001Good evening everyone. Um tonight special evening after each election we have a unique situation where um superintendent calls the meeting to order and then as the reorganization vote for the chair and then after that's done the chair will take over the meeting. So, first thing I'd like to do is call this meeting uh to order at uh 6:15 p.m. I'll need a motion for that. Motion to return to uh sorry, general session. Second. Okay, seconded. A roll call vote. Miss Fenwick. Yes. Gates. Yes. Mr. Ben, yes. Miss Limblon, yes. Yes. Okay. So returned um for the purpose of organizing the school committee will elect a chair, a vice chair and a clerk and the secretary all of whom will hold their respective offices for a term of one year or until a successor is elected.
002Nominations for the chair will be made from the floor. The chair will be elected by a majority roll call vote by the members present in voting. Do I have a nomination? Um I'd like to nominate Nicole Brandley to remain chair. I second that. Okay. Do I have any discussion? Okay. We'll roll call vote. We'll start again with Miss Filmick. Yes. Mr. Gates, yes. Miss Brenellini, yes. Miss Lindlong, yes. Dr. Picowski, yes. Okay, then it's official. Miss Brenley as the new and reelected, I guess, chair. Old old all the time. congratulate both you and uh Dr. Picausski for your landslide victories this weekend and turn the meeting over to you. Hard fought, hard one. Thank you very much, Superintendent Buren. Um okay, so we will now um I'll now take nominations for election of a vice
003chair. I'm going to nominate Maria Fenwick. Do we have a second? Uh, I'll second that. Any discussion? Okay, take a roll call vote. Marovski, yes. Randolini, yes. Fenwick, yes. Gates, yes. Lwam, yes. Okay. And let's see. You will now nominate. Uh, yep. We're gonna nominate Melanie. Hold on. Do we have to nominate Melanie? Nope. That is just for information purposes. You have already been nominated. Thank you, Melanie. Thank you. Thank you. We're very lucky to have um what about our secretary? You have a nomination to sign get to sign diplomas next year. I can do it virtually. Oh, I can do it. If somebody doesn't want to do it, I've done it. Actually, we do. Now that I'm sorry, I was not looking at the right page. We do have to actually vote Melanie in.
004Sorry. So, I do need a motion on Melanie Kugan for clerk. I'll make a motion that we appoint Melanie Kugan as our clerk. Second. Okay, roll call vote. Borcowski, yes. Randolini, yes. Fenwick, yes. Gates, yes. Limblam, yes. Okay, great. Sorry. Just wanted to make sure we got that on the record. And what do we decide for secretary? We'll take a motion for Anyone willing to do it? I'll do it. I'll do Peter is willing and Carrie is willing. We could do a backup. Peter can do it. I don't care. All right. I nominate Peter Gates as secretary. I'll second. All right. Roll call vote. Borovski. Yes. Randolini, yes. Benwick, yes. Gates, yes. Libwam, yes. Okay, great. Um, can I just ask? No, I'm just thinking I I my employer is very strict and I'm technically
005can't accept the role until I get it approved. So, I can accept this, but it has to like next week. Can I do that? Think I'm effective next week? Sure. Will you have anything to sign between now? Are you the secretary now? No, I'm not. I am. I'm the secretary. So can Maria remain secretary for so like officially I just get in trouble if I accept that motion. We shouldn't vote on that. Table it. We should interim secretary being Maria. Just make a motion. Why don't we vote till the next meeting? Why don't we vote Miss Bowski as the backup secretary and then sign on your behalf for the week. You'll have a motion. That's the motion. Okay. I make the motion that Okay. Dr. Bosski be the secondary secretary. Yes. Seconded by Miss Limblam.
006Roll call vote. Yes. Randolini? Yes. Benwick? Yes. Gates? Yes. Yes. Okay. Great. Wonderful. Yeah, we really should. Just nice. Okay. Sorry for the confusion. That's all right. Right. We're all in. We are ready to go. All right. Um, moving forward, we are going to start with public comment. Anyone in person who would like to come to the microphone, you may do so, make public comment or virtually, you can raise a hand and I will be happy to help you unmute. Not seeing anyone virtually or in person. Eager to step to the mic. Okay. Um let's go forward with our presentation. We have our director of business and finance, Dr. Rab with our school choice presentation. Thank you, Madam Chair. So, I call your attention to the memo on school choice. It's only three sentences, so
007I'll ask the committee's indulgence to just simply read it. But basically, pursuant to Mass General Law, Chapter 76, Section 12, the School Choice Program allows Massachusetts students to enroll in districts where they do not live unless the district votes to opt out of the program. Districts may elect to opt out of the program if there's no space available. Historically, Situate has not participated in school choice for that reason. Um, so at this time I don't see any advantage to situate allowing school choice and would recommend the school committee continue to opt out of the program. And to be clear, this has no impact on our medical program that stays in place. There's no connection. I have just a quick question. How many um how many times a year do we actually get requests for somebody
008to come here that's out of district? I'm not aware of any honestly because they know we don't have Yeah, I'm not aware. So they I mean some people might just call no but we never had one. Okay. None that been brought to my attention. There are some exceptions to this though for um special education. Right. Specialized programs. Specialized programs. Yes. Of course they tuition. The teachers are the teachers. Yeah. I used to work in a school choice district. I feel like they just you just like if you're part of that program, people know what schools districts are or what towns participate. Okay. It's typically posted on Jesse's site. You can look it up. Most people do. That's probably why they're not asking now. Districts that have a lot of space. Yeah. We'll often do it
009because it's way to fill classrooms, but we don't. All right. We'll take a motion um on school choice. Yes, if you want, unless someone else wants to be the motion maker. Um, I make a motion that the Sutra public schools opt out of the school choice program as outlined in Mass General Law section no C76 12PC. Second. Okay. All in favor? I thank you, Dr. Rat. All right, new business. We have our elementary school improvement plans for school year 2526 from our elementary principles and our school council teams and like the agenda tells me and the Heatherly team is up first. There we [Music] go. Thank you. So I just wanted to address the first slide in this just to give some background for the uh the presentation of the um the school improvement plan.
010So this format looks a little bit different than uh the format that was previously used. So each uh thank you each each school is presenting its uh individualized school improvement plan. um we work together as a district leadership team to revise the format a little bit and so uh there are strict regulations that um govern school improvement plans there they're obviously a requirement and there it's the work of the school council each school and along with having a school council there are specific requirements for that including that people are voted in and that there has to be equal representation among the school staff uh and the parents and other stakeholders. So, our principles have worked hard to assemble their uh their teams um their school councils and a lot of work goes into creating the
011school improvement plan. So, we appreciate all the community members and parents and um everybody who who contributed to these teachers um and parent professionals. So, that's a little bit of the the background. And there's a new template that was developed that aligns with the nine requirements of having like a school improvement plan. So, um if the format feels a little bit different, it is. And um we're going to we'll start off with Hadley and that's just a little bit background on um the process that we followed. I appreciate you mentioning that Ryan actually, but that's good information for us to have too. I think before everyone starts too we as a school committee and kind of speaking for all of us in general like we want to feel like this is a partnership with us
012as well per you know sort of that that desy template like this exists in a pretty scripted way and so we want to feel like as a school committee we're a partner in this too just we want to see all of these elementary schools and gates and the high school obviously succeeding and you know improvement is something that we can all sort of agree on here is the goal. So, um, appreciate that intro. Also add just a follow to it. I want to thank the school committee because that was the recommendation, one of our goals to revise this. Um, and also this is our first go at it and it's our first time in the spring. Five years we didn't have school improvement plans five years ago. So, we've come a long way and now
013we've got a model mode model. So, we've got new faces here that are part of the school council. So, thank you all for participating in all the work you did. I know it's a lot of work and our first go. So, your feedback tonight will be helpful as we now that we format down and some initial goals down to improve as we move along from here. But I think now we're in when we want to present this ones for next year. We're already looking ahead any feedback now. And these are live breathing documents over time. There'll be some familiar faces back on these school councils. There may be some new faces, but those can be revised over time as we meet goals and and work towards goals. So, wanted to add that context as well.
014Thank you. Good evening everyone. Um I'm Christine Sheen. I'm the principal of Hatherly School and I have two members of our school council with us today. I'm just going to let them introduce themselves first. I am Brena Mahoney. I'm a parent of Hather two Hatherly students um a second grader and a kindergartener. Christine Dunovan, Hatherly parent of two children in the school as well, a fifth grader and a second grader. Sorry, just press the down. Okay, thank you. So, this year I our school council really worked so well together. um as my second year as the haggling principal. It was a larger group of people than we had last year and just it was a great collaborative effort and I just appreciate all the time that our teachers and staff and parents and our community
015member gave to this effort. So our first goal we worked on for couple of meetings. We really talked a lot about this. Um, we have by June 2026, we wanted to increase overall achievement for all learners in ELA and math. Um, and the second sentence really addresses how we think we're going to get there. And we talked a lot about um the data. We reviewed our MCCAST data, our benchmark data, our HSA data, which is the climate data. Um, really looking at what the needs of having school are. And so we came up with this that all learners will show at least 40% growth as measured by state and district benchmarks. How we ended up there is if you look at our MCCAST data, one of the populations that really needs to have some improvement
016were our high needs population. And we had a lot of conversations about do we do we say that do we say the high needs population this goal? How do we really capture everyone? and and we so we focused on this growth goal. We ended up having a number to that. Massachusetts determines that typical growth is between 40% and 60% growth. And so we felt that having that as a baseline and and I do want to point out it's not the aggregate growth that we're looking at. We're looking at the number of students who will achieve that at least 40% growth. So if we look at the data that we have now as of the middle of the year benchmarks, 60% of students in grades 2 to five achieve that that goal and in ELA and
01769% achieve that in math. And that missing 30 to 40% in there is really correlates with our MCCAST data as well. those are our numbers um in those that 30% mark of MCCAST where you have that partially met not met. Um so we really felt like this was honing in on what we needed to focus on. Um and then we had a lot of conversations about how we were going to do that. So I've placed them here in two buckets. One being professional development and the other being instructional goals. So we have some things coming up next year where Ably will be in its first year of the S3 Academy which really focuses on MTSS and making sure that um all students are supported in academics as well as social emotional um open architects comes
018along with that. So that is that single platform where all of that information will be in one place which is a huge improvement for us. Um, as educators, we often have to look at a bunch of different places or create our own documents to be able to see truly the whole child. We'll be involved in the um, RDT, so the research for better teaching evaluation training to streamline um, our evaluation of teachers so that we're all have the same standards across the district. And we're also excited about because we are piloting the investigating history in grades three and four. And u for those of you who have fifth graders that came in um in full this year but also the year before and it's a really inquirybased thinking really getting children to dig deep into
019information. So we're happy that that's coming to grades three and four. And for instructional goals we've always had the WID model. that hasn't changed so much from this year. Um, but what we really want to start focusing on when we're talking with teachers about data is taking into account that tier one instruction. What are the adjustments that are going to be made based on this data in tier one in your classroom? Um, and we always have our focus goals for the win model, which is our MTSS. Um, and that's why I didn't include that on here because that hasn't changed. The only thing for us that's changing with math is that we're going to have all grade levels do a more pushin model for win for math which essentially means instead of children going to
020a bunch of different places with a whole lot of different teachers which we do for ELA and it works well for ELA. We've never really felt like that was working well for math. So the math specialist would be pushing in um to those classrooms having an extended math time period and working with all students on sort of the gaps that they need to fill while the classroom teacher is also there teaching the lesson of the day. Um we use that with certain grade levels this year and we're very successful with that. So we're happy to see that being put in across the board. And the last column just being how will we know that progress is being made. Um the professional development we will have dates for those agendas for those. We will be monitoring
021our benchmark um and progress monitoring data throughout the year and meeting data teams to review that data and make sure that everyone is making growth. Um we'll have a calibration of data sharing and evaluation methods across the district. So, we're actually starting that um this spring when we're doing our data meetings. All of the literacy and math specialists across the district are working together to have common information that they're sharing which with each school team. And we have our HSA survey which helps us with understanding those um social emotional concerns and challenges that we have in our district um and in our school. Um and we're gonna move on to the second goal. Um just first of all, thank you so much for this opportunity. It was a real pleasure to get to be on
022the Heatherly parent council this year. It's my first year doing it. Um and one of the things that came up was communication. So this goal um when we're talking about this upcoming school year, we're thinking about not just communication in a standardized way, but also um all grade levels ensuring that stakeholders are well informed, engaged, and supported throughout the school year and again with that specific attention on the school building project, which will begin in effect our entire school year next year. Um, so how are we making sure that the increase of kindergarten families, this is going to be our third year in a row of a large kindergarten class, a lot of brand new families to Situit. Um, and that can be uh overwhelming for new families as they enter the school. Where do
023I get the information about all these different activities? What's going on in PTO? What's going on with the with the principal? What's going on with my grade level? Um, so what we want to think about is how to standardize that so that um, no one feels like they're not in the no. Um, we also wanted to think about how to do it in a very consistent way. So um, we want to have consistent communication with teachers and families at all grade levels as well as share information regarding the construction um, which that will certainly be specifically from Christine. And then um adapting our schoolwide events because even though the construction h is happening, we still need to have these important aspects of our how they lake community like our field day. Um where are we
024going to do it? How are we going to set it up? Um thinking about how we're going to be utilizing our current space. Um and then another really exciting thing that we were um thinking about is how to have like a concrete onboarding packet like an orientation packet for new families. Um because again we have these new kindergarten families but we also have people sometimes coming in in January and our third graders. Um so we want to have that consistent communication in one space can also you know be a hub on the website. Um and so no one has to feel like they you know don't know where to get the information. Um and teachers can also be consistent about sharing it. Um and that's going to be seen again utilizing the website um utilizing
025teacher communication and again um consistent communication about the project um the building project through this upcoming year and those are our two goals. We debated whether we have the school building project be a separate goal, but we felt that it fit neatly under communication and all part of that bigger p piece. Um, do you have any questions for us? You want to go? Um, sure. I I would love to start. Um, I I have one question. I'll start with one question for each goal. So, for goal two, um, first of all, I love it. I think it really is important. communication is definitely something we've heard just anecdotally. Um I was wondering if you have any um kind of existing data on you know families needs or where they sort of feel communication is at
026or if there's plans to in the future collect data from families to see like have their perceptions improved. I'm just trying to think if there's like a pre and a post here. Um, and just, you know, I think when we're thinking about something as kind of big as a school improvement plan and important, um, we just want to make sure that we're really choosing topics that we know are like really meaningful beyond anecdotes, which I think we can certainly provide. And as a happily parent, I agree wholeheartedly personally, but I just want to make sure that we also have a pulse on just, you know, that larger question. That's a good point. I think what we have is anecdotal at this point. Um, but doing a a pre and a post would make sense. So,
