School Council Minutes
Contact Information ~ School Council Members
School Council Meeting Dates ~
April 8th, @3:15 PM, PPES Conference Room
May 6th, @3:15 PM, PPES Conference Room
* Next Meeting on March 11th @ 3:15 pm in the Conference Rm
Agenda...
JDRF ~ Mr. Gabbay
February 11, 2010
Welcome
Members in attendance
Monica Middendorf, Rene Brofft, Shelley Straub, Stephanie Arnold, Evelyn Dekavallas, Mike Lee, Debbie Romney
I. Update
a. Crisis Buckets
PTO has asked businesses for donations for supplies & buckets.
Dunn Edwards supplied the buckets.
II. Lunch Schedule Idea
Please see the following article from the New York Times.
III. Compass 2015
Discussion....committee will need further meetings to prepare for output regarding
Compass 2015.
IV. Discussion re: Open Enrollment
Prepare flyers for the pre schools, website, newsletter, the new library etc.
Friday, February 12, 2010 Last Update: 3:20 PM
Play, Then Eat: Shift May Bring Gains at School
Kirsten Luce for The New York Times SWITCHED Children playing before lunch at Sharon Elementary School in Robbinsville, N.J. ìKids are calmer after theyíve had recess first,î the schoolís principal said.Can something as simple as the timing of recess make a difference in a childís health and behavior?
Some experts think it can, and now some schools are rescheduling recess ó sending students out to play before they sit down for lunch. The switch appears to have led to some surprising changes in both cafeteria and classroom.
Schools that have tried it report that when children play before lunch, there is less food waste and higher consumption of milk, fruit and vegetables. And some teachers say there are fewer behavior problems.
ìKids are calmer after theyíve had recess first,î said Janet Sinkewicz, principal of Sharon Elementary School in Robbinsville, N.J., which made the change last fall. ìThey feel like they have more time to eat and they donít have to rush.î
One recent weekday at Sharon, I watched as gaggles of second graders chased one another around the playground and climbed on monkey bars. When the whistle blew, the bustling playground emptied almost instantly, and the children lined up to drop off their coats and mittens and file quietly into the cafeteria for lunch.
ìAll the wiggles are out,î Ms. Sinkewicz said.
One of the earliest schools to adopt the idea was North Ranch Elementary in Scottsdale, Ariz. About nine years ago, the school nurse suggested the change, and the school conducted a pilot study, tracking food waste and visits to the nurse along with anecdotal reports on student behavior.
By the end of the year, nurse visits had dropped 40 percent, with fewer headaches and stomachaches. One child told school workers that he was happy he didnít throw up anymore at recess.
Other children had been rushing through lunch to get to the playground sooner, leaving much uneaten. After the switch, food waste declined and children were less likely to become hungry or feel sick later in the day. And to the surprise of school officials, moving recess before lunch ended up adding about 15 minutes of classroom instruction.
In the Arizona heat, ìkids needed a cool-down period before they could start academic work,î said the principal, Sarah Hartley.
ìWe saved 15 minutes every day,î Dr. Hartley continued, ìbecause kids could play, then go into the cafeteria and eat and cool down, and come back to the classroom and start academic work immediately.î
Since that pilot program, 18 of the districtís 31 schools have adopted ìrecess before lunch.î
The switch did pose some challenges. Because children were coming straight from the playground, the school had to install hand sanitizers in the lunchroom. And until the lunch system was computerized, the school had to distribute childrenís lunch cards as they returned from recess.
In Montana, state school officials were looking for ways to improve childrenís eating habits and physical activity, and conducted a four-school pilot study of ìrecess before lunchî in 2002. According to a report from the Montana Team Nutrition program, children who played before lunch wasted less food, drank more milk and asked for more water. And as in Arizona, students were calmer when they returned to classrooms, resulting in about 10 minutes of extra teaching time.
One challenge of the program was teaching children to eat slower. In the past, children often finished lunch in five minutes so they could get to recess. With the scheduling change, cafeteria workers had to encourage them to slow down, chew their food and use all the available time to finish their lunch.
Today, about one-third of Montana schools have adopted ìrecess before lunch,î and state officials say more schools are being encouraged. ìThe pilot projects that are going on have been demonstrating that students are wasting less food, they have a more relaxed eating environment and improved behavior because theyíre not rushing to get outside,î said Denise Juneau, superintendent of the Office of Public Instruction. ìItís something our office will promote to schools across the state as a best practice.î
Childrenís health experts note that such a switch might not work in many urban school districts, where lower-income children may start the day hungry.
ìItís a great idea, but first weíve got to give them a decent breakfast,î said Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Childrenís Hospital Boston. ìA lot of kids skip breakfast and arrive at lunch ravenous.î
And for a seemingly simple scheduling change, it can create some daunting logistical problems. Children often have to return to hallways and classrooms after recess for bathroom breaks and hand washing and to pick up lunch bags. The North Ranch Elementary School regularly fields calls from schools in colder climates with questions on how to deal with coats, hats, galoshes and mittens. ìIn Arizona, we donít have to deal with that,î said Dr. Hartley, the principal.
Many school districts say such problems make them reluctant to switch. A 2006 study in The Journal of Childhood Nutrition & Management reported that fewer than 5 percent of the nationís elementary schools were scheduling recess before lunch.
But at the Sharon Elementary School, the principal, Ms. Sinkewicz, says the challenges have been worth it. In the past, children took coats, hats and mittens with them to the lunchroom, then headed outside. Now they have time to return coats to lockers so they donít have to carry them to the lunchroom.
