Educational Excellence School Advisory Council

7571 International Studies Preparatory Academy

Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes for:    11/15/2021  02:30 PM

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

Recording Secretary:    Montserrat Ledo

Location of meeting:    Media Center / Zoom

Was a quorum established?    Yes

Was the meeting advertised?    Yes,  08/17/2021

Attendance:

Members Present:

Alamo, Ana (Teacher / EESAC Chairperson)
Bryson, Maria (Parent)
Calvo, Tamara (Educational Support Employee)
De La Cruz, Leslie (Parent)
Delp, Elizabeth (Student)
Diaz-Blanco, Alina (Principal)
Feiler, Mark (Business / Community Rep)
Feiler, Mylene (Teacher)
Harrison, Naomi (Business / Community Rep)
Ledo, Montserrat (Teacher)
Menendez, Lourdes (Teacher / UTD)

Members Absent (Excused):

Avaria, Carolina (Parent)
Bendana, Janina (Parent)

Members Absent (Unexcused):

No one had an unexcused absence.

Others Present:

Diaz, Felicia (Assistant Principal)
Fajardo, Natalia (Alternate Education Support)
Famadas, Nelson (Alternate Parent)
Taracido, Kevin (Alternate Teacher)
Dr. Sherian Demetrus (MDCPS District Representative)

Topics Covered:

I. Agenda
• Approval of minutes from prior EESAC meeting on September 14, 2021
• School Improvement Plan 2021-2022 & SIP DATA Talks
• EESAC Budget
• House Bill No. 241 – Parents’ Bill of Rights
• Recruitment Update
• PTSA Update
• New Business

II. Call to Order
Ms. Ana Alamo, EESCA Chairperson, called the EESAC Committee meeting to order at 2:30pm on November 16, 2021, at International Studies Preparatory Academy at Gables (ISPA).

III. Roll Call
Introduction of New Parent/Teacher/Student Members
a. Present Members
Alamo, Ana (Teacher / EESAC Chairperson)
Bryson, Maria (Parent)
Calvo, Tamara (Educational Support Employee)
De La Cruz, Leslie (Parent)
Delp, Elizabeth (Student)
Diaz-Blanco, Alina (Principal)
Feiler, Mark (Business / Community Rep)
Feiler, Mylene (Teacher)
Harrison, Naomi (Business / Community Rep)
Ledo, Montserrat (Teacher)
Menendez, Lourdes (Teacher / UTD)

b. Absent Members (Excused Absence)
Avaria, Carolina (Parent)
Bendana, Janina (Parent)

c. Others Present
Diaz, Felicia (Assistant Principal)
Fajardo, Natalia (Alternate Education Support)
Famadas, Nelson (Alternate Parent)
Taracido, Kevin (Alternate Teacher)
Dr. Sherian Demetrus (MDCPS District Representative)

IV. Approval of Minutes from September 14, 2021
- Ms. Feiler made a motion to approve the minutes, and Ms. Menendez seconded the motion.
- Minutes from September 14, 2021 were approved unanimously.

V. School Improvement Plan 2021-2022 & SIP DATA Talks
- Data chats have been had with accountability groups.
- We are doing Topic, Mini, and Quarterly assessments in Math, Science, and Social Studies to monitor progress. This year the ELA department is using Adaptive Progress Monitoring (APM) as a progress monitoring tool. Mid-Year Assessments for English and Math will begin after the Thanksgiving break.
- Intervention is mostly done through tutoring. Afterschool program will be launched soon.
- Administrative Walkthroughs will be ongoing, as well as data chats with teachers.
- Cross curricular planning has already taken place and will continue to be an area of focus for the school year.

VI. EESAC Budget
- During September meeting, EESAC approved a transfer of funds for recognition. We still have a surplus of $1748.35.
- It was suggested to use the funds to purchase a second camera for the TV Production class.
- Mr. Feiler made a motion to use the funds to purchase a second camera for the TV Production class. Ms. De La Cruz seconded the motion.
- Motion was unanimously approved.

VII. House Bill No. 241 – Parents’ Bill of Rights
- Dr. Blanco reviewed information on House Bill No. 241 with EESAC members.
- Information on the bill has been posted on the ISPA website for parents to access.
- Posters have been displayed throughout the school and in the main office.
- EESAC members will be emailed the document shared by the district.

VIII. Recruitment Update
- Currently, ISPA has 350 magnet applications submitted.
- Tomorrow will be the third proficiency exam given this year.
- In-school tours have resumed. So far, they have been a success.
- Ms. Ledo has been attending both virtual and in-person magnet fairs.

IX. PTSA Update
- PSTA will be hosting a Thanksgiving lunch for the ISPA Faulty and Staff.
- They are getting ready to start a fundraiser with Amazon Smile.
- PTSA is planning on having their yearly Cocktail Gala Fundraiser Night that was canceled last year due to Covid-19.

X. New Business
- Senior, Isabel Perez, was the district winner for Values Matters initiative for the month of October.
- Jose Castillo and Elizabeth Delp won an Italian Contest.
- School Boundary Committee: Dr. Blanco explained that as a magnet school the boundaries do not apply to ISPA, however the appropriate representatives will convene to sign necessary documents.

XI. Adjournment
- Ms. Delp moved to adjourn the meeting and Mr. Feiler seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 3:20pm.