Dec. 12, 2012 School Committee Meeting

Agenda

Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Quincy High School
6:00 p.m.

I. Approval of Minutes: Regular Session Minutes for November 7, 2012

II. Open Forum: 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. An individual may not exchange their time or yield to others.

III. Superintendent’s Report:

A. State Street Corporation (Quincy High School Grant)

B. Holiday Concerts

C. Thanksgiving Day Football Game

D. ‘Tis the Season/Fall Gathering

E. HYPER Robotics Event

F. North Quincy High School Assistant Principal Appointment

G. WGBH’s High School Quiz Show

H. Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic Student Athletes

I. 2012 MCAS Commendation School: Beechwood Knoll Elementary

J. Home-School Connections: Curriculum Newsletters from Snug Harbor and Montclair; Monthly Newsletter from Atherton Hough, Snug Harbor, and GOALS

IV. Old Business:

A. Massachusetts Association of School Committee Conference Resolutions - Mrs. Hubley

V. New Business:

A. American Education Week Celebration - Mrs. Roberts

B. RETELL Initiative - Mrs. Roberts, Ms. Hallett

C. Out of the Country Travel: Quincy High School to Rome, Italy and Paris, France, April 12-April 19, 2013.

D. Overnight Travel: Central Middle School Grade 7 to Camp Wing, Duxbury, Massachusetts June 11 through June 14, 2013.

VI. Additional Business:

VII. Communications:

VIII. Reports of Subcommittees:

  1. Teaching and Learning Subcommittee: Mrs. Lebo to report on the November 8, 2012; November 13, 2012; and November 26, 2012 meetings.

  2. Facilities and Security Subcommitee: Mr. McCarthy to report on the November 20, 2012 meeting.

  3. Policy Subcommittee: Mr. Bregoli to report on the November 28, 2012 meeting.

  4. Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee: Mrs. Hubley to report on the December 3, 2012 meeting.

  5. Central Building Committee: Mrs. Mahoney to report on the December 10, 2012 meeting.

IX. Executive Session: Collective Bargaining

X. Adjournment:

Subcommittees of the School Committee

Subcommittee Items


Budget & Finance
Isola/Bregoli/Hubley/Koch/Lebo/Mahoney/McCarthy

School Facilities & Security
McCarthy/Bregoli/Hubley

  1. Sterling Building Plans Referred to Subcommittee by the School Building Task Force in 1998.

  2. Coddington Hall  Referred to Subcommittee at the May 18, 2011 School Committee Meeting. The City of Quincy has appropriated funds to refurbish Coddington Hall to serve as the Quincy Public Schools administrative offices. Wessling Architects has completed the design phase of the project and construction bids are scheduled to go out in early October. All bids being in order, construction should begin in January 2013.

  3. Houses on Saville Avenue Referred to Subcommittee at the May 18, 2011 School Committee Meeting. Currently home to the School Maintenance and Public Building departments, the School Committee and Superintendent see no future educational uses for these properties.

  4. Outside Lighting Audit Referred to Subcommittee at the February 8, 2012 School Committee Meeting. To address safety concerns, an audit was requested to look for lights that need repair or replacement and locations that would benefit from additional lighting.

  5. President's City Inn Referred to Subcommittee at the October 10, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Safety concerns have been expressed about this property that abuts the new Central Middle School.

Health, Transportation & Safety
Hubley/Lebo/McCarthy

  1. School Meal Charges Referred to Subcommittee at the March 21, 2012 School Committee Meeting. New state and federal regulations require formalization of the school meal charges policy.

  2. School Wellness Policy Referred to Subcommittee at the March 21, 2012 School Committee Meeting. New state and federal guidelines will require revision of the existing Wellness Policy.

  3. Science Lab Safety: Referred from the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee at the April 2, 2012 meeting. High School and High School Science labs have been reviewed and needed updates for compliance completed as of September 24, 2012 Special School Committee Meeting. Monitoring of supplies will be handled by High School Safety Team; need similar plan for Middle Schools.

