Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes

Approval of minutes: Mrs. Robledo called the meeting to order at 8:15 a.m. The minutes from October 6, 2009 were reviewed and approved.

Principal’s message: Mrs. Gonzalez began by stating the second grading period began on November 2. Interim assessments take place in language arts on November 2 and 3 and in mathematics on November 4 and 5. The second Literacy Team meeting with Mrs. Plaza is November 4; the team will compare Baseline 08-09 scores with this year’s scores. Mrs. Plaza will introduce new strategies and discuss how task cards are used as a strategy. On November 12, report cards go home and picture makeup day takes place. Early release is set for November 19, and Spike-It-Up for sixth-graders is November 25. The Science Fair takes place November 30 through December 3. The Spanish and German Clubs are taking field trips on December 4. Midterm review week is December 7 through 11. Mrs. Gonzalez was asked about the timing of midterm exams and explained that it is less stressful to have midterms before the winter break; teachers can still add additional grades after the midterm examinations to the second marking period grade. The midterm exam schedule is as follows: December 15, periods 4 and 2; December 16, periods 5 and 3; December 17, periods 6 and 1; and December 18, period 7. The winter break is December 21 through January 1. Magnet tours continue every Thursday until the recruitment period ends. The final informational articulation meetings for eighth-graders are DASH on November 4 and Miami Senior on November 12. January 5 is the next EESAC meeting. Carver was honored for the SOS FBI program; we again are the number one participating school, and a FBI representative made a presentation here at Carver in recognition. Mrs. Gonzalez commended Mr. Sejeck for a great job in teaching Internet safety. On October 23, Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick visited our campus. A great supporter of our school; he has visited every school in the Coral Gables area. Mrs. Gonzalez also thanked Mrs. Green and student services for all activities during Red Ribbon Week, especially the Just Say No! Circle, which was incredibly beautiful and will be made into a poster to be displayed in the media center.

Open Forum: Mrs. Daniels reported on athletics. The girls’ soccer team was zone champion and reached the second round of the playoffs. In cross country, both boys and girls JV teams were county champions; girls’ varsity was county runner-up, and boys’ varsity also had a strong season. Mrs. Junghahn commented that the cross country teams were impressive this year, especially competing against private schools. Girls’ volleyball has begun. Mrs. Gramling reported on the Fairchild Challenge. The Option 1 performance was last Thursday. Work on Options 2a (over 200 students participated) and 2b (65 students) is concluding; two outfits constructed entirely of plant material will be presented on November 21 at the Fairchild Ramble, a botanical fashion show. The holiday concert under the direction of Mrs. Harmon is November 19; and there will be a “no homework” pass on November 24 for students from families joining the PTSA. Mrs. Robertson commented that many teachers do not honor the pass, and Mrs. Gonzalez responded that they must and to let her know about any problems. Mr. Sands informed that the school met its United Way faculty and student goals, adding “very successful with our campaigns as we usually are.” Mrs. Fernandez said the Math Counts team will participate in a small competition on November 17 and a big one in February. Mrs. Gramling reported that on October 27 and 28 approximately 70 students went to Carver Elementary to tell stories. She said it was exciting to see the excitement of the tellers and the listeners; the tellers showed many critical-thinking skills by adjusting stories to their audiences.

Mrs. Gonzalez said the school’s budget is in sound condition, although 20 percent for supplies has been taken by the District, adding “But we are OK financially, sufficient to run the school well. We do get additional funding as a magnet program and that enables us to do more.” Mr. Viscito asked how electives next year will be affected by the budget and Mrs. Gonzalez said it is too early to tell. Mrs. Gonzalez said that classroom availability may affect classroom size at Carver. Mr. Viscito asked that if schools over capacity cannot meet class size, then how will schools meet the law next school year, adding that planning needs to be done to deal with this situation. Mrs. Gonzalez said Carver has flexibility to decide how many students to accept; she explained that she decided to reduce enrollment to meet the size requirement, but this year she enrolled 100 more students because it is an opportunity to let them come into this school. She said “there are no concrete answers” and she will make decisions next February or March to meet the law.

Ms. Manchola, the school nurse, gave an update on H1N1 vaccinations and said currently the process has been halted but she hopes to receive a date soon for vaccinations. Mrs. Gonzalez said we currently are lucky to have a health initiative program and the nurses are doing a great job. Ms. Manchola explained that H1N1 is a strand of influenza A, but we do not know the exact numbers of cases among our students. Mr. Viscito asked about the policy for students returning to school after illnesses, and Ms. Manchola responded that the students’ doctors writes instruction but parents do not have to disclose illnesses with specific details, although students do need 24 hours without a fever to return to school. Mrs. Gonzalez said she has been making observations of teachers at end of the school day and has seen teachers having their students clean desks very often. She said it is becoming automatic and students are being more proactive with cleaning and washing their hands; Mrs. Robledo announced that Mrs. Gomez is our Teacher of the Year and she is preparing the entry packet. Mrs. Stroleny said interim assessments are in progress now and updates will be ready next meeting.

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