PIE
May 7, 2012
In attendance: Carla Wuthrich, Steve Hyde, Alyssa Lasher,
Jeff O’Hara, Amy Sayre, Kelli Brown, Kate Dodge, Jim Goldsmith, Sue Hoeppner,
Patti Drew, Lisa Falcone, Doug Stewart, Kim Gordon, Jen Prue, Steve Hyde, Ali
Douglas
Part I: Sharing
Placement Process update from Jeff O’Hara
- Jeff will be posting a more “official” and transparent explanation of this process on the website. Below is a simplified version of the placement process shared at tonight’s meeting:
- Sending grade level teachers will meet together with special educators, guidance (Dave Rast advocates for what/how parents fill out their placement preference forms). Together they try to make a balanced class arrangement for the next school year. “Balanced” means that a class has a whole range of academic, emotional, and social needs…as well as a good boy/girl ratio. Some teaching teams use a rubric to either form or “double check” potential class lists.
- Unified Arts teachers review lists and make suggestions as needed.
- Once a class list is drafted, incoming and outgoing teachers meet to share information about students.
A question came up about why 7th and 8th grades are not “straight grades”
and in it’s current teamed configuration.
o Due to the strengths and passions of the teachers currently teaching 7th and 8th grades a mixed teaching approach makes the most sense.
o This also plays into the developmental readiness of students (with the increased capacity to organize a changing schedule and teaching styles of teachers throughout the day)
A tangent conversation was had about parent’s access to curriculum content.
o CSSU has a clear delineation of the curriculum content for each grade level and unified art posted on their website.
o Jeff promised to take this information and make it easily available on the HCS website.
Some conversation had about the potential to change the focus of the traditional fall Open House to a “curriculum night”.
Pre-k to 2nd grade Share:
- End of the year assessments are starting in kindergarten. Also, their ladybug unit is also starting this week.
- June 7th will be the 1st grade play (E-I-E-I-Oops). See Viking for more details as they unfold!
- Some teachers have been at a course on Best Practice. This course will help establish consistent language and approaches between grade levels.
- K-4 art show currently showing at the Carpenter Carse Library
- History fair is a recent focus for many.
- 4th grade science fair is coming soon… stay tuned for more details.
- K-4 art show currently showing at the Carpenter Carse Library.
- World culture unit is currently going on.
- Choir students will be doing a recording project for a United Nation “Be Peace” project.
- 7th and 8th graders participated in a Children’s Honor Choir last Friday in Middlebury.
- May 31st is the 5-6 band and choir concert
- June 6th is the 7-8 band and choir concert
- 7th grade boys percussion ensemble will be performing for the playground dedication (June 11th)
- 8th graders finished the “romance unit” in guidance.
- 7th graders are currently working on an anger management unit
- Barb Spaulding will be taking students Friday to the Brown Dog Book Store to meet an author.
- 7th graders are planning their end of the year trip to Branbury Beach
- 8th graders are planning their end o the year trip to The Great Escape
- Trent Smith placed 3rd in the statewide Geo Bee…congratulations!
- Looking for 7th and 8th grade parents to help with 8th grade graduation.
- Kelli Brown gave an update of what the Nutrition Committee has been working on. (http://hcsvt.org/Page/2328 )
- An active discussion was had about lunch time concerns, ideas, and happenings including: noise level, time available, food program
- Jim Goldsmith reviewed suggested scenarios for fulfilling grant requests since PiE is its own entity now, separate from HCS. We decided to implement a system which includes a PiE Requisition form and clear communication between the PiE Treasurer and Tina, the HCS bookkeeper. For more details, contact Jim Goldsmith