  4. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Referred to Subcommittee at the September 24, 2012 Special School Committee Meeting. Student Support Services working with Lincoln Hancock, Clifford Marshall, and Parker Elementary Schools on piloting this initiative.

School Policy
Bregoli/Isola/Mahoney

  1. Graduation Requirements Referred to Subcommittee at the September 7, 2011 School Committee
    Meeting and discussed at the October 11, 2011 School Policy Subcommittee. The discussion centered around adding a fourth year of Math as a graduation requirement; the issue is tabled until more is known about the impact of the new Common Core Standards on the Massachusetts frameworks.

  2. New Educator Evaluations Referred at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and shared with the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee. Further discussion will be held in joint Subcommittee Meetings and Executive Session as it pertains to collective bargaining.

  3. High School Community Service Referred to Subcommittee at the December 14, 2011 School Committee Meeting. A resolution was introduced proposing a Community Service requirement; pilot program for Grades 10 and 11 is underway for 2012-2013 school year.

  4. Conflict of Interest: Volunteering, Tutoring, Hiring Referred to Subcommittee at the January 11, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Review and discussion of existing policy requested.

  5. Adding CPR as a Graduation Requirement Referred to Subcommittee at the March 21, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Review and discussion of existing policy requested.

  6. Exempting Student Athletes from Physical Education Requirement Referred at the May 2, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Student athletes who compete in three seasons of athletics with parent permission and maintenance of academic eligibility, would not be required to take Physical Education classes. Review and discussion of existing policy requested.

  7. Adopt a Project Referred at the May 2, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Maintenance department requested a review of the policy and process for project approval.

  8. Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities Referred at the June 13, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Review and discussion of amending the existing policy requested to explore the possibility of raising revenue by accepting advertising sponsorships.

Special Education
Mahoney/Bregoli/McCarthy

  1. Substitute Teachers for SPED Originally referred to Subcommittee at the January 17, 2007 School Committee Meeting. At the Special School Committee Meeting on January 28, 2012 and the Special Education Subcommittee meeting on February 1, 2012, it was agreed that some progress has been made in the way that substitute teachers are informed and educated about accommodations for special needs issues. A form has been developed for classroom teachers to share information and the goal for implementation is the 2012-2013 school year.

  2. Special Education Program Assessment Referred to Subcommittee at the January 28, 2012 Special School Committee Meeting. This will be an ongoing discussion of the curriculum initiatives for Special Education.

Rules, Post Audit & Oversight
Lebo/Bregoli/Hubley

Teaching and Learning 
Lebo/Hubley/Isola

New Educator Evaluations Referred at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and shared with the School Policy Subcommittee. Two meetings have already been held to begin exploring the requirements of the new regulations (9/21/11 Ad Hoc Subcommittee meeting and February 13, 2012 Teaching and Learning Subcommittee meeting) and further discussion will be held in joint Subcommittee meetings and Executive Session as it pertains to collective bargaining. 

Ad Hoc Committees:

Channel 22
Mahoney/McCarthy

Created at the October 27, 2007 School Committee meeting to encourage the greater use of Channel 22 across Quincy Public Schools.

Central Building Committee
Mahoney

Athletic Rules
McCarthy/Hubley/Lebo

Created at the October 24, 2012 School Committee meeting to continue discussion on Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association rules.

Minutes

Quincy, Massachusetts - December 12, 2012
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee

Regular Meeting

A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at Quincy High School. Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. David McCarthy, and Ms. Barbara Isola, Vice Chair.

Vice-Chair Presiding

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There was a moment of silence for Vincent Sullivan, a veteran Quincy Public Schools Science teacher and administrator for many years, and Jamal Good, a North Quincy High School student.

