John D. Runkle School » School Council

School Council Minutes – January 10, 2012

Dr. Beauchaine — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:14:02 +0000

DRAFT

Runkle School

School Council Meeting

1/10/2012

Meeting Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 4:09pm in the Runkle Library.

Members Present: V. Beauchaine, R. McElroy, G. Sopel, A.Hummel, V. Godhwani, D.Halwick, T. Gallo-Toth, M. Voros, D. Dixon, J. Katz

Members Absent: C.Pelton, J. Shapiro, S. Stern

I. Approval of Minutes 12/15/11

V.Godhwani shared an email sent to her on 1/6/12 from Scott Murphy with comments and questions regarding the posted draft minutes of the 12/15/11 School Council Meeting.
After reviewing the points of clarification in the email from Scott Murphy, the Council concluded that the SC Minutes as drafted and posted were an accurate reflection of the substance of the conversation that took place at the 12/15/11 School Council Meeting.
G.Sopel motioned to approve the SC Minutes of 12/15/11 as posted in draft form; R.McElroy seconded; nine members approved the minutes and J.Katz abstained

II. Public Comment

There was no public comment

III. Runkle School Building Project

Dr. Beauchaine shared that she had walked through the new addition on 12-20-11 and that photos will be shared at a later date. She said work has continued on task including overtime hours. She announced that the next Building Committee Meeting is January 31^st at 4:00pm.

IV. School Needs Survey

Dr. Beauchaine stated that a Brookline District Needs Survey is forthcoming with the draft to be shared at the School Council meeting on February 14^th. She explained Runkle will also do a specific Runkle Needs Survey for Parents and for Staff with the goal of participants completing both the District and the Runkle Needs Survey. Dr. Beauchaine handed out a draft copy of the proposed Parent Survey and Staff Survey for review by the Council members.
SC reviewed the wording of the introduction to the Survey, the main topic sections on the Survey, and some of the wording of the questions. Dr. Beauchaine said she will revise the draft survey based on the Council’s suggestions regarding format and phrasing for the next SC Meeting.

V. Other

R. McElroy suggested adding as a regular item to the School Council agenda a brief report on the monthly meeting the Superintendent has with School Parent Leadership composed of PTO Chairs and School Council Co-Chairs.

Meeting adjourned at 6:00pm

Respectfully submitted,

Teresa Gallo Toth

School Council Minutes – December 15, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:05:21 +0000

Runkle School

School Council Meeting

12/15/11

Meeting Minutes

Meeting called to order at 4:05 in the Runkle Library.

Members Present: V. Beauchaine, R. McElroy, G. Sopel, A. Hummel, V. Godhwani, C. Pelton, D. Halwick, J. Shapiro, T. Gallo-Toth, S. Stern, M. Voros

Members Absent: D. Dixon, J. Katz

I. Approval of Minutes 11/15/11

Ten members present voted to approve the minutes, J. Shapiro abstained.

II. Public Comment:

Scott Murphy 2 comments:

Request for School Council to read the Attorney General response to his complaint filed in March 2011.
Request for an opportunity to address parent and teacher members of the School Council to share what he believes to be retaliatory actions against his son in response to the complaint.

III. Updates:

A. Update to Complaint filed in March 2011 by Scott Murphy

1. 3 documents as part of this update

a) 3/31/11 – original complaint

b) 4/15/11 – school council response to complaint

c) 11/14/11 – AG response to complaint

2. Dr. Beauchaine took council through the responses to each concern listed. Reviewed responses to bullet #5 accomplished in the spring of 2011. SIP safety and respect goals were amended to cover this type of situation.

a) Agenda items for Jan – review changes and evolution in Safety and Respect or bullying prevention goals of the SIP.

3. Dr. Beauchaine read a portion of the AG response to the complaint.

B. Transition Team

T. Gallo-Toth updated the team on the first Transition Team meeting held in Nov 2011. Master calendar/timeline will be updated & posted on the Runkle website in Jan 2012. Next meetings: 1/12 and 1/26. Transition team role is to keep track of tasks & gather input by teachers, parents and students in regard to the transition. It is not to create any policies and rules.

C. Other

IV. Runkle School Building Project:

RSBC recommended that option 2A be investigated to mitigate impact of the one HVAC unit on Dean Rd abutters. This investigation will require approximately 4 weeks and will then be sent to the contractor, with the caveat that cost must provide for on-time opening of Runkle. Building Commission did approve this investigation, but with the clear mantra of “Well Done, On Time, On Budget”.
Friday 12/16/11, RSBC meeting will focus on the process for the development of a Parking and Traffic plan. The meeting will be held at Town Hall at 8:00AM.

V. MCAS 2011 Presentation (Dan Green and Jim Stoddard)

Reviewed State, Brookline and Runkle results.
More information is available on the Mass DESE (Department of Education) website.
Council agreed that at a future meeting Dr. Beauchaine would present information she has gathered on how Runkle students do when they get to high school.

VI. School Improvement Plan

DCAP (District Curriculum Accommodation Plan) Review presented by V. Beauchaine to show how it has been updated for 2011 as listed on our SIP.

VII. Other

Public Comments addressed:
1. Request for the complete AG’s report be read aloud. The council felt that because Dr. Beauchaine had already read the major conclusions of the report, the report was publicly available, and had been distributed to all members, no further action would be needed.
2. Allegation of retaliatory action against Scott Murphy’s son as a consequence of the AG’s report. The council agreed that Mr. Murphy would be asked to present this allegation in writing. Then Dr. Beauchaine and the town counsel would review the allegation. If it didn’t have any confidential information relating to a child at the school then it would be presented to the council. If it did, then Dr. Beauchaine and the town counsel would review it themselves. In either case, based on the allegations, a decision would be made as to how to address the allegation and report back to the council.
3. Finally, George Sopel relayed his daughter’s suggestion that the school create a time capsule, modeled on a wonderful version she saw at another school. The School Council agreed that this was a good topic for the new student council and/or the transition team to consider.

Meeting adjourned at 6:10 PM

Respectfully submitted,

Valerie Godhwani

School Council Minutes – November 15, 2011

Jenny Murphy — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:54:54 +0000

Runkle School Council

Meeting Minutes

November 15, 2011

Members Present: V. Beauchaine, D. Dixon, C. Pelton, J. Katz, T. Gallo-Toth, V. Godhwani, D. Halwick, A. Hummel, R. McElroy, G. Sopel, S. Stern, M. Voros.

Members Absent: J. Shapiro

Meeting called to order at 4:10 p.m.

V. Beauchaine distributed list of members and days on which they would be responsible for taking minutes and keeping track of time.

I. Approval of Minutes 10-11-11

Minutes were approved with seven votes, one abstention.

II. Current Issues/Public Comment

Scott Murphy listed a few points for School Council attention including:

* concerns raised at the PTO meeting recently regarding disorder and noise in the hallways and the cafeteria particularly in the morning before school. V. Beauchaine said she would be following up on those concerns.

* request for clarification regarding policy for attendance by fans at school sporting events. V Beauchaine noted that a clarification of the policy had been posted in the Runkle News.

* question whether School Council had a meeting in September and whether minutes were available. V. Beauchaine said that the meeting in September had been for training of School Council members and was not a public meeting.

* question about how to identify changes made to Runkle Handbook issued this year. V. Beauchaine explained that the Handbook is not produced by the School Council.

* question about how the principal will use some additional funds allocated to the principals’ budgets town wide by the School Committee. V. Beauchaine said the principal’s budget had been addressed at the October meeting and that copies of the handouts discussed at that meeting are available in her office for review.

* concern that not all items in his letter to the Attorney General’s Office were addressed by the School Council in its reply. Discussion about whether some of the matters relating to personal matters were within the capacity of School Council to address and whether the letter from the Council had addressed all issues raised. V. Beauchaine said School Council would address any points not previously addressed.

* question as to status of anti bullying subcommittee. V. Beauchaine explained that this committee has not yet been formed and that progress of Runkle’s bullying prevention intervention plan would be addressed later in the meeting.

Discussion as to how to proceed during public comment period, specifically, whether there should be discussion of matters raised at the time or not. Different views expressed, but general consensus reached that School Council could follow the School Committee model, in which generally the public comment is mainly an opportunity for someone from the public to be heard and that further discussion would generally be deferred to a subcommittee or specific agenda item at a later date, but that explanations and dialogue may be appropriate on a case by case basis to help address or resolve an issue.

V. Beauchaine summarized the sports attendance policy as follows: at Runkle, all fans are welcome to attend volleyball and basketball games; no fans are allowed to attend indoor soccer games due to safety issues. At away games, Runkle has to follow other schools’ rules, and generally other schools do not allows fans other than parents and siblings to attend, and never for indoor soccer.

