Educational Excellence
School Advisory Council

5141 Hubert O. Sibley Elementary School

Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes for:    04/12/2007  03:15 PM

Please contact the school for a formatted hard copy of these minutes.

Recording Secretary:    Lenny Cohen

Location of meeting:    Hubert O. Sibley Elem.

Was a quorum established?    Yes

Was the meeting advertised?    Yes,  03/28/2007

Attendance:

Members Present:

Dr. April Grant
Mathew Cuomo
Donald Clippinger, Assistant Principal
Estomene Dorcely, UTD
Lenny Cohen, Teacher
David Guss, Counselor
Jude Bruno, Student
Michele Farmer, Teacher
Caphy Smith, Parent
Martha Daulphin, Parent

Members Absent (Excused):

Jarred Baker, Student
David Coulanges, Student
Katherine Exalan, Student
Mr. Nick, Business Representative

Members Absent (Unexcused):

No one had an unexcused absence.

Others Present:

No one else was present.

Topics Covered:

Hubert O. Sibley Elementary School

EESAC Meeting, April 12, 2007

Meeting called to order at 3:22pm in the media center.

The previous meeting’s minutes (March 15th) were approved.

The SIP (School Improvement Plan) is going to be reviewed. Dr. Grant, Ms. Dorcely, and Mr. Charlot will be meeting on April 19th to discuss what has worked and what hasn’t.

Mr. Cuomo suggested that Team classes in the 5th and 6th grades are a waste of time because nobody has tested on level (much less over level) on interim assessments. Mr. Clippinger says Teaching Enrichment to Minorities is actually a district-funded program but we’re not part of it and don’t follow the criteria. Instead, we simply give our higher-achieving students the title of Team. Mr. Cuomo wants that label removed because our older students are using it in elitist ways (treating teachers badly and looking down on other students).

Ms. Farmer says the purpose of the Team program is actually to enrich the students with special books, etc., so they can eventually go to Advanced Placement classes in high school.

Mr. Clippinger says we’re not getting district money for the Team program and can remove the label. Also, for articulation purposes, students are considered high, medium, or low – not Team. Mr. Cuomo suggested the students considered high be sprinkled around to help their fellow students, instead of being placed together.

Some say teachers are letting the elitism happen. Ms. Farmer says students who have been in our Team program for years don’t know other students and can’t relate to them, since they’ve been separated. Instead, maybe they should be rotated, or maybe 6th grade should use a different model.

Mr. Clippinger also mentioned the 2-4 problem: that 2 classes rotate between teachers and that the other 4 rotate among themselves. He’s hoping it’s just this year’s problem because of such a large 6th grade. Ms. Dorcely said that maybe 6 6th grade teachers should each teach different subjects and the students should rotate among them all (like middle school). There’s also the issue of calling students things like Team, Gifted, and AEP because those labels really matter to the district for funding and classification purposes.

Mr. Cuomo also says that most teachers are not on the same page. In other words, 5th grade teachers don’t communicate with 6th grade colleagues about where students should be in terms of academics, to make sure they’re prepared. Also, 6th grade teachers don’t communicate with middle school teachers to make sure their students are better prepared. Mr. Clippinger says a working faculty meeting is already in the works so teachers can share ideas and support one another.

Security cameras are going to be installed in the parking lot and dismissal areas. This is part of a huge master plan. Too many cars have been broken into.

Lunch applications (for free and reduced price) usually go home during the 1st week of school. This can’t be done earlier since the forms usually change from year to year. Ms. Daulphin suggested helping families fill out the forms to make sure the job gets done correctly and on time. Dr. Grant suggested getting volunteer forms filled out at the same time. Ms. Dorcely says maybe the Title I people can help. This will hopefully avoid bills getting so high.

Mr. Cuomo says that for next year, maybe the only students who should be allowed to go on field trips are those with grade averages of C or higher. This is especially for 6th grade but maybe for the entire school. He says parents often don’t seem to care about grades but they care about field trips, and the requirement to participate in middle school athletics is a C average. Letting everyone go means students don’t try to do well. Mr. Clippinger says this needs clarification because field trips are supposed to support the curriculum, instead of being a reward.

Mr. Cuomo talked about teachers with different rules on chewing gum, wearing hats and uniforms, etc. He suggested professional development for teachers working together on the same page, and for being more focused, unified, working together for the same thing. Unfortunately, there are not lots of consequences for students not wearing their uniforms. They can’t be sent home.

Mr. Guss suggested a behavior policy: a paper listing rewards and consequences. He says we need a discipline committee and a consistent policy in place.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:13pm.