2007 - 2008
Schedule - All meetings run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday evenings.
Minutes - To access the meetings for a given meeting, please click on a linked date below.
October 18, 2007
March 27, 2008
**If school is canceled due to weather on a Site Council evening, Site Council will also be canceled.
SITE COUNCIL MINUTES – September 20, 2007
MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: James Baker, Linda Borzilleri, Laura Bounds (Recorder), Connie Chensky, Julie Elliott, Monique McCartney, Bill McCamley (Facilitator), Jill Robertson, Jill Ziegler, Brian Grube, Stephanie Mansfield, Donna Morgan
MEMBERS ABSENT: Judy Cayton, Lyn Cassells, Beth Folkers, Maribeth Watwood
GUESTS: Cathy Carlsen, Loreen Rhoda, Ninon Wilson
Welcome to our new Site Council Members: Beth Folkers, Brian Grube, Stephanie Mansfield, Donna Morgan
Old Business
- Motion to approve minutes from last meeting - Consensus agreement
- Parent Drop Off & Pick Up Safety Concerns - Bill McCamley & James Baker. Most parents have been cooperative the first few weeks of school. Jill Ziegler asked if it is okay for parents to pull out of the pick up line (to the left) after they have picked up their K-2 child. Yes, as long as the children are loading on the passenger side of the vehicle. Bill McCamley said that Leroy Martinez, our crosswalk guard, was almost hit on University Heights Drive in the morning while standing in the middle of the crosswalk while displaying the stop sign. The school has no jurisdiction so all we can do is report the vehicle and license plate information to Mr. McCamley and he will call it into the Flagstaff Police Department.
On Wednesday, Sept. 26th, there will be a de-icing conference at DeMiguel School at 5:30 p.m.
Cathy Carlsen (PTO Vice-President) has been volunteering during the morning duties. She said it has been going well.
- Tax Credit Pledge Card Update for 2007-08 - Jill Robertson. Jill is making changes to the form and will get with Maribeth to finalize the changes. The brochures, pledge card, and memo explaining payment options will be sent out in the next few weeks. These will be mailed out and then followed up with phone calls. Linda B. said she has collected $1000 in tax credit payments in the last week.
-Technology Update - Connie Chensky. The school is in need of 2 network printers (approximately $1600) and 4 double barrel access points to provide wireless access to the building (approximate cost $1600). The Accelerated Reading and Math programs are in need of updates. There is a web version available which provides approximately 110,000 quizzes (200 new quizzes each week). The initial cost for this program is $4700 and approximately $2700 each year thereafter. This would replace the need to purchase each quiz separately for $3. This would also allow parents to see how they children are doing online. The students would not be able to take the quizzes at home. Connie would like to have 3 book fairs this school year to support this purchase. The first book fair will be in November.
New Business
- Budget - Linda Borzilleri. The budget accounts can be adjusted based on our spending needs per category except for the equipment car and upkeep expenditures which pertains to our copy machine contracted expenses. The school will be ordering some needed textbooks and new desks (some are 19 years old). There is an allocation of approximately $8 per student for library books. We cannot adjust special education expenditures.
- Staff Dress Code - Bill McCamley. Received an unsigned letter with concerns relating to faculty dress code. The letter stated that faculty should adhere to the same dress code expected of the students. Mr. McCamley said there is a district dress code for students, but not for faculty and staff. He expects that faculty and staff will dress in a professional manner. It is hard to satisfy all views of professional dress. Some site council members said they had seen teachers wearing tank tops and flip flops (which are not allowed to be worn by students). The discussion led to concerns with safety and evacuation procedures. Some site council members said if teachers want to wear flip flops, they should keep an extra pair of tennis shoes in their classroom in case of a need for evacuation or other emergency. Other site council members said we should not make rules we cannot enforce. Other members said teachers and staff are modeling unsafe practices. Some teachers stated that they are not running around on the playground nor are they participating in a physical education class. Julie Elliott said the first week of class she discusses the importance of close-toed shoes in physical education. Students who do not adhere to this rule will receive one warning, and the next time will not be allowed to play. Julie does not allow students to play in flip-flops. Bill McCamley said he would prefer faculty not wear flip flops. He is concerned about worker's compensation if injured while wearing them. It raises costs for the school and district. Lastly, the concern was brought up about some student teachers and NAU PDS students who do not dress as professionals.
