Attendance

Members Present:

Parents: Leigh Anne Adams, Tracy Bibelnieks, Patrick Dale, Monica Hynds, David Lose, Beth Pelzer, Serena Butts Ward,

Staff: Brian Ahern, Louis Mariucci, John Mayock, David Mcgill, Rebecca Pederson, Nancy Randall.

Guest: Jill Weiss, Marge Porter

General Procedures

Co-chair B. Ahern called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m.

The Minutes for the September were approved and will be posted to the web

The Agenda was adopted as presented.

Announcements

(See Agenda)

Public Forum

It was noted that the Kids Vote event didn’t happen this year and a request was made to organize this for kids for the next election.

Jill Weiss, a visiting parent, raised a concern about security, noting a) how frequently the doors other than the main doors are open and b) an assault that recently occurred near the school. The question is one of greater security at the cost of convenience, which most people seem to favor. A motion was made and passed to invite Bill Watercamp from Safety and Security to be present at our next meeting to address security issues.

Administration Report

Principal Mariucci displayed the flag and plaque the school received in recognition of achieving the status of being a Blue Ribbon school by the U.S. Department of Education.

Principal Mariucci reviewed the 2006 Minnesota Assessment Test scores for grades 3 through 8. Pointing out that one category of five had been eliminated (previously lodged between “meets the standards” and “exceeds the standards,” Pr. Mariucci noted that the cutoff for the highest category, “exceeds the standards,” has been raised. Students who fall below the standards will be identified for special attention, including a personalized plan for improvement. Discussion ensued about a) how this year’s results compared with last year’s, b) how the percentage of students in the “exceeds standards” reflects on our curriculum, and c) the challenge of closing the “achievement gap.”

Committee & Liaison Reports

Second Language Initiative will be overseen by the Reform Committee. David McGill offered a brief report, augmented by comments from the Principal: the group has met 3 times. A main challenge is to avoid some of the pitfalls of previous efforts. The goal is to find ways to promote second language in the curriculum; this represents a move forward from previous efforts to discern whether a second language should be supported in the curriculum. This involves a) developing a plan for implementation and b) making sure there is sufficient interest in supporting second language instruction among parents and staff.

SCIP Committee will be chaired by Patrick Dale and includes Leigh Anne Adams, Tracy Bibelnieks, and Matt Eastwood.

Outreach/Communications will be chaired by Brian Ahern and includes Beth Pelzer and Nancy Randall.

Note: January 20^th is the date for the SPPS Parent Fair at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium; volunteers would be appreciated.

Membership is chaired by John Mayock and includes Matt Eastwood.

The Reform Committee is chaired by David McGill and includes Tracy Bibelnieks, Patrick Dale, Monica Hynd, Louis Mariucci, and Serena Butts Ward.

A PTO Liaison has not yet been identified.

The GTAC Liaison is Lori Windels.

Old Business

Rondo Traffic – There is significant concern that parents dropping off students are not abiding by either the handicapped area outside the blue doors or the no-drop-off area outside the green doors. Other than asking the police to ticket offenders, few suggestions were offered. Pr. Mariucci suggested that Mr. Thao could be asked to offer oversight of parking issues that arise in the morning.

New Business

Leigh Anne Adams brought forward a concern raised by several parents regarding the upward trend in average class size has been expressed by faculty and parents. Noting the importance of increased class size in order to balance the budget, there is great interest at least in keeping this issue in front of us and possibly hosting a conversation regarding how to address these issues. Another challenge is that even as class size has increased, so also has the number of students with special needs.

The Meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m.

Next Meeting: December 11, 2006