Curriculum Council Minutes 2/29/24

2023-2024 Ida Curriculum Council Minutes

Thursday, February 29, 2024 8:15-10:15 a.m. 

Middle School Library

Staff and Community Representatives Present:

*Elementary School: Julie Kerfoot

*Elementary Parent Representative: Sara Batson

*Middle School: Jen Butz, Audrey Hamm, Ann Capling, Amy LaVigne-Benore

*Middle School Parent Representative:

*High School: Meg Alexander

*High School Parent Representative: Andrea Allen

*Administrators: Lucy Becker, Allison Bondie

*Board Member: Jamie Hunter

*Chairperson: Sarah Ash

 Ida Curriculum Council Minutes for February 29, 2024  

1.  District  

• A Strategic Plan update was given. Meetings have been taking place to review district strengths, weakness, and opportunities. The group also worked on revising the district vision, mission, and belief statements. Another session will be held in mid-March to continue the work.
• Jean Foster is hosting monthly brainstorm meetings to network with PE/Health teachers. Please contact Jean Foster from the ISD for the virtual meeting link if you are interested in attending.
• Earlier in February several high school band members performed at the District Solo and Ensemble festival contest in Livonia. This is an individual and small group competition. When the day was done all of the events from Ida were awarded a first or second place finish. Special recognition to Micah Bourbina for receiving an excellent (second place) rating and to Olivia Ellerman, Nicole Johnson, Jadon Monday, Sydney Roderick, Emma Daniel, Andrew Huston, and Lillian Maddux for receiving a superior (first place) rating. The three solo events and quartet event that received first place finishes qualified for the state level of competition to be held in March. Great job to everybody involved!
• Mental Health Roundtable Meetings are being held at the ISD; we do not have the date for the next one at this time.

2.  K-12 Communications: High School Topics

• Leadership update was given by Meg Alexander. The group hosted a shooting 3s challenge for charity and raised over $1,000 for the Chad Tough Foundation. During the month of February, they also hosted half court shots at the home basketball games. Students have been working on a monthly bulletin board with student engagement challenges. The group also attended the SPLT leadership conference and is preparing for their next initiative which is on prescription drugs. In May the group will be hosting a mental health day for all students to share strategies that can easily be implemented.
• Curriculum/Assessment Changes/Needs and/or Updates
  • Advanced Ag curse proposal was reviewed and discussed. This would be a year long course for 11th-12th grade students pursuing agriculture. A vte was taken and the proposal passed with 12 people in favor and 0 rejections. The course will be offered when it can fit in the master schedule.
  • Transitin to College Math course proposal was reviewed and discussed. This would be a year long course for 12th grade students t help prepare them for college math. A vote was taken and the proposal passed with 12 people in favor and 0 rejections. The course will be offered when it can fit in the master schedule.
  • Middle Schol computer course credit proposal was reviewed and discussed. The Michigan Merit Curriculum requires students to have an online learning experience to graduate, but not a specific technology class. Through the extensive topics covered in the Middle School Technology class that students take each year, and the combination of the integration of technology in many classes, students who successfully complete the middle school technology class in grades 6, 7, and 8 would receive the .5 technology credit. Awarding this credit at the middle school level would have a positive impact on students as it would allow students to take more elective courses and/or classes of interest in high school. A vote was taken and the proposed change passed with 12 in favor and 0 rejections. The change will be effective in the fall of 2024.
  • CTE Curse credit discussion was held. The state of Michigan allows some flexibility in credits for students who complete a CTE program. Potential credits that could be waived are one science credit, one world language credit, one math credit, and/or one visual, performing and applied arts credit. Sarah Ash will see what the ISD recommends and what is being done in the region. A formal proposal may be coming at a future meeting.
• HSSIT (MTSS) – Grade levels will continue to collaborate on student needs and concerns at staff meetings as time allows.
• Counselor Update – Decision Day will be on May 24th at 9am.

3.   K-12 Communications: Middle School Topics

• Curriculum/Assessment Changes/Needs and/or Updates
  • Nne shared at this meeting
• MTSS – A student support interventionist was hired and has been working with students daily. Grade levels will continue to meet to review data and student concerns.
• Counselor Update – Eighth graders will begin scheduling for high school in the coming weeks. There was also a parent night for eighth grade families to start preparing for high school. Student Council hosted a February knockout jump rope competition. A leapfrog competition was also held on February 29th for PRIDE points. The annual Crush pop sale went well, all students received a can on Valentine’s Day. Quarterly student rewards are going well and students who earned the reward had hot cocoa and cookies in February.
• Peer Outreach Program (POP) has started and will continue to build. Students are enjoying time with their high school buddies.
• Scheduling ideas for the fall are starting to be reviewed.
• Summer school planning has started and will continue over the next few months.

