CENTER STREET SCHOOL

700 CENTER STREET

EL SEGUNDO, CA 90245

SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MINUTES

January 19, 2006

 

OPENING

The meeting was held in the principal’s conference room and was called to order by Kyle Bender at 3:07pm. 

 

Members Present

 

Administrative Designee            Shannon Wilkins                       Present

Parent Representatives  Greg Burner ’07                       Present

                                                Julie Busch ‘07

                                                Susan Fowler ‘06

                                                Lorena Kramer ’06                  Present

                                                Bob Pederson ’06                    Present

Other School Personnel            Cheryle Ashley ‘07

Teacher Representatives           Kyle Bender ’07                       Present

                                                Chris Prengaman ‘07

                                                Marianna Tuchscherer ’06        Present

                                               

Parent Alternate                        Susan Truax ’06                       Present

Teacher Alternate                     Joanne Bowdre ‘06

 

The minutes from the November 17, 2006 meeting were reviewed. Susan Truax motioned to accept, Shannon Wilkins seconded. The minutes were approved by voice vote.

 

 

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Discussed Center Street School goals and changes as presented to the Board of Education on December 13, 2005. All of the following comments support the goals as presented to the School Board. Shannon Wilkins led the discussions. Additions to the existing plan include:

 

  • Goal #1 Academic Achievement
    • Language was added to the goal description to make it more specific
    • New program in math (Everyday Math), computer based training for all grades, students are given a password to make the training available from home
    • Kyle Bender discussed the “million dollar project” and his training and use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
  • Goal #2 Academic Equity
    • Computer lab used to re-teach standards
    • Proposed additional program to extend intervention in reading and extend student assessment
    • Considering the use of programs like Reads Naturally, Quick Reads, and others
  • Goal #3 Initiative to Improve Instruction – Science
    • Align content standards for all grades with Discovery Works materials
    • Increase instructional minutes
  • Goal #4 School Climate
    • Discussed buddy reading and writing, where students write letters to each other

 

Discussed goals for the 2006 – 2007 School year. Shannon provided a handout highlighting the changes for the next school year, which will continue the progress started this year. For the purpose of being complete, the entire handout is copied below.

 

Center Street School Goals 2006 - 2007

 

  • Goal #1 Academic Achievement – Writing
    • Fluency, Structures, Individualization. Writing – Continue implementation of Writer Workshop for the development of writing fluency and to provide a classroom management structure to provide differentiated instruction for emerging writers.
    • Standards, Genres. Continue grade level instruction materials. Which contain lesson plans, student checklist, graphic organizers and rubrics for each genre, and a writing portfolio that travels through the years with the student.
    • Assessment. Improve Writing Scores on CST at 4th grade. Align assessment to a single district rubric and prompts. Reestablish our objective measurements to align with the new state scoring procedures for the 4th grade writing assessment (Papers now will be read bay a single reader and that score will be doubled so the only possible scores are 2, 4, 6, and 8. December 2005 CDE).
  • Goal #2 Academic Equity – Reading
    • Identify students for intervention using the STAR test and site assessments for the reading intervention program
    • Incorporate technology solutions for grade 3,4, and 5 students to improved ongoing assessment, identify intervention groups, and book selections for differentiated instruction
  • Goal #3 Initiative to Improve Instruction – Science
    • Align the content standards for all grades with Discovery Works materials. Identify the essential standards strands
    • Incorporate a systemic health program into the curriculum
    • Provide a review of forth grade science material for fifth grade students before the CST exam
    • Plan and implement Chevron Grant program, currently under development
    • Increase instructional minutes
    • Continue articulation with Richmond Teachers
    • Assessment – Explore including Discovery Works Assessments in the Edusoft system
  • Goal #4 School Climate – Reading/Writing Buddies
    • Develop a community of readers and writers by making it part of the school culture
  • Goal #5 Parent and Community Involvement – Technology
    • Increase parent involvement through technology. Parent section on the website and increase our ListServe subscribers

 

Bob Pedersen suggested adding a goal of “keeping our test scores at least as high as past goals”. Site Council discussed re-structuring the five goals.

 

Survey Progress

 

  • Discussion on including a “comments” box below each question. Shannon indicated that it is difficult in Survey Monkey to add that Comments Box.
  • Discussed shortening the introduction section
  • It is intended to ask parents to complete a survey for each child at Center Street
  • Discussed adding different surveys that more specifically address different parts of the community: parents, teachers, classified, community member. Each separate survey would contain questions more specifically focused on that type of community member. Shannon took the action to work this with the Teacher Representatives
  • Geoff Yantz to be invited to the next survey sub-committee meeting.
  • The sub-committee is targeting the last week of February to send out the survey
  • Susan Truax to replace Susan Fowler on the survey sub-committee

 

Technology

 

  • PTA has set aside funds to buy new PC’s for Center Street. This year will focus on replacing PC’s in the technology laboratory. Center Street currently is using 5+ year old computers.

 

 

CLOSING

  • The meeting was adjourned by Kyle Bender at 4:21 pm.
  • The next general meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 2/16/2006 at 3:00pm.

 

 Comment

The Center Street teachers and administration, and the Survey Committee are to be commended on the amount of progress made in addressing school goals, and in completing the survey, during the last two months. Good work!

 

Submitted by Greg Burner