MHS Parents Council & SBMT

January 22, 2008

Welcome & Introductions

Parents Council Funding Requests

Jenn Elbridge Marine Biology Teacher at MHS - $800 - approved

· Requesting $800.00 for materials needed to prepare students for Man of War competition at MIT

· Entering two teams (5 students on a team) on February 9, 2008

· Statewide competition modeled after rapid fire Jeopardy/long answer

· 16 schools from Massachusetts participating

Beth Delforge Arts coordinator in Marblehead - $600 -approved

· Experiencing the Carnival of Animals through Arts May 9, 2008

· Symphony by the sea, orchestra, band students for all schools

· $9500 cost for the program

· Fees for buses, student conservatory participants—raised most of the funds from other sources $600 needed -

Judy Luise – Guidance Counselor – requesting $500 stipend - approved

· March or April speaker/Divorce in families presentation for students

· Also requesting volunteer help for events and to a planning subcommittee of parents for programming for next year

· Topics could include Transition to college and mental health issues Judy is currently working with a LSW to plan this presentation for parents

Rhonda Rohtstein –Metco volunteer requested $500 - approved

· Rhonda volunteered to put together bag lunches with other volunteer help

· MHS Families have been donating bulk food and $$, some families are providing bag lunches one time a month/Hockey team has been recruited to provide food for 3 days next week

· In addition Rhonda has approached local supermarkets for donations

· Students make a bag lunch to take home on the bus late in the day

· There was discussion about the need for food for METCO students who are in town late. Some METCO students are here for 8-12 hours a day with sports

· There had been more students staying for homework help/tutoring but there is currently an opening for a stipended MECTO Tutor position. Less students stay in town currently

· Rhonda is also seeking storage for food and will contact MHS food services to investigate costs for some foods and John Z thought that storage would not be a problem

· Need to discuss with METCO coordinator future of providing food and funds

· Immediate need is for volunteers and food

Mike Hanna Curriculum director for Foreign Languages & Social Studies

· Submitted written proposal for funding

· Sue Syverson is submitting to Friends Grant Committee-discussion tabled

· John will discuss changes to the Social Studies curriculum on Friday at Java with John

Presentation – Superintendent Dr. Paul Dulac

· Dr. Paul Dulac showed a short compelling PPT and discussed MPSD 5 year plan for improving student achievement-that has been shared with MHS students

· Believes that we can accomplish this – feels that MHS is in a good place-- Meta cognitive focus is a shift from the cognitive focus –MHS is exceptional with the cognitive focus

· Plan is articulated and outlined on the Marblehead school website at http://marblehead.com/schools/Superintendent

· Shared his background working in the education system in the states and most recently in China – started a school and worked with the Chinese education and ministry

· Also partnered with colleagues to create a Nano technology firm to clean water – has many contracts and has hired over 70 staff to solve problems and communicate with funders.

· Recently was an elementary school principal in Martha’s Vineyard

· Outlined the biggest challenges facing MHS students in the future

· Creative thinking and engaging in the metacognitive thinking skills

· Feels this sense of urgency with MHS

· Discussed the idea that high school is essentially the same as when we went to school and this will not prepare them for the working in a global economy in the future

· Encouraged us to read The World is Flat – by Thomas Friedman which is a brief history of the 21^st century and lays out the triple convergence theory regarding globalization, competing and collaborating in the future and the effect of education in India, China and the US

· Expressed an idea about this cultural strategy in the US to creatively solve problems—we only let 20% of our population do this—the other 80% are on the sidelines

· China has many many more people who will be competing with our kids and will work for less money

· Year one focus in the plan outlines a number of initiatives that “starts (us) down the road to developing critical spirit”

· Implementing teachers working in teams to focus on non fiction writing at all levels

· Educational research indicates that writing in non fiction increases student achievement

· Need to find innovative ways to lower class sizes in English at MHS

· Implement foreign language in the lower elementary- introduce the Asian way of thinking

· Year two will introduce philosophy in elementary school and Socratic questioning at MHS

· Apply to be an International Baccalaureate program–two year H.S. program – Jr. & Sr. year - high level program – higher than AP.

· Critical & creative thinking – hopes to hire a curriculum director in 2010 by reorganizing or reallocating resources

· Would like to examine the current senior project program and introduce a Senior project (for all seniors) that would be judged by teams from the community with specific criteria that considered how inquisitive the student is—what is their ability to process and problem solve

· Interested in including-web based literacy –what constitute reason and what is reasonable?

· Critical spirit is our destination- think creatively and differentiate between critical and creative thinking. Ask questions- apply ourselves to this process to change

· Dr. Dulac answered many questions from the audience and indicated that the Marblehead Reporter will be publishing information about the MPS Instructional focus and the five year plan to improve student achievement

Submitted by Marianne Dunne