DECEMBER 2015 MEETING MINUTES

FINANCIAL UPDATE: As of December 3, 2015, we have $ 2,567.93.

UPDATE ON NOVEMBER’S EVENTS:

Scholastic Book Fair:

We thank all the parent volunteers who made this event a successful one. We reached our set goal of $2,500 thanks to all your generous purchases for your kids and for the school library.

Sweatshirt sales:

This year, we reached a record number of sales! Thank you all for supporting our school! A big shout out to Mrs. Edwards for patiently counting, double checking each purchase and handing out to each student and adult their sweatshirt. Thank you Mrs. Edwards, we couldn’t t have reached this record number without your help!

ADL First concert of the year:

We had a wonderful evening with great music performed by our very own ADL Band, Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble Band students. Thank you again for bringing in yummy treats for our reception. It made the evening even more special.

Thank you to our wonderful Band director Mr. Sawyer for working so hard with our kids and deliver quality music in such a short period of time.

COMING UP EVENTS:

December 4, 7-9:00 PM, Dance!

We are all set with two parent volunteers to run the snack table.

December 17, 7:00 PM, Holiday Concert

We will need your help to display an awesome table of yummy treats for our after concert reception.

January 7, Blood Drive

(More information to follow). Please stay tuned in.

 January 15, 7-9:00 PM, Dance!

We are in need of two parents to run the snack table during dance night. Thank you to let me know at amouretti@comcast.net

January 29-30, District III Music Festival

More info to follow, please stay tuned in.

SAVE THE DATE

Help needed during our Lantern parade on February 12^th. This is a town wide event and we will need many adult volunteers to make this event a successful one. Save the date and we will have more information coming your way.

Thank you all for coming to this meeting, our next Parents as Partners meeting will be on January 7^th at 6.30pm.

NOVEMBER MEETING MINUTES

This meeting was fully focused on the new principals research.

At our November PaP meeting, we had a wonderful presentation by Deb Anderson, from CCSU HR dept.

Our superintendent was present too and we had a positive and constructive discussion about what we wish to see in our new principal.

At that meeting, Deb gave a timeline for a successful research of a new principal.

We need to form a parents and guardians' committee to complete this research.

If you are interested in being in that committee, please let me know, I ll forward your email to Deb.

We really need to have a strong parents' committee to make the right choice.

Please consider getting involved in this important job.

Thank you all.

PAP October 2015 meeting minutes

Attendees:  Sachi, Heidi, Lorei, Amy, Laina, Sathya (chair), Laurie (principal)

Book Fair will be Nov. 9-12th, Chris Catterton is running it and would like help.  Chris will set up a volunteer sign up sheet which will be posted on the school website, Facebook, and emailed out to the PAP group.  The book fair will run 7:30 am-3:30 pm each day.

The school is working hard to keep the website up to date so families know what is happening since the students aren’t always good about communicating with their guardians.

Sachi has made a google calendar for the ADL snack cart so people can sign up easier.

Sathya has made a signupgenius for the dances so people can sign up for selling snacks.

Feb 12th will be a lantern parade with the artist in residence who will be coming in to make lanterns with the children.  Tina Logan will be working with all the 7th and 8th graders during the artist in residence and about half of the 6th graders.  Tina is requesting $300 to cover the cost of the residency which was not covered with a grant that she procured.  PAP voted to give her the $300.

Last year’s theme was “Year of Wonder” around the book “Wonder”.  This year it will be wellness.  How to take care of yourself physically and mentally.

Unification vote is coming up Nov. 3rd.  Any questions?, ask the principal.  Lots of information posted on the ccsu website.

SBAC results will be given to the families when they come in for student led conferences.  Families who can’t make it will have them mailed to them.  Also during the conferences the 7th and 8th graders will be drafting personal learning goals on a google site.  There will be instructions for families on how to go about doing this.  This is a state mandate for all 7th and 11th graders.  Next year more grades will have to do this as well.  ADL is starting with both 7th and 8th graders so that they will be better prepared for high school.

The French teacher is looking for age appropriate magazines for the kids to look through during activity period.  

Parents as Partners

September 2015 meeting minutes

Introductions:

In attendance: Sathya, Heidi, Laurie, Jodie, Amy, Lea, Nicki, Mindy, Sachi, Principal, Miranda

EJRP scheduled DC trip meeting tonight so might be why there are not many 8^th grade parents in attendance.

Many events, no fundraising.  Dances are hosted by PAP and PAP volunteers sell refreshments outside of gym.

Checkbook balance $1871.63

Book Fair and snack cart generates income for PAP.  Snack cart is to help families in need.  Book Fair income goes towards PAP events.  Snack cart is open after school for 30 minutes and run daily if possible.

Principal:

Beginning of school is going well.  Kickoff assembly was moved from first day to second week to let kids settle in.  Kickoff assembly is put together by peer leaders.  Homerooms are all multi-age this year and it’s going really well.  Allows the older kids to mentor the younger kids. 

Seventh & eighth graders will be writing their own personal learning plans.  Identifying their strengths and weaknesses in subjects.  They will be writing academic and personal goals for the year.  These will be ready by Open House.  The plans will be electronic so they can develop a portfolio of work while they are at ADL to document their goals.  New reporting system:  Jumprope is new this year.  For standards based reporting.  School will be mailing home instructions for how to access your child’s account.  It’s all live data so you don’t have to wait until the end of a trimester to see how your child is doing.  EMS and ADL & Westford are starting off in the district using JumpRope.   Other schools may follow suit next year.  Report cards will be moving to a 1-4 rating instead of the old format of E, S, D, etc but the rating system is actually staying the same.  It will also show you a scale so you will see where your child falls in a subject.  All schools using Jumprope have to use the same grading standards so the schools can coordinate units of study.  How to recognize the students who are getting good grades and the ones who are working hard regardless of the end grade they achieve?  Want kids to focus on learning and working hard not on their end grade.  SBAC scores are in and ADL students did well above state averages.  They will be mailed home soon. 

Nov 3^rd , school district unification vote is coming up.  So Essex Town, Junction, Westford would combine somehow.  Still need to iron out all the details.  How kids will be split up, busing, etc.  If voters vote yes to unify it wouldn’t happen for two years.  So kids could move between schools but all the schools are full so would stay open.  You can find more info on the CCSU main website.