River Bluff High School SIC Meeting

River Bluff High School SIC Meeting Tuesday, October 15, 2013, 6:00 pm, in the Learning Commons M I N U T E S

The first meeting of the River Bluff High School Improvement Council was called to order by Dr. Clamp at 6:05PM.

In Attendance:

Dr. Luke Clamp Mrs. Tara Black Mr. Larry Polk Mr. Don Graham Mrs. Mary Molusky Mrs. Christy Modzelewski Mrs. Pam Cope Mrs. Dawn Wetherley Mrs. Loren Ryan Miss Sara Lynn Deese Matthew Hodges Reid Tidwell Mrs. Cheryl DeMarre Mrs. Pam Cope Miss Cece Taylor

Dr. Clamp, River Bluff’s Principal, introduced himself and thanked all those present for their willingness to serve as SIC members during River Bluff’s inaugural year. Everyone in attendance introduced themselves to the group

Because Dr. Clamp needed to leave the meeting before its conclusion to attend the District’s School Board Meeting, he asked to diverge from the agenda to discuss the District’s implementation of the new Grading For Learning initiative.

 He addressed in general the fact that there have been many reactions among parents and students pertaining to the new grading model and expressed that River Bluff teachers and administrators, along with District administrators, are working to balance the consistency of the new grading system.

 In response to concerns voiced by parents in attendance that students did not seem to be being given an adequate number of summative assessments to allow an accurate or fair measurement of their performance, Dr. Clamp stated that the goal is for there to be at least three summative assessments each grading period for each course.

 Christy Modzelewski asked whether each of the assessments would have ample opportunities for mastery. Dr. Clamp advised that even if summative assessments occurred just prior to the end of the grading period, there would indeed be opportunities for mastery made available, with an “incomplete” grade for the period appearing temporarily in Power School if necessary until such time as a student had utilized his or her opportunities (within the approved guidelines) for mastery. It was noted, however, that End of Year exams would NOT have opportunities for “retakes”.

 Larry Polk briefly discussed his perception of the various challenges to students operating within the new grading model, with several in attendance echoing his thoughts and adding their own concerns.

 Dr. Clamp asked that everyone-- parents, students, teachers and administrators alike-- be reminded that we still have 75 percent of the school year ahead of us with which to fine tune the system, to learn to make the most of its opportunities, and to gain a clearer picture of its benefits.

 Student representative Reid Tidwell asserted his view that students do, in fact, receive rewards for completion of formative assessments-- that thorough attention to the formatives prepares them for summatives, enabling them to achieve better grades.

 Student representative Sara Lynn Deese voiced her observation that the student body was beginning to realize that this new grading model will be their new norm, particularly for those who plan to continue on to college.

 Dawn Wetherley expressed her personal frustration over her daughter’s experience of earning all “4”s on her formatives yet scoring poorly on her summatives.

 Members collectively voiced their opinions that there are a lot of misconceptions among parents and students, and that GFL is especially causing anxiety for those students imminently about to apply for admission to colleges.

 Christy Modzelewski shared her experience that “our communication as a family (as it pertains to school) has been improved” by the advent of the new grading system, that it has led to lots of dialogue at home.

 Loren Ryan observed that parents and students who are reacting to GFL may simply need to be more well informed, to have the system clarified. She pointed out that in her experience as a college professor, teachers and professors often have the flexibility to grade students based on whatever they deem to be appropriate, i.e., attending lectures, class participation, group assignments, etcetera; and that small liberal arts schools are more apt to offer professors such academic freedom.

Tara Black distributed copies of the South Carolina School Improvement Council Handbook to all in attendance and gave a basic review of the rules and regulations pertaining to SC SICs contained therein, along with a review of the duties and responsibilities of a School Improvement Council. Mrs. Black noted that we will need to draw up bylaws and elect officers. Cheryl DeMarre will print out a draft set of bylaws based on the Meadow Glen Middle School SIC bylaws. Election of officers was discussed briefly; and it was decided that we will hold the election at our next meeting when there will hopefully be more members present.

