001I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Laura, are you all set with attendance? >> Yes, I am. >> I'd like to get a motion to approve the board minutes from May 14th. >> So move. >> Second. >> All in favor? Hi. >> Just as a point of order, can to help Laura, when you make your motion, can you give the name? Thanks. >> We started it last week. >> Oh, that's true. >> We had a couple >> Oh, extensions. >> And then we have a presentation from the Blue Crew Robotics. Oh, yeah. >> We're going to now have a presentation from the Blue Crew Robotics. Okay. So, um this uh Saturday and Sunday
002the blue robotics team will be down to WPI at uh Der Massachusetts. Um the team is going to have lodging down there. Um all fundraising paid for by the team. We're just asking permission for um to travel out of state overnight for those nights. Can I get a motion to approve the trip for the robotics team to Worcester, Mass? >> So moved. Don Emory. >> Second. Tammy Dilla. >> Any discussion or questions? >> Yeah. Just want to know how many people will be on the strip. Um so there's going to be uh about 20 20 students about uh 10 adults. >> Any other discussion? Andrew, >> we are the teams going to participate. >> Um so for this event, I think they capped it at 21. Uh so this event is very competitive event. So
003they decided to go for two weekends um for this particular event and next weekend the graduation for both uh month and blue. So, we started to try to get it for this weekend. >> Any other questions? All those in favor? >> I Any opposed? >> Good luck in Massachusetts to the robotics team. And then we have a presentation from Julie Baldick of the reading program for K through five. Okay. So, um I'm not putting this in full presentation mode because it blows out beyond the screen. So, this uh will allow you to see um the show in its entirety, the slideshow. So, HMH into reading is our new um reading program that was adopted this year. My name is Julie Baldock. I'm the literacy coach for K5. I also help to coordinate Title One for
004grades um K through two and work closely with Kell Gilbert in 3 through 5. So, and I gave you a packet just so that you had it for reference. Um but I'll cover everything here. So in our why did we choose HMH into reading and why does it matter? So um prior to this year each of our grade levels were coordinating and using um materials that were specific to that grade level. But we didn't have a systematic program that was K to 5. And so we knew with the current research um for the science of reading that we wanted to move in that direction and we worked closely with the teachers with our leadership team for literacy and reviewed a bunch of different programs and we selected HMH into reading. The reason being is because
005it incorporates the science of reading. Um there are many different ways in which information is presented and um there's so many materials to support the teaching and learning that um we felt it was the program that best fit. Um it comes with online manuals as well as hard copied manuals so teachers can work at home. They can also work collaboratively uh by saving things that they share with each other over time and build units right within the program. The assessments are all aligned. There's uh professional development, professional articles, they're all linked within the program that were part of it. So we thought that in terms of the investment, it had the most. So um we have my books, show it know it workbooks, mentor texts and everything ties in together the reading, the writing, the
006grammar, um oral language, the vocabulary. So it's pretty comprehensive. So, um, one of the big decisions was for the vertical alignment. And you'll see on the screen that it says knowledge, language, topics, authors, all of those concepts are actually all throughout all grade levels. I know that it's on each grade level up there, but um, there's a way that it is structured that we hit concepts repeatedly throughout the grades. For example, if you look at the bottom of that slide, um you'll see that they study animals. Each year, that concept goes a little bit deeper and um more focused. The vocabulary becomes more complex and the literary skills that they're talking about um become more developed as it goes through the grade levels. So, that vertical alignment is there and um information is building Now
007not just across the grade levels but even within a singular grade level uh a concept is hit multiple times. It's cyclical. So, it's introduced. You'll see if you look at the picture on the on the right hand side, um literary elements are hit in this particular grade level and chapter 1, but they're hit again in 3, four, and five, again in um 7 and 8, and hit again in 10, and then in 12. Each time they're hit in a module, that's what a chapter is called in this program. Um at the end of that module there is a large assessment but each week there are progress monitoring assessments. So it builds and checks for understanding repeatedly so that we make sure that there's no gaps and that we can um hit the needs of our
008students when they arise. Each of these modules tie in not only to our literary standards, but um you'll notice there that you can see that there are triangles and squares and circles. Um the green triangle connects to science standards. The orange square connects to social studies standards and the blue circle connects to language arts and social emotional learning. So, we're not just covering concepts that are based in literacy. We're tying concepts across our day that cover multiple curriculum areas. Okay. So this screen shows a screenshot of what they would suggest through the program to be the optimum amount of time that we invest in literacy. That varies per grade level based on our schedules and what we need to fit in. But I will say our administration has done a fabulous job in adjusting the
009schedule to hit the needs of the program. Um, and uh, I'll speak to this a little bit later, but uh, going into next year, we've even made further adjustments to make sure that we can provide um, for each of those parts. One of the things I want to talk about on this slide is the fact that not only the schedule, but we're hitting all of those elements that are part of structured literacy. So, we have our foundational skills that we cover using a program called RGR Phonx um about 20 minutes a day. And when we began this program, we had a lot of gaps because we weren't using a phonics program. Um, so we implemented that program and I'll I'll speak to this later, but we're at a point where we're actually meeting the national
010norms and so we won't have to be doing the phonics program into fourth and fifth grade anymore. We can back it down to third grade and I have the data to show you for that. Um, for the reading and vocabulary, that was our focus this year because anytime you start a new curriculum, you can't digest the whole thing at once. It's too much. You have to take off small bites and work your way through it. The teachers have to become familiar with the platform. They have to have time to build their units, gather their resources. So, we chose to start with reading and vocabulary, and that was their focus for this year. And then we're moving in and building on that. Now with the reading and vocabulary, they also implemented the small group area. That's
011where we do our differentiation um for both ends of the spectrum. And that's happening K5. Um we are using um multiple stories and skills that are all linked and then covered together. And in that writing and grammar section, one of the pieces about the program that we're so excited about is there's um reciprocity with what we're covering. So in reading, if we're reading about um a particular fiction um structure or non-fiction structure, that's what we're writing about. So we're writing in that same structure. So they're studying it in reading and writing it in writing. So it's a multiple layer which will produce higher success. So this year was our first implementation year and it began with having an HM representative come in on our opening days and presented to both schools. She stayed and worked
012with us but we truly didn't get off the ground until October. And so in October we had um uh it was approved and we got work days in October, December, and March. And you'll see those on here. And during those work days, our staff worked diligently to put together their modules, their slideshows. We discussed um concerns and barriers. One of the things that uh the program comes with is called Coachley. And that allows me if a teacher comes to me and says, "Hey, Julie, I can't figure this out. What do I do?" I can go to Coachley, I can type it in and someone immediately gets back to me from the company. They'll send resources. They'll show me what to do so that then I can go and coach the teachers on what they need.
