APPROVED

OLD MILL SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MINUTES

Monday October 27, 2008

Time:  3:00 pm

Location:  Old Mill School Library

Present:

Jane McDonough - Treasurer

Mary Anderson - Secretary

Bryce Goeking

Andy Mercy - President

Lisa Mudd

Ann Nichols

Virginia Vanroyen

Absent:

Dawn Dobras – Vice President

Molly Bass

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes:   Minutes of the September 22, 2008 meeting were approved.

Principal’s Report:

•New Site Council Members.  Two new Site Council members are required.  A staff member to replace Erica Dowell and a parent member to replace Susan McCrae.

 

Virginia Vanroyen was warmly welcomed as the staff member replacing Erica Dowell.  Virginia is one of our physical education teachers.

Action:  Mary, Andy and Bryce have to nominate one or two potential parent members and e-mail the names to Andy, after checking that the nominee is willing to stand, prior to the next site council meeting.

•How to continue making the Site Council a success?   Members were congratulated on their ongoing open, honest, helpful attitude towards the work of the Site Council.  The main focus of the Site Council is the ongoing implementation / monitoring / evaluation of the 2007/8 Action Plan and the development of the 2008/9 Action Plan.

It was agreed that we should communicate our work to the parent community.

Action:  Andy Mercy will draft a blurb for the Creek, Site Council notice board and website.

2007/8 Action Plan Update:

•Objective 1:  Support students in becoming effective problem solvers in mathematics.  This objective is ongoing with staff researching appropriate school-wide “problems of the month” perhaps by utilizing material from the Silicon Valley Math Initiative (SVMI).  Ultimately data which illustrates a reduction in our carbon footprint will be included. 

This is an ambitious objective to find an appropriate challenge for kindergarten through 5th grade and to add to a curriculum which is already extremely full.  However it will teach our students to think more deeply and over a longer period of time about the solving of math challenges.

•Objective 2:  Promote environmental sustainability and physical fitness utilizing our walk to school program, and our relationship with our local community.

The percentage of students walking / biking / carpooling to school increased by 9% to a total of 48% in Spring 2008 compared to Fall 2007.  Safety is an issue which prevents more students from walking.  As more steps / lanes / paths leading down to the school from the surrounding hill sides are opened and safety around the perimeter of the school is improved more students will be able to walk to school. 

Progress has been made in the following segments of the 4 high priority routes identified by the Site Council  in our “15 Minutes to School” project:

oEugene Way, linking Lovell to Throckmorton.  Successfully renovated Fall 2008.

oMarian to Cascade.  New bridge crossing Cascade Creek installed Fall 2008.  Steps scheduled for reconstruction in Spring 2009.

oFlorence to Millside to Molino.  Scheduled for reconstruction in Spring 2009.

The safety improvements identified in our “15 Minute to School” project for the perimeter of   the school are currently scheduled for early 2009.

The Old Mill School Travel Plan, a Safe Routes to School initiative, which will be used as a funding tool to assist in the opening of more of the 4 high priority routes has been updated to include Old Mill School’s wishes.

Action:  Mary and Bryce to keep this objective moving forward.

•Objective 3:  Emphasize life fitness as a core element of the Physical Education program.

Virginia outlined the new P.E. program which addresses this objective.  Mon – Wed: yoga, step aerobics and calisthenics.  Thurs and Fri games and team sports.  Ann Nichols requested that this new curriculum be written down for future reference.

Action:  Virginia to write down new P.E. program.

Virginia expressed concern that some of the students may be becoming bored with the fitness aspect of the program.  Jane McDonough suggested a wider range of music choices to address this issue however this is already being done.

The question of parent volunteers for support during P.E. was raised.   It was felt that this could be helpful with the younger students (grades 1, 2 and possible 3) particularly when they are doing yoga.

Action:  Virginia to provide the Site Council with a description of what the volunteers would do and the names of the two parent volunteers that have already signed up.

2008/9 Action Plan Discussion:

It was unanimously agreed to continue with objectives 2 & 3 and to introduce a new objective focusing on “positive character development”.  This new objective would build on the school rules – be safe, be kind, be responsible, be respectful and the well established “Tribes” learning program which addresses positive character development and which is already known to many of Old Mill School’s staff.

It is hoped that a new emphasis on positive character development will help reverse the current trend of rude, self-centered behavior among Old Mill School students and to help them handle relationships / friendships more constructively.

Action:  All Site Council members to think about an appropriate definition for “character” in this context and to look at the Tribes website:  www.tribes.com   Jane McDonough to discuss “positive character development” at the next faculty meeting and possibly to invite a member of staff to present relevant aspects of the Tribes program at the next Site Council meeting.

Other business:  The status of the Mill Valley School District Facilities Master Plan was discussed.  It is thought that it will be a bond item on the November 2009 election.

Next Site Council Meeting:  Monday, November 24, 2008, at 3:00 pm in Old Mill School library.