Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes

Approval of minutes: Mrs. Robledo called the meeting to order at 8:24 a.m. She explained that the distribution plan for the FCAT A+ money had been completed and the funds were distributed to faculty and staff members accordingly. The minutes from October 9, 2007, were reviewed and approved.

Principal’s message: Mrs. Stroleny gave the message in the absence of Mrs. Gonzalez, who is currently in Washington, D.C., with Mrs. Vinat accepting the Blue Ribbon Award. The campus will enjoy a Blue Ribbon Award celebration on November 28. On November 9, the Teacher of the Year committee visited Mrs. Vinat in her classroom. A mathematics workshop will be delivered to parents tonight by the Mathmatics Department with individualized presentations for each grade level. At the workshop parents will receive individual FCAT scores for their students. The School-wide Instructional Review took place on October 23. The review team examined student work folders, testing data, lesson plans and the teaching environment and was “very, very complimentary” regarding the school’s instructional delivery. Mrs. Greif asked about a Miami Herald article about Broward County students who got to skip FCAT practice tests because of high scores. Mrs. Stroleny said she has heard of nothing similar for Miami-Dade County but added that our testing takes very little time and is not harming our instruction. The school’s educational focus is on its curriculum, not the FCAT examination. Attendance for the first marking period improved from 98.24 percent last year to 98.94 percent this year. “This is a huge increase,” explained Mrs. Stroleny. The Halloween social went well and kids had a wonderful time with good wholesome fun. Mrs. Winston has taken an unexpected early medical leave because of her pregnancy. We have hired a permanent substitute and Catherine Duduoet is getting her feet wet and supporting Mrs. Forns. We are expecting Ms. Duduoet to come back full time either in late December or January. On November 6 report cards went home. On November 6-9, District interim testing in language arts, mathematics and science was administered. An analysis of the results will show what progress has been made and what needs to be taught in the upcoming months. November 15 is early release and the music program’s holiday concert. The district has cancelled parent-teacher conferences scheduled for November 20 because of budget cuts. Hoop-it-up for eighth-graders is on November 21. On November 29, representatives from Orange County are visiting the foreign language classes. Our school is a model for language schools. On November 30, Mrs. Robledo and Mrs. Moghani are taking students on a fieldtrip to Islands of Adventure. Hearing screening for sixth-graders is set for December 5. Midterm exams will be January 8-11. An Internet safety presentation for parents is scheduled for February 21; kids are not permitted. Mrs. Stroleny explained that this is needed “so we can be as savvy as the children are.” We need a minimum of 75 parents to attend. Miss Quintana asked about extra-credit and said it helps attendance. Mrs. Stroleny said this might be a possibility. The Spanish Society Talent Show on November 7 was a huge success. Each EESAC member received a survey, which is to be completed and returned to Mrs. Stroleny.

Open forum: Mrs. Daniels discussed sports. Girls’ soccer won the zone championship. Both boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams were county championship teams. The girls won four of five meets and boys won three of five. Both volleyball teams are 3-0 and doing great. Mrs. Robledo went to Tallahassee and received a check for $1,500 and a gift certificate as a winner of the Outstanding Hispanic Educator Award. Mrs. Gramling reported on the Fairchild Challenge and said that as of tomorrow we will have submitted three options. The plant and recycled paper hat show is Saturday. T-shirt entries go in tomorrow; next is the persuasive essay. Between middle and high schools, about 165 schools are participating. Carver won $500 last year as one of the top 10 schools. We are dividing it between our gardening efforts. Drama students are performing the Nutcracker as part of the holiday concert. Student Council is making Green Presentations. Miss Quintana and Mr. Kammerer explained that the presentations tell kids what they can do to help the environment. The school is preparing for the Blue Ribbon carnival and has set it up for each grade to work through in shifts. The Club de Arte Dramatico dancing contest is open to everyone. The Athletic Club is roping off certain areas and needs help from all teachers. Carver tellers, with 50 tellers, did their first performance on October 29-30 at Carver Elementary. Mrs. Broadmeadow said her daughter told her the elementary kids appreciated it very much. Miss Quintana said the Halloween Dance raised $1,040 for United Way. Students followed rules well for jeans day. The speech and debate class went around to classes and made persuasive speeches about saving energy. Mrs. Straus said the PTSA has placed hand sanitizers around the school to help with hygiene.

Adjournment: Mrs. Robledo adjourned the meeting at 8:56 a.m.