013And um with this I will also say when I say they took time each one of those modules when they're building their slideshows their slideshows are anywhere from 85 to 120 slides to get through a module. So it's a lot of work. So they're putting in lots of hours pulling lots of resources. Um and the program has an online component called class crafts. So they pull from that which has wonderful resources as well. But when you're learning it, you really have to dig in and study those pieces so that you're using them correctly. Okay, this is the fun part. I have a video of the kids um K through five. So, um, [music] >> [music] >> I eat your wet. I I climb on the jungle. I am swimming in the pool. Can you >>
014I >> can you show >> I need help you to be healthy. >> Okay. Can you show us your picture? active. I am I like to >> [music] [music] >> Heat up here. [music] Heat [music] up here. [music] Oh, [music] [bell] [music] heat Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Okay. So with that I just wanted to share a few things uh uh feedback from the teachers and so you have this in front of you but a few things I wanted to point out um across the board K to five they absolutely love the vocabulary and it shows it is the highest performing area that we have received in our new for our students this year. They have absolutely blossomed in the area of vocabulary. you can hear the kids saying, "I see the word.
015I see the word." And um using the words that they're learning and it's wonderful. Um some of the other things this program hits a a particular concept. Um they'll read the story, but they read the story multiple times and the teachers thought, "Oh, they're going to get bored reading the story multiple times." But the way that it's structured is each time they do a read, it's a different focus on the same story. So students that perhaps couldn't navigate that text initially, by the third, fourth read of that story, they're feeling successful and they're reading the text that their peers are reading and they're discussing it and um they're discussing it on a deeper level because of the multiple hits. And so they're finding that to be very helpful. Again, the variety of text and genres,
016um, authors, uh, we all get stuck on stories that we enjoy as teachers and we tend to use those and this program kind of gets us out of that rut and we, uh, start to explore new things that we perhaps didn't explore in the past. So, this is structured to do that. Um, one of the other things is that the anchor charts and materials build. So students, this is our first year, but we know next year and the year after they'll recognize those materials and be referencing them based on what they saw from previous instruction. So those are just a few things. I'm not going to read all of the bulleted list to you. Um, and then this is the this is the celebration piece. So um as I spoke earlier, our phonics and foundational
017um instruction comes from a program called really great reading. And really great reading hits on phmic awareness, phonics, decoding, encoding, um that whole process of how to take a word apart and solve it. And so when we um did our assessments last year, those were our scores. You can see in third grade we still had a um you know about 35 students or so that were struggling. Um this year we're down to nine and so that's a huge huge um increase in terms of performance and that's across the board and to the point where we were using RGR all the way to fourth grade because we needed to. Next year we don't. we can stop and match the national norm and be done the phonics instruction in third grade. And so that's something worthy of
018celebration. And so um that's our data from RGR. We just recently finished our new test for grades 3 through five. And so you will see that um last year what our scores were and then for this year um you can see that there's a huge increase for grades three and grades four grade five maintained but I want to to say to you one of the things that our representative from HMH said to us she said no I I don't want you to be alarmed because your NEA scores may come back in and they may drop because you're using a new program and teachers are going to take time to get into that program and they won't get through all the modules and uh so you may see a drop. Our teachers worked super hard and
019we didn't see a drop. We saw that they maintained or increased. So that's worthy of celebration. And then moving forward, you'll notice on this slide that um there are certain things that as the teachers uh began talking like for example, we started in October this year, we'll be able to start in September and our units will line up more um with events that are happening um for example, there's a patriotic unit in third grade and it lines up perfectly with Veterans Day. So, um, we're they're excited for that to have things line up. Um, also you'll notice some things are in pink versus blue. That's because administration has already addressed those concerns and taken care of them for us. So, like scheduling has been addressed. Um, and thankfully this summer we have two days of
020professional development for each grade level to work on getting those modules done. So, we're not doing it in the midst of the year. Um, so teachers can be hitting the ground running. So, that's wonderful. Um, there are already, you saw pictures of the focus walls that are up, but um, our administration has also said we will, uh, in your budget, please put in what you need. We didn't know going into the year what we would need for supplies. We hadn't done the program. And so, this year, we're going in with what we need for notebooks and binders and all of that. And last but not least, if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer. If I can't answer you directly tonight, I can definitely uh get back to you. So, if you
021have any questions or comments, please let me know. Yes, this sounds exciting. I I you covered quite a bit of the questions that I had as the presentation was going on. So, thank you. Um, I really appreciate that there is literacy through the multicurriculum content areas because literacy tends to be sort of a block or stumbling block to progress in those in those different classes as especially as students get older. Um, I'm wondering with the regard to the assessment and data tracking, is that um done incrementally or how often? So like I'm wondering if you can if a teacher when it's being implemented not course correct per se but um where they have differentiation are those groups able to be flexible depending on where the assessment results lie or absolutely and so we have multiple
022layers of assessment that we have built in. So um first of all um in [clears throat] HMH there are the progressive assessments that happen each week. Um again because we're in the implementation year they did uh I want to say dabbled like they tried out some of those assessments. We this next year our goal is to they're all linked online and then they go to a portal where we can pull up results which will pull out strands which then we can say oh we taught this particular concept in this module and these four students struggled. So that then the teacher and it will also say use these resources. This is where they struggled. pull these resources, work in a small group, and then you can reassess. And it provides those reassessments um to do that.
