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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-03-08 School Council - Killam Elementary MinutesREC EIV D~ School Council 3.8.11 10W CLERK Ro5alee Scozzari, Cathy Giles, Lucille Kaloyanides, JoEllen McGi► r jPl~i a Her itiy 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. 2011 MAY - 5 P 4 0 9 Purpose: to drive our school improvement plan and make sure we are on task. Our first SIP goal is to drive student instruction: implemented Google Documents to track growth and progress of all students; school is also evaluating writing K-5 and teachers are analyzing proficient writing to determine commonalities to drive our instruction in order to insure our 5t" graders meet the standard of a cohesive five paragraph essay. The collaborative effort has been both productive and enriching for the staff as we plan current instruction and future instruction. Teachers also participate in learning walks cross grade level. Special education referral data at Killam is indicating that 90% of parent referrals for testing results in a finding of ineligibility, and teacher referrals result in eligibility. Cathy wants to clearly share this information with the parent community in the near future. The same can be said for students in the "gifted" population -the capabilities of the whole child need to be considered before parents request an accelerated curriculum. The hope is the parent community can start to "trust" teachers to catch the weaknesses and refer if needed. Our second goal is to further develop and nurture the whole child. There has been an overwhelming response from teachers to participate. All students referred have been assigned a mentor and all parents agreed to participate in the program. The ABCD forms have also been analyzed for commonalities indicating that the unstructured times are the most challenging for children. Parent volunteers would help with supervision both before school and in the cafeteria. Discussion followed regarding other appropriate recess activities including reading, drawing and quiet reflection. First grade is mixing up how parents can be involved in the school activities and parents have been running stations including last Friday's Science Day. Goal three is to prepare students for a 21St century skills and develop 2.0 web media through daily instruction. Cathy noted this isn't only technology related, it is also collaborating, communicating and problem solving. Students on Service Squad are able to determine their best role based on multiple intelligences. JoEllen discussed recent web 2.0 projects in 5 t" grade that encourage positive interaction between peers, publishing for a larger audience, as well as writing, editing and reflecting. M.I. Career Day will be May 13th and parents will be asked to volunteer and participate in a sharing atmosphere. The Beautification Day will follow on a scaled down level. Enrollment for next year indicates we are the largest elementary school with projected numbers at 443 students. Grade level structure is as follows: 4 1St grades 3 2nd grades 4 3rd grades 3 4th grades 4 5th grades Killam's kindergarten will include 2 full days of no more than 15 and 2 2 days of 16 each. Budgetary spending for the coming year is approximately $6 per student. We are hoping to spread the word that parents can donate zip drives, paper, and other office supplies. Some parent concerns have risen regarding the seating arrangements in the cafeteria; teachers will be alerted that students are feeling excluded or unhappy about the seating (whether its teacher assigned seating or "student assigned" seating.