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HomeMy Public PortalAboutBrewster School Committee -- 2014-09-18 Minutes 3r Brewster School Committee RIOVED Thursday, September 18,2014 Brewster Town Hall Present**Committee: Claire Gradone,Marie Enochty, Dave Telman, Trish Hill and Brenda Cazeault 9„.1.4..1 Present f the Administration: Dr.Richard Hoffmann,Mr.Keith Gauley, Dr.Ann Caretti, Principal Fronius and Principal Hughes Call to Order Chair Telman called the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m. Agenda Changes Chair Telman reviewed the points to consider for conducting meetings, as brainstormed by committee members at the last meeting. Ms. Cazeault was unable to make the meeting and was asked to review the list. She voiced concerns about "mind your air time." She indicated that this is a public meeting and members are speaking to people at home. She wanted td4 make sure people get information. Chair Telman asked her to come up with language that fits better by adding or subtracting from what is written. Chair Telman indicated that this will be reviewed again at the next meeting. Discussion ensued about the need to ask questions by school committee members through the Chair to Administration. Chair Telman indicated that the Superintendent has five school committees with 30 members and cannot possible get questions,from all members. He indicated that this was a School Committee Rule of Governance. Ms. Cazeault asked for clarification. Ms. Enochty indicated that everyone agreed as a group to follow this list,that it is a fluent document and committee members can add or subtract from it as things come up. Citizens speak None Recognitions None PRIORITY BUSINESS Tools of the Mind Dr.Hoffmann reviewed the items in the packet that pertained to Tools of the Mind. He reviewed the chronology with the Committee. Ms. Enocty stated that this was an option from DESE for the District to qualify for kindergarten grants. Dr. Hoffmann indicated that the program is very successful, provides a framework but is not everything we do in ELA and Mathematics. The Kindergarten teachers are very happy with the program and he totally supports it. Mr. Gauley reviewed answers to questions from committee members regarding Tools of the Mind. He indicated that,"Nauset utilized the Tools of the Mind program and activities as a component of our overarching curriculum. Kindergarten teachers have developed a curriculum map and curriculum units that utilize the Tools of the Mind program and materials while being more specific in how these are addressing the ELA and mathematics standards from the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks." The annual cost of Tools of the Mind is currently$17,800 which includes $3,850 for kindergarten teacher refresher training,$3,950 for training of our new Preschool Director and preschool staff,and$10,000 for our Tools of the mind coaching contract. The training costs vary by year and the cost for coaching will diminish next year and in future years. All costs are currently funded through grants. Comparisons of data are difficult to achieve because some of the current measures were not in place with Tools of the Mind began with control groups and experimental groups. The District has changed from DIBELS to DIBELS Next, Brewster School Committee 8-21-2014 Page 1 A math unit assessments were not in place until last year,math fact fluency assessments were not in place until last year on a district-wide level,and the writing benchmark was completely revamped last year. Data provided included: Chronology of Tools of the Mind implementation from 2007—2013,Tools of the Mind cost analysis that was developed in 2012,Alignment of Tools of the Mind activites with literacy and math standards,DIBELS score comparison for control groups and treatment groups that were provided to the BSC in 2011-12, DIBELS scores for three current cohorts based upon current ae of student and math assessment scores from last year and writing bench mark summary. Based upon feedback from staff and observations,based upon data,based upon the fact that we are invested in the program,based on the fact that curriculum work has been done by Kindergarten teachers and updates in math curriculum, he fully supports continued use of the program in Preschool and Kindergarten. A motion was made by Claire Gradone and seconded by Marie Enochty to suspend discussion of Tools of the Mind until a situation comes up that it needs to be discussed again. Ms.Cazeault would like feedback from first grade teachers as to what they are seeing in the classroom. Can they move faster with the transition? How is reading,writing and math? Parent input was also discussed and it was suggested that when there is a shift in curriculum that parents are engaged. Parents want to know what their children are learning. Ms.Hill would like the committee members to not make a motion to end discussion before discussion has taken place. She indicated that this has been a hot topic for parents in Brewster. She suggests giving parents a forum to dialog and understand the program preferably before they enter Kindergarten. She requested regular updates about the program. She thanked Administration for the information but reiterated she wanted more focus on it because of the