027I think that could be that we can easily put together. Thank you. Um, and then for goal one, I don't know if this is a an expectation that was sort of set by the district, but to me having math and reading bundled in one goal um is confusing. I think um they're two separate things, you know, and I I also was curious about when it says we'll show 40% growth as measured by district and state benchmarks. Um on what metric is the 40%, where is the 40% coming from? Like I think again I'm looking for sort of what are we exactly talking about there? What's the what's the number that we're going to see move? And I was looking at are we looking at our proficiency numbers are you know so star reading and star
028math measure the student growth percentile. Yeah. So so you're looking for that 69% and the 60% to go up by 40. So this is 60% of our students in ELA have reached that 40 at least 40% growth. So if you count the number of students who reach that 40% growth, yeah, 60% of our students do that. So we are looking for the number of students who are reaching who have at least 40% growth to increase. Okay. On MCATs as well as STAR. Yes. And they they have been correlating pretty okay pretty closely. Okay. um when we look at those numbers because as of this year we're using the state um the star state benchmark. I see. Yes, I remember that too. As opposed so so our numbers fluctuated quite a bit um for that. So
029it's it is a tougher benchmark to hit. Okay. I think maybe it just is the wording of that sentence. I was confused thinking that you were looking for a certain percentage to go up by 40%. But I think we all me too. That makes a lot of tal about that a lot because number because we can hit like if you looked at our aggregate growth score we're above 40. Yeah. Okay. Um so we didn't want it to be that kind of a score where you're losing children who you have someone who made 80% growth someone else who made 20 and it looks like everyone did great. Um, so we really wanted I know it is a little different but we talked about that in that we really want to capture everybody. We want to be
030looking at every student and making sure that everyone is making. Okay. So I think maybe with some word smithing we can adjust that so that it just I think would even if you're a parent trying to understand this I feel like you want you know the average person to be able to understand like okay this is where they're going on that you know. So, I think that maybe that could could perhaps if it's a each student, right, each will show at least 40% growth might fix that. Yeah. I've seen also in some school improvement plans, they'll even put like little um snapshots of the data in the plan. And I think that could be another improve another further tweak that we could, you know, investigate with ours just because I think the clearer these are,
031the better for everybody, better for teachers, better for families, you know, all all of that stuff. So, I think that is kind of where we're at. contextualizing what 40% of this cuz we were all like whoa that's a that feels like a really big goal right for one year so that's why we were just worried we want to set you up for success so just understand that and I think I think it is a big goal but 60% and and and 69% of math are achieving that goal but we're really trying to hone in on those students who are not meeting expectations um and It's the growth that will get you there. Yeah. I guess I go ahead. I was just sorry, one other quick thing. Also, some of this rationale and the how we
032do it and the how we know progress is being made isn't in the like the actual school improvement. That's right. plan document. I feel like it should be because I printed and looked up these and I didn't look at the slides and this is actually helpful. Well, when we were the four of us were sitting together trying to figure out how do we best present this, it just sort of naturally came exactly and what we were doing. I think that's helpful, right? Yeah. I mean, it's it's different than what we have. So, it makes different sense to see it in this context. I guess I I still would like to see separate goals, but again, if that was a district, if you were told to have two goals and you wanted it to be combined,
033that that's fine. Um, so that's one thing I would offer. I guess the thing I'm struggling with is, and maybe this is my non-K to 12 lens, is I don't feel like I'm trying to see how the action items that you've selected will lead to this growth. Like I'm trying to figure out like what's the what's the story here? because it feels partly so participate participate year one S3 academy develop a team to participate so how close is that to the outcome that you're trying to achieve which is the 40% growth right do you understand what I'm saying it feels like there's some proximal and distal outcomes that we're talking about here and I'm just wondering how how these connect the other question is like if for example you're piloting this investigating history and I
034of obviously inquiry based but my sense is if you're piloting something how can you be assured that that is an intervention that will you know lead to 40% growth if it's a pilot year so I just I'm just wondering what the stories are here like how are you connecting the dots to this goal so I think that there there are new things that we are working on this year yeah but next year sorry um and I think anytime that you have students digging deeper into content and really thinking things through, that is where you're going to see growth. So all of these things of being able to number one see a child and all of the challenges and strengths that that child has in one place is going to allow you to address those challenges
035better. So we're going to do that through our wind block and through um our tier one as well. So I think having programs like investigating history and really getting that inquiry into it and that deep thought is going to help help that anytime we move further away from anything that's wrote learning or anything that's a worksheet is going to help us in that direction. Yeah. Um do we have to work on rigor? Do we have to work on um grit and to Yes, we have to do all of those things. Um and there are all things that we work on all the time. Um I think on this slide we wanted to highlight really what was new and what was coming. Um our wind blocks have been developing. I think we do a really good
036job with them. Um I think that S3 will help us make that even better. But I think for a few years we've been really focused on building and now we we need to make sure that we're also focused on tier one. Um which means that every child is challenged. Um and how are we going to all look at this data? Because that is actually what we've always looked at the data but often was focused on win if that makes sense informing those groups. But really what we're asking teachers to do now is really look and say what adjustments are we making to our practice to make sure that students are growing and achieving. Yeah. And maybe that maybe my questions are coming out of Maria's earlier point about rationale because I think what what I
037think is potentially a gap for me in this presentation is you know I can see where you're saying processing of data sharing consistent feedback to school staff professional development this inquiry based learning like I get that they contribute to student success what I don't know is what is the data telling us like is the data in the schools saying that teachers need more professional development. Is the data in the schools telling us that it's a data processing issue or it's an inquirybased learning issue? Right? Do we have data? And if we don't have data, I guess the thing I would offer is when we implement this goal next year that we really make sure that we're able to parse out these things. It's not that I don't believe you. I mean, you're an educator. you
038are you and your staff have the expertise that I don't but I think we need to show the data that says we suspect in this part of the reading that inquiry based learning would really you know um bring the spark that we need for some of the students and we're noticing that when teachers get feedback we see this happen in the classroom I don't see that data so it's hard for me to connect all the dots with your action items and the goal I think and I think one other piece of it that um is here but I I don't think I've talked about it is that we do the HSA survey right so we have that that's the number one challenge I'll speak in Hly but perhaps in all four elementary schools is learning
039interest that is the number one challenge that students have so when you see that and then you see 30% of your students really not um eating benchmark meeting grade level expectations. That's a problem that needs to be solved. Um for the HSA that is a a full day at school and at home. The questions that they answer address are they curious about things? Are they interested in things? And so if they're not, that is going to affect all of this. Yeah. So are you saying that that comes out as a low? Can you say that again? Are you saying that you're you find that that comes out as low for student generally students on the HSA is like learning interest. Yeah, that's our school's number one challenge where they rank all the challenges. That's the
040one on top for the past two years. I mean, I think it would be great to see a goal on that then, you know, like what would it look like to have a goal just on that? I don't know. Um to me, I just I would love to see like that shine through or maybe it's woven in a little bit more, but I think like to bring through a little bit, you know. Um Yeah. Right. And I think if they're not interested in know what they're learning or curious then those are aware we have inquiry based projects hands-on projects which is is in isn't and they might find that you might hit a dart with investigating history like that might be really cool for you know sparking some of that interest but do does Stitcha
041consider are we considering when to be a tier two since it's small It can be tier two and tier three because what what happens is yes for the most part it is tier two. We have try to have groups of six. Okay. But as we have students who are not responding to that tier two through that we move them into a smaller group or an extra time. Um, and so once you get smaller, you're sort of hitting that tier three blockchain. I guess for the just to go back to the communication goal, I as aly parent, I appreciated this goal as well. I think I had a similar question that Maria had, which is how will you know when you're successful? Like what will success look like at the end of next year? Because I
042heard I heard you say better consistent communication, but like what will that look like and how will you know? I think some of the things that we talked about was having more consistency in the frequency different grade levels communicate okay with families and how so we have some grade levels who send something weekly we have some that send something monthly once you're used to getting something weekly you kind of want it to be weekly um and so an increase in the frequency of communication would be one thing I do welcome Maria's suggest suggestion of having a pre and post. I think that is helpful. Yeah. I think a lot of the discussion that we had around new families was that we push out like here's our family night for math and reading literacy. And a
043lot of kindergarten parents, new parents don't know what that is. Do they go? Do they drop off? Do they? So really having a more consistent um more detailed information for families for events and yeah it's a I mean it's a big goal. I I again I know there's a format that has to be followed here. I do think you know I feel like I'm always telling students scope right like watch your scope with these goals. And so I almost wonder if there's you know two sub goals here because one is focused on the MSBA project and the other is sort of general communication. I'm just wondering how are you going to discern that maybe the MSBA project communication was amazing but the day-to-day you still needed some work like I think being able to get
044that clear with your team is going to help you in collecting the right data so that when you come back and talk about this next year you can say this is what we learned right it's just a really and I think that's the same reason that we want the other goal to be parsed out too because they're two they're two different things you know ELA and math and so yeah I guess we weren't thinking of it that way. Um, for the ELA and math, I'm glad you brought that up again. Yeah. Um, because the approach is similar, right? They are two different subjects. Um, certainly don't want to pay more attention to one than to the other. Um, and it still comes down to curriculum and instruction. Um, and engaging students in what they're doing.
045So, I think for for me for me that makes sense to be together that we're addressing both of these. But I can understand your point. I just think it I I think what I'm trying to and I'm sorry I'm feel like I'm talking too much. What I'm trying to think about is if these goals are too broad, they're going to be very hard to measure and provide evidence of success. And what we want as a school committee is for you all to have all of your hard work and commitment show as successes next year. And I think it becomes really hard when it's 40% goal. I mean, it feels a little bit like I want all students to succeed, right? That's so broad as a goal. And if you take any, you know, research methods
046or data analysis course, you would get lots of edits on that goal, right? Because you want it to be measurable um and trackable. And so that that's my concern. It's really more of a concern that like it you're able to show success. Um because I hear what you're saying that they're similar in terms of curriculum instruction, but they're actually the interventions you're going to use are very different. So you're going to have probably different metrics to track how did we do in each of these action items and how did how did us doing that lead to this growth, right? Because you're going to have outputs for those different interventions which will impact the actual outcome. And so I just think it's going to be a lot to track as wonderful. But again, it's just my
047opinion. Yeah. to listen to your work with your leaders. Um I just had one other quick thing. It's just um I mean this might be like just the way the form is set up, but when it says stakeholders responsible um it feels like who is in that column is more likely to be the um the leader or manager of something and less likely to be the teacher even though in some cases I assume this is actually the teachers who are implementing this. And I feel like we do want the teachers to feel like active participants in this as I know that they will be. But I think in other plans they are more actively named as stakeholders responsible and I feel like that might be something to look into as well just to make sure
048that they also see themselves as active you know active stakeholders because obviously we know that they are in fact the most sure active. Um so I just want to make sure they're here too. Thank you guys. Thank you. It should be I'm sorry. It should be accepted or voted on. There's no vote. It's in it's the regulation is that within 30 days it's accepted as approved. So if you would if the committee would like to vote you may vote. If you would if you don't vote it it would be passively accepted per the regulation after 30 days. Thank you. Great. Good evening everyone. um here with um some representatives from uh the Cushing School Council, which we'll get to just in a second. Um but I would like to just quickly kind of speak to
049the um slide that you're currently looking at. Um as uh Mr. Lynch has had explained earlier, each uh elementary school had an opportunity to share photos that showcase uh its unique culture. And before I go any further, I'm going to pause. I'm Jesse Kratic. I'm the proud principal at Cushing. Sorry if I didn't start with that. Um, at Cushing, we take pride in our core values, being caring citizens who act with respect and always try our best in our safe schools. Miss Martin, that took me about six months, but I finally got it down. Um, so we are the cats, cats. We are deeply committed to these goals and they are continuingly reinforced through the supportive and nurturing atmosphere created by our dedicated staff. Uh we have shared several photos from this year that highlight
050schoolwide events, student leadership opportunities, and fun inclusive programs that took place during the school day. Um going to quickly just go through our council this year. Um I'd like to thank uh this council for their time, dedication, and collaboration in developing uh the 202526 school improvement plan. Um throughout the school year, the group met five uh times to explore various areas of school growth with a primary focus on creating a more comprehensive plan that supports the needs of all students as we transition into a new school year. Um so, uh Sarah Papy was our uh was a parent representative and co-chair. Uh Kate Martin, my left uh is a fourth grade classroom teacher. Heather Oul, uh second grade classroom teacher. Ellen Davis, art teacher. Betsy Brick, special education teacher. Kelly Walsh was our amazing community
051representative. Uh Suzanne O'Brien, parent representative. Laura Miner, parent representative, and Caroline Man representative. All right. So, um I do want to share um you will see some uh commonalities. It looks like maybe the right column is cut off there. Um but you will see some commonalities in our first goal um uh in an effort to um uh one kind of bring uh Heatherly and Cushing together. Um but also um knowing that uh there are were some clear indicators in terms of our student growth that um uh we felt as a council needed to be a focus in our first school. Um, so I'm assuming that we're going to get uh either similar questions or um maybe we'll try to get ahead of this in terms of how we can um prepare based on some of
052the feedback that you just shared with the the Hather group. Um so it uh the first goal provides clear and objective ways to identify uh student needs, track progress, and target areas for improvement at Cushing. Uh this goal also supports better teaching by helping Cushing educators adjust instruction, form targeted student groups, and identify professional development opportunities for staff. Um so again, I think uh at this point I may be uh being a little redundant, but uh we will be collaborating with the S3 Academy uh andor district colleagues to support the holistic development of every student. uh this focus training will equip our staff with the knowledge, tools, and strategies help needed to develop the whole child. So, um we're talking I think one of the questions that was just um uh asked was how does
