November 11, 2024 – Minutes (Draft)

School Community Council Meeting Minutes

Sprucewood Elementary

November 11, 2024

Members:

Members Absent: 

• Call to Order @4:03

• Approve last month’s meeting minutes 

October 14, 2024 – Minutes (Draft)

• Review current year’s LAND Trust plan, data and expenditures and review if on course and if amendments are necessary

*Are we on Budget?  Do we need Any Amendments to reach the budget?

-We are on course with spending.  We are implementing the plan as written.  

Reading Goal

Analysis Summary

65% of Sprucewood students demonstrated typical or above typical growth in basic reading skills according to 2024 Acadience Winter Pathways of Progress data.  

Goal

By May 2025, 80% of Sprucewood students will demonstrate typical to above typical growth in basic reading skills according to Acadience Pathways of Progress achieving a 15% increase. 

Action Plan Summary

1) Teachers will backward design active reading strategies into each text set, use the monitored independent reading (MIR) strategy daily, and strategically plan and use the precision partners strategy daily.

2) Teachers will use progress monitoring and benchmark data to make walk to read groups based on foundational reading skills.

3) Hire and train five multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) aides (or equivalent hours) to increase foundational reading skills. ($36,500)

4) Pay for substitute salaries to allow the Building Leadership Team (BLT) to meet four full days to build a strong Professional Learning Community (PLC) system. ($5,500)

5) Pay for stipends to allow the Student Support Team (SST) to meet twice a month to analyze data, and make recommendations for school wide intervention plans. ($5,000)

Measurement

All grades will use Acadience Beginning of Year to End of Year Pathways of Progress reading data.

Budget

Landtrust= approximately $47,000

• approximately $36,500  will pay for MTSS aide salaries
• approximately $5,500 will pay for substitute salaries to allow the BLT to meet
• approximately $5,000 will pay for stipends to allow the SST to meet

Math Goal

Analysis Summary

 69% of Sprucewood students demonstrated at or above benchmark skills according to 2024 Math Acadience Winter Pathways scores.   

Goal

By May 2025, 80% or more of Sprucewood students will demonstrate typical to above typical growth according to Acadience Pathways of Progress. 

Action Plan Summary

1) Teachers will backwards design all math topics using grade level standards, utilize Building Fact Fluency (BFF) kit daily in the Number Talks component, and incorporate math games weekly during the math block.

2) Teachers will teach math vocabulary words from each topic during the vocabulary section of the math block using our district’s systematic vocabulary routine.  

3) Teachers will use progress monitoring and benchmark data data to make walk to math groups based on foundational math skills.

Measurement

All grades will use Acadience Beginning of Year to End of Year Pathways of Progress math data.

Budget

No TSSP or LandTrust budget will be used to support this plan

School Climate Goal

 Analysis Summary

33% of students are demonstrating elevated internalizing behaviors, according to 2024 Winter SRSS-IE data.   

Goal

By May 2025, 80% of minor discipline dashboard behavior entries will include documentation of using the precorrection strategy and/or de-escalation strategies in the action steps boxes. 

Action Plan Summary

1) Provide professional development on de-escalation behavior strategies, the pre-correction behavior strategy,  and the explicit instruction model to be used daily across content areas.

2) Plan for public practice to occur to improve instruction by having teachers observe peers teaching once a quarter on the teacher’s content area of choice.

3) Provide weekly music instruction to help students increase academic and behavioral skills. ($15,000)

3)  Pay for a portion of our social worker’s salary so she can work with students full time. ($50,000)

4) Pay for a portion of our MTSS aide salaries so they can support the behavioral needs of students. ($5,000)

Measurement

All grades will use Discipline Dashboard data

Budget

TSSA: approximately $70,000. 

• approximately $50,000 will pay for a portion of our school social worker’s salary 
• approximately $15,000 will pay for an art teacher
• approximately $5,000 will pay for MTSS aide salaries

• Other

• Review/Discuss Sprucewood’s Attendance Plan 

Sprucewood Elementary School’s Attendance

 Attendance Goal: All students will attend school 90% or more of the school year. In order to achieve this goal, students cannot miss more than 17 days of school over the course of the entire year.  

