SIT Meeting--Lawn Ave. January 17, 2003 |
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Attendees:Κ Sarah Baines, Bruce Engelhard, Robin Sweet,
Lark Goodyear,
Paul
McDermott, Gaeli Green, Mary Brennan, Sam Pease, Michele Desrosiers, Joyce
Antoniello, Kathy Kaiser, Julia Held, Karen Camp, Kathy Sipala, Nancy Crawford,
Samira Hakko
3:15
Meeting: called to order by Chairperson Paul McDermott
Bruce
Engelhard, co-chair
1.Κ Accepted minutes following corrections to
e-mail addresses.ΚΚ
2.Κ And corrections were made to the misspelled
name of Wolkens.
3.Κ Third page: SIT member requested that the
explanation of SALT questionnaires sent out last year was misrepresented in the
SIT notes. Change the word child to family;Κ
It
will now read:
Last year (2001), 1 questionnaire
was sent home per family in system.
This year (2002) 1
questionnaire was sent to parents of children attending Melrose and if another
child is at Lawn, one SALT survey was also sent for Lawn Ave facility.
Discussion concerning "questionable areas"
of SALT survey:
€
Some
of the questions on survey were not direct enough.Κ
€
What
did the state hope to ascertain from specific question being asked?Κ
€
Were
the questions asked in the questionnaire, established for schools to answer
questions to town or state?
€
ΚShould the answers to some questions be taken
as factual data or to prepare using expected outcome?
Should we ask and expect the Dept. of Ed. to tell us
what those questionable questions were intending to cull from the population
completing SALT survey?Κ
(No
movement taken by SIT, however further discussion will follow at a later
date.)Κ
€ First presentation was given
last week.Κ Audience did not have very
many questions and those asked, were answered.
€ Talked of out of district
Charter School
Some mistakes were in media
and will be clarified tonight at the budget meeting.ΚΚ
€
Meeting
explaining Budget:
ΚOpen meeting
posting, due to an error, was not advertised in newspaper so another meeting
was organized for the 28th of January in the Conference room.Κ
Therefore, the last SC meeting was changed to a sub
committee meeting so those as not to cause a conflict with the Open Meeting
law.ΚΚ
Buckey
Brennen, Cathy Kaiser and Kathy Sipala attended.
ΚJamestown students attending North Kingstown
High
€
NKSC
and JSC spent time discussing and looking for a reworking of the formula used
by NK, charging for Jamestown students attending NKΚ High.ΚΚ
€
NK
is willing to discuss the paying of general education cost per student.Κ
€
Jamestown
has sent 6 letters investigating the willingness, possibility, and feasibility
of educating our high school aged students in other RI districts and we have
heard from 5 districts.Κ Two school
departments said no right away, two said yes, one being Narragansett.Κ
€
Once
again, this is not a short-term discussion.Κ
Short-term discussions concerning 2003-04 budget need to be finalized
within the next two months with NK due to our town's budget schedule.Κ Following that short term discussion,
Jamestown will pursue the staying with NK as preferred, however will also
venture to other systems to facilitate the education of Jamestown students at
High school level in a workable economic way.
Continued discussion would
take place with both SC.
Charter
School Meeting: Jan. 21.Κ
1.
It
had been scheduled for the 9th ofΚ
January, but Dept of Ed asked it to be changed so that the Department of
Ed. people, who are most involved, informed and able to direct action, will be
present.Κ This is very important to the
Dept. of Ed.Κ They are clearly
interested in givingΚ factual information,Κ rather than just present conveyingΚ information concerning the Charter Schools.
For
your information:
1.
ΚCharter Schools are State Legislative agenda
rather than Federal Legislature.
2.
Strategies
of funding will need to be discussed.
3.
Charter
Schools--defined differently around the country.
Initial idea was to have a
charter school within a school.Κ This
would lead too less legal situations.Κ
A SIT member suggested talking to Muriel Mueller,
who would be a good contact person to talk to when discussing charter school
like the Peacedale Elementary.
Question:Κ At this Charter School meeting, will all
present be allowed to ask questions and participate in discussion.Κ It is believed that this meeting is a
hearing, so you should raise your hand and expect to be heard.
Old
Business:Κ
Honor
Roll:
€
Had
a good meeting with Lawn Ave staff according to Bruce.
