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AVERY MIDDLE
SCHOOL |
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AVERY MIDDLE
SCHOOL |
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School Improvement Team |
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The School Improvement Team is a group of parents and teachers which meets quarterly to discuss issues of all types within the school. This group strives to make improvements within the school for the good of the students. If you are a parent of an Avery Middle School student and have input for this group, please know that you are welcome to attend the meetings! The parent members of the school improvement team are chosen by parents submitting nominations. Those named are then voted on by the parents. Both of these actions are accomplished by sending home notifications with students, so please ask your students every day for information which they may have received. |
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Next Meeting Date: Agenda |
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Parents
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Faculty
ANY PARENT OF AN AVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT IS WELCOME TO ATTEND THE MEETINGS OF THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE.
Minutes for Dec 18, 2008 Present: Laura Laughridge, Art Williamson, Kenneth Samuelson, Robert Wiseman, David Wright, Elaine Vance, Jenna Lecka, Barbara Lindsey, Kim Polsgrove, Meg Hundley, Linda Wiseman. Robert Wiseman presented the Real Property Transfer Tax. He gave out informational pamphlets and explained that we have a one time chance to get this tax. Basic elements are the tax is 0.4% paid by the seller when a transaction is made. The funds gained from this tax would be used for the schools. He described the monetary benefits to our schools as a result of possibly having this tax. He also described how this has benefited other counties. This document can probably be reproduced and handed out to our students. A link could be put from our page to the county page which will have the brochure posted. Tour of the building postponed. Budget process starts in February. It goes before the commissioners in May. Computer testing was completed this week. Writing test this year is very different. There will be four different tests. Sports - Girls won regular season, basketball. Lana would like for the new uniforms. We have already missed 5 days for snow this year. Options about making up school discussed. Phone alert - some complaints about the message being cut off. They are working on it. Bullying - An expert coming on January 9th. His name is Rick Spurling and will be addressing the youth. We will do it by grade level. Elaine asked about where it will take place. Probably the cafeteria. Bullying has decreased since the beginning of the school year School Improvement Plan went well and was passed. Leadership team. TheyNot enough recognition of "good" kids. If there are any suggestions, they are welcomed. Discipline Policy needs to be updated. Incident this year of alcohol at a game. "Punishment was hardly anything" Mr. Wright is unhappy with several things in the policy. $88,000 has to be given back to the state. The funds will come from staff development and textbook money. Approximately $2,500 from Avery Middle School. 21st century skills. David read from an article in the Boston Newspaper. Only 24% of teachers in Massachusetts are men. In NC the number 20% dropping to 10% in lower elementary. schools. This represents a 40 year low. Early college "is coming". Next year hopefully there will be 10 from Avery County going there. Virtual public schools. This will start this spring with the 8th graders. There will be a parent meeting after Christmas with the teachers and Will Beutell. This may open up for 7th graders next year. We need a new sign. There was discussion about our current state of not having a sign and people thinking the broken high school sign is ours. Fund raiser discussion. Cookie Dough, David suggested canned soft drink drive. Question about student parking in the lower parking lot blocking all the traffic. Elaine asked that we be careful about asking our students to buy stuff. Families are hurting now and the children are having trouble finding funds to do things. Meg informed team about the Media Technology Advisory Committee. Jenna is concerned about consistency in care for those struggling and not making it because there is a lack of communication. Discussion about science fair. Meg suggested vertical alignment regarding the science. The parents are concerned about the science projects, and transition to class changes. Feb 5 planned for next meeting at 3:15.
Minutes from the School Improvement Team Meeting September 25, 2008
In attendance: David Wright, Elaine Vance, Bob Tatum, Meg Hundley, Kim Polsgrove, Craig Bell, Jenny Lecka, Lana Leaman, Michelle Poore, Shawn Banks, Linda Wiseman and Laura Laughridge.
Laura Laughridge elected chair and Meg Hundley elected secretary
Mr. Wright (David Wright, Principal) informed us that today we would work on AMS School Improvement Plan. He distributed copies of the mission and vision statements of both AMS and ACS. They are similar. Mr. Bell asked Why are faculty and staff not included in the mission statement. There was a general agreement to make that change.
