Jan. 11, 2012 School Committee Meeting

Revised Agenda

Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
January 11, 2012
Broad Meadows Middle School
7:00 p.m.

I. Approval of Minutes: Regular Session Minutes for December 14, 2011 and Organizational Meeting Minutes for January 3, 2012.

II. Superintendent’s Report:

A. Professional Educator Status Reception

B. Boston University Partnership

C. New Educator Evaluation Meeting (DESE)

D. Mayor’s Drug Task Force Initiatives

III. Open Forum: (7:15 p.m.) An opportunity for community input regarding the Quincy Public Schools. After giving his or her name and address, each speaker may make a presentation of no more than four minutes to the School Committee.

IV. Old Business

A. Update on building projects, renovations, and construction: Mr. Murphy to report.

B. Update on Central Middle School: Mrs. Mahoney to report.

C. Update on MASC Resolutions: Mrs. Lebo to report.

V. New Business:

A. Head Injury Prevention Policy and Process - Mrs. Papile, Mrs. Kisielius, Mr. Rendle

B. NEASC Presentation - Mr. Metzler, Mr. Shaw Mr. Santoro, Ms. Murray

C. New Subcommittee on Teaching and Learning - Ms. Isola

D. Out of Country Travel: NQHS and QHS to Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, China April 13, 2012 through April 21, 2012

E. Out of State Travel: Sterling Middle School to New York City June 6, 2012 through June 7, 2012

F. Gifts: $10,000 from the Randy C. Wolfe Trust and $50 in memory of Ken Rickson

G. Draft School Year 2012-2013 Calendar

H. Draft School Committee Calendar 2012-2013

VI. Additional Business:

VII. Communications:

VIII. Hearings:

IX. Reports of Special Committees:

X. Executive Session:

XI. Adjournment:

Subcommittees of the School Committee

Subcommittee Date Referred Business Pending
Budget & Finance Isola/Lebo/Mahoney

10/7/2009 Half-Time Teachers
  9/15/2010 Opportunities & Challenges
  9/15/2010 Short & Long Term Goals
     
School Facilities   McCarthy/Bregoli/Hubley
  3/4/1998 Sterling Building Plans
  10/20/2004 ADA Report
  5/18/2011 $1.5 Appropriation
  5/18/2011 Future uses of houses on Saville Ave.
     
Health, Safety & Security   Hubley/Lebo/McCarthy
  3/26/2008 Increase School Breakfast Participation
  3/17/2010 North Quincy Traffic Intersection
     
School Policy   Bregoli/Isola/Mahoney
  6/15/2011 Substitute teacher interviews & evaluations
  9/7/2011 NCLB Federal Mandate
  9/7/2011 Graduation Requirements
  12/14/11 High School Community Service Pilot
     
Special Education   Mahoney/Bregoli/McCarthy
  1/17/2007 Substitute Teachers for SPED
  9/24/2008 INSPIRE Initiative
     
Rules, Post Audit & Oversight   Lebo/Bregoli/Hubley
     
AD HOC COMMITTEES:    
Channel 22    
Mahoney/McCarthy 10/27/2007 Encourage greater use of
     
New Educator Evaluation Regulations    
Isola/Lebo 9/7/2011 Begin investigating requirements

 

Minutes

Quincy, Massachusetts -January 11, 2012
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee

Regular Meeting

A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at Broad Meadows Middle School. Present were: Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. Dave McCarthy,and Ms. Barbara Isola, Vice Chair.

Vice-Chair Presiding

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There was a moment of silence in memory of Lt. Col. Joseph Ciampa, Junior Air Force ROTC instructor at Quincy High School for over 20 years.

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The Superintendent called the roll and all were present. Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Messrs. Chella, Draicchio, Metzler, Mullaney, Mulvey, Murphy, Rendle, Santoro, Keith Segalla, Shaw, Taglieri; Mrs. Fredrickson, Kisielius, Papile; Ms. Murray, Todd; Ms. Allison Cox, President, QEA, and Mrs. Tracey Christello, representing the Citywide Parents’ Council.

Ms. Isola introduced Principal Larry Taglieri, who welcomed everyone to Broad Meadows Middle School. Mr. Taglieri recognized the members of his staff who were present: Assistant Principal Peter Chella, Joe Boss and Christy Cronin from the Guidance Department, School Secretary Debbie Golden, and Choral Director Dan Caruso. Mr. Taglieri spoke of Ann Marie Zukauskas, principal of Broad Meadows from 1994 to 2003, who created many of the traditions and values that are an integral part of the school today. One of these long-standing traditions is community service, which all Grade 7 students take part in. Broad Meadows is proud that three Grade 8 students were chosen to be Quincy’s Ambassador’s to Governor Deval Patrick’s Project 351 Day of Service on January 14, 2012. Mr. Taglieri spoke of the twenty different before- and after-school programs at Broad Meadows funded by the 21st Century Grant Program, including academic enrichment, the arts, and community service. Eighty percent of Broad Meadows students take part in one or more of these activities that enhance the nurturing and positive school climate. Mr. Taglieri concluded by thanking the School Committee for their support for the students and staff of the Broad Meadows Middle School.