III. Updates

a. School Council Guidelines V. Beauchaine handed out the final version of the guidelines and thanked everyone for their help.

b. Literacy Collaborative

V. Beauchaine described recent trainings focusing on the BAS literacy assessment tools for K-5 teachers; the trainings for the 6-8 teachers will occur in January. Highlights include the Leslie College town wide two day training including 78 teachers, including librarians, teachers and reading specialists. V. Beauchaine and others who attended the trainings confirmed their usefulness and expressed appreciation for the town’s resources and commitment. There was also an in house literacy session covering various topics including titles to include in the book room and the new library. Discussion about BAS and how it will allow the teachers to look at reading ability over time, determine independent and instructional literacy, identify students at all levels, from struggling to advanced, and help teachers develop book lists and challenge opportunities. Goal is to have all students evaluated using BAS by year end. D. Halwick discussed team approach to literacy in Kindergarten, including Ms. Battaglia as a literacy coach, which is very successful. Discussion of Lasting Literacy Intervention program run by Amy Sweeney who works with small groups of students to focus on skill and concept gaps, which so far is very effective. Discussion of potential of BAS to help identify students who could benefit from ECS. Question about whether there is a mandate from the state or school district to provide ECS to students; V. Beauchaine stated that even without mandates the teachers use all tools to identify and support all students. Discussion about 6-8 training which will focus on ELA but be useful for other areas which include literacy.

c. Transition Team

V. Beauchaine said that the newly formed transition team will meet on Thursday. Members include four seventh graders – Henry Morehouse, Fiona Burns, Laney Bachman, and Maya Williams, five teachers – M. Voros, D. Madden, T. Gallo-Toth, J. Guzzi, Anna MacIver and five parents – E. Dolbear, S. Costello, K. Leness, J. Shapiro, and J. Friedberg. They will identify topics to address, such as how to replicate the smooth early morning routines developed at the Old Lincoln site in the new building. General discussion about how to plan for use of the new building, focusing on educational environment, community input and procedures.

IV. Building Project

V. Beauchaine showed a slide show about a recent visit to the new building construction site and confirmed that August 15 is the new completion date and that there have been no recent changes to timeline including because of HVAC placement on roof. V. Beauchaine mentioned that the architect will try to address abutters’ concerns, and will present proposals at November 23 meeting, but that timing of project has not changed. Detailed discussion of procedure for moving to the new building, possible adjustments to the timing in the unlikely event of delays, such as moving in by Columbus Day, or making use of two week period between August 15 and Labor Day, assuming school will start as usual after Labor Day.

J. Katz read a letter she had prepared based on conversations with other neighbors about concerns for traffic and parking at the new building. V. Beauchaine agreed to present the letter to the head of the building project. General discussion about parking and drop off safety and neighborhood concerns, including how to reduce drop off and pick up of students by car, and how to make it safer if it occurs, need for ticketing of cars parked on Rte 9 which block buses and generally in no parking areas; proposal to look at how Lawrence handles similar parking and traffic issues. Consensus that this would be a good topic for the transition team to address.

V. Bullying Prevention Intervention Plan

V. Beauchaine described Runkle procedure for addressing incidents of alleged bullying, and the curriculum which is currently under consideration by School Committee. Bullying survey results were presented, with a focus on relatively high percentage of African American students who filled out the survey reporting having experienced bullying (5 of 12), high percentage (80-90’s) of teachers reported by students to be responding actively to bullying but also relatively high percentage (50%) of teachers reported by students to be ignoring bullying. Discussion of challenges in surveying younger students, perception of teacher response or lack thereof in part due to need for confidentiality and lack of understanding of procedures, parent perception, how much educating on bullying is effective and at what point are there diminishing returns, and the usefulness of a baseline of data as a starting point for discussions and programs.

VII. School Improvement Plan Updates

V. Beauchaine explained that SIP updates for November were distributed; there were no questions at that time. In the interest of time, it was agreed to address SIP updates more fully in the December meeting.

Meeting ended at 5:50pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Susanna Stern

School Council Agenda – November 15, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:50:20 +0000

Runkle School Council Meeting

Date: Tuesday 11/15/2011

Time: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Meeting Location:Runkle Library

I. Approval of Minutes (10-11-11)

II. Current Issues/Public Comment

III. Updates

IV. Runkle School Building Project

V. Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan

VI. School Improvement Plan

VII. Other

School Council Minutes – October 11, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:31:21 +0000

Runkle School Council

Meeting Minutes

October 11, 2011

Members Present: V. Beauchaine, D. Dixon (4:30 arrival) T. Gallo-Toth, V. Godhwani, D. Halwick, A. Hummel, R. McElroy, J. Shapiro (4:08 arrival), G. Sopel, S. Stern, M. Voros.

Members Absent: C. Pelton, J. Katz

Meeting called to order at 4:00 p.m.

I. Welcome and Introductions

Members introduced themselves and their roles. V. Beauchaine introduced Dan Green who will be completing his administrative practicum through his work with Dr. Beauchaine and Mr. Stoddard.

II. Approval of Minutes 6-14-11

Minutes were unanimously approved with no corrections.

III. Current Issues/Public Comment

Christina Suh shared her questions regarding the school budget including:

*What constraints/directives are there?

*How is the money accounted for in the Student Activities account?

*Are there any other sources of income?

*How are the funds of the large field trips in 7^th and 8^th grade accounted for?

V. Beauchaine proposed that the Council move up the Review of the Runkle School Budget on the agenda to address the questions. Council agreed.

IV. Review of Runkle School Budget

Dr. Beauchaine described the building-level budget for FY 2012. She explained that the bulk of the money that is spent by/at the school is controlled at the district level and, therefore, does not appear in her building-level budget of $23,757.00. The accounts that are controlled by the principal at the building level are Student Program Stipends (plays, yearbook, etc.), Postage, Instructional Supplies (paper, mostly), Professional Learning/Conferences, and Educational Equipment.

Discussion of the Student Activities Account, which is a pass-through account for handling receipt and payment of field trip monies. Dr. Beauchaine described new tracking systems being implemented to keep better informed about inflows and payments of money from this account with an eye towards greater control and transparency.

Dr. Beauchaine confirmed that she is continuing to try to find out how homework centers are budgeted by other schools across the district in order to confirm parity with how they are handled at Runkle.

V. Runkle School Council Handbook

Change language related to subcommittees to reflect current practice of establishing subcommittees from time to time in support of council efforts rather than having permanent, standing sub-committees.

Future agenda item: Discuss constituting a Transition and Communication sub-committee(s) to support upcoming move back to Runkle building on Druce Street.

Change language to reflect current town-wide practice that the SIP is delivered to the Superintendent (rather than the School Committee).

Jennifer Shapiro moved to approve the updated Runkle School Council Handbook with changes as described. Rosemary McElroy seconded. 10 votes in favor, 1 abstention.

VI. School Council Co-Chair

Rosemary McElroy was nominated for 2011-12 co-chair of the council by Amy Hummel and elected by unanimous vote.

VII. School Improvement Plan Updates

Time ran short for detailed updates. Dr. Beauchaine explained that SIP updates would happen throughout the year and current changes would be color-coded for ease of use. She indicated that she would send the latest update to council members via email prior to the November meeting.

VIII. Building Project Update

Dr. Beauchaine reminded council members of a meeting on 10/14/11 at Town Hall to discuss playground equipment and encouraged any interested parties to attend.

Respectfully submitted,

Rosemary McElroy

Runkle School Improvement Plan 2011-2012

Dr. Beauchaine — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 11:25:17 +0000

Runkle School Improvement Plan 2011-2012

School Council Minutes – June 14, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:15:31 +0000

RUNKLE SCHOOL COUNCIL

MEETING MINUTES

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Members Present: V. Beauchaine, B. Chang, J. Shapiro, R. McElroy, R. Kemp, J. Stoddard, T. Gallo-Toth, M. Schweiger, M. Voros, J. Katz, D. Dixon, G. Sopel, V. Godhwani, A. Hummel, S. Stern (4:40 arrival)

Members Absent: C. Pelton, D. Halwick

Meeting called to order at 4:08PM

I. Welcome to New Members and Certificates of Appreciation to Members whose terms were completed.

II. Approval of Minutes 4/28/11

a. Approved unanimously with no corrections

III. Current Issues/Public Comment

a. Scott Murphy in attendance

i. Request for council to better communicate to the community when meetings are cancelled and to make certain minutes are posted on Runkle website and in the binder in principal’s office.

1. If any parent would like to review the minutes, they can contact Vanessa Beauchaine to review a hard copy that is kept in a binder in her office or they can find it on the Runkle website.

ii. Request for council guidelines to be posted on the Runkle website. V. Beauchaine will look into this as they had been posted previously.

iii. Had a question regarding the timing of school council elections. Going forward, the election dates will be set and noted on the PTO calendar.

iv. Suggested reviewing previous bullying surveys for any trends.

