SUPERINTENDENT/PARENTS LIAISON COMMITTEE
MINUTES – JANUARY 14, 2010
In attendance:
Geri Fenton Denise Mendenhall Helen Ehling
Michele Rollman Diana Bryant Libby Blackburn Christy Hagen Jane Wright Jill Mason
Marian Popelka Linda Smay Molly Oestreich Nancy Wolper Ami Wessel Rita Stypula Bobbie Reed Patricia Green Arleen Wheat Brian Miller Rob Gaertner William Stropkaj Roger Botti Cindy Kainaroi Bill Young
Dr. Green opened the meeting by announcing each of the schools in our District will be doing something to help the people of Haiti with relief from the recent earthquake.
Next month, the SPLC meeting will be conducted by Dr. Arleen Wheat and Dr. Brian Miller. A modified Report of Student Achievement will be presented. Dr. Green will be attending a conference out of state.
School Messenger service worked well last week. The entire student population was notified within 45 minutes of its activation. Parents within the District should be made aware they can change their preference settings to meet their individual needs.
Keystone Exam Update: These exams were passed into law and will impact this year’s current 7th graders in meeting their high school graduation requirements.
Transportation
· Bus Assignments and Overcrowding: State law permits three students to a seat. NA schedules busses at 75% of capacity. When needed, seat assignments are moved to allow for musical instruments. If your child is to ride a different bus home, you are to send a note to the driver. The District does support child care issues in reference to transportation; however, they do not do it for social issues.
· Driver Recognition: The District recognizes drivers for years of service and years of safe driving. If you want to acknowledge a driver, you can send a letter to the Transportation Office.
· Route 19 Construction: District concerns relating to construction relate to the arrival and departure at NASH and events held there. PennDOT meetings were held and District representatives attended along with the public and businesses. Concerns were presented. The NA School District asked for traffic studies at the beginning and end of the school day. They didn’t do them yet. Data was presented on the overall average use per hour of Route 19. The District did ask for the majority of the work to be done in the summer months, but no decision has been made.
· Bus Stops: The District follows the board policy on moving a bus stop. They prefer to move a student to another stop rather than creation of a new bus stop.
· Bus Routes: Parents are not able to request a specific bus driver. Routes and drivers are based upon seniority of the driver.
· Cameras: There is a camera box on every bus. Actual cameras rotate through our bus fleet. The ratio of cameras is one in four buses have cameras operational at any one time. The drivers and students do not know when a camera is operational on the bus.
· Smoking Policy: There is NO SMOKING on district buses.
· Behavior on Buses: Driver must first attempt to control situation on his own. This is hard to do when the bus is in motion. A school bus proctor can/will visit the bus and deal with the issue. Lastly, the driver can turn in a misconduct slip on the student(s).
Elementary Issues
· Cell Phone Usage: District-wide the Code of Student Conduct states phones are not to be used during school instruction time. Disruption/use is a violation of the Code. This includes call, text, phone being activated, receiving call/text or use of photo capabilities. There is nothing in place for staff/faculty use of cell phones in District buildings. Check with your Building Administrator if you feel this is a problem.
· Communicable Diseases: The school sends a letter home to parents in the grade level where a communicable disease (lice) has been identified. If siblings are in the building, those grades are also provided a letter. Student must be nit-free before admitted back into school.
· Recess Assistants: The role of the recess assistant is to provide assistance in the supervision of students. The actual supervision responsibility falls to the Building Administrator. If you feel there is a problem, check with the Building Administrator.
· Wellness Policy: In 2006, districts which got federal funds for their lunch programs were required to write a lunch policy. Contact NA Central Administration for a copy of the policy and guidelines. With the new website, the District hopes to have these items published.
· Elementary World Languages: There will be a pilot program in the elementary schools February–March 2010. It will be held after school for current fourth graders. The pilot will offer multiple offerings to our students. Actual program is expected to be rolled out to 5th and 6th grade students in 2011 and 2012.
· All-Day Kindergarten: There are no current plans to have all-day kindergarten at North Allegheny. Within the last six months, a kindergarten committee has been formed. The District is exploring the development of an extended day program. This program will be designed to meet the needs of those students requiring educational support to meet educational standards at the kindergarten level.
· Lunch Programs: Food Service supplies meals to each of the elementary schools based upon the lunch count turned in. They do provide some extra meals, but a shortage of meals possibly is due to the student changing their meal choice and not taking the meal originally requested. There are seven options available to students and all choices meet the designated nutritional guidelines. Parents can email dining services for nutritional information on foods served. As an alternative, students are permitted to pack their own lunch.
· PFA/PTO Programs: It is up to the PFA/PTO groups to work together with Administrators to coordinate programs delivered at schools. The same curriculum is followed in grades K–12, but not all schools have exactly the same equipment. The addition of climbing walls and extra equipment has come from various PTA/PTO groups.
· Field Trips: Teachers and Building Administrators make the choices of field trips. They must meet curriculum being taught. Technical advancements have now permitted the use of distance learning through the use of computers. Keyboarding is now offered as a nine-week course in the 6th grade.
· Computers: The District has plans to increase computers in the elementary schools. This is tied to the availability of funding.
· Construction Projects: McKnight Elementary will have the hillside re-graded for more stability and then additional landscaping will be done by the contractor. There has been no impact on school operations at McKnight and Hosack because of the construction.
· School Capacity: Enrollment is stable; student population at the elementary schools is not impacted or overcrowded.
· Playground Equipment: The PTA’s provide the equipment for the playgrounds. Once installed, the District provides ongoing maintenance.
· Curriculum Reviews: Curriculum reviews happen in a cycle based upon subject area. The actual review process takes a year to plan, research, study, develop. Implementation, evaluation, and reflection take place in the years following the review. Curriculum is constantly evaluated to insure compliance with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards.
World Languages
· Pilot Program: Available in all schools. Some languages not in all schools due to interest levels. No transportation is available, but parents can transport student to school where preferred language study pilot offered. Languages offered will be French, German, Latin, and Spanish. Program dates are February 16–March 29. It will be taught by the language teachers from North Allegheny. There will be a formal presentation of the Language Pilot Program at the School Board Meeting on February 27, 2010.
· Curriculum: Foreign language exploration is not offered until 7th grade because it is based upon curriculum review. In making this decision, best practices are followed. In 7th grade, exploratory language is offered and in 8th grade a full year of the language instruction is offered. English as a Second Language is provided to students at the elementary level because of Title 3, which is a mandated program and under the heading of Student Special Services.
· Summer School: There are no plans at this time for language or any course to be offered in a summer school format. CCAC does provide 120 hour courses during the summer to accelerate students in subject areas. This instruction and enrollment is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Next Meeting: February 11, 2010
Topics: Legislative Issues, Curriculum