School Advisory Council (SAC) Meeting
March 20, 2007
11:30 – 12:30
Handouts:
Agenda
Minutes from January 16, 2007
Meeting
Attendance (as per sign-in sheet): Jay Berman, Jeanne
Medawar, Kelly Dancer, John Gammaro, Pam Wetherill, Melanie Brigham, Geoffrey
Shea, Missy Cleary, Liz Novak, Cassie Vassallo, Sharon Marks, Marie Newell,
Ileana Manzano. Absent: Karan
The meeting was called to
order at 11:40 a.m. by Jeanne Medawar, Chairperson.
Review of January 16, 2007 Minutes
ü
Motion was made to accept the minutes as published. Seconded, and approved.
ActivBoard Demonstration – Marie Newell, Teacher
ü
ActivBoards are
new to
ü
The district paid
for every classroom in the district to have one as part of Next Generation
Learning.
ü
The boards will
be installed in all Southside classrooms upon completion of construction in the
1926 building.
ü
Marie Newell and
Joanne Doane will train Kindergarten, Second Grade and Specials teachers on how
to use the board.
SAC Budget Discussion
ü
What programs do
you feel are important to Southside?
ü
All in agreement
that the Data Coach and Reading Specialist are important to our students &
school and should remain.
ü
“Specials”=
Dance, Art, Science lab, PE and Music.
ü
PE class would be
more beneficial to students if physical fitness and skills such as skipping,
push-ups, jumping, etc. were the focus.
ü
An idea to“jazz”up
music classes would be to make the program more performance-based. SAC members were informed that music would be
receiving keyboards when the new building is complete.
ü
SAC suggested
avoiding combination grades for the next school year
ü
Higher Lexile
reading materials should
be available to students.
ü
Mrs. Marks stated
an articulation meeting regarding instructional expectation materials will take
place at the Staff Meeting on April 17, 2007.
Vocabulary books will be used for grades 3, 4, and 5.
5th Grade 2007-2008
ü
A new team will
be added for next year.
ü
By dividing the
teachers into teams the children are able to receive full courses in math,
science, language arts and social studies.
ü
A program for the
ActivBoard, called ActivVote, has been ordered for the students so that all
students can participate at once on a lesson.
ü
A grant is in the
works to introduce 5th graders to the Italian language.
ESE Concerns:
ü
Increase the communication
between both the ESE teacher and classroom teacher would help with student
learning.
ü
It was suggested that lesson plans be modified
or integrated between the two teachers.
ü
Also noted, 5th
graders needed more hours with Ashby Davidson who is currently under a
part-time contract
ü
Missy Cleary will
help develop an ESE plan for the school.
Facilities Update:
ü
The 1926 building
should be completed in August of 2007.
ü
It was suggested
at the last meeting to purchase larger desks and chairs for grades 4 &
5. The current chairs and desks were
measured and are the appropriate size.
The next SAC meeting is
scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, 2007, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Jeanne Medawar adjourned the
meeting at 12:40 p.m.
Submitted by: Pamela
Wetherill, Recording Secretary
c. District Web Site