Atlantic West Elementary
Title One School
Janette Hameister, Principal
School Advisory Council
School Advisory Forum
October 6th, 2014 2:30 pm
1. Welcome/Icebreaker: Ms. O’Malley welcomed everyone to our SAC meeting.
Ms Kauffman led the group in an icebreaker.
2. Review of Minutes: Everyone read previous minutes. Linda DeRuiter motioned to
accept the minutes, Maritza Smith seconded the motion.
3. Membership: We need new members for the committee. There was some interest
from parents to join the committee. The group voted in favor for Barbara Finn,
Nazma Akhter and Cassandra Hulcolm to join the committee.
4. Innovation Zone Showcase: The showcase is this Thursday evening, October 9th
at Coconut Creek High School from 6 until about 8 o’clock. Our second grade
students will be performing a song about the water cycle. We will be highlighting
our STEAM Museum Magnet program at the showcase. We will showcase the
integration of the Sprouting STEAM Museum Magnet theme. We provided the
parents with some examples of what this might look like at each grade level
during our First Parent Curriculum Academy and Student Learning Showcase on
September 29, 2014. Mrs. Hameister shared Bernoulli’s Principle with the SAC.
They were able to see how a hands on demonstration/inquiry lesson can deepen
content knowledge and increase engagement.
5. School Improvement Plan Review and Approval: A review of the SIP plan
resulted in unanimous approval. We looked at our current school status as a
supportive environment, mission and vision. The school leadership team was
introduced and SAC was made aware of the importance of their input and
approval of the SIP. Teachers are planning collaboratively with the help of Title I
funds for substitutes. Teachers have a half-day and a full day each quarter. Over
the summer, 90% of the staff attended training and planning days. Our plan
includes the Parent Involvement Plan that we wrote and approved last May. Our
goal is for all teachers to analyze data form grade level common assessments
based on Florida Standards to plan and deliver differentiated instruction. Our
teachers participated and continue to participate in professional development in
areas including Elementary is Engineering, Understand by Design, Webb’s Depth
of Knowledge, and Object=based Museum Learning. Our Annual Measurable
Objectives are for 70% of our students to be proficient in reading, 73% in Math
and 45% in Science. The Action Steps and Barriers for attainment of the Goal
across the content was also reviewed. We will add a Webb’s DOK activity to an
upcoming SAC meeting so the Council can better understand what is happening
in classrooms as teachers apply DOK training in their classroom instruction. Mrs.
Kauffman asked how we can be sure students are “learning to read” if they are
below level and perhaps not able to read the more difficult content. All leadership
members are teaching Leveled Literacy Intervention Groups on a daily basis.
Differentiated text has also been made available as a resource to teachers across
all grade levels. The “Reading and Writing connection is also an important
component of the structure of the plan. Ms. DeRuiter mentioned that many
Kindergarteners lack letter recognition. Programs like Fundations are being
implemented to meet this need. Ms. DeRuiter expressed a concern that more
support staff would be a good idea. She suggested we seek out volunteers. Mrs.
Hameister said we might ask the local churches. We may also look into the Adopt
a Grandparent Program Ms. O’Malley shared that the program was discussed at
the last Title One Coordinator’s meeting. Progress is monitored through
classroom walkthroughs, collection and analysis of data from common
assessments, etc. BAFS (Broward Assessment of the Florida Standards) will be
conducted the last week of October. Future testing dates will be discussed at
upcoming SAC meetings. Ms. De Ruiter asked about Alternate Assessments. Mrs.
Hameister said that these decisions are under review at the State/District level.
6. Accreditation Training Plan Implementation: We are an accredited school district.
It was explained that accreditation means we must “live up to certain standards”.
Mrs. Hameister shared the district website for SAC to review. We completed a
survey of our staff. This is done annually. Some of the standards we would like to
improve upon were shared: Standard 1: Purpose and direction was rated at 3.33,
Standard 2: Governance and Leadership was rated at 3.17, Standard 3: Teaching
and Assessing for Learning rated at 3.08, Standard 4: Resources and Support
Systems was rated 2.86-one of the lower, and Standard 5: Using Results of
Continuous Improvement was a 2.8. We are working to improve these ratings as
evidenced through the action steps reviewed in the SIP.
7. Principal’s Report: PTA Fall Carnival is on the 23rd of October. We have already
held Book Fair, Parent Nights, and picture day is tomorrow. Field Trips are
already in full swing as well. We are 100% meeting class size. As of today we
have 665. November 6th is out Magnet Open House and Museum Showcase. Title
One night at AWE is on October 30
8. Concerns/Celebrations: The Principal’s Cadre was here last week and toured
many classrooms. We received many, many compliments. Teachers are doing a
lot of hard work and it shows! We will all bring “goodies” for a Thanksgiving
treat at the November SAC: Pumpkin Pie (O’Malley), Fruit (Martiza) with
chocolate fondue (PTA), Spinach Dip (Norma), Drinks (Suzanne), Rum Cake
(Linda), Plates, Cups, Napkins (Hameister).
There being no further business Ms. DeRuiter motioned to adjourn and Norma Sheber
seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 4:10 PM.