Monday, May 21, 2012

May 21, 2012


SIT Meeting: Monday 



  • SIT members for next year?
  • Whose rotation is ending?
    • Worrell, Hoag, Elkins
    • Brendan willing to stay-on
    • Turner:  Should available positions be "advertised" ?  Conversation with constituents to decide if it’s okay if current SIT members who would be rotating off continue to stay.
    • 8th grade rep:  Laura Horn; Elkins to Horn--He is willing to "chair" if that helps her decision of whether or not to stay-on.
    • Lakey represents EC and parent and is also willing to stay
    • We can still clean up the representatives at the start of next year.
    • There will definitely be an encore position
    • Guidance rep (process of hiring for next year), and Guidance will determine in-house who their rep will be
  • Amend the by-laws so people will serve for two years?
    • A two year term would give some continuity
    • Turner: bylaws can be amended  by full faculty vote and PTSA Board Vote
      • (We can take care of both teacher and PTSA votes on June 4th)
      • A maximum of two terms (no more than four consecutive years)
  •  Horn send out an email asking for suggestions for next year.  The following were some items sent back: 
    • Procedures for walking through the halls
    • Dress code (enforced) and emphasized at the start of the year.
    • Someone said:  "behavior among grade levels varies because of differences among teachers and admin inconsistencies"
    • Gentry: "CHAMPS" training might need to be re-enforced since so many new staff members
    • We can build the training in at the start of the year to create some consistency
    • Having consistent looking common expectations posted in hallways, cafeteria, multi-purpose room, and other common areas might also help
    • We can do "CHAMPS" without feeling like an extra expectation
    • Needs to be Simple, basic set of guidelines
    • Hallway behavior always comes up, and Gentry has some ideas for next year
    • 8th grade movement is a known issue:  may have to tap into using teachers during their planning times especially if tutoring goes away
    • Has to happen starting day one
    • Could possibly solve the 8th grade change problem.
    • It will be a logistical deal for administration to plan, but should be well worth it
    • Turner: If consequences for hall misbehavior would be enforced consistently, that would help. (for example, sending students to the back of the line)
    • Duty would be broken down period by period
      • There was a positive response on this idea among SIT members, and folks said it would be best if coverage happened throughout the day not just for 8th grade
    • Will we have tutoring next year?  Possibly not?  It is being discussed at leadership
    • Dress code: Thorne said that several people have expressed concerns about students being sent for dress code violations and then told they were "okay"
    • Staff has to take ownership in the dress code issue:  We need some simple codes in place to measure violations
    • Admins ARE making the decisions NOT office staff
    • We need to simplify the process as much as possible
    • Home base needs to be the first level of checking.
    • It is difficult if everyone is not on the same page
    • Lakey:  we can build it in the morning routine, maybe at the “Pledge”?
    • Need to decide on what are the specific expectations of the teachers
    • We do not want to go to a "standard mode of dress".
    • Lakey:  There are three main issues:  "two short, too tight, and too revealing".
    • Enforcement needs to minimize disruption and minimize lost class time.
    • It become a discipline issue if it recurs
    • "The bigger deal we make it,  the bigger deal it becomes".
    • Dress code violations is a level 1 offense, it's when recurs that it becomes a higher level
    • Clear expectations at the start and consistency is the key
    • Maxcy:  Teachers have to step up and be clear to start out the year, a call to parents is sometimes the best defense.
    • Teachers contact logs are supposed to be kept.
    • Should we schedule a time during morning routine?  Gentry is willing to do that.
    Tech summer spending update:
    • Our matching funds grant application was approved by the school board.  
      • Funds have to be used toward completion of "classroom solutions"
      • We have essentially two new core classrooms that we have to outfit in the POD--rooms 311, 313, and we will use the ~ $4000 in matching funds to outfit those rooms. 
      • We are still working toward a DELL mini cart, 7 dell mini's have been purchased, and we will look at purchasing more along with an actual cart.  But matching funds can NOT be used for laptops :(

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