4.  K-12 Communications: Elementary School Topics

• Curriculum/Assessment Changes/Needs and/or Updates
  • Julie Kerfot shared about her implementation experience with Mystery Science. It has been easy to use and the mystery packs have made it easy to complete experiments.
  • The Reading Street literacy prgram is set to be replaced in 2026, however, there are some literacy grant funds coming which could cover the cost of a new program. If the funds are received, we will start the literacy program evaluation in the coming months.
• MTSS monthly meetings are taking place.
• Reading month is beginning, and the theme is rodeo this year. Teachers have been busy decorating their classroom doors and setting goals for their classes.

5.  Parent Group Report

• Parent group update was shared by Sara Batson. The group has been busy preparing for the Read-A-Thon with many special activities being planned such as teacher horse races, a Kona Ice truck for students, and a read aloud with a cow. Many flexible seating and universal support materials were ordered for classrooms. The Daddy Daughter Dance is coming soon and will have a winter wonderland theme. The Mother Son event at Level Up was a success with many activities for children to do such as Nerf games, football, soccer, and a movie. Fourth grade BINGO is coming up which has been a great fundraiser for students in the past. The parent group has also partnered with Neighborhood Forest to provide a free tree for every student who signs up and plans to plant the tree during Earth Week.

6.  Upcoming Student Events

• Knabusch Math and Science Center field trips are available. Contact Nicole Shaughnessy if interested.
• MathCounts wrapped up their season earlier this month. As a team, the group placed 5th overall and one student, Aubyn Hamm, qualified for the state tournament. Great job to all who participated!
• Quiz Bowl – Grade level competitions will be next week at the Monroe County Community College. Good luck to all of our teams!
• Young Author Event is underway. Final writing pieces are due by March 20th. Julie Kerfoot shared that there are multiple classes participating at the elementary school.
• Monroe County Spelling Bee will be held on Thursday, April 4th. Grade level Spelling Bees are taking place at the Middle School to determine our top spellers who will participate in this event.

7. Assessment Updates

• NWEA/STAR Reading, K-4 took place in January. Data was shared with the group.
• Spring 2024 Testing Windows:
  • 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th Grade M-Step
    • ELA-April 8th-May 17th
    • Math-April 8th-May 17th  
  • 5th Grade M-Step     
    • ELA-April 8th-May 17th
    • Math-April 8th-May 17th
    • Science-April 8th-May 17th
    • Social Studies-April 8th-May 17th
  • 8th Grade
    • PSAT 8-April 8th-26th (*tentatively April 16th)
    • Science M-Step-April 8th-May 17th
    • Social Studies M-Step-April 8th-May 17th 
  • 9th Grade
    • PSAT 9-April 8th-26th (*tentatively April 11th)
  • 10th Grade
    • PSAT 10-April 8th-26th (*tentatively April 11th)
  • 11th Grade
    • SAT-April 8th – 26th (*tentatively April 12th)
    • WorkKeys-April 11th
    • Science M-Step-April 8th-May 17th
    • Social Studies M-Step-April 8th-May 17th
• NWEA and STAR testing will begin at the end of April/beginning of May for kindergarten-8th grade students

8. Professional Development Opportunities

• If you have any PD ideas for 2024-2025 school year, please share them with Sarah Ash. Post PD surveys are being reviewed for potential topics of interest.
• Educational Technology Group – next meeting will be on Thursday, May 9th from 4-6:00 p.m. at the ISD with dinner provided
• Michigan Science Teacher Association Annual Conference – February 29th-March 2nd in Lansing
• AI in Education: Shaping the Future of Learning – March 11, 2024 at the Monroe ISD
• Assistive Technology Tools via email PD – March 11th-15th (register on Wisdomwhere)
• MACUL Annual Conference-March 13th-15th in Grand Rapids
• Michigan Reading Association Annual Conference – March 15th-17th in Lansing
• Book Study – First Class Teaching by Michelle Emerson, April 8th-May 10th (register on Wisdomwhere)  Canceled
• Canva via email PD – April 15th-19th (register on Wisdomwhere) Canceled
• Michigan Council for Social Studies Annual Conference-May 3rd-4th, Clinton Township
• Meaningful Feedback via email PD – May 13th-17th (register on Wisdomwhere) Canceled
• MiSHCA School Health Conference (focus on Whole Child) – June 18th-19th, Mt. Pleasant
• Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference – July 17th-18th, Fruitport
• 6th-12th Grade Disciplinary Literacy Summer Symposium – August 19th-20th, Oakland Schools
• Always available: EduPaths and Michigan Virtual online professional learning. https://www.edupaths.org. www.michiganvirtual.org.  Free, self-paced courses, SCECHs are available for most courses

9. Future Meetings

• Next meeting May 23, 2024-8:15am

Adjournment 10:15