Education Committee: November 1, 1999

Thirty-one surveys were returned as of Nov. 2. The results are as follows:

Presentation/Forums

# People Expressing Interest	Topic
16	Continuity between and consistency within grade levels
15	Gifted Education: What is it? How can we best accommodate for students with special abilities?
11	Balancing the goals of education: Social justice/academic rigor
5	Developing sensitivity toward diverse families
5	The primary school: What makes a primary school distinct from schools that educate older children? How does this setting influence the way we look at teaching & learning?
7	Assessment: Revisiting the process and procedure of reporting to parents
Other	Playground, friendship, rules & etiquette Advantages/challenges of teaching multi-age level. Revisiting the philosophy of the school--not to change necessarily but to discuss/reconnect, etc. Over-scheduled kids: What effect on is there on classroom performance? Self-esteem movement. On target or gone away? (This could tie in with discipline & respect.) Tracking -- the good, the bad, the ugly Technology in the school & curriculum Academic accountability Math instruction: is enough time being spent, how to address children at varying levels, computation skills Sex education

Proposal:

The education committee will select one topic per month and dedicate the bulk of the meeting time for discussion of the topic. Discussion will follow a three question/response format. The committee will use these discussions to identify the focus of the topic for a forum to be offered in the Fall of 2000.

Action taken November 2nd.

The committee accepted the proposal to select and discuss topics during the monthly meetings. It was suggested we research and provide readings prior to discussions in order to make for more informed conversation. In addition, we may invite "experts" in the district or beyond to attend meetings as appropriate. These discussions are meant to build understanding between and among committee members and to lead toward a more focused public forum in the future. Topics for the future have been tentatively outlined as follows:

December meeting (Dec. 12th if possible) Continuity between and consistency within grade levels. The new assistant superintendent will be invited to speak briefly about this issue and to join us for an open-ended discussion. Dennis will pass along the questions we generated at the Nov. meeting and ask him to select a focus for his remarks.

These questions are: How does OR's goal of individual instruction square with consistency among and continuity between grade levels?

How can we maintain consistency between classrooms while allowing teachers to bring individual passions/strengths to their teaching?

Do parents want us to look at children as individuals?

January meeting (Jan 6th, tentatively)

Gifted Education: What is it? How can we best accommodate for students with special abilities?

There was discussion as to whether the third topic should be Balancing the goals of education:

Social justice/academic rigor (the next highest ranked in terms of votes) or technology (a write-in with some support.) We will identify this topic as we get closer to the February meeting date.

Proposal:

The topic, Developing Sensitivity, is less prone to fit this format. Might we want to consider sponsoring a workshop on this topic for teachers and families in the district?

Action taken November 2nd.

The proposal to sponsor a workshop on the topic, "Developing Sensitivity" was accepted. Kelly Bucciero and JoAnn Portalupi will proceed with this and report back as needed. We will inquire into doing this jointly with Mastway PTO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learning to read -- helping parents understand this process
What to do if your child needs extra help (how to navigate the system)
Basic description of a day at Moharimet
Social issues tackled at school through outside resources -- sexual abuse, fire safety, electrical safety, are there others?
How do teachers at MOH use the computer lab and computers in the classroom? Is technology viewed and taught as a separate subject or integrated within the context of a specific theme/unit?
How is the Moharimet Web page updated?
Music Instruction -- What age rent instruments?
Information on girl scouts/brownies
At the start of the school year an Oyster River "Curriculum Synopsis" is brought home. This is very general, non-specific and doesn't seem to change between years. Why isn't the actual specific curriculum sent home or somehow published? Is it?
What is being done for the gifted? Does ORSD see a need to provide programs for those able to function for above the norm as well as the excellent programs already provided for those whose special needs require help to be mainstreamed?

Proposal:

Organize a small group of people who are interested in establishing a FAQ column in the Moharimet News. The sole purpose of this column would be to inform parents of Moharimet policies and procedures. Invite parents to continue to submit questions.

Action taken November 2nd.

Proposal accepted. Lorna Jacobsen, Roni Pekins, and Kathy McWilliams will organize the FAQ column for the Moharimet News. Deadline to make the MOH news is the third Friday of the month.

Small Circles: Network of Support

Five people expressed interest in the following topics.

Developing good learning habits: organization, time and material management, homework assistance, etc.
overscheduling kids
kids growing up too fast, how to prevent it
Tips for helping the "reluctant" student do homeowrk
First graders -- girls in particular

Proposal:

Invite those people who proposed topics to initiate these circles. Three of the five respondents mentioned homework related topics so this might be a good place to begin. The Education Committee can provide support in getting the word out and arranging space.

Action taken November 2nd.

Proposal accepted. JoAnn Portalupi will contact those who expressed interest in order to see if anyone would like to initiate a trial group. Sally suggested contacting Carol MacIntee to see if she might offer a counselor's coffee. This may be a good launch to smaller groups.

JoAnn will investigate Carol's interest.

Other business:

Dennis will look into the idea of a parent night with Marsha Wolenta to discuss the sex education curriculum. There was a request to specifically address fourth grade parents about the "talk" which is routinely given to fourth grade students.

Dennis would like parent input on the placement process. Will this fit into one of our meetings?

Dennis would like the Education committee to sponsor an evening to present the schools backplan. I think this is a valuable opportunity for parents to learn how Dennis and teachers think about their work and the growth of the school.

Questions generated on topic:

What systems are in place to ensure continuity between grade levels? Sally spoke of a profile on each student.
What does individual instruction look like?
What can we do to establish an understanding of what attempts/approaches at maintaining continuity and consistency are going on in this district?
(What are we trying to hold constant?)
How does OR's goal of individual instruction square with consistency among and continuity between grade levels?
How can we maintain consistency between classrooms while allowing teachers to bring individual passions/strengths to their teaching?
Do parents want us to look at children as individuals?

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Last update on 6-Nov-99 at 3:47 PM.

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