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The Superintendent called the roll and all members were present. Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Mr. Ahearn, Mr. Connor, Mr. Draicchio, Mrs. Fredrickson, Mr. Gilbert, Ms. Hallett, Mr. Hennessy, Mr. Jorgensen, Ms. Margaret MacNeil, Ms. Maureen MacNeil, Mrs. Malvesti, Mrs. Moreira, Mr. Mullaney, Mr. Mulvey, Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Papile, Mrs. Pegg, Ms. Roy, Mr. Santoro, Mr. Keith Segalla, Ms. Shaughnessy, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Taglieri, Ms. Todd, Mrs. Witmer; Mrs. Tracey Christello, Citywide Parents’ Council Representative; Ms. Jill Gichui, President, Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education; and Ms. Allison Cox, President, Quincy Educator’s Association.

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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved 11/7/12

Mrs. Lebo made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the Regular Session minutes for November 7, 2012. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Open Forum

As no one wished to be heard at Open Forum, the School Committee moved to the the next item on the agenda.

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New Business American Education Week Essay Contest

Ms. Isola moved that the agenda be taken out of order and that the Committee proceed to New Business. Assistant Superintendent Colleen Roberts then introduced the first, second, and third place winners for the 12th Annual Poster and Essay Contest. Each of the Quincy Public Schools submitted ten of their best entries, across all grades from Kindergarten through Grade 12. A group of retired teachers judge the entries in the grade level categories for K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The theme of this year’s contest was “How Can My Education Influence My Future?” First-place winners presented their poster or read their essay to the School Committee. Each winner received a certificate of achievement, a gift card, and shook hands with the Mayor, members of the School Committee, and the Superintendent.

For Kindergarten and Grade 1, the winners were from Snug Harbor Ms. Smith’s Ms. Carr’s Grade 1 classes (1st place); Thomas Plonowski, Atherton Hough Kindergarten (2nd place); and Ameliya Khadzhen, Clifford Marshall, Grade 1 (3rd place). For Grades 2-3, Sophie Saint Marc, Lincoln Hancock Grade 3 (1st place); Aishwarya Rajaram, Clifford Marshall Grade 3 (2nd place); Cinneide Santoro, Atherton Hough Grade 3; Mahdi Almosawi, Snug Harbor Grade 3 (3rd place tie). For Grades 4-5, Liana Gao, Wollaston Grade 4 (1st place); Brendan Kilcommons, Merrymount Grade 5 (2nd place); Lydia Chan, Montclair Grade 5 (3rd place). For Grades 6-8, Dalia Sadaka, Atlantic Grade 8 (1st place); Vanessa Ly, Broad Meadows Grade 8 (2nd place); Tianettie McKee, Atlantic Grade 8 (3rd place). For Grades 9-12, Vicky Chan, North Quincy High School Grade 10 (1st place); Kerry Phelan, Quincy High School Grade 10 (2nd place); Matthew Gerakis, North Quincy High School Grade 10 (3rd place)

After a brief recess, the School Committee meeting resumed at 7:00 pm and returned to the order of the agenda.

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Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent DeCristofaro announced that Quincy High School has once again received a grant from the State Street Corporation. This $25,000 grant will assist teachers in integrating curriculum and assist Grade 9 students with the transition to high school. State Street also sponsored last week’s ‘Tis the Season event, which was attended by over 700 guests, including students from 12 elementary and middle schools. In the spirit of the season, School Committee members are invited to attend the holiday concerts held at each school; a schedule was included in their packet. The annual Fall Gathering was held on November 14 and attended by over 400 QPS staff members. This event was sponsored by the Tirrell Room and through the generosity of the QPS staff, over 60 boxes of food were donated to four local food pantries.

Dr. DeCristofaro announced that Michael Connor has been appointed North Quincy High School Assistant Principal. Mr. Connor has been serving as Acting Assistant Principal since September; he joined Quincy Public Schools in 1999, first teaching SPED at Sterling and Broad Meadows, and later moved to North Quincy High School as a Social Studies teacher and then Social Studies department chair.

In November, six students from North Quincy High School competed in the Super Sunday round of competition for WGBH’s High School Quiz Show. The North Quincy High School team competed against over eighty local schools and will now compete in the televised round of sixteen schools which will begin filming in January. Mira Kriz is the North Quincy High School team advisor and the team members are Seniors Tim Bill, Nathan Donahue, Cindy Nelson, Kasey Shen and Juniors Celeste Dang and Yi Fung.

