Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes

Approval of minutes: Mrs. Robledo called the meeting to order at 8:22 a.m. The minutes from November 1, 2011, were reviewed and approved unanimously.

Official Business: The first order of business was to approve the plan for the distribution of School Recognition Funds (A+ money) using a slightly revised formula this year whereby all teachers receive the same bonus amount. The new distribution formula was approved unanimously. An amendment was put forth to modify the bylaws in two different sections. The first change proposed was to delete the first sentence under “Regular meeting,” which read “The regular meetings of the council will be held on the first Tuesday of the month beginning in September.” The purpose of this deletion was for clarity purposes, because the following sentence stated that the EESAC would meet once a marking period or more often if deemed necessary. The second change proposed for the bylaws was an addition of “or the principal’s designee” to the wording under “Quorum” so that the sentence reads “A quorum, which must include the principal or the principal’s designee, must be present before a vote may be taken. The changes and amendment were approved unanimously. Information about how the district and Carver spend the lottery funds was distributed.

SIP Review: The EESAC is the sole body responsible for the approval and implementation of the School Improvement Plan, (SIP). Mrs. Stroleny presented the data from the winter interim assessments. Reading: In sixth grade, 85 percent of students scored proficient with an average score of 80 percent; in seventh grade, 95 percent of students scored proficient with an average score of 82 percent; in eighth grade, 94 percent of students scored proficient with an average score of 80 percent. Mathematics: In sixth grade 84 percent of students scored proficient with an average score of 66 percent; in seventh grade 95 percent of students scored proficient with an average score of 82 percent; in eighth grade 97 percent of students scored proficient with an average score of 82 percent. Eighth-grade students scored 78 percent proficient with an average score of 54 percent on the Algebra 1 exam. Eighth-grade students scored 41 percent proficient with an average score of 68 percent on the science exam. Forty-four percent of eighth grade students enrolled in Biology scored proficient on the Biology exam. The average score was 68 percent. On the eighth grade midyear writing exam, 96 percent scored a level 4 or higher (out of 6) with an average score of 4.7.

Principal’s Message: Mrs. Gonzalez said the scheduled February EESAC meeting will be replaced by today’s meeting. She said the school is preparing for the spring testing and she is confident that all students will do well because all courses are being taught at an advanced level. The next early-release day is February 2, followed by the teachers’ professional development day on February 3. That day Mrs. Daniels will be honored at the Teacher of the Year luncheon. Mrs. Gonzalez also congratulated Mr. Torgas for his success in the district SECME competition and for being the school’s nominee for the Walter B. Arnold Youth Hall of Fame Award. The Principal Honor Roll field trip and the Spanish Talent Show are February 8. The Black History Month luncheon is on February 10. February 14 marks the Valentine’s Day Social. The PTSA Board meeting is on February 15. The book fair is also upcoming. Subject selection for current sixth- and seventh-graders is February 21-24. Alumni Day and the Hall of Fame ceremony is February 24. This year’s honoree is Dr. Mona Bethel Jackson, a Carver graduate and a retired principal who has been involved in many community projects. She will also be the keynote speaker for the National Junior Honor Society ceremony. The FCAT Writing test is on February 28. On March 5 and 6, German and French students will take the Advanced Placement pilot tests. Mr. Sands will hold mock trials on March 5-8. March 19 is fieldtrip week; grades 6 and 8 will take fieldtrips on March 23. March 19 and 20 is the grade 6 hearing and vision screening. Incoming sixth-graders from Sunset Elementary will have an orientation meeting on March 21. Francophone Day is March 29. The Musical Theatre will present Alice in Wonderland on March 28. March 29 is the end of the third marking period, with March 30 as a planning day. April 4 marks the Science Fair Parent Workshop. AP practice tests will be administered on April 5. FCAT pep rallies will be held April 9-11. Students will visit Washington, D.C. on April 12 and 13. FCAT testing begins on April 16. The Student Council convention is on April 25 with elections on April 26 and 27. An orientation for incoming sixth-grade IE and IS for random-selection students is scheduled for April 26. The next scheduled EESAC meeting is May 1.

Open Forum: Mrs. Fernandez said the team did well at the district Math Counts competition and she thanked the coaches for their work on SECME and Math Counts. Mrs. Daniels said the track and field season is underway and the junior varsity girls were runners-up at two recent meets and the boys’ teams also have done well. Kick-It-Up went well and ended in a tie forcing teams to return the following Friday. The Spelling Bee is ongoing as seven finalists remain after the first day and the competition should be finished this week. The Literacy team will meet tomorrow and will receive reading and writing data.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:57 a.m.