School Improvement Plan is in place for three years but anything can be changed through the SIT.
The Team was informed that the wording has been changed from "high student performance" to "globally competitive students". The team reviewed goals: see discussion below state call them smart goals and there are the strategies
AVID (advancement via individual determination) one of our new strategies was described by Mr. Wright.
Mr. Tatum addressed the fact that the goals are tweaked to address the fact that testing has made changes in our foci. Other subjects are just as important and should be addressed as such.
There will be Increased natural integration of technology and information skills into the curriculum.
There was discussion regarding the high school graduation goal, how that applies to middle school, and the current drop out rate.
Craig Bell asks what the 21st assessments are. Mr. Wright addressed that with a description of "Classcapes", an application designed for teachers to asses their students formatively rather than solely as an eoc/eog.
Mr. Bell also wants to know if anyone does a Meyer's Briggs test. Also can we do this so that students know what direction they may be heading. Mr. Tatum tells about interest inventory we used to do. Mrs. Hundley reminds folks of NC College Foundation and the interest and ability testing available there. That particular assessment is given every year through GEAR UP.
Mr. Bell would like further explanation of disaggregating data. Mr. Tatum explains that this merely means dissecting and distributing the data from testing.
Mr. Bell notes the increase of faculty staff development.
"Healthy and responsible" replaces "safe, orderly and caring schools"
Mr. Bell wants to know if there is a process for wellness programs for students and staff. Bob explained what the KARE team is. Identifying children with needs. Mrs. Leaman wants to know if there are organizational skills addressed in TAG. Mr. Tatum explains that TAG is more about team building and inter-personal responsibility. Mr. Wright explains that AVID addresses that. Mrs. Polsgrove explains that this is happening at the high school and would like for the same process to happen here. Mr. Wright assures this will be spreading throughout the school. Mr. Bell would like a "spell out" of KARE. Mrs. Polsgrove appreciated the 7th grade letter home regarding volunteers and the follow up that happened. Mr. Bell notes the leadership portion of Strong family, business and community support and suggests integrating the boy scouts. How do we promote leadership? This would go under the character section. He notes YMCA is listed as a resource. Boy scouts not. Ms. Vance suggests taking out YMCA and putting in something more generic. Mrs. Polsgrove wonders about the crossing off of "person on duty at the front" as a goal. Mr. Wright explains that it really isn't crossed off. There was discussion about using volunteers out front and the sensitive nature information. Mr. Wright asks that everyone see him by Tuesday to sign the School Improvment Plan. Mrs. Polsgrove asked if service learning is addressed in the goals. Mrs. Hundley asked if this is in our beliefs should it not be addressed in the .goals. Mr. Bell - will; it fit in goal 3? Mr. Tatum says it should be a strategy. Mr. Wright points out that we lost these programs when testing took over. Mr. Wright suggests that we turn in what we have and revise at a later date. Thursday a good day for meeting. Next meeting date TBA The following e-mails were turned in requesting e-mail delivery of these minutes. llaughridge@crossnoreschool.org Meeting adjourned at approximately 5:00
AVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
TEAM MEETING
Tuesday, February 7 2008
Submitted by Beth Byerly
Technology Update/Channel One: A while back Dennis Brown
recommended that AMS needed the most improvement of county schools with
regards to technology. Funding was procured ( from the county?) and
some things have been done (new computer lab in Careers classroom),
while some things have been ordered ( smart boards, projectors, etc. and
printers).
Meg Hundley filled us in on the situation with Channel One: When we
first got Channel One ( a daily 15-minute youth-oriented news program
WITH commercials that is broadcast into schools ) they came and gave to
the schools all the hardware needed to get the broadcast - the TVs,
cabling, reception equipment, etc. The program was free. Maintenance on
the equpment was free. Now Channel One has chosen to drop us from the
program, so along with no longer getting the broadcast we no longer have
their free maintenance on cable equipment. There is speculation that
part of the reason could be the looming future expense of updating all
the equipment for HDTV. There was discussion about whether all the
school's TV equipment will need to be updated in order to continue
receiving cable
Student Roundtable: This program, where representatives from the
TAGs meet with David Wright and Ricky Ward to discuss concerns and
ideas, has been going well. Mr. Wright reports that the kids do not
hesitate to speak up and that they have discussed a wide variety of
topics such as bullying and the quality of school lunches. Soon they
will choose a different set of TAG representatives in order to give
others a chance to participate.