The Patriot Ledger and Boston Globe recognized twenty-eight student-athletes from North Quincy and Quincy High School as Fall All-Scholastic Athletes in the following sports: Cross-Country Emily Bryson, Julia Bryson, Danielle Mullaney, and Mike Mullaney from North Quincy High School and Brendan Cunningham from Quincy High School. Football Antoine Allen, Eddie Guinto, Matthew MacPhail, Kevin Pappadopulos from North Quincy High School and Peter Cedrone, Jalen Green, Jaquan Harris, Alex Heffernan, Jackson Lam from Quincy High School. Soccer Courtney Campo, Lauren Campo, Shannon McCleary, James McFarland, Robbie Routhier, Arianna Viscione from North Quincy High School and Kayla McArdle, Felix Namoanya, James O’Shea, Caique Reginaldo from Quincy High School. Volleyball Rose Bennett, Carolyn Schwartz from North Quincy High School and Alysha Dunbar, Emma Kelly from Quincy High School. Dr. DeCristofaro thanked all of the coaches and advisors for their work with these outstanding student athletes.

Thanks to our sponsoring partner Bluefin Robotics, the annual HYPER Robotics Event was held on December 1 at North Quincy High School. At this middle school tournament, QPS hosted forty teams from around the state and over eighty QPS students competed.

Dr. DeCristofaro noted examples of Home-School Connection shared with the School Committee: Curriculum Newsletters from Snug Harbor Community School and Montclair Elementary School; Monthly Newsletters from Atherton Hough Elementary School, Snug Harbor Community School, and the GOALS program.

The Superintendent closed his report by noting that the Beechwood Knoll Elementary School has been recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a 2012 MCAS Commendation School for narrowing proficiency gaps.

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Old Business

MASC Conference

Resolutions Mrs. Hubley reviewed the votes taken at the recent Massachusetts Association of School Committees Conference General Session on Friday, November 9, 2012. There were a total of six resolutions, but the sixth applied to districts with charter schools. At the November 7, 2012 meeting, the School Committee voted unanimously to support all five resolutions. Mrs. Hubley reported that at the MASC Conference General Session, the resolutions were all passed with very little discussion.

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New Business (resumed)

RETELL Initiative

Assistant Superintendent Colleen Roberts and Curriculum Coordinator for Grades 6-12 and ELL Beth Hallett presented on the DESE’s new Rethinking Equity in the Teaching of English Language Learners (RETELL) Initiative. Ms. Hallett spoke of ELL enrollment statewide: 70,000 students, an increase of 57% since 2000. In Massachusetts, 324 of 400 districts have ELL students; in 1,499 schools, 31,595 teachers service ELL students, and only 8% hold an ESL license. In Massachusetts, the majority of ELL students speak Spanish; Quincy has the twelfth largest ELL population of all districts in the state. 65% of ELL students in Quincy are from China, 12% from Vietnam, and the remainder from Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Albanian, and other countries of origin. In Quincy, the majority of ELL students are in the elementary schools, with Montclair, Parker, and Wollaston having the highest concentrations. ELL programs are offered at all Quincy Public Schools; programs range from pull-out instruction in the elementary grades to selfcontained classes grouped by fluency and content-area classes at the middle and high school levels.

Mrs. Roberts gave an overview of the RETELL Initiative. The US Department of Justice has mandated preparation and training for teachers with ELLs in their classrooms. The new DESE regulation is that all educators in Massachusetts with core academic licensure and the administrators who supervise them must have a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement. All core academic teachers, including early childhood educators, teachers of students with moderate and severe disabilities, and teachers licensed in all curriculum areas must have this endorsement. In addition, principals, assistant principals, and department heads will need this endorsement since they supervise these teachers.

Quincy Public Schools is in Cohort 1 because of the incidence of ELL students within the district. QPS has three years to train the staff who will require this endorsement. In addition, 15 PDP points of the 150 needed for licensure renewal must be related to ESL/SEI. Educators who take the full RETELL course may apply the PDPs earned over two license renewal cycles. In terms of implementation, the core academic teachers and administrators who are required to renew their professional educator license with the SEI Endorsement have been identified and notified. RETELL course schedules have been developed, course descriptions/expectations are being created, and additional support will be offered through other Professional Development opportunities, including the WIDA Framework training.