IV. School Improvement Plan

a. SIP were made available to members prior to the meeting. Two members received their copies of the SIP at this meeting.

b. Goal 8 – J. Shapiro suggested a sub-committee to assist with communication & other community related issues in regards to the transition.

c. Discussion ensued regarding the need to mow the grass around the building project as it is overgrown. V. Beauchaine will follow up with the town to ensure the area around the school is properly maintained.

V. School Council Handbook

a. Digital version will be emailed to members. Those members interested in joining a sub-committee to review & edit the handbook should contact V. Beauchaine. V. Beauchaine will post any meetings of this sub-committee in case others who are interested care to join.

VI. Review of Meeting Minutes from April 2009 (In response to complaint filed 3/31/11)

a. Copies of minutes from April 2009 were handed out to all members to review.

b. Current 2011-2012 SIP coupled with the Handbook should sufficiently address issues such as those including bullying concerns and procedures around absences and tardy arrivals in the future.

VII. Meeting Schedule for 2011-2012

a. The following schedule is set for meetings for he 2011-2012 school year: 9/13, 10/11, 11/15, 12/13, 1/10, 2/14, 3/13, 4/10, 5/8, 6/12.

b. All meetings listed will begin at 4:00 p.m. and will be scheduled to end at 5:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted on the meeting posting.

VIII. Other

a. G. Sopel requested greater confidentiality in future school council voting process. The request will be sent to the PTO.

b. R. McElroy requested the council to review of school budget in the future. V. Beauchaine explained that it will be an agenda item in October 2011.

c. New members received a copy of the MA Open Meeting Law and were asked to sign a receipt of acknowledgement.

Meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Val Godhwani

School Council Agenda – June 14, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:34:27 +0000

Runkle School Library
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

I. Welcome and Introduction to New Members (10 minutes)

II. Approval of Minutes 4-28-11 (5 minutes)

III. Current Issues/Public Comment (15 minutes total; 5 minutes/person)
(People may sign up in advance, or sign in upon arrival.)

IV. 2011-2012 School Improvement Plan (10 minutes)

V. School Council Handbook (10 minutes)

VI. Review of Meeting Minutes from April 2009 (15 minutes)
(In response to the complaint filed on March 31, 2011)

VII. Meeting Schedule for 2011-2012 (15 minutes)
(Council Members are asked to bring their calendars)

VII. Other (5 minutes)

School Council Meeting June 2, 2011 Cancelled

Dr. Beauchaine — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:25:36 +0000

The School Council Meeting scheduled for today, June 2, 2011, has been cancelled.

The meeting will be re-scheduled. The new date will be posted soon.

Notice of Cancelled Runkle School Council Meeting

Dr. Beauchaine — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:58:36 +0000

Notice of Cancelled Runkle School Council Meeting

Date of Notice: 5-16-11

Due to low attendance, the Runkle School Council Meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 12, 2011 was cancelled.

The next Runkle School Council Meeting will be held at the scheduled meeting time:

Date: Thursday, June 2, 2011

Time: 4:00p.m.

Location: Runkle School Library

Questions about this meeting or requests to add to the agenda may be directed to Dr. Vanessa C. Beauchaine, Runkle School Principal.

School Council Agenda – June 2, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:56:21 +0000

RUNKLE SCHOOL COUNCIL AGENDA

Runkle School Library

Thursday, June 2, 2011

4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Welcome and Introduction of New Members (10 minutes)

Approval of Minutes 4-28-11 (5 minutes)

III. Current Issues/Public Comment (15 minutes total; 5 minutes/person)

(People may sign up in advance, or sign in upon arrival.)

IV. 2011-2012 School Improvement Plan (45 minutes)

School Council Handbook (30 minutes)

Other (10 minutes)

School Council Minutes – May 12, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:52:41 +0000

School Council Meeting

May 12, 2011

Runkle School, Room 206

Members Present: V. Beauchaine, T. Gallo-Toth, R. McElroy, S. Stern, J. Stoddard, D. Halwick (arrived at 4:50)

Members Absent: K. Myerson, J. Katz, G. Sopel, R. Kemp, J. Shapiro, A. Hummel, B. Chang

Dr. Beauchaine called the meeting to order at 4:15.

Approval of Minutes 4-28-11

The Minutes could not be approved without the majority of the members present. The meeting was cancelled at this point due to the lack of a quorum. The members present agreed that the Council would reconvene at the next scheduled meeting time on June 2, 2011 and proceed with the agenda originally created for the May 12^th meeting.

Current Issues/ Public Comment

No one from the public was in attendance.

The meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Vanessa C. Beauchaine, Ed.D.

School Council Minutes – April 28, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Fri, 06 May 2011 12:55:23 +0000

Runkle School Council

Meeting Minutes

April 28, 2011

Members Present: V. Beauchaine, B. Chang, D. Halwick, A. Hummel, T. Gallo-Toth, R. McElroy, J. Shapiro, G. Sopel, S. Stern, J. Stoddard, R. Kemp [joined meeting at 4:45]

Members Absent: K. Myerson, J. Katz

The meeting was called to order at 4:10.

Approval of Minutes 4-5-11

The Minutes were approved unanimously as circulated with certain clerical changes.

Current Issues/ Public Comment

No one from the public was in attendance.

Reconsidering Motions from 3-3-11

Council discussed each of the motions taken at the 3-3-11 meeting and decided as follows.

Motion #1:

R McElroy proposed revising the language of the first bullet of Motion 1 as follows: “All council terms from this point forward will be for three years with two of the six parent terms expiring each year”.

The motion was voted on and approved unanimously.

Motion #2:

No changes.

Motion #3:

The Council discussed revising the language of this motion as follows: “In the spirit of promoting stability of the Runkle School Council and to further the objectives of Motion #1 (as revised), the Council proposes to extend the current terms of G. Sopel and S. Stern by one year, expiring with the elections of May 2012.”

The motion was approved unanimously with G. Sopel and S. Stern abstaining from the vote.

Motion #4:

No changes. Elections have already been scheduled for May 2011 for the seats held currently by B. Chang and R. McElroy.

R. Kemp joined the meeting at 4:45.

2011-2012 School Improvement Plan Draft

Council members noted that the minor addition to the format of the Runkle SIP as proposed by V. Beauchaine makes it easier for the Runkle community to follow and read the document. Under its new format, the Runkle SIP remains faithful to the general district goals and guidelines while it better aligns the strategies set forth in the document with Runkle School’s own particular goals.

Council discussed some modifications to the SIP draft.

Under “Educational Equity” it was noted that there was a focus to increase the ability to differentiate lessons within the classroom as opposed to pull-out sessions. Discussion ensued over the role of the ECS specialist in co-teaching and assisting general education teachers with developing differentiated instruction curriculum as well as materials appropriate to challenge high achieving learners. Council parent members want to ensure that the focus remains on the high-achieving learners. By moving the ECS action to the goal focused on “High Achievement” instead, the intent of the action seemed to be clarified.

A Hummel, R McElroy and J Stoddard left the meeting at 5:15.

- T Gallo-Toth complimented the focus on information literacy skills reflected in the new SIP objectives.

Other

V. Beauchaine stated that she would be sending out proposals for future Council meeting dates soon.

V. Beauchaine circulated a copy of a memorandum that she had previously provided to the Superintendent and the School Committee explaining the recommended changes to the School Council election procedures.

The meeting adjourned at 5:30.

Respectfully Submitted,

George Sopel

Interested in Running for School Council?

The PTO — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:40:19 +0000

Interested in Running for Runkle School Council?

Now Is the Time!

This year, there are two open positions on the Runkle School Council (each is for a three-year term). All interested parents are encouraged to inquire and run. Parents of current 6th and 7th graders are also encouraged to run, and can serve a shorter term. The election will take place from May 6 to May 20.

School Council duties include: assisting in the identification of the educational needs of the students; making recommendations to the Principal for the development, implementation, and assessment of the curriculum accommodation plan required by state guidelines; and assisting in the formulation of a school improvement plan (SIP). Meetings are generally held once per month.

If you are interested in running for School Council, please contact: Mini Kolluri at minikolluri@yahoo.com

Please send election statements by 6 p.m. on April 28, 2011. There are no formal requirements for parent statements. Statements should contain relevant information about you as an individual, parent and/or potential contributor. They are typically between 150 to 250 words.

School Council Agenda – April 28, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:36:52 +0000

April 28, 2011

4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

I. Welcome

II. Approval of Minutes 4-5-11 (5 minutes)

III. Current Issues/Public Comment (15 minutes total; 5 minutes/person)

(People may sign up in advance, or sign in upon arrival.)

