SWW LSAT Meeting
5:30pm, November 6, 2013
Minutes
LSAT MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Carlton Ackerman, Ed Lazere, Jean Boland, Sinclair Blue, Alex
Muradian, George Reidy, Kristin Kelly, Joan Kirchner, Kiehl Christie, Rachel Blessing, Karen McSweeney,
Anthony Moore, Richard Trogisch, Sylvia Isaac, Kelly Abbott.
MINUTES from the October 2013 LSAT meeting were approved on a voice vote.
ATTENDANCE POLICY - UPDATE: For excused absences, Ms. Isaac reported that Mr. Kip Smith, the
attendance administrator at SWW, will accept either a note signed by a parent OR an email from a
parent.
LIBRARY: School Librarian Sharon Vollin made a pitch for an investment in the SWW library in her
ongoing effort to make the school library the hub of the school. Specifically, Ms. Vollin said she would
like to upgrade the library’s technology with items such as an interactive Promethean Board, and she
also would like to have classroom space to be able to offer a research class for students. HSA President
Jean Boland said the HSA considered a request to allocate almost $4,000 to the library, but that the HSA
tabled the request because parents questioned the wisdom of buying new technology without an IT
expert on staff who can maintain and repair such items. Ms. Boland also said parents sought more
information on the level of student use of the school library. Principal Trogisch told Ms. Vollin that
funding for the library will be discussed the next time the administration takes up the school budget.
BUDGET/ENROLLMENT: The LSAT continued its discussion from previous meetings on the impact of the
partnership between SWW and Frances Stevens on SWW’s enrollment and budget. Teachers and
parents have expressed concern that DCPS gave Mr. Trogisch one budget for the two schools based on
each school meeting an enrollment target (585 at SWW and 381 at Frances Stevens), and that Frances
Steven has fallen short in meeting its enrollment target. SWW teachers and parents are worried that
DCPS might cut the budget as a result, and that Mr. Trogisch will then have to cut staff at SWW in the
spring. Mr. Trogisch brought a copy of the budget into the LSAT meeting but said it does not reflect
approximately $96,000 extra in salary (for an IT position and an art history teacher). DCPS somehow
came up with this extra salary money SWW-FS budget had been finalized, according to Mr. Trogisch. He
said he remains optimistic he will not have to cut staff in the spring, but he said that is just his hope and
best guess and not something that has been stated by DCPS. Mr. Lazere noted that DCPS has already
stated that the budget for SWW and FS will be separated next year into two budgets. Mr. Trogisch said
the DCPS assistant superintendent had not informed him of that change.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: Ms. Boland said the HSA has discussed the need to make international school
trips more accessible and affordable to more students, as well as making the trips less disruptive to
academics. The LSAT decided to have a subcommittee look at the issue and make recommendations.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: MS. Isaac said the liaison for international students is SWW counselor
Kathryn Moore. Mr. Trogisch said international students who don’t take their classes seriously can be
asked to leave SWW. Mr. Ackerman said he wished there would be higher participation among the
international students for SWW’s International Day.
CLEANUP OF COMMON AREAS/COMPUTER LABS: Mr. Ackerman said the SWW first floor common area
and computer labs are often left a mess by students. Ms. Isaac said the administration is focusing more
emphasis on requiring students to have more respect for school property. The LSAT proposed that the
school establish a rotating cleanup of the common areas and computer labs, and Ms. Blessing
volunteered to establish the rotating schedule for students.
ENROLLMENT SEASON FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2014: Ms. Isaac reported that the enrollment season for
school year 2014 kicks off on November 13, 2013, with an Open House to recruit new students. A
second Open House will be held January 15, 2014. The admissions test will be held on February 14,
2014, and the admissions interviews will be held March 1, 2014.
JUPITER GRADES: Ms. Kirchner said some parents who attended the 10th grade parent meeting in
October asked her to raise the question at the LSAT of why some SWW teachers don’t use Jupiter
Grades. Ms. Isaac and Mr. Trogisch said all teachers are required to use Jupiter Grades, and that the
administration monitors Jupiter Grades to make sure all teachers are using it. They said they have had
conversations in the last few weeks with some teachers who weren’t using it. Dr. Reidy said he doesn’t
use Jupiter Grades because he doesn’t like its method of assigning percentages to grades. He said he
might start using Jupiter Grades to enter grades for homework assignments.
UPDATE ON DCPS GRADE “BOOST” POLICY: Mr. Lazere reported that the citywide Dual Enrollment
Weighted Grade Working Group is expected to have a proposal in December on DCPS policy regarding
high school students who are dual enrolled in a high school and a college and how it impacts their grade
point averages. (Background: In April 2013, DCPS announced that it was going to begin granting a GPA
“boost” for dual credit courses. Two months later, in June 2013, DCPS rescinded this decision, saying
that the DCPS Office of College and Career Readiness did not have the authority to enact the new GPA
“boost” policy and had failed to engage all stakeholders.)
UPDATE ON SWW PARTNERSHIP WITH FRANCIS STEVENS: Mr. Lazere and Ms. Boland said the working
group that has been meeting since July on the logistical issues of the partnership between SWW and
Francis Stevens should have a proposal ready for DCPS in the coming weeks.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting of the SWW LSAT will be December 4, 2013.
ADJOURNED: The meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:15pm.