ìFor some reason, kids arenít losing things outside,î Ms. Sinkewicz said. ìThe lost-and-found mound has gone down.î
January 7th, 2010
Welcome
Members in attendance~
Mike Lee, Rene Brofft, Evelyn Dekavallas, Mindy Scheuermann, Stephanie Arnold, Debbie Romney
I. Updates
a. Crisis Buckets...
Julie Ransom reported that PTO will purchase the buckets so they will all be the same, they will also purchase some of the supplies.
They will ask for class donations for much of the supplies.
II. School Council Rubric was completed by each member of the council, except for Allison Cahill who is no
longer on the Council. The Rubrics were sent to Dr. Baribault's office.
III. The parent organization nominated and voted on a new member of the council to replace Allison Cahill.
Shelly Straub is the new member.
Monica Middendorf was added as the classified member of the committee.
Debbie Romney will take notes and update the website.
December 3, 2009 Meeting
Welcome
Members in attendance~
Mike Lee, Pamela Sorin, Rene Brofft, Stephanie Arnold, Evelyn Dekavallas,
Debbie Romney
Pamela Sorin began with a request that her and Mr Mang would like to introduce a
tax credit program "The Pinnacle Peak Green Team"would cover standards;
science, tech, some math~ Stem objectives 3rd ~ 6th grades.
2 teachers per 30 Students. Open to suggestions.
31 classes (2x a week) beginning with the second semester; Jan. 8th ...based on approval.
Interested in presenting to Barnes & Noble but more information is necessary.
I. Updates
a. Budget/Override
PVUSD is down 17 million projected this year. Override was critical but no enough.
Class size will have to be affected, we will be getting staffing in Jan. 2010.
b. PTO approved the Crisis Tubs & Julie Ransom will be in charge.
c. State of the School~ Discipline
Things are going incredibly well. Bully Tickets are way down, no bus tickets as of yet. Things are actually going very well. The systems set up by Mr. Lee and Debbie Humpal, the volunteers, the
equipment on the playgroundl, all contributing to the overall effectiveness of the school year.
II. Compass 2015 & PPES
Compass 2015 is the name of the district long range plan. Being written at district, M. Lee is on the curriculum committee.
III. Tax Credit Applications
All of 2008-09 tax credit has been earmarked or used. The 2009 is trickling in. Most of the money will be used by field trips.
a. Gay kohl has 2 requests for classes~ Arabian Horse Drawing Class & Duck Stamp Drawing Class.
c. Vote~ Stephanie Arnold made motion to vote/approve both, Debbie Romney 2nd, all voted in favor.
d. Green Team~ Debbie Romney made motion for 1 day a week, $33.00 per hour for 93 hours.
Earmark the first $1900 of tax credit funds collected to go to the Green Team project. Rene Brofft
seconded the motion, all voted in favor.
IV. School Council Rubric
District re-emphasizing the School Council in January. We will work on the Rubric in January.
November 2009
Input regarding advertising on school websites
Please give input regarding advertising on school websites...
Question: Are you in favor of advertising on school websites? Please send your comments and ideas to Debbie Romney @ dromney@pvschools.net. Deadline~ Monday, November 15th, 2009 by 12:00 pm.
October 12, 2009
Welcome
Members in attendance~
Mike Lee, Mindy Scheuermann, Evelyn Dekavallas, Rene Brofft, Debbie Romney
Safety and Crisis Information~
Discussion regarding the need for lock down supplies in the event of a prolonged lock down where students remain in the classroom. Mike Lee will present the list to PTO for their input. The list was reviewed and edited and is as follows:
Health Supplies
Calorie Food Bars
Drinking water (4 gallons)
Cups
Emergency toilet or 5 gallon bucket ~ Curtain, Sheet ( dark color for privacy)
Flashlights/batteries
Paper Towels
Plastic Garbbage Bag liners
Tissues
Toilet paper
Wet wipes
Hand Sanitizer
Emergency Banket
non-latex gloves
Tax Credit discussion~
Consensus was to send Tax Credit forms home in the report card envelopes.
Security Camera is up and running. Signs, indicating that cameras are operational will be ordered and installed.
September 8, 2009
Welcome & Introductions
Roles~
Mike Lee ~ Facilitator & Process Observer
Stephanie Arnold ~ Community Member & Time Keeper
Alison Cahill ~ Parent
Mindy Scheuermann ~ 4th Grade Teacher
Evelyn Dekavallas ~ 3rd Grade Teacher
Rene Brofft ~ Parent
Debbie Romney ~ Classified Staff & Scribe
Norms
School Council Training & Shared Decision Making
Tax Credit discussion
Security Camera Access Policy
Purpose of the System ~
1. To provide additional safety for the students of Pinnacle Peak Elementary in the rear of the building.
Three cameras will be focused on the park boundary, the basketball courts, the play structure, and the field.
2. To dissuade vandalism or other improper actions from occurring on the school grounds during non-school hours.
3. To provide a visual record of any incidents that may occur.
System Use:
1. Notification of the video surveillance system will be posted in clear view, in multiple locations on campus.
2. Only the school principal and his administrative assistant shall have consistent access to view footage captured by the system.
3. Local law-enforcement have the right to view footage upon request to aid in an investigation.
4. Teachers and other certificated staff (such as the school nurse or psychologist) will be able to view footage only in the presence of the principal and for the purpose of assisting the students with whom they work.
5. Parents may not view recorded images without the written consent of the parents/guardians of all students represented in the footage. Such an occurrence is to be avoided and only used if a verbal description of events from the principal is insufficient. The principal shall decide when such a scenario would be necessary.
6. Classified employees, such as duty aides, may only view footage in the presence of the principal. Further, the reason for such a viewing must be directly related to their job performance (such as the principal using the footage to analyze and discuss the aide's response to an event).
7. All staff members who view footage are prohibited from discussing the specific actions of students with anyone but the parents of those students.
