Educational Excellence School Advisory Council

7571 International Studies Preparatory Academy

Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes for:    03/31/2011  04:05 PM

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

Recording Secretary:    Marisol Restrepo

Location of meeting:    Koubek Center, 2705 SW 3rd Street Room K-1

Was a quorum established?    Yes

Was the meeting advertised?    Yes,  03/21/2011

Attendance:

Members Present:

Perez, Alejandro (Principal)
Iglesias, Caridad (Teacher)
Johnson, Kimberly (Teacher)
Marin-Restrepo, Marisol (Teacher)
Rodriguez, Deanna (Teacher)
Conto, Anne (Alternate Teacher/Paraprofessional)
Calvo, Tamara (Educational Support Employee)
Gari, Mariano (Alternate Educational Support)
Bustamante, Rocio (Parent)
Ferre, Helen (Parent)
Gimenez-Zapiola, Fernando (Parent)
Luque, Thais (Parent)
Parchment, Samantha (Alternate Parent)
Kassner, Samantha (Student)
Gimenez-Zapiola, Camila (Alternate Student)
Arias, Ulises (Business/Community Representative)
Chao, Pablo (Business/Community Representative)

Members Absent (Excused):

Gari, Mariano (Alternate Educational Support)
Bustamante, Rocio (Parent)
Ferre, Helen (Parent)
Gimenez-Zapiola, Fernando (Parent)
Arias, Ulises (Business/Community Representative)

Members Absent (Unexcused):

No one had an unexcused absence.

Others Present:

No one else was present.

Topics Covered:

International Studies Preparatory Academy at Gables (ISPA)
EESAC Minutes
Attendees: Mr. Perez, Mrs. Iglesias, Mrs. Rodriguez, Mrs. Johnson, Mr. Hernandez, Mrs. Marin-Restrepo, Mrs. Luque, Mrs. Suarez, Mrs. Calvo, Dr. Pablo Chao, UM.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
• Motion to approve minutes by Mrs. Johnson and seconded by Ms. Tamara Calvo
o Minutes approved by all.
• Mr. Perez: Provided a Construction Update on the permanent building with the following points:
o Certificate of Occupancy scheduled for mid-July 2011.
o There will be two new stair encasements constructed.
o For the first year, we will use 2 stairwells, after that we will use the 4 stairwells.
o The delivery of furniture, equipment and storage will be sometime in late July, early August.
• Recruitment for new students will start after FCAT at selected students to continue to recruit and market the school for the 2011-2012 school year.
• ISPA will continue to accept students through the month of August to fill all of the seats available at the school.
• The goal is to have between 125-150 students for 2011-2012.
• School improvement plan:
o ISPA was not required to complete a mid-year report because ISPA is a new school with MDCPS.
o The end of year SIP procedures will be discussed in detail at the April 21, 2011 EESAC Meeting.
o Additional training will be provided to begin the 2011-2012 SIP process.
• Mr. Perez asked PTA about their status.
o PTA has a bank account already.
o PTA is still waiting on Dade County Council, they do not answer phone.
o Mr. Perez will work on getting some donations for PTA.
• Mrs. Rodriguez: “Boots on the ground” is a project to promote free health care for teenagers. “Florida Kids Care” good for students who don’t have insurance. It is not for low-income only. It is based on your income.
• SIPA event is a parent organization, only for parents and students that participate in international studies.
• EF, educational tours. Mr. Perez talking to this company to visit the countries that participate in our program: Spain, France, and Italy.
• In SIPA, we will be the first high school.
• May 3rd, students are going in a fieldtrip to Fairchild Botanic Garden.
• Students are also going in a fieldtrip on May 13th to EPCOT.
• EESAC committee will meet 2 more times, one in April 21st and the last one on June 2nd.
• FCAT will be April 11th and 12th. It will be mostly during the morning hours.
• End of course exam for Algebra: Mrs. Iglesias is trying to find out if the students do not have to take the test because they took Algebra last year.
• Practice sessions online are required for students to get familiarized with the format of EOC exams.
• August 22, 2011, classes start for the next academic year.
• Andrea Villa came in a county’s magazine, mentioning her great performance in the Spanish History Bee Competition.
• Meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m.