Ms. Hallett reviewed the credit that the Category training programs previously offered by QPS will provide to educators; educators who took at least 2 of the 3 courses will be able to take a RETELL Bridge Course. Full RETELL courses will be rigorous and be the equivalent of three graduate credits. Three different courses will be offered in the spring and summer: Elementary/General Education teachers; Secondary Teachers – Humanities; and Secondary Teachers – Math and Science. The full RETELL course will be divided into three modules: Social-Emotional and Socio-Cultural Aspects of English Language Education; Linguistics; and Academic Language and Sheltering Instruction. The Retell Administrator course is a shorter course and will be offered by the Summer of 2013. Administrators who wish to maintain a teaching license may take the Full RETELL or the Bridge RETELL Course, depending on whether they have taken any of the Category Trainings.

Mrs. Lebo asked for clarification about the credit for Category Training. About 300 Quincy Public Schools teachers have not taken the requisite number of Category Trainings and so will have to take the Full RETELL Course. The remaining staff members will be taking the bridge course and/or the administrator course. Dr. DeCristofaro thanked Mrs. Roberts and Ms. Hallett for their presentation and spoke of the many initiatives from DESE and the need to innovate and plan and adhere to their timelines.

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Out of the Country Travel

Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the out of the country travel of Quincy High School students to Rome, Italy and Paris, France from April 12, 2013 through April 19, 2013. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Overnight Travel

Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the overnight travel of the Central Middle School Grade 7 students to Camp Wing in Duxbury, Massachusetts from June 11, 2013 through June 14, 2013. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Reports of Subcommittees

Teaching and Learning Subcommittee

Mrs. Lebo presented a summary of the three Teaching and Learning Subcommittee meetings that were recently held. She noted that the Middle School Improvement Plans, the High School Improvement Plans, and all Program Improvement Plans are posted on the Quincy Public Schools website at www.quincypublicschools.com.

On November 8, 2012 the middle school principals presented the individual Middle School Improvement Plans. Each principal reflected on their 2011-2012 goals and discussed their goals for 2012-2013. Each school has goals related to MCAS performance for Mathematics and English Language Arts, as well as a Wellness goal to benefit the students and staffs of each school. Many of the middle schools had a school culture goal to continue the integration of antibullying strategies.

On November 13, 2012 the high school principals presented their School Improvement Plans, reflecting on last year’s goals and discussing their goals for 2012-2013. Quincy High School completed the NEASC accreditation process in 2011-2012, showed impressive MCAS achievement, and fostered the growth of the school’s interdisciplinary teams. North Quincy High School is preparing for their NEASC accreditation visit in the fall of 2013, and has revised their core value statement with input from all members of the school community. North Quincy High School had impressive MCAS proficiency rates for 2012 and among the 2012-2013 goals, there are initiatives that are supported across multiple departments related to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, especially for informational texts.

On November 26, 2012, Curriculum Coordinator for Grades Pre-K through 5 and Title I, Ms. Madeline Roy presented the Literacy Program Improvement Plan. The Literacy program’s focus is on Pre K-Grade 3 and student growth by Grade 3, where the switch is from Learning to Read to Reading to Learn. The Literacy staff’s primary roles as interventionists are reviewing data, progress monitoring, and determining and providing resources for teachers. For 2012-2013, the Literacy Team is focusing on Progress Monitoring and the consistency of tools used across the district. The goals for 2012-2013 are: (1) During the 2012-2013 school year, the literacy team will continue its goal to decrease the number of Tier 3 students, those at risk, to represent 8% of the total district students in Grades K through Grade 5. (2) During the 2012-2013 school year, the Literacy Team will work with classroom teachers to increase the number of students in Grades 2 and 3 who read above grade level by 10%. Reading above grade-level is defined by the Group Reading Assessment Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) as scoring at the stanine 7-9 levels in the passage comprehension subtest of the GRADE.

