Minutes 10.18.17/Agenda10.25.17

Post date: Nov 13, 2017 12:34:02 PM

Agenda 10.25.17

• 1. Approval of Minutes

  2. Reports

  3. Course Evaluation Standardization Motion

  4. Cell Phone Motion

  5. Common Ground Discussion

  6. Notes and New Business

Council Minutes 10.18.17

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” -Henry James

1. Approval of Minutes

2. Reports

• • Mod: Will send out email to staff soon about two more staff members for Council. Election process for staff coming soon. Talk to teachers about Council to encourage representation on Council.

  • A-Mod: Make sure chairs are keeping attendance each week. Important that people are showing up to committees. More than one unexcused absence calls for need to have conversation.

  • Treasurer: Council fund = $6,369.31. Co-curricular fund = $5,200.

  • Secretary: Sophomore alternate and community member alternate can vote.

  • Admin: Talked about MLK day.

  • Curric: CPP meetings on Mondays, having hard time finding a representative to go every week. Meetings are every week Monday after school from 3-4. Contact Elizabeth Napier if interested in attending.

  • OEC: Looked at bylaws.

  • SAC: Thinking about possibly incorporating community service into Winter Carnival. Making sure ready to go for Quidditch next week.

  • SL: Brainstormed dates to visit Champlain Valley Union High school. Getting survey out to teachers and staff about cell phone policy soon.

  • CPP: Meeting about March Intensive. Has gone through the field trip committee, needs to go to the school board.

3. Citizenship at HHS Discussion

• • Limit discussion to 10-15 minutes. School has designed citizenship as one of its goals this year. Thought it would be a good idea for Council to take that on. All the goals at the end of last year and retreat came down to two things: communication and culture.  A lot of Council’s work affects the culture. Citizenship is about culture. Think about in (1) Personal way: what does it mean to have a personal commitment (2) Participatory: how you help the welfare of others and involved in making things happen in your community (3) Social justice: challenging assumptions. What does that look like at Hanover High School?

  • Often overlooked is having a positive attitude, which makes facilitating change and being a participatory citizen easier by engaging with our community.

  • Council doesn’t look like some of the things that are said in the community. Football team invited teachers to last team dinner. If a student asks you to come to an event like a game or an event, more likely to say yes. Putting a more personal face on the accomplishments of HHS students is important.

  • Change doesn’t have to start on a big scale: being respectful to the school and including others in Common Ground is a start.

  • Attitude at Hanover is a problem. We think we are a very democratic school that embraces differences. That can be damaging because we think we can then say whatever we want because we live in an open-minded community. Need to step away from that attitude, not okay to make jokes. Need to have this discussion not only in Council, but on a bigger scale in the school.

  • Not about just complaining about an issue, but taking action to actually change.

4. Course Evaluation Standardization Motion

• • Some questions could unify course standardization. Not convinced that these are the right questions. Gates foundation was trying to think of something that fits all schools, but HHS is different. The questions get at valid topics and ideas. Before we consider adopting it, we should make the questions more specific to experiences at HHS. Start a good conversation, but need to reword.

“I move to amend the motion to read

In addition to mandatory, teacher-written midterm course evaluations, in order to standardize course feedback throughout the school, Administration administers an online evaluation each semester. Results will be shared with respective Department Heads and Administration. The following questions will be included on this survey:

• 1. In this class, I was provided with a safe place to take risks.

  2. In this class, we examine topics that pertain to my life and the world.

  3. In this class, we learned from our mistakes.

  4. In this class, students treated the teacher with respect.

  5. In this class, the teachers treated students with respect.

  6. In this class, the teacher used time efficiently.

  7. This class made interested in further exploring the topics we covered.

  8. I enjoyed the time I spent in this class.

  9. I feel that I have met my personal goals in this class.

Students will have the option to choose one of the following for each question

• 1. Strongly Agree

  2. Agree

  3. Neutral

  4. Disagree

  5. Strongly Disagree”

• • Mr. Campbell wants information not to go to teachers, but just to department heads and Administration. Does not want qualitative observations, so amended to delete comment section. This survey is in addition to mandatory surveys that are in the handbook at the midterm and end of course. This will not be administered by teacher. Administration will send out link every period of the day, teacher has to take out 5 minutes from each class for students to take the survey. Drop down option to choose class that you are in.

  • Concern with number 7, not a reflection of the class, but instead personal interest. Can take a great class and have a great teacher, but student may not be further interested in the subject matter.

  • Issue as teacher with teachers not being able to see at a democratic school. Teachers grow lots from feedback on surveys and give students the voice about things in the class. Dramatically changes the flow of the class to take the time to reflect on a positive or negative experience through the survey.

  • Adding comments is relevant as to why a student is saying a bad thing. Having opportunity to explain is important.

  • Important that this survey is in addition to other surveys that teachers will send out, so while going to Administration, will not be getting rid of other ways that teachers can get information. Is a uniform method in order to gain research on the entire school on a larger bases. Administration would be receiving 55000 surveys. Using survey for general trends.

  • Without Administration, is difficult to know what the questions are being used for, which will help us tailor the questions to serve the correct purpose.

  • Important that we get a general trend of some of the problems that need fixing in certain curriculums, but if we are looking for stuff we need teachers because it is pertinent to them.

  • No way to confirm that students are taking the test.

5. Meeting Adjourns