Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes

G. W. CARVER MIDDLE SCHOOL
Educational Excellence School Advisory Council
Ingrid Robledo, Chairperson

E.E.S.A.C. MEETING May 8, 2014

Council members in attendance:
Shelley Stroleny
Shelton Rivers
Cheli Fernández
Annette Daniels
Guillermo Garcia
Richard Hudson
Shannon Sejeck
Maria Alvarado
Suzie Prudhomme
Vicente Cortes
Alexandria Hoyt

Council members absent:
Ingrid Robledo (chairperson)
Brigitte Kavanaugh
Elvia Brathwaite
Osire Agramonte
Emma Piniella Bennett
Laura Weinfeld
Maria Zenoz
Gabryelle Garcia
Thomas Harley
Tom Kernan
Annie Baker
Melissa Nobles

Approval of minutes: Mrs. Stroleny called the meeting to order at 8:24 a.m. The minutes from April 8, 2014, were reviewed and approved.

End-Of-Year SIP Review: The EESAC is the sole body responsible for the approval and implementation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP). Mr. Rivers said the SIP is a living document based on student needs. At the Mid-Year review, fall and winter assessments were used to determine if desired progress had been made to accomplish our goals; the answer was yes. In fact, some goals (that are not based on test data) had been met at midyear. Goals related to FCAT scores and EOC exams will be reviewed when the data is available. A copy of the SIP, including the Mid-Year review, is available upon request. As always, we value input of all stakeholders. The District will hold a SIP writing workshop soon and we will convene the SIP writing team after that. Ana Hernandez, Pierre Apollon, and Flavia Verde have been elected new parent representatives to the EESAC for next school year. New student representatives will be elected in the upcoming Student Council elections.

Principal’s Message: Mrs. Stroleny said the visit by Advanced Education Accreditation on May 5 went extremely well, and their representatives gave complimentary verbal feedback; the campus looked great and it was a wonderful Carver day. She gave a big thank you to the entire staff. The Teacher Appreciation Luncheon was on May 7 and Mrs. Stroleny thanked the PTSA for putting it on. On May 7, Mrs. Stroleny and Mrs. Vazquez attended the School Board meeting where they were recognized for winning the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. The Washington, D. C. trip for the Samsung award was a huge success, with seven students participating and meeting with their congressmen and scientists. On May 8, Ms. Senior, Mrs. Coto-Gonzalez and three students will attend the Do the Write Thing Challenge awards ceremony. Also on May 8, the National Junior Honor Society will hold its induction ceremony for 73 students. Friends of Carver is on May 9 and all teachers and parents are encouraged to attend. On May 12, we will have a visit from Mr. Lefebre, French Parliament member. The Spanish AP exam was on May 6. Upcoming AP exams are French (May 13), German (May 14), and Italian (May 15). Take Your Child to Work Day is on May 15. Orientation for incoming IS students is on May 21and for IE students on May 22. The Student Council convention is on May 23. The Awards Ceremony is on May 29. Francophone Day and the High School Student Reunion are on May 30. Testing has gone very smoothly, and Ms. Castillo deserves commendations for her work as test chairperson. Carver is a finalist in the prestigious school of the year contest, Colegio del Ano, sponsored by the Spanish Embassy in Washington, D. C.

Open Forum: Mrs. Daniels reported that boys’ and girls’ basketball seasons have finished. The golf qualifying meet is on May 12. In tennis, Carver qualified for the district finals in 15 of 17 events. Mrs. Fernandez reported that iPrep teachers will participate in a summer institute on June 9 to discuss changes and what worked and what did not. Overall, the program is working well. Changes ahead for next year are new standards and textbooks that will reflect those new standards; computer and textbook usage will be mandatory next year. Mrs. Stroleny said there will be more emphasis on iPrep for sixth-graders next year because this year’s sixth-graders did so well in the program. On May 19, iPrep and Carnegie representatives will visit Carver. Mrs. Daniels will attend a meeting on May 16 for PE departments to discuss next year’s PE EOC. On May 12, the Healthy Schools Initiative will meet; the program is looking for a replacement for Dr. Garcia, who currently runs the school’s program. Dr. Garcia said the program is switching from a local to a national-based program, with less individual school attention. He said he would like to incorporate walking and physical exercise into the SIP to reduce student stress and get kids moving.

Adjournment: Mrs. Stroleny thanked all members for their service and their time during the 2013-14 school year and wished all a fun and restful summer. She adjourned the meeting at 8:50 a.m.