Ashland School Committee

ASHLAND SCHOOL COMMITTEE

The Ashland School Committee met on Thursday, May 25, 2006. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM at the Mindess School.

PRESENT: Dr. Richard Hoffmann, Superintendent Dr. Kay Wood, Assistant Superintendent Mrs. Mary Lou Hunt, Business Manager Mrs. Yolanda Greaves, School Committee Chair Mrs. Claudia Bennett, Vice Chair Mr. John Blake, Secretary Ms. Marcia Reni, Member Ms. Patricia Callen, Member Ms. Robin Scott, Recording Secretary

ABSENT: None.

RECOGNITION OF ACHIEVEMENT Dr. Hoffmann recognized Mrs. Betsy Bakstran and Mr. Kevin White for an outstanding job with organizing the eighth grade field trip to Washington, D.C. The Superintendent recognized Mr. Kevin Carney, Principal of the Middle School, for his outstanding job organizing the sixth grade orientation session. He recognized the following four Mindess School teachers for an outstanding job with transitioning the sixth grade students to the Middle School and they are Mr. James Harmon, Ms. Liane Hicks, Ms. Kristen Lamothe and Ms. Michele Stanislawzyk. Dr. Hoffmann thanked the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation for their donation of $500 and recognized Mr. Mike Conner, a teacher, Daria Fuller, a parent, Charles Baker, the CEO Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Mr. Ralph Fusillo. He recognized the Ashland Education Foundation, specifically Ms. Cindy Hoyle, for their $21,390 donation. He said the donation will be used to purchase computers and to update the computer labs.

Mrs. Bennett made a motion to accept the $21,390 donation from the Ashland Education Foundation. The motion was seconded by Mr. Blake. Members were polled and all were in favor.

DISCUSSION - YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY Mr. Thomas Hermanowski, Substance Abuse Counselor at Ashland High School and Mr. Tempesta reviewed the results of the data collected from students in Grades 9-12 for the 2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This presentation is a follow up to our April 6, 2006 meeting and will allow the Committee to focus on the survey in more detail. Discussion ensued.

UPDATE – WELLNESS TASK FORCE Ms. Lisa Beaudin, Director of Food Services said that the State is requiring that all schools have a Wellness Policy in place by June 30, 2006. Ms. Beaudin has been heading the Wellness Task Force for the past year and presented their newly written Wellness Policy for approval and a first reading. The policy encompasses a mission statement, goals, and guidelines to ensure that the students of Ashland are presented with the tools and opportunities to make healthy food choices and to promote healthy lifestyles and regular physical activity. She said the achievement of this policy will be measured by observation and administrative audits. The Wellness Committee will meet 3 times per year and report to the School Committee once a year.

Ms. Beaudin presented a copy of Policy #74 (Wellness Policy) along with a list of the members of the Wellness Task force and its various Sub Committees.

Nutrition Standards Chair: Lisa Beaudin/Sue Palefsky Members: Dan Rodkey Rachel Albert

Nutrition Standards Chair: Sue Conte/Dr. Kay Wood Members: Rachel Albert Bev Kirton

Physical Fitness: Chair: Janet Crawford Members: Scott Rohmer

Other School Based Activities: Chair: Yolanda Greaves Members: Melissa Mercon-Smith Kim Hanrahan

Mental Health: Chair: Jessica Schendel

The mission of the Wellness Task Force is to encourage students to adopt a healthy lifestyle encompassing the whole person so that this behavior becomes a way of life.

The goal of the Wellness Task Force is to provide age-appropriate nutrition education to all students from Pre-K to Grade 12.

The Wellness Task Force adheres to the following guidelines:

 All foods sold will ensure a balance between optimal nutrition and student acceptance. Foods of minimal nutritional value (as defined by the USDA) will be prohibited.  Nutrition Standards for a la carte items will be based on the Action for Healthy Kids guidelines.  Bake Sales or other fund raising activities must have at least 50% of items offered for sale meeting the nutrition standards set forth in the Wellness Policy.  There will be no competitive food sales during the school day.  School day shall be defined as ½ hour before the first bell and ½ hour after the final bell as it pertains to this policy.  Any marketing on school property should reflect the values of this Wellness Policy.  Pleasant eating environments will be provided and will include adequate time (30 minutes) and space to eat school meals, positive supervision and role modeling at meal times.  Nutrition education will be integrated into the curriculum through methods such as Planet Health.  We will provide opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes for specific physical activities, maintain physical fitness, regularly participate in physical activity, and understand the short and long term benefits of a physically active and healthy lifestyle.