023The other piece, just so that you're aware, because I think it's important, in both of our buildings, we have built a data wall where we're tracking the students data across and color coding so that we are looking at the tiers of instruction that need to happen um on an ongoing basis. >> That's fantastic. that's really helpful with RTI or any rec um students that might be referred for additional services. Um so that's fantastic >> and and I will tell you hands down I I will fight I will always fight for triangulating that data. It's never based on one data point. >> Yes. And then my last question is um the I was thinking about the particular concerns that teachers may have expressed after implementation. I think that was in one of your slides. >> Yes.
024>> And I noticed that scheduling for sufficient time is in pink. So just to help me clarify, is that something that's going to be looked at for the upcoming school year? >> They've already adjusted adjusted it. So when we started, most of our blocks were already established before we began the program. And as we were implementing the program, we noted that, oh, we had enough time for this, but then we were really tight in this area. And so in conversations with our administration, they made those adjustments for next year's calendar. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, sure. >> I just have a comment. My granddaughter in second grade absolutely loves this program and is so much more into learning to read now than she was. to always. Come on, Graham. Can we read? >> Oh, thank
025you. >> Any other questions, >> Daniel? I think it's very impressive that during an implementation year, you've already had growth in test scores. That's pretty positive. >> I can't take credit. So, I certainly would say credit to our teachers and um to our support staff and all the hard work they put in. So >> yes, >> anybody else? Andrew, >> I've been around about 50 years around education for student whatever and I've seen reading programs come and go and some work better for some kids and some work better for others, but it always look like we're constantly changing. Does this look like you've reached the point where I know adjustment would need to be made, but how long are we going to have this program before we decide we want to? >> So, I do
026have an answer for that. Yeah. >> I'm not trying to discourage you. I just want to know where it seems like the first year successful. Three years, five years. >> So, when we purchased the program, we purchased it for a five year. Um, so we know for sure it's here for five years. Um, I can't imagine. I will tell you every single one of my and I can I can speak for K to3. Every K to3 teacher has said if you get rid of RGR, we're going to pick it because we love this program. It works and they're seeing it in the data. So, they do not want to get rid of RGR. They're seeing their kids. We have kindergarten kids that can tell you what a phone is, what a graph is. They're stretching
027words out. um their spelling words. I just did assessments today on second grade site words spelling them. I can't begin to tell you the success rate compared to previous years. It's amazing. Um because they're learning the strategies. Um they're not memorizing a list. And and I think back to my years of learning spelling. Uh if you ask me the words on Friday, I did great on the test. but don't ask them on Monday because they went out the window when I learned my new list. The kids aren't learning that way now. We're teaching them how to be good spellers because we're going to the root of it. Um, and as far as this program, the only changes I could see is as the program itself makes adjustments and we have to keep up with those
028adjustments. Um but right now uh the the goal is to stick with it because we know the science of reading works. >> Um is this program being used exclusively in Maine, New England or this nationwide or worldwide program? >> It is being used all over the United States. Um yeah, uh we do have several schools locally. I would have to call on Chris to be able to name all of them um that are using into reading, but yeah, RSU10 is using it. Um we've even talked about collaborating for professional development with them um in the future uh because they've been using it a year longer than we have and so it's always nice to learn from someone else uh that and troubleshooting that sort of thing. So >> that's a good thing because we get
029too much either district mingling with people changing jobs and changing communities and it's hard to go from one school system to another. This sounds like it's making things a little bit more uniform. It it certainly has made it more uniform and I will say um we have worked so hard to make K to5 a system that is connected through instruction, assessment, vocabulary, instructional strategies, the words that we're using as staff um because we know that builds success for our kids. >> Anybody else? Don, >> I feel I feel silly, but there's no stupid question. What's HMH? >> HMH, it used to be called Hooton Mithlin Hardcore, but um people evidently were struggling with that pronunciation, so they changed it and they just call themselves HMR. >> RGR is really great reading. It is another company
030um and we shorten it uh just uh to help with saying it so we don't have to say the whole thing. >> Thank you. Sorry, one last question. No, >> that fifth grade pocket. Um, just out of curiosity, do in your opinion or is the data showing that the percentage is roughly the same because that window in cognitive like language and literacy is not open as readily as the younger grades. I'm just curious as to the percentage. I would say based on on my view of the data and tracking those students throughout their program um they didn't have access to RGR in the full capacity like our current third and fourth grade and so they were missing some of those strategies in in um detangling words. Um, I would also uh say with any program
031and specifically with HMH, right, it builds. And so fifth grade is entering HMH in a year where they should have had multiple years of foundation and we're throwing concepts at them that have they don't have the foundation under. they're doing really well on their assessments that are associated with HMH, but you're not seeing it play out in the bigger field because that transfer uh my guess would be because the foundation isn't quite there yet. Does that make sense? >> Yeah. Anybody else? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> I just want to um give like a little anecdote uh for that. My daughter is in fifth grade. Um, and her reading uh scores went up significantly this year. Like I mean it was phenomenal. So like even though obviously the average for the whole grade is the same
032individually I think we're seeing probably more students increase and obviously I don't know beyond my own child but I have to imagine she's not the only one. And I would say that in specific areas like the area of vocabulary, we shot through the roof. Like you're not seeing the breakdowns, but um in those areas there was a significant climb across all grade levels. Anybody else? Okay. Thank you, Julie. It sounds like it's a real good success. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. is going to give us a presentation about the dropout committee. I'm going to try to read this. Um, we held our second dropout prevention on May 18th. If I'm being honest, after the first meeting, I was frustrated. It didn't feel like we actually acknowledged that we had a problem. This meeting