Ms. Roy then presented the Pre-Kindergarten Program Improvement Plan; the team’s goals for 2012-2013 are to: (1) Complete a standards analysis and alignment to the 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for ELA/Literacy and Mathematics and continue to align instructional routines, assessments and tasks to the Work Sampling Guidelines. (2) To form a study group to increase the team’s knowledge and expertise on effective, sustainable family engagement.

Mrs. Roberts, Ms. Roy, and Ms. Hallett presented a draft Curriculum Plan; the plan is evolving and action items are added as changes and more supports come out of DESE. The plan also shows the required timeline for implementation over four school years. The team shared the curriculum initiatives that have been taking place in the past year, the plans for this year, and the projected plans for the next two years. This plan also shows the related professional development initiatives for each curriculum initiative, and the work being done to align with the new state assessments and reviewed the accountability system.

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve the Broad Meadows, Point Webster, Sterling, Atlantic, and Central Middle School Improvement Plans; the Quincy and North Quincy High School Improvement Plans; the Career and Technical Education, Literacy, and Pre-Kindergarten Program Improvement Plans; the DRAFT Curriculum Plan; and the November 8, 2012; November 13, 2012; and November 26, 2012 Teaching and Learning Subcommittee Meeting minutes. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Facilities and Security Subcommittee

Mr. McCarthy reviewed the Facilities and Security Subcommittee meeting that Meeting that was held on November 20, 2012 and was focused on the proximity of the President’s City Inn to the new Central Middle School, as well as the perimeter. Lt. Dan Minton is assigned to the Central Middle School/President’s City Inn issue and is working closely with hotel management. Lt. Minton confirmed that most calls are received during the evening and are problems with short term guests. Any issues have been isolated to the hotel property and the owner will continue to be asked to address issues with guidance from the Quincy Police Department.

Central Middle School Owner’s Project Manager Eugene Caruso from Tishman Construction reminded the Subcommittee that all classrooms are on the opposite side of the property from the President’s City Inn. He also reiterated that the existing 4’ wall which is 60’ in length will remain between the two properties. Additional fencing will run the length of the property and be screened. Mr. Caruso noted that the contractors have seen no negative activity at the President’s City Inn during construction. Lt. Minton pointed out the design of hotel is changing and all access to the hotel will be through a main lobby. There will no longer be direct to access rooms from the parking lot.

The Subcommittee agreed to consider if it is possible to incorporate additional buffers between the President’s City Inn parking lot and Central Middle School as the construction proceeds on both sites: (1) 6’ high fencing; (2) heavy green coverage/bushes along entire perimeter; and (3) additional physical access controls on the Central Middle School parking area which abuts hotel. Mr. McCarthy asked if the hotel can be asked to provide additional buffers on their side if deemed necessary. The Subcommittee members agreed to have Dr. DeCristofaro contact Attorney Fleming and the hotel owner to request additional improvements on the President’s City Inn side of the perimeter. He will also notify them that the School Committee may request them to appear at an upcoming School Committee meeting to present an update on their project plans and progress towards completion.

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 20, 2012 Facilities and Security Subcommittee Meeting. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Policy Subcommittee

