SIT Meeting May 2014--Update

In Attendance:

• Downs
• Elkins
• Gentry
• Graham
• Griffin
• Halverstadt
• Lakey, Portia and Sharman
• Rymes
• Santoro
• Thorne
• Turner

1) SIT Plan Revision:  

• Required every two years
• Need by end of September
• Comprehensive needs assessment was done for our current plan
• As we move into the fall, We will pull out all the stuff we turned in for the update along with the latest data and we will update the plan
• We will start with existing data and then move in the new data using the freshest scores we have in June
• The new SIT plan may need to target some other specific groups
• We have about three goals and then subgoals with ESL and EC for example
• May need to target ESL parents more specifically
• Some of the data we see come in may change some of our strategies
• Will send a packet to our returning members in the summer with the new data

• In terms of Professional Development, We have some early release days next year.
• Early release days will start with district specified Professional Development
• Next time, less parameters for us, and then PD for schools based on the school improvement plan
• There maybe a significant reduction in the time spent in CO days for PD

• We have to have 95% of our students tested before we can submit our tests and get our scores

2)  Student Handbook Update

Any recommendations?

• Due to publishers June 12th
• Maybe a picture instead of the names?
• Can email Gentry the changes too
• One area we might need to modify are the NJHS qualifying guidelines...10 different schools all with different elegibility guidelines among the schools
• For example, qualify based on GPA verses all A's and B's
• 3.5 GPA or above and Power School can now determine this easier.
• Several grammar changes were mentioned by Ms Turner and noted by Gentry 
• No Food or drink outside the cafeteria except for breakfast and special occasions like testing
• Students may return an unused drink to a locker or lunch bag

Santoro/Elkins:  Change encore schedule? (such as 8th at the start of the day?)

• Gentry:  It's based solely on shared employees
• Foreign Language and Music share teachers with other schools
• In 6th grade we have that "pilot encore program" where all students have to choose a FL/ART and CTE so it comes down to scheduling
• What about the possibility of teaming across the board and therefore in 8th grade as well?
• When 8th grade switched three years ago, the school looked at the pros and cons and many discussions and meetings about going to junior high model
• We also looked at four other middle schools and listed pros and cons
• We took a vote based on the data and 8th grade voted overwhelmingly in favor in Junior high model
• two top factors were: discipline numbers and number of failures
• So far, the discipline and failures have actually decreased.

Santoro:

• Much of the staff has changed since the original decision.  8th grade may be  willing to change?
• To Gentry:  Can we discuss this at 8th grade? Could we discuss Friday at 8th Grade level meeting?
• We could discuss but Master Schedule will be due by the end of the year, so there is not much time

Elkins:

• Concern was expressed by some teachers who might have to move grade levels and then potentially loose the teaming aspect.
• Another concern is there enough support for new teachers without teaming?
• There were a lot more veteran teachers when the original decision was made to go Junior high model
•  If teachers feel supported by a team they will do a better job
• All this is food for thought and the points are valid but depends on the individual team members too.

Thorne:

•  "8th grade seems like a big strong team", but there are examples of teams in other grade levels that don't work that well together.

AP Selection Process:

• The process has been changed in the district by Dr. Emory
• Emory wants to invest in people in the county
• Lots of qualified people in the district were not even getting an interview in the past
• AP hiring process is changing because of all of this
• Internal candidates are sending applicants to HR
• Positions are posted for a week internally
• Right now there are four schools with openings, and then they are doing a pre-screening
• Will then identify a pool for SEMS
• Then if not a lot of applicants, then they will open up to outside

Is it necessary for SIT to collect information on what staff wants for an AP?
Who serves on the panel?

• Size of panel is a concern without being too much (3-5 on the panel is the maximum)
• Gentry and Cole and then up to three others.
• Perhaps SIT votes on the ones who will serve?
• Backups for those who might be on vacation if things ends up being in July

Elkins: on the hiring committee...

• Core
• Encore
• Other: (maybe EC, Support staff, etc.)
• Lisa:  The Compiling of questions--
• it helped staff feel part of the process and heard from in past principal hire
• Turner is willing to compile the questions
• Maybe come up with 1 or 2 questions and/or issues you need to see addressed?
• Email Gentry if you are interested in being on the committee
• And then SIT will vote
• May need an alternate? (second vote getter)
• Diversity is a concern (doubt three white females would be possible)
• An Hispanic male would be very interesting...

Next meeting to talk about status for next year:
Monday, June 16th
after breakfast with PTA and staff meeting.  Thank you!