033felt very different. We have had 28 students leave our high school this year. Thankfully, we have an amazing adult ed program that has provided a much appreciated safety net for these students. We wanted to find out why these students were leaving high school for adult ed. So, our own Don Emory conducted some exit interviews with some students. He collected data which Robin then organized into a summary defining the reasons why. The interviews revealed that students rarely leave for just one isolated event, but more of a gradual process of detachment. The most common mentions were academic frustration, administrative challenges, emotional overwhelm, lack of coping mechanisms, ineffective support systems, disciplinary practices, social pressures, mental health challenges, and lack of meaningful adult interaction. The high school has already put some practices into place to help with some of
034these areas. Recognizing that staff needs to be united and content for students to feel that way, there have been some team building exercises. They are restructuring alternate alternative ed to better support students, adding more community-based social workers, which has already happened. grade level PLC's to identify at risk students, a new advisory program, new work study class, JMG, and we talked about possibly lowering the recommend recommended credits to graduate. We are higher than most main schools, and this may be discouraging to some students. Overall, I feel the high school is recognizing there are issues and has put into place and will implement more programs to help students stay in our high school. I look forward to meeting in the fall to continue these discussions and encourage the admins and staff to continue to make Spruce Mountain
035High School better. Any questions for Tanya? I have a couple questions. >> Okay. >> How many people are on the committee? >> There were public that wasn't there last time. So, eight. >> And Dawn, do you have any input on the interviews or that you did? Uh, I really learned a lot um, uh, of what these kids are going through and uh, I was really impressed with uh, a lot of these kids who actually took responsibility. I I kind of went in there thinking, "Oh, they're just going to blame administration. They're going to blame the teachers for everything." And uh, a lot of them said, "You know what? It's me, too, man. It's it's it's a I'm here because of some of the decisions that I've made." So, I was really I tried to give
036them props for that. Um, and uh I I do want to say the JMG program uh they love it. Uh all of them spoke very highly of that. So, good stuff. Good kids. >> Maybe we can have it's um Zack Keane that does the JMG program. Is that right? >> Maybe we can have him come and present at some point um in the fall and get some more good information and you know follow up keep following up on all of this so that we can keep our kids in school. >> Yes, absolutely. >> Thank you Tanya. >> No no no public comment so we'll move right on to Mason. Do you have anything? >> Um yes. So, um uh uh earlier this week, uh our our track team uh competed in the um Mountain Valley
037Conference Championships. Um uh there's a there's a list of uh uh students who uh who have um finished it finished finished uh with podiums which will uh placed in podium which will be uh sent to Laura and be put in the minutes um cuz we we have so many wonderful athletes um that that a lot of them placed here here here at Spruce Mountain High School. Um uh one thing that the that the track coach wanted me to mention is um um let's see she she has been she has been she started teaching in in in the district in um in 2018 and and she has not seen a group like this uh so many kids placing uh so highly in our in our track and field teams. Um, and she's just very proud of
038our students and and I think our student body also recognizes that. So, we are all very proud. >> Thank you, Mason. And thank you to the track coach and to the members of the track team for doing as well as they did. So, any board member comments? Andrew? It was my It was my pleasure to attend the uh School of Rock presentation this past Friday. It was Diane Fennelson's final show that she's retiring. At the end of the show, she asked those who've been involved over the past 20 years roughly to come up. about nearly half the room went up because they had either been in or been part of the productions in one way or another. And it's nice to see that involvement on another side besides academics and the arts and involves so
039many people and the just I'm overwhelmed by the talent in this community in so many different directions. Uh leading into that I'm also on the foster tech board. We had a meeting uh a couple weeks ago and what the the finding is almost all the programs are filling up and it's getting competitive. So I'm really glad to see these reading programs take place so the kids have their basics before they get there and so they're still interested in academics so they can go on to these programs because these programs open up so much to so many. One of the guys on the board I hope I don't embarrass him, but uh he was watching the construction kids build a shed. He's looking up. He looks he sees about four kids that he had when he
040was a principal. He says, "I kicked every one of those kids out. In fact, I think there was two others up there, but I wasn't sure." But he says, "These kids now have direction. They have meaning, and they're doing really well." So that's what I really like about having access to the vocational programs as well as our our wonderful academic programs like Mason's going to be going on to the University of Maine. Uh Skyler did as well and I know others will be as well. And one thing we could use to uh help out the foster tech anybody's got a used good used police cruiser sitting around. We've had donations of two of them, but it's kind of like looking at gift for us in the mouth. One need $11,000 worth of work. So, that's
041gone the crusher. Now, we're going to need about 4,000 where they using that as a training vehicle for getting people in and out of cars, operations, that kind of thing. But we need a decent police group to figure something out there. and their graduation is Monday night up to uh Mount High School. So if anybody wants to attend, it's an amazing event. My son went there and they asked halfway through the ceremony if anybody in the audience had involved the program one way or another, either 10 of them are here or whatever. And half the people in that room stood up and just amazing how many program how these programs are just going to be alive. Thank you. >> Thank you, Andrew. Anybody else have any comments? >> I was just thinking about I don't
042know if I'm allowed to bring this up at this point, but getting back to the dropout committee presentation. Is that okay? Okay. Um I was thinking about the attendance um concern at the younger levels and I don't want to suppose that I know this um but more or less an inquiry or just to put it out there that there seems to be a correlation between attendance at a young age and dropout rate at a later stage. And so if we I I know it's kind of like which not fire but like which issue or which things we can be most effective with first but if we could kind of work um to keep that in mind to draw sort of like a connection point and identify those students at the younger ages. I think there
043there's discussion about looking at that kind of side issue, but um being able to to pull in some of that work together with the dropout committee, I think we will work toward prevention versus trying to catch something at the um as they're older and we'll work more into a preventative mode. Just a thought >> to add to that. Um I we have been chatting about doing um absentee I don't know what to call it but to meet with the ad hoc absentee committees in the buildings on late arrival Wednesdays. Um, I spoke with Darcy and of course at this point everybody's doing transitioning. So, we're going to wait until the fall, but we're going to take turns, different board members each time, and go in and meet with the committees and see is there something