The School Committee did not vote on the Wellness Policy pending the following revisions:

 Address emotional needs of students  Implement an intramural sports program  Reword the percentage piece of the following statement “Bake Sales or other fund raising activities must have at least 50% of items offered for sale meeting the nutrition standards set forth in the Wellness Policy”  Review regulations of the Action for Healthy Kids guidelines.  Reword the following sentence “We will provide opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes for specific physical activities, maintain physical fitness, regularly participate in physical activity, and understand the short and long term benefits of a physically active and healthy lifestyle”

DISCUSSION/VOTE - SCHOOL CHOICE Dr. Hoffmann asked the School Committee to review and vote on participation in the School Choice Program. He said after reviewing projected enrollments, it may be possible to open a few seats to students under school choice. In addition, he said the revenue generated under the School Choice Program would offset some of the shortfall created by FY07 budget cuts. The following is a chart of projected enrollment for the next school year: Mr. Blake made a motion to participate in the School Choice Program and open three seats (per grade) in grades 9, 10, 11, & 12. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Bennett. Members were polled and all were in favor.

Mrs. Bennett made a motion to add the PTO Funds discussion to the agenda. The motion was seconded by Mr. Blake. Members were polled and all were in favor.

DISSCUSSION – PTO FUNDS Dr. Hoffmann and Dr. Wood discussed possible ways to use the funds that were donated by the PTO at the last School Committee meeting. They proposed the following ideas:

 Grades 9-12 – Career Fair ($3,000) - Whereas, the funds would be used for printing, refreshments, logistics and possibly small stipends if needed

 Grades 1-8 – Science Kits ($5,000) - Whereas, the funds would ensure the implementation of the science curriculum in grades 1-5, as well as pilot some hands-on labs for grades 6-8

 Grades 6-8 – Music ($15,000) - Whereas, the funds would be used to expand and enhance the music programs

 Grade 3 – Reading ($5,000) - Whereas, the funds would be used to purchase easier books for struggling readers, classroom sets of chapter books, non-fiction aligned with subject matter in social studies, science, etc., and also purchase books on tape

APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Mrs. Bennett to approve the April 6, 2006 regular School Committee minutes, as written. The motion was seconded by Mr. Blake. Members were polled and all were in favor.

A motion was made by Mrs. Bennett to approve the April 27, 2006 regular School Committee minutes, as written. The motion was seconded by Mr. Blake. Members were polled and all were in favor.

ANNOUCEMENTS & UPDATES Ms. Reni attended the Ashland High School “Pops Concert & Awards” at the High School, on Thursday, May 18, 2006 that she said was spectacular. She suggested inviting the Band & Chorus to a town meeting.

Ms. Callen said that the American Cancer Society is sponsoring “Relay for Life” on June 10, 2006 - June 11, 2006, at the Ashland Middle School.

Ms. Bennett attended the “Mud Run” at the Mindess School that she said was a fun event. She said it was nice to see the students interacting with the Ashland Firefighters. She said the Technology Planning Council is working on finalizing a date for the Technology Fair which will be sometime in the fall. She attended a Transition Team meeting and said they area great group to work with meeting

Ms. Greaves commended Ms. Lynne Hammond, Chorus Director, and Mr. David Gresko, Band Director for doing an outstanding job organizing the Pops Concert. She said that the Memorial Day Parade is scheduled for Monday, May 31, 2006, senior Class Day is on Friday, June 2, 2006” and graduation is on Sunday, June 4, 2006.

Dr. Hoffmann said that Mrs. Susan Gala, Special Education Administrator underwent double knee replacement surgery on Monday, May 22, 2006. He said that Mrs. Gala’s surgery was successful and that she is recuperating nicely. He said Mrs. Linda Gross, former Director in Hopedale will be overseeing the Special Education Staff and Program until Susan returns, which is an anticipated three months. He attended the Pops Concert that he said was amazing. Dr. Hoffmann said he along with Gretchen Herrick, Mindess School Nurse and Mary Beth Curry, High School Nurse attended a Pandemic Flu preparedness meeting that he said was very informative. He assured Ashland parents and residents that the district will be in the 4 front of preparedness. He said the School Safety Crisis Manual was discussed at the Town Meeting and that there could possibly be revisions. He said a breakfast is scheduled on Friday, May 26, 2006 in the Middle School cafeteria to honor Ashland’s school bus drivers.

Dr. Wood attended the Senior Project presentations that were absolutely fascinating. She said the students were asked to come up with a topic of interest and she said their choices were very creative. She commended Mrs. Susan Conte for coordinating the senior projects and organizing the event. She said she was happy to announce that “Destination Imagination” is coming back in the fall sponsored by Ashland Community Education.

Ms. Hunt attended the annual Business Managers meeting last week that she said was very informative.

EXECUTIVE SESSION A motion was made by Mrs. Bennett and seconded by Mr. Blake to adjourn the meeting and go into executive session for the purpose of non-union negotiations.

ROLL CALL Mr. Blake polled the School Committee. Ms. Reni, Ms. Callen, Mr. Blake, Ms. Bennett and Ms. Greaves – all voted yes. The School Committee will not be returning to open session.

The next School Committee Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 8, 2006, at the Mindess School.

ADJOURN 10:15

Respectfully submitted

Fran Blake Secretary