001call this meeting to order please stand for pledge I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all I'd like to thank everybody for joining us and for those who are watching virtually uh do we have any agenda changes these board members have a hard copy of people the updated personnel or the heading which is appointment part time permanent which is a public comments portion I don't think anyone had signed up in advance is anyone here would like to speak tonight okay Communications okay then I'll jump right into board and staff reports the faf committee report by Mr ambro Souza thank you Jason so uh we met with Alexa from Questar science entries questions
002and she reviewed uh the annual concussion audit with us today um it was interesting they conducted Us in June but they kind of went through the process the staff that went well to the interview he also talked about their samples of sports and how they randomly pull stuff um we reviewed uh their uh objectives and then they also have recommendations for each objective we had already submitted a corrective action plan well that was kind of reviewed the three was approved that's our 2122 financials um we also talked about the capital project there's an update uh meeting soon where they're going to review timelines and uh Logistics sounds like there's going to be a whole lot of moving pieces if you can imagine especially here at Wiley and uh bid opening is a couple weeks away
003very good thank you superintendent of schools report Mr James ketrick okay lots of good information here uh Garrison Commander of Colonel Wagner and staff met with Mrs Lane and I to discuss our ongoing partnership to work with the community in the school district the long-standing memorandum of understanding was signed once again for the school year and represents the commitment between the post and Watertown to meet to discuss deployments resource availability program is initiated by Fort Drum to assist in educational students one such program is the star-based academy the stem oriented instruction and exploratory piece in which two fifth grade classes recession go to Fort Drum for one week for Hands-On activities our staff also participated and they attended twice in one week and also of not just observe but participated the program is excellent and
004naturally should help us with the math science folks and Engineering Tech our Wellness committee met open with discussion on grants and the bike program there are two teachers trained for this after school program at Ohio with kindergarten children fresh and fed is an after-school program at Sherman with a focus on Fitness and healthy eating stem explorers is 80 plus students in four after school groups these programs are excellent in a different pivot Representatives spoke about Wellness sampler offered Wednesdays from four to five he looked at ideas and things to do in hybrid format yoga meditation journaling and other self-care workshops were discussed three District folks including myself attended the PBIS hosted competition and barbecue picnic for our entire freshman class on Friday October 21st one of several volunteer service service folks was a board member
005of Mrs Converse and over 300 freshman class members enjoyed food Outdoors on a sunny day and it seemed very appreciative of the relaxed atmosphere in Wide Open Spaces of grass game options and sitting up by the tennis courts and conversation groups it was a great time the Watertown boys varsity soccer team played in the section three semifinals against perennial Powerhouse CBA although on Victorious it was a great season for Watertown and we are poised now to have our first full athletic banquet this November 9th this celebratory Gathering has not occurred since the beginning of the pandemic and the director of Athletics Mr Taylor is enthusiastic and working with booster club folks and Food Service coaches student athletes and parents to organize this important event congratulations from all of us here to everyone for a great
006fall season of sports special thanks to the Watertown booster club for taking care of cost for the dinner and also known as Michael Lennox through shepherding us through a lot of this season at our administrative cabinet meeting we reviewed the accident report form snow day prep that's right snow day traffic is coming health care clinics and things of that nature obviously we're also going through a new tech thing with the Promethean project replaces our Smart Boards it's really looking forward to that our annual football posters meeting uh took care of the purpose of working on a service contract for over 180 students in various programs the second part of the meeting was to assess the programs uh see how many students got endorsement diplomas and review quality and level of satisfaction with existing Services the
007media was very positive and Watertown students were very successful in both these programs there were 44 BOCES graduates among watertown's graduates in 2022. and I'm pleased to highlight our new Pre-K website which is located in three places uh the Watertown city school district website on the home page at the top right of the page under schools scroll down to the bottom and you'll find our new pre-k program okay you can also find it under registration and departments as as a topic we invite all parents but especially our Pre-K families to go and take a look at the website additionally if there's any families who have four-year-olds we still have openings for upk um all the slots are filled number for three-year-olds so there are four years four-year-old slash available if you're still interested we had