IV. Reconsidering Motions from 3-3-11 (10 minutes)

V. 2011-2012 School Improvement Plan Draft (50 minutes)

VI. Other (10 minutes)

School Council Minutes – April 5, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:58:44 +0000

School Council Minutes

4/5/11

Town Hall 4^th Floor Conference Room

Members Present: V. Beauchaine, T. Gallo-Toth, D. Halwick, A. Hummel, J. Katz, R. Kemp, R. McElroy, G. Sopel, S. Stern, J. Stoddard

Members Absent: B. Chang, K. Myerson, J. Shapiro

Meeting called to order at 4:05 p.m.

I. Review of Minutes

Minutes of prior meeting discussed and amended in the following ways:

Updates: add the following sentence:

Most recent budget proposal includes funding for the ECS position as to continue with the same FTE 2010-2011 school year.

Discussion of minutes protocols. It was agreed that moving forward the Council would have the following features in the minutes of each meeting:

• Members Absent, in addition to Members Present

• “Respectfully submitted” with minute-taker’s name.

Minutes with amendments approved by Council.

II. Public Comment

No one stepped forward.

III. Open Meeting Law Discussion

The Council discussed Open Meeting Law Complaint filed on 3/30/11.
Dr. Beauchaine explained that the Council had already addressed several of the complaints, namely the Vice Principal’s role on Council, and the scheduling of elections.
Dr. Beauchaine will be sending a list of dates of minutes we already have online to all council members. Any meeting minutes that council members have will be sent to V. and scanned and posted online.
Dr. Beauchaine will look into training requirements and opportunities for council members.

Second bullet: vp serving w/o being elected, January elections
3/22 language was revised on elections,
It was agreed to revisit the motions from the 3/3 school council meeting

Dr. Beauchaine will address the individual complainant’s concerns with the Attorney General’s office as stated in the Open Meeting Laws Complaint Procedures

IV. School Improvement Plan Review

For the 2011-2012 SIP, Dr. Beauchaine highlighted six overriding goals:

* Literacy goal

* Math goal

* High Achievement

* Educational equity

* Communication

* Safety & wellness

Discussion of Runkle Goals headlining each page of SIP

Council went through Runkle’s different programs as listed on 2010-2011 SIP and placed them on goal sheets for each of the six 2011-2012 goals.

Other items brought up for possible inclusion in 2011-2012 SIP:

Concern for performance in 7-8 mathematics
Concern for parent involvement
Desire for ECS goal – consult again w/ Ms. Mercer
Literacy analogs to math extensions
World Language program evaluation/effectiveness
Physical health / wellness

Meeting adjourned at 7:00 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Stoddard

School Council Minutes – March 22, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:21:21 +0000

Present: T. Gallo-Toth, G. Sopel, J. Stoddard, V. Beauchaine, S. Stern, A. Hummel, D. Halwick, J. Shapiro.

Approval of March 3rd minutes
Public Comment
- No one from public attended meeting
- Council discussed procedure for public comment period, including that all meetings are open to public; there will be a sign in and opportunity to speak during public comment period; if there’s a specific agenda item to discuss, the council may suggest that the public wait until the agenda item is discussed and then give the public an opportunity to speak and/or exchange ideas with the council.
Updates
- Discussion of this year’s Green Team activities (walk to school day, catalog cancelling competition, lunch room recycling activity with Ms Meyerson and the 6th grade science class); Council discussed possible activities for Earth Day on April 22 including teachers asking students to identify ways to reduce trash and energy use and then posting answers in a central location; V. Beauchaine and D. Halwick will discuss this at the next staff meeting.
- Discussion of status of ECS coordinator and that the school district was starting to participate in Virtual High School (online learning) both for ECS and for students who have long absences for illness
- V. Beauchaine talked about Math Challenge, obtaining feedback from parents as to their perceptions and the importance of communication with parents; she will report back as to how the school district plans to evaluate the success of the program.
School Council Elections
- Discussion of policy for members and procedure for elections, that we want to encourage diversity and having a well rounded membership, including grade levels, specialties, seniority
- Discussion about status of Vice Principal, who is not automatically part of the Council but needs to be elected by teachers
- Discussion about need to encourage interested parents and teachers who may not get elected or may not want to be elected to participate in the Council through its committee work
- Discussion of other school committees, such as a new literacy committee, which are not run by the Council but could be opportunities for the school community to participate as needed and appropriate
- Discussion of Bullying Policy Committee as a subcommittee of the Council, reporting back to Council on its progress and proposals and including members of school community plus members of Council
- Approval of policy on School Council Member Terms; V. Beauchaine will obtain approval from Superintendent and School Committee and then it will be effective
School Improvement PlanReview by V. Beauchaine of updates on 2010-2011 SIP, discussion of how indicators of progress/success are determined and how this could be improved in next year’s SIP.

Respectfully Submitted,

Susanna Stern

School Council Agenda – April 5, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:31:02 +0000

RUNKLE SCHOOL COUNCIL

4^th Floor Conference Room, Town Hall

April 5, 2011

Agenda

4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

I. Welcome

II. Approval of Minutes 3-22-11 (5 minutes)

III. Current Issues/Public Comment (15 minutes total; 5 minutes/person)

(People may sign up in advance, or sign in upon arrival.)

IV. Open Meeting Law Discussion (10 minutes)

V. 2010-2011 School Improvement Plan Review (15 minutes)

VI. 2011-2012 School Improvement Plan Draft (120 minutes)

VII. Agenda Setting (10 minutes)

VII. Other (5 minutes)

School Council Agenda – March 22, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:43:40 +0000

Runkle School Council
Martin Sleeper Library
March 22, 2011

Agenda

4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Welcome
Approval of Minutes 3-3-11 (5 minutes)
Current Issues/Public Comment (15 minutes; 5 minutes/person)
(People may sign up in advance or sign in upon arrival.)
Updates (15 minutes)
1. Climate Week
2. ECS
3. Math Challenge Option Evaluation
School Council Elections (15 minutes)
1. Community Member Terms
2. Staff Members Terms
3. Mid-Term Election Language
School Improvement Plan (SIP) Review (60 minutes)
Other (10 minutes)

School Council Minutes – March 3, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:59:25 +0000

In attendance: V.Beauchaine, J.Stoddard, D. Halwick, R. Kemp, T. Gallo-Toth, S. Stern, G. Sopel, A. Hummel, R. McElroy, K. Myerson, J. Katz, B. Chang, J Shapiro

Public: Scott Murphy, Parent

Meeting commenced: 4:10 pm

Approved Minutes from January 2011 meeting
- All future council minutes need to be posted on the web within 10 days of the council meeting;
Members of the council inquired about the status of the Runkle building renovation and V. Beauchaine informed the members that it is on schedule.
Term II Survey: J. Stoddard commented that 125 parents and 29 staff members returned the survey and results will be available probably in the next council meeting.
Enrichment Challenge Support (ECS) funding will not be increased in budget for next year reported by V. Beauchaine;
Math Challenge Option: the results for 7^th and 8^th graders this year will be used to improve instruction; V. Beauchaine will follow-up with Angela Allen on the Math Challenge Option;
Climate Week update will be given by S. Stern during the next council meeting;
Elections:

Of the 6 parent members of the board, R. McElroy and B. Chang are currently serving beyond their current term of two years-mistakenly believing that we had been elected to three year terms;
The council discussed that an annual turnover of two parent seats would provide the ideal balance between continuity and diversity;
The council also discussed that G. Sopel and S. Stern would need to extend their current term by one year to accomplish the council goal of two parent seat turnover each year;
Historically new elections were held early in the year (usually January and February);
Council members discussed and agreed that new members joining early in the year usually are not familiar with the workings of the council and find it hard to contribute to the SIP discussions;
This year the new elections will be held in May

Motion #1:

R. McElroy motioned that all council terms from this point forward will be for three years with two parent seats turning over each year;
A. Hummel second the motion and subsequently unanimously adopted by the council;

There was subsequent discussions about what the policy and procedures should be for instances of mid-term resignations. V. Beauchaine will develop a draft policy for the council’s review during the next meeting.

Motion #2:

R. McElroy motioned that council election from this point forward be done in May;
D. Halwick and T. Gallo-Toth second the motion and subsequently unanimously adopted by the council

Motion #3:

R. McElroy motioned that G. Sopel and S. Stern extend their current term by one year;
J. Shapiro and J. Stoddard second the motion and subsequently unanimously adopted by the council;
G. Sopel and S. Stern abstained from the vote.

