair Dahl thanked Mr. Finigan. ADJOURN Mr. Spadafora moved to adjourn at 11:10. Mrs. Gibbs seconded the motion. The vote was 6-0. Mr. Dahl, Ms. Webb, Mr. McFadden, Mr. Spadafora, Mrs. Gibbs and Mr. Carpenter , WA..chettini. , Superintendent of Schools