- Follow-up
- Community Representative – Beth Colleye updated the group on the three candidates she is pursuing for the community rep (one declined).
- Basecamp – Everyone new to be invited so that it can be used for discussions.
- Parent Info Night on PARCC – The group discussed what would be most useful for parents as well as the best timing. Given the HSA presentation to parents on assessments generally (not just the PARCC) which is scheduled for December 9, it was agreed to look for a date closer to the PARCC testing but still sufficiently in advance to help families prepare and support faculty. It was agreed to look for a January date which would also benefit from work that the faculty will be doing in advance of the test administration. In advance of the PARCC meeting, it was agreed to focus a large part of the January LSAT meeting on reviewing school level data. Mr. C commented that the data shows in many cases that the Murch learner community does not evince typical patterns of struggle and failure.Terri Fuller shared with the group the most current information she had from DCPS regarding testing windows: PARCC, 12 March to 10 April and 31 April to 29 May and NAEP for the 4th graders, January to March. This was followed by a broader conversation about the volume of testing at Murch and whether students were being over-‐assessed. Many expressed the desire to identify which assessments were essential from an instructional standpoint. There was general support for the idea of developing priorities and a calendar that maximizes instructional time – and to develop strategies to advocate for just the most effective assessments. Others raised questions about how best to balance the need to help students be familiar with the technology used for tests without taking away from instructional time. The faculty noted that some aspects of the interim assessments were still being worked out and emphasized that it was summative in approach and not formative.
- Community Engagement Program -‐-‐ Sabrina Finburg updated the group on further ideas for a program designed to engage students in social and learning activities outside of school with other Murch community members, the idea being to create out of school enrichment experiences and social opportunities for students who don’t regularly benefit. It would depend on adult volunteers and there is the opportunity to partner with other schools. Further planning will be rolled into a building diversity group that both Sabina Finburg and Terri Fuller participate in. There is the possibility of using some of the OSSE student satisfaction grant funding for transportation.
- Enrollment – The enrollment audit was taking place that day at school and inspectors (and Mr. C) remained at the school working well past the LSAT meeting. Preliminary results may be ready by the December meeting.
- Building Renovation Update and LSAT input– Mr. C reported that there was no additional update regarding the renovation and that DGS has put out the RFP for the building architect to be selected.
- Printers and Copiers – Bethany Little asked about the burden on faculty and administrators resulting from a lack of working copiers and whether parents could help relieve the problem. Mr. C reported that three new (not refurbished but new) copiers were ordered and expected during the school year. Vicki Otten described the small stand‐alone printer/copier machines used in the 5th grade and the group discussed whether more might be helpful at other grade levels while the large copiers were on order. Parents also asked whether there were any other supplies or tools needed.
- Planning Time – Bethany Little inquired of the faculty and administrators about the effectiveness of the pooled planning time now built into the calendar. She asked about the possibility of having a half day once a month for faculty to plan when an outside group such as an arts organization could be working with the students on special programming.
- Topics for Future Meetings -‐The committee plans to use a survey tool to gather a complete list of topics and Bethany Little has agreed to design a survey to facilitate prioritization. The results will be discussed at the next meeting.
