Jamestown Schools: A School-Community Partnership
"SCAN," issued by the Superintendent’s Office in conjunction with the School Committee, is designed to inform staff members and interested others of matters discussed and actions taken by the Jamestown School Committee at its most recent meeting. SCAN does not represent meeting minutes.
Executive Session: The committee returned to open session after announcing that no votes were taken.
Consent Agenda: The committee voted unanimously to rescind the non-renewal/reduction/elimination notices of Jennifer Caswell, Kristen Bennett, Colleen MacIntyre, Tara Higgins, Denise Fiorio, Jennifer Kittredge Clark, Tara Toolan, Jeana Calise, Gilda Codilla (position changed from 1.0 to 0.9 per approved job share request), Stephanie Pamula (contingent upon Ms. Pamula supplying the superintendent with proof of current art certification prior to the start of the school year), Janet Kraus and Michaela Onosko. The committee also approved the 2009-2010 school year appointments of Kristen DeSantis as student council advisor, Nicholas Alfred as technology coach at Lawn and as cross country coach, Renie Sullivan as wellness coach, Karyn Kauffman as jazz band coach and piano accompanist, and Eric Bush as boys’ basketball coach. The committee accepted with regret the resignations of teacher Tara Toolan and teacher assistant Jennifer Eagles.
Old Business: For Discussion and Possible Action
2nd Reading – School Parties and Celebrations Amendment to the Student Nutrition Policy: Ms. Kallfelz received a letter from a parent who expressed concern at the proposed elimination of a traditional and easy way to make children feel special. After reviewing a statement of rationale, the committee approved the policy amendment by unanimous vote.
Elizabeth Stone Scholarship Awards: Ms. Kallfelz, who served on the scholarship advisory panel with parent Nora Santamour and retired teacher Fran Gorman, announced the names of the two recipients of this year’s Elizabeth Stone Scholarships: Sara Pease and Jessica Bucklin. Sara Pease will attend Rhode Island School of Design and Jessica will attend Global College at Long Island University. Both recipients spoke, thanking the committee for the $2000 scholarship awards.
Strategic Plan: Consideration for Approval: Superintendent Lukon reviewed the strategic planning process and the resultant four goals accompanied by objectives. Dr. Lukon noted that the 22-member strategic planning committee will meet annually to review the plan’s progress and make revisions as appropriate. Mr. Brennan questioned whether the wording of the plan’s fourth goal (expansion of the language program) would require the school department to offer Spanish (versus another world language) in the lower grades. Dr. Lukon explained that the choice of language would depend upon several factors, including funding sources and potential program partners. After revising the language of that goal to make the intent clear, the committee approved the plan by unanimous vote.
Workshop Discussion:
Gold Seal Lessons: Marilyn Hostettler presented a powerpoint on Model Schools methods and practices and reviewed the introduction and implementation of these practices at Jamestown Schools. Jennifer Kittredge Clark shared a Gold Seal (Quadrant D) lesson. The committee was particularly impressed by the number of Jamestown teachers whose Quadrant D lessons have been accepted by the International Center for Leadership in Education and published on its Gold Seal Library website. Ms. Hostettler shared a chart that ranked skills that are a focus of the NECAP state assessment test and skills deemed important for the workplace by participants in the National Essential Skills Study. A synthesis of this information will allow Jamestown to prioritize the standards to be addressed in the schools’ curriculum.
The next meeting of the Jamestown School Committee will be July 9. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. in the Lawn School Library.