Building Leadership Team Minutes September 24, 2018

Attendance: Shane Barton, Marion Burghart, Kevin Calacone, Tom Clayton, Mikayla Faas, Pam Guest, Michelle Griffin,  Jennifer McClure, Paula Monarch-Palmieri, Cassi Olin, John Sorady, Nancy Stewart, Stephanie Weinlein

1.  Standing item: High School Building Renovation Project
a. Waiting for NYSED approval of Phase II- we used the expedited option
b. Which teachers will be moving, when, and when will they be notified?

2. Follow up topic: Academic Success Plan
a. Feedback on new policy has been positive (so far)
b. Concern over the potential number of IST referrals
Outcome: Continue to monitor this topic during the year

3. Follow up topic: New master schedule for 2019-2020
a. The Jr./Sr. High School needs to provide at least 990 hours of instruction over 180 days, per NYSED regulations. The requirement is no longer just 180 days in session.
b. Schedule changes could impact the amount of lunch periods and could “lock” students out of certain classes.
Outcome: Continue this conversation during the school year until a suitable proposal is adopted.

4. New item: Open House Changes for 2019
a. 30% of families attended High School Open House this year. This is the same percentage as the last four years.
b. Received written feedback via parent event surveys.
c. Our current format is difficult to follow, especially if there are multiple children in a family.
d. An Open House “Fair” in the gym was proposed. Families could meet teachers at Department tables and come and go as needed rather than follow students’ schedules for seven-minute periods.
Outcome: Seek feedback from respective stakeholder groups and reexamine next month.

5. New item: Alma Mater
a. Concerns about keeping the phrases “the white man” and “the Indian Trail” in the alma mater.
b. Previous Board of Education amended “Injun Trail” to “Indian Trail.”
c. These lines are not reflective of our community as it currently exists today
Outcome: The BLT supports updating the first verse of the alma mater to be more inclusive. This topic will be revisited in October.

6. Other topics
Student safety at dismissal- Students are walking down the hill in the driveway and not on the sidewalk. Should we stop car traffic down the hill until after the buses are dismissed?
Outcome: Advise students to walk on the sidewalk. Collect data and share at the October 2018 meeting.

Next meeting: Monday October 22, 2018 (3 – 4:30 p.m. in the High School Library).