Melrose School Improvement Team

Meeting Minutes

January 19, 2006

Present: K. Almanzor, L. Carlisle, B. Hawkins, M. Keen, J. Kraus, J. Mitchell, C. Petrocelli, S. Schott, N. Santamour, J. Warner, J. Wright, E. Covell

1. Committee members separated into their respective workshops, which were one of the following:

Service Learning

Communication (school-parent, school-community)

Differentiated Learning

Groups discussed issues related to their subject and goals were identified.

Service Learning:

This group presented their extensive ideas to the committee and after discussion it was decided that the school would have one theme through the school year. Each grade level could address this theme differently, possibly with younger grades dealing with it in a more local, close-to-home manner, building to older grades working more nationally or internationally. The issue of hunger was agreed upon by the committee. Locally, the idea of supporting the local Jamestown Food Pantry was approved.

Differentiated Learning:

Some of the goals of this group included requesting a Professional development presentation on “Differentiated Learning” and obtaining feedback from teachers regarding the Differentiated Learning Programs that were introduced last year (this will be done through K. Almanzor at the next monthly teacher's meeting). Also discussed in this group were rubrics and the concern that these can limit what a child could accomplish by only doing the minimum required. This led to a discussion of the desire for more open-ended projects.

The goals for each workshop will be discussed in more detail at the next meeting.

The next meeting will be held on February 16, 2006, 4:00 – 5:30.