044we can help them with. Is there something we can offer as a board and just so that we're aware of what's going on, what they're doing, and to see if there's any way we can help policywise or so. I do think if like you said, if we can start in the younger grades and get them valuing education early on, it's going to help us in the long run. >> Yeah. I think over the summer we'll have some communication communication among the board members and we'll kind of set that up with the admins and who needs to who we need to set it up with and get that going because I think attendance is a place where we have to stop looking. Anybody else? Okay. So now, Scott Albert, you're up. >> Good evening. This is
045Mason's last meeting, so I just want to say thank you, Mason, for what you've done for the board. You've been a great representative of the students. You've kept us in line quite often and we appreciate what you've done. So, congratulations and thank you for being part of the board. >> [applause] >> Uh for meetings we had mediation with the teamsters. I also attended the foster tech meeting with Andrew. Um they discussed new staff. They discussed costs. Um they recently had a program audit and they scored very well. They had outside organization come in and audit all their programs and what they're doing and they got some big thumbs up which doesn't surprise me because it it's very impressive up there. Also attended the dropout prevention meeting already gave you an update about uh also attended
046the Drummond Woodson superintendent seminar. Uh we discussed collective bargaining agreements earned paid leave paid family medical leave issues that a big part of what Drummond Woodson helps work on for the districts. Any questions for Scott? Okay, thank you, Patrick. Changed it all. Did you update this thing while I was gone? Thank you. Good evening. So, we've had a lot going on at the elementary school this last month. Um, we just finishing up with our main through your testing for math and reading. Today, we got everybody done. Uh, fifth grade finished science last week. Um, last night, if you were lucky enough, uh, the fourth and fifth grade put on a play at the middle school. It's Madagascar kids. It was amazing job. It was packed. The kids are so good. I don't know how they
047get up there and have that talent and sing and do all that. It was amazing. Um, so I want to thank Jocelyn French and Ashley Dawson who were the leaders of that group. Um, if you get a chance next year, come and watch those fourth and fifth graders cuz they've got talent. Um, today at the elementary, the planetarium came. It's a third grade event that the kids love. Um, they've been studying rocks, minerals, and volcanoes. So, they brought the planetarium in. The kids get to crawl inside of it, and they project it all over the inside of it, and they learn about the Earth's crust, all the different types of rocks, and then how volcanoes performed. And every kid that came out of it was so excited. So, I don't know how many geologists we're
048going to have after this, but we may have a few. Um tomorrow Otis Credit Union is coming to discuss financial literacy with the third grade um in terms that they'll be able to understand. They're going to learn about goods and services, jobs and taxes. And I was like, I don't know if we want to teach them that at this young age. That may that may damper their desire later on. But they're going to be given Otus bucks and then they have to figure out what they can afford and can't afford. So, um looking forward to that. That's the first year that we've done it. Um, fourth grade in a torrential downpour went to the New England Livestock Expo at the Windsor Fair. Um, they go there every year. They get to see the different agricultural
049things that are available in Maine. Um, different ways that people can make a living through agriculture. Um, they got to do a simulated lamb birth, some of them. Um, I don't think anybody was scarred. They learned about germs and handwashing. They got to look at different furs, bones, and skulls. And then they learned how to take wool and turn it into yarn. And then they were able to braid it into bracelets. Um, and then they also learned about the different types of soils and the levels of soil. So, a good time for the fourth graders. Um, Good Vibes, one of their I think they do it two or three times a year. They go to the woodlands. uh the fifth graders from the good vibes clubs goes there and they get to socialize um with
050those um older individuals and it's it's great cuz I used to do something like this in Wyoming and the fifth grade kids they were playing games with them and I've always found fifth grade kids to sometimes be a little cocky and they play these you know people who are in their 70s and 80s and they can't understand why these guys are throttling them and you talk to them and you know the the the older are like one of the guys I talked to was I'm like how long you been playing this game? 80 years. Yeah, he might know a thing or two about this game, but just to get the kids to see that you know what, just cuz you're young doesn't mean you're going to go in there and clean up. Um they got
051to sing karaoke. They played Are you smarter than a fifth grader with states and capitals. Um and they also were playing like bingo and other like card games and other things. So, that's a great thing that we've done for the last few years and will continue to do. Uh, field day. So, our field day is going to be June 11th. We'll have three zones again, the fun, the wet, and the chill. Three bounce houses, two of them wet, one of them dry. Um, we have 44 parent volunteers and 15 um National Honor Society students that are going to come down and help us out. Um, and as far as the reading presentation, having gone into the classroom, the one thing that I have really enjoyed is just the quality of the vocabulary and the conversations,
052like these kids are reading stories and it's, you know, growing up in I honestly had no idea where Maine was growing up in Wyoming. I just knew it was out that way someplace. But they're like I was, they have no idea what's out west. And for some of them to get to read stories about some place different and away from Maine, it gives them the ability to travel without actually traveling. And just being able to read using the text and defending their answers, um, I think is a skill that they need for life. Um, and I like that. And one of the class I went into a third grade class and they were talking about prefixes, suffixes, and root words. And I'm listening to these third graders have this conversation. And I'm like, there are
053some adults that can't have this conversation. And that class, every single kid on the main through year for reading was proficient. Just listening to that group of kids talk was one of the most impressive things I've saw this year. Um, school attendance. Last time I was here it was 288 and we're at 284 now. And that is all I have. Any questions for Patrick? >> Thank you. >> Yes. Thank you, >> Jenny. Good evening. I would like to take a moment just to uh give a special welcome to the new school board members. Um, I also would like to take a moment to introduce myself. I really appreciated when Holly had you guys go around and say a little bit about yourself, even though um Kathy squirmed a little bit. That was kind of funny,
