Southwest Middle School
School Advisory Council
September 18, 2007 Meeting Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 4:28 PM. In attendance were: Dr. Anne Carcara, Gwendolyn Johnson, Desiree Butler, Dolly Ramos, Charlotte Moody, Denise Probst, Mirrian Bryant and Natalie Bartimac.
The minutes from the August 18, 2007 meeting were approved as written.
Principal’s Report:
Dr. Carcara mentioned that we are currently using a new program to post grades and progress reports. Progress reports are due to go out on 9/21/07 and Open House is scheduled for 9/25/07. We further discussed our need to replace the computer lab in the library and to add more Success Maker licenses. More licenses are needed in order to raise the performance of the bottom 25% of the students so that we will not be in jeopardy of losing our "A" status. Bonnie has applied for a grant with the Dr. Phillips Foundation so that we may purchase (30) computers with (30) licenses. We also need to do some more research in order to find other grants out there that are available, which may allow us to purchase new printers for the teachers who are in need of them.
Old Business:
SAC Member/Officer
Election
Dolly
Ramos mentioned that more parent participation is needed for SAC. It was suggested that a flyer be given out at
the Open House scheduled for 9/25/07 which would include a description of what
being on SAC involves and also a notation on what is need for parent
participation. In addition, it was suggested that those in attendance invite
potential members to the next meeting in October.
2007/2008
School Improvement Plan
Natalie Bartimac gave a few change updates concerning the 2007-08 School Improvement Plan. Dolly Ramos asked about the Reading Gap, which was briefly discussed.
School Recognition Funds (A+ Money)
For the past two consecutive Fridays, there has been a meeting with the School Advisory Council (SAC) and Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC). Suggestions were made in the second meeting to develop different plans on how to distribute the funds. Plan I involved allocating certain funds to designated departments such as Reading, Math, Science, ESOL, and Technology. Plan II involved bonuses for returning staff, and Plan III involved bonuses for returning and new staff. The final plans will be brought to the October SAC meeting for a vote.
New Business:
SAC Bylaws Review
Dolly
Ramos indicated that we need to review our bylaws to determine whether any
changes are necessary and requested assistance from the membership. She also indicated that SAC information will
now be available on the SWMS website, including meeting dates, agendas,
minutes, last year’s survey results and membership. The goal is to put more information about SAC
on the school website to encourage other parents to get involved and
participate in SAC.
We briefly discussed doing an
online survey using Zoomerang or other software this year. Natalie Bartimac offered to find out what is
available from Orange County.
Announcements:
The meeting for
"Share the Vision," will be on October 3, 2007 (with the
Superintendent of Orange County Public Schools). The next meeting is planned for October 16,
2007.
Adjournment:
The meeting was
adjourned at 5:17 p.m.