- Playground Equipment, Cross Country, Blood Drive - Julie Elliott. In the next 3 years, the District has a goal to replace and/or purchase new playground equipment for many school sites. This is currently in the discussion stage. We would like to purchase modules that fit together and make significant changes to the playground. Periodically, the playground equipment is inspected. If the equipment is out of compliance, the equipment has to be replaced or removed. Mr. McCamley stated that students' bones are becoming weaker due to dietary changes.
October 10th will be a Cross Country meet at Buffalo Park. Approximately 45-55 students will be participating from DeMiguel. Students in 4th through 6th grades are allowed to participate. Coach Elliott will not be able to attend the meet because of the IBS Meeting. She asked if anyone could go in her place this year. The bus will leave approximately 12:40 and return to DeMiguel at approximately 2:15 p.m. A site council member asked if there would be medical staff at this event. Coach said there would be a trainer from the high school.
Blood Drive will be discussed at the next site council meeting.
Other Business
- Julie Elliott stated that Ralph Boyer from the Marine Leagues has raised $73,000 for the summer NYSP program for the summer of 2008.
- Linda Borzilleri said there are currently 645 students attending DeMiguel this fall.
- Concern was brought up about the diminishing funding for a full time nurse at DeMiguel. Currently Erin Anderson is .9 FTE and is being pulled out to go to Coconino High School on Thursdays. Currently there are 16 students at DeMiguel who need epinephrine pens in case of an allergic reaction. There are also diabetic students who need insulin. The district is stating that DeMiguel is not a primary care facility. The medical burden is now falling on the counselor, teachers, and office staff who are not medically trained at the level a nurse is. The school nurse not only handles medical situations that arise, she also conducts vision and hearing tests on students. If you are concerned about this situation, contact Mardi Douglas at South Beaver School and present your concerns at the school board. Cathy Carlsen will contact Mardi and email a letter for review to Mr. McCamley. This will be discussed at the next site council meeting.
- Loreen Rhoda has written a letter in honor of Megan Elizabeth Evans. The purpose of this letter is to increase awareness associated with carbon monoxide poisoning. Loren would also like to sell bracelets in Megan's memory starting Tuesday, September 25th, $1.25 for adults and $1.00 for children. The proceeds will go to the foundation in Megan's name. There is a memorial being planned for Megan on the school grounds. This will be done soon or as late as February, the month she was born.
What did we do to benefit students at DeMiguel tonight? Promote student safety; discuss future planning for new playground equipment; discuss traffic issue; discuss new online Renaissance software and new printers.
Next Meeting will be Thursday, October 18th at 5:30 p.m. Facilitator-Julie; Minutes-Maribeth; Treats-Jill and Jill.
Meeting was adjourned.
SITE COUNCIL MINUTES – November 29, 2007
Present – Monique, Julie, Maribeth, Watwood, Jill Ziegler,, Linda Z, Connie Chensky, Bill McCamley, Brian Grube, Monique McCartney, James
Absent – Jill Robertson
Facilitator-Julie; Observer-Monique; Notetaker-Maribeth
Old Business
Approve minutes from September meeting – approved
Nursing situation – rotating crew is current state. Monthly calendar showing coverage and who is covering. Most, but not all, days we have coverage. Parents with kids with chronic health needs are coming in more – we had one broken arm on a day without coverage. This whole thing is the result of pay problems. Brian has sent individual letter to school board. Will we be able to replace Erin? It is being advertised.
Tech update – accelerated reading materials database, with over 300K quizzes on line, now available. Kids log on and have option of having someone read the quiz out loud; they can read reports about how well they’ve done. Parents can see the results as well. (first letter first name, first 4 letters last name). Website is www.arbookfine.com type in title, topic or author. Sechrist also has this program. On hold with wireless – trying to comply with district. We received 4 new printers, networked.
New Business
1) Curriculum analysis and fundraising – Bill. A new program in fluency called ‘Dibbles” – this program tracks answers and which questions were missed – this can be used for diagnostics etc. 4sight benchmarks is another program with similar features, so that teachers can generate specific spreadsheets to track AIMS scores, identify targets for where students need to improve, etc. Assess whether particular interventions are working. Where is effort needed? What is payoff?
2) Fundraising – newspaper article misleading – almost 50K of the 70K goes specifically to kindergarten. We are right now only 1/3 of where we were last year with respect to tax credits. Reflection of economy in part. We are really strapped. Maribeth will get pledge cards printed and to the office for mailing; she will also make calls based on list that Linda puts together and will print out additional promotional flyer (in color). PTO has sent out survey asking for opinions about ideas about fundraising. Sees candy sales have done very well and has raised about $1500. Other ideas include cookie dough.