054too. But, uh, I think a lot of us have a lot of things in common. Um, I graduate I have I was born and raised in Livermore. Um, I graduated from Livermore Falls High School as an Andy. uh went to UMF and then immediately came back to work for Livermore Falls High School. During my interview, they asked me, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" And I said, "Well, I'm going to be here, so you may as well hire me now cuz I'm not going to give up." And uh it worked. And uh thankfully um cuz this is where I want to be and this is the community that I love. Um, so one of the things that I, uh, where was it that I wanted to share? Um, like many of you, I
055have children in the community. I have many, uh, nieces, nephews, little cousins, and all of that stuff. So, I just want you to know that when I do my job, I think of all those things. I think of all those kids. And being a teacher, uh, I feel like I have a lot more children in this building than I have birthed. I can put it to you that way. Um, I would also like to give a, um, special shout out to you guys because, uh, at the last meeting you guys approved the, um, abroad trip and Kim Bryant had shared with you all that that trip has been going on for uh, years and years and I can confirm that's true. 21 years ago, I did the trip with my classmates and we went to
056England and it really instilled a love of travel for me and learning and I um I have an update to when I originally wrote this report. Um, I wanted to share that when I went, there were several parents that went on the trip with us. And so my dream was, God, I cannot wait to do that with my children one day. And I'm going to start saving before I even have children so that I can make it happen. And um, because you guys voted, my daughter's class will be going to Costa Rica in uh, spring break of 2028. They just had a meeting in the library and um, it was full. Well, I dropped my daughter off there. She just kind of came in late from it. Um, unfortunately, we've been weight listed because there
057have already been 30 kids that signed up just from that meeting right now. So, if they get enough to fill a second bus, we're sure as hell going to be on it together. And I'm going to thank all of you for that. Um, because the decisions you make it it's like a ripple through time, right? I am still so grateful for the school board that approved it when I was able to go. So, I just just think about that when you guys make decisions. It's it's a lifetime that it can impact. Um, so enough about me. Uh, but for those of you that are new, um, I am the section 504 coordinator and assistant special ed director. And typically I focus on sharing information about 504 and Sherry really kind of shares the majority of
058information about special ed. Uh, and we are on opposite nights. Um, so I'm going to keep it really simple for those of you that might not know what a 504 is. A 504 is a plan that um kids can qualify for if they have a disability or um health issue uh that significantly impacts their ability to access their education. So, a lot of our students that we have, they might have anxiety that impacts their attendance or they might have ADHD that makes it really difficult for them to um calm down enough to really learn what's going on in the classroom. And in those cases, uh oftentimes they just need simple accommodations that can help them access uh their learning at the same rate of their peers. So, some kids just might need something as simple
059as extra time on tests. Um, or they might need preferential seating away from distractions. Uh, you would be surprised how giving a kiddo with ADHD a seat away from their best friend really helps them learn. And it's the plans are simple things like that that we can do. Um, it does not provide specially designed instruction or anything like that. Um in our districts we kind of go above and beyond the legal guidelines uh because we choose to meet yearly on these students and during those meeting parents, students um classroom teachers um and even more than just classroom teachers. We invite the RTI staff, title one staff. Uh if the student has a health plan, we invite the nurse. We invite administrators. We invite whoever is of benefit to the child and knows them. Um, and
060then of course parents are always uh welcome to invite outsiders we call them, but they might be community case managers or other people that work with their child. Um, so that is just a brief little tidbit of what a 504 plan is. Um, it's uh it's one of those things that other than paying for my position and a tiny bit of budget, it is free for the district to do. So, I know Julie talked about how wonderful our staff is, but it is truly our staff that make the 504 plans work because they get a copy of the plan and it's their responsibility to follow it. So, when it comes to numbers for Spruce Mountain High School, we have 48 students at the high school with 504 plans and the last time I spoke to
061you in March, there were 48. We do have two referrals in the process. In the middle school, we have 25 students with 504 plans. In March, there were 24, and there are currently zero in the referral process. At the elementary school, there are 26 students with 504 plans, and in March, there were 24. Currently, there are no active referrals. Um, but I do have a parent that has a packet that they assured me they would be returning. At the primary school, we have 13 students as of today. And uh in March we had 12 currently with one referral waiting to go. So that puts us at a total of 112 students with active 504 plans, three in the referral process and um one potential referral coming in. Um I I'm just trying to decide if
062I want to go there or not. So, we have seen an increase in 504s over the last several years and I I know that traditionally there have been some questions about that and and one of the ways that we have utilized 504s that wasn't necessarily done in the past. Um, and not because there is anything wrong with with the way the previous 504 coordinator handled things. It's just uh 504s are starting to become more and more common. and as they're becoming more and more common, we're learning from each other and implementing new things. And um so we find that uh one of the reasons why our 504 numbers have grown so much is because a lot of times students are utilizing a 504 before they try the special ed route, IEP route, or they might
063have an IEP and have met their goals, but they still need accommodations. So instead of keeping them on an IEP, we're slowly transitioning them to a 504 with accommodations and see how that goes. And then once they're successful with that, then they're pure mainstream everything. So um I hope that helps. Some of you might not know what a 504 plan is. And you're welcome to ask questions. >> Any questions for Jenna? I guess that Thank you. >> Robin, good evening. Welcome to new school board members. Um, for adult education, I usually start with student enrollment. So, at the March 26th board meeting, I reported that we had 176 actively enrolled adult learners in an academic program. As of today, we have 187. So, an increase of 11 students. The number of current workforce student training
064uh workforce training students stayed the same at 18. Uh and last month in our countywide digital literacy programming, we served 20 uh 94 community members, up from 78 in the month of March. Our certified clinical medical assistants finished all of their extership hours and all of them passed their national boards. We're very excited about that. Um we had five in apprenticeship opportunities at the hospital and we are hoping that all five will take the positions and the practices that they were in. Our adulted commercial is now live at the narrow gauge cinema. Um I emailed that to everyone just before the board meeting. So maybe when you get home you can take a look at that. We shared a state grant with three other neighboring school districts. We pulled our funds together for marketing and