053this um advance the student? Um and certainly when we talk about academic and behavioral and social emotional um we um are excited to uh learn more about um not just MTSS but also this idea of open architect and how we're going to streamline uh our data into a kind of data management um uh system. Um uh the last two items as um um principal Shien had shared are really more around um uh training uh the RBT training um which uh I had experienced a couple years ago um which I'm really excited is is being provided to uh our district here um will be something that leadership will be involved with over the summer and um again thinking about our curriculum specialists and the training that they're going to receive. to ensure that we have um
054some more consistent protocol for our data meetings. Um and that'll be certainly something that um you know should produce uh better overall student growth and student achievement. Um, so I guess just to get ahead of maybe some of the questions, I I think uh in hearing um from the you guys as a as a committee from the last 15 or 20 minutes, I do think maybe thinking a little bit about pinpointing this down um to um because right now the way that it is written is we're talking district and state benchmarks. So, um, whether it's STAR, whether it's, um, taking a look at, um, you know, our MCCAST, um, ultimately I'm thinking as though Can you hear me? Okay. Yep. Oh, okay. All right. There's like a noise. I had a couple puzzle blocks. I
055didn't know if I hear something back here, but there's a background noise. It's not you. Sorry. Okay. I can also speak loudly enough if we can hear you back or something. It sounds like a cartoon background. You're good. Okay. Thank you. So, I think that's maybe an area in which um we can, you know, hope to tailor this down. Um especially maybe based on some of the data we know that there are certain grade levels um in which um you know, looking at kind of low growth um from beginning of the year to the end of the year that we would maybe want to tailor this to a little bit more and be a little bit more specific with. Um so not sure if um maybe we'll go through the we have three goals. Okay,
056we'll go through the three goals and then um provide opportunities for questions then. Right. The second goal is um the council spent a considerable amount of time discussing the second goal. I felt like this took um maybe a meeting and a half um but we're excited to share. Um during these meetings both um the Cushing staff and also uh our leaders um as community members and also parents and guardians they emphasize the importance of adopting a balanced instructional approach that integrates both digital and non-digital or traditional learning experiences for all students. Uh this is especially important now as technology use outside of school hours continues to uh increase in general. So, this goal aims to address uh the diverse learning styles and needs of our students at Cushing and probably throughout the district. By offering
057a balanced mix of digital and non-digital learning experiences, Cushing staff can better differentiate instruction to engage a wide range of learners. Additionally, increasing non-digital options helps support students mental and physical well-being. We plan to achieve this goal through several action steps. First, we talked about as a council uh establishing a baseline understanding of our current uh technology use. Um so we were going to uh excuse me. So we are going to conduct uh research on best practices and provide our staff with a survey in the fall. Using this information uh we will create, share and explore more opportunities for diverse teaching methods to develop a more balanced instructional approach. We just felt like um in general the experiences in terms of you know ped pedagogical approaches was on one side of the spectrum and on
058the other. We we heard that um maybe there was a heavy amount of use uh with technology and in in certain classrooms and in others uh classrooms are still trying to explore programming and uh you know gain a level of confidence in terms of uh integrating technology into into instructional practices. So, we just felt like it was critical to kind of um acquire a baseline and be able to kind of make next steps or makes make next decisions based on um generally what that looks like in certain grade levels, in certain classrooms, etc. And we're going to do that anonymously um in order to be able to um kind of get investment from from all um we also talked about this initiative being led by our instructional leadership team. um instructional leadership team looks a
059little different in each building, but ultimately um uh ILT is an opportunity for us to be able to um spend intentional time uh during staff meeting where it would be facilitated um uh potentially by that that group of educators. Um this will um certainly be um conversations and collaboration that will happen during common planning times with grade levels. Um and ultimately achieving this balance um will strengthen tier one instruction by encouraging more hands-on learning, improving differentiation, supporting social emotional growth, excuse me, and building stronger teacher student relationships. That's our second goal. And then our third goal is um really student centered. Um it reach uh creating more leadership opportunities for all students both inside and outside of the classroom. Um so we were I think at one point content with kind of the two goals
060and then um we started kind of just talking and um starting to identify maybe some other areas in which we could kind of maybe pull away from in terms of adult centered or adult facilitated and started to hear that maybe there's there's enough there to be able to really develop a goal and and some actionable steps off of it. Um, so this final goal is to expand student leadership opportunities by providing more chances for students to take on leadership roles. We aim to empower them to support their peers and make positive choices. These experiences also help students build essential life skills like decision-m and time management. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that all students feel valued, included, and connected to our school community. Um, so the council proposed several initiatives. Uh these included strengthening
061partnerships between upper and lower grade levels, creating more leadership roles during lunch and recess, and encouraging greater student involvement in monthly community meetings. The selection of students for um some of these initiatives will be informed by the data that is collected through our pair survey, ensuring that opportunities are responsive to student needs and align with areas where support or engagement is most needed. Um so I just tried to summarize um kind of what we have there um in um a more efficient way I guess streamlined way. So that's our third goal and final goal. Any questions for anyone on the the committee? I have lots of other people feel like I talk too much. So I mean I can I can kick off with this. I'm ask the same question I asked in the other
062group for two and three. I'm just curious to know a little bit more about where um where is the sort of um data that you're relying on to, you know, know that these are things that you want to focus on because it sounded a little bit like goal two, the first step was collecting some of that data, which is great. Um but it seems maybe premature to say we're not going to do this full plan before you have that data. And I was curious with goal three you referenced the pair data in how you know progress is being made but is pair data also showing that this is an area of concern to start with. Yeah two great questions. the first um I'll handle and certainly if anyone wants to um contribute I I'll pass
063the mic as well but um I think your second question excuse me your first question regarding the technology piece is um I think a large part of um thinking about the stakeholders involved in the council is is representing um your those that are in your role those are that are in your um essentially you're a liaison you're someone that's collecting maybe feedback from the community as a parent or a guardian. Um, and being able to kind of bring that to um, you know, the the the table and be able to kind of share out um, on behalf of a larger group. And this goal in terms of sorry this goal in terms of the the technology piece was something that was a commonality between um you know a large portion of of the council and
064something that we felt like um you know especially for a one-year plan um maybe we were not necessarily um at the end of this going to be applying and um you know collecting data and doing instructional rounds on But but ultimately I think maybe within a year even if we scale back we should be able to have a general especially myself in my role I should have a general sense as to where everyone is in the building with integrating tech and if there are some that um are vulnerable because either they haven't had enough PD around it or um their level of confidence just isn't there with their colleagues. Um I think you know it's an opportunity for me to be able to um support them and provide them you know with um kind of
065meeting their needs. So I think I wouldn't say it was anything that was pulled directly from you know data collection. I think it was something that we had just heard from various stakeholders within our council that it's something that we should um you know at least be delving into and and um so again maybe the application piece isn't necessarily going to be attainable or realistic um because if you look at how we do at C I mean we're saying create more opportunities for a diverse teaching modalities I mean I think we can provide that that that's going to come through the work of you know our instructional leadership team or through um you know our common planning time. Um so maybe maybe it is realistic, maybe it is something that we still feel like is
066is attainable, right? I so I guess the general question is is Cushing Elementary School using more integrated digital technology for learning and accessing curriculum than Watuckai Catherly and Jenkins school. It's a basic yes or a no question. If yes to to teach this to children in Cushing, then I guess that's a why question. And if we're using that for math, reading, history, and science. Yeah, I think there's I think there's a a standard expectation that each one of the schools is meeting in terms of, you know, integrating tech and and needing it for programming and needing it for um you know, project- based learning, etc. Um but I think our wonder as a as a council was outside of that standard um are there opportunities where tech is being integrated where really hands-on learning or
067other um modalities of instruction could be could be utilized. Is it being relied on or essentially being leaned on too heavily in instances where maybe it it doesn't need to be? I guess I would do we have an example of what that means? like I don't even understand what that means at all. Um yeah, if you have a certainly if you have an example, it's not necessarily a concrete example, but I think if we think about the years since COVID, um we definitely made a shift um where so many more things are typed. Um, I think we in order to get kids in grades three through five ready for a standardized test where they're typing multiple essays or paragraph in one day, we definitely have moved more towards typing all of our essays. I mean,
068in the 20 years I've been here, we went from handwriting everything to typing everything. And I think what we're seeing is kids handwriting is not as good as it used to be. Um, their letter formation, the number of times you have to say, double check, I can't tell if that's a six or a zero. um they can't read their own handwriting. So I think in that shift where we moved much more towards Google Docs and Google Forms and things like that, we've lost that sense of can they write a note that everyone can read? And I'm sure you as parents feel that same way. Um and so it's for us it was how can we look at where we're still getting them prepared for something like a STAR which is online um like a star
069math test. They have to read the question on the screen, do the work on the paper and then transfer it back to the screen. That's one skill. But can they also do a math problem and read all the numbers all the way through. Um so we are missing something with that piece. So that's kind of where some of this came from. Um taking a step back and not making everything um done through Google even though we have that great platform. Um, I think even when it comes to spelling, so many kids are relying on spellch check and word prediction software where if we're saying, "No, you have to handw write this and Google is not going to tell you you forgot a period or a capital or you spelled that wrong." Um, so really helping
070them slow down a little and get back to some of the basics that we've lost. Yeah. With the push for technology. So I agree that it's not as simple as I, you know, to answer your question before, are we using it more than other schools? No. I guess I'm curious like what problem are we trying to solve with this? Is this like kids using technology too much at Cosing like when we're supposed to be not on it? No, it's more of not relying on technology versus versus really can we integrate like this week we're going to type an essay, the next week we're going to handwrite it. Um because that has lo we've lost that and you feel like that's out of balance. Yes. Well, I mean, so I guess I would offer two wonderings.
071The first is balance seems like the wrong word because I don't think you're trying to strike a balance. I think you're trying to figure out what's effective in different classes for different activities. I don't think it's a balance. I think it's effective integration or effective use or whatever. But I think what's more interesting, Kate, is your story. Yeah. Even though it's maybe anecdotal, I don't know why that's not the goal, a writing goal, because I can tell you Maria Fenmick at the end here would be your best friend if that was your goal because she is an advocate for writing. And so like I again I don't know what the district guidelines are for SIPS, but if you adjusted this to say we we recognize that just what you said, I don't even have to
072restate it. We're we're typing everything. we're writing nothing and this is what's happening to me. That's the rationale and one of the action items is to do some exploration of what does it look like to integrate both digital and non-digital modalities. I think that would be an amazing goal and I think that term balance came in because we can't do one or the other. Correct. Right. But balance feels like Right. Exactly. But that that I think thank you Carrie because that and and Miss Martin because that clarifies my because I'm confused why we're like what that also then connects how that then connects to mental health and physical well-being handwriting skill. But you know what I'm saying like that's to me I'm like are we trying to say something without saying something through this goal?
073Like is there a separate something at play here or are we literally trying to go back to basics with you know where the district is trying to achieve this goal in other ways by bringing textbooks in through um you know some of the math work and stuff in the high school and those workbooks in the middle school with math and like pen and paper like that is an actual goal and writing like those are goals. If we're talking about kids being on digital screens too much and screen time and screen usage, that is a separate thing. And mental health and screens is a completely separate thing, too. Yes, they have crossovers, but like those are different things for me. And I just want things to be called out accurately for what we're actually trying to
074look at. And if we're talking about mental health and the impact of screens, that's a separate topic. We can talk about that, too. Yeah, I think um I know Caroline has a an opportunity of um also sharing some input. I think we are um you know where we started with this as a council and what we're talking about now are certainly two different things. I think um the reason why I specified goal three as you know really student centered was I think this was more of working alongside our staff to better support them in terms of again their instructional practices what they're integrating what level of expertise or understanding that they have with certain things and ultimately you know that would obviously promote um uh you know better better classroom instruction better teaching better learning
075etc. Um but I I do hear I think from the committee more value in terms of um you know if if truly and I I know that written output I think in general is um you know a focus area in most elementary schools right now across the state. I think um there might be more worth and more value in terms of maybe still having some of these um action steps and how we get there, but ultimately tailoring it more towards, you know, student writing. Um yeah. Yeah. I think like to me it's like what rises to the level of a school improvement plan and some of the stuff it's like you could as a as a um council explore some of this stuff. Absolutely. And when you learn that this is a real problem that
076you definitely know, you know, has is a root cause of other problems that is going to be really significant for you to solve, that's when it goes in the sip. You know what I mean? Like I think it's sort of like figuring out what rises the level. As a quick point of clarification, I know you said one year, eventually we're working towards plans that are three to five years. And so we're looking for, you know, things that are that are deeper, you know, and and more more um authority, I guess. Thank you. Did you want to jump in here? Uh, sure. I just as a point of clarification to your wondering uh sort of the impetus behind this goal. I think that the um Kate's evidence of writing in the classroom even what I see
077at home with my own kids like handwriting is a mess. They're on computers. They're very reliant on all that information. And I know there was some anecdotal uh evidence that was shared uh among other school council members about concern that they felt for how frequently their how much time kids were spending on computers both at home doing homework on computers. uh some of the school issued in fifth grade uh in the classroom working on programs coming home and doing uh say like Alexia or Math Excel or programming and that there was some uh feedback that people weren't happy with the amount of screen time that kids were having on sort of academic things and that a return to maybe some more tradition a balance if you will that was I think where that was coming
078from uh between some sort more traditional project based learning attempts, more opportunities for hands-on and collaboration among kids in the classroom as well as doing some of the digital things that we know are kind of expected as they get older. But I just wanted to share where that uh kind of came from. But I I I like your writing the writing circus. I think you'll achieve that like that's how you'll achieve that like you know instead of come come at it from a positive. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think I was if I could shift gears if everybody's okay to goal three. So, I'm looking at your goal to create more leadership opportunities and I'm looking at outcomes and it's about sense of belonging, sense of belonging, support, and then um classrooms responsible for each month.