008a half day or conference day for staff development the keynote speaker for our staff development was Dr Adolph Brown he is a career educator and mental health professional for over 30 years we thank the school for allowing him to work with students earlier in the day about empowering yourself as a student and taking charge of your life and Future relationships govern behavior is what he said to we adults in the afternoon Dr Brown remarked on social emotional learning in the context of a post-pandemic climate early in his presentation to all staff at the high school auditorium it's okay to laugh he said but we are all going through something what are we going through the emotional backpack we hide is the important one we've been carrying that backpack for years a grudge it's defined as
009a poison you take and expects someone else to suffer we carry divorce hardship and all personal storms not addressed roll off on your kids we bleed on people who don't cut it who have not cut us three years we lost mental health issues are serious in America and Dr Adolph Brown speaks highly of America and the importance of dealing with mental health issues in this country personal issues are one of the top reasons Educators lead the profession we must reconcile those personal storms that we push down and repress you can't feel what you don't reveal reveal it to heal it he says our presenter reflected on his life the importance of his granddad when his own father left to know your history and honor those before you in farming his grandfather always said you don't
010stop working when you are tired you stopped working when you are done have a solid work effort the word humankind and big letters span the entire screen in the auditorium of Watertown he said be both human and kind we are not good at being humane kindness is a powerful thing kindness is a positive human regard just because not expecting something in return Dr Brown made a special effort to commend and thank administrative assistants custodial staff Educators maintenance nurses social workers counselors psychologists technology food service and later secretary he then asked all the paraprofessionals to come forward and stand in front of the auditorium for recognition while they assembled Dr Brown reflected on the Journey of his own daughter who faces to this very day serious medical challenges he said his daughter made friends with many
011power professionals over the years who were with her on a daily basis and some of whom even transferred with her from middle school to high school back home so they could continue taking care of her needs and continue the incredible relationships and friendships that often exist with staff and children Dr Adolf Brown said from the stage as he looked with kind regard to nearly 50 Professionals in front of him he said these are the people who do it for the outcome not the income how true they got a standing ovation one of the nicest moments of that entire afternoon it was very very well done in closing we are a balcony or basement people balcony people are cheerleaders for others basement people have subconscious or unconscious conflict full of negativity they are looking to be
012offended take heart you find what you are looking for take care of yourself as a suggestion and a self-test make a list of all the things you love how long would it take to add yourself to that list don't lose hope because students misbehave you can't row with extra baggage do not tether yourself to the choices children make they have free will behavior is learned or allowed be on guard a constant guide an array of Hope turns setbacks into comebacks as a teacher teach who you have not the ones you wish you had remember the 4S fun fair firm flexible and firm means consistency structure limits and boundaries a lot of great information for teaching and for other walks of life another monstrous kind of a light moment here for Primary School teachers everything is
013not a crisis for Middle School teachers and this too shall pass and for high school every person is a study of one because they are either going to be employed enrolled or enlisted funny how those three words categorize most places students go after high school employed enrolled or enlisted this was a great presentation by a great presenter I want to thank the assistant superintendents for the work they did as well as Patti labar for finding this this individual he's a fabulous speaker he's been back here the second time for this one he was absolutely wonderful it was a great time thank you it was a nice week thank you assistant superintendent transaction report Mr Stacy in your covers um so as uh Mr Kendrick mentioned Dr Brown was here for both two student assemblies and
014a staff keynote on Friday and I talked to Mr Fairchild this morning because I had a chance to see him and asked him how the students received it he said that the aftermath was extremely positive um I suspect the same was a case because their reception just in general while they were there was uh very upbeat and enthusiastic so I'm glad that we had an opportunity for the students to hear him as well this year uh the portrait of a graduate committee met on October 26th through all the feedback that staff provided after opening day on the portrait of a graduate and revisiting takeaways from focus groups that committee has decided to focus this year's work on developing an elective fair for our incoming high school students so for 8th graders as well as our
