February 19, 2020 – Minutes

1. Welcome – Introductions

2. Approve last meeting minutes (January)

Becky motioned to approve.
Debbie seconded the motion.
Approval was unanimous.

3. School Safety (Doug)

*Informational

1. Review of February Shelter in Place Drill

Drill went well.  Students and teachers know what to do and do it.  Upcoming drills will be a fire drill and earthquake

4. TSSP/LandTrust Plans (Paula)

*Informational/Discussion

1. Goal suggestions from Building Leadership Team
2. Action Plans
3. Attendance
   1. Build a Bruin—43 1st periods—currently 202 (171)
      1. 43 (42)
      2. 40 (38)
      3. 36 (34)
      4. 30 (26)
      5. 24 (22)
      6. 20 (8)
      7. 9 (1)
   2. MI testing –data wall/slides
   3. RI testing data wall/slides
   4. GREAT postcards
      1. 793 students/ 1302 postcards (563 students/765 cards)
      2. 84% received cards/16% not yet

First Draft of TSSA/LandTrust Goals

Attendance Goal—

• 85% for next year, goal includes the green and yellow—students above 10%. Good results this year.  We want to increase this from the 80%.
• Want visible
• Looking at subgroups
• Reviewed attached goal and strategies
• Discussion was to spend less money on the good attendance(proactive)—more focus on the improved attendance and having teams send out good attendance postcards
• Consider combining the attendance with the calendar
• Concern with attendance issues and family deaths in relation to Golden Bruin—SST team can determine on an individual student basis.

Behavior Goal—

• 85% feel connected—based on the student survey
• Discussion about aide—hard to hire for pay and lack of benefits—leave this as a 35 hour position
• Continue Who do you Know activities with teams
• Continue Second Step—a district grant will cover the cost
• Continue with GREAT Bruin Postcards
• Help PTSA with money for items in the GREAT Store
• Expand the social worker job—district will give us 0.5—we will add 0.5 to have social worker full time—more groups, pushing into study skills
• Have counselors do more short term groups and social worker/school psychologist longer term groups—students are pulled out of classes. There is a rotation so groups do not always take out of the same class period/class
• Numbers of students participating in groups (70 so far this year)—consider looking at the student survey data and preselecting
• Continue with MTSS Specialist and Bruin of the Week
• Discussion of survey data—more feeling connected, less liking school

Reading Goal

• Review of Midyear RI data—close but some areas of may be close but not achieving it. We are a bit higher than last year. We did shift to looking more closely at data in the below basic category.  Trend is increasing.
• Concerns with students groups—Sp Ed and ELL not making the necessary progress
• Tier 2 reading—adding in Read 180, 6/7 we have below basic, 8th grade we have below basic and basic. Read 180 could support us to reaching the goal with our struggling readers.  Reading 180 will be in Sp Ed and ELL
• Continue to refine progress monitoring in Tier 2/3
• Teacher PD in June, August, and throughout school year
• Grade Level Team Meetings—rotate attendance/behavior and reading/math.
• Department PD—who needs help, what supports can we plan to put forward
• Book study—faculty would like Canvas option
• 60 minute daily literacy expectation
• Continue with Bruins Den—average 20-30 kids, math kids increase that.
  • Teachers support homework completion
  • Quiet place to build work
  • Consider after school snack
  • Teachers offer support and supervision
  • Math is separate tutoring
• Discussion about progression of reading
  • Literacy in all classes
  • Read 180 classes to build specific supports
  • Book Club—mostly students already reading (treats are there)
  • Battle of the Books—mostly students already reading

Math Goal

• Illustrative Math has strengthened our students’ skill set. Want to increase the goal for next near. 
• High school will use a similar program (MVP). Brighton is offering Math all three trimesters.
• Illustrative—more discussion and pushes/improves problem solving
• We have 9 students who are taking Secondary II at Brighton.  Tom Sherwood has been paying for that class.
• Long term we would like to build to 20-30 students who take the summer bridge after 6th grade which would allow for us to teach the class in our schedule at BMS
• Concern with not having math lab as a class (this year, due to loss of teacher)
• Math Practice standards—build a belief that math is doable
• Math Lab—Ms. Clyde with 7th and 8th
• Build more rigorous assessments
• Intentional planning around core connection with learning strategies
• SP Ed Co-teaching planning days
• After School Math Tutoring
• Progress Monitoring
• Department Days—Increasing effective strategies across the board

Reviewed the plan and overview of goals on Data Dashboard

LandTrust and TSSA are “soft monies”.  This means they are not guaranteed from year to year        

5. Registration Timeline/Update

*Informational

1. Honors Pathway Handout
   Only a handful of parents have inquired about this, they have been positive. 

1. 1. February—collect course request numbers from students/review permits and boundary student numbers to determine how many permits we can facilitate. We have reviewed overall numbers and permits.  Currently incoming 6th is at 289, 7th grade at 328, and 8th grade at 320.  We currently have all permits on hold.  There has been some unexplained variation in our 6th grade numbers, so we are waiting to see if this stabilizes.  7th and 8th grade numbers are reflective of our current enrollment.  We will look at permits and numbers again towards the end of June and the beginning of the school year. 
   2. March—look at funding and request numbers to determine courses for next year
   3. April/May—create school schedule for next year—run numbers to see the best combination of courses each period.
   4. June/August—work with counselors to finalize student schedules
   5. August—Parents register students online
   6. ~August 10—Schedules available
   7. August 14—6th Grade Orientation
   8. August 17—School Starts    

6. DLI Location/District Committee Concerns

*Informational/Discussion

Review of District Letter

Committee of educators and parents—most of SCC had read through the District Letter.   Suggestions from the committee have been referred to the Long Term Planning Committee.  The committee was looking at the program and developing ideas that would save money. 

There has been quite a bit of feedback from parents.  They are creating two additional Spanish DLI programs with the elementaries.  Doubtful about support for the changes in the middle or high school. 

If you had concerns, you could express those in a board meeting.  This a process.

7. Parent Teacher Conference Survey

*Informational/Discussion

Collected PTC Survey information to be collected and sent to the district.  They are gathering information about PTC.  Participation is dropping.  16 hours of parent conference time—how could we use that differently or more effectively.  Parents do not like to sit in lines. 

Just gathering information.  We realize we do not meet the need.  Concern with all the levels being the same week. 

8. Upcoming Calendar Events
   1. 3rd Quarter Midterms—Feb. 20
   2. Parent Teacher Conferences—Feb. 25/26 (T/W), 4-7:30 PM
   3. No School, Feb. 28
   4. 3rd Quarter Ends March 24
   5. 4th Quarter Begins March 25

9. Other

Next Meeting:  March 18, 3:30

-April 15th

-May 13