Um, however, there's going to we're putting forward what we need and we're doing it thoughtfully and slowly um to get back to some kind of stable ground. Um, but we're not there yet. Uh, we have there's still a lot of work to do. Um so it it's just it's just frustrating right that year after year um we ask um and behind the scenes prior to this year we we reduce FTEES. Finally this year we're putting forward 3.5 additional FTEES which are desperately needed in this district. Um, I just hope that the community is hearing us and ultimately it's going to take some kind of uh fix to fix this structural deficit. Um, but I am I'm certainly proud. I thank uh Dr. Sam McGuire, Mr. Kylie, everyone else, the principles, administrators, um, Ross and Katie, uh, everyone that and uh, Lori, if I'm missing every name, I'm sorry.
>> That internship's paying off. Thanks, Martin. >> What else can I throw away? >> All right. Thank you. Appreciate it. All right. Um, item number 12 is executive session. If I could have someone motion to go into executive session. >> A motion for us to go into executive session. >> And may I revise that? Can we have a 10-minute break? >> Yes, we can have a 10-minute break. Second. >> I'll take the second. >> Thank you. All in favor? >> I All right, y'all are more than welcome to stick around or we'll see you next time. So, John's got signatures. >> That's why I wanted to see the desk. >> Do you want this one? Yes, both of them. >> That's true. It's kind of a natural halftime show. I understand Spanish. So the only thing I cannot understand now I know Spanish I just understand like I I couldn't even understand the Spanish words like I could make it up like a bubble that he's doing.
At that point, it's what comes next, right? So, are they continuing on to the next level, second semester? Are we getting them some additional kind of support? Like, what are we going to do about this? If it's a full year course as they go in, if it's a semester course, are they going on to the next level of that progression? Are they changing their electives? Um, how does that impact then the next year? Right? So it might be the next semester or the next year or the years down the road. So the thanks the Thanksgiving week parent initiated conferences start to change in focus around uh students pathway within their four years with us or once they leave us. So we envision putting out like a database of all of the educational institutions all of our teachers have gone to. So, as you heard, like think in the fall were around acceptance windows and application windows.
Um, there's a lot of time and effort that goes into this. So, um I I think this was the right thing to do and I'm looking forward to um what the outcome's going to be. >> Thank you. >> You good? >> I'm good. >> All right. Um I appreciate all the information to be continued. Okay. And um so let's >> hear the superintendent. Oh, great. Thank you so much. >> We've touched on a lot of it. We have I I really was sincere in saying thank you to the Dlo students who [laughter] did my job for me this evening. Um but in all s sincere sincerity what they had to say was really powerful tonight in talking about what our students are learning and what your investment because that was your investment. your investment in the strategic plan, your investment when you vote a budget, and then you trust us to go out and make decisions with our staff to implement a high quality resource that's clearly having immediate impact on student learning.
>> However, >> I was on my laptop for the entire first half. I actually really >> like it didn't come up right Thanks for getting that question. >> What do you think? >> You know what? The next day I'm observing a special >> day. We'll even teach you how to do the Tomorrow afternoon whenever it's like Heidi and I know whenever you're done >> I have a 910 11 how long they take >> yeah whatever I heard back from Edo today so we have a meeting for next time >> she always kind of comes No, Cheyenne has the one that I signed. >> Okay. >> She was passing it around. >> Just on that one. >> Well, this one doesn't have a page. >> Oh, right. Right. So, this one's okay. Yes. >> So, I just need to find this. >> I don't know the answer.
And so, my kid got accepted to go to this school, right? [snorts] And now I want to talk to somebody who has an experience with that school. They could go into the database and be, you know, Mr. Woo Gazer. He went to University of or Iowa State. Iowa, I knew it was Iowa. Went to Iowa State. [laughter] my my student would love to go to the illustrious Iowa State. So, I'm going to schedule a conference with Mr. Woo Gazer and ask him what his experience was there, right? Um or for me, it was College of DuPage is where I started. My my students thinking of going to College of DuPage. I'd like to see what your experience was there. So, it might not even be a kid on my case load. I'm talking to a parent about my experience in that. or we have staff members that served in the military before they became teachers and this is what my kid is thinking of doing.
And I know Miss Cora mentioned the heavy lift for our teachers. Yes, it is a it is a heavy lift for our teachers, but they're doing the work. We've been out in classrooms. We um we visited we this is sort of like our classroom visit uh school visit week the last couple of weeks and we went and we visited grade one classrooms in our elementary schools across the district and it is really validating and exciting and encouraging to walk into a first grade at the DLO school, a first grade at the Quinn school and a first grade at the Potter school and see that the kids are all learning. saying the same thing. There's consistency across the district. Katie's laughing because she knows I just always it's Yeah. cry. And that's the kind and it's good work. It's not just that they're learning lock step.