015underclassmen for looking towards what they can take next year and also working on the development of a life skills financial management course to be offered hopefully as a required course in the future for all high school students this would address the financial literacy component of the portrait of a graduate as well as other skills like organization and self-management uh the one district one book committee met on October 25th uh they have three books planned for different grade bands as I've mentioned but grades seven and eight will be reading First beginning in January 2023. the book title will be announced a little bit later on the group is planning a kickoff to invite excitement and suspense among students around the events related to the community Endeavor so they don't want to release that title in advance
016of giving students the opportunity to get excited about it um the asrti committee also met on October 25th to work on Logistics is related to implementation of intervention requirements the Cyclone Learning Zone a learning challenge is in the midst of receiving submissions from staff the challenge this year invited staff to work as individuals or teams to reflect on what they've learned over the last few years but also what they want to unlearn going forward and how that will impact students and their classrooms or offices so submissions are coming in in the past they've been focused on flexible seating in the classroom but we're excited to see what staff present this year in their proposals we had our first district advisory committee meeting on October 20th this committee is charged with implementation of the board's shared
017decision-making policy so we have staff members as well as community members and parents participating on this committee to review academics recommendations given by the building advisory teams and assist in resolving issues that cannot be resolved at the building level I had the opportunity to present in Syracuse to SUNY oswego's 601 class on diversity equity and inclusion on October 19th in the evening the district-wide technology committee also met that day and we discussed the elimination of go Guardian software and the potential for replacement in the future as well as the Promethean board installations across the district and potential challenges that might be going along with the installations of those starting the week of Thanksgiving break Beth Mauer Peg drapo and I have met with Laura borsi's team on the Pre-K parent survey this goes out to
018families twice a year the first survey this year will be administered in December I met with Chad Aaron and Tom on a multitude of topics relating to high school they're working on new caps and gowns for graduates starting next year they have a plan to start driver's ed and a parent Square message went out about that last week for after school programming beginning November 14th and they've asked this is just a request for your discussion and consideration that we consider doing a testing only day again this year on Tuesday January 24th for the purposes of administering the English Regents we've asked for that in the past we did it in 2019-2020 right before covet hit it was a 95 pass rate on that particular exam and it really helped with the number of Staffing we
019need for accommodations for students with disabilities as well as just general proctoring needs in the high school um given the state's timeline of computer-based testing implementation case middle school has decided to move in the direction of computer-based testing this particular year for grades seven and eight both in ela and math the attendance committee met to work through geographical mapping of chronic absenteeism in the district and we'll continue that work in November um and also revisit the roles of different staff groups regarding attendance management we had a new programmatic school counselor join us starting at Watertown High School about two weeks ago she's already met with 25 different students on career and Futures related planning so we're really excited to see what she's able to do with career exploration and support our K-12 initiative in that
020direction as well last thing that I have for you is that the impact Aid survey was mailed out to families last week the application is due at the end of January so hopefully we'll have a good response rate and I apologize for the lengthy update but I haven't seen you in a month so a lot going on thank you very much assistant superintendent or personnel and student service report just came away thank you so as Stacy said uh we or did a point a new school counselor for our high school we've been looking for once and searching for one and we interviewed and had a successful candidate and just to get a little more detailed on that we're really excited about having another counselor on board we met Stacy and I met with the team