079So, taking some ownership. And so, I guess what I don't understand is why is this goal about leadership? Like to me, it sounds like it's about increasing or cultivating a sense of belonging and support. And then I feel like there could be action items around civility, empathy, restorative justice, you know, diversity, equity work. I just I guess I'm I don't understand what the f why the focus on leadership. It feels like a different goal than the outcomes. So the um the emphasis on leadership was and discussions that we had that kind of materialized into this was that um you know we were uh as a building doing a a good job in terms of providing um students with opportunities to be able to to grow socially, emotionally, um behaviorally in ways that were authentic through
080kind of these learning experiences and um interactions with younger students. Um but we had identified um things such as you know bus buddies and had identified opportunities outside at recess knowing that recess was a a topic that we had talked about quite a bit this year uh in the cafeteria in which students could actually um help to promote pro-social behaviors um and not have it be um strictly always coming from kind of the adults to be able to model demonstrate and teach. Um, so what I'm hearing from you is that ultimately maybe there are some things right now um that in terms of how we know progress is being made um that may not be as tangible as saying ultimately we've implemented a busy system where you know fifth grade students are partnered with our
081younger students and this is what it looks like kind of this is the system that's in place. Um we've talked about um you know in terms of recess having uh recess leaders that help with um problem solving and conflict resolution and um picking up equipment at the end of recess and being able to you know have some responsibility in that. Um, so I think if I could just so what you just listed I think those should be the outcomes. ECA epic epica feeling efficacious around leadership and duties, agency, ownership, taking on leadership without the direction of an adult. Like all the things you just listed off feel like the outcomes. It's actually way more than sense of belonging. It's a lot of leadership, you know, dispositions or whatever you want to call them that you're
082talking about. So, I would just recommend that if you want to keep the leadership goal, which sounds like for your school that makes sense. I would change the outcomes like the evidence that I'm going to have or you want to have are the things you just you just ticked off like five or six things, right? That could be the outcomes. You should have pair data, right, that you can use to prove that this is a need and then you should have the same pair data to prove that you've seen a change. Yeah. So, that was part of our setting. You know, you have that. So, I'd say use it. Yeah. Do we know what the Cushing HSA? So Heatherly said student interest was the rise or I know that Yeah, I don't have these on
083there right now. Yeah, it's it's actually I think it's universal. I think that was applicable to all four buildings that interest. Yep. Yep. Interesting. That's I just think that's so I mean I think Maria you said it earlier. I just wonder why that's not the goal. the student interest engagement if that's really the challenge and if that's something I mean I think um said it so eloquently that if we can't figure out ways to engage our students then how can we anticipate improvements that feels like a critical piece to this I do I do think um and I agree and I I do think that this third goal though it it does act on that we we have had students craving eager to you know look for other ways of being able to take on
084respons responsibility, be engaged, um, you know, be a a role model, um, in, you know, areas outside of the classroom. And, um, you know, it it probably was, um, it needs to be something that's included in that third column certainly because these are things that we had kind of talked about and, you know, clearly just didn't fall into the the appropriate column. But um I I do think in terms of student interest and motivation and and you know when we talk about the whole child and the most important thing to me as a building principal is how do we create a sense of um uh motivation for that ch child not to just show up to school but to be you know engaged with their peers in a a positive way and you know the
085academics as Mr. Ian had shared the academics will fall into place if you know we've we've thought about um the three or four other areas of you know uh what it means to ensure that a child feels safe and supported in the building. I guess so I guess that's my Maria you said earlier like nailing that root cause right and being able So the thing I'm worried about with this goal one and I know I I you know talked to Mrs. in too much and I'm sorry but I feel like so we have questions about the HS the PAR data and student interest we have student interest we have instruction we have curriculum we have using data and then there's a myriad other factors that go into this growth and the worry I have is
086that it feels like you're throwing everything at this goal and hoping something sticks and what I'm suggesting and what I think I heard Maria suggest is if you have data in the building that's saying student interest is an issue for a stu for a sip for a school improvement plan. Why not have that be the goal and see how that affects scores? It just feels like you're throwing a lot at this thing and I'm not sure at the end of a year you're going to be able to say which ones had the most bang for the buck. There's no way you're going to be able to collect all that data and say this this is it. And so if you narrow your focus then you have better metrics that say this thing we did is
087or isn't connected to positive or you know the outcome that you get. That's my worry is that we're throwing so much at this we're throwing so much at this that you're not gonna be successful at the end of the year. That's my that's still my worry but I don't know. I need to be quiet though. And sorry and with that having a direct correlation with the first goal or because we've talked about there being you know some association with the third goal in in terms of maybe pivoting and going more into a direction of you know because we we did present kind of that idea of the pair survey and responding to that. And what we had talked about as a council is really taking a look at those deficits or the lagging skills that
088students are um you know that the data is showing and being intentional about some of these opportunities that we talked about with student leadership and providing those students with that. It will be opportunities that will certainly be applicable to all students like you know potentially a bus buddy or um you know being a classroom helper or classroom reader but I think we wanted to go a little bit deeper based on the the data that Per was providing us. Um, so would the committee still be comfortable with us kind of moving forward with the third goal if it was more tailored to the data and kind of meeting the, you know, the deficits that that it's showing. Yeah, I think we just want to know that you are looking at data for Cushing and choosing something
089that is like genuine to Cushing that you guys are like, "Oh my gosh, yes, this." and feeling like you're really picking something that you feel, you know, will matter and that you feel, you know, you have that data to show that it's a problem and you'll have that same data to show whether or not you were able to, you know, make some some Yeah. positive impact on it. That's the basic formula, I think. Okay. Um, yeah, we want you to this needs to be something that you all and your community, broader community feel like, oh yeah, this makes sense to me as I'm reading this and I'm like, yeah, this sounds like something coaching really needs. You know, that's the reaction I think that you want um teachers and families hopefully to have. But I
090like that it came from organic discussions that you had and it's obviously something of importance. So, right. I will add that um when looking at the pair data. So we look at it in the fall and then again in the spring. Um year to year it can fluctuate. So we can write a goal based on today's data that says it's leadership or school belonging and then next year when they take it again um you know elementary we lose the fifth graders and the new profit third graders. So then so this one's a little bit more broad hoping that it can encompass a few more things within that pair. Um because I think if as you build those leadership skills, you are hitting other things that might pop. Um because it's hard to know in the
091fall what is going to be that thing. Um and honestly in the fall because you have new students and there have a new teacher. We see things that pop that are completely gone by the spring and it has to do with it's the time of year that they took it. Yeah. Um, so I think there's a needs to be some wiggle room within that pair to find those areas. Definitely. Yeah. You never going to see like that straight line that you're looking for, but I think when you have the data or you have something that's telling you, you know, and you can also, you know, use your your as a classroom teacher, ask the kids, you know, we do hear from the kids, they're looking for more ways to be involved. Um, I think, you
092know, one of the biggest things we have are our community meetings where we try to almost completely hand it over to the fifth graders. um they make everything and then we just facilitate showing it and they are really are the leaders of those. So I think we really want to increase that even more next year. Um so I think that's kind of one of our bigger pieces that they basically are going to run those meetings. My only other comment is like a ways to maybe there's like a way to sort of scoop in on Christine's goal with the new school. So pushing. Mhm. You know, cut paste her communications out. True. About the construction. [Laughter] Yeah. Not that you need your a goal in the same way that she does on the construction site, but
093to support same sort of communication of Yeah. Yeah, you know, I mean, if I had a child who was potentially attending that site, I'd be interested in the update construction wise. If you did, if I don't if I did, I think you said this at the beginning, but some of the stuff you pointed out with goal one is is the same, too. Like I think there's some leaps from at least this document in terms of like action items are a lot about trainings, but there's less action items to do with instruction. I think um and um I think to the degree that you can get a little more granular, I think that's helpful. This to the in this document um it reads as a lot of like we'll do this training, then we'll do this
094training, then we'll do this training and those are all like done. We did those things. Um, but there's not a lot more detail about the implementation and some of that is in Hather's plan. So, you can maybe look there as well. Um, just some more Yeah. about that next step. Otherwise, it's a pretty big leap from that to this 40%. Makes sense. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. [Music] What's wrong? I'm all fired up. Good evening. I'm Mary Oldac. I'm um the principal of Jenkins Elementary and I'm joined tonight by um I'm Kate Bowler. I'm a parent of a second grader at Jenkins and I'm also the co-chair of the Jenkins PTO. Um I just wanted to go over our student count our school council membership. Um when we first reformatted the school council to be
095a one-year term, one-year goals, um I was a little nervous about it because um of you know just it we had always been more of a two or threeyear horizon, but we're really loving this um because the um we just got a lot of fresh um perspectives. We have Kate who's um parent from second grade. We also have um Sarah Fuches who is um second and fourth grade parent and Bethany Henway who's very veteran. She's been on our school councils for a number of years. Her um children range from age um from second grade up through high school. And with our staff we have um veteran teacher Mary Howland, brand new firstear kindergarten teacher uh Megan Keefe and Trisha Muno, one of our pair professionals. And um Kate Duffy is our community member. Kate retired
096last year as a long-term um Jenkins teacher and she came on board um as our community member this year. And um so we've met four times this year and our main um action item was to develop this one-year plan. And you know, we're finding it to be very actionable and very relevant because it is just the oneyear plan and it's something we can really get our arms around. I'm going to present um the first goal and Kate is going to do our second goal. Um our first goal focuses on a project that has been um very uh near and dear to my heart and my passion as an educator which is um developing our um multi-tered systems of support in situ. It's a has a direct connection to our strategic plan um to expand the
097knowledge and uniform practices of MTSS across the district. Um we are I you know research shows that when supports for children are customized to an individual child they're comprehensive and continuous that we do see children learn and thrive um at high standards and as a district we're in our second year of this process. Um Gates started with the S3 Academy last year. S3 stands for systematic student supports. That's three S's, S3. Um, and it's a a collaboration between Desi BC and the Renie Center. Um so Jenkins was brought online this year as the elementary pilot school and we have been um working along with some district um members also the assistant superintendent our two curriculum coordinators um Julie Ward our director of supplemental services and also consulting with gates so that we are building a
098um a system that is operationalized across the schools and can be scalable. Um that um when our elementary schools come online next year in this academy that um decisions that are being made um at this time are um have enough um bandwidth that we can u customize it to each school as necessary. it still is very um systematic so that all four elementary schools are um sending things off to Gates that um make sense. Um so we've been looping in our other three elementary principles and keeping them up to date and informed on our progress um and how we're going to do this. Um it's been a really exciting year at Jenkins with um our team and how the work that we've dug into with um developing the whole child review process and um we've
099done a pilot um just within the school of uh one classroom with one of the um teachers who's on the team and just really tried it on for size. Um I um the work we're doing with open architects, a couple of the principles have mentioned it or will mention it is this is when I just get like all giddy and excited. It is something we've been wanting uh for so long and um all districts have where we can consolidate our student data in one place. We're not running around to find dibbles and running around to find pair then running around to find MCCAST. It's all going to be in one place. We've seen it. We are working on the dashboards. Um, and it is just going to be so powerful because we can now look
100at kids historically over time. We can look at cohorts over time and we have a place to store this. Um, so that we can look back and a child and say, you know, when they're in fourth grade, you know, what did they have reading intervention in second grade and third grade? We just boom, we have it. Um, so that's a really powerful step um that we're we're in the midst of right now. Um, and we're really finding that there's a lot of synergy with um other systems that we have in place. We do our beginning of the year, middle of the year, end of the year benchmarks and um have data meetings with our grade levels um around those assessments which are, you know, really ELA and math focused. And we're taking those data reviews
101and just evolving those over the next um year really to weave in the whole child review to start introducing more of the SEAL data and um health and wellness information, family supports um so that we're working um smarter not harder if you will and taking advantage of a a structure that exists and just kind of expanding that um and how we will know progress is being made. Um we are mapping out all of our tier one to tier three resources um from everything from community based resources that are available to families to um our tier 1, tier 2, tier three academic supports to uh what we do internally um to support our students social emotionally through our school adjustment counselors, our school psychologists. um and rolling out this process um across all grade levels so
102that we're talking about all kids and following all kids and knowing if the interventions in place were successful and if not coming back and that's where we get into that loop of things being continuous um and um adjusting if we need to and celebrating um successes and um following up with the the supports that are planned And so that's um how we'll be tracking that is really on more of an individual student basis um over time. There any questions on goal one? Um, yeah, I do. I do. I mean, I I this is a lot of work and I love that you guys are like kind of spearheading this for the elementarymentaries, but um it's it's not so much maybe a question about goal one, it's kind of maybe the absence of a goal that
103really talks about academic achievement because I feel like Mary, you were usually like right there with, you know, that data, right? So, I was like, where's the where's the one on, you know? So, it's kind of that, right? So I think where we're where we will get to that is when you know the why do we do whole child reviews? Why do we? Because you know I believe to my core that when a child's supported across all domains that is when and that's what the research shows is that is when children will learn um their best and thrive and hit the higher standards and that's you know we will see this borne out in that in that data that we're now able to really track through open architects but um I think that you know
104we're we're building the system to really truly be able to capture that. Yeah. I just wonder if, you know, to the point of feeling like you could expand a little um either before or after this goal, like I I just think it's really important for all of our schools to have like something that they're really like this is work absolutely that you're doing. I agree with you that this, you know, should get you even further, you know, along. I guess I would just like to see a companion goal that does kind of name, you know, are you choosing an area of focus specifically um that you are hoping to see this, you know, first show those signs of improvement in and if so, you know, what is that area and how are you sort of
105thinking about that, you know, because I think uh you're right, but I just would love to kind of also know what's that first sign of spring that we're going to see, you know, in your data. Thank you. Okay, Kate. I just Sorry, I had taken it in for a second. So with that, so you're So does this then will this then be implemented? Okay. So the pilot then becomes all of Jenkins. This first year we piloted the whole child review process with one classroom because we were learning how to do it. Yeah. And now in this upcoming school year it expands. Yes. So through the the um data review meetings, we've moved them from a Jenkins to be essentially be 45 minutes to two and a half hours. We're starting that this June. Um and
106in the fall, we'll start to weave in uh more of the whole child process into those data meetings which are really based on the benchmark assessments right now that are ELA and math. So which grade levels do you know yet? Um, we started with the pilot in second grade, so we'll probably continue with second grade. Um, and get that up and and running. Um, and we haven't really talked about the sequence of the grades after that, but I think that'll be um probably starting more in the primaries and and the K12s. So next year will be just second grade or next year will be all the second grade and some of the Our goal would be to be able to do the whole school in all of next year if we can. Yeah. And just
107see how how well this operation. Yes. I'm feeling a little better. I was like too. I was like I thought it was just one grade and I was slow to go fast but not too slow. Yeah. Fabulous. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Good. Okay. And then do you when you conduct a review, a whole child review and you have a meeting, does that information then um like it starts internally and and you know you go through the process at what point does the family and caregiver receive like when do they notify that their child's being you know sort of included in that? Yeah. So every student will be included. Um, and that actually came in up at our school council meetings about um it would be really nice to be able to give that families that