3) Budget – Linda. We have ordered necessary books; nothing used in the furniture line; technology expenditures have been made; not much left. Budget situation is tight.
4) Cross country meet – Ms. Wilson stood in for Coach Julie. This is a district-wide after school athletic program – the only one currently up and running.
5) United way – Connie. There has been good response from staff – and from the district in general. Over $1.1K raised at DeMiguel. Last year we won the award for highest increase from previous year. This year’s tops last year’s.
6) Blood drive – Coach. Student meeting yesterday; students were rewarded by red cross with donuts for their help in organizing the recent blood drive – second largest blood drive ever. Food drive is ongoing – fill in the Christmas tree. The food will be collected by Elks club who will distribute.
7) Parent teacher conference percentages – seemed pretty good – safety cards were given out so folks could keep track of who came and who didn’t. Fifth grade at least is looking like 100%. This is a very big deal to schedule etc; generally parents understand and comply. Feedback is generally positive. Important that we also communicate progress with students and keep them stimulated and engaged, especially in 4th, 5th, and 6th. There are some complaints about too much homework – should we change? No, our job is to instill these values into the kids so that they aren’t plagued their whole life with lack of discipline, underachievement, etc. These issues feed into the idea of merit pay, increasing overall compensation for good teachers, dummying down testing standards, etc.
FACTS is going very, very well this year – parent feedback.
8) Science fair – lots of interesting issues related to science fair. Mary Lara is not here to be the lynch pin to get it organized. It is looking difficult, not clear how we will pull this off. This year it will be held in late January or early February. Lots, lots, lots to do. Need 20 or 30 judges – Maribeth will help recruit. I will offer to coach the judges to make sure they are on board and consistent with positive judging. Bill will get together with his science team next week then will contact me and other potential recruiters.
What did we do tonight to benefit kids – dictionary gifts, AR testing in library, we are here for the kids, parent conference feedback, good book fair turnout, tax credit information, holding to high standards, lots of work on behalf of Coach with respect to drives, empowerment of students, having DeMiguel be a leader in education, involvement of parents, integration of math curriculum with other models, energizing kids is cyclical process.
Update on Science club after school - Mr. Ryan is doing it for higher grades.
Other Business
Linda, Detta, Bill had kindergarten registration on April 3; what an exhausting and exciting evening!!! Last year had been overwhelming, so this year they gave everyone a specific job, and it really worked well! This model worked so well; we are only missing minor paperwork. Eighty-two registrations, and 48 have applied for open enrollments. Many applicants are from Ponderosa Trails. Our open enrollment applications increase every year. Kinsey registered 18. The boundaries really need to be reexamined; they are very uneven now because they were drawn up so long ago. Next year we may split it up with registration the first night, then open enrollments the next night. Fifty folks were already in line for open enrollment when the doors opened.
Parent feedback forms are available, but only a couple have come in. The deadline is April 27.
The district has raised expected kindergarten enrollments to 25 per class. Bill is trying to hold our numbers to 20, so that we have a buffer to work with.
Kay McKay – Big Brothers – Big Sisters – letter of thanks for our help in raising money for them.
Surveys – for parents, faculty and students (grades 3-6). These will be online; younger grades will be hard copies. This is mandated by the state with a 7 day window in order to gather information about what folks think about the school. Generally low participation, with lower participation since moving online.
Police – DARE officers – have identified and spoken with 7 bad drivers. Parents have turned in some folks, although some are reluctant to turn in people.
No cafeteria table yet – came in with a crushed leg. We will get the replacement just in time for the end of the year – but better late than ever.
Everyday math – our representative has arranged a great deal for us that will provide us with about $70K in freebies.
What did we do tonight to benefit students at DeMiguel? Discussed our process to help serve them optimally; discussed tax pledge form to collect $$ to support activities; kept pushing on the rude-driver crack down, discussed our upcoming multicultural event.
Next time – January 17 – Facilitator – Stephanie; Notetaker-Maribeth; Snacks- Laura Bounds; Observer–Jill Ziegler
SITE COUNCIL MINUTES – January 17, 2008
Present –Julie Elliott, Maribeth Watwood, Jill Ziegler, Linda Borzerelli, Brian Grube, Monique McCartney, James Baker, Laura Bounds, Cathy Carleson, Stefanie Mansfield, Lyn Larson
Absent – Jill Robertson, Monique McCartney
Facilitator – Stephanie Mansfield;Snacks – Julie Elliott, Laura Bounds; Observer – Jill Ziegler; Notetaker -Maribeth Watwood
Old Business
Approve minutes from November meeting – approved
New Business
1) Parent – teacher conference results – Linda. Between 85 and 90% participation at last one, so very positive. Next parent – teacher conferences on March 12, 13, 14 – noon dismissal.