>> Smile and wave. >> And this building >> today has one better hope I wake up in a better >> and you know what something is bringing a new transfers. >> So, I can leave this here for next time. >> I'll pick them up. >> I'll go find she's probably in the board. >> That's my >> Well, that's yours. You can keep that. You can keep the clip if you want. I don't want to be responsible. >> Would you like it with just a little teeny teeny clamp? >> Doesn't matter to me. I like >> my other more on it. It's >> here. I'll put that one there. >> Thank you for showing up. We do it. >> Keep every penny that we have. >> Okay. Thank you. >> And these stay here and they pick them. It picks these up. >> Deal. Are you just not feeling right?
I'd like to talk to somebody who has that experience. Or we have all kinds of people that were Scott also was a graphic designer before he moved into education. My kids thinking about going into graphic design well at Iowa State. I'm going to talk to to Mr. [clears throat] Woo Gazer. Right. So, we're thinking of how can we reinvision that time of the year because one of the strategic plan goals for the board is four-year plans with us and postsecary goals after that. We have this wealth of adults in the building that have had all of these life experiences that they can speak to that could really help a family as they're looking at do I go into a trade or do I go into the armed forces or do I go to this school or do I go right into the world of work or whatever that we have this cool opportunity that week of instead of parents thinking oh I just need to go meet with every teacher instead of strategically based on where my kid is and what they're doing now and what they're thinking of doing [clears throat] in the future.
That's not the point here. The point is it is a qu high quality learning resource. And the kids are excited. They're engaged. You walk into classrooms across this district and you can just see and hear because the students, as you heard tonight, like to talk about their learning. So, on the flip side of that, MCCAST season is underway. January, yay, right? It's MCCAST, it's access testing. So, just to assure you that we're on top of those things. Um, Jonathan's office certainly has the bulk of the responsibility leading up into getting us ready for MCCAST testing when it really hits in earnest in the spring. But there are things that are already happening. For instance, student rosters need to be uploaded um in the uh MCCAST portal for the state. Jonathan's team has to get out there and update and prepare Chromebooks for spring testing because we need to make sure that they are in the best possible um operating condition as we enter into testing season.
just tired and well and I had friends overth he's already getting paid to be the organizer. >> He can't do both things. >> He's supposed to be there running it, not directing it. But he and his brother are going to be going to >> Delty. before that >> just to let you know the parent and getting two of the kids from over at Order Life Church to your school. >> Don't leave the business in charge of organizing anything or setting up anything. >> I'll take everyone else. Well, my mom went to Del Rio and she had a bad taste when she went there and I said, you know, we got new people >> later'll keep tutoring him and I'll keep working on him, >> but he needs he needs a specialist that I'm not. >> You know, but I don't mind working with him. You know, I helped his brother come to kindergarten years ago.
These are the couple of adults I want to check in with, >> right? Um and really and if I don't have any of that, enjoy your night off, mom and dad, right? And and you're good, right? But if you need it, here's all of your opportunities that are available to you. And of course, like if your kids's right on the bubble and they're heading in the last two weeks before finals and they got to touch base with the teacher about that, that's a great window of time to do that as well. Um, so we think that collectively through this uh it redivides our time in ways that are far more diverse but are targeted in the ways that we're hearing that teachers and families need this time. knowing that [clears throat] anytime a teacher needs to reach out, they reach out. We see it in our data.
So that's what we call Oh, that's really I didn't mean that the way it sounded testing season. U so on February 4th, I'd add we uh we held our second early release professional learning day. educators have are continuing to work in the professional learning strands that they selected earlier in the year. There's a lot of excitement that's building around those opportunities and again we're going to continue to listen to our teachers and respond. I know that surveys went out to seek feedback from folks on their experiences and we'll continue to refine as we go along. on just this past February 5th, we had our principal meeting over at Dartmouth Middle School who hosted. That's something that I've shared with the committee that we've that we do every year. We moved to different schools, different principles hosted and so Mr. Rossi and his team hosted us.