108feedback by um December conferences if possible. Do you want to technically get to the whole school? would be that would be very aggressive for next in the but yeah it'll just be you know be part of how you know we talk about um the children's academic achievement at our benchmark assessment meetings and it it will just be you know part of that that process and certainly as there are concerns about kids you know social emotionally family health um we're reaching out we're not waiting right for these meetings Yeah. Okay. No, I that was just really helpful to hear your your strategy and timeline for it. So, thank you. Thank you. That's great. I think I just would I add something? I I think one of the challenging things about this ambitious goal that we've worked
109all worked on is that um a lot of the work this year has gone into the data system and it's at a point now where we're trying to be really thoughtful about how to train teachers with it. So the next step is for those special the data specialists to have a chance to look at the system and train the principles and then to stop and say okay what was the training like for us and then how are we going to roll it out with teachers. So when we talk about how are teachers going to use it, which grade levels, I can hear because I've worked with Mary and you know, I can hear where we don't want to overpromise on exactly what looks like because we just need to see um what teachers are are
110comfortable with and capable of as they do the very demanding things in the rest of their work. So, um, the Jenkins team has really been like a, um, just like a leader in thinking about how to do this for all of our schools, which I think we can, and you saw it in Christine slides and in Jesse's. And, um, we will be able to make significant progress. And I I think that it's just before it's just hard to talk about exactly how many classrooms we can do it in until we um detail out our plan which will happen in June after all the principles, all the coordinators get trained and and specialists. So I think we're at a really good juncture to have all the data loaded in including HSA which is almost in there
111uh the world language star dibbles um the screener kids grades so it's tremendous amount of work that they've made progress on and they've really adapted it toward Jenkins needs. So, I think just wanted to give that background on a little bit of the um we just need to make sure that we can deliver on the what it looks like for teachers because they're a big part of the process too. So, a question just a clarify question. What are who are the S3 Academy coaches? Are those external to the district that come and provide support? They are from um BC and from the Renie Center. Okay. Just curious. used to work. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. I may know a thing or two. Thank you. Um, so do they are are the other three schools rolling it
112out in a similar model provided all the conditions are met that you're noting too? Yeah, we think so. I mean if that we think so and um although the Renie center is a sort of a they've earned the contract from DESIE and they're desi's unsure about its funding future and so they can't even promise that they can support our three schools but we feel really we've really situized this and we've already had conversations that no matter what happens I like that word yes we feel like we can all just move forward with with we love their support and hope we can work with them but We also feel like we built some internal systems like Mary talked about through the work Jenkins. So absolutely with their kind of wait and see and we hope to
113work with them but we can't wait for them to wait and see. So we're ready to go for sure. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Here's um Kate with our second goal. Thank you. Um All right. So, for our second goal, we hope to focus on a few campus improvements and safety initiatives around the rear of Jenkins School. And just to set the scene for you, um the majority of students at Jenkins actually arrive and depart at the rear of the school. All of our bus riders are dropped off at the back driveway and we have a large number of bike riders and walkers that all enter through this back patio area. Um the large patio at the rear of the building has become sort of a community gathering space for Jenkins. Um before
114and after school, there's tons of parents and caregivers that kind of hang out there. Um and there's a lot of students who are riding their bikes and kind of arriving early to get a little extra outdoor play time um before the doors open. And we've seen a really massive increase in walkers and bikers in the last two years. Based on the other goals I'm hearing from the other schools tonight, it sounds like we all read the book Anxious Generation and we're all kind of jumping on these ideas about pushing for independence and more outdoor play. And I think given that conversation that's happening across the district, but certainly in the Jenkins community um is that we've seen a really huge influx of students who are walking and biking on their own or with older siblings
115um and their kind of neighborhood friends. Uh which is awesome. This morning I counted we had 60 walkers and bikers and that number tends to increase towards the end of the week because Mondays always are a little bit rough. Um plus plenty of caregivers that are also joining with some of the younger kids. So um with that we've seen that this campus area where the gathering is kind of happening organically and increasing. We saw this as an opportunity to facilitate community and communication as well as look at this area that needs a few safety improvements so this positive movement can continue to thrive um at Jenkins. So we have a few goals to improve this area. Um a couple of these are kind of more tactical ones at the beginning. Um the first one is
116there is an existing whiteboard in this area that we're looking to change into an enclosed message board so that we can have um school communications and upcoming PTO events and kind of have this as a spot where you can go and find out what's happening in the community. Um this is I think a great opportunity because there are so many caregivers waiting out there before and after school. We have a big um board at the front of the school, but the majority of people are entering at the back of the school and there really isn't an opportunity for any of that communication about, you know, the book fairs next week. Um so we're looking to implement that um with the help of some funding from the PTO. We also are aiming to survey our teachers
117about how they see the space functioning better for some outdoor learning. There's a couple of picnic tables out there right now, but I don't think it's really utilized as much as it could be. So, our hope is to survey teachers to see if there are um things that we could do to improve the area and the PTO is committed to helping um either fund or fund raise to implement some of those ideas that we get back from teachers. Um we also want to look at some beautifification opportunities for this area either with plantings or possibly a mural. Um I we're very lucky to have a brand new playground at Jenkins, but it's sort of one of those things where like you paint the kitchen and then suddenly the dining room looks a little dingy. We
118would love to put a little bit of focus on this area and kind of bring it up to the great progress that has been made with our new playground. Um, and then another objective is that we would like to investigate funding opportunities for signage at the rear of the school. Currently, there is no signage visible from the road or the sidewalks that indicates that that is a school. Um, and we it's, you know, a missed opportunity. We have a beautiful new playground that the CPC helped um fund and we saw it as an opportunity to have a you know a playground that's really close to the harbor, but if you are new to this community or you're walking by Jenkins, you would have no idea that that was a school or that there was a
119playground back there. Um and we also really see it as a bit of a safety issue. Like if you're driving down First Parish, you don't know that that's a school. There's no signage there. Um, we think that maybe having some signage about it being a school would maybe help some of the issues that we're seeing with um, speeding in that area. And that brings me to our final objective of this goal, which is um, some campus safety that has to do with um, all the bikers and walkers that we're seeing come into the rear of the school. We're hoping to complete a grant application through um the Mass DOT's safe routes to school program to request funding that would help us implement some safety improvements and traffic calming measures that would hopefully help parents like
120myself feel better um about all of our kids walking and biking to school in this area. We have a really low visibility crosswalk at the back of the school. um there's one flashing school zone sign that only works half of the year because it doesn't adjust for um daylight savings. And on the other end of First Parish where there's a large number of students coming, there's no school zone signage. Um so with the majority of our students arriving and leaving through this entrance, um you know, parents like myself, we're we're holding our breath as those cars speed down. We have an amazing crossing guard who does her best to stop them, but her stop sign is dented and that is because she has literally had to use it before to stop a car. Um, so
121our hope is that if we can apply to um the mass DOT safe routes to schools grant um we could potentially fund some of these traffic coming measures. Those projects are obviously long-term. Um, so we have a few short-term thoughts for how we can help um improve that safety, including um we are doing some biker and pedestrian safety assemblies through that program um in our school. And then we're really looking to kind of um organize caregivers and parents at our school through the PTO to continue to advocate to our school committee and to our town to continue to invest in trafficcoming measures around the school um and ask for their assistance in enforcing those measures so we can create some safer arrival and dismissal processes for our kids. Questions? I have two I Oh, go
122ahead. Um, I like all the um the the safety the kids go riding their bikes. Um, I don't know if this still happens, but I remember when I was a student at Wuk. I don't know if you, you know, remember you weren't at Wuk, but um, there would be a police officer that would come to the school and go over all bike safety, bike rules. So, I don't know if that is a grant. Yeah, I think of that all the time. Yeah. So, we have we have a a great representative from Safe Ruth to School who came in and she brought her bike. She talked, you know, with the younger kids about some more like basic things like this is how your helmet should fit and, you know, you should walk about, you know, your
123parents and stuff like that. And then older kids, she went through like, you know, the hand signals and so we we are working on that with safe roads to schools. Yeah. Last week. Um, and I think it was it was really engaging and we I think would love to continue to do more of that. Um we talked about maybe doing some communications at the beginning of the year, but just like a bike safety checklist that goes home to all the kids um because we are seeing like a huge number of kids um riding to school. We have we have one family whose kids actually have put um trailers in the back of their bikes and they ride even on days when they have to bring their instruments to school. So there's a kid that comes
124with like a huge French horn and coming up the back of his bike. Yeah. Um, so I think there's a huge commitment from the Jenkins community that we want to see more of this. Um, and I I will just tell you anecdotally, we had a PTO meeting um a few months ago and normally Jenkins PTO meetings get like seven or eight people in person, a few on on the um Zoom call, and we had almost every seat filled in the Jenkins library when we said that this meeting was going to be about biker and walker safety concerns. Um, so I think there's a huge uh like capacity for interest from the parents in getting involved in making these improvements. Um, which is exciting because I think that even more kids would do it. And as
125parents here, like having our kids outside, having that independence of riding your bike to school by yourself, like it's so great for their confidence. They get all their energy out before they have to go sit in their desk for the day. Um, so it's a positive momentum that we would like to continue. I want to say Julie, didn't Julie Ward apply? I know we worked on the other grants for Safe Roots to School. I want to say Jenkins was like on the list. Um I believe Gates was awarded a signs and lines grant and Jenkins was um awarded um we just received five new bike racks. Okay. There were 60some schools applied and we were one of three that actually um were awarded them this past fall and they're they're installed. They're there. Yeah. Yeah.
126And they're full. But now you want to apply for that same that same grant. No, not um we want to apply for the same one that Gates did the signs and lines. Yes. Um and did you say that? Did you say that the the um the flashing lights, one of them doesn't work and the other one only works half a year? Um so my understanding is that there is a new flashing um signal sign that is here that needs to be installed by the DPW and then they can adjust the times but the one that is there now does not start when we really want it to start um which is around 8:00 and then um I guess it doesn't adjust for daylight savings time but there is a time um that's ready to be
127installed that can the time can be adjusted. Yeah. I mean, I think it's great that like the safe routes to school like works on the internally the kids in the school, the parents, but it sounds like more externally communitywide, right? There seems to be reminders. Yes. What a flashing yellow light in the school zone means. Yeah. I just had a more of a curiosity like if you can give a behind the scenes. So, I would imagine I love this. This is I think it's a great project. you've provided a really good rationale with data. My question is I would imagine in these school council meetings when it's time to do this goal setting, there has to be so many, right? Like you must have lists of like things that you'd like to accomplish next year.
128So I'm wondering what made you as a group decide that this was important to be a part of the school improvement plan versus it being a project that like the PTO would take on for example because I know the PTO's in situ are so incredibly active and contribute so much. So can you can you share some insight on that? Like what made it a priority for you? I think we can both answer it. You can have your sense. Okay. Um I will say that there are components here that the school needs to um take on as an action item. There are um also pieces here that are action items by the PTO. Um so it became you know if you look at our action plan there's everything from um the PTO to the town DPW
129to um this uh Jenkins itself to the district um being the responsible parties um depending upon um which um you know whether we're talking about signage or we're talking about the mural or we're talking about um the grant application or the whiteboard. word. Um, and I would just add, you know, the PTO meeting where there was like every single seat was full, like we just saw this as a priority because there were so many families that were passionate about seeing this improvements. Um, we took it as like this is really important to our community. So, that I think is how it became a priority when so many parents showed up. Um, and we didn't expect that. Usually not a full room. Megan, I think one one of the reasons why the attendance was so high
130that night is because the safe routes to school representative was there to um talk about the uh family survey that was going out so they could do the heat maps of where the walkers and bike riders are coming from to give us the data we need to apply for the grant. So that's why that's what generated the interest. Thank you. Yeah, I think that I I love this too. I think it's a great example of like something that's clearly meaningful to the school. The data was compelling. I think it's a nice example of the partnership. I think to me it's just in a school improvement plan. Um we want to also just it's like our opportunity to keep a pulse on like making sure that um we are fulfilling our obligation to like you know
131the broader accountability and the data at the school. And so to me it's like if there were another goal added in that could bring that balance into the overall plan I think I would be like yes you know what I mean it it checks all the boxes but I think absent that it feels like we've got one goal that's very much like we're implementing this this train that is already moving we are riding the train of S3 you know and then we're going to do this really amazing project with a mural and you know all the safety components that are really important to our community and something that everyone cares about. It's like those are two good things, but it's kind of like I'm still just sort of stuck on I just want to make
132sure that we're not overlooking an opportunity to make sure that we're just um keeping an eye on overall um academic achievement and growth in other areas, especially if the S3 is still focused on the early grades. I just No worries there. Um that's that's what we do. I know. And yeah, I mean I kind of want to give you credit for it though. I I get I understand what you're saying and I think you know being underneath and that first goal is is the um how we are watching and tracking all of that data. Um and I apologize if that wasn't clear but that is you know why we're so excited to have this tool that'll help us do that. Um, but I, you know, when we were thinking about the school improvement plan, it
133being a one-year plan, one goal that's more academic focused, one that's more community based, and um, that is how we landed on um, the MTSS goal because it is um, such a focus of our school at this time or this year. Um but you know we are always looking at all of our benchmark data, all of our MCAST data. Um it's uh our growth um over time. um when I presented um our MCCAST data back in the fall, you know, recognizing that we had um no um third graders who had um exceeded expectations in ELA. Um we've been working um on that all year long. That's actually part of my um uh student learning goal with Mr. Burkehead. And so I mean, no worries uh on that. I guess that's yeah I mean I guess
134I'm curious sort of like the other two elementary um presentations prior looking at that studently and and Cushing looking at that student interest being sort of a concern that popped in HSA like what do you see as something that Jenkins parents teachers or just the population there like what are the you know what are the problems that need to be solved like is there an academic um for one area of improvement that I really see um as an opportunity is to do a better job with our students who are at or above uh above grade level and what we're how we're supporting them during win time and during instruction in the classroom. That is um an area that I feel that you we spend a lot of time and focus on students who need remediation
135um who need reading intervention, math intervention, um uh school adjustment counselor support um but providing opportunities for the students who are at above grade level and how we're continuing to support their growth. Um that is um an area that I am very interested in and how we um continue to improve our wing model to address that issue. Um because it you know looking at grouping kids across classrooms more um I I feel like that's an area of need that we have at Jenkins. Uh although um I think Jesse did mention the um engagement and learning it was I think it was actually districtwide popped as um as the the biggest challenge area whereas in the past it was connection um and we've done a great job addressing that and now it's um a interest in
136learning which is um surprising and concerning. Thank you. Thanks so much. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you everyone from Montek who has patiently made it through the other. We thought it was going to be good to go last. Now I'm like reassessing it. Hello. Um, so Tracy Bearden, principal at Wampa Tuck, and I'm going to be here tonight with some school council members to go over the um, Wampa Tuck School improvement plan, the Wampa ECC school improvement plan. Um, so I'm just going to go over our council members and I'll let the two who are helping me tonight introduce themselves. So we had um, some parents, Jessica Rogers, Emily Butzer, and our community members, Cindy Dugen, who's here supporting us. um Emily Norman, an ECC teacher, Jessica Martin, who was the co-chair who's also here supporting
137us tonight. Um and then we have some members here tonight. Hi, I'm Deb Edges psychologist at Wampuck. Hi, I'm Rachel Wessle. Um a mom of a first grader at Wampuck. I also have a daughter at Hatherly School. So, I'm a unique My daughter is in the ILC at Hley. Um, and I'm very happy to be here. So, um, an effort not to be too redundant, um, we also met as a school council. Um, we I, um, will echo what Mary said about, um, being really thankful that our plan is a one-year plan. It did help us as a council to, um, try to stay focused and think about what can we accomplish in the next year. Um and then it also is helpful that our members were elected and here for the year with us.