021on October 11th along with Mr Fairchild we've brainstormed different topics you know programmatically that the new counselor can work on we're going to work on alumni tracking which is something we wanted to do for many years Career Fairs Naviance you know computer programs AP uh we'd like to you know really hone in on the NCAA requirements graduation requirements a liaisonic or BOCES a liaison to all of our colleges to have colleges come in during lunches just somebody who's focused on programs for our students to really educate them so we're really excited about the team approach that we've taken there Mr Patrick and I also met with our medical directors to discuss student physicals athletic paperwork and medical procedures they're here once a week they do a stellar job their Physicians from Samaritan Medical Center and
022we you know they're not just here one day a week I feel like they're a direct line I can contact them and they'll answer our students needs and our nurses needs and our staff's needs so they're great and we really really appreciate the work that we do with Samaritan and we work with three doctors there we also uh I facilitated meetings with our pupil Personnel Services teams a couple of weeks ago we have k-6 team and a seven through 12 team we're working on uh as Stacy said attendance working on communicating with parents and having a flowchart we developed one during covid and it looks a little different now so we'd like to really focus on attendance and who's responsible for communicating you know in a in a really determined way so that we know
023who's contacting parents and families I also I participated in a zoom with Dr George Theo Harris with Syracuse University our team did here we had principals Stacy was involved and it's uh we're involved in a year-long equity focused community of practice exercise there's several different school districts involved and it's nice to get on for an hour and a half you know bi-monthly to talk about diversity equity and inclusion also met with the nurses as Ambrose said we went over the concussion audit concussion management audit we're all in the same page there we've remedied all of the five suggestions there the nurses have been very they all got interviewed last spring with a concussion management policy and love audits are great because they teach us what we've done well and what we can do better so
024we're on a good road there I also attended the District Health and Wellness committee meeting with Mr ketrick and I really enjoyed meeting with our Fort Drum leaders so what a great conversation we had with them uh one great thing we worked with Wendy O'Sullivan our liaison from Fort Drum and she's actually connected me Fort Drum has Career Fairs and they have many military spouses out there who have teaching degrees in other states but there's you know some opportunities for me to go out there and meet with people so it's nice it's nice to be able to network like that also I attended the administrative cabinet meeting on October 20th and finally I had a great privilege I one of my favorite things to do uh we have a great relationship with SUNY Pakistan and
025we have our first round of student teachers who are have gone through and done their first six weeks of student teaching so I spent an hour and a half with teacher candidates on Friday morning from 10 30 to noon uh doing Mac interviews with them we'd ask questions and then we give them feedback and it's nice opportunity for the district to get to know some prospective teachers along the way so that was a lot of fun and it was really educational for me I learned just as much as from them as they you know they do for me so hopefully it was beneficial for all involved thank you very much assistant superintendent for finance Dr Joshua hartshorn just to correct Tina audits are necessary that great yeah a lot of work but anyways yeah as
026Ambrose had mentioned Auntie Dimension we had the concussion management one on the agenda along with the corrective action plan um also zambrose mentioned a capital project update meeting is tomorrow bid opening I believe it's November 7th so should have a better idea on some of the lead times for a number of those areas like the air handlers and chillers that we mentioned last time st3 and in clean so that's good we're done with our that's our financial reporting to the state on our actuals for 21.22 we submitted for the healthcare worker bonus thing there on October 20th so the deadline was yesterday hopefully it was never to see some movement on that reached out to Dr Paul severski too just to get an update to get an estimate on what it would cost regarding the
027feasibility study that happened right at the beginning of coven so just kind of got to sit down with the four of us and figure out which option and I think it was between two and five thousand depending on what combination of services we wanted to have them to sit down if you wanted to sit down meeting with the board and stuff afterwards starting budget prep now we kind of just started discussing some of that stuff with Finance a lot of facilities meeting so just kind of getting some of the wish list stuff and some of the prelim numbers like TRS came out with what they're asking us to budget for so some of the stuff is starting to come out now and School text it was I guess the last thing I had was squintex