lack of parent engagement from the outset. Ms.Gradone indicated that while working at the library,many parents came in looking for information about this subject. She stated that we are going in the right direction and that Administration realizes that parents need this information. We could just get an update in the Principal's report and not have this as an agenda item. She also recommended that if there is going to be a program change, consider parent engagement. Chair Telman urged parents in preschool and Kindergarten,that if they have questions or concerns to call Principal Fronius or meet with their child's teacher. He urged parents to attend the upcoming Curriculum Night in October and to ask questions. Mr. Gauley indicated that he will put this information on the website for parents. Ms. Gradone withdrew her motion and Ms. Enochty withdrew her second. Administrators' Reports Principal'Hughes indicated that Open House was well attended. Enrollment is presently at 213. She hired a new .57 special needs educational assistant Jesse DiGiacamo,who is working in grade three. Principal Fronius indicated that the custodians did a great job and the building looks great. Heather Holcolm-Jones has an amazing garden and students are harvesting FY14 Final Expense Review Ms.Venditti indicated that balance in the budget was $374.60 at the Eddy School and $574.38 at Stony Brook. FY15 Budget Update Ms.Venditti explained how the remaining$11,000 was split between Eddy and Stony Brook. $5,827 went into account 5022 Other Instructional Matierals—Stony Brook and account 7022 Other Instructional Materials—Eddy School. Brewster School Committee 8-21-2014 Page 2 MOTION: On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Claire Gradone, it was voted unanimously to move $5,827 into the other instructional material accounts at both schools. PARCC VS.MCAS Mr. Gauley spoke to this item and stated after discussing it further with Principal Hughes and Dr. Hoffmann they have decided to recommend staying with MCAS. He indicated that he appreciated Ms.Hill's comments at the last meeting and felt it made more sense to stay with MCAS for another year. He indicated the technology infrastructure was strong but there is a scheduling component and not enough devices for students. Ms.Enochty attended a meeting where administrators shared concerns about students not having enough practice reading on a tablet. They felt reading a test on a device as opposed to paper is significantly different. She urged principals to have students read and practice using technology. Ms. Hill suggested that the schools hold off on PARCC and positon ourselves so the kids are ready by giving them the day-to-day experience of using technology. She would like an update as to how the school will position itself and what is the strategy for getting the kids ready for this type of testing. She also reminded members that there is a budgeting piece and they must make sure we have enough devices. This item will be on a future agenda. Principal Hughes indicated that a lot of this involves money and that we need to bring the use of technology to a level that it is more frequent than once a week in the computer lab. Ms. Hill indicated that money was just allocated back into the budget and wondered if there was anything in instructional technology that would build upon that capacity. Motion: On a motion by Trish Hill, seconded by Marie Enochty, it was voted unanimously to stay with MCAS for the 2014-15 school year. REPORTS AND INFORMATION Preschool Enrollment— 13 special needs students Cape Cod Collaborative—no report PTO—Ms. Hill reported that the last day of the flea market at the Drummer Boy is Saturday and that the Kindergarten social is Saturday from 3:00—5:00 p.m. at Stony Brook Elementary. Playground—Mr. Gauley shared the good news that the playground has made tremendous progress. They met with Coastal Engineering and worked through issues. The installer is making steady progress. Target date for completion is in mid-September. Mr. Gauley gave kudos to everyone involved. Building Needs Subcommittee—Mr. Telman thanked the public for their support of the roof project. He also thanked Charlie Sumner and Bob Miller who worked tirelessly on the project. Mr. Telman reported that they are in the final stages of the project. The roof will be 100%completed by the opening of school. The fire alarm system has been upgraded. Pomeroy',did a fabulous job. Joint Meeting follow-up—Ms. Enochty brought up"process" for what was brought up at the Joint Meeting. She does not want to have a conversation that starts from scratch. She indicated that the Subcommittee will meet with the Superintendent and report back at the next Joint meeting with the recommendation on how to proceed. APPROVAL OF MINUTES On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Trish Hill, it was voted unanimously to approve the minutes of June 19, 2014. ADJOURNMENT On a motion by Trish Hill, seconded by Marie Enochty, it was voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 8:28 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brewster School Committee 8-21-2014 Page 3 Ann M. Tefft Included in the packet: Principals' reports,Expenditure Reports and Minutes of June 19, 2014. Brewster School Committee 8-21-2014 Page 4