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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved 12/14/2011

Mrs. Lebo made a motion, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, to amend the regular session minutes for December 14, 2011. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mr. McCarthy then made a motion to accept the minutes as amended. Mrs. Mahoney seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Organizational Meeting Minutes Approved 1/3/2012

Mrs. Lebo made a motion, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, to accept the minutes from the Organizational Meeting of January 3, 2012. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Open Forum

As no one wished to be heard in Open Forum, the Committee went on with the business at hand.

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Superintendent’s Report

The Superintendent opened his remarks by wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and welcoming Mr. Bregoli and Mrs. Hubley to the School Committee. He spoke of the upcoming Professional Educator Status Reception being held on Thursday, January 19 at 3:00 pm in the Quincy High School Rotunda. Fifty-eight professional staff members will be receiving recognition of achieving this status. He also spoke about the ongoing partnership with Boston University for student teaching. Organized by Assistant Superintendent Colleen Roberts, 35 Boston University prepracticum students are at both high schools, GOALS, and the Atlantic Middle School working in the English, Foreign Language, ELL, Math, and Science departments.

On Monday, January 30, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be holding an informational meeting about the New Educator Evaluation regulations at Quincy High School at 3:00 pm. The Superintendent also discussed the recent events connected to the Mayor’s Drug Task Force Initiative, including antibullying and drug awareness presentations for students and parents of both high schools by John Morello and NBA player Chris Herren. These presentations were funded by donations from First Financial, the Quincy Masons, Impact Quincy, and George Burke.

School Committee members also received in their packets copies of monthly newsletters from Atherton Hough, Quincy High School, and Clifford Marshall, copies of the Bernazzani Curriculum newsletter, the Secretary Team newsletter, and information about upcoming IT Professional Development opportunities for staff.

The Superintendent closed his remarks by reflecting on the Inauguration, held on January 3, 2012 at Quincy High School. Having students participate in so many ways made it a very successful and special evening: the Combined Select High School Choir, John Adams Quintet, Jazz Band Quartet, North Quincy High School ROTC, Quincy High Schools Skills USA, the Robotics Teams and class officers from both high schools, and especially the Quincy High School Culinary Arts students. He also extended thanks to the teachers and advisors, custodial and maintenance staff, and everyone who worked so hard on the event.

Mr. Bregoli suggested making a CD of the Combined Select High School Choir’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” The recording could be played at school sporting events. He also noted that he attended the Chris Herren presentations at both high schools and that they were very moving events.

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Old Business

Building Projects Update

The next item on the agenda was the update on building projects, renovations, and construction from Mr. Murphy. During the recent vacation week, many projects were completed, including replacing rugs with floor tiles at North Quincy High School; ceiling tiles were also replaced, with more rooms to be completed during the February and April vacations. The intercom system was repaired at the Parker School, lockers repaired at Point Webster, heating repairs, carpentry, and other daily work orders were addressed. In addition, the vacation week afforded the Custodial staff the opportunity to clean classrooms and wash and wax floors.

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New Central Middle School Project

Mrs. Mahoney reported that there has not been a Central Building Committee meeting since the last School Committee meeting. She reported that demolition has been completed and the site cleared.

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Update on MASC Resolutions

The next item on the agenda was the Update on MASC Resolutions, reported by Mrs. Lebo. Mrs. Lebo attended the Delegate Assembly and all five resolutions were passed, as voted on by the School Committee and two were first amended as discussed at the November 9, 2011 School Committee meeting.

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New Business

Head Injury / Concussion Draft Policy Presentation

The Superintendent introduced Mrs. Papile, Director of Student Support Services, Mrs. Kisielius, Coordinator of Health Services, Mr. Rendle, Director of Athletics, and Dr. Patrick Carroll, who presented the draft of the Quincy Public Schools Head Injury Prevention Policy and Process. Mrs. Kisielius began the presentation by reviewing that in July 2011, the governor signed a law requiring the Department of Public Health to develop regulations for all students participating in extracurricular athletic activities for middle and high schools. Key provisions of the law include creating school policies and procedures, requirements for training, participation requirements for students and parents, guidelines for exclusion from play for injury, guidelines for medical clearance and return to school, roles and responsibilities of key school personnel, and record maintenance and reporting. The state law requires that Quincy Public Schools has a School Committee-adopted head injury policy in place by March 1, 2012.