>> We have to wait. >> Everybody else gets to go. >> Be worse. >> That's what we signed up for, right? >> That's right. That's right. Yeah, >> it's good. >> We look forward to >> it. Oh, I'm just I'm tired. trying to piece. One of the things I do that is if people natural neutral, >> of course. This isn't even a possible thing. Come to your campus. Also, they both need Okay, cool. We take care of them. That's fine. >> How often do they fight? >> Yeah. Well, no, but we can take care of them. That's fine. But it's like okay the percentage of our district is just and it is what it is. I'm aware and we'll take care of them when they come. It just seems like that's becoming a norm. He said we'll be special. >> Yep. >> Some people Wisconsin.
And anytime a parent needs to reach out, they can reach out and we will make time for that parent. These are the ones that are just like built in to the structure of the year. So I I totally appreciate what's happening here and I think we have to if we follow through with this we have to kind of come to this global kind of reanding of what our interventions look like in that it's not just this one touch point where the students or the parents get to come to the parent teacher conference >> which I think is huge you know and as Scott pointed out earlier obviously we're our interventions are are great right now but this sounds like it's even taking it one step further like hey we're asking the teachers to reach out earlier in semester [cough] instead of waiting for this parent initiated conference.
We were able to visit 8th grade science classrooms and if you remember that is um that the middle school has piloted and is implementing open sed curriculum specifically uh they were working on a unit focused on properties of matter and similarly to what I shared about the excitement and engagement of our students at the elementary level around CKLA. We saw that same kind of excitement and student engagement when we visited our eighth grade middle school science classes and in having conversation with our with those teachers, they're excited about the content they're delivering. And when I asked uh one of them, what's the difference between last year and this year? And she said, well, I've already done it. This is the second year. I feel so much more comfortable. And that is something that we constantly remind ourselves that the first year of an implementation is always challenging.
>> Yeah. >> Good night. to see where you're naturally your eyes tell you I need to be there but your body neutral point is here and so path as your super focused on sightes. Your mind wants to to drift to neutral. >> Hopefully they don't need these. >> I just logged them all out and I thought, oh, they have to come back in and vote. But >> they will. >> I don't think they need this. >> You're fighting your body. We have one >> because I was standing that way. >> Well, we have one guy that has always played. He's played basketball his whole life. That's what he does. And so he stands dead straight. I mean, his toes are even. He's left, left, left, left, left. I might drop this toe back to the arch of that foot. Drops back dead center. >> Oh, wow.
>> Yeah. One of the challenges we hear from teachers not only of the families that they don't always see the families that they want to see, it's always like that's one date on the calendar in October, right? And depending on where you are in the in the course, like you might be an English teacher that's giving out a couple of formative assessments, but the big paper comes the third week of October. Well, I'm meeting with families and I haven't even had the big assignment come in yet. Right? So, they would I'm just, you know, I'm not saying all English. I'm just using this as an example, right? that teacher might find that the last week of October is the time where they really need to be connecting with families, not two weeks before, like I don't have enough yet to have that conversation. another teacher might in their class like end of September like they're they're getting their progress reports out and now immediately I need to start setting up phone calls with parents of students where oh early data is in and it's not looking good like we need to [laughter] get a plan together here of before it's too late to get get things moving right so it gives our teachers the autonomy and authority to determine when that outreach needs to happen in line with what's happening in the class rather than just some random date on the calendar.
And that's not to say they don't have their challenges right now, but the teachers that I spoke with when I visited the middle when we visited the middle school were excited about the work they were doing with students. Um so also on that day, um Dr. T-Bolt and Mrs. Pavale led the monthly project time meeting. I'm hearing really good things about how project time is going. I know that that Ross and Katie both recalibrated how that group comes together and the work they're focused on. And remember that's a check-in with new educators. And we had a good crop of new educators last year. If you remember at the beginning of the year when they came out, introduced themselves, but this time they were focused on focused on effective family and community engagement practices. So that's something again that supports our district strategic plan. Um, we uh we had a student, a junior, and I'm not sure if our student representative mentioned this, but Gabriella Corado, she represented Dartmouth High School at the regional poetry out loud out loud competition in Wellfleet.
But he's so used to squaring up for basketball and you know he's played his whole life his kids are and so he's used to squaring up square. So almost every time we go to the range he start >> so there's like about five different things that could feed into it but I'm more if you're more than happy to put up >> Oh heck yeah. Austin, you need a little snack. I'll get you some chips and meat and cheese. >> I'm totally for that. >> Okay, good. I'll be right back. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. >> Pull that out. >> Are you done, John? >> Good. >> Okay, I'm going to roll this back to my office. >> You brought this one up from your office, too? >> Yeah. No, that was mine from here. I hid the other one without the arm. >> All right.