2) Extra snow day will be made up April 21 – turn 4 day weekend into 3 day weekend. Notice will go home.
3) Budget – Linda. No real changes in regular site budget. But with the new ELL program that may go into effect next year, there will be furniture needs that will have to come out of current budget.
Tax credits ended up great – only 4K less than last year, so we did very well, even though it was nerve wracking for awhile there. Julie Elliott indicated that we should contact legislators. Linda points out that the newspaper articles are typically inaccurate about us.
4) ELL update – Julie Elliott. New rules might go into effect such that all students designated ELL will only be grouped with ELL students, so if there are only a few, then it will be expensive to have these separate groups (within bracketed age groups). Not only are we not getting state monies, but we might have these additional costs. It looks like this is really going to happen and will start next year. The principals have to have their plans in by February. Also, when do they get PE, art and music if they have to spend 4 hours in their special ELL classroom, plus have lunch, math (not included in ELL), etc? We may be allowed to tweak this while staying with our current scheduling model. So, there may be some flexibility in place that we can take advantage of. Really, there are a number of problems with this that might actually negatively impact their curriculum and progress. In very real ways, this may turn out to be a real step backward. We will work within the rules the best way we can, as folks who really know what’s best for the students, to make the best of that. The participating teachers will need 45 hours of ELL as well as be certified for regular classroom teaching. We are allowed to rotate teachers with these kids, so that they aren’t completely isolated (e.g., with the same kids and teachers) all week. Very likely there will be a position statement presented from someone in the district office.
5) FAC - Julie Elliott. Check for PI equipment etc. for $500 – based on the October ‘Families involved Together’ program fundraiser.
6) Student council update and food drive – Julie Elliott. Food drive was wonderful this year – we collected 51 crates of food – about twice what we usually get. Maybe the super-cool Christmas tree helped. The student council is having a great year with blood drives, the food drive etc.
7) Cathy Carleson from PTO – For the week before Valentines Day, can we provide each teacher with a nice vase. Kids will be able to buy carnations during lunch to put their carnation in the vase. This would be a great fundraiser; the carnations would sell for about $1.00 each. Then we could take them to places into the community to say thank you. This would teach the kids a ‘pay it forward’ type lesson. Approved!!!!! Laura Bounds also suggests maybe being able to do this for parents – this idea will be considered by the PTO.
8) Tax Credit Pledge Card – Linda. Should we do this for 2008? If so, when? Also, will the amounts be the same? Should we promote it at several times during the year to encourage folks to give amounts, even in smaller amounts. The form should probably be modified to include the option of donating to your child’s classroom. Should we refine the form, do a cover letter to go with it? On the back, we can put information about free sports camp. We will try to get these ready for parent teacher conferences for teachers to hand out to parents. Have a heart-shaped contribution poster or something. James asked whether we should send out thank you notes in the form of a newsletter thanking parents who donate. Downside is looking out for kids whose families are too poor to donate. Laura Bounds agrees to keep records in an excel spreadsheet.
9) Starting 28th of January is a third homework club with 2 parent as tutors. There will be a bus to facilitate getting kids here.
10) Thanks to Jamie Smith, Anna Griffith, and Cathy Carleson for getting Angel Tree together and facilitating the whole donation process to needy homes over Christmas.
11) New Membership – food for thought – We are likely to have some turnover soon. James would like to stay, if possible. We will re-address this later in the year.
12) Science Fair update – Stephanie Mansfield. Project due date has been changed to Feb 11, the judging will be held on January 13, and the posters will come down Friday. Judges will come from NAU graduate students, some undergrads and some faculty. Brian and Maribeth will try to put together a training document for us to use into the future. Could we consider a mentoring plan where students can mentor younger groups instead of doing their own? Or, we could consider having ‘invention convention’ instead (more of an engineering slant).
What did we do tonight to benefit kids? – confirm the outstanding student experience, carnations fundraiser and the associated lessons for the kids, expanding homework club, good idea for thanking parents for donations, looking out for children’s sensitivity, good camaraderie tonight leading to great ideas, we show our support and concern and that we care, we expressed concern over mandated plans not in the kids’ best interests, good discussion and relevant concerns, consensus on tax credit pledge cards, great FAC donation, great contributions by Coach to help in all aspects, great idea to show pledge card at parent – teacher conference.