V. Beauchaine stated that she has discussed the possibly of extending the term of G. Sopel and S. Stern with the PTO and parents as a way to accomplished the two parent seat turnover each year and received positive feedback for such plan. The sentiment of the PTO meeting was echoed by A. Hummel who was present at that meeting.

Motion #4:

T. Gallo-Toth motioned that R. McElroy and B. Chang remain on the Council until the 5/11 elections;
G. Sopel second the motion and subsequently unanimously adopted by the council.
R. McElroy and B. Chang abstained from the vote.

Next week, V. Beauchaine will discuss with the staff about faculty school council elections and will report back to the council during the next meeting about the results of those discussions.

Next Council meeting is scheduled for March 22, 2011
Agenda items for the next Council meeting

Review of this year’s SIP;
Next year’s goal will be discussed during the April 5, 2011 council meeting which will run for approximately three hours.

Adjourned meeting at 5:22 p.m.

School Council Minutes – January 6, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 01:54:26 +0000

In attendance: V.Beauchaine, J.Stoddard, D. Halwick, R. Kemp, T. Gallo-Toth, S. Stern, G. Sopel, A. Hummel, R. McEllroy

Guests: Mies Boet-Whitaker and Debbie Mercer

Meeting commenced: 4:03 pm

Approved Minutes from December 2010 meeting

ECS

Mies Boe-Whitaker, ECS coordinator, shared overview of district’s ECS model and school district’s perspective

Enable all students to meet full potential by supporting teachers, providing direct service to students, making available information and resources to students, teachers and parents
Professional Development on DI is offered to Brookline teachers
ECS program helps to recreate and fine-tune policy
Briefly addressed grouping policy and subject acceleration policy
After program review in 2006 (419 student pop.), Runkle receives 2 full days of ECS; VB will investigate this increase in Runkle’s student enrollment, yet no increase in faculty
School Council members would like for ECS to be on SIP and addressed regularly

Debbie Mercer, ECS teacher at Runkle, shared an overview of her role using the
teacher consultation model and child development as guidelines for her work

Student learning and inquiry is at center of support provided
Deb’s personal interest on brain research supports strengths of students
Finds the “right” balance in meeting student needs on an age-appropriate level while supporting their interests, curiosity and thirst for knowledge
Provides extension and challenge for students that have a level of mastery
Taps into new and unfamiliar information and knowledge and provides opportunities and encouragement for extension of own learning
Supports teachers with flexible grouping (partners, learning styles, likeability partners, mentors, cross-grade partnerships);

Extension Menus (created by math specialists, ECS teachers, curriculum coordinators…) are available for many ThinkMath! chapters and are being used in many classrooms, grades 1-5; (Dr. Beauchaine will follow up on quantifying the use of these menus.)

7-8 Math Challenge Option is available this year.

The Council had discussion regarding the social elements that affect older students. The question arose regarding what is available to sixth grade. Mies Boe-Whitaker is in contact with Angela Allen regarding what in addition to the challenge packets is offered in 6th grade.

“New Year Reflections and Resolutions”

Based on conversation with parents, Dr. Beauchaine shared that Runkle parent community has shared and it is recognized that being at this location there has been more of a significant loss of “community feeling” than expected.

Dr. Beauchaine is committed to improving this by having weekly parent coffees (with the assumption that it will evolve), encouraging parents and teachers on SC to have parents and teachers with questions/concerns directly contact Dr. Beauchaine or Mr. Stoddard and will be sharing information that is pertinent to the whole school community

Speaking of Communication….shared by Dr. Beauchaine

We’ve frequently had indoor recess this week given the storm during the Holidays and amount of ice on our play areas. Children have not been on the field during recess due to remaining ice.
Grade 8 Parent meeting, 1/6, 6:30 pm: The meeting will balance an opportunity to taking info about scenarios that are of concern, sharing what is working well at Runkle for promoting positive community
Pledge of Allegiance will be said over the PA system on Friday mornings (upcoming opportunities for 8th graders to lead)

Conversation about 8th grade trip

By January 20th School Committee will vote to approve request, then parents will be sent permission and cost of trip.

Term 1 Survey and SIP Review

Due to lack of time, we were unable to have discussion regarding the above mentioned agenda items.

Any clarifying questions regarding Term 1 Survey should be emailed to Dr. Beauchaine.
- In future survey Dr. Beauchaine will note the comment areas in the introduction to the survey.
Any questions regarding SIP review that was sent prior to meeting should be emailed to Dr. Beauchaine.

MCAS Presentation

Jim Stoddard presented on 2010 MCAS results, sharing Power Point slides (copies are available upon request)

Runkle’s results are very much in line with the district’s.
- Whereas 82% of the district reached Proficiency status (scoring Proficient or Advanced), 82.5% of Runkle students reached Proficiency.
- In terms of Proficiency, Runkle scored above the town average on half of the tests and below the town average on the other half of the tests.
Runkle scored in the top 50 in the state in Grades 4, 5, 6 Math as well as Grade 5 English.
Grades 7 & 8 Math performed below the town average, continuing a trend for recent years. New infusions of curriculum, technology, and personnel may lead to improvement in this area.
In terms of AYP:
- Runkle in aggregate achieved AYP, easily exceeding the target goals in both ELA and Math.
- SPED subgroup in Math, a concern from the previous year, surpassed its Growth target for the year.
- SPED subgroup in ELA did not replicate its big jump from last year, and did not reach its Growth target for the year. As a result, Runkle is in Improvement Year 2 (along with 4 other schools).
Runkle’s MCASBoost program again demonstrated significant improvement for those students who scored in the W/NI range. 26 of 33 students showed improvement on the targeted test, with 22 of them achieving Proficiency.

Future agenda items:

Transition back to Druce Street: In making the transition back to Druce Street, it is important to have conversations about time-on learning, especially at start of the school day

Adjourned meeting at 6:12 p.m.

School Council Agenda – March 3, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:52:04 +0000

Runkle School Council

March 3, 2011

I. Approval of Minutes 1-6-10

II. Current Issues

III. Climate Week Update

IV. Elections

a. Current Terms and Open Seats

b. Discussion of error in previous terms/elections

c. Proposal to move elections until later in the year.

V. SIP Review

a. SIP Goal 3:

Prepare students with the intellectual, interpersonal and reflective

skills needed to thrive in an increasingly complex and diverse global society

Strategy 3.1:

Develop opportunities to enhance the global awareness of every

student.

Discussion regarding Responsive Classroom/Developmental Designs and Recycling. Home-School Literacy Connection.

b. Review SIP Updates

VI. Other

School Council Agenda – January 6, 2011

Dr. Beauchaine — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:49:12 +0000

Runkle School Council

January 6, 2011

I. Approval of Minutes 12-14-10

II. Enrichment Challenge Support (ECS)

Guest Speakers: Mies Boet-Whitaker and Debbie Mercer

III. “New Year Reflections and Resolutions”

IV. Term 1 Survey Results

V. MCAS Presentation

VI. SIP Review

School Council Minutes – December 14, 2010

Dr. Beauchaine — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 02:04:11 +0000

Present: T Gallo-Toth, G Sopel, J Stoddard, V Beauchaine, S Stern, A Hummel, K Meyerson, D Halwick, J Shapiro.

Approval of November minutes
Bullying Prevention Plan Update
- Dr. Beauchaine shared highlights from town meeting on proposed townwide policy, including individual stories and feedback on plan
- Discussion of timeline for approval of town policy and preparation of Runkle plan, including meetings with parents in various grade levels, starting with 8^th grade, meeting with faculty, and other feedback
- Runkle plan to be presented to School Council in Spring 2011
Transition Survey
- Dr. Beauchaine reported that the Transition survey had 141 household responses; she’ll report on the results at the January meeting.
Review of MCAS Results
- Runkle achieved AYP overall
- Discussion of results compared to other schools in district and state based on charts available on-line
- Discussion of 7^th and 8^th grade math results below district average; steps for improvement include changes in teaching staff, implementation of new curriculum, and feedback about Runkle students’ success at Brookline High School; upcoming principals’ meeting will focus on transition to high school from 8^th grade
- Next year’s SIP could include a mechanism for tracking Runkle students through 8^th grade and compare to other schools and transition to BHS
Update on Building Project
- Groundbreaking ceremony, with pictures
- Contractor hired, construction schedule posted, meetings with individual homeowners instead of community meeting; construction on schedule
Other
- Discussion of keeping hallways clean, temporary absence of head custodian and recognition of substitute Fran McGreal’s contribution
- Discussion of encouraging students to treat the building with respect, changes from earlier to later years, keeping noise down, 7^th and 8^th grade working on improving respect for others

School Council Minutes – November 4, 2010

Dr. Beauchaine — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:11:02 +0000

1. Discussion of October meeting minutes

Invite Debbie Mercer to December or January meeting
Dr. Beauchaine reported that the hearing date for the anti-bullying plan would be announced shortly and that the online survey would live at the superintendent’s site by Nov. 12.
Dr. Beauchaine indicated that individual participation in the online survey, rather than combined feedback from the School Council as a whole, was preferred.