Mrs. Black announced that a District SIC Training session would be available on Tuesday, November 5th, at 6:00 PM in the District Office Auditorium. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Contact Mary Beth Hill at the District Office for further information (803.821.1152).

Mary Molusky suggested that our council would benefit from greater diversity in its membership. Members present were asked to think of people in our community who might be willing to serve on the RBHS SIC. Cheryl DeMarre suggested former LMS Principal Laura McMahan. Dawn Wetherley suggested Chris Wooten.

Tara Black opened up a brief discussion of what our initiatives might be as we go forward. She described how the LHS SIC helped to implement a backpack program for at-risk students. The LHS SIC called their program “FIT” (Food Improving Thinking). Mrs. Black touched on several aspects of the program-- sourcing of non-perishables, storage of food items, support of the program with couponing, assistance by OCP (occupational credential program) students, and collection efforts at the RBHS football game on 10/18 to benefit LICS (with a Gator Gear raffle as an incentive). She also noted that on November 1st at 5:30 AM there will be televised news coverage at RBHS of collection of non-perishables to benefit Harvest Hope. Tara expressed gratitude for the support received by LHS SIC from Mr. Chuck Lange of Lange Moving Services. Mr. Lange provided a great deal of assistance with the LHS SIC FIT Program and will be working hand-in-hand this year with the RBHS SIC. Tara added that partnerships with Zion Lutheran Church, Northside Baptist Church, McDonald’s and Subway would be of great assistance to us as we implement a FIT program. Amy Price is the LEAP representative here at RBHS. LEAP does outreach for needy families. Tara also mentioned that she will ask Coach Bennett to assist the effort by sourcing backpacks for the program.

Student representative Sara Lyn Deese brought up the topic of food offerings at RBHS, along with the issue of waste. She said she had observed leftovers at the coffee shop that would likely be discarded at the end of the day and asked if there were a way that such leftovers could be utilized for part of the backpack program. Mrs. Black responded that federal guidelines prohibit distribution of such food items to students, likely due to food safety issues. Miss Deese further expressed a desire to assess means by which food waste could be avoided. Mrs. Black noted that Chef Martin is currently working on identifying patterns of food consumption in the RBHS cafeteria so as to produce only what is needed and thus reduce the level of waste. Christy Modzelewski suggested that various menu items might be more popular if they were named after teachers or administrators. Miss Deese suggested that more food lines would be a huge improvement from the standpoint of students who must wait in long lines and then rush to eat their lunch. Mrs. Black mentioned that overhead screens (televisions) in the cafeteria are being programmed to provide information to diners.

Sara Lyn Deese asked if we could discuss “Crew”. It was mentioned that Crew is the introduction to each day at RBHS. Mrs. Black advised the student representatives that Mrs. Cunningham leads the Crew Design Team and suggested to Miss Deese that she contact Miss Cunningham to give her some feedback from the students’ perspective. Mrs. Black stressed that River Bluff is about building relationships. She asked the student representatives to consider whether and how their Crew teachers are able to communicate in a way that builds relationships.

Student representative Reid Tidwell asked whether RBHS has an official recycling program.

Christy Modzelewski suggested that the RBHS SIC work towards lining up summer internships for students.

Tara Black announced that the dedication of River Bluff High School will be held on Sunday, November 3rd, from 3-5PM, in the performing arts center. The dedication will be followed by self-guided tours. Light refreshments will be served.

Mrs. Black mentioned that she expects to have more attendees at our next meeting.

Please mark your calendars for the RBHS SIC meetings for the rest of the school year. All meetings shall be held on the third Tuesday evening of the month from 6:30 to 7:30 PM in the RBHS Learning Commons. The meeting dates as currently scheduled are:

October 15 November 19 December 17 January 21 February 18 March 18 April 8 May 20

Respectfully submitted by Cheryl DeMarre Acting Secretary