138So um so we did find that a little bit easier um when thinking down and like thinking about what we wanted to focus on in the next year. So we met four times as a council. We did look at a lot of data um including our MCCAST data from last spring and our um you know we looked at our beginning of the year data because at the time that's when we were meeting in the fall. Um and then um we had a lot of great discussion from parents and from um our community member and our um staff about what we wanted to focus on in the coming year. So goal one goal one thanks. So I think to what I don't even remember who brought it up it was it's difficult it we found it
139difficult to put everything all together. So we just separated out. We had the academic and then we had the play. So the seal and the academic. And I think when we were looking at it and trying to figure out how to address it, traditionally the goals focused on a group, the high needs group, you know, the low performing group, the high performing group, and then it was always a category trying to move from proficient to, you know, exceeds or meeting expectations to meeting expectations. So those were always sort of the um barometers that we used and we didn't really think that that captured everything for a student or it didn't capture all the students. It was really only one group um that we tended to focus on. And then I think we also looked at
140our data in terms of lumber and MCCAST. we were always high achieving. Our numbers were always in that high achieving um status and there was a decline and we were trying to figure out why why was that decline or how do we address it? So we thought if we looked at the students themselves and just measured them against their own growth percentile. So that's why we have um we wanted to look at students that were in the low to average growth percentile and moving them into the high growth percentile. So that way we're looking at the students against um we're measuring them against other students that are in that same group if that makes sense. And then we're using reading and math and I understand the the need to we got the message now. Got
141it. So, so the the math and the reading were together, but we were looking at the growth percentile more and and that we had that data for um the state data for STAR for math and ELA because I think what it was the 80% so there's an 80% oh 89%. Okay, so 89% predictor for students that are successful on MCCAST. So that's why we use the the state data as opposed to the the federal the district data because a lot of times people use that district data. So this the there's an 80 89% success rate prediction for success on MCAST, right? Can I just ask a quick think I think I just something clicked. So when you said star reading and math state data, you mean you're looking at star for reading and for math
142but you're using the state benchmark, correct? Okay. I did not get that the first time. I don't know if that helps anyone else. Thank you. And that can because it's we can't it's tricky to use the MCAST data because we're not going to have that till the fall, right? Like we already have that data right now, end of the year data for the current kids right now, but we wouldn't have had that before. Okay. I read it as star for reading and MCCAST for math and I was just very confused. This makes more sense. Okay. Thank you. Okay, where did I leave off? Oh, so that was the goal. Um, and I think everybody's already talked about the open architect. You know, it's just much more efficient way to have the data. We don't have
143to spend time searching for all that and to use that data to drive instruction and to drive the wind groups, um, the tiered instruction that's already been discussed as well. Um but to really look at that student growth percentile for each individual for the individual students because we can have we have high achieving students who show low growth and we have low achieving students that show high growth. So we want to be able to measure them against themselves. And I think that way we felt like it captured all of our students as opposed to just individual pockets of kids. And then the whole child review process has been talked about as well too. Just how do we better incorporate that into our data our data meetings. Right now it's it seems it's separate. You know,
144we have our our pair data meetings and then we have our academic you know data meetings. So a way that we're going to combine the two of them. I think that will help as well. I don't know if there's anything. Yeah, sure. So, Mary talked a lot and Ryan talked a lot about the whole child review process. So, that's something we haven't formally implemented at Wampauck. I will say um we do a lot of this. This won't be brand new to us this year or or in the coming year. Um but so I kind of see this as as taking what we're already doing and making it better. So like like um Deb said, we have data meetings. We're we're looking at data all the time. Um but we're it's separate, right? Like right now
145we're looking at pair data at one meeting. We're looking at academic data. So this is going to be a great way to bring it all together. And um the platform too is just to have it all housed in one place. the amount of time we spend going from one um platform to another um is a lot. And then in our grade level data meetings um this is something we haven't done. We haven't looked at student growth percentiles like really specifically to kids and what their growth percentiles are. Um we do a lot of looking at what category they fall into. Intensive, strategic, core, core plus. Um and um I think it was talked about before that some our data meetings right now are about 45 minutes. So there isn't a lot of time to talk
146about everyone. Um and we do tend to go towards the kids that are intensive or strategic. So um in thinking about um I know Mary talked about we're going to be starting on Thursday at Watuck our first two and a half hour data meeting. Um and just to give us that time to really sit and look at the data. And one of the things we're going to shift to focus on is really looking at our student growth percentiles. Do you want to go to the next goal or do you want to ask questions on this one? It's up to you. Go ahead. Give us the questions. We'll take them. General question about the when you do the whole child review process and I I'm gathering that you look at, you know, everything that's going on
147with the child in the school. Do you collect information from the parents like um I mean I guess not formally like in the beginning of the year we collect information from parents on kids like teachers will ask you know send out like tell us more about your child at the end of the year we ask that for placement um but no we don't do we have a formal way we're doing it not right now we don't I don't know if in the whole child review process is there a formal way we're collecting data from parents yeah in the middle sorry is that is that a question for me Well, and and I I know that those questionnaers go out at the beginning of the year for, you know, tell tell me about your child. So,
148that's part of that. I just didn't know if um I would say probably if we look at it in a tiered system like tier one, tier two, tier three. We would in tier three, that would probably be myself and a school adjustment counselor would have a relationship with a family if they're at that level where they would need that kind of support. So, we would have the input from the parent then. But in terms of a tier one, I don't think we have anything. you have that general information, but if you need more, we get it. Okay. I was just Well, I would pick up I would just call the parent. Yes. Okay. All right. Thank you. [Music] Carrie, I know you have questions. I'm I'm simmering down, Tracy. Oh, good thing we went last.
149I did win. I was after all. Can we Can we submit a different one before we go? We rewrote it while we were listening. while we were listening over there. I'm just want to do an improve one. I think everybody's added as we've gone along. So, I feel bad bad for principal. She and she had to go first. I think I'm struggling more with the format of and this is I know this is a state thing because I what I'm wor what I'm wondering about is when I read how will we know progress is being made and progress is about increasing the student growth percentiles and what I read in there is PD dates with agenda grade level meeting like I get that that's part of like an evaluation is to count like how many
150times you met what I think for me is missing and I think this would help with clarity is that in that open arch architecture training there's an output which is you're getting a new data platform and as a result you're able to X that is the output for the second one implement a whole child review process you do the review process there is an output right for the last one you have the output there which is adjust instruction what I'm wondering is like those outputs are going to lead to increasing the student growth percentiles and I think if someone read this without your commentary it would be really hard to trace how you're getting and telling me that progress is being b made by having meetings doesn't connect at all to the goal you're offering
151and I think you're doing way more than having meetings and so I'm wondering if given the format is there a way to adjust that progress being made column to say the new data platform will permit us to X the whole child review process allow gives us this and the last one is adjust instructions So when I see that, I'm saying, "Oh, they're making progress in these three areas. Now I see why they think they're going to increase student growth." Does that make sense? Yes. Yeah. Okay. Sorry. I think that is for this this is where that there's more of a space. Yeah. I just don't feel like it I feel like that part is missing in partly the format different and similarly it's like you have the data in goal in in the overarching goal
152to say that you want to I think it's very I think it's you explained it really well. folks on the growth and why and all that. So you have that data presumably of how many kids are making how much growth and so we we kind of it would be great to see that so we could see okay now I understand what the starting point is and I can imagine what it is that we're driving towards the ending points like that that piece is also I'm saying it's hard to envision it without see yeah 30 34% so for example 34% of right now we have 34% that are in the non growth. Yeah, the low growth for ELA and 28% um for math. So, right. So, seeing those numbers I feel like and then seeing like
153we want to see those go up and you might not know by how much I think that's less important in some ways because no one can really predict but the fact that you know that you're focusing on those numbers are they going up as much as you can get them up? That is like the thing. Yeah. I think we want to be able to see that come through um yeah in the plan. And similarly I think um when it gets to stakeholders responsible um there's a lot of of principle in here and we know that this is not just you Tracy. So again you know including in which where are the teachers and which which parts are they really taking you know over because we know that obviously they are doing a lot of this
154work. So that that feedback was very others. Goal two Um, so our second goal relates directly to the first goal and it relates to basically I think what a lot of the other schools were saying about the whole child, about the pair data, about um, you know, a lot of the the issues that the kids have with interest in school. And we decided, we had so many conversations this whole year um about what makes kids want to come to school and want to learn and we ultimately decided that this was the most important part to what kids experience every day. So we really wanted to focus on play. So the goal is um you know to enhance and increase play opportunities for students by intro introducing a variety of structured and unstructured play activities fostering
155physical social and cognitive development um and ensuring ensuring equitable access for all students. So really what we are trying to do is we're really trying to focus on concrete things we can do to improve that. Um, we thought we re Tracy really wanted to um focus on the back playground of the school um and how to make it a really kind of a different learning environment for kids to play and also express themselves. Um, we talked about um, you know, we're going to do that by creating a school committee or a school a playground committee. Um, we're going to do that by um, you know, creating like a a plan for funding. Um, we're going to survey students and families and staff um, to get data um, for what they want to see on the
156playground. Um, and we're going to also examine play in before and after school. This year, Miss Martin did a play club for second and third graders. It was really successful. It they did like things like board games. Um they worked on their social skills. Um imagine play imaginative play. We really wanted to focus on the kindergarten kindergarters coming in um and look at the data um you know and and see how kindergarteners really intentionally are playing. Um, and we think that it will ultimately improve a lot of the things that we've talked about tonight. Um, and you know, um, we, you know, um, sorry, it's okay. um our data, you know, our data collection will be done, you know, through the surveys and through, you know, um looking at the way kindergarters coming in and
157ultimately we, you know, we felt like this was really the most important thing as a school. Yes, I think play is foundational. I think we all know that. I don't disagree with you at all. I think it's good. Um, I think my question is similar to the goal around the technology sort of like what problem are we looking to solve for? Like is play a problem at at Wamptuk? Is there not equitable play as compared to the other three schools? Is this impacting negatively any like are you seeing Tracy like that like I don't think it's a bad thing to do in any like nor is like the technology one like nor is the wampa or the Jenkins goal around like I think these are all great initiatives. I guess I'm just looking to find
158out where they fit in terms of like what the purpose of the school improvement plan is and how like what like defining holistic approaches to student growth that how do you meet the goal I guess is my question like I don't necessarily and it's just for kindergarten or like are we so we wanted to enhance and increase play opportunities for everyone. So, one of them is our back playground, the what we call the upper playground is not accessible at all. So, that's definitely one of the things we need to do to make it that play area accessible to all students at Wampuck. our front playground is accessible and um so so one of the things we need to start looking at is how to make that accessible and um everyone being able to access play
159throughout the day including recess and um times when like oftentimes um the fizzed class will go outside and do fizz out there. We want to make sure that everybody can access that. Um so then some of the action steps to that are like the whole process of designing and going through um um building a new playground in that we wanted to think about like what are ways like other ways for kids to play. So like sort of reimagining what that area looks like to help enhance the learning um within the school day. Um, and then that also came with like partnering with the community and offering before and after school play. The the kindergarten, um, we talked about like the need for play throughout the day, especially in our younger grades. Um, we talked a
160lot about, um, the ECC and how much play is involved in that. And then coming into kindergarten, um, really looking at that purposeful play in kindergarten. Um, so that so it's not to say that there shouldn't be play everywhere, but we we're trying to focus it down. Let's focus on kindergarten next year. Like let's do some research like what does purposeful play look like in kindergarten? Um is that um is that consistent through all three kindergarten classes and starting to work on the kindergarten and then thinking about I mean it's not in this plan but then thinking about okay the following year let's bring that up to first grade. Are we including times for purposeful play and incorporating that into the day to help kids learn? So are we looking towards like a capital project
161to fund a new accessible playground at Wampac through the that playground needs to be replaced? Yes. So we need to start researching that. Okay. So to a CBC application goal is to Okay. And that's okay. I mean, I think what strikes me a little bit is Nicole used the word initiative. Like this feels like an initiative to me and not again like you referenced like maybe there there's pair data that shows like what problem are we trying to solve? I guess I'll bring us back to that same question. Um, a new playground sounds important. Yes, we want kids accessing the playground. That seems like obviously we want to make sure that that's happening. So to me that's like a no-brainer, but that's separate from a school improvement plan because that's just basic. We need to
162have kids able to access playground for sure. Um but to me like the school improvement plan is like what is what is this doing at Wampauck that's going to really like what what is the root cause problem that you're trying to solve here? It's not it doesn't seem like lack of play time necessarily and if it is I don't know what the data is that would show that. Do you know what I mean? Like what is like the real thing? Like is it is it is it something that came across in your pair data? Is it um behavior behavior gone up and problems have gone up and you think maybe not enough movement? I don't know. Like I guess I'm just trying to dig for like what are those things that you can solve for
163that are Yeah, I think we were thinking more of a social emotional lens in terms of you know currently we were saying there's a new play we need a new playground so let's use this as an opportunity to to really think about how we're going to use that because right now it's a lot of gross motor. Kids can you know climb on the structures or they can swing or they can play sports. Yeah. So what about there's a large percentage of kids that don't participate in those things. Okay. And what can they do out there and what can we do to help with that? Because there's a lot of conflict resolution that you know kids come in because they don't really they didn't have anything to do out of recess necessarily that and so they
164get into arguments or you know you just it just can snowball. So we were thinking wouldn't it be great we have kids that want to do plays. Can we build like a stage area so kids can go out there and Totally. Yeah. And and you know practice totally with you. Yeah. Yeah. So I think I think it was more from the the lens of how can we help with the we have the academic and now the social emotional and I think we were putting it in that big bucket of social emotional and play and playground. I just wasn't sure what the So the goal really is to research and like we've done this with we've done this with Wampac before like we're looking to research and begin thinking about the first initial steps for designing
165and funding a new accessible playground in Watuck. That's the goal I think. Or is this a goal for like inside the classroom looking at like time on learning and there's a lot in there kind of mushed. Yeah. Like I'm I'm not sure if we're looking at a playground building initiative, which is awesome. We love those as we know. Um and they always turn out fantastic. Or are we looking to like look internally at play as a mechanism for social emotional growth and hours spent in the day and the kindergarten sort of I don't know academic structure and sort of the Massachusetts framework? I'm not I guess is it two separate pieces or is it one? I don't know. I would say it's both. I would say it's both, but but um yeah, that we put
166into one. So, in thinking about kind of play as the overarching um and thinking about play as it relates to academics and building the foundation there, but also play um in that sort of unstructured time outside on the playground. Do we I mean Tom, maybe this is a question for you. I mean, is it reasonable to think that you can design and fund a new accessible playground in a year? Like does that happen in a year? The design and a funding commitment like going for a CPC application by the end this time next year that'd be appropriate and then build in the following year. Okay. So I'm wondering if Jenkins did it in a year. Didn't I couldn't remember. That's why I was asking her. Well, I guess the other question is because you've you've
167brought up some really cool ideas about like a stage and sort of thinking about so I'm wondering do you imagine that you'll be able to do the research that you want to do that will inform the design of the playground quickly enough to sort of have it be the playground that you want it to be to support the SEAL work that you want to do. I guess that that's what I'm wondering about because that sounds really cool like all the ideas that you have like can that happen? Well, that's our plan. I'm hoping a year from now I can say you that we did that. But yeah, that's that was part of our discussion. And you know what, like I'm if if we can't do it that fast, I would much rather go slow and
168do it right and have it done right. So if if this is too lofty and we can't, I'm I'm comfortable with that. But I feel like we we we're going to start the process. Yeah, we have ideas like big ideas, but we certainly need work on narrowing them down. Okay. I mean, I was excited to see this goal. I mean, this idea of enhancing play opportunities. I mean, they're talking about this in graduate school, like play is coming back for adult learners and right. So, I I get it. And so, I guess what I was surprised is that I think to Nicole and Maria's point is that when I read the details, it felt like a playground project and a you know, other Yeah. a play opportunities project. So, I'm just trying to figure out
169maybe I was hoping to see a little bit more activities or action items on the play opportunities. Um, just so I could see how that was going to inform the eventual playground. That's all. I mean, right, you'll have to decide how it works out. But that was my reaction was it felt very, oh, they're going to build a playground and then, oh, there's a little research. So, I was just surprised. That's all connected to that I think is like why the play, you know what I mean? like what what is going to result for you at Watuck as a result of this focus on plan. There's tons of research on this, so I don't doubt that there are positive things out there. I'm not saying that at all, but I'm just saying like that's what's
170missing in this document. You know what I mean? Don't say it relates to the better test. Yeah. But um I think they want to see it's just not clear enough for that. Thank you. I think the next you can leave right there. Thank you. Is the handbook on here? Oh, Jesus. All right. Um, elementary school handbooks. Assistant Superintendent Lint. Are you are you just doing the just bringing my computer back up close? [Laughter] Sorry, we have a slide. We're just trying to pull it up for you. Yep, that's it. There we go. Okay. Um, tonight we're presenting the elementary student handbook u for next school year 2025 to 2026. And um all of the elementary principles worked together on this um as a team. I don't know if you recall last year we really reh
171overhauled the handbook um really pulled it apart to make it much more accessible and user friendly. And um this year we um stayed with that format of um the headers of the the big subject areas and the hyperlinks. and we um checked in with our department heads about updates um for example our nurse leader um health and health and wellness and um technology and so you have um in your packets the executive summary of the updates. Um so we're going to just go through those. Um they really fall into three large um categories. One would just be mechanics um updating dates and things like that. clarifying some wording. Um the second category would be um referencing new policies that have come online like the kindergarten um age um being changed um this year and um
172some requirements from audits and from um our technology department. So I'll just go through the um executive summary um by page. Um, obviously on the first page, we're just updating the date uh for next school year. On page six, we changed, this is districtwide, we changed the name of our um expectations night, our fall um night when families come into the school to back to school night. Um, expectations night was a little confusing um to families because at an elementary level the kids do come and that's part of our our culture and part of our tradition. So, it reflects more of the family focus while um still for middle and high having um the sense that it's a time for families um parents to come learn about um expectations around curriculum. Um throughout the handbook
173um on page six we started adding the word guardian to whenever there was a reference to parent um just to acknowledge um and to be inclusive of all of our diverse family structures. Um on page nine, we're referencing the new um student entrance age for kindergarten that a child who'll be 5 years old by September 8th is eligible to attend kindergarten in September of that school year. Um on page nine, we just updated our term dates um for report cards. Um, page 10, we're just clarifying um the language wasn't super clear that our doors open at 8:40, but school actually doesn't begin until 8:55. Um, and then um you'll see quite a a few clarifications um in our sections on telephone use, technology, and bus guidelines. Um just clarifying that smartwatches and cell phones are
174not to be used in school during the school day or on buses. And um that's something that we do have to remind families of on a periodic basis particularly after the holidays when um some students do get those as gifts and want to wear them. Um and we uh remind um our students and families about that through our newsletters and our teachers are very well aware. Um children can keep them in their backpacks but they can't access them. And the reason why that is is because um we do have so many walkers and bike riders and uh families do sometimes use that as a way to communicate once their student has been dismissed from school. Um on pages 12 and 14 uh we underwent an audit um on audits I should say on special education
175and civil rights and there are sections that have been added on page 12 around um suspension and bullying as required by DESIE. We did have um that language uh available. It just wasn't actually in our handbook and um Desi wanted to see it inserted there. um as is on page 14, they um Desie specifically wanted um the discip uh discipline protocols around a student on a section 504 to be called out and actually in the handbook. Um so those were inserted. That was uh work that Julie Ward um our director supplemental services um helped us with. And then on page 17, um there's the updated student responsible use of technology section that um reflects the new policies regarding one-on-one Chromebooks, Google, and personal devices. And on page 18, I think your uh summary may say
176page 17, but it's page 18, there's a this is new uh a new policy on plagiarism and artificial intelligence. Um that um we're inserting in all of our handbooks across the district, middle and high. Um so many of the policies like this responsible use policy, that's common language across all of the district and all of the handbooks. um as is the plagiariz plagiarism and artificial intelligence which we do see that popping up in the elementary schools. So um that is an overview of all of the updates. Um it's nice to be able to get this um done at this point in the school year because our families can have it um available right when school starts next fall and um sign off that they've seen it in Aspen. Are there any questions? I have a
177question. It's not in the um summary, but the um you have in the actual handbook, you have the leash law that has dogs are not allowed on school property at any time. Should we clarify that unless it's a service animal because um I don't think we can technically say that. That's a good point, you know. Yeah. And they visit the school too. Well, but or the comfort animal. Yeah, the comfort animal. Yeah, with the exception of that that unless approved by approves that is a good point. Thank you. We can definitely do that. Questions down the end. I was just curious if um you could say a little bit more about the updates that were made to the bully bullying prevention policy. It's also in here as bully prevention. I don't know if that's bullying.
