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Hopewell Middle School |
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Home of the Mustangs |
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Hopewell Middle School |
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Home of the Mustangs |
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MAY 2007 MINUTES |
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Minutes of Hopewell MS Local School Council May 16, 2007
Members Present: Frances Boyd, Erin Bolling, Jan Adams, Janice Etscovitz, Steve Colitz, Tina D’Aversa, Mary Furio and Julie Pinckney.
Members Absent: None
1. Call to Order – Frances Boyd called the meeting to order at 4:59 PM.
2. Approval of Agenda of May of May 16th, 2007 – the agenda was accepted with an addition, Community Meetings, (Katie Reeves and Cluster LSAC).
3. Approval of Minutes – the minutes were accepted with one addition, the Band Concert May 17th at 6:30 PM.
4. Old Business – · Check Points – No progress or report from the Check Points Committee. · Legislative Issues – The LSAC Bill to increase parent participation is waiting for the governor’s signature. LSACs have a year to come into compliance with this new legislation. Our elections will be this fall; therefore, we will follow the new guidelines. The council needs to have a minimum of seven members. Ms Adams and Ms Furio will rotate off at the end of this school year. At least one more parent must be named in the next election. Special Ed Voucher – the program has passed but no further information is known at this time.
5. New Business – · PTA Survey – the PTA has been overwhelmed with the number of returns. The greatest parent response is for more communication with hard copy format. In addition, parents requested an email notification to remind them to read the PTA newsletter. Parent email addresses will be collected Information Day (August 8thth) and given to the PTA and teachers. · Progress Reports – the dates progress reports are issued will be posted at Information Day as well as on the front page of the school’s web site. · Teacher’s Toolkit – the school management team agreed to participate in this School Improvement Toolkit. Faculty members will take an online assessment to measure how the school is meeting the needs of the middle school student. A facilitator will then visit the school during an early release day program to examine strengths and weaknesses. This data will help create a Strategic School Plan in accordance with national guidelines for middle schools. Budget Issues – all positions have been reinstated based upon the new budget proposals.
6. Additional Business – Community Meeting (Tues May 15th) with Katie Reeves – two topics generated the most discussion, the Budget and Math Curriculum. Budget – the Board received a lot of communication from LSACs, and PTAs which made a big impact on the board. As several board members were not convinced, the first budget was in the best interests of the district, the board reevaluated the situation. Additional funds were found in areas which will have a positive impact on schools; specifically, staff losses. However, the issue of the Warehouse is still unresolved and the major concern with the warehouse is if it closes where will supplies be purchased and at what price to the schools. There will be no rollback of the mileage rate, as monies generated from a rollback will now be placed in escrow to pay bonds the district has in the amount of $220 million. The point was raised that if the counties separate, this large debt should be eliminated as neither county could support it.
Math Curriculum – parents expressed concerns with the new State Math Curriculum and its impact on SAT scores. A website, Mathematically Sane, was shared with parents. It states the rationale for changes. Mathematically Sane: www.mathematicallysane.com.
7. LSAC Cluster Meeting – · Patrick Burke shared the trends in growth and housing in this area. Principals have asked that students not march if they have not met all graduation requirements. However, the board has not supported the principals in this matter. · Dr. Denmark discussed the growth of Charter Schools in this area. The data does not support the belief that charter schools result in better student achievement. The Fulton Science Academy has 500 students. The Connected Academy will open next year with 50 students. The Early Release Day Program piloted in the Milton and Alpharetta clusters this school year have been a great success and will be implemented county wide next school year. 8. Items of Interest - · Vertical Teaming – a representative from the College Board will train representatives from the Science Department August 2nd and 3rd. Elementary schools will send two reps, high schools will send three and middle schools will send one from each grade. Alpharetta and Milton will operate as a cluster/team to provide a Science Day Training session in the middle of the 2007-2008 school year. At an early release day, all science teachers are to standardize what is taught and when at each grade level. Big Ideas strategies will be presented to help students understand complex concepts and have these complex concepts presented and reinforced throughout the science curriculum. · In September – Hopewell math teachers will present to parents how the transition between 7th and 8th grades is going. · This year Asia Day in the 7th grade and Georgia Day in the eighth were both great successes. · The 8th grade recognition will be May 24th at 10:45 AM in the Gym. The next LSAC meeting will be Wednesday, August 15th.
7. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 6:24 PM. The next meeting will be August 15th at 5:00 PM.
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