School attendance is very important. Every absence from school interferes with your child’s opportunity to learn. There is a growing body of research showing that Chronic Absenteeism, usually defined by researchers as missing 10% or more of the school year (including excused and unexcused absences), has a significant negative effect on student achievement and may put a student at academic risk. The goal for Sprucewood Elementary is that all students miss no more than 9% of the school year, to help every student be successful now and in the future.

School Success Goes Hand in Hand with Being in School Every Day! Did You Know?

•   Many absences, even in kindergarten, can cause children to fall behind in school.
•   Missing just a day or two every month can make it harder to learn to read by the third grade.
•   Students with too many absences struggle to catch up, even with take-home assignments. 
•   Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves.

What Can You Do?

•   Develop a regular bedtime and morning routine.
•   Avoid missing school unless a child is truly sick and seek help if chronic illness is a challenge. Check with our school nurse or office staff if you are not sure about when to keep your child at home due to illness.
•   If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school support staff, or other parents for advice on how to make him/her feel comfortable and excited about learning.

Types of Absences:

•   Valid Excused Absence: An absence excused with approved verification (ie. doctor note, dentist note, legal note, wedding announcement, obituary, or other approved verification).
•   Guardian Excused Absence: An absence excused by a parent/legal guardian without approved verification. Parents must call the office or send a note within one week of the absence. The limit is five (5) days each school year per Canyons District policy 500.35; any additional absences without approved verification will be considered unexcused.
•   Unexcused Absence: Any absence without a valid excuse.

Communication Procedure for Valid Excused Absences:

•   Illness or Medical Appointment: Parent provides a note from a health care provider to the front office.
•   Family Death, Family Emergency, Religious Holiday: Parent provides notification to the school that the student will be absent (obituary, wedding announcement, etc…).
•   Procedure for Education/Vacation Leave: A student may be allowed up to ten (10) days for education/vacation leave in a given school year if prior arrangements have been made with the school for the student to make up his/her homework. Prior to education leave, parents complete an Education Leave/Vacation Form for approval. Teachers will complete the “Work to Be Completed” section and determine a reasonable due date. School administration will verify education leave.

 Unexcused Absences

• Review/Discuss Electronic Devices Plan

Cell Phones and Other Valuable Property

Possession of a cell phone is a privilege that may be forfeited by any student that uses the phone inappropriately. The school and District will not be responsible for preventing theft, loss of or damage to cell phones brought to school. Cell phones may not be used during classroom time, instructional activities or field trips. Phones must remain off during these times and stored in a backpack. In addition, if the device becomes a distraction it will be taken away for the day (like all items causing distractions) and given back to the student at the end of the day.

If parents permit their student to bring their devices to school the following procedures must be followed. 

• Devices must be off during the school day.
• Devices may only be used before and after school outside the building.

Electronic Devices

Electronic devices are prohibited at school. Students and parents must assume the risk if a student brings an electronic device to school. The school will not be responsible for lost or stolen electronic device. Any use of an electronic device that exploits personal information, disrupts the educational process, invades personal privacy or compromises the integrity of educational programs is strictly prohibited. Students violating these guidelines will receive appropriate consequences.

• Other

  • Follow Up on Safety Plan 

  • Digital Citizenship Plan

  • Revisit cell tower proposals

Each year Sprucewood receives $15,000 from the cell tower budget to support extra- curricular activities, parent teacher conference meals, and school needs.  We are proposing SCC approves $10,000 of that budget for the following:

​​Proposals:

• $500- Book Blitz (5th grade literacy extra-curricular)
• $500- Choir Leader (2nd-5th grade extra-curricular Aug-Dec)
• $500- Social Media Manager (post and respond on Instagram, Facebook, ParentSquare & Website)
• $1000- Musical (2 adults $500 each leading 2nd-5th grade extra-curricular Jan-May)
• $600 per month for staff morale (stocking adult wellness area with drinks and snacks, waffle Wednesdays, adult PBIS will equal $6,000 for the year)
• $1000 for Parent Teacher Conferences meals ($500 per meal 2x a year) update: we spent $467 for September’s parent teacher conference meal from Teriyaki Grill
• How does the budget look for the staff morale?
• Do we have any other proposals? 
  • $3100 max funding for the sensory room (worse case scenario)
    • Schino reached out to the SPED department about some additional funding, after their support we have come up with the $3100 still needed
    • We could also write Donors Choose to get some of this funded

• Adjourned at 4:48pm until next meeting January 13th, 2025