028and so far on the city side we're a little over 5 million collected or about 41 percent on the town County side where a little over 3 million which is about 62 percent of that size so all in just under half 47 percent correct Okay so very good thank you um agenda agendas a b c d E and F can I get a motion in a second right any discussion all those in favor aye any opponents motion curious items for board action resolved at the internal audit and annual risk assessment school district has prepared by the firm request around three OCS for the period ending June 30 2022 and the corrective action plans Associated here there with is here by accepted and approved can I get a motion please and a second Kelly any discussion
029all those in favor all right any opposed aren't you curious abolition as recommended by James Kendrick intro superintendent of schools doing a motion please and a second okay hurry up any discussion all those in favor aye aye opposed motion curious one FTE senior typist position as recommended by James ketcher interim superintendent of schools I like the enthusiasm any discussion all those in favor the Board of Education hereby approves the following resignations leaves of assets equipments probationary instructional permanent provisional part-time permanent part-time temporary Tutors or Professor substitutes instructional substitute non-instructional intramural supervisors can I get a motion please any discussion all those in favor She carries so I'll put upon the recommendation of James ketter again Trump superintendent of fluency of Aaron Karen King it's K-12 principal in the district can I get a motion please
030any discussion all those in favor all right any opposed motion carriers congratulations thank you prayer is a resolution education approving the winter coaching positions of Lauren laviendo at Chelsea van castle and we get there were resolved that this amended resolution reflects that Warren La Vietnam will Coach seventh grade basketball eighth grade basketball girls for the 22-23 winter coaching season and is hereby approved can I get a motion please in a second right any discussion all those in favor all right any opposed motion curious resolved at the following from biased Board of Education policy is here and adopted 2306 public participation can I get a motion please hurry up and a second Ambrose any discussion all those in favor any opposed motion carries great job policy computer resolved at the Immaculate Heart Central will combine with
031the water health district and be it from the result that the students become members of the Watertown city school district 1715 will complete water challenge can I have a motion please and a second any discussion any opposed motion carries resolved School District or the 22-23 school year to Performance 18 and to be improve the results that the students Watertown city 's colors can I have a motion to destroy in a second Fred any discussion just the first year we've done it before and we had spent once this year great all those in favor all right any opposed disposal we cycle or donation of damage outdated and evidence books in the library at East Middle Schools can I have a motion please yeah in a second oh yeah any discussion all those in favor any opposed
032motion curious at North Elementary and Sherman Elementary can I have a motion please and second okay any discussion all those in favor okay any opposed option carries can I have a motion cameras in a second Fred any discussion I always ask this but if somebody wants to get them they have that opportunity is that correct okay just get a hold of Michelle and Mr trumpets okay is that list typically reviewed structure like how do we determine what not always um but I at times I will skim them I did have a call on this particular one asking whether an exhaustive list would be considered by all of you or if it should be done in chunks I advise them that if you need to make space in your library for new books and you feel
033that these are justifiably outdated or not utilized by students then send a list to you for approval most of the time I mean the person I spoke with some of them are 70 years old um not being taken out by students regularly so I typically trust their judgment call on what's being pulled regularly and not all those in favor any opposed motion curious resolved that the approval of the extracurricular co-advisor James niedermeier for the art Club at Watertown High School can I have a motion please right in a second any discussion all those in favor all right any opposed motion carries from case international Club to explore the Espana culture of New York City [Music] borders in New York City should I have a motion please Maria and Ambrose any discussion a question on admission
034cost um student expense because that doesn't fundraising or is that actual student expense so um for students who can't afford it it's kind of a two-part question it's a monthly level yeah most of our clubs do have active fundraising I can check in and see what the international Club at case has planned there shouldn't be an admission cost to the UN I'm wondering if that is actually a bus expense if maybe we can we can find a way to offset it yeah I'm assuming it's not a per student cost no no I would I would hope it's just about the boss because I don't think something like the UN which would be charging right okay but I can confirm that and let you know good question all those in favor all right any opposed oh
