Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes

Approval of minutes: Mrs. Robledo called the meeting to order at 8:25 a.m. The minutes from February 26, 2008, were reviewed and approved.

Principal’s message: Mrs. Gonzalez began by expressing her hope that all members had a relaxing spring break. She then explained that she needs the council’s approval for the waiver to the School Improvement Plan (SIP) to continue to implement block scheduling next year. The faculty will vote on this April 16. The ongoing collection and analysis of the in-house SIP data as related to the school’s goals shows improvement. Due to budget cuts, the district has discontinued the Interim Assessments for Language Arts and Mathematics; however, the Science Interim Assessment will be administered because this subject is relatively new to FCAT testing. Mrs. Gonzalez said this is a loss because these tests provided meaningful data. Mrs. Stroleny will work with the departments regarding the collection and analysis of data relative to student progress, but we must wait until FCAT scores arrive to see that we have met all goals of the SIP. With input from all departments we will see what strategies have worked and what have not been effective and make the necessary adjustments for next year. The SIP is a working document that can be modified. Mrs. Gonzalez spoke about the Sixties Celebration and thanked Mr. Sejeck, Mr. Hudson and Mr. Sands for their involvement. She also thanked Mrs. Gramling and Mrs. Llewellyn and all other teachers who sponsored events. She also praised the wonderful support of the PTSA and said she was pleased with the homeroom door and art contests. Mrs. Sindy Garcia was nominated as a finalist for Social Studies Teacher of the Year in Miami-Dade County. Mrs. Vazquez has been nominated as Science Teacher of the Year in Miami-Dade. We completed a highly successful FCAT testing administration. Mrs. Gonzalez thanked the PTSA for providing snacks and gave special recognition to Mrs. Behar in this endeavor. The Etiquette Workshop for eighth-graders started yesterday and continues through today; students have truly enjoyed it and stated that they benefited from this experience.
Practice Advanced Placement tests for Spanish, French and German are tomorrow. The seventh-grade fieldtrip is on Friday, along with the Spring Social. The countywide language competition is on Saturday at Miami Senior High and all three language programs will compete. Attendance from the EESAC is encouraged. The spring book fair will take place week of April 21 – 25. New parent orientation is set for April 21 for the IE program and April 22 for the IS program. Mrs. Gramling’s drama program is on April 23 and 24 in the evening. The end-of-year musical performance is on April 16. Mrs. Robledo has organized a Spanish drama presentation on April 18 during first period and homeroom for all IS Spanish students. On April 25, the French department presents its annual Francophone Day celebration. Mr. Sands is taking a group of students to Washington, D.C. from April 24-26. May 1 will mark the induction ceremony for National Junior Honor Society. Included this year for the first time will be the initiation of the Carver Hall of Fame with astronaut Winston E. Scott, as the first honoree. The plan is to honor a new Carver graduate each year. April 29 will be the science fair night for parents who have students in 7th grade. Advanced Placement tests are scheduled for French (May 5), Spanish (May 6), and German (May 8).

Open forum: Mrs. Copeland asked about a recent newspaper article about writing scores improving; Mrs. Robledo explained that the budget cuts are having the greatest impact and will directly impact the schools and are therefore receiving most of the media coverage. Mrs. Harrington asked about admissions to high schools and problems with some Carver students not gaining admission to the schools of their choice. Mrs. Gonzalez answered: Eighth grade Carver students should apply to numerous schools and be aware of the lottery system. Just because they attend Carver, there is no guarantee that they will get in to the program of their choice, even if they are outstanding students. Mrs. Robledo changed the topic to the PTSA meeting on Friday to address questions regarding the 8th grade banquet and the election of new EESAC parent representatives. Mrs. Gramling informed that in the art option for the Fairchild Challenge, Carver students had a first place and two honorable mentions; we also won honorable mention for our research poster. The SECME team again won the district title.

Adjournment: Mrs. Robledo adjourned the meeting at 8:57 a.m.