SLT Meeting Minutes 10.19.16

On October 19, 2016 the School Leadership Team of The Children’s School (“The SLT”) held its regular meeting in the teachers’ lounge at 7:30am.

The following members of the SLT were present:

ANGELA FERRANTE, PARENT, CHAIR, CHERI ANDERSON, PARENT, ROSEMARIE ASTARITA, PARENT, SHARON BARONE, TEACHER, LUCIA BURNS (ON BEHALF OF NINA CREWS), PTA, DAVID HO, PARENT, MICHAEL O’NEILL, TEACHER, UNYQUE RENCHER, PARA, KIANAH SMITH, TEACHER, PAULA SZUCHMAN, PARENT, TONIANN TEPEDINO, SCHOOL SECRETARY, DAVID TIPSON, PARENT, SECRETARY, SHARI ZISMAN, TEACHER

The following individuals participated as guests at the meeting:

Bridget Nash, Assistant Principal, Special Education, Yvette Agas-Bautz, Parent Coordinator

The following matters were discussed:

  • Approval of September Minutes:

The SLT approved the minutes from the September 2016 meeting presented by the secretary.

  • Banana Splits Program

The Banana Splits program is a lunch club for children whose parents are divorced.  The program will be coming back this school year, but has not started yet.

  • Updates on C-30 Process for Filling Assistant Principal Position

Schools are permitted to hire interim/acting assistance principals before going through the NYC Department of Education’s C-30 process for filling assistant principal positions.  Through District 15 Superintendent Anita Skop, Ms. Rosa has found someone she would like to ask to serve in an interim/acting capacity.  If the school does not hire an interim/acting assistant principal, the position would be vacant until at least January. Rosa will talk to the Department’s legal department to ensure the school is compliant with all hiring rules.

The SLT discussed this possibility.  There was consensus Ms. Rosa had the SLT’s support in pursuing this option.

  • SLT Meeting Room

Some SLT members expressed concern that the teachers’ lounge is too small for SLT meetings.  Ms. Nash will explore other options.

  • Wellness Policy

SLT member Paula Szuchman circulated sample school wellness policies and ideas from other schools before and during the meeting.  Ms. Szuchman proposed that the SLT begin work with the school community to draft a policy for the school.

The SLT discussed the idea of creating a wellness policy and the need for school-community engagement and careful, responsive drafting.  There was consensus to establish a special committee to study the issue.  Ms. Szuchman will coordinate the scheduling of the meeting.

  • Principal’s Update

Assistant Principal Bridget Nash delivered the principal’s update on behalf of the principal, who was absent due to a principals’ meeting:

  • Second grade soccer tournaments have started and will expand to other grades.
  • Character day is October 28.  
  • Nine new bike racks will be installed on Whitwell Place.  
  • The school is teaching coding this year and partnering with Code.org.  Coding studios begin Friday afternoons for 4th and 5th graders.  Coding is also taught as part of the multimedia curriculum.  
  • The school hosted a curriculum morning and a curriculum evening so that all parents could go.  Teachers volunteered their time for the morning sessions.
  • Responsive classroom:  the school is sending a letter to parents with dates for people to go to their child’s classroom.  
  • Custodial Engineer Joseph Randazzo is leaving the school. We don’t yet know who will replace him.
  • School year off to good start.
  • UFT Update

Michael O’Neill presented the UFT update.  Parent-Teacher conferences are November 3rd.  

  • PTA Update

Lucia Burns (proxy and former PTA president) presented the PTA update.  The executive board of the PTA recently had a meeting about the PTA budget.  The PTA is in black and interested in proposals for how PTA funds should be spent.

  • Committee Updates
  • Diversity.  Shari Zisman presented the diversity committee update.  The diversity committee had a meeting on September 30th, which was well attended.  Initiatives this year include improving the successful buddy system for new parents in the school and using bus stops as networks of communication for parents who cannot be in the school often.   Both are going well.  Signs welcoming people to the school in multiple languages have been posted around the school.  The Roots & Community event will be November 5, 2016.  November 17th is the next meeting of the diversity committee this year.
  • Social Emotional.  Rosemarie Astarita presented the social emotional committee update.  Character Day is October 28.  The committee is still searching for a chair.
  • Comprehensive Educational Plan.  A planning committee will be established during the next SLT meeting.
  • Middle School.  The SLT reached consensus to disband the middle school committee for lack of interest in the issue in the school’s current parent body.  

The SLT discussed other ways that the school and the SLT might assist parents with learning about middle schools that share the values of the school.

  • School Communications

The SLT discussed whether information about communication with the school is adequate.  The PTA has put out a directory in prior years but did not do so last year.  SLT agreed to look into this.  The PTA has replaced the printed book with the Konstella software that will house all school information, contact information, lists, etc.  There was discussion about looking into an automatic phone reminder system.

Ms. Ferrante called the meeting to a close at approximately 8:40am.