Senate Minutes February 24, 2009

 

Attending:  Tony Renouard, Marni Campbell, Janet Thompson, Rebecca Padilla, Sharon Miyata, Mark Greenway, Tim Ames, Joel Jacobson, Linda Overlie, Jessica Torvik, Gregg Neilson, Jeff Jones, Ken Tarleton, Patty Lilly, Colleen Davis, Dina Zografos Ruehle

 

Not attending:  Doug Edelstein, Rob Feigal-Stickles, Robbie Cambell, Jonathan Duyker, Bob Poor

 

Minutes from February 3, 2009 were approved

 

Principal’s report – Budget information will hopefully be available by March 4

Pathways money will go away.  Amy Briggs and Landon Erickson are paid for with Pathways money.  We will have to pull that money from other sources.  The Foundation has begun its capital campaign, however the economy is sluggish.

 

Construction update – next phase – the library and the the offices and the classrooms on that side of the building will move.

 

Homecoming next year will be coordinated with a tour of the new part of the building and a good-bye to the old building.  Save the date! October 3, 2009. Lot’s of fun activities planned.

 

Question about the “end of late start” – The district had said that all high schools would have to have the same 8:00 start time.  We’ll have to take our case to the School Board, but the situation looks good.  Marni spent some time preparing information to be presented at the board, including comments from staff and parents, and saying there is no compelling case to force us to change our start time to 8:00.

 

Old Business

 

ASB would like to sponsor an all day Equity summit around April 10

 

            Concern from CTE that the students would not be accountable for attendance.  There was a suggestion that instead of having a whole day that they use a Wednesday Thursday Mentorship + reflective scholarship project

 

Senator Renouard said that in the past we have done sign ups through Mentorships, so that we would know where kids were supposed to be.

 

Senator Ruehle said that she thought the mentorships would be traveling as a whole

 

Senator Ames and Senator Greenway are concerned about the date because it is the end of 3rd quarter and the last day of the IS Prometheus project

 

Senator Thompson brought some responses from parents.  Most were very positive.  One parent had concerns and one parent wanted some workshop on

 

 

Motion

Senator Tarleton moved that we support the Equity Summit as part of the Nathan Hale Tradition.  We approve the Summit, but we have concerns about the date, the issue of attendance accountability, and the duration of the event.  Our support is conditional on resolving those three issues.  We would like to see updates by the next Senate meeting March 3. 

 

The vote:  Motion passed in a voice vote

 

Proposal from Senator Jones that the Counseling Department be able to waive the tech requirement as part of the Occupaitonal Education Requirement

 

Senator Jones spoke to the amendment saying that this really only applies to about six seniors, and they do try to verify students tech skills by giving them the test formerly used to waive the Intro to Tech requirement

 

Senator Campbell said that many kids learn tech in middle school

Senator Lindner suggested that it was clear from the e-mails that we need as a building to reevaluate what tech skills students need in order to be “thinking skillful citizens” and where we teach those skills.  She suggests a subcommittee to discuss this and create an implementation plan.  Also that the committee have members not on Senate including Janet Higgins, and Deb Gallaher

Senator Greenway suggested that students need to be on the committee

Senator Campell suggested that a parent be on the committee as well.

Senator Ames suggested the committee have representation from stakeholders.

Senator Torvik requested that we split the motion and vote on the parts.

Senator Tarleton made a two part motion:

 

A.     We grant the Counseling department the ability to waive the tech requirement for Occ Ed per the current practice (for the class of 2009  only)

 

Passed in a voice vote with two nays

 

B.     We form a sub committee to examine what students do know with tech and what students should know in order to be skillful, thinking citizens and create a plan to implement this starting with  the class 2010 to be presented to the staff before we leave in June 2009.

 

Passed in a voice vote

 

 

 

Volunteers for subcommittee:

Marni Campbell, Gregg Neilson, Jessica, Torvik,  Patty Lilly, April  Lindner (volunteer to chair)

 

 

Meeting adjourned at 4:13