Tuesday, September 23, 2008

PSSC Minutes

Nashwaaksis Middle School
PSSC Committee Meeting
June 12, 2008

Members Present
Mitch Claybourn – Chair
Karen MacLean
Deanna Stewart-McGarry
Tracy Allen
Theresa Pyke


Ex-Officio Members:
Members Absent
Susan Knorr
Lori MacMullen – Secretary
Lisa Rousseau
Heather Touchie-Blakely – Teacher Rep
Tina Brewer

DEC Representative:
Bill Corby (Regrets)
Glenda Saint – School Performance Coach
Alan Atkins – Principal


Welcome, Approval of Minutes, Approval of Agenda

· Minutes from last meeting were not prepared for this meeting and will be reviewed and approved via email.
· ACTION: Tracy to assume responsibility for writing up minutes from May and June meetings.


Action Items Follow-up
· Spirit Committee - ACTION ITEM (Carried to June meeting): Alan to have Mary contact Mitch for an update of activities.
· UPDATE: Mitch has still not been contacted by Mary. Mary is leaving NMS for a year term at LHHS. Follow-up on spirit committee activities required in the fall.

· ACTION: A review of the TalkMail call lists will be done to ensure that the call lists reflect the current school population.
· UPDATE: The review of TalkMail has not been done yet. It is possible that a new tool, accessible to all phone services, will be available in the fall. Follow-up on home/school communication processes required in the fall.


Additional items

Initiative to improve NMS Outdoor Space
· Mitch, Tracy and Alan have been meeting to brainstorm about making better use of the outdoor space around NMS
· They have identified problem areas around the school and will be coordinating with the City and Police to make these areas more visible to reduce the amount of drug use going on
· There have also been discussions about using different areas for noon hour use to encourage more physical activity (soccer fields, tennis/basketball courts, track), which will require adjustments be made to the current supervision model and traffic patterns
· Redevelopment of other areas (e.g. the baseball field) will be discussed in coordination with the City as a long term initiative
· It was proposed and approved by the PSSC that concrete dividers beside the school driveway be extended down to the field area to ensure that people do not park there and to clearly identify an area as sidewalk for pedestrians.
· ACTION: Alan to contact Wanda ?? as the district to initiate a request for this improvement.




School-sponsored Grade 8 celebration
· As discussed in the March PSSC meeting, the school is sponsoring an informal Grade 8 celebration to be held on June 19. This will be an all day event, including a trip to Killarney Lake, a BBQ and a dance in the evening. The event has been promoted via talk mail and on the school website
· Follow-up: PSSC members request that this event be promoted earlier in the school year to ensure parents and students know and are excited about the official celebration.

Staffing shuffles
Alan discussed all the staffing shuffles that will take place this year. (?Do we want details listed here?)


Principal's report
Alan and Glenda presented the record of parent/teacher communications (re. Student progress) that took place around report card time. This, in addition to face-to-face parent teacher interviews reflect that parents are actually interacting with teachers more this term than last.

Dramafest at STU went well

An issue was taken with the message conveyed in the school production ‘Three Wishes’. In the future, the school administration, in coordination with the District, will be scrutinizing future endeavours.

6 Science Assessments, 7 Math Assessments, 8 Math Assessments were just written. Follow-up: The PSSC is requesting that there be consistent communications to parents regarding assessments, ahead of assessment dates. This year, some were communicated through the homework blog, some through the school home page, some not at all.

Nurses visited the school to do optional vision & hearing tests for Grade 6.

Jeff Whipple and Constable Jan Smith hosted a parents information session on social networking (e.g. facebook, msn). This event was poorly attended but contained very important information for parents. It was suggested that in the future, these types of events involve the students which may entice parents to attend to be supportive.
Science Fair, Band Performance, Grade 5 visits & parents have all taken place at the school over the past month.

The school Track & Field team placed second in the Districts. The top performers (i.e. those that placed in the top 6 of their event) are competing at the Provincials on June 16.

There are 30 students entering the Core Grade 6 program this fall that have gone through Grade 5 Intensive French. These children will all be together in one class but Alan is unsure how the school will be able to support them with an enriched French experience. He will be working with the District to adjust the curriculum to suit their needs.

The school track & fields days took place this week. Participation was an issue with the older grades.

Glenda's term as school performance coach is coming to an end. She feels the perception surveys illustrate that the school has made gains. We now have a concise School Improvement Plan, which will be implemented over the next year. The superintendent is responsible for follow-up moving forward, along with PSSC chair. Glenda is currently repairing her final report, which Mitch asked to be shared with the PSSC.