2. Review of SIP

I-CARE is a possible UDP unit for the lower grades. Runkle to investigate whether this would be appropriate as a complement or overlap as the UDP people continue to refine the goals for their program.

3. Building Project Update

11/19/10 is the next meeting of the Runkle School Building Committee
Town currently checking references on builder
Nancy Daly & Tony Guigli are planning a community update meeting soon (in Nov.)
Teresa Gallo-Toth asked whether architects will be meeting with faculty at OLS as a “reality check.”
Smart Board to be installed in the computer lab will be installed in renovated Runkle after use at OLS building
Approved acoustic tile in gym at OLS is part of the new building budget
Discussion of technology investigations of how to properly outfit renovated classrooms on Druce Street.
Scott Moore and Dr. Beauchaine in discussions about appropriate technologies, such as document cameras. Group discussed how this will be piloted. Equipment will be kept in the library and checked out.
Teresa Gallo-Toth posited whether we should ask Jenny Murphy to repeat her “Technology Update” talk that she gave at a previous spring-time PTO coffee. General agreement.

4. Anti-bullying plan discussion

Positive recognition that the town’s plan as a framework which will be filled in with detail as the town makes programmatic and curriculum choices going forward.
Dr. Beauchaine reiterated that the school has procedures currently in place to address bullying situations that arise from time to time. All parties are reminded to refer any incidents to her or the Vice-Principal immediately for investigation.
General discussion of the merits (or not) of the school notifying parties not directly involved. Questions of where the legal limits lie regarding the privacy rights of both bullies and targets.
Dr. Beauchaine indicated that once the district plan is set, we will address our building-level plan in the spring.

School Council Agenda – December 14, 2010

Dr. Beauchaine — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:54:19 +0000

School Council Meeting

December 14, 2010

I. Welcome

II. Review of Minutes 11-4-10

III. Bullying Prevention Plan Update

IV. Review of MCAS Results

V. Update on Building Project

VII. Other

School Council Minutes – October 15, 2010

Dr. Beauchaine — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:56:05 +0000

School Council Meeting Minutes

10/15/10

Members in Attendance: Dr. Vanessa Beauchaine, Jim Stoddard, George Sopel, Amy Hummel, Jennifer Shapiro, Rosemary McElroy, Ben Chang, Michelle Schweiger, Teresa Gallo-Toth, Danielle Halwick, Susanna Stern

Welcome and IntroductionsDr. Beauchaine opened the meeting by welcoming everyone to the 1st school council meeting of the year.
Identification of School Council Roles
- Dr. Beauchaine and Rosemary McElroy are the current co-chairs of the council. The co-chair is elected after the council elections, which take place in February.
- Last year it was decided that there would be a rotating secretary. The council will alternate who takes the minutes at each meeting.
Review of Brookline Strategic Goals
Dr. Beauchaine passed out copies of the district goals and strategies and the Council reviewed them. Several questions/points came up that were discussed:
- Jennifer Fischer-Mueller presented a new ECS policy at a recent parent ECS meeting. How does this fit into the goals? It was discussed that this fits into the Academic Excellence Goal and strategy 1.7 as well as Goal 4.
- November Agenda Item: ECS’s new policies
- It was discussed that district initiative should and can be part of the SIP.
- We discussed Goal 4: Continuous Improvement Using Data
  Our SIP is one example of how we collect data to document progress and to inform the Council as recommendations are made for next year’s goals.
- It was pointed out that some of the strategies (3.6 & 2.6 and 3.7 &2.7) are the same. We talked about how the same strategy can accomplish 2 goals.
- How do we measure some of our goals?
  Data Teams informally exist in schools and in the district in various ways. We will be working on continuing to improve the ways in which we use data to inform our decision-making.
IV. Review of School Improvement Plan (SIP)
- Dr. Beauchaine will email SIP updates out each month to council members and goals will be colored coordinated:
  - Achieved- Green
  - In Process-Blue
  - Not there yet- Black
- Change in SIP on page 6: “Honors Challenge Option” is now “Math Challenge Option”
- Bullying Policy: School System’s Sub Committee met and the following time line was released:
  - 10/21: anticipated reading of policy
  - 11/7: Plan will be presented to School Committee
  - Master Plan: State released plan in late August
  - 10/8: Initial draft presented
  - 10/22: Administration will provide feedback, Advisory Committee will be announced. Dr. Lupini will work on specifics
  - 10/25-11/12: Opportunity for public input (includes faculty, online input, and hearing on master plan)
  - 11/7: Discussion at School Committee Meeting
  - 12/16: School Committee will look at plan
  - 12/31: State deadline- plan has to be put in place
  Implementation will take place after winter break. A letter went out this summer from Dr. Lupini, which explains what we are currently doing with bullying. It is possible that a program might not be selected by 12/31 but a research-based program will be implemented in the district.
  
  Members questioned parent involvement in the Bullying Policy or Master Plan.
  
  Dr. Beauchaine will check into whether or not parents are on the subcommittee.
  
  November Agenda Item: gathering feedback on master policy
  
  Dr. Beauchaine will gather more information about the timeline and what is happening, She will update the Council via email as things arise.
  
  There will be an addendum to the student handbook and a sign-off sheet for families to sign and return.
- Change in SIP on page 6: Increased Fine Arts opportunities. Grades 6-8 chorus has been formed and is meeting during conservatory, not after school.
- Goal 1:
  Expand CFGs: some continuation through strands and new CFGs forming
  CST: creating new team
- Goal 3: Bullying
  See previous notes
- 3.7: Raising Awareness of Autism
  Dr. Beauchaine and PDD teachers are looking at a program called I-CARE, which is a program that teaches about Autism through literature. This would be an extension to Understanding Disabilities that already happens in grade 4. Parent volunteers successfully run I-CARE in other districts. There are scripted questions and answers. Susanne Stern is willing to help out. There was some discussion about starting this program or raising awareness before 4th grade. The program does go up to grade 5.
- Goal 4: Transition to OLS
  Dr Beauchaine will be sending out a survey to parents and staff at the end of each term to assess how things are working at our new home.
  
  Future Agenda Item: Dr. Beauchaine will share the results
Building Update
Things are on schedule. They went out to bid and are scheduled to break ground in November.
OtherMCAS: families received scores in the mail. We will talk about results at December’s meeting.Traffic/Safety: There is a crossing guard every morning throughout recess, and during dismissal. This will be in place throughout the year. The plan to cross the street was recently tweaked to ensure student safety. The crossing guards always press the button now; before they would sometimes just stop traffic manually.
Mr. Stoddard shared changes in recess/lunch duty this year. There are 2 faculty members leading students across the street. They count at the start and end to recess. Teachers are now in the cafeteria at the end. Lunches are staggered, which results in less noise and shorter lines.

There was a motion to adjourn at 6:00

Respectfully Submitted,

Michelle Bernstein-Schweiger

School Council Agenda – November 4, 2010

Dr. Beauchaine — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 11:57:22 +0000

School Council Meeting

November 4, 2010

4:00 p.m. Runkle Library

I. Welcome

II. Review of Minutes 10-5-10

III. Review of School Improvement Plan Progress

IV. Update on Building Project

V. Bullying Prevention Plan Draft Discussion

VI. Other

School Council Agenda – October 5, 2010

Dr. Beauchaine — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:59:34 +0000

School Council Meeting

October, 5, 2010

4:00 p.m. Runkle Library

I. Welcome and Introductions

II. Identification of School Council Roles

III. Review of Brookline Strategic Goals

IV. Review of School Improvement Plan

V. Update on Building Project

VI. Other

School Council Minutes – June 14, 2010

Jenny Murphy — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 12:16:28 +0000

School Council Minutes

6/14/10

The meeting came to order at 3:30pm.

Council members in attendance: Joe Connelly, Jim Stoddard, Judy Katz, Teresa Gallo-Toth, Michelle Schweiger, Danielle Halwick, Rosemary McElroy, Amy Hummell, George Sopel, Susanna Stern.

No members of the public were in attendance.

The first topic was the transition to Old Lincoln. The members reviewed the Question and Answer Sheet , and discussed related topics including timing of the move and construction, moving teachers’ boxes and how the parents and students can assist the teachers with this process, tweaks to the floor plan at Old Lincoln, storage and final repairs and clean up there.

