Connecting
Parent Council Meeting
UNADOPTED MINUTES
1. Call to Order
The meeting was
called to order at
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Roll Call
There were eighteen parent council
members present. Others in attendance included one
5. Consent Calendar
Approval of Minutes
1. Unapproved Minutes of
6. Hearing of the
Public
None
7. Information Items
The report was given to the parent council for review. The
director stated that there is an accreditation button added to the CW website. It has the information on what has happened
so far with our accreditation. There is an accreditation timeline and we are
happy to report that we are right on schedule. She also stated that there is a
leadership team that meets monthly to establish, summarize, clarify or define
what’s needed to complete the timeline and meet the WASC expected guidelines
for accreditation. There will be a WASC Accreditation team coming
The report was given to the parent council for review. The director stated that 83% of our student population completed STAR testing last spring and 95% is our actual goal set for the school and the federal government. A parent asked if the accreditation team would be looking at the percentage of our testing to see if we are doing good or not. The director stated that the higher percentage is better, but that they are not just looking at that but reviewing our overall program. Another parent said that she has asked and encouraged others to test if they like the choices we have as a charter.
The parent council president noted that the high school
students have room for improvement on the CAHSEE. The charts are just a visual
to let us know how we are doing compared to WUSD and that this is just one of
the forms of assessments we do have. One of the benefits we have over a
traditional school is that we do not have a one-size fits all program. CWCS can
provide one on one tutoring and also go with the student’s interest of study.
The ES and parents will know the best for each of students and the progress
that is being made. Traditional schools are looking at STAR blue prints when
testing. The director stated that we worked with WUSD and also with the help of
statisticians we were able to create our own Benchmark exams. The benchmarks
were created in Edusoft and are accessible to all students. The director asked
for a show of hands of those using Edusoft. Several have signed up, but have
not yet used this tool. The director let them know that the benchmarks would be
available though their ES. One parent said that she did remember that there was
a training session for Edusoft for the ES’s and parents at a previous time in
C. Attendance Report
The report was given to the parent council for review. The
parent council president noted that the high school enrollment is higher when
compared to the other grades and that
The report was given to the parent council for review.
The report was given to the parent council for review.
The report was given to the parent council for review. The parent council president asked how many new ES’s have been hired. The director stated that we have hired about 5 new ES’s, for a total of 71 ES’s. The parent council president stated that he was surprised there was so many ES’s. It was noted that our enrollment has increased.
The report was given to the parent council for review. The parent council president announced that everyone should be receiving all of their information by e-mail for GEA’s postings and sign-ups information. The director stated that all the School Sponsored GEA’s were also in the newsletter.
The report was given to the parent council for review. CWCS had hired a School Counselor and letters from her to the seniors have been mailed out. All letters for 9th through 11th grades will be going out in October and given to students by their ES. It was noted to check the on-line newsletter for updates on counseling items.
I.
The report was given to the parent council for review.
J. Treasurers Report
The report was given to the parent council for review. The parent council president mentioned that at the last meeting the Parent Council voted to make the new school secretary would also be a signer on the checking account once hired. The secretary and the treasurer are both signers on the account at this time. The treasurer noted that the bank had made an error on the last fundraising account statement that will be corrected on next statement. She also requested that the statement be faxed to her monthly. She also stated that there had not been any deposits during this period of time.
K. Vendor Report
The report was given to the parent council for review. The director stated that New Horizon’s had great courses available. The parent council president mentioned that he has taken computer courses through New Horizon’s and he found it to be really beneficial. He also stated that his son is in the Navy and they have hired New Horizon’s to provide additional training for their computer specialists. One parent stated that all fields for vendors on the website are not completed. She would like to know the services provided by the vendors. The director stated that we are currently going through the tutoring vendor’s and we will be working to get the entire vendor’s list completely updated with detailed information. One parent stated that it seemed to be a long process to get the vendors approved because of all the forms and paperwork. The director stated that it all depends on the vendor and whether they are a business or not. She stated that she has been able to get some vendors approved rather fast without problems, but then it all depends on the vendor and their diligence in returning the paperwork.
8. Director’s Report
The director summarized the director’s report. The Back to
school night had a great turn out. The new counselor was there and spoke to
high school students and parents on relevant high school issues. It was noted
that new usernames and passwords have been distributed for Edusoft. The new
usernames and passwords can be obtained from the ESs. Enrollment would be capped at 1500
9. Discussion Items
The following were suggestions from the council: donate to a
women’s shelter, donate overseas, sell books and use as a fundraiser, and have
an adopt a book program in order to purchase other needed items. The director said
she will check these suggestions to see if they comply with the education codes
and get back to the group at our next meeting. The group has decided not to put
a dollar amount on items to be disposed of until we obtain further information.
The WUSD board representative said that he would find out how
It was suggested that the following activities would be good
sound events: paintball, laser tag, prom dance, New Years dance and game night
at the centers. The director stated that we could look into these events if we
had a parent who was willing to lead out. One parent volunteered to take charge
of a Game Night at the
The parent council president stated that there is a policy in effect to replace parent council members who resign due to moving, child no longer in school, etc. The alternate list should always be maintained with five persons and we have had to use three alternates. The director asked for suggestions for parent council alternates. Seven suggestions were presented to the council for consideration. The nominees will be contacted to see if they will serve as alternates.
10. Council Comments
The director asked the group “What can your ES / School do for you in order to improve the education of your students?” The following suggestions were: More tutors in a variety of subjects; tutors available during evenings; quicker approval process; ordering books at a cheaper rate; and a way to reduce shipping cost from local vendors.
The committee sign-up sheet was passed around and each council member was asked to sign up for at least two committees.
11. Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at
The next Parent Council Meeting: