001I 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. Okay. Okay, let's take attendance. We're going to prove it. Everyone is here except Ben. Clear. Next, we will proceed to the approval of the consent agenda and the minutes of the regular August meeting. Has anyone seen the update I sent you? Yes. Yes, thank you. I propose accepting the minutes as presented. Support. Is everyone in favor? I. Anyone against it? Okay. Let's move on to the audience comments. Can Laura and I present something? Of course. Okay. Oh, yes, that's right. This is for all of us. Okay, well, I don't know, I guess their name and address. Maddie Gleason. I am Laura Ogren. We have
002brochures. Excellent. You are welcome. I hope this is enough. Thank you. You are welcome. I have additional copies if anyone wants one. Okay. Well, we wanted to present something on behalf of our musical theatre program that we carried out together in the third term. In the contract, there is a position for musical theatre director in Annex B, but no budget has been allocated for those positions. That's why we're asking for a budget to be allocated for those positions so we can use that money to pay for the additional help and support we receive to conduct that class. As you can see, we have our rehearsal schedule and how we divide it up to complete a show in 4 weeks. It's a miraculous feat, but it happens. As you will see, there are the voices, the
003choreography, the staging, and the team. It's not enough for a two-person show. That's why we need additional help from Broadway Boot Camp to come and support us in that. Obviously, Laura is in charge of the voices. The choreography is more my department's responsibility, and then they come in for the acting and that teamwork. We also show here that all the highlighted dates are those on which there were days when we lost students due to AP exams or sports. So, we only had nine days with our full cast present, and we only had 11 days where we were in the studio, on stage with our full cast as well. So, this shows how hard we worked to accomplish everything in such a short time with all the craziness that happens in the third quarter. And then,
004if you turn it over, we have the data on all our ticket sales, our donation from sponsors to obtain the rights to our show. Muskegon Catholic has helped us tremendously. She is the one who runs Broadway Bootcamp, Jackie Robinson at Muskegon Catholic. She's the reason we had accessories, we had costumes. She came and helped us with our team's work. Well, they bought us all the props and costumes to keep, because they're doing The Little Mermaid this year and they'll help us again this year. They said, " Oh, we want to do Footloose this year." We're very excited about that. And they already have many of the costumes for us because they've already done the production. So, once again, they helped us enormously by allowing us to borrow accessories and costumes from them. Very good. But
005you'll see that we only spent $ 300 because paying Broadway Bootcamp staff costs quite a bit of money. So that's money we're losing. If that could be a B-list position, we would have earned an additional $3,000 to help grow our program. And then, the last page is just two very nice testimonials from students who praised our program, because it's nice to leave a sincere message that the kids really love our program. And although it's a very short and quick 4 weeks, we're really excited to have the opportunity to do musical theatre at some point during the year, especially when they're so busy with other sports and clubs and everything else during the rest of the year, that they have a slot to do it at the end of the year. I just wanted to add,
006because this was in Appendix B, as she originally stated, and we mentioned it a couple of times, and were simply told no; He won't be there next year ; He won't be there. So, we would really love to have it for next time because, as she said, we really didn't get much out of it in the end . And we were fortunate to have fine arts sponsors helping out and things like that, but we could really use , you know, like coaches and other people get Schedule B to pay for their participation. It would be really helpful for us. Thank you. Can I clarify that? I'm saying that what you're asking for is $ 3,000. Well, it's in the program. I was on program B, yes. Okay, that's program B. Yes. Okay. I think so.
007Okay. Yes , it's in place. Because I think in program B there's one for a musical and then there were two for directors of plays. So, if we combine all of that into one, why don't we do any theater with our program? Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Wait, explain it again. Are you asking for the musical director and the show? The two directors of the play. If only there could be just one. Is it just one? It's just one and one. Okay. Yes, Tony and Jeff always split everything, but you're asking... Okay. Yes. And who are you asking to be paid for that? To Jackie Robinson and Kim Sorenson. Yes, and I... Well, Maddie teaches high school students, so the class is technically Maddie's class . So it's during their school day. In my case,
008I only teach music to primary school students in the afternoon and in the morning, when I work, the choir pays me to do things in the choir. So this is not a choir. So when I do musical theatre, I get paid with whatever we earn or whatever from this. Yes. And then, the Broadway boot camp staff ... Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Okay. Anything else? Okay. We will now move on to the committee reports. The finance committee? We met before the general meeting and reviewed the accounts payable. Our general fund has a surplus at the end of the year. We reviewed the summer food program and this summer it was a success again. And our current situation with the bonds is that we have spent 75% of the bonds. That's where we
009are. Thank you. Also on academic matters. We met on May 8th and discussed various student placements and issues that arose this year. We talked a lot with John Eland about the review process he's doing for the curriculum he's managing. We learned about the AP course updates. There are some very exciting new and innovative things happening there. And other excellent academic supports that arise through , you know, graphic academic support and invention. And many other updates and ways to work with ISD, a couple of different opportunities for high school. Well. Okay. Okay, now we're going to have another presentation. Hello. I'm going to ask four incredible people to stand here with me for a second because this is truly the work they did. Well, if you remember, three or four years ago, Molly, Eric, and I—
010three and a half years ago—started a program called WEB, Where Everyone Belongs, with our high school students, where our eighth-grade students became leaders and helped our sixth-grade students come in, and they did like a transition day, and we spent two days training them, and going... Molly and I went to the training and learned a lot about how to help students become student leaders. And then I thought, this is something incredible that has to continue. So, Any Act, thank you so, so much to Any Act. This couldn't have happened without them. We wrote a grant application and received enough money to keep the program running and to have three more teachers trained. So, Audrey was trained with WEB , so she and Molly have now taken over and are carrying it forward, and Maddie and Eric
011are doing Link, which is the high school version . So, this is the first year we have high school. Well, now we have middle school represented, where eighth-grade students mentor incoming sixth-grade students, and high school represented, where juniors and seniors mentor incoming freshmen. And so it will continue. Well, I only have a couple of slides, but I wanted you to see that this was this year. These are our WEB leaders up there in green, and our Link leaders in blue. I'm going down to the right, Paul. Where everyone belongs. Once again, the eighth-grade students arrive at Link Crew, where dedicated students from higher grades spend a lot of time. These four incredible human beings take them in, mentor them, organize play and training days, and work with them throughout the summer. And then all the
012children call their sixth- grade friends and invite them to participate, and so they spend a whole day together , playing with balloons, doing silly things, and striving to grow outside their usual comfort zones . And the real goal is to develop a sense of belonging and trust. And therefore, it's designed for peer-to- peer connections, right? Because there are only a limited number of adults available to provide emotional security and promote academic success. And it 's really linked to that strategic plan that you hear us talking about all the time. It is very dynamic , very interactive for all our sixth and ninth grade students. It really reduces anxiety. Let's let them share a couple of stories . And it simply helps children feel safe because, whether it's at a football game or the grocery store,
013in class or the cafeteria, because sometimes that's a really scary place. Look at the people and you can see that all these are photos from this year when they were there. And then, throughout the year, things happen. So, these kids follow up with their mentors throughout the year. Mentors communicate with their younger students . Specifically, we have sixth-grade students having lunch with our eighth- grade students on purpose so that our eighth-grade WEB leaders can maintain that connection throughout the year. And it really has an incredible positive impact on our entire school community. Therefore, I just wanted to thank the Education Council and the administrative team for their support. Again, thank you so much to NEF for making this happen. And I don't know. I just wanted to give you all the opportunity to share something
014about what this experience as students has meant to you . Yes, deep down in my heart, the first year I thought, "Oh my God, this is going to be a lot." But I've seen in these three years how much it has changed lives, and this year we had the coolest story. A new student arrived, she was in eighth grade and didn't want to go to lunch. He didn't want to eat, he didn't want to sit at a table, he didn't want to talk to anyone. I went to the office, and finally asked them to send you to the high school counselor . So she came to sit with me, and I said, "Well, you need to have lunch. We really need you to have lunch, and that's how you'll meet people." I don't have lunch.