065we hired a videographer and we each got a 30-cond clip that will run for a year at Narrow Gauge. And we also have a 60-second clip that um is like a QR code and if you're at the movies you can kind of scan it with your phone, goes right to your your local adult day and we're very pleased with the outcome. So, if you go to the movies, you'll probably see that if you get there early enough. Uh, and lastly, our graduation ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 7th, immediately following the high school graduation. I'll be sending out a formal invitation to all board members and staff members um at Spruce Mountain. And the invite will include all the names and which programs that they are graduating from. >> That's it. Any questions for
066Robin? Michelle, >> the increase in enrollment, um, is some of that due in part to good weather and people tend to come out more? Is it credit recovery at the last minute to try to graduate or can you just is it do you naturally see an increase in enrollment this time of year? >> We so naturally yes, we do. Um, it was not as much as we had anticipated. Uh usually we see a huge spike in April um kind of like oh no the finish line is almost here graduation's coming and we'll see an influx of 20 to 30 students during that time. So 11 really surprised us. Um our graduating numbers are down this year but um for those of you who were on the board previously I I gave an update about that
067a few months ago that the literacy levels that we were seeing at intake were much lower than before. So, it's taking a little bit longer for students um to get through the program, which is okay. That's fine. Everyone's on their own timeline, but those numbers are decreased a little bit from last year. >> Anybody else? Andrew? >> Um I've been able to attend the program for graduation. I've always been impressed because your classes are nearly half the size of the graduating high school class at the morning. How many do you have this year? >> So, we will have uh as of yesterday, we had 23 um high school completion graduates. We'll have around 20 workforce training students that'll be graduating as well. Anybody else with questions for Robin? >> Great. Thank you very much. >>
068I have cards here for everybody to sign [clears throat] for retirees. So, I'm going to pass some this way and some that way. You can sign get everybody on there before the meeting is over. >> Okay. Okay, Sharon, your turn. >> Ladies were waiting first. >> Welcome new members. I'm a little too close. [laughter] Uh, I don't really have much to talk about. Um, working on the cafeteria project. As you can see, they got all the painting done. Um, the decals are supposed to be coming in the mail hopefully tomorrow. We have a crew coming in um on Monday um to put all the decals up and that should finish the project. Other than that, um gearing up for summer feeding. Um we'll be at the middle school. Um we have the wreck program, Century
06921, EYS, and I'm not sure of anything else. People are still coming into me. This will be my first year working on that. So, I'm waiting for other people to contact me. Other than that, that's it. Any questions for Sharon? >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Wayne, your turn. Welcome to all the new school board members. Um, first I have two retirees um, this year. Um, Tom Brooks and Tim Cody. Um, Tom's been with us for 17 years. Um, and Tim's he's been here just shy of 17 years. They was actually just a few months apart when they came in. Um, so I wish them luck with their retirement. Um, we still have one out on medical right now. Um, my department will be ramping up next week for um, graduation prep. Uh,
070we're setting up the stage and all that. So, uh, that'll keep us pretty busy. Um, getting the grounds all cleaned up, ready to go. Busy time of year around the corner, cleaning rooms, waxing floors. Um there's going to be a lot of vacations coming up for uh a lot of the staff that haven't already taken theirs. Uh they usually tend to hold on um being being a bus driver as well um driving their routes. So they'll some of them will be taking taking their time and last of June, the 1st of July. Um, and right now we're busy with I'm busy with uh getting the two projects ready for the primary starting um right after the school ends with the roof project um that was okay and also the boilers. Um they'll start with the
071roofs on June 16th, the day after school gets out and um the boilers they'll start demoing that on uh June 22nd. Um, so thank you all for that. Um, those that'll be great great that's great news to have our uh have our schools stay open. We've had we had a few issues this year with uh with the boilers. So I was thankful of that. But other than that, that's all I have for tonight. Any questions? >> Any questions for Wayne? Don Emry, >> did you look at me that way? I just wanted to uh wish you uh luck. I hope everybody's safe during this time with all that work going on over there. And I just really appreciate you for all the work that you're doing and staying on top of it. >> All right.
072Thank you so much. >> I sent you an email today. >> You did? >> I did. >> Okay. I'll check it out. >> Check it out. [laughter] >> I was a little busy, so I apologize. I No problem. >> All right. Thank you, W. >> Thank you. Um, welcome all the new school board. I'm Norma Jackman, the transportation director. I also grew up in L Falls. My kids all graduated from Lum Falls. Um, so it's been a while since I prevent presented. Haven't seen everyone in their new position. So, congratulations on that. I really don't have a lot to report. Um, this year is winding down, which is the busiest part of the year. Matt came, Matt Brennan came and um, rode one of our buses what, two weeks ago, I think, on a Friday
073morning to get a taste of that. I invited him back to come back on a Friday afternoon because it's much more fun in the afternoon when behaviors seem to have escalated and we have a lot of field trips and sports trips going on right now. I also want to remind the public for those interested in employment with our district. We um train our bus drivers inhouse. I'm a certified bus trainer. So, if they can if they are employed with us as a custodian, we do that for them. I ordered the new propane 77 passenger bus two weeks ago. Estimated delivery time for that is July 21st. Our school bus inspection is Wednesday, June 24th. I also wanted to let you all know we're having some major rust issues with our older part of our fleet.
074I brought a binder if anybody would like I've been taking pictures of all the issues. Um so I made this binder if anybody would like to look at it. I labeled the pictures with the number of the buses. um we really need to plan ahead um to start looking at that financially. We have bus number one that's a 2009. Bus number four is 2009. Um 20 bus 27 which is a wheelchair bus is a 2011 that's like almost beyond repairable. Um bus 11 and 28 I've already pulled off the road. Um those are both extensive rust and rot and bus 32 the wheelchair bus we're running right now but it's beyond repair after this year we won't be able to run it um that one's 13 years old and I would also like to ask
075um because we have a new board I would like to set up at some point before school starts next year to discuss some route changes pool stops in our transportation areas because in our policy there's certain things that I would like to go over with you um before school starts in the fall. And that's all I got. And if anybody would like to look at this, just let me know. >> Okay. How many buses are we talking that are >> right now? It's one, two, three, four, five, six. Did Did they purchase them all like at the same >> uh five of them at 2009? >> We have one. >> Yeah, we we'll have a total of three. Well, I call them brand new ones when this one come gets to >> Don. >> Hi.
