JEFFERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNCIL - MINUTES

March 7, 2006

The Jefferson Middle School Council met in regular session on March 7, 2006, at 7:30 A.M. in the middle school guidance office conference room.

School council members present:

Chairman: Howard McGlennen

Teacher Representatives: Carol Ann Knight and Katie Hooper, Secretary

Business Representatives:  Tim Yeager, Martin Marietta; Donna Smith, Nbank

Parent Representatives: Maree Coté, Gwen Finch

CALL TO ORDER:

Chairperson Howard McGlennen called the meeting to order at 7:33 A.M.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND AGENDA:

Mr. McGlennen made the motion to approve the minutes and the current agenda, and it was approved unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS:

Mr. McGlennen reported on the new construction that had begun for the creation of new classrooms to each academic wing. Instead of the original plan of four classrooms, there will now be 7 classrooms per wing added.

NEW BUSINESS:

Parent Night will be held on March 16, 2006, from 5:00—7:00 P.M. This event will provide an opportunity for parents to pick up their child’s report cards, and if necessary, schedule parent/teacher conferences.

JMS spring sports include track, tennis, baseball, and golf. Most schedules can be obtained via the website, and others may be retrieved through Mr. Mac.

The 2006-2007 academic year will require not only additional facilities but also additional faculty as well. We are currently seeking to fill the following staff positions: 3 science, 1 math, 1 language arts, and at least 1 special education. Interested applicants may apply directly from the Jefferson City Schools’ website. Because of the No Child Left Behind Act, teachers must be highly qualified as defined by that act (fully certified in the field being taught).  Mr. Mac expressed his wishes to hire these teachers as soon as possible to avoid last-minute hiring practices.

Mr. Mac described the proposition that may require students to participate in at least 225 minutes of physical education per week at the middle school level. This may necessitate the addition of another health/physical education teacher. 

Maree Cote reported that our parent/teacher organization (PATS) has raised a considerable amount of funds, which has been allotted to furnish concrete seating and working areas for outdoor instruction. She reported that the organization has been investigating costs and arrangement options that will provide an alternative learning environment. This project came as a result of teacher requests and fund generation on the part of the PATS organization.

Maree Cote also inquired about the necessity of parent volunteers to proctor the upcoming CRCT testing, which will take place during the week of April 17-21. She said that she would follow-up with Mrs. Corbett. Donna Smith and Tim Yeager also expressed their willingness to assist in this potential need for volunteers. 

Mr. Mac once again brought before the council the ubiquitous debate over school uniforms. It seems as though, once again, there is a concern over if our school wants to adopt a “uniform.”  Our council favors the notion. Gwen Finch and Maree Cote both expressed how much they, as parents, liked the uniform that was required when their children were in the 5^th-Grade Academy.  Carol Ann Knight suggested that the process be gradual, beginning with the 6^th grade and over the course of two years—requiring the entire student body to wear the uniforms. Katie Hooper remarked that there may be resentment between grade levels if the implementation is not made school-wide from the onset and commented that from her experiences, 8^th-grade students—girls in particular—were in most need of conservative dress.  Mr. Mac expressed that this would be on the agenda of the upcoming board retreat.

ADJOURNMENT:

Tim Yeager made a motion to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded by Maree Cote. The meeting was adjourned at 8:04 A.M.

January 5, 2006

The Jefferson Middle School Council met in regular session on January 5, 2006, at 7:30 A.M. in the middle school guidance office conference room.

School council members present:

Chairman:                                 Howard McGlennen

Teacher Representatives:          Carol Ann Knight and Katie Hooper, Secretary

Business Representatives:           Tim Yeager, Martin Marietta

                                                   Donna Smith, Nbank

Absent:

Parent Representatives:              Marie Coté

                                                   Gwen Finch

Others present:                           Lindy Pals, Media Specialist

                                                   Brandy Corbett, Vice Principal   

CALL TO ORDER:

Chairperson Howard McGlennen called the meeting to order at 7:40 A.M.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND AGENDA:

Secretary Katie Hooper read the minutes from the previous meeting. Mr. McGlennen made the motion to approve the minutes and the current agenda, and it was seconded by Katie Hooper.

OLD BUSINESS:

The council agreed unanimously to retain the current officers in their positions. Howard McGlennen and Katie Hooper will continue to fill the chairperson and secretary offices respectively.

NEW BUSINESS:

Mr. McGlennen reported on the 2004-2005 JMS State Report Card and disseminated the data for surrounding middle schools as well. He made the announcement that JMS received the honor of being a platinum award winning school based upon the criteria for the greatest gain in percentage of students meeting and exceeding standards. [Handout]

Lindy Pals reported on our school improvement plan as set forth by SACS. She explained that teachers were polled to self-assess our school on the following criteria: Information and Analysis, Student Achievement, Quality Planning, Professional Development, Leadership, Partnership Development, Continuous Improvement and Evaluation. Miss Pals detailed the improvement in assessment of staff by showing the continuous improvement continuum. She relayed that teachers indicated that the new GPS curriculum has helped streamline the planning process as well as more adequately address the scope and sequence of many subject areas.

Miss Pals also complimented Donna McMullan in her new position as Curriculum and Instruction director for the system. Miss Pals reported that many teachers found Mrs. McMullan’s support integral to analysis of student testing data.

Tim Yeager serves on the education committee for the Chamber of Commerce and wants to increase awareness of our school’s achievement within the community. In addition, he wants our school to utilize his connections with Martin Marietta to help build and foster our partnership development. Donna Smith also commented that she would like education partners to be a more visible entity in our school perhaps by volunteering in the front office.

Brady Corbett addressed the GPS rollout plan with the council explaining that the GPS came about to align the curriculum from grade to grade and within disciplines to more clearly define learning goals, skills, products, and assessments state wide. The CRCT and GHSGT will be used to assess student achievement of this curriculum. Carol Ann Knight commented that the GPS is good for our students because it gives instructors more time to delve into topics more extensively resulting in greater internalization by students. In addition, Mrs. Knight said that our new benchmark testing motivates students to improve each quarter. [Handout]

Mr. McGlennen presented enrollment data to the council. Our enrollment has increased by 70 students since the end of last school year. Construction should begin in the next few days to add four classrooms to the end of each academic wing with the possibility of as many as six per hall. We currently have a total enrollment of 520. Advanced planning has begun to address an imminent increase in enrollment and faculty. [Handout]

OTHER COUNCIL CONCERNS:

The council decided upon the year’s remaining meeting dates, which will be held on Tuesday. The time will remain 7:30 A.M. in the guidance office conference room:

 March 7, 2006 - May 2, 2006 - August 1, 2006

ADJOURNMENT:

Katie Hooper made a motion to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded by Carol Ann Knight. The meeting was adjourned at 8:28 A.M.