August 15, 2012 at 7:00 PM - Regular Board template

Rationale:  BCHS Students - FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) - Brittani Murphy and Bob Jacques

Rationale:  July 15, 2012 Regular Meeting

Rationale:  1. Update on School Openings
2. Update on Middle School Intramurals
3. Changes Regarding CT Accountability System and Common Core State Standards
4. Office Hours

Rationale:  Taffie Clark – STAF – Grade 4 – Effective July 31, 2012
Kimberly-Ann Coyle – NEMS – Technology Education - Effective July 5, 2012
Monica Humphrey – City Wide - .5 Art
Julie Lamontagne – BEHS – English – Effective July 10, 2012
John Ryan – CHMS – Gifted Teacher – Effective July 31, 2012
Erika Urcinas – BEHS – Math – Effective July 13, 2012

Rationale:  Chokshi, Claudia – WB/GH – Spanish Teacher
Machol (Mynarski), Kerilyn – BCHS - Guidance
Mirmina, Shawn – BCHS - Guidance
Saleski, Martha – BEHS – Math Teacher
Thibodeau, Kelly Lynne – BEHS - French Teacher
Wininger, Kathleen – BEHS – Special Education Teacher      

Rationale:  Amanda Robustelli-Price – BCHS – French Teacher – Effective November 19, 2012 through June 30, 2012

Rationale:  See Attached Listing

Rationale: 

The Board of Education annually appoints, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, personnel to fill the A-2 positions in the contract.  The attached list reflects those individuals being recommended.

Vacant A-2 positions will be posted and filled as required by contract.

Rationale:  See attached A-3 Appointment Listing

Rationale:  See attached worksheet

Rationale:  John Hannon- Assistant Football Coach- BEHS, effective July 11, 2012
Kara Macharelli- Assistant Girls Swimming Coach- BEHS, effective July 24, 2012
Kathleen Meehan- Assistant Volleyball Coach- BEHS, effective July 24, 2012
Scott Redman- Assistant Softball Coach- BEHS, effective July 26, 2012

Rationale:  Scott Redman- Head Girls Softball Coach- BEHS, effective 8/1/12
Nicole Shook- Head Girls Softball Coach- BCHS, effective 8/1/12
Andrea Gallo- Assistant Girls Softball Coach, effective 8/15/12

Rationale:  The Adult Education Grant is submitted for approval.  The state’s reimbursement percentage is 52.62% or $258,053.  Our total grant was in the amount of $522,071.

Rationale: 

Bristol is one of 30 districts invited into the Commissioner Pryor’s network of schools. The intent of these funds is to improve student performance and close the subgroup achievement gap. An executive summary of our grant application is attached. We have submitted our application for $1,390,182 to fund preschool and literacy teachers, professional development and other literacy related materials. This grant will fund 9.8 teaching positions, 1.5 paraprofessionals and 1 administrator.

Rationale: 

This grant for the Family Resource Center at South Side School will permit the FRC to continue services to families and students.  West Bristol FRC will implement seven components of service including preschool Play & Learn Groups, school age care, Parents As Teachers home visiting program, home daycare provider training and support, adult education support, positive youth development and resource & referral services.  This is year two of a two year grant, and covers the South Side FRC for  July 1 2012 to June 30, 2013.  The budget is $110,000.00

Rationale: 

The relocation request to move the FRC at O’Connell School to West Bristol School has been approved by SDE.  The grant for the Family Resource Center at West Bristol School will permit the FRC to continue services to families and students.  West Bristol FRC will implement seven components of service including preschool Play & Learn Groups, school age care, Parents As Teachers home visiting program, home daycare provider training and support, adult education support, positive youth development and resource & referral services.  This is year two of a two year grant, and covers the West Bristol FRC for  July 1 2012 to June 30, 2013.  The budget is $110,000.00

Rationale: 

Members of the public are invited to comment to the Board on any topic related to school business.

 

Items requiring consideration by the Board must be approved as an agenda item by a 2/3ds vote of the Board members present.  Such items may be referred for further study and not necessarily acted upon at this meeting.

 

Anyone wishing to address the Board should adhere to the following procedures:

 

1. Sign in on the Public Comment sign-in roster.
2. Wait to be recognized by the Board Chair.
3. Proceed to the speaker’s table.
4. Preface your remarks by stating your name and address.
5. Direct your comments to the Board chairman.
6. Please limit your comments to three minutes.
7. Any comments should be made in an appropriate manner, particularly if concerning a personnel matter.

 

  Board Policy #1120(a)

Rationale:  Two of our oldest schools are retiring. John J. Jennings served the citizens of Bristol for 91 years and Memorial Boulevard for 90 years. With the opening of two new K-8 schools this fall, we are returning these schools to the City.

Rationale: 

Standards affecting social studies curriculum have shifted on the national and state levels, leading to a need for Bristol to re-align its curricula. This process of revision will continue to unfold over a two-year period, and this proposal reflects the first major step addressing the re-alignment in this discipline. Specifically, the bodies of standards driving these changes are: the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in Social Studies / History; and the Connecticut Social Studies Curriculum Framework. 

Under this revision, relatively little of social studies content will change from grade to grade. As has been true in the past, students will learn about their roles and responsibilities in gradually more complex communities, among them their families, schools, city, state, nation, and world. They will continue to learn from history’s lessons to inform their present and future decisions and contributions as citizens.