Energy Drinks: Apparently a problem has been developing with
kids bringing these drinks to school and/or drinking them before coming
to school. These products are loaded with sugar and caffeine and
teachers report that they exacerbate behavior problems in class. There
is a plan to ban them from AMS and the school nurse is compiling
nutritional information about them to send home in a letter intended to
discourage parents from allowing kids to drink them before coming to
school in the morning.
6th Grade Study: Referring to the experimental Freedom Trail
program whereby kids remain at the elementary school for 6th Grade,
while it is too early to draw final conclusions, it appears at this
point that things will stay as they are, with 6th Grade at the middle
school. This led into a discussion about the future arrangements of all
Avery County Schools, and about what options are being discussed in
various forums such as the School Board and Principal's Meetings.
Banner Elk is planning to build a new elementary school, even though
their enrollment is dropping. Beech Mountain School enrollment is
dropping. Meanwhile Avery Middle School can't get funding for
badly-needed capital improvements, let alone basic maintenance and
repair on the facility. Maybe it would be better to consolidate and
have just one Middle School, and have Banner Elk elementary students go
to Cranberry, which could be strictly an elementary school. It was
pointed out that Ashe County Schools did this sort of thing, and have
had great success with it.
Grant Money Update: AMS got a grant to fund after-school
tutoring and other academic improvement programs, but hasn't been able
to access the money or begin those programs due to a computer "glitch"
issue at the state level.
Student Drop-Offs and Pick-Ups: An announcement was made to the
effect that parents were to drop off and pick up students at the bottom
parking lot ONLY. There are large concerns about safety when cars
mingle with the buses at the upper entrance drive. People have
responded and are cooperating, and we actually had a sheriff directing
traffic at the exit from the lower parking lot one day, but traffic
clogs at the exit continue to be a problem. It was suggested that maybe
we could try switching and have the buses unload at the bottom parking
lot while having all cars go to the upper entrance, but most folks felt
that wouldn't help.
Staff Development: Some teachers are going to conferences, but
the costs can be prohibitive, so AMS tries to arrange as many in-house
programs as possible.
Capital Outlay Priorities: There was much discussion about the
physical needs of the AMS facilities, since it is time to submit
requests for the funding to address such needs to the School Board. We
talked about all the things that simply need repairing like: the
crumbling steps between the cafeteria and main building; the ruined
ceiling tiles in the library and the underlying leak/moisture problem
that causes that and other problems like mold and mildew on books; the
destroyed sign down at the road by the lower parking lot; the
disentegrating gymnasium floor; the water problems on the breezeway
between the gym and the hallway; and the broken boiler. We talked
about all the basic, regular maintenace that needs doing like: new
carpet in classrooms and new paint on interior walls. And then we
talked about all the much-needed improvements like: air conditioning
for the third floor, which is apparently an oven; covered walkways
between the main building and mobile classrooms, where now students have
no protection from weather; a new gym, since ours is not only old and
crumbling but too small to hold regulation interscholastic sporting
events (this is why all our teams have to play at the high school and
why we have no "home court"); and upgrading the athletic fields, which
also are not able to host interscholastic sporting events like soccer,
football, softball or baseball.
We discussed the fact that AMS received $0 for capital projects for the
past two years, even though these needs were presented. Now it is time
to present them again and hope that this year we will at least get
something, and so we needed to prioritize our "wish list", which we
did. It ended up like this: 1) Air conditioning for the third floor,
2) New gym, 3) Repair of crumbling steps, 4) Covered walkways, 5) New
carpet and paint, 6) Leak repairs, 7) Athletic field upgrades. David
Wright has applied for a grant with Mountain Electric to possibly get
the sign replaced.