Nashwaaksis Middle School
PSSC Committee Meeting
May 8, 2008

Members Present
Mitch Claybourn – Chair
Karen MacLean
Deanna Stewart-McGarry
Tina Brewer
Tracy Allen
Theresa Pyke

Ex-Officio Members:
Members Absent
Susan Knorr
Lori MacMullen – Secretary
Lisa Rousseau
Heather Touchie-Blakely – Teacher Rep


DEC Representative:
Bill Corby (Regrets)
Glenda Saint – School Performance Coach
Alan Atkins – Principal

Welcome, Approval of Minutes, Approval of Agenda

School Improvement Plan

· Alan held a staff meeting to checkpoint the SIP


Action Items Follow-up
· Spirit Committee - ACTION ITEM (Carried to June meeting): Alan to have Mary contact Mitch for an update of activities.

· ACTION: Alan to ensure that teachers who have identified students needing support for lunch are aware of the options and opportunities available to them.
· UPDATE: Alan communicated this information to all teachers

· Year end trip – The question of year end trips was discussed and the committee indicated that as these trips are being planned guidelines such as adhering to educational themes and supporting local businesses should be followed.
· ACTION: Alan to bring this information to the next staff meeting.
· UPDATE: Year end trips were discussed in the staff meeting.

· ACTION: Alan will meet with the parents interested in forming a home and school committee as well as the Friends of NMS parents to indicate that formalizing the home and school committee will be the preferred approach for 2008 – 2009 and that in conjunction with the PSSC, these two committees will form the foundation to support, encourage and enable parental involvement at NMS while at the same time allow for transparency and formality in the overall process.
· UPDATE: Alan reported that he has met with both groups and has communicated that the school supports the formation of a formal organization, with documented procedures, including the requirement for an annual election process. Alan, in agreement with Alex Dingwall, does not feel it necessary for this organization to belong to the provincial Home & School Association, as this adds extra cost to members with little benefit. However, the formalized organization will require a formalized charter, transparency in operation, financial accountability with the school handling all group finances, and formalized involvement in the PSSC by providing a representative to sit on the PSSC and report on group actions. With respect to the election process, PSSC members felt that this would be most inclusive if it were held in the fall. Alan indicated that the interested parties wanted to run the election before the end of the school year, which is similar to the timing of a formal H&S election. The main concern of the PSSC was that this did not give incoming Grade 6 parents an opportunity to participate, meaning that only approx 1/3 of the school’s parents were considered as potentials for the executive. All parents would be able to participate as volunteers during the school year.


Additional items

Continuing Problems with TalkMail
· Concern was raised over the accuracy of the TalkMail call lists and how effective this tool is at reaching a reasonable portion of the school community
· Although it was acknowledge that many homes do not use Aliant services and therefore do not benefit from TalkMail, it will be continued for the time being
· ACTION: A review of the TalkMail call lists will be done to ensure that the call lists reflect the current school population.


Meeting Schedule

· Thursday, June 12 (Agenda Planning for 2008 – 2009, with meeting starting at 6:30pm and including supper)


Nashwaaksis Middle School
PSSC Committee Meeting
April 10, 2008

Members Present
Mitch Claybourn – Chair
Lori MacMullen – Secretary
Karen MacLean
Tina Brewer
Tracy Allen
Theresa Pyke
Heather Touchie-Blakely – Teacher Rep

Ex-Officio Members:
Members Absent
Susan Knorr
Lisa Rousseau
Deanna Stewart-McGarry



DEC Representative:
Bill Corby (Regrets)
Glenda Saint – School Performance Coach
Alan Atkins – Principal

Welcome, Approval of Minutes, Approval of Agenda

School Improvement Plan

· Alan provided the committee with an overview of the activities underway in the school relating to the school improvement plan including;
· School Leadership & Communications
o Team meetings, curriculum meetings, staff meetings are being held often and regularly
o The teacher handbook has been updated, consolidated and provided to all teachers – will continue to evolve and be renewed.
o The student handbook also continues to evolve and is provided to all students an parents each year
o More classroom walk thru’s are planned however getting them done is proving to be problematic
o Interim reports are now in place for each term

Second Step (anti-bullying program)

· Second Step is an approach to bullying based on a more positive proactive approach – teaching kids empathy, how to be a good friend, etc. versus a focus more on the negative aspects.
· The program is provided in English only
· Heather Blakely Touchie indicated she found the program to be positive and effective however sometimes difficult to implement to its fullest potential