Next time – February 21– Facilitator – Monique; Notetaker – Maribeth; Snacks – Lyn Larson and Cathy Carleson; Observer – Laura Bounds
SITE COUNCIL MINUTES – February 21, 2008
Present – April Dent, Julie Elliott, Jill Ziegler, Linda Borzilleri, Brian Grube, James Baker, Laura Bounds, Stephanie Mansfield, Lyn Truettner, Bill McCamley, Monique McCartney, Donna Morgan, Connie Chensky
Absent – Maribeth Watwood, Judi Cayton, Jill Robertson
Facilitator – Monique McCartney; Snacks – Lyn Truettner; Observer – Laura Bounds; Notetaker – Monique McCartney
Old Business
DeMiguel Pledge Card/Letter Update – Linda presented the 2008 Manuel DeMiguel Tax Credit Pledge Form and the updated parent letter. Some minor changes were suggested. This will be given to parents during Parent/Teacher Conferences, March 12-14, 2008.
New Business
1. Sean Ryan spoke to the council regarding the Science Fair. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. He did have some ideas to keep in mind for the next fair. These included:
2. Budget – Linda. No real changes in regular site budget. New student desks and chairs will be purchased (approx. 60). An inventory will be sent to teachers for reordering textbooks, workbooks and consumables for the 2008-2009 school year. Teachers will let the office know what else is needed. Not to worry, the funds left in the budget will be spent.
3. Technology budget – Connie – A new computer/monitor will be purchased for Bill. Deep Freeze software will also be purchased. This software will restore the computers to the assigned configuration at the end of each day. Funds will be available in January 2009 from the budget override that will be used to replace severely outdated computers.
4. FUSD Parent Survey – Bill. Hard copies of the survey will go out during the March parent/teacher conferences. Hope to have the computer lab open during this time so that parents can take the survey at that time. A small number of surveys were turned in last year. Hopefully this year will produce a larger response. Bill will approach the PTO to see about getting volunteers to help input surveys that come in on paper.
5. New School Nurse!! – Laurel Steinbring will be the new nurse at DeMiguel. She will be on site four days a week M-Th (she is not available on Fridays).
6. 301 Day-Feb 29th – Linda. The 301 Day will be held regardless of weather. This will not be used as a make-up day. No school for students-reminder will be sent home next week.
7. Snow Days – Bill. Kevin Brown is going to speak to Tom Horn about getting any future snow days exempt from having to be made up.
8. Make a Difference Day – Linda/Bill. Date may be changed to the last Saturday in March. We may want to consider going back to a Fall date as there seemed to be fewer date conflicts. Confirmation made after our meeting that the date will be April 5, 2008.
9. Open Enrollment Letters – Bill. Open Enrollment letters for next year will be mailed to parents on March 31st – to be returned by April 15, 2008. Also, our kindergarten and new student registration for 2008-2009 will be Tuesday, April 1, 2008 – time to be determined.
10. Fund Raisers – Coach. Julie will look into the creation of an annual Fundraising Calendar. All those interested in fundraising throughout the school year (PTO, Partners, individual teachers, etc…) would need to put their fundraiser on the calendar for the upcoming year.
What did we do to benefit the students at DeMiguel? – new furniture, talk of new science curriculum/books/kits, the Site Council in general and the commitment of its members, having Sean Ryan come to address the Council so soon after the Science Fair with his recommendations for improvement, a new school nurse, additional technology updates for students, Linda’s consistent effort on tax-credit money.
Next Meeting: March 27, 2008
Facilitator – April Dent
Observer – Lyn Truettner
Snacks – Stephanie Mansfield
Notetaker – Maribeth Watwood
DeMiguel
Site Council Members for 2007-2008
Linda Borzilleri (Classified)
Donna Morgan (Classified)
Judi Cayton (Community Member)
Connie Chensky (Certified)
Julie Elliot (Certified)
Jill Ziegler (Certified)
Stephanie Mansfield (Certified)
Lyn Cassells (Certified)
Beth Folkers (Certified)
James Baker (Parent)
Laura Bounds (Parent)
Jill Robertson (Parent)
Monique McCartney (Parent)
Maribeth Watwood (Parent)
Brian Grube (Parent)
Bill McCamley (Principal)
