McIntosh Middle School School Advisory Council Minutes March 21, 2006

The following Agenda Items were discussed:

1. Q & A Time – facilitated by Mary Gorman

Questions and discussion on the following topics:

• A reminder from the PTO that tonight is Bruster’s Family Night. Teachers are asked to remind students to attend at Bruster’s Ice Cream on Clark Road. MMS teachers will be serving. A portion of coupon book sales will be given to MMS, as well as, 10% of the profits from ice cream sales.

2. Program Presentation:

Mathematics Department – Barb Maechtle

• Ms. Maechtle presented a video of math classrooms showing mathematics in action at MMS.
• All math classes have an ACTIVboard.

3. Scheduling – tabled until Mr. Hagemann receives budget information.

4. Funding requests.

• “Destination Math” software requested by Mary Gorman and the Math Department ($5,900.00) – a full site license for MMS is over $8,000. Other technology funds ($2,500.00) would be used to supplement. All students would have access at home and at school. This is a purchase not a subscription that would have to be renewed. Several other middle schools in the district have purchased this product. It is possible to use this for progress monitoring in Math. Teacher training could be included in the “Destination Reading” training already scheduled. SAC requests that all math teachers be required to be trained. Funding approved.

• Read 180 Summer Institute – conference request by Paul Hutchison ($1,250.00) - This is an expensive conference, however, no other Read 180 conference is available. SAC requests that Mr. Hutchison return to MMS and take on a leadership role in training reading teachers with the strategies used in Read 180. Funding approved.

• “100 Book Challenge” reading program requested by Faustine Martinez ($2,048.15). This item had been tabled at last month’s meeting. Alicia Bartol Thomas from the district noted that the district believes in the program and is offering to supplement with $500.00. After much discussion, many questions remained as to how the program would work in a language acquisition classroom when there is confusion as to how the same students would be serviced in Intensive Reading. Due to time constraints and the need for budget information from the district the item was tabled.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:16 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jan Gilpin