035she curious some upcoming dates Friday November 11th no school all buildings are closed Tuesday November 15th there will be a policy committee meeting at 5 PM in Ohio following or followed by our board meeting 6 p.m also at Ohio November 23rd through the 25th which is a Wednesday through Friday Thanksgiving recess no school I obviously Friday November 25th all buildings are closed go around the room start with Maria h about 70 degrees this weekend I'm good okay Ambrose my wife got to see uh Mr Adolf Brown a second time her first time and my eighth grader and this guy from this year and all weekend they would not stop talking about the experience so Kudos in to whoever organized that and bring them back as much as possible very motivational thank you that's awesome not
036set sectionals for cross-country Runners Saturday so I've seen them run around the school I don't know if you guys are watching so the weather's perfect for that awesome Mr Dozier um no just a second that um Dr Brown I heard overheard many conversations about that all positive great Mr Richardson I've got uh some updates to share with everybody from all of our buildings uh from Watertown High School Chief Fairchild rights that are whiz quiz team placed third overall in the PBS competition our volunteer Club is working with the YMCA to collect winter apparel to share with the community and our PBIS team here at Watertown High School put on a competition and hosted a picnic for our entire Freshman Class outside um from Wiley Dan mincer Wright starting October 25th Wiley will be offering an
037after-school opportunity called stem explorers uh thanks to Mrs Lisa blank and Mr Tyler Tomy we will have groups of students who will stay after school to explore stem topics and activities he also writes that Wiley we are starting our math Olympiad teams up after a hyena student covet we will have almost 100 students competing internationally each month between now and March our math Olympians will be taking a short but tough exam to compete against students from all over the world like Lennox at Starbucks writes we had an excellent turnout for our Harvest Dance on Friday October 8th which was sponsored by the PTO students and families enjoy the evening with music dance food drink pin making and overall fund it was so nice to have a real dance in the building and they support by
038the community was enormous um he also writes that the parade was held on Monday October 31st with many family members attending the outdoor event the costumes and favorite fall clothing worn by the students and faculty were a big hit many smiles were made and parties were held in the classrooms on that day finally a special thanks to our substitutes serving our building this past month they have done a great job are always willing to step in when needed we are very blessed update from Jess Blair at Ohio Ohio elementary PTO hosted a fall dance on the 21st and they had over 300 students and family members joined them thank you to all of the parents who volunteered to make this such a fun event and to all the families who came out and supported their
039child Stephen Newcomb at Knickerbocker writes on Friday October 28th the Knickerbocker PTO held a Halloween dance that was free to all in attendance there were opportunities to get photographs guess the wait and win stacks of pumpkins and a DJ and light show was actually on the gymnasium the attendance was overwhelmingly impressive with a long line at arrival time parents grandparents and Friends attended with their young students the return of the Halloween parade was welcomed by the community sidewalks were lying and smiles and Labs were heard throughout the procession things continue to go well for students and the staff go well for the students and the staff has settled in for a challenge challenging but rewarding academic and social growth and rebound Sandra Kane at North writes North had our third annual storybook character pumpkin patch
040at home project students worked with families to create pumpkins based on storybook characters our librarian Mrs Stratton and our assistant Mrs Meadow organized this event and display these amazing projects in our library every year Terry ganza the Sherman writes that they celebrated Halloween with their parade on Monday morning the kids looked amazing and the turnout from the community was just as amazing and great to see Sherman Community is extremely supportive of their children as well as their school staff and students continue to come to work every day and put forth their best efforts which makes all of us very proud new update from Mrs Elizabeth Maurer for the pre-kindergarten uh Beth Mauer would like to thank all of the seven community-based organizations Benchmark Great Beginnings Community Action planning Council Jefferson campus Care New Day Children's
041Center Treehouse and YMCA daycares daycares directors and staff for partnering with the Watertown city school district and creating a wonderful start to lifelong learning and a welcoming environment for a high quality pre-kindergarten she says I have been very privileged to be in all 27 classrooms witnessing the wonderful learning going on uh with our three and four-year-olds research shows that high quality pre-kindergarten increases the likelihood for success in schools from what I can see I truly believe this is happening the Watertown city school district Universal pre-kindergarten and we already talked about these spots available um so I think that's it thank everybody for writing these great updates and finally we are in need of an executive session to discuss matters leading to the discipline suspension dismissal or removal of a particular person Maria and second Ambrose
042[Applause] [Music] running [Music] um