015That was all . So I called one of our WEB leaders and she said, "I'll go find her. Don't worry, I'll look for her." Then she came down and this student is definitely an entrepreneur. He was supposed to be here, but he's at a volleyball game. He could leave before his volleyball match. Then she came in, looked at the student and said, "Let's go." And the student said, "I don't eat lunch. I really don't want to go." She said, " No, let's go." She literally picks her up and carries her to the dining room, and then—this is what almost made me cry—the new student stops and says, "Thank you so much. You change lives." It's great. Yes, I think it's great, just like the first day, everyone is wearing their green shirts . They wear
016them, and each year we wear them in different colors, so it's something representative of that year. But only in the first year, even though we are a small district and we are all in the same building, it is a new part of the building that they are not yet used to. So, being able to have that little girl in a green t-shirt helping them get to class, where their first period is, where their North Village is, is a great experience. In addition, it gives them great life skills, so we talked about the phone call; they hate it, but even I knew I had to do it. I mean, it's like, no, they're really nervous. They say, "I don't want to. I never want to call either, but I have to. It's a great life skill."
017And I even called a grandfather, I think. And he told me, "My grandson can't come, but it was great to hear another child talk to me." And they were great, they sounded very formal and all that. So they teach those life skills and help in the area. And this is Link's first year, and these guys took him, adopted him, and carried him through. So, would you like to tell us a little about your experience? Yes. I'm very glad that we can go back to orientation for first- year students. We just had class meetings on Friday and I snuck in with the freshmen to make sure my freshman council was all right in front of the whole class. And I just went up there and said, " Remember what we talked about at freshman orientation ?
018Like, we're going to try it this year . We're not going to sit on the sidelines. We're going to get involved." And I know there's a new student this year, and I know she's going to be doing makeup powders. I know he's going to build floats. As well as all those different activities that I know we really emphasize in orientation for freshmen . And going back to that, we can return to that moment as: "Do you remember when we told each other in freshman orientation how we were going to act this year, how we were going to get involved?" And I really feel like that class is starting to get involved, which is really nice to see. I know the ninth grade benefited greatly from it, but what I enjoyed most was seeing our 11th
019and 12th grade students work with the ninth graders, conduct the training, have fun with it, embrace it, and really give it their all. I mean, because literally during our Link and Web we talked for about 45 minutes, and then they took them away for about 2 hours. And it was just amazing to see them, you know , teaching them things and interacting with them and filling those 2 hours, which is very difficult to do when you have, you know, 10 ninth-grade students that you just met. So it was incredible. Very good. So, thank you so, so, so much to these people. It's a lot of hours and time to invest in our children and in the NAF and it has been incredible. I will say that probably everyone has heard that the group of freshmen
020has a little reputation that has followed them over time and they have managed to grow incredibly over each of the years. This year, they went on their first-year field trip and all the teachers said it was the best ninth-grade field trip they'd ever had because the kids were amazing. And I think it's a lot of work that the community and families have done, but I really attribute it to the work that they are seeing our upper-level students model as they enter high school. So, it's truly amazing. I have a question. Were any of those eighth or eleventh grade students who are your leaders leaders when they were in eighth grade? No, but they won't be next year. Yes, so next year the juniors will be the ones who can say they were able to do
021it during high school. But our eighth- grade students were first in sixth grade. Then we could reflect on that with them. Do you remember how you felt when you entered? You remember how...And they did well. The most important thing was to wear the green shirts on the first day because it was photo day. And I would tell them, "You can change. You just have to use them for the first 10 minutes." And having them all in front of me, there were children saying, "I don't know where to go." So, on the first day, the sixth-grade students would come in not remembering where their classes were, even though we had shown them a couple of times, and the WEB leaders would just take them there and show them where their schedules were printed and say, "
022Here's your class. Don't worry." "Well, that's been great. Thank you so much to these guys. Thank you to you guys too. Thank you. Thank you. Okay . Now, some boring business. Okay. Well, you can go. We have some very exciting things here. We'll move on to item 753, the approval of the transport agreement for 2026-2029. I forgot to give it to you earlier, so I hope you'll say yes. Does anyone have any questions or concerns? As far as pay is concerned, just to give you a little feedback, we match what Whitehall does. Just so you know . We don't publish our salaries based on Whitehall's salaries or contracts, but we do pay the same as Whitehall. Actually, no. We share our administrative part of the bus business with Whitehall. So they want to be competitive.
