October 23, 2007
3:00 pm, Library
Next Site Council Meeting: November 27, 3:00 pm, CHS Library
Members present: Mariel Plager-Brockway, Bill Liechty, Paddy O’Brien, Michelle Anderson, Norah Jensen, Nancy Faaren, Kris Bonds, Annie McManus, Kathleen Lawrence, Stefan Wheat.
Guests: Ed Thorpe
The second Site Council meeting for the 2007-08 school year was called to order by Nancy Faaren and began with self-introductions. For the first time the Site Council met with the Capital School Improvement Planning (SIP) Team.
Joint SIP Team/Site Council Business Discussion: Nancy Faaren immediately articulated the meeting focus when she expressed concern regarding student behavior at recent athletic events. She briefly described rowdy and disruptive behavior of a few “superfans” during the recent Capital/North Thurston football game. The joint group was asked to discuss and propose potential solutions. Nancy reminded the group that the current School Improvement Plan has placed an emphasis on creating a “Safe and Inclusive School” and “Parent/Community Involvement to Improve Student Learning” and encouraged the group to be creative. She also indicated the Administration takes this issue very seriously and will be taking appropriate steps to assure that respectful behavior is part of the CHS culture.
Several issues of note were discussed:
* Mr. Lundberg would like to CHS to establish clear requirements and rules for behavior at public events.
* Stefan said that students don’t always understand the rules because the rules aren’t clear. Even when students do understand the rules, it is just their nature to push the boundaries.
* Nancy recounted a recent meeting between Capital and Shelton staff and students, which was intended to promote improved relationships between the two schools. Capital sent 13 participants to the meeting.
* Kris Bonds told the group the student Climate and Culture Committee has formed an ad-hoc group to propose solutions. Nancy asked if any Site Council members would like to participate in this work group. Ed Thorpe, Bill Liechty, Paddy O’Brien, and ??? volunteered to participate.
* Bill Liechty recommended that CHS coaching staff be asked to work with their athletes and emphasize respectful behavior when they attend CHS athletic events and CHS assemblies.
* Nancy shared a WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association) prepared handout that defined acceptable and unacceptable behavior during sporting events. The group felt the document was a good starting point and should be refined and distributed as soon as practical.
Site Council Business Discussion: Nancy and Paddy co-facilitated the Site Council discussion.
Nancy reported back to the group on several issues that originated during the September meeting.
* SIP Process: A School Improvement Plan is an OSPI mandated planning process that schools are required to complete annually. The typical School Improvement Plan development process was described as a joint effort that includes faculty, parents, community members, and students.
* Visual-Performing Arts & Occupational Ed graduation requirements: Nancy reported back on a discussion she had with OSPI. She handed out a chart created by OSPI, which compared current graduation requirements, proposed graduation requirements, and four-year public college admission requirements. Apparently OSPI is considering increasing the “Arts” graduation requirement from 1 credit to 2 credits. The expectation is that students will be able to, “function at a higher level” in the Arts and therefore may be required to take a full year of Art credit in the same general area of Art. The Site Council felt that this approach was too restrictive and not conducive to scheduling flexibility.
Other discussion Items:
* Paddy reported on efforts to update existing Q/A and FAQ’s on how to file a complaint with the CHS Administration.
* Nancy asked for feedback on the recent Open House event. The Site Council reaction was generally positive. The principal’s video and Link Crew hall monitors were very much appreciated. A recommendation was made to post signs on classrooms when faculty were not able to meet with parents.
* School Environmental Health: Annie will gather information from the District regarding the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products and report to the group at the next meeting. Norah volunteered to report back to the group on drinking water quality testing that has been conducted at CHS.
Homework Assignments for next meeting
1. Bill will prepare October meeting minutes.
2. Ad-hoc work committee volunteers should be prepared to participate when asked.
3. Nora, Paddy, Susan, and Mariel will report back on efforts to update existing Q/A and FAQ’s on how to file a complaint with the CHS Administration.
4. Annie will gather information from the District regarding the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products and report to the group at the next meeting.
5. Norah will report at the next meeting on drinking water quality testing that has been conducted at CHS.
Next Site Council Meeting: November 27, 3:00 pm, CHS Library