178I don't know how to call it, but you know, you don't section I'm referring to. Yes, that actually wasn't an update. It was just an inclusion of that. Um, are you on page 12? Yeah. Yeah. So, that was um just language that um was that's not new to the district. It was just language that we had not included in our handbook previously that when Desi did their audit of our special education and civil rights um materials, they wanted to see that language in our handbook. So which I don't see any yellow highlights in this. So I don't know which part. Okay. Um so on page 12 y um the second paragraph where it says in every case of student misconduct for which suspension may be imposed. Okay. That paragraph. Yeah. And then the bully prevention
179policy is is our district policy. Okay. So if there is a suspension, our focus needs to be on re-engaging the student in their learning. um and um continuing their learning um you know and not um focusing as much on out of school suspension as much as in school to keep the the learning in process and um to focus on um mediation restorative justice. Yep. Okay. So that paragraph the in every case paragraph also appears in our district policy. Yes. There's something very similar to it, I think. Yes, there is. Yeah. I'm not sure if it's word for word exactly the same. Okay. But I think in spirit it is. Yes, definitely. Y Thank you. Yep. I I think there was a revision to the suspension law a couple of years ago where um there was
180much more of a focus on um keeping kids in school and not going straight to an out of school suspension. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions? All right, I know we have to vote on that and I'm sorry I got time has worn me down. Um, we skipped over the voting on the school improvement plans. Guess I asked the committee, do you all want to vote on school improvement plans tonight? Are there components you want to vote on? So, I actually don't think we vote per our policy because our policy we changed it in 2024. Do you remember this, Janice? Yes. Yeah. I know that you didn't want to change that. Well, we we had to like dig deep into mass general law, but I actually think that we uh make comments and recommendations
181and then they go to build for uh the superintendent for approval. That's what's in our policy. That's what's in our policy. I like that. policy. I don't like that. So, I think we I thought it was in conflict with the destiny policy. Well, we can hold now from what I understand. I looked up the Massachusetts general law while I was sitting here just to double check. Um, but I think our policy also says bill has until July 1st. So, you know, I think it's at Bill's discretion to whatever the process is next. Yeah, it takes us off. It takes it off us to approve them. I would argue then why present them or why like why but then why ask for our in like all right if we're not following I mean I think it's
182because not why present them but why oversee accountability and not why present them but why like What is the I think we need our policy does say that we have to get well doesn't we have to but it does say that we should I can I'll just curious what the what maybe we should just vote on just vote on the hand keep it I just want to do the right what we're I think okay but I also don't want to know if yes Um, I make a motion that the school committee vote to approve the elementary school year 25 2025 to 2026 student handbook as amended. Second. All in favor? I. So, we'll we'll add that section about um the therapy dogs. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Talk about this now. Yeah, I have it. Uh
183according to our policy, the principal in conjunction with the school council shall be responsible for preparing a written school improvement plan for three to five years that is updated and shared annually. That's why I was talking about 3 to 5 years. I think that's where we're going and we're trying to get on a new cycle is my understanding. I think um so we had sort of this like weird exception time where we were one year but in the future they should be three to five years. But they're updated updated and shared. Yeah. Um, the plan shall be written and submitted for approval to the superintendent no later than July 1st of the calendar year in which the plan is to be implement implemented and reviewed by the school committee. Review doesn't mean approved. It does
184not mean the plan should be drafted with the following mind and it lists out all the components of the plan. Um and then it says if the school improvement plan is not approved by the superintendent and it shall be returned to the principal with specific comments as to the reasons principal shall revise the plan in cooperation with the school council and resubmit it for approval. That is the policy that's our policy but it is in conflict with what states mass general law it says the desi provides guidance and standard for these plans while the school plays a role in oversight and approval. Master law says each school improvement plan shall be submitted to the superintendent who shall review and approve the plan after consultation school committee. I think that was consult not later than July
1851st of the school year in which the plan is to be implemented. This is why we had a long discussion about this. This is why it was nice. Thank you. Yeah, that's true. We updated our policy in waiting. Oh. Oh, man. This is our long Sorry, we won't ask him lots of questions. [Laughter] [Music] Now we know why you brought the food. All right. Go ahead. Our director of food services. I am Patrick. So excited. So to you know start at the beginning when I started here we brought back the salad bars to all the cafeterias and situate. Um every school offers a daily fruit and vegetable salad bar option that is full of local fresh fruit and vegetables to either accompany a lunch or create an entree. Um, protein options are also available and
186it also provides a great gluten-free option for students to build a salad with proteins and you know it's a it's a great thing. Next slide. So this is our total meals served. Can you see a big jump? That's when breakfast was introduced, you know. Um, next year dropped down a little bit, but 346,25 meals for the year in the district. That's breakfast and lunch. Um, this year we're already over 356 as of today. 356,000. Next slide. Um, we also introduced the vending program. Um, that's the vending machine at Gates in the cafeteria. students can use their lunch pin in combination with a vending pin to use their my school bucks account. Um, and it's created 112,000 in new revenue to the district. Um, we serve approved smart snacks and drinks that are accessible to students
187before and after school as well as during the lunch period which they weren't accessible before after the lunchroom was closed. Next slide. um capital improvement. That's the uh new combi oven at the high school. The high school was in dire need of equipment upgrades. Um some of the stoves were from the 50s and 60s and they were cooking those increased numbers with that older equipment. So we invested a lot there. Um we also did we're getting a this same style oven for Wampuck through a grant. It just got announced and awarded um get installed over the summer. Um we replaced the walk-in freezer at Hatterly. Um and that one has a plan to move to Watuck when Hadley goes away. Um working on capital improvements for summer 2025, including the addition of a large outdoor
188freezer to be shared by the high school and gates. um and equipment replacement at Jenkins for the summer like this summer coming up. And just more pictures of some of the equipment at the high school. Um this is the program revenues. Sorry, I know we're tired. If you have any questions, stop me. Um, next slide. Um, improvements to the menu. So, we have now an interactive menu where you can click on the items and it will pull up the nutritionals andor a recipe if there's a recipe for that item. Is that for the staff? It's for parents. Oh, it's on the website. If you go to the next slide, Tom, and you click on roasted carrots. right down the middle. Right there. It might not do it. I've actually used it before. Yeah, it's coming
189up on my computer screen, but it won't share. It won't share. It links to the recipe that we use in the kitchens. That's being Oh, wow. It has all the nutritionals and stuff for parents to plan out. The second page of the menu is just, you know, the daily offerings that we have in addition to what we normally have. I lost to one. Yeah, that's the additional information for the menu. And then goals and visions for 2025, 2026. Um, strive to introduce local and fresh ingredients. um continue to expand our from scratch offerings. Obviously, we're never going to be 100% from scratch kitchen, but as much as we can work in, we really try to work that in. And the students really appreciate it and they enjoy it. Um expanding our selections at Kat and
190the high school, you know, as the kid get kids get older, they want a little bit more variety. So, we're trying to um work in more of a deli style setup at the high school. And you know, moving towards renewable serving, we're applying for a grant to replace our disposable serving products with reusable trays and utensils. I don't know if that's going to be 100% feasible for labor purposes, but we're going to do as much as we can because it's we have the disc machines, we have the infrastructure, we might as well move towards that direction. Can you mention the bakery? Yeah. So, the muffins you have. Yes. And we do have a gluten-free option. At least it has smelled nice in here. It's been so cold bakery. You know, some of the feedback we've
191gotten from parents and stuff that the prepackaged breakfast grab-and-go items are really what we have to give kids in that short amount of time. So, I got a north a north of Boston bakery makes a school muffin and then we finish baking them here. Rather than baking our own muffins, they ship them to us frozen, halfbaked, we finish baking them each time. They're really they're pretty good. They're whole grain. They meet all the requirements and it's something that'll be better for a graband-go breakfast than the prepackaged items that we currently have. So, so we get grant money for breakfast and lunch. Correct. So, grant money. It's the USDA funding, right? Right. No, the funding. Yeah. And then the state of Massachusetts supplements that to make it free. Okay. So, that's where like paying for these
192mountains. Yeah. The one thing I'll say is I really need to give a shout out to Patrick and his staff because he's introduced a lot of very creative options with scratch cooking and the nutritional value and really looking for fresh ingredients and the staff have embraced those changes. It's a big change for you know for people who have been doing cooking a certain way for so many years and he's worked hard with them and they really embraced those changes to try to make it more nutritional, more scratch cooking and more creative for the students particularly up here at the secondary level. Great. that chart that showed the revenue. So does that mean that is the from the federal government, from the state government and from when kids pay for extras and things? That's all those
193all together and some of the previous years we did have some of the farm school money and some of the um the supply chain grants were in there too. First of all, thanks for coming. I think it was I want to say it was my idea. We never heard from our food services junist. So sorry you had to wait till 9:00 to do it. But um I just have some general general questions. I think the first one is um generally like when people think of school lunch is like oh school lunch is like hamburgers like sitting in the thing of water and so on so forth. My my question is um so we provide as you just explained you know some funding um to pay for school lunches and reimbursements from the state but do
194we go to like one provider and say we want like we're going to take your and they say this is what we can give you Monday through Friday and that's it is it one provider or can we go and can we get better quality lunches if we from different providers or if we charge students a dollar extra on top of what a regular traditional meal Because I guess it all comes down to I was like we have a health and wellness department where food's important but then it's not just it's not just kind of how much you eat but what you eat and I'm thinking that we can kind of create a whole picture here like hey maybe we can have really healthy lunches and maybe to do that you have to pay an extra
195dollar to get it or whatever that is. I'm just curious kind of how we source our food and how that's like how our menu is defined and directed. So to break it down we source our food we're part of the mass buy group. So, we bid with a bunch of companies. We just had a new bid. We're changing companies next year for our main broadline supplier. Um, they also bid the milk separately when that's always one vendor. Um, and then bakery is two that go back and forth and we get Pantini Bakery um for our fresh bread and then beverages we use Polar. So, it's all part of that group gets together, put all our buying power together and we get the best prices. But that being said, we don't always have to use the
196cheapest item and we've already kind of changed some of that with the pizza. Um, so we have Gills Pizza that comes, they make it in New Hampshire. They send us a pizza in a pan and we bake it fresh where the cheaper option would be to get the frozen stuff from the vendor. Um, but we've already kind of moved in that direction in a lot of a lot of the food we buy. Obviously, the younger kids are the hardest sell to get them away from Pop-Tarts for breakfast to a fresh baked muffin. Yeah. But, you know, and they're also going to make us bagels that we serve the seniors today. We got some samples and they went well. Um, so we're already kind of moving in that direction. Um, you get around using the low,
197you know, the lowest thing by doing taste tests and getting feedback and we don't necessarily have to charge more money. We can get a better product within the parameters we have now. Okay. So like for example the pizza that we get it's better it's it's more expensive or just it's more expensive. So then that just reduces our bottom line. Is that kind of I don't know. And we have you guys have been so successful in I guess essentially in selling selling food right that we have I don't know if we have a surplus but we have a nice revolving fund. It would be interesting to see what we can kind of improve relative to, you know, a step up in quality and see how it affects our overall and that's that's the direction we're going
198in. We can't do it across the board without doing like to get the pizza, we have to do a taste test. We have to get basically say we like this pizza better than the cheaper pizza. You know, it's a process to stay compliant with the USDA and the state as far as our buying and purchasing guidelines. Yeah, that's interesting. I love to hear that though. There we do. It's interesting. We do get feedback even um recently. We at the civics action showcase for the eighth and tth graders and I had the pleasure of judging a 10th grade team of athletes and they were saying how they really really wanted to see bananas and fresh fruit just like quick grab and go and you know potassium just that's what they want in in the lunchrooms. and
199they had a great rationale and it was well thought out and just a really good presentation on bananas and apples and it was just it was fantastic. So yeah, we actually great advocates bananas from our government produce doesn't offer bananas because they're not grown in America. That's part of the whole thing. But we have another vendor that does deliver to Wampuck. So Wampuck actually has been serving bananas. No way. We don't have to tell those those soft but we can get them everywhere. That was the feedback I got. Please bring bananas to the high school. No, I think it'll be interesting. Well, I'll be the hero if you bring the bananas. Also, the civ a civic action that I was uh had the pleasure of um reviewing was renewable utensils and so on. So, and
200I actually ran into him the other day and he didn't know that this was on your goal. So, he I said, "Oh, he must I'll give you credit even though it had nothing to do with it." Yeah. Um so, I think that's great and I agree you can't probably do 100% of it, but just replace even just the utensils, right? just the forks and knives or spoons, whatever, so they, you know, they can wash it. Um, but I think it'd be great and, you know, I don't give you things to do, but I feel like, you know, Project Fix Learning that we're pushing and pushing and kind of bringing things in from more than one, it'd be great to have like someone from the athletic department, someone for health and wellness, and someone from you
201say, "Hey, this is kind of the diet, the meals that we want our kids eating on our teams, and we can do this is maybe what we can do to help with that." I don't know if it's possible. I feel like it to some degree it is. And I, you know, we do stress the importance of nutrition and eating healthy. And I think that if we can somehow, you know, um, increase those offerings to our kids, I think that it would be great for everyone. Sounds like we can in incremental steps. Yeah. Um, I think it would be great a great project. Yeah. I know those students also said they wanted bigger, healthier portions of all the things and that they would be willing to pay for those things. But then I Right. That's probably