023I propose that we accept the transport agreement for 2026-2029 as presented. I support. Everyone in favor. Me. Me. Me. Me. Anyone against? Okay, item 754. We need a motion to approve leave for Ms. Balison. She's going to have a Baby. I propose accepting Ms. Balison's maternity leave as indicated on her... I'm trying to find the dates. Um, it was December 1, 2017. Everyone in favor? I... Um, okay. Can we move on to board comments? Um, I don't know if I should go this way or that . Um, I just want to say about the web presentation, wonderful things. Um, my daughter will be in 11th grade next year, who will be able to reflect on that? But I do remember having to coach her for a phone call or two. Um, I gave her my
024professional advice on how to call someone and be professional and things like that. Is n't that right? Yes, it's quite an affair. She was scared . Like, she's a person. You shouldn't be scared of them. They're probably just as nervous as you are. Yes. But it was a good thing. I liked it. It brought her out of her shell. All very well . No further comment. I just want to say I'm impressed that La The fact that Little Mermaid was pulled off in such a short time was absolutely incredible. You all did an amazing job in the spring, so congratulations to you and the students who made it happen with everything else going on because I know it was a very busy time of year . And thanks to the website and the link as
025well, and my daughter GG participated and loved it, so thank you for all of that. I appreciate it. So, thank you. And as part of that, we were so excited to support it. I'll be echoing these things. From Eugene and everyone for the presentations. I got the phone call this year and it was so funny. I was like, "What's this local phone number?" "And I was like," I think this is school. "I'd better answer." You know, maybe they'd get more voice messages. But that is something very important and I know that my current sixth-grade student and her friends benefited from it. I was able to hear a lot of things from them after that kind of thing and they all felt much more comfortable afterward. So that 's really great. I appreciate it. And yes,
026I mean, obviously this whole place is amazing every year and the support and excitement that goes into it. So that's great. So, thank you for coming and doing what you do, and have a good day. I mean , I'd like to echo all of that. There's a lot to say. But I especially like the addition of the high school liaison . I think we take it for granted that, oh, they're already in the same building . It's all the same now, as if everyone were the same people, but it's still a transition. So it's very exciting that there's something to help those ninth-grade students adjust, and yes, fantastic work in every way. I hope all your years are over. A great start. I just want to thank you all as well. I mean, it's really
027great how Webb fosters that sense of community that is established in these kids from the beginning, and that is built up over the years; And that link with all the years at school, I think, is a very important part of what we're trying to achieve here. I believe this goes a long way toward further integrating inclusion and other aspects of our community goals, and it certainly does so with these kids while they are still so young. I wanted to acknowledge the school psychologist, whose name I can't remember right now. Yes. There. Yes, for winning an award for best school psychologist in the state. I mean , it's so great that we have it up and running. So I guess that's another achievement for us. But thank you. I will echo all of that. I feel
028like a lot has been said and there isn't much more to add, but thank you all for presenting and sharing. I think the Link to High School expansion is amazing and I'm really blown away by this Little Mermaid timeline and how it puts into context what it takes to make it and how quickly everything happens. It was truly wonderful. Yes. So that's all I'm thinking about. Yes, thanks. It's great. I'd like to tell you how close this is to the heart because when I was in high school, we had kids, especially the older ones, who would come into the gym and help me, and that helped the younger ones , and that's an important skill to work with. Having someone a little older, more than just a nanny. But yes, I'm very glad that this
029has reappeared. And yes, I do wave to the school buses that pass me on the road. Thank you. Oh, and don't forget to come to the homecoming dance. Yes. I have big plans for next year. Very good. Thank you all. We can adjourn the session.