Tuttle Elementary School

School Advisory Council

February 21, 2005

Minutes

 

 

Mrs. Schaefer called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m.  Introductions were held at this time.  The following SAC members were in attendance:  Thomas Buchanan, Garen Schaefer, Mary Beth Slane, Sandy Kleer, Patty Adams, Marcy Kennelly, Maria Rodriguez, Suzy Welsh, Michele Ralich, Andy Grill.  Debi Barnett was unable to attend due to car problems.

 

Special Events Committee:

1.  College Days – an activity planned to inspire our students to stay in school and pursue higher education. Staff members will be encouraged to decorate themselves and their classrooms with college related items.  Details are being worked out at this time but the event will take place sometime after FCAT.

 

2.  Multi-Cultural Fair - planned for May and is being coordinated by Jody Osgood.  The special events committee is working with her to plan the activities.  They are planning a day event for the students and an evening event for parents.  This activity will target cultures represented by the students at Tuttle and will incorporate other cultures as well. 

 

3.  Talent Show – to be held sometime in May. 

 

4.  Carnival – the end of the year carnival will be on April 28.  PTO is coordinating the event.

 

5.  World Wide Experiences – Habitat for Humanity is donating the necessary supplies.  Students are working under the guidance of Ms. Welsh and Ms. Wysocki to paint the fence on 8th Street.

 

6.  Chorus – Ms. Welsh shared that the Chorus was invited to sing at an Early Voting Activity on Longboat Key.  Due to time constraints and transportation issues, the chorus is unable to attend.

 

Principal’s Update

1.  FCAT starts Monday for grades 3-5.  Dr. LeMaster is Tuttle’s Test Coordinator.

 

2.  Teacher preference forms have been distributed and are due back my March 1.

 

3.  The budget is on hold until at April 1 or possibly April 15 in light of the pending Referendum.  Tuttle will lose 1o teachers and there will be salary cuts made if the Referendum does not pass.

 

4.  ConnectEd is being utilized by Tuttle to send messages to parents and staff.  The system is also being used to alert parents when a student is absent.

 

5.  Reading First is provides funding for our Reading Coach position, DIBELS assessment tools and other reading services.  Tuttle’s core reading program is SRA and the grant spells out what to supplement.  Annual yearly progress has not been met for 2 consecutive years.  Tuttle needs to increase vocabulary and comprehension skills.  Next year, a new vocabulary program will be added to supplement our core program.  Also, the state will determine what professional development activities will be offered.  The 30 hour piece will focus on using data to guide instruction. 

 

6. Stanford 10 is March 21-23 for grades 1 and 2.

 

7.  Our new web page is near completion.  We will have the first built in Spanish component to better meet the needs of our parents and community members.  The web page will also have a calendar section that will provide parents with current and upcoming activities and events. 

 

Treasury Report

1.  At this time, there are no new requests.  We have approximately $1700 remaining in the budget.

 

Parent Involvement Committee

1.  Mrs. Adams shared the results of parent surveys.  Parents surveyed would like to see more plays (historical and multi-cultural), family nights, reading and math clubs, and on-campus instruction in Spanish and English.

*The adult community center, next door, offers English courses.  It was suggested that we add their information to our newsletter to inform interested parents and community members. 

2.  In terms of volunteering, parent surveys indicated that parents are willing to make donations, provide food, assist with fundraising and help organize events.  Some parents were also willing to volunteer in classrooms and help teachers. 

*A quarterly PALS newsletter can be created and sent home to encourage more parent involvement.

 

New Business

1.  None at this time.

 

A motion to adjourn was made by Garen Schaefer and seconded by Maria Rodriguez.  The meeting was adjourned at 3:55.