076>> Thank you. Uh, is is this a surface rust issue or is this actual framework extra? >> Yeah. >> And what is the standard on repairs? >> He's been doing the best they can. Um, we have a whole new group of a state police team that came in last year. All new hires. A lot of them retired and they're being very picky. >> Stickers. >> Yes. And I I just didn't know if there was a a law, state law on what type of repairs can be done. The framework [clears throat] >> framework. Yes. >> Yeah. There's certain things, especially on a wheelchair bus. It's mostly around the doors, the rear doors. And he actually saved um bus 11 right now. He saved he took the door off bus 11 and put it on 32 so
077we could use it. Um so I mean, which is huge. because we need we always need atmosphere wheelchair bus. We we have two wheelchair vans. We bought a couple vans last year, wheelchair vans for that reason, in case of an emergency for one or um we have access to those two. >> Thanks. >> You're welcome. >> Any other questions for Norma? >> Thank you, Norma. Thank you, >> Chris Hollings for Um, okay. I'll try to be quick. Um, I do want to thank you, Norma, for clarifying when you talked about your old fleet. It was your buses and not your employees. I was a little confused, but you have two retiring, so I wanted to make sure. Um, but um, also, of course, you know, they didn't stay for the whole night, but I want
078to publicly thank um, Julie. She's done a ton of work as well as uh Kelly Gilbert who's um at the elementary school. Um without them, this program wouldn't be where it is. Um because they are right on the front line and when teachers have issues, they can talk to them and they go into their classes and help them out. So, um so a big thank you to those two for really um taking on this program and and working with the teachers to really make it work. um because because it is it's a huge program. There's a lot to it and if teachers were just left to themselves without that kind of support um they would have definitely struggled. So so I think we're very lucky to have uh Julie Baldwick and Kelly Gilbert um working
079with us. Um and talking about um curriculum a little bit um finished up meeting with all the curriculum teams this last week. Um but really all year in talking to them, one of the things that came up over and over again was the need for more time. Um especially at the the younger levels, there's there's just their days are so full um that um that they don't feel as though they always have the time they need. Um so we've taken some steps to to help with that. Um of course, you know, we can't we can't make the day longer. Um and we couldn't agree him to just stay without you know so um so one of the things that um we decided um as as a um really as a district with some of those
080curriculum teams um is that um one of the things we can do to give them a little more time um and it's a little bit of a big move so um it's obviously it's important you guys hear about it is that Um we have decided that at the kindergarten, first and second grade level, um we are no longer going to administer the NWA test. Um because it doesn't the state doesn't mandate that you start the test until third grade. Um but we've been doing it K to2. Um I'm on the Western Maine collaborative and I talked to several um bunch of them and and I actually I was surprised at how many districts there are um Winthrop and a few I can't remember the districts now but at least three or four that are doing
081the same thing. They they just they're not starting a new until third grade. Um because what we found is it just when you when you're getting ready for that test um it's a big test takes a little while and it really it really throws up their schedule um for for a whole week in order to get that test done when they do it and they're they were doing it three times a year. So you're really talking about three weeks out of the year that that they couldn't focus on curriculum. Instead they're focusing on assessment. Um and and in all reality at the K to2 level all they were doing was giving the assessment and getting the result. They had no time to take that information and really dive into it to to see exactly what
082was going on. Um so so we've moved in and at the K2 level um as Julie mentioned we already have um assessments built into the inter reading program to help us with that. Um there's assessments built into the phonics program. Uh we also have a phonics and panel which gives us a reading benchmark. Um so they already had plenty of assessments that we're actually using and being able to use to to uh for instruction. Um, and so we just felt as though to to do another test just because we've been doing it was kind of foolish and that we could use that time for for um things that were, you know, letting kids be kids and not have to be on computers to test and things like that. So that was the decision we made.
083Any questions for Chris? >> Tammy, >> I think that was a very good call because three weeks at that level is a lot. >> It is >> a lot to lose. Yeah, it's a good call on that. >> It was all my idea. [laughter] >> Unless anybody disagrees with it. >> Miss, >> I would agree. I think it's a great call. My only concern is are you do you have enough various types of assessment data to triangulate um and look at if you do need to make RTI tiered >> and special education referral decisions. >> Yeah. Yeah. I talked to Sherry um because NWA isn't nationally normed assessment. Um we have um the STAR assessment which is also nationally normed and it and it takes a day you know it's very quick um and teachers
084can do it independently. We don't have to do a whole schedule for it. So so we'll we'll um be able to use the STAR to for any of those kids that might need RTI or special ed or things like that. >> Any other questions for Chris? I have one. Um I've we put together the curriculum uh board members and do you set up meetings for them to attend or how does that go? Yeah, usually. Um, so when we set up the um curriculum meetings for the for the next year, um because I'll also put out for the curriculum teams that are running next year, I'll put out >> um um well, they're not really um job postings, but for any any of the staff that want to be on it, and they'll put in and
085we'll add them. And then what I do is I create the um the email and and it goes out to them to let them know when the meetings are going to be and I just include whoever the board rep is on that email. >> Okay, perfect. Can you include me on that email too? >> On you want all of them? >> Um just so I know when the meetings are. >> Okay. Yeah. >> Yeah. Because I would like to have people report on the meetings that they attend and >> Yeah. make every >> What's What's that? >> Okay, perfect. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. >> So, does everybody have their committee assignments and everybody's all set up on their emails and all that? and I've been trying to send out emails to let people know
086what's going on in the district. Um, we've got next week's going to be busy with different things with graduation coming up and like Andrew said, the foster tech um promotion is on Monday night at 6. So, anyone that wants to attend that, I encourage any of the board members to attend any of the programs that are coming up and sports events and everything. It's a big time of year for all the celebrations for everybody. Um, thank you, Mason, for everything you've done on the board and all of your achievements in your high school career. You've done a great job. Um, and congratulations to all the seniors and all the eighth graders that are being promoted and all of us students that have done a good job throughout the year. That's all I have. And our
087next meeting, we have the co-curricular hires, the new hires and transfers, resignations and retirements. Next meeting will be June 11th. and that'll be right here. And then June 15th is the last student day of school, which will be an early release day. June 15th is a school board meeting at 6 with a finance meeting as well. I would accept a motion to adjourn. >> All those in favor? >> I Thanks.