JHS School Council Guidelines and Bylaws

JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL COUNCIL MINUTES

TUESDAY, September 26, 2006 - 7:00 P.M. JHS Library

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Dr. Kevin Smith, Chairperson. Members present were Laing Hayes, Lisa Stringer, and Tammy Babb.

Members absent were Anita Duck, Tom Kimmel, Roger Bright, and Christina Healan.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The Pledge of Allegiance was directed by Dr. Smith.

Minutes from the previous meeting on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 were presented. Laing Hayes submitted motion to approve, seconded by Tammy Babb. Motion passed.

Dr. Smith presented a report on the recently released SAT / ACT test scores. He indicated that even though Jefferson High’s scores were down from the previous year, those students that had the college preparatory curriculum background scored consistently at the level of previous years. JHS had a total of 54 students take the SAT test, which represents approximately 55 % of last year’s senior class. There were a number of students that took the SAT test this past year that did not have the level of preparation and course background that should have been in place for success on the SAT. The emphasis currently is to provide all of our student’s with the best preparation and guidance possible to ensure the best test score possible. JHS has purchased a new test prep software program, Triumph College, to assist our students in this process. This program can be accessed at school and at home and has been successfully used in other schools and venues in assisting students in preparing for the SAT or ACT test. All of the JHS staff and those students scheduled to take the SAT in October have been trained in using the program.

Dr. Smith announced that the GHSGT Writing Test would be administered to all 11^th graders on September 27 during 1^st Block. This is the first of 5 tests that must be successfully passed by all students in order to receive a regular high school diploma in Georgia. The PSAT Test will be administered to all 10^th graders on October 18^th during Blocks 1 and 2. The benchmark assessments will be administered to students in select social studies, language arts, math, and science classes during the week of October 2-7.

Dr. Smith announced that the current 9 week grading period will end Thursday, September 28. Report Cards will be distributed to all students on Friday, October 6 during Odyssey For Success.

The Scotland Exchange students will be arriving Friday, October 6 and staying until Thursday, October 19. All members were given a copy of scheduled activities and programs for this year’s exchange. The community cookout is scheduled for Thursday, October 12 at 6:30 at Crowe’s Lake in Jefferson. All members are invited to attend as this is an event that officially welcomes the Scotland students and chaperones to the community.

The SACS Committee will visit Jefferson City Schools on November 5 - 8. Dr. Smith indicated that specific committee schedules and activities will be available at our next meeting in October. Council members will need to plan to meet with the SACS Committee sometime during their visit.

The membership discussed the possibility of taking over the school store in the future. Dr. Smith presented information regarding the past history of the school store initiative and expressed hope that the initiative could be brought back into the school under appropriate leadership and facilitation. Laing Hayes indicated that she would send all members an email message outlining the program and solicitation membership feedback on this issue. Additional information will be available at the October meeting.

The next meeting was announced to be Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 7:00 pm in the Media Center.

There was a motion by Lisa Stringer, seconded by Laing Hayes, to adjourn meeting at 7:53 p.m. Motion passed.