Mr. Bregoli reviewed the Policy Subcommittee meeting that was held on November 28, 2012. Mr. Keith Segalla presented the Information Technology Program Improvement Plan, by giving an overview of the six teams that make up this department: Data Processing; Elementary, Middle, and High School POS/Scheduling; Information Technology; and the Secretaries Team. Each team has multiple goals, many that continue from year to year. For 2012-2013, each team has a goal related to the installation and training for the new Student Information System. The Data Processing Team’s goals are: (1) To meet all DESE data reporting requirements for SIMS, EPIMS, SCS, SSDR, and federal CRDC reporting by June 2013. (2) To meet all district reporting dates for electronic progress reports and report cards during the 2012-2013 school year. (3) Introduction and training of the new Student Information System. The Elementary School POS/Scheduling Team’s goals are (1) Review and improve upon process of StarBase electronic schedules for elementary schools to comply with DESE EPIMS/SCS reporting. (2) Introduction and training for the new Student Information System by June 30, 2013. The Middle School POS/Scheduling Team’s goals are (1) To complete middle school schedules by June 2013. (2) Review and update 8th Grade High School Course selection process as needed by January 2013. (3) Introduction and training for new Student Information System by June 30, 2013. The High School POS/Scheduling Team’s goals are: (1) To consistently communicate scheduling issues, timelines, appropriate tasks, and data dissemination so that high school student schedules can be produced by August 2013 that reflect class sizes within School Committee policy. (2) To produce a new program of studies document for the 2013-2014 academic year by December 2012 that contains course descriptions reflecting the new Frameworks (Common Core) consistent at both high schools as well as reviewing course naming/numbering conventions within the new Student Information System. (3) To produce a new Curriculum Flowchart reflecting graduation requirements prior to the course selection process, which commences March 2013. (4) Produce Pathways Booklet and Course Selection mechanism by March 4, 2013. (5) Develop an implementation and training schedule that begins in January 2013 for the new Student Information System scheduling module for all high school guidance staff. The Information Technology Team’s goals are: (1) Meet all required MA DESE and District-Level requirements during the 2012-2013 school year. (2) Complete the installation and transition to the new QPS Student Information System by June 30, 2013. The Secretaries Team’s goal is to design, develop, and implement a Student Information System Training schedule for all Secretaries Team members by June 2013.

The Subcommittee then discussed the items currently in Policy Subcommittee for review. Most items were retained and several were referred to other Subcommittees, including Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities, which Ms. Isola suggested could be part of the Budget discussions.

Mr. Bregoli made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 28, 2012 Policy Subcommittee Meeting and the Instructional Technology Program Improvement Plan. Mrs. Mahoney seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mrs. Mahoney suggested that when the Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities are discussed, research could be done into what other cities and towns have as policies. She also suggested it might be premature to move the item to the Budget and Finance Subcommittee before reviewing the current School Committee Policy that does not allow for advertising.

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to retain the Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunity discussion within the Policy Subcommittee. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee

Mrs. Hubley reviewed the Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee Meeting that was held on December 3, 2012. The meeting was a joint Subcommittee Meeting with the Policy Subcommittee. A draft of the revised Quincy Public Schools’Wellness Policy was presented and a discussion ensued about adjusting the draft Wellness Policy to allow for a certain number of exemptions per year for school-wide events. Dr. DeCristofaro will work with the Wellness Advisory Team to finalize the specific guideline wording, seek the Principals’ input and then present a revised Wellness Policy. At individual schools, the Principal, Site Wellness Team, School Council, and Parent-Teacher Organization will work together to decide on the school-wide events that will utilize the exemptions. Subcommittee members agreed that high school sports boosters will not be granted exemptions. The high school sports boosters may sell food items before and after school, but not during the school day, unless the food items adhere to the state’s competitive food nutritional guidelines. At the conclusion of the discussion, approval was given to refer the Wellness Policy revision to the Policy Subcommittee.

Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the minutes from the December 3, 2012 Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee Meeting. Mrs. Mahoney seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Central Building Committee

Mrs. Mahoney gave a summary of the December 10, 2012 Central Building Committee Meeting based on the draft meeting minutes provided by City Solicitor Jim Timmins. The building foundation is complete, along with under slab electrical and plumbing work; all major structural steel has been erected. Masonry work and metal stud installation is ongoing. The project is on schedule with a substantial completion date of September 5, 2013; a more detailed timeline will be provided at the next Central Building Committee meeting on February 25, 2013. Mrs. Mahoney will update the Central Building Committee on the discussion at the November 20, 2012 Facilities and Security and the desire for additional accommodations in terms of perimeter fencing and shrubbery.

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Adjournment

On a motion by Mayor Koch, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the School Committee went into Executive Session at 8:25 p.m. for Collective Bargaining. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it 7-0. The School Committee did not return to Open Session.