The second topic was the 2010/2011 School Improvement Plan (SIP), and clarification of the Enrichment and Challenge Support program (ECS) and its relationship to Differentiated Learning (DI) at Runkle. There was extensive discussion of how this works in the classrooms and what kind of goal could be included in the SIP. The decision was made to form a task force in the fall of 2011 in order to get more information about ECS at the school and what, if any, improvements could be made, and to propose a goal to be included in the SIP next year.

The third topic was the anti-bullying legislation, the town’s requirements and its implementation at Runkle. As discussed previously, a Social Competency task force will be formed in the fall of 2011 to address these requirements and their implementation at Runkle. The task force will actively seek out input from the school community.

The staffing update included information on new hiring in Special Education and 7^th and 8^th grade.

The April 28 minutes were approved by all members, with two abstentions due to non-attendance at that meeting.

The mandatory training for School Council members next fall was discussed. Those listed in the April 28 minutes will be required to attend.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 5:30pm.

Prepared and submitted by Susanna Stern.

School Council Minutes – April 28, 2010

Jenny Murphy — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:06:28 +0000

School Council Minutes

4/28/10

The meeting came to order at 4:00 pm

Council members in attendance: Joe Connelly, Ben Chang, Teresa Gallo- Toth, Danielle Halwick, Judy Katz, Rebecca Kemp, Rosemary McElroy, Kayla Myerson, Jennifer Shapiro, Michelle Schweiger, George Sopel, Jim Stoddard, Vanessa Beauchaine.

Members of the public in attendance: Scott Murphy, Sue Sturman

1. The first bullet point of section 5 of the minutes from the April 6, 2010 meeting were modified to read: “greater Autism Awareness among our students beginning at the lower grades” thus. reflecting the Council’s agreement that such an initiative should stand on its own and not be addressed through the 4th grade Understanding Disabilities Unit~

2. The modified minutes Of the April 6, 2010 meeting were accepted.

3. Dr. Connelly outlined the process of completing the Runkle School Improvement Plan, including the first draft which is due to the Superintendent’s office on May 4th, 2010. He presented a status update of the 2009-2010 SIP and anticipated initiatives for the 20 to-2011 SIP, both in outline form. Rosemary McElroy will provide a narrative version of the status update as well as an executive summary of the anticipated initiatives based on these outlines for inclusion in the 2010-2011 SIP.

4. Dr. Connelly led a point-by-point discussion of the working copy of the draft of the SIP.

Highlights include:

a. The document will be titled the 2011 Runkle School Improvement Plan, reflecting the fIscal year of the district

b. Under Strategy 1.2 – Michelle Schweiger and Jim Stoddard informed the council that the district expects to complete the full set of Extension Menus to support differentiated instruction within grades 1-5. General agreement that the goal should be to see “extensive use” of the Extension Menus throughout these grades during the 2010-11 school year.

c. Teresa Gallo-Toth asked that future SIPs should “put the same lens to literacy as has been put to math over the last several years.” Jennifer Shapiro added that writing should be a particular focus as well General discussion about putting some language in the current SIP, under Strategy 1.2 about this.

d. General discussion of Critical Friends Groups and how/whether this can be expanded to include more teachers.

School Council Minutes – March 4, 2010

Jenny Murphy — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:12:21 +0000

School Council Minutes

3/4 /10

Meeting was called to order at 4:00pm.

Attendance:

Joseph Connelly, Suzanne Stern, Jim Stoddard, Amy Hummel, George Sopel, Rosemary McElroy, Danielle Halwick, Rebecca Kemp

Election of Officers

It was agreed to rotate the recording secretary position. Amy Hummel moved to nominate Rosemary McElroy as Co-Chairperson from March 2010 through March 2011. Nomination motion was seconded by Danielle Halwick. Dr. Connelly requested additional nominations, with none being presented. Nomination motion carried 7-0 (Rebecca Kemp was not yet present).

Finalize plans for March 10^th – Runkle Building Project/Old Lincoln School Transition Parent Information Night

Dr. Connelly reviewed the agenda and briefly described the format and content of the presentations to be made by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lupini, Assistant Superintendent Peter Rowe, Transportation Director Mary Murphy and himself. Following a brief discussion in which suggestions were made on how this “Information Night” could best meet the needs of the Runkle school community, it was agreed that the timing and the relevancy of the meeting were important.

Pending Massachusetts Bullying Legislation and the Runkle School behavioral issues

Dr. Connelly highlighted the details of pending legislation which would address bullying issues within Public Schools in Massachusetts. He indicated the legislation was expected to be passed this month and that it would mandate all school systems to enact school policy addressing bullying behavior. It would also require all public schools to develop anti-bullying rules and regulations to be implemented during the 2010-2011 school year.

Following a discussion on this issue, it was agreed the Runkle School Council would include an anti-bullying initiative in the 2010-2011 School Improvement Plan (SIP). The School Council also requested the administration bring to the April School Council meeting the 2006 Runkle School Safety and Respect Survey for review and discussion.

Grade 8 Graduation date

Dr. Connelly reported that the Runkle School 2010 Grade 8 Graduation would take place on Wednesday, June 16^th at 4:00pm. This meant that the grade 8 students’ final day of school would be Wednesday, June 16^th at 12:00 noon. On Tuesday, June 15^th the grade 8 students would also be dismissed at 12:00 noon following and awards assembly and a graduation rehearsal.

Dr. Connelly reported that all schools in Brookline had identified dates between June 22^nd and June 24^th for their 8^th grade graduation.

2010/2011 SIP Planning

It was agreed to hold two April School Council meetings for the sole purpose of developing the Runkle School 2010/2011 School Improvement Plan to be presented to the Superintendent of Schools in May 2010. It was agreed these two meetings would be held on Tuesday, April 6 (4pm) and Thursday, April 28 (4pm). The scheduled May5, 2010 School Council Meeting will be held, if needed.

Adjourned at 5:45pm.

School Council Agenda – March 4, 2010

Jenny Murphy — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:34:53 +0000

School Council Agenda

4/4/10

Agenda:

Review Minutes — All
Election of Officers — All
Finalize plans for March 10^th Informational Meeting for parents — All
Bullying Legislation and Runkle School Behavior Issues — Joe Connelly
Grade 8 Graduation Date – Joe Connelly
2010/2011 SIP Planning — All
Other

School Council Minutes – February 11, 2010

Paul Smith — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:40:51 +0000

School Council Minutes

2/11/10

Attendance:

Joseph Connelly, Suzanne Stern, Jim Stoddard, Judy Katz, George Sopel, Amy Hummel, Danielle Halwick, Rebecca Kemp, Teresa Gallo-Toth

Dr. Connelly opened the meeting by welcoming the newly elected council member, Amy Hummel, to her first meeting. He also welcomed Judy Katz, a Runkle School neighbor, who has agreed to serve as our Community Representative.

Election of Officers

It was agreed to table this item until the March Meeting when all members would be present.

Update on Runkle School Building Project

Dr. Connelly disseminated a tentative floor plan design for Old Lincoln School and a time chart of projected starting and ending time of school buses for next year. A brief discussion took place involving these issues. A concern was raised about the use of double bus runs causing some students’ bus pick-up times to be as early as 7:05AM. The need for a parent information night on the Runkle School project to provide parents with accurate information was expressed. It was felt that recent attention involving abutter resistance to the current approved design may be causing confusion about the status of the project. Tentative date for this meeting is March 10, 2010.

Responsive Classroom

Teresa Gallo-Toth briefed the School Council on current Responsive Classroom activities. Dr. Connelly reported the Grade 7 and 8 Teachers had agreed to use the 2010/2011 school year to study “Developmental Designs,” the upper grade component of Responsive Classroom.

School Council Website

Jim Stoddard reported School Council agendas and minutes were now up-to-date and posted on the School Council website.

2009/2010 SIP Midyear Progress Report

We have expanded our MCAS Boost program to now encompass grades 4, 5, and 6. Runkle Achievement Program continues as a means of establishing connections with students in need; in addition, K2K (Kids-to-Kids) is a student-based program where older students read and play games with younger students in need.

Runkle Tardy Policy has been updated and is showing promising results in dealing with chronic issues of tardiness at the upper levels.

Greater academic online presence – new 6-8 Math curriculum (Impact Math) has big online component; many websites managed by Jenny Murphy for Math and other subjects K-8.

Future Meeting Dates

The following dates were identified for the remaining four months:

Tuesday, April 6, 4-6PM

Wednesday, April 28, 4-6PM

Wednesday, May 5 (if needed), 4-6PM

Monday, June 3 , 4-6PM

School Council Agenda – February 2, 2010

Jenny Murphy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:39:51 +0000

School Council Agenda

2/11/10

4PM Principal’s Office

Agenda:

1. Welcome new members — Ben Chang

Jennifer Shapiro (Reelected)

Amy Hummel

2. Election of Officers – Co-Chair — All

Secretary

3. Update on Runkle School Building Project – Joe Connelly

4. Update on Old Lincoln School Transition Plans – Joe Connelly

Parent Information Meeting
Old Lincoln School Space Usage
Busing – Student Transportation

5. 2009/2010 SIP/Mid-Year Progress Report – Jim Stoddard

6. Responsive Classroom — Teresa Gallo-Toth

7. School Council Website — All

8. Other – Please e-mail other Agenda topics by Monday 2/8

Runkle School Council Elections

The PTO — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:30:29 +0000

Vote this week!

