Curriculum Council Minutes 12/05/2024

2024-2025 Ida Curriculum Council Minutes

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 8:15-10:15 a.m.  

Middle School Library

Staff and Community Representatives Present: 

*Elementary School: Christina Fitzgerald, Lexie Young

*Elementary Parent Representative: Sara Batson

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

*Middle School Parent Representative: Randi Kitts

*High School: Randy Daniels

*High School Parent Representative: Andrea Allen, Jessica Kisonas

*Administrators: Lucy Becker, Chuck Fuller, Allison Georgic

*Board Member: 

*Chairperson: Sarah Ash

 Ida Curriculum Council Minutes for December 5, 2024   

1.  District  

• Jean Foster hosts 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.
• Mental Health Roundtable meetings are held quarterly at the ISD. Topics and dates will be shared out once they are scheduled. 

2.  K-12 Communications: High School Topics 

• Leadership update was shared. The group just completed a marijuana awareness initiative for SPLT and they did a great job working together to make it a success. Educational flyers and glow sticks were also given to elementary students at Halloween. The group also finished a successful Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Shoebox Collection where 24 boxes were filled to help people in need. Other projects the group is working on are getting a therapy dog into the high school, having an athlete spotlight, and supporting Student Council with Give a Kid a Christmas. Students have also been making cards and posters to support their classmate, Jenner, as he battles cancer. 
• Curriculum/Assessment Changes/Needs and/or Updates 
  1. Business Essentials course proposal was reviewed and discussed. This would be a semester long course for 10^th-12^th grade students. A vote was taken and the proposal passed with 13 people in favor and 0 rejections. The course will be offered when it can fit in the master schedule.
  2. Business Communications course proposal was reviewed and discussed. This would be a semester long course for 10^th-12^th grade students. A vote was taken and the proposal passed with 13 people in favor and 0 rejections. The course will be offered when it can fit in the master schedule.
• Counselor Update - College Month was a success, there are many locker signs on lockers and many prizes were given out during the raffle. About 40 10^th/11^th grade students took the PSAT/NMSQT test in October and 8 students took the ASVAB test. Scheduling for the second semester has been taking place, senior seminar presentations will be starting soon, and check-in meetings with students have been taking place.  An FCA group has started meeting before school once a week and approximately 40 students have been attending the meetings. 
• Give a Kid a Christmas is underway, and Student Council will be shopping for gifts in the coming days.

 3.   K-12 Communications: Middle School Topics 

• Curriculum/Assessment Changes/Needs and/or Updates 
  1. Simplify Writing resource is now available for 5^th-8^th grade English/writing teachers. Grammar instruction is embedded in the weekly instruction and this resource will help better align the middle school writing classes.  
• Counselor Update – Student council created a float and will be walking in the Christmas in Ida parade, there was a skating party for 5^th/6^th grade students, and there will be a holiday dance for 7^th/8^th grade students next week.  Student Council also completed a marijuana initiative to coincide with the SPLT initiative at the high school. Students are helping with food donations and a dollar war for Give a Kid a Christmas. Mrs. Butz will be giving presentations with high school students about the hazards of vaping using the Catch My Breath resource to 6^th grade students in February/March. A group of 7^th/8^th grade students will be able to take a field trip to Toledo for Engineering Day to expose students to the engineering field in February.
• Dept. McLaughlin and Mrs. Pawlak will be giving a presentation to 6^th grade students about online and phone safety.
• The Student Support Provider is working to set up a partnership with the Youth Opportunity Program.

4.  K-12 Communications: Elementary School Topics 

• Curriculum/Assessment Changes/Needs and/or Updates
  1. A new reading program will be adopted for the 2025-2026 school year. Program overview webinars have been shared with staff, the ELA committee has met to discuss the programs, and a survey has been sent out to all teachers to rank the programs. This will help the committee narrow down choices. 
• Counselor Update – classroom presentations have begun; 1^st through 4^th grade students have been receiving lessons from Suite 360 and kindergarten students have been receiving lessons on social skills. Counseling groups will be starting in the coming months. Girls on the Run club will be starting in March. 

5.  Parent Group Report 

• Parent Group update was shared by Sara Batson. Many events are coming up such as Santa’s Workshop, holiday grams, a Toledo Walleye Fundraiser, Dine to Donate events at various restaurants, Book Fair at the end of January, and a skating party. The parent groups also provided food for teachers during conferences and donated to the Give a Kid a Christmas fund.

6.  Upcoming Student Events 

• Knabusch Math and Science Center Field Trips are available. New spring dates will be offered in January.
• MathCounts is underway. The competition will be in February. 
• You be the Chemist Challenge (5^th-8^th grade) will be on February 27^th at the ISD for teams of 3-4 students. 
• Monroe County Science Challenge for 3^rd-4^th grade students will be on March 3^rd-4^th 
• Quiz Bowl season is underway, we were recently notified that there will not be a tournament for 5^th and 6^thgrade teams. In person tournaments will be:
  1. 8^th Grade Tournament-Wednesday, March 5^th
  2. 7^th Grade Tournament-Thursday, March 6^th
  3. High School Tournament-Friday, March 7^th 
• Monroe County Spelling Bee will be Thursday, April 3^rd for 5^th-8^th grade students
• Monroe County Authors’ Program will take place during the month of March

7. Assessment Updates 

• NWEA/STAR Reading, K-4 will begin at the beginning of January 
• Fall 2024 PSAT/NMSQT testing went well. Scores came back and have been shared with students. 
• Spring 2025 Testing Windows:
  1. 3^rd, 4^th, 6^th, 7^thGrade M-Step
     • ELA-April 7^th-May 16^th
     • Math-April 7^th-May 16^th 
  2. 5^thGrade M-Step
     • ELA-April 7^th-May 16^th
     • Math-April 7^th-May 16^th
     • Science-April 7^th-May 16^th
     • Social Studies-April 7^th-May 16^th 
  3. 8^thGrade 
     • PSAT 8-April 7^th-25^th
     • Science M-Step-April 7^th-May 16^th
     • Social Studies M-Step-April 7^th-May 16^th 
  4. 9^thGrade
     • PSAT 9-April 7^th-25^th (*tentatively April 10^th)
  5. 10^thGrade
     • PSAT 10-April 7^th-25^th (*tentatively April 10^th)
  6. 11^thGrade
     • SAT-April 7^th-25^th (*tentatively April 11^th)
     • WorkKeys-April 10^th
     • Science M-Step-April 7^th-May 16^th
     • Social Studies M-Step-April 7^th-May 16^th 

8. Professional Development Opportunities 

• Next PD Day is January 20^th, if you have any suggestions or topics in mind, please let Sarah Ash know.
• AI Summit – December 17^th in Lansing
• Michigan Music Conference – January 23^rd in Grand Rapids
• Michigan Science Teachers Association Annual Conference – March 7^th-8^th in Lansing
• Michigan Reading Association Annual Conference-March 7^th-9^th in Grand Rapids
• MACUL Annual Conference – March 19^th-21^st in Detroit
• 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 February 27, 2025-8:15 a.m. in the Middle School Library. 

*** For all ISD PD register on the ISD course where/wisdomwhere site: 

https://www.solutionwhere.com/ww/monroeisd/ 

Adjournment 10:15