202how money can we make, you know, staff and output situation to to be fair. But well, appreciate you sharing that with us. Thank you. Thank you for all that you've done. All right, Mary, oh my god, I know. Not done yet. Bottom line, ladies. Oh, this is important. Not to be uh you know, tired. I know. We've been here since four. Oh, yeah. We have five hours. It's a record. Yeah. Um Janice, you want to jump in or you want me to? Oh, yeah. I know this. I'd love it, too. All right. Well, I'll just go go ahead. Uh we've been reviewing um the field trip policies and we have um put them put copies of the field trip policy and the student travel policy in our folder for us to look at. Um one
203of the things we realized is that um in the um where is the where's the student travel JJH student travel JJH Thank you. Not sure. Okay. Um yes. Okay. The out ofstate travel um we there's some pieces of the policy we have not been following. So we should actually be having both a a um an initial approval and a final approval. Um which we think if we follow this it will help us get some answers to some of the bigger questions about fundra about field trips. Um, part of the reason why we need this is because field trips are very complex to plan and to fund raise for. And so the initial approval is to kind of like the green light to go ahead and do some of that stuff, figure out the exact cost,
204how you're going to raise the money, and who will the chaperons be, you know, and what exactly will your itinerary be and all that stuff. Um, but then the final approval would be our time to kind of know those details. Um, but we've just been doing the one approval and as we all know, it can be like a year out and details are vague, of course, because Yeah. them yet, you're out. Um, but if we were to follow the policy more closely, we would be able to stay on top of those details a little bit better. Um, similarly, we were talking to Ryan about the field trip approval form and how it feels a little hodgepodge right now and a little old school and like it's missing the first page almost, the part that tells
205you why and what are the connections back to the curriculum and kind of like how does it all come together. Um, and so Ryan's been working on um, updating that form so that we can have more information about the purpose of the field trip and the connections to academics um, and kind of, you know, leading with that piece um, first. Um, and then if we follow this two-step approval process, it can just sort of help us solidify more of those details as we go so we're not feeling like we're on the hook for saying yes to something that's so far out. Yep. Got it. I got it. Totally agree. Will that new form be electronic? We're working on that. Um we we're trying to measure it went through some enhancements this year to be more
206legible and like so many people review it. So what we need to balance is the are some of those things in the presentation or do they go on the form? So I think that's what we need to work on from our our side is um what goes on in the form because so many people touch it like the nurse transportation it's out of state comes up or overnight it comes to comes to you. So that's what we just have to think through with um but what I'm hearing what I'm hearing you say too is that it needs to be clear at the outset the academic and educational benefits and whether that's in a presentation that we support staff with or goes directly in the form. Sounds like that's what you're looking for. Yes. Another thing
207we talked about was having um the number of day school days missed directly on the form because sometimes you know we're trying to do like calendar math like we're a year behind and you're like h is this going to be during vacation or not you know um because that you know is a real impact. Um the other thing we have talked about a little bit this year is a master form where all the field trips are so we can remember what we've already said yes to um and what is overlapping because you know from the family perspective we also want to be kind of aware of all the things we're offering um and making sure that we're thoughtful about how that's you know spread out. I think Melanie you started that. Yeah. Which has been
208helpful. The field trip spreadsheet at least for this past year, right? And there honestly it's there's been more since then, but I'm I can't tell you how happy I am we are having this discussion because it just Yeah. You know, a lot needs to be bottomed out by Yeah. Maybe a lot of factors go into field trips particularly out of state. Exactly. And it affects people other than that are going on the trip. So it affects staff and students that are in the building. Yeah. So yeah. So that was the part I think too that in addition to number days missed. I think that's important. And also kind of who's staff who no who like who's going to cover your classroom when you're not there. Right. All those details we can't get them because we're
209hearing about these things so far in advance because we have to because they need to get that initial approval so they can get the green light to, you know, start pursuing the field trip. But then details unfold, you know, um and so we got to really like what we have in place works. We just have to So starting next year, we want to be better community dealing with this issue either. Yes. And I don't want to add to the policy, but I also feel like um I would love to get feedback on when it's over, right? It does have to be a formula to come to they don't have to come to a meeting and present, but maybe just like a an email synopsis of like what went well and what can they I don't
210know. I feel like we never know. We just assume everything went well. But we know that that's not probably always the case. I don't again I want to I don't want to burden them with it but I feel like we should get some overview summary of the actual trip. Not every trip I would say what extended I don't know trips over four I don't know something something an initial we should be clear that an initial approval doesn't necessarily mean we're going to approve it but we Never we never decline a field. We never which is why this has kind of gotten back to here because we need to be more formal. So can I ask a practical example? So the next meeting we have the MECO director coming here for out of state program next
211February. Yep. Maybe that could be the test case. I'm not sure. Yeah, that would be great. There's a lot of open-ended stuff. So I think that would be helpful to him to come here for initial get back your feedback on what you need before he goes start soliciting. Exactly. People, money, all that kind of stuff. I guess my only other question would that would that director now in this case have to come back physically again within six months once got all those questions answered because it doesn't say physical or not to get a final approval. Otherwise, do we lose track of that? Because you wouldn't give initial approval. You would give initial feedback, right? Just not understanding this, right? Maybe it shouldn't say in addition because you can't really you can't um solicit students advertise
212for it or anything. So he's going to come in just kind of bold. So I think you can do that solicitation with well it says all student trips which include overnight or out of state travel must have prior approval of the school committee before any students are approached or any trip is advertised. So that initial approval would allow that to happen that to happen because we need that. We need to know for this met coach for example, right? You know, how many kids would want to do it? You know, like he has got to work through all that all those details. So I think that initial step has to be some type of an approval. Like it's like a green light to go move to the next step to move to the next step. Bring
213that back final. Yeah, exactly. Okay. Yeah, that makes sense. But that final approval would technically have to be done what? 60 days before? Um, no less than 60 days prior to the scheduled trip date. So, it's going to go two months. Two months. Yep. Sometimes we have those rare occasions where we have to suspend the policy. What's a scenario where we would decline the final approval? Well, we never have. I don't think we I mean, but I think now we're looking at it more closely because how many days that could be an able to but that wouldn't be our decision. The educational outcome. So, it would never make it here. I just don't know. I'm just trying to figure out what the purpose of the final approval is. I mean, I don't want to clog
214up agendas for people coming twice. Yeah. We do a lot of field trips. Yeah. I I was reading that that Dex does them via consent agenda. The final maybe the final is is that, you know, because it's like are all the boxes checked now? You know, that's what I just feel like we could just do. You don't need to come twice for the packet. They don't even have to come. Like they they've submitted it to whomever and like there's a list of packet. Yeah. But there's a list of approved read. Yeah. There's a list of field trips and we just like on we still have to look at the Yeah. Or even or even like the the Meetco one like he can come and present it. We have questions. That's the initial initial approval. in
215like say in six months all of our questions are answered that's uploaded into you know for a meeting and we see it and it's on the agenda he doesn't necessarily have to be here because we've already seen it I mean in the initial approval he might not even have the answers yet right that's what comes in I think being important is what's on that file the form is the key that's you noted at 9 9:15 the form is Um okay let's see. So student travel policy. Oh it was just the one. No. Um we also we have also come up with a plan for some comprehensive policy review. Okay that was what I was going to ask you. We thought we think is really important. So policy while it is rather boring and dry is
216actually like where everything lives and dies at the end of the day. And right now because of our committee size, we can only ever have two people on the policy subcommittee. And so it's like, I remembered that about the school improvement plans because I did that, but why would anyone remember that, you know, and we all reviewed them and things like that, but it's a fleeting moment in time. And so what we talked about as a as a subcommittee was um implementing something starting in the fall where we at this in each meeting go through a few policies just as a matter of just we just do it just as a matter of we just do it every time. And so our job, all five of us, would be to read whatever is in the
217packet that week or our policies that we're going to read. And I think it's about educating ourselves and familiarizing ourselves with what the policies are. And I think that's also a really good way to flag like, oh, this one we need to look at like deep dive into this deep then that goes to subcommittee, right? So subcommittee like we have these like two tracks going where it's just like a constant review and learning of policies especially because these are public facing um we have parents and families reading these policies and some of them are complicated and we have to we should really know them very well um better than the average person um and right now there's not a real reason to do that unless something comes up and so this is kind of a
218proactive approach and then on the side the policy committee is tasked with a kind of running list like we currently have which is like oh we should look at this policy this policy sounds good okay yeah that makes full sense thank you so we'll start that in the fall great we're going to spare everybody that for next meeting there's a lot already we thought we'd started right at the top but just kind of go through Yepel yeah um they're in there yeah Melany's You want to do it? Yeah. Ready? May 19th. Yep. Um I make a motion that the school committee vote to approve the May 19th, 2025 minutes as presented. Second. All in favor? I I right. Lawrence, I do have one from last week. 549,73255. 500,000 of that is the door and Whittier
219and Vert.ex are all human architect. All right. Uh correspondence just our invitations to graduation and and scholarship night. And you said we should get there around 5. We should be ready at the field at 5:30 5:45. 5:45 is the latest the tennis courts for graduation. Good one. Cross my fingers for weather again, right? To be nice, is it? Yeah. Oh, nice. Um, other business. No, it um I think I don't know. I um I don't know if this comes under future business or if this goes to policy subcommittee, but um or maybe both. I don't know. But um I think I've been reading a lot about our um bully bullying policies. Um and there's stuff in there about, you know, staff training and all that. And I just think um I've been getting a lot
220of communication from families. Um I think we all have. They've been using the same email address. Um, and I think in light of that, um, it would be good for us to use one of the levers at our disposal, which is policy, um, to see what is in our policy. And I know Nicole had sent an email to the maskless sererve kind of looking for other best practices to which she did not receive much of a response and then I reached out. But I imagine that, you know, we're not alone as a district in dealing with this. Um, and Desi does have I mean there's Desi has resources that it's something that we I would like to see us, you know, show some leadership on and I think policy is a way for us to
221do that. So, I'm not sure how to say that other than I I don't know if it goes to policy subcommittee or if I do it as an agenda item. Well, I also think having the those handbooks, the elementary handbooks having been updated, I'm curious what the link is between whatever was updated in via Desi, but also and how our policy sort of connects to that is unclear to me. So, that's like the point of research. I don't know if um Well, I also think if we're going to do a broad policy review, why wouldn't we take up that starting next meeting? Well, we can. That's a deep diver though, right? Um, yeah, that's I think that's like a a front burner. I think we should do I mean I because I was for a
222future agenda item I was going to say I think we have to have a conversation about what's going on because I I mean I met with a parent yesterday and and people are just they have lots of feelings and thoughts and so I feel like as a school committee we have to figure out how to let folks know that this is on our radar. I don't know what that looks like in a public meeting but I think it's important. I don't either. Okay. I would say that all we can work on is policy because it has to do with students. So I think we have two weeks to sort of format an agenda item that students. We have two weeks to format an agenda item that addresses that topic in our district from the school
223committee lens. That includes what we're able to discuss in terms of where we're at and where we want to be. Yeah, I remember we looked at the bullying policy last fall, not not the fall of 2023, I guess. Yeah. Um but I imagine there are maybe, you know, updates um just globally to the thinking around how this is addressed and things that we could, you know, that's why I'm curious what other districts are doing. So, I don't know. Right. And to your point, I mean, it's it's uh interesting how sparse the feedback has been and disappointing in some ways in terms of um fellow school committee feedback there. Yeah. In the state. Yeah. We were hoping I was hopeful for something. It's a hot potato. I was hopeful for something a little bit more um
224useful. Yeah. Useful. or at least like a hey, I'd love to have a conversation with you. Yeah. And to get a reply. Hope on that. In the meantime, maybe in the meantime, put that policy up for discussion work with Yes. We'll think about how to Superintendent Burke had discussed further agenda wise. All right. Um, any other agenda items? No, when do we I know we did the reord tonight for um When do we do the subcommittes? When do we do that? Not tonight. No, no, I know. I just No. No way. No, I'm just like fall. I feel like we waited till the summer or the fall because we were working on like we waited for weird we waited we want we were going to make a document number where we were going to write
225down what each policy what each Sorry. Well, Peter was reaching out to each of the towning and coming role was Yeah. So, yeah, it took a while. No, I was just curious. But do you want to push it up to like No, no, no. I'm fine. We've done it quick before. No, no, no. I was just again my Nicole, what if you said the same thing and and people choose? And if there isn't, I mean, it might not be much to talk about. If we come to If we come to a consensus quickly, then we can just sort of acknledge it. Okay. All right. Okay. Because we have that from last year. It's just like a table or something. Yeah. I'll share what we have and if you anyone wants Well, we're not allowed to
226collaborate on a document outside of our meeting. So, we can email you. We can email. You can email your individual. We can email you individually to say what you good or not. Yeah. Yep. That's perfect. Lights are out. Time to go. Here we go. Motion to adjourn at 9:26. Second. It's a record. All in favor?