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Post date: Dec 6, 2017 2:23:18 AM
Agenda 11.29.17
Approval of Minutes
Reports
Notes and New Business
Council Minutes 11.15.17
“One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.” -Michael Korda
1. Approval of Minutes
2. Reports
Mod: Reason for delay is because Council does not have full capacity of staff members. Mr. Campbell wanted to wait until staff members were elected. Katie Lowery will move people around so students can stay in Common Ground but go to another Common Ground to report. Welcome to Isabella Price!
A-Mod: Expect that Mr. Campbell will sign both the Cell-phone Motion and the Course Standardization Motion.
Treasurer: Council fund=$6369.71. Co-curricular currently= $5200, but will go down after UNICEF and Rock Climbing Club allocation.
DSB: Meeting changed to before Thanksgiving so trying to find replacement.
Secretary: Junior alternate can vote at 10:45.
Admin: Talked about MLK Day.
Curric: Started talking about homework over break. Talk to Common Ground and see what opinions of school are on homework over break—should there even be homework? Should there be a homework limit.
CPP: Passed two new Social Studies courses: Entrepreneurship course and course on military history. Talked about possibility of allowing parents to seeing grading on Schoology. Parents can currently only view assignments.
SAC: Presentation to staff about Winter Carnival. 12th year of Winter Carnival. Talk with staff about concerns with Winter Carnival. Wanted to have Winter Carnival be an all day event. Current schedule: Common Ground to do community service, March Intensive meting, lunch period, activities led by peer leaders, traditional Winter Carnival events in gym. Reason for March Intensive meeting is to reduce number of Common Grounds missed for meetings. Attendance will be taken at beginning of Common Ground and March Intensive meeting. Activities led by peer leaders will allow for more students to participate. Activities will be ongoing in the library for students who do not want to be in the gym for Winter Carnival at the end of the day.
Staff raised question of whether March Intensive meeting is necessary. Time can be used to do greater community service. Difficult for students in the school to continue doing service for three hours.
3. Electronic Voting Discussion
Looking into methods for electronic voting instead of roll call voting. Will take the same amount of time by the time all Council members have pulled out devices, signed into emails, and receiving results. Benefits are voting without knowing how other Council members are voting.
Using your voice is valuable. If voting, are representing your class and should not change your vote based on another speaker.
Voting online is like commenting on social media. Removed feeling when using technology.
Does not take that long to do roll call voting. Seems it could take longer to use electronic voting. Do not have unmanageable number of voting members on Council.
Good opportunity for people to be tempted to use phones when pulling out for electronic voting.
Great space to develop skills of disagreeing with the majority. Electronic voting takes away the opportunity to speak your opinion.
Electronic voting is beneficial in order to be able to see the motion before voting.
Could be useful in anonymous votes such as spring elections or Leadership elections. Would be significantly faster.
Devices are unreliable and can be faulty in comparison to using your voice.
4. Late Dismissal Discussion
Many students have noticed an upwards trend in teachers keeping students in classes late more often. Sometimes teachers need reminder that class is over. Can affect students who have tests next period. Typically occurs before activity period or before end of day.
Late dismissal can be beneficial for teachers. Sometimes 5 minutes over is the most important time of the entire period.
Students should be having conversations about issue with teacher.
The five minutes between classes is the closest thing many students get to having a break. Brain research notes that teenagers need breaks in their day.
Multiple teachers note an uptick in late passes this year.
Maybe a broader issue with the schedule here that teachers feel that fifty minutes isn’t enough to cover necessary material.
Similar issue to when teachers take away X-days without warning.
Unfair to the other teachers in the building. Teachers shouldn’t value their class over others.
Could be due to poor lesson plans or class management.
Five minute passing time was instituted by Council. Used to be a three-minute passing time, and before that, no passing time. This is a respect issue that works well with our theme of citizenship.
5. Cafeteria Discussion
There has been a lot of discussion about the cafeteria. It is going through a transition, but even predating that, there were concerns. Students haven’t been invited to give much feedback about the cafeteria. Important to be sensitive; the cafe employees work hard and are doing a good job.
Concerns about health of the food at the cafe. Very rarely healthy, green options at the caf.
This has been a topic of discussion for a long time; no drastic changes ever seem to be made.
Interesting that the Co-op probably gets more income from HHS students than the cafe. Probably in large part to limited options at the caf.
Cafe is run by independent company.
This could make a great ad-hoc committee to look at contract and possible changes. Could promote a clearer channel of communication between students and the cafe company.
6. Meeting Adjourns
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