Dr. Patrick Carroll, Chief Medical Officer of Granite Medical spoke about his experience with head injuries in adolescents and his initiative in helping the Quincy Public Schools secure grant funding from Dick’s Sporting Goods to pay for baseline ImPACT testing for all winter sports athletes at both high schools. Athletic Director Jim Rendle followed Dr. Carroll and spoke of the training that all coaches have received certifying them to identify head injuries. The emphasis on this issue is underscored at meetings; students athletes have been trained about self-reporting and this process begins as part of the middle school health curriculum. The athletic permit card has been revised so that parents are asked about their awareness of the issue. Mrs. Papile concluded the presentation by noting the teamwork that went into the recent baseline testing, including the Assistant Principals at both high schools for coordinating the schedules and the middle school health teachers, who acted as test administrators. She also thanked Dr. Carroll for finding the grant funding and for voluntarily training Quincy Public Schools nursing and health staff on head injury identification.

Head Injury/Concussion Draft Policy to Policy Subcommittee

In the discussion that followed, School Committee members asked follow-up questions about the baseline testing, funding, participation, HIPPA, and paperwork. At the conclusion of the discussion, Mr. McCarthy made a motion to move the draft Quincy Public Schools Head Injury/Concussion Policy to the School Policy Subcommittee for study and review. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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NEASC Presentation

North Quincy High School Principal Earl Metzler and Quincy High School Principal Frank Santoro, along with North Quincy High School Assistant Principal Rob Shaw and Quincy High School Assistant Principal Ellen Murray presented on the New England Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation process that both high schools are currently preparing for. Both high schools are already members of NEASC, the accreditation process being a 10-year cycle, with each school at a different place in the cycle. NEASC is a non-profit and non-governmental agency and accreditation is not a pass/fail process. Accreditation means adhering to seven standards, plus NEASC policies, and demonstrating a willingness to improve. Schools undertake a self-evaluation, which is then followed by the creation of reports and documentation, a visit from NEASC, and then progress reports. Each of the high schools has a Steering Committee, plus a committee for each of the seven standards; the committees are interdisciplinary. The staff of each school votes on the school’s alignment to NEASC’s seven standards and ratify all reports. In the reports, the schools’ strengths and needs are summarized and the school then works on the needs issues over the next five years.

Quincy High School is preparing for their NEASC visit on March 4 and 5, 2012. The committees are finalizing their reports. Upon reflection, the staff feels that the process has surfaced so many good things that go unnoticed and raised their awareness of keeping high standards for all students and using this new knowledge to help with the transition to the new Common Core Standards. Next steps include making two-year and five-year target plans, including creating rubrics for academic, social, and civic expectations for students. Final reports and rubrics will be shared with the School Committee and they are also invited to attend the NEASC panel discussion on March 4 and other meetings on March 5.

North Quincy High School’s NEASC visit is scheduled for October 2013 and the staff is just beginning the self-study process. The first step was the review and revision of the school’s mission statement, which was just completed. Committees have been formed for the seven standards plus the Steering Committee and work will begin in February on developing the self-studies.

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Subcommittee on Teaching and Learning

Ms. Isola announced that a new Subcommittee will be formed to focus on Teaching and Learning. Mrs. Lebo will be the Chair of this Subcommittee.

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Out of Country Travel

Permission is requested for a trip to Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai, China for Quincy High School and North Quincy High School students April 13, 2012 through April 21, 2012. Mr. McCarthy motioned to table this request until more information about the tour is provided. Mrs. Mahoney seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Out of State Travel

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Out of State travel of Sterling Middle School to New York City June 6 and June 7, 2012. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Gifts

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve the gift of $10,000 from the Randy C. Wolfe Trust to benefit the Quincy Public Schools’ Music program and the gift of $50.00 donated in memory of Ken Rickson. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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School Year 2012-2013 Draft Calendar

Mayor Koch made a motion to move the draft of the 2012-2013 School Year Calendar into the School Policy Subcommittee for review. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and,on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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School Committee Meetings 2012-2013

Mrs. Mahoney made a motion to move the draft of the School Committee Meetings 2012-2013 into the School Policy Subcommittee for review. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and, on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Additional Business

Out of State Travel

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Overnight travel of Quincy High School to the MASC Conference in Hyannis, MA from March 7-March 9, 2012. Mayor Koch seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mr. McCarthy mentioned that as School Facilities Subcommittee Chair, he will have items to bring up for Maintenance at future meetings. Ms. Isola clarified that these items should be added to the Agenda rather than presented as Additional Business.

Mrs. Mahoney made a motion to add Conflict of Interest: Volunteering, Tutoring, and Hiring Process be added to the School Policy Subcommittee for review. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Communications

Mrs. Lebo mentioned that the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day breakfast was being held on January 16, 2012 at the Germantown Neighborhood Center. She also noted that QPAC is having a meeting on January 17, 2012 at 7:00 pm.

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Appointments

The School Committee noted the following teacher appointments:

Teachers Erina Carr, Katherine Culbert, Andrea Keogh

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Adjournment

On a motion by Mrs. Lebo, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the School Committee adjourned at 8:45 p.m. for the evening. There was no executive session. The ayes have it.