Parents as Partners, 4 December 2008
Attending: Julie Mueller, Laurie Lavallee, , Nancy Bissonnette, Laurie Singer, Kelley Charland, Linda Fortin-Mitiguy, Sharon Sturm, Laura Cunningham Firkey, Geoff Glaspie, Mariah Larkin, Theresa Utton-Jerman.
The meeting was called to order promptly at 6:30pm. Those present introduced themselves.
Vision: Groups have met to discuss what each piece of the vision statement means and where to go with it. Teaching students to be able to use 21st Century skills, connecting to the world, critical analysis of information, working in team situations, using reason are important skills to prepare for adulthood. Strong relationships with students must come with the grade teaming concepts. The available technology at ADL has grown in the last few years and will continue to grow. Hoping for mini-notebooks as well as more machines integrated into classroom work, and professional development pieces must be a part of that growth.
Question for the group: Do we want to repeat an evening like we had a couple of years ago where part of the group discussed internet safety and part of the group discussed "what to expect" concepts for middle school years. Julie suggests having Deb Henry speak about destructive behaviors parents may not be aware of or up to speed on (i.e. inhalants). Mariah suggests splitting the topics into different evenings to lend more focus to the presentations. Laurie suggests that Deb could cover medical issues at a future PAP meeting, and Hector Tamayo could do the internet safety program on a separate night. She will ask Deb about that and ask Hector to pick a night. Julie suggests expanding the meeting for those who want to hear from Deb and brings up the need for publicity around both presentations.
Conferences: Went well overall, but Tuesday night was difficult. The large time block offered may have mystified people, whereas scheduled time blocks may be more comfortable for some families. Arena-style in the gym can be chaotic, but some families prefer that format. The teachers like the student-led format because they feel like they can supplement the conversation between the student and parent(s) and provide more focused feedback. It's also a calmer process than the arena format, possibly because there is sometimes space between students in the student-led conferences. Sharon felt that the student-led format provided more privacy and seemed less pressured. Feedback Is encouraged! Report cards went out three weeks earlier than the conference, so the timing might be better closer to the report cards coming out, giving the student better recall of the work involved in the conference presentation. A possibility is that staff might be here from 12-8 in the future, with students off, to provide more available times to come in. The next conferences will happen in April.
Book Sale: Very successful - much more came in from the book sale than in previous sale. We had a profit of $502.72. Rebooking the next fair immediately, asking peer leaders to help with the fair, holding an evening sale in association with a school event, and other factors get us vouchers. Teachers who bring their classes down get a $15 credit to spend at the sale. We can advertise that credit cards are usable.
Basketball tournament: Needs a lot of parent volunteers. All weekend just before the February break, starting that Thursday. Teams come from all over, lots of food happens, a 50/50 raffle goes on, and lots of help is needed.
Dance: Next one this coming Friday, 12/5
Beautification: Saturday, January 10 from 9am to noon to spruce up the locker rooms. A tour of the locker rooms happened after the close of the meeting to see what needed to be done. Painting is a definite part of the project, and Laurie advises that the girls' locker room needs more attention than the boys'. Money for beautification will be voted on at the January meeting.
Questions: Sharon asked for information about the teaming concept for next year. Laurie responded that January 22 at 7pm there will be an informational night related to the team concept that will be implemented next year. Algebra will also be addressed at that meeting. Teaming advantages include two-year relationships, but students will mix up for foreign language, UA, PE, lunch, and other activities, but will generally travel to academic courses with a static group.
118 6th graders, 105 7th graders, and 141 8th graders currently.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:08 and followed immediately by the locker room tour.