Attendees

Vivian Boudreaux, Michael Augustine, Susan Bailey, Terry Noeth, Madeleine Smeets, Vito La Sala, Suzanne Doran, Salma Kandil, Susan Scheel, Linda Frommer, Cindy Phillips, Jan VH Prehn, Andrea Carlisle

 

Welcome, Agenda, Minutes

No changes to the agenda

Minutes approved with clarification changes to Technology report and PTA report

Correspondence – letter and a call regarding backpack loads for students; how to reduce the load; brought up the example of another middle school and how teachers have collaborated to reduce the number of notebooks etc.; 8th grade member discussed new Gold Team policy of enforcing locker usage; canŐt bring backpack to class; brought up that itŐs a team issue; place on future agenda

 

Open Forum

Salma Kandil to host meetings as of December - H4

 

PTA Report

Alternate morning and evening meetings (first PTA meeting before Suzanne's State of the School address)

Oct 18th morning – invited Leslie Goldman to PTA meeting about technology; PTA will give 35K to tech; PTA has 20K surplus in annual giving; will discuss what to do with extra funds

Oct. 20 – parent social (teachers invited for free) at Blue Chalk

Oct. 24th – Superintendent Skelly will be a Jordan

Oct. 29th – Jordan Tour (PiE sponsored – purpose for 5th grade parents to get a view of the school; get a chance to pitch PiE message as well)

 

Student Council Report

  1. Magazine Drive – bonus turn in day 10/08 – 6K short (extra turn in day not factored in yet along with online sales); advertised more this year
  2. Clubs – three days of sign ups with Jordan staff supervision (17 proposed clubs); need to determine what to; Ms. Sano recorded spot for Parent Social on clubs
  3. 6th grade elections  - Oct. 25th elections (advisory rep selection after)

 

Advertising this year for magazine drive more effective; clearer to parents in terms of what student council does and how magazine drive helps

 

Ahead – will work with Jordan's Environmental Team in terms of recycling awareness and reducing paper waste

 

Principal's Report

Campus Supervisor – Norma Himes will start next Monday, Oct. 15th

Parent Volunteer for science textbook adoption - Thalia Anagnos, Prof of Engineering at SJSU

Next week pre-assessments for Safe and Caring Schools (Katia temporarily booked to speak at retreat)

Oct 30th, 6:30 SIP report; all secondary SIPS that night; once SIP approved in Nov, Suzanne will provide with a final copy

Request at last meeting for itemized invoice to Apple in terms of computers – approx. $1658 per computer (missing cables); assume about $1750

Renzulli Learning training occurred – 16 at meeting – builds profiles on students based on interests; great way to differentiate learning; provides info to students based on this profile to work on projects etc.; custom sites and assignments provided are pre-screened; pilot for 90 days; site visit to Nueva planned to see this in action

Oct. 10th all middle school meeting at Jordan; if successful will do two more; provides opportunity for middle school teachers of Jordan, JLS and Terman to meet by department

Oct. 12th – District based day – Staff Development Day (Social Studies – technology piece of new textbook & Science -upcoming adoption; Math – probability, English – grammar)

Oct. 23rd – Parent Visitation Day

 

Discussion of Site Council Retreat Agenda/Presentations (Review of Site Council Retreat at end of meeting)

Last year brought in teachers to give "State of the Department" like addresses

This is the opportunity to brainstorm what kind of presentations involved

Time frame - 8am-1pm

Safe and Caring Program tentatively on agenda

Do we want to expand invitee list?  Do we want to allocate time to Site Council concerns?

Mtg. 25 Churchill boardroom – Nov. 14th, continental breakfast and lunch provided

Q. Should Renzulli be on agenda? District driven; Jordan piloting; not under Site Council purview

Q. Should we reexamine surveys as a medium to receive parent feedback?

Q. What is covered at retreat?  Burning issues

Q. Do departments ever ask for help from Site Council? Happens generally in terms of funding

 

Number of departments cited – huge part of purview is looking at the achievement gap; can we address that specifically?  Seems that can be addressed in each presentation.

World Languages getting attention at district meeting

 

Retreat:  Are we trying to figure out goals for the year?  How to allocate budget?  Achievement gap?  What are we trying to achieve?  Have we come out with a goal for the year? 

 

Comment made - would like to know what's going on globally at school

 

Approaches

Could follow SIP outline with some hot issues for the year:

 SIP (Eng/Language Arts, Writing, Math/School Climate (Safe and Caring Schools, TASC, VTP), meeting needs of all students (GATE and high achieving/Renzulli, AVID, low achieving – reading and math), Tech, World Language (Suzanne on the FLESS Task Force and will report back to Site Council), Goals Discussion, Arts, Parent Survey, Teaming, Science Textbook Adoption

 

Q: Can we have an essential or guiding question by which to frame the retreat?

 

Suzanne Barbarasch and Co-Chairs to determine agenda

Based on list generated on the board:

 

Selected Department Reports

*School Climate

*Technology

*Goals

 

 

By-Laws

Discrepancies pointed out – p.2 under elections

Clarify Election Coordinator and what is meant by members (parents or all members)

Article III. Composition of Council brought up - can't change as is law – supposed to have parity between students/parents and teachers

Students - could also pull from Leadership and Peer Helpers; here as a voting presence not as listeners; could put on as ex-officio members

Sub-committee to draft by-law amendments – Jan VH Prehn and Linda Frommer

 

Additional

Site council retreat details reviewed one more time at end of meeting