It was stressed that the unified voices of parents carry more weight
than anything, and that for things to get done it is more effective for
those unified parents to go directly to the School Board. This led into
another discussion about the possibility of forming a PTO, for how else
can parents get organized? The possibility of sending out a letter to
gauge interest and possibly get parents to come to a discussion meeting
about having a PTO was put forth. Meanwhile, Beth Byerly has
volunteered to be the contact person for parents wishing to indicate
their interest. She can be reached at 733-5344 or
byerlybeth@yahoo.com.
Parent Survey: All students will be given surveys at school and
one will be sent home to all parents.
Open Agenda: The recent problems with the buses were discussed (
buses not showing up at the end of the day and parents having to come
get kids) . Parents are advised to call Jeff Lyons at Avery County
Schools to voice concerns about these problems.
November 7, 2007 Introductions: Rules: Meetings: The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 6 at 3:15, the purpose of which will be to vote on the proposed School Improvement Plan. Chairperson: Alice Franklin was elected Chairperson. School Improvement Plan: Everyone got a copy and was encouraged to read through it and make suggestions at the Dec. 6 meeting. School Report Card: Talked about our Student Performance scores and how we want to improve our scores so Avery Middle can get out of "improvement status" and thereby avoid interference from the state. Walter Johnson Middle School: David Wright and Ricky Ward visited Walter Johnson Middle School, which recovered from "improvement status", to learn about ways to achieve AYP. They are going to get copies of their School Improvement Plan and evaluate it. National Model Schools Conference: David Wright and Ricky Ward attended this conference to learn and get ideas to help improve Avery Middle. Middle School Bus Tour: David Wright and Ricky Ward and some other teachers visited East Yancey M.S., Asheville M.S., J.T. Williams M.S. in Charlotte and one other school in Charlotte, again to see how other schools are dealing with the issues that Avery Middle is facing and to get ideas about how we might improve and deal with our AYP issues. Student Roundtable: This is a new idea being tried out at AMS. Students from each grade level chosen by their TAG teachers will meet regularly with David Wright and Ricky Ward to ask questions and initiate discussions about the school, ideas, concerns, etc. Each child chosen will attend a few times, then a different person will be chosen, rotating so a wide variety of kids will have a chance to participate. Career Explorations Computer Lab: The Vocational Fund in the county funded this - a new computer lab was installed in the Career Explorations classroom. Arlene Foster, the Careers teacher, will work with Marilyn Phillips on preparing students to take the computer competency test. Technology - Textbook Waiver: Ricky Ward spoke about Avery Middle School’s great need for technology improvement, and about the fact the the school did not receive a grant it was seeking for that purpose. It was proposed that the school spend overflow money from the textbook fund on technology needs, and after discussions about how this would work, the School Improvement Committee voted to approve the proposal. The money will be used towards getting projection systems in classrooms, Smartboards in classrooms, and projectors and Smartboards in the computer lab. Greenhouse Project: Last year AMS received a grant to put a greenhouse on the campus but a suitable site has not yet been found. Things such as heating and piped water from the main building must be considered, and it will be spring before a decision is made. More funding will be needed for installation of a propane tank and other structural considerations. 6th Grade Study: Riverside School is doing the experiment with keeping the 6th grade at the elementary school level. Discussions and studies are ongoing about which environment is best for that age group, how a rearranging of the grades would affect all the schools, etc. Open Agenda: Money is wanted for capital needs- that is, hard goods like building maintenance, furniture, grounds, etc. There are many physical needs at AMS such as gym improvement (all our games must be played at the high school as ours is inadequate), ceiling repair in the library, installation of air conditioning, sign repair, just to name a few. Avery Middle has received $0 for capital needs for two years in a row. There are many capital needs and expenditures in the county currently, like the renovations at the high school and the newly-planned Banner Elk Elementary School, so funding is very limited. Still, we need to prioritize and come up with some ideas and suggestions for possible needs/uses for funding we might receive. Ideas are welcome. |
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