Click on attached pdf file for Ballot. Please place your ballot in the Ballot Box in the office. All ballots must be in by 2:30 on Friday, January 29th.

pdf:

Runkle Council Ballots 2010

School Council Minutes – December 21, 2009

Paul Smith — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:44:00 +0000

4:00 pm

Attendance:

Joseph Connelly, Danielle Halwick, Ben Chang, Rebecca Kemp, Kayla Myerson, Jennifer Shapiro, Teresa Gallo-Toth, Jim Stoddard, Suzanne Stern, George Sopel, Kate Hollander (Guest)

Dr. Connelly opened the meeting at 4:00PM by distributing the 12/21/09 meeting packets. Jim Stoddard moved the minutes of the 11/19/09 be approved with one correction: under item #3 Michelle Bernstein’s name changed to Teresa Gallo-Toth. Jennifer Shapiro seconded motion passed 9-0.

Grade 7/8 Winter Play.

Kate Hollander briefed the council on the upcoming winter play. This year the grade 7 and 8 students will perform “Inherit the Wind” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. This year the performances will be held on Thursday February 4^th at 7:30PM, Friday February 5^th at 8PM, Saturday February 6^th at 7:30PM and Monday February 8^th at B.H.S. The cost to participate is $15.00 which helps cover production costs. Kate indicated the rehearsal schedule was very demanding during the months of December and January. Kate also indicated all grade 7 and 8 students who express interest in participating in the play get involved either as members of the cast or as vital behind the scenes helpers.

Home/School Communications

Dr. Connelly briefed the council on a recent misuse of the School Directory. He indicated the Directory was meant to be used for Runkle Parent personal use, and the information contained in the directory is not to be disseminated and used for any other purpose. Effective with the 2010/2011 School Year, the PTO has agreed to publish the School Handbook and School Directory separately so that the Handbook would be available for school wide dissemination the first week of school. The School Directory will be published in late fall once all student enrollment information is official. The Directory will also include a “Use Statement” which will explain how it is to be used by the parents.

Update on Old Lincoln School

After a brief update on how transition planning was going it was agreed that a Parent-Information Night should be planned so that parents will be provided with an accurate update on all Runkle School Building Project issues. This meeting should be held in late January/early February at the latest.

Dr. Connelly reported that Mark Lowenstein (Runkle Parent) and Mary Murphy (Brookline Public Schools Transportation Clerk) were working on preliminary bus routes. Dr. Connelly hoped to have preliminary bus routes ready for review and for identification of most appropriate bus stops by early January 2010.

2010 School Council Elections

Letter to P.T.O. requesting their coordination of this year’s School Council Elections was reviewed. It was confirmed that we had two (2) parent 3 year term vacancies and one (1) community representative vacancy. It was hoped that the nomination of candidates and actual election of council members could take place during the month of January so that new members could attend the February meeting.

Update Runkle School Principalship Search

Ben Chang updated the School Council on the “fast track” search process that Superintendent Lupini had recommended and sought approval to use. Ben indicated that Dr. Lupini had met with the Runkle Staff and with current parents holding leadership positions to explain his rationale. Ben indicated that Dr. Lupini hoped to have finalists selected by early January. A small group of highly qualified candidates would be interviewed by a broad-based committee of Runkle parents, teachers, School Administrators, and School Committee Members. This group would identify finalists for Dr. Lupini’s consideration.

Other

Dr. Connelly disseminated a timeline for the creation of the 2010-2011 School Improvement Plans. This timeline called for each School Council to work on 2009/2010 goals through their February meetings. March and April meetings should be dedicated to the creation of Draft SIP plans to be submitted to the Superintendent of Schools for approval on or before May 24, 2010.

Adjournment

Meeting was adjourned at 5:45PM.

School Council Agenda – December 21, 2009

Jenny Murphy — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:43:29 +0000

School Council Agenda

December 21, 2009

4pm Library

1. Gr. 7/8 Winter Play “Inherit the Wind” Update

2. Home/School Communication All

Runkle School Directory
Runkle.Org Website

3. Update on Old Lincoln School Transition Plans

Parent-Information Notice

(Question/Answer)

Busing-Student Transportation

4. Letter to P.T.O. 2010 School Council Elections

5. Update Runkle School Principalship Search

6. Other

2010/2011 SIP Timeline

School Council Minutes – November 19, 2009

Paul Smith — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:46:10 +0000

4:00 pm

Attendance:

Joseph Connelly, Rosemary McElroy, Ben Chang, Jennifer Shapiro, George Sopel, Rebecca Kemp, Suzanne Stern, Michelle Bernstein, Teresa Gallo-Toth, Jim Stoddard, Danielle Halwick

Dr. Connelly reported newly appointed teacher representative Kayla Myerson was unable to attend due to a graduate course conflict. She hopes to begin attending all meetings in December 2009.

Runkle School Building Project Update.

Dr. Connelly reported the Runkle School Bld. Project appropriation of $29,100.000 passed by unanimous vote at the Special Town Mtg. held on Tuesday Nov. 17, 2009. He thanks all the parents for their strong support and presentations at Town Meeting.

It was also reported over the next three months the Runkle project will go before the Brookline Planning Board and The Board of Appeals as the permitting process is completed. A strong representation of parents at these upcoming meetings would be helpful in promoting the need for this Bld. Project.

Old Lincoln School Planning Update.

Dr. Connelly disseminated draft copies of the proposed Runkle School “Floor Plan” for The Old Lincoln School. He indicated the “plans” acceptance was contingent on build-cut costs not exceeding $50,000 and the ability of some exsisting spaces to be redesigned. In particular Room 107 needs a dividing wall removed and Rooms 308 and 208 need walls constructed. It was also highlighted the current building use proposal called for the Old Lincoln School Auditorium to be divided into three major areas to house the Library, Computer Lab and teacher work area.

Dr. Connelly also updated the council on the status of Runkle School Bus Routes. He indicated Mary Murphy and Mark Lowenstein were developing preliminary bus routes to be reviewed by a parent “Bus Route” subcommittee in early January.

Everyone agreed a special Parent meeting to discuss all aspects of the Old Lincoln School move should be planned for a January/February 2010 time frame.

Circle of Power and Respect Grades 7/8 (Responsive Classroom Initiative).

Danielle Halwick and Michelle Bernstein briefed the School Council on Responsive Classroom implementation progress in grades K-6. They also spoke briefly on a newly developed program that would allow Responsive Classroom initiatives to be expanded into grades 7 and 8.

After a brief discussion, everyone supported discussing the continuation and adaption of RC with the grade 7/8 Runkle Teaching Staff.

Runkle School Principalship Search.

Ben Chang, Rosemary McElroy and Jenn Shapiro discussed and reviewed a meeting they had with Supt. Of Schools Dr. Lupini. Everyone supported The Supt. Of Schools proposal of initially attempting to finalize the Runkle School Principalship Search by only interviewing highly qualified select candidates as identified by Dr. Lupini. It was Dr. Lupini’s goal to complete the search for a new principal for Runkle School and Lincoln School before other competing school systems had initiated their elementary/middleschool principalship searches. In this way Brookline would have access to a very strong pool of candidates.

Ben Chang reported Dr. Lupini hoped to complete the search for a permanent Runkle School Principal by early January at the latest.

Staff Issue Update.

Dr. Connelly reported on second grade teacher Marcy Bienen’s medical condition and her need to be on an extended leave. Suggested strategies for informing the parents and providing coverage were discussed.

2010 School Council Elections

After reviewing the current term status of each member it was agreed the Runkle PTO would be requested to coordinate All-School elections to fill two three year parent representative terms. One to replace Michael Noble and one to fill the expired term of Jennifer Shapiro. It was also noted the Runkle School Council had a vacant Community Representative position.

The meeting was adjorned at 5:45PM

School Council Agenda – November 19, 2009

Jenny Murphy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:37:37 +0000

School Council Agenda

November 19, 2009

4PM – Library

I. Runkle School Building Project Update

Next Steps

II. Old Lincoln School Planning Update

III. Circle of Power and Respect Grades 7/8

Continuation of Responsive Classroom Initiative

IV. Runkle School Principalship Search.

V. Staff Issue Update.

VI. 2010 School Council Elections.

VII. Other