Idea
is to continue to go with honor roll for 8th grade.Κ At Lawn Ave. staff meeting, Specials (music,
phys ed. art) want to be included in the honor roll as well. The itinerant
teachers will develop an equivalent performance piece and will come up with the
specifics for complimenting the present 8th and future 7th
grade honor roll. Itinerants will meet with 7 and 8 grades to include the
entire areas of honor roll.Κ
€
7th
grade teachers have been meeting with 8th grade to see how they can
adjust their organized grading into one that will be conducive to that being
used in the 8 and7 grades . This would promote a common evaluation process for
all evaluators with what they are teaching and grading.
€
The
7th grade will then send their organized evaluation process into a
testing mode to see if it works and is accountable with what is
wanted--Celebrating those students who are showing their talents.
Lark said it's moving forward nicely.Κ The whole process of evaluating those
earning honor roll recognition, is moving forward.
Order
of Exemplars--way of honoring exceptional work.
€
It
had been attempted last year and it It had been done via measuring the number
of exceeds. As was determined in past, there was some dissatisfaction to that
way and the way order of exemplars had been calculated.Κ Formula appeared to be too arbitrary.Κ
€
As
a staff, as the honor roll is being worked at, instead of having order of
exemplar, look at ways to look at work as a showcase.ΚΚ
€
Original
Criteria were too difficult to follow.
€
In
the future, Order of Exemplar may be a plan with the child who wants to
reach/accomplish.Κ Need to find a way to
foster a way to earn an order of exemplar and follow through with it.Κ Individual child's initiative and efforts.
More
discussion will continue however postponing Order of Exemplar for this year was
discussed and accepted.
Transfer
Students questionnaire needs to be looked at.
Κ
€
Tabled
more discussion on SALT questionnaires.
€
Sub
committee report:
€
Sub-committees
are continuing to meet to discuss the results ofΚ off grade testing.ΚΚ Will
have a report night in February and are presently working on the best format to
get information to parents
Will
talk about at Feb 15th SIT meeting.
New
Business:
€
Training
in Coventry on SIT Training
Learned info: Every school district has a SIT
committee and each has various involvement in their system. According to
members who attend SIT Training, Jamestown has more involvement in their system
and a more organized base.Κ It appears
that we are much more proactive than reactive as some SIT appear to be.
€
Diane
Caswell has resigned from SIT due to family commitments and lack of time. We
greatly appreciate her years of service on SIT.
SELAC--Gaeli
Greene presented.
€
Special
Ed Local Advisory Committee has created a format and has a work showcase.Κ The SELAC committee organized different
areas of Special Ed that people may not know and would like to learn more
about. (See attached rough draft of workshops for this event.)
€
SELAC
event will be on March 29, 2003.
€
Pre-Registration
would have those interested checking off which workshop you would be attending.
€
Community
service hours could be awarded to some kids who serve drinks and snacks.
ΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚ Gaeli's Question: Does the format
make sense?Κ It may be too ambitious,
however a great to have something of this magnitude makes sense.Κ
New
suggestions of workshop sessions:
1.
Transition
to 5th grade and transition to 6th grade.ΚΚ
20 minutes of explaining.
SELAC's
Goal:Κ put out agenda to firm up who
will be presenting, name of workshop sessions offered and finally an
identification of who will be attending and what will they participate in.
Reading
resource: needs better explanationΚΚΚ
Cut back to two options.ΚΚΚΚΚ
Workshop Quality instead of quantity and a $300.00 allotment needs to be
considered.ΚΚΚ
SELAC
Plan: Have this workshop at the end of this year and once again in the
beginning, Fall season, of this year.
What's
in a Name?
If
we could focus some on the identity of schools.Κ This system is about two different schools and two different
names.Κ
ΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚ How to separate the two
schools.Κ What steps need to be
followed?Κ If you call us one thing, why
aren't we looked at on the list of Middle Schools on RI.Κ Mrs. Sipala asks for help in determining of
each schools identity.
School
committee:Κ One way to involve the whole
community
ΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚ Educational
foundation--research into legalities
ΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚΚ Private folk
could support names
Questions
asked:Κ Why does the identity need to be
changed?Κ
Next year, present two
budgets to further identify the schools as different.Κ It would identify the two separate buildings.
How
we identify as a middle school rather than elementary?
Do
we see a desire/need to change the name?
SIT
should continue to think about it.
A
new paper to support student learning was up dated by Betsy Gooding.Κ She would like us to peruse it.Κ
Title:
How Parents Can Support Student Learning,
Prepared
by Jamestown School Improvement Teams, January 2003.
5:35
meeting ended.
NEXT
MEETING WILL BE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2003
LAWN
AVE. LIBRARYΚΚ 4-5:30