Action Items Follow-up
· Spirit Committee - ACTION ITEM (Carried to May meeting): Alan to have Mary contact Mitch for an update of activities.
· Hot Lunch Program - Based on a request from a concerned parent information with respect to the number of children who may benefit from such a program was solicited from teachers. Based on the information collected, it is estimated that there are approximately 19 children (out of the total school population of ~860) who may benefit from such a program.
· It was noted that a program to provide money to students (i.e. “Caf Cash”) is available for students who need it. This program is monitored for inappropriate use and action taken as required. The option to go to the breakfast room at lunch time is also available to students who need lunch.
· DECISION: The committee determined that the programs currently available (i.e. Caf cash, breakfast room) were sufficient to meet the needs of the students.
· ACTION: Alan to ensure that teachers who have identified students needing support for lunch are aware of the options and opportunities available to them.
· Year end trip – The question of year end trips was discussed and the committee indicated that as these trips are being planned guidelines such as adhering to educational themes and supporting local businesses should be followed.
· ACTION: Alan to bring this information to the next staff meeting.
· Grade 8 Celebration – The teachers and administration are planning a Luau and dance again this year. Events to include a BBQ, trip to Killarney Lake during the day and then a Hawaiian themed dance in the field house that evening. This event is much more cost effective than other events held in the past.
· The issue of a school supported formal has been brought up once again. The decision remains that the school will not be supporting/sponsoring a formal.

Principal’s Report
· Perception Survey – Alan and Glenda provided the results of the perception surveys undertaken in November 2007. Glenda also provided an interpretation of the results of the results from this year as compared to historical data (2006).
· Year book photos and books are complete and ready to be ordered.
· 4 students attended Stem Expo this year – Mike Smith will be taken a more active role in this next year.
· Report Cards will be distributed April 11. Parent Teacher interviews are scheduled for April 17 & 18 with same format. Information will be collected once again with respect to parent interactions prior to, during and after the formal interview times
· A leadership session is planned for teachers for the afternoon of April 18.
· A professional learning communities survey will be undertaken to see how well NMS is providing and developing professional learning communities.
· The focus for curriculum development at NMS is on writing for next year with pre and post testing with the continued development of an “NMS” approach to curriculum in each of the major areas.

Other Items
· Printing of Student’s Work at Home – some parents have expressed concern with respect to the amount of printing being requested for homework and assignments.

· Heather indicated that she, and she believed most teachers, provide options for students – email to the teacher, etc. to mitigate impact of printing at home however there will be times when it will be required.
· What is the impact of the French Second Language changes to NMS? Alan indicated that he expects it to be status quo for 2008 with student impacts minimal. It is estimated that there will be 1 late immersion class and 3 early immersion classes for the fall 2008.
· Alan reported that preliminary discussions with respect to first rounds of FTE allotments, teacher assignments, etc. have begun.
· Mitch attended the District’s PSSC dinner event and passed along thanks to the committee on behalf of district.

Friends of NMS and the Proposed Home and School Committee for 2008 – 2009
· Interest in forming a home and school committee for the 2008 – 2009 school year has been expressed by parents of Grade 6 students coming to NMS in the fall of 2008.
· In balancing the support and interest of the current Friends of NMS group, the interest of parents to form a home and school and the need to encourage and support parental involvement in the school in a formally recognized and transparent manner, the committee supported the decision of the administration to support the creation of a formal home and school committee at NMS for the 2008 – 2009 school year.
· ACTION: Alan will meet with the parents interested in forming a home and school committee as well as the Friends of NMS parents to indicate that formalizing the home and school committee will be the preferred approach for 2008 – 2009 and that in conjunction with the PSSC, these two committees will form the foundation to support, encourage and enable parental involvement at NMS while at the same time allow for transparency and formality in the overall process.

Agenda Items for Next Meeting

· Continuing problem with talk mail

Meeting Schedule

· Thursday, May 8
· Thursday, June 12 (Agenda Planning for 2008 – 2009)




Field trips
The question was asked how teachers choose what each class does for field trips. There seems to be quite a number of trips to the Bucket club.

Selection Process for Big trips (e.g. Space Camp, Ottawa trip)
There is the perception that the selection process for these trips is not always fair. It was suggested that there be a formally defined process for wait list management, and that the wait lists be made publicly available. ACTION: Alan to take a look at this for next year.

Concerns Raised by Departing PSSC Member
Frustrated and questioning if there is real interest in having parents involved at the school as volunteers. Many times offered to help but not actually called to do anything.
Issues with students being given inconsistent or no consequences for poor behaviour.
Concerns with laptop program: not use to writing notes but will need to be able to in high school; laptops in poor working order without spares; D.E.A.R. time spent on computers, not necessarily used for ‘reading’; access and use of MSN (through Facebook) during class time
Inconsistent enforcement of school rules and code of conduct
Poor follow-up from the VP’s office
Quality of homework sheets (French sheets with penciled in English)
Poor turnaround on marking tests and projects.