The major shift in these curricula comes in the area of skill development. The social studies community on both the national and state level has embraced the movement to use this discipline to increase students’ abilities in literacy -- to read, research, argue and write. Furthermore, students will learn and apply 21^st Century skills in collaboration and technology. The expectation is that students will act as historians, geographers, or political scientists to raise questions, to search for evidence and to create arguments to convey their understanding of social studies.            

Rationale: 

A revision to Grade 8 U.S. History curriculum is brought forth for approval. This revision was due as a result of revisions in the state’s curriculum as well as the advent of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History / Social Studies.   

This curriculum aligns to the Connecticut Social Studies Curriculum Framework, which was revised in 2011 and awaits approval by the State Board of Education.  The state framework streamlined the hundreds of previous social studies standards into three major strands: content; literacy; and civic participation. The state framework and Bristol’s curriculum also align with the Common Core State Standards, adopted in Connecticut in 2010, which call for more rigorous expectations in reading, writing, and research in social studies.        

This revision is based on the thoughtful work of Hal Kilby and Matthew Stellmach, social studies teachers at Chippens Hill and Northeast middle schools, respectively. 

Rationale:  It has been a practice of the Bristol Office of Teaching and Learning to maintain the rigor and relevance of  the district’s curriculum by revising it on a regular basis. Such was the case with the French I curriculum, last revised in the 2005-2006 school year.  This spring, French teachers from both Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern worked collaboratively to review each unit of the curriculum, their objective to infuse the type of rigor that would address the district’s heightened expectations, a Tier I goal that all students be well prepared for college. As a result, students will learn more sophisticated grammar and will gain an updated perspective of French culture. This revision will also enhance the use of French instruction as a vehicle for interdisciplinary literacy instruction, especially in the areas of reading for information, writing, and editing -- skills not only tested on CAPT and on the SAT, and eventually on the Smarter Balanced assessment, but also linked to success in various academic areas.

Rationale: 

A revision to the Spanish 2 curriculum is brought forth for approval. This revision was due as a result of an ongoing review process that revealed a need to increase the rigor of the Spanish curriculum at all levels, with the expectation that students would be prepared to study Spanish at the college level. This curriculum revision follows one conducted last year for Spanish I.      

The curriculum aligns to the Connecticut Frameworks Content Standards and is built upon the following Five C’s of world language instruction: communication; culture; connections; comparisons; and communities.

The work of Anya Rochester and Kathleen Archibald, teachers at Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern high schools, respectively, is appreciated in crafting this revision.  

Rationale:  With Connecticut’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts, Bristol’s curricula needed re-alignment. This process of revision will unfold over a two-year period, and this proposal reflects the first major step addressing the re-alignment in this discipline. This revision incorporates the following major shifts of emphasis: from a literature-based approach to a balance of literature and informational texts, that is, fiction and nonfiction; from a focus on reading and writing to one that also includes collaborative speaking and listening as well as systematic grammar and vocabulary development. Students will also be expected to read independently materials of greater complexity to prepare them for the rigors of college and careers.

Rationale: 

Due to increased instructional time in the middle school schedule, the science curricula in grades 6 through 8 have been revised.  As part of this revision, other curricular elements have been incorporated into the new curriculum design including:

• Common Core State Standards;
• Study Skills; and,
• Enrichment and Remedial options for REACH.

Rationale:  The Wellness Curriculum was revised in accordance with the new middle school schedule for Encore classes.  Wellness classes went from 30 sessions to 45 sessions.  The additional classes allowed for the introduction of study skills and the individual Student Success Plans to be incorporated within the Wellness Curriculum.

Rationale:  The band and chorus curricula for grades 6-7-8 have been revised.  These were presented to the Student Achievement committee on July 23, 2012; the committee approved the curricula and moved these on to the full Board for approval.

Rationale: 

Advanced Placement Microeconomics was approved last month by the Board of Education as a new course offering at Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern high schools. To support this course, a committee of social studies teachers from both high schools selected a textbook and makes the following recommendation:   

• Krugman's Microeconomics for AP by Margaret Ray, David Anderson, Paul Krugman and Robin Wells

 Please read the attached documents for details about the selection process, including information regarding the alignment of the textbook with our curricula.

Rationale: 

The Grade 4 Social Studies curriculum was revised to focus on state history, geography, government, economy, resources, and culture. Teachers need a textbook to support that curriculum, and committee of teachers selected the following:

Connecticut by Zachary Kent, published by Scholastic, Inc. in 2008.   

Please read the attached documents for details about the selection process, including information regarding the alignment of the textbook with our curricula.

Rationale: 

The French 1 curriculum was revised to reflect greater rigor. Teachers need a textbook to support the new curriculum.

A committee of teachers and students selected the following:

D’Accord by Jose Blanco and published by Vista Higher Learning.

Please read the attached documents for details about the selection process, including information regarding the alignment of the textbook with our curricula.

Rationale: 

The Spanish 2 curriculum was revised to reflect greater rigor. Teachers need a textbook to support the new curriculum.

A committee of teachers selected the following:

Aventura 2 by Vargas Bonilla and published by EMC.

Please read the attached documents for details about the selection process, including information regarding the alignment of the textbook with our curricula.

Rationale:  1. Aide to the Principal