STEERING

=Welcome to the Skaith Steering Committee Wikispace!!=

===In preparation for our meeting on August 4th, I would like you to interact with the following questions by discussing your thoughts here in this space. By sharing out our thinking here before our meeting, I hope to make our meeting on August 4th as effective and efficient as possible. The hope is that we will be ready to make decisions at the meeting without the need for time spent discussing the issues much, since that will be taken care of here ahead of time.===

Instructions:
===When you are ready to write your thoughts, click on the "edit" button by the pencil in the upper right corner. Choose a font color for yourself before you write, and identify yourself under the first question so that we know who is writing. A sample is provided under topic number one. Next, write your thoughts about each question in the wikispace. When you are finished, click on save in the upper right of the toolbar (this toolbar appears after you click on "edit"). Most importantly, you should check back a few times before the 4th to see what others are saying and continue on with the conversation by responding to each other. Be sure you check back on the evening of the 3rd before our meeting on the 4th so that you are ready for our meeting. Thanks for taking part in the Skaith Steering Committee wikispace!!===

__Topic One: Changing your font color__
This is just a sample topic to show you how to respond with a font color and to identify yourself on this wiki. To change your font color, click on the T with the art palette behind it in the upper left of the tool bar. When the pop-up box opens, click on the black box next to text color, and options will open up for you. Choose your color, and click on "apply styles." After you have done this, please follow the format listed below to identify yourself:

Jennifer Patterson is writing in blue. Another Sample is writing in pink. Susan Memarian is writing in Husker Red! Gayle Strasser is purple. Shannon Foster is green Jennifer Frazier is writing in olive. Chris Goetz is gray. Debbie Foster is yellow. Paula Swords is writing in orange. Dana Adams is writing in black, even though I clicked on navy blue :)

Nancy Kirby is writing in pink, sorry I've had problems! Breanne Preston is writing in a pretty green

Note: There aren't enough font colors for everyone. For this reason, at the end of each comment you make on a topic below, please also put your initials. Here's a sample: I'm hearing lots of complaints about the way that the bus room is managed. (JP) The bus room is really crowded, and there isn't enough supervision. (AS)

Ok -- we're ready -- let's get started!!! :)

__Topic Two: Bus Room and Bus Duty__
Here's the issue -- no schedule has been written for bus duty yet. Matt didn't create one in the case that we want to try something different. Since I'm new, I don't know what the problems are with the way that we do buses at Skaith, and Edison didn't really have any bus riders (maybe 50 total?) so this is a pretty new issue for me. Please share your opinion about the following:

__What are the current issues with the bus room?__
The students are so noisy and sometimes downright rude that it is difficult to hear the bus numbers being called out. Also since there are so many different teachers on duty (rotating) that there is no consistency in consequences for their behavior. (SM) I agree with Susan we probably have half is not more of our students in the bus room and it is enough to give you a migraine! (SF) Thanks, Shannon! (SM) I agree. We worked on creating schoolwide rules to use this next year but consistancy is key. (CG) The bus room is a headache in waiting. Different teachers have different expectations even though we have discussed the issues as a staff in the past. I just want to be able to leave the bus room at the end of the day feeling calm and collected! (BP) ===__What ideas do you have for changes that could be made to the way Skaith does bus rider dismissal?__===

I would like to see walkers and car riders dismissed from our rooms at 3:10. We would need someone on the playground to be sure they are picked up.Maybe one teacher from a team like we do now. I would like to have bus riders called from our rooms, one bus at a time, and students leave from there. No bus riders would be called until 3:20. Maybe one teacher from each floor could monitor loading. The teachers who are monitoring the playground or the bus loading could leave their bus riders in another class. Gayle

Maybe Mrs. Starr could help with these duties. Gayle Loving it!!! (SF) Gayle has excellent points-- how about other staff (same people) that do not have a class could cover the bus rider dismissal instead classes being joined-this would cut down on confusion. Either same people or the same expectations and consequences daily. (SM) Gayle, who is Mrs. Starr? Sorry, I just wanted to know what we were discussing. (JF)

Joyce Starr, city council woman. Mrs. Starr is a new para who will be covering classes during sub times during JPED. She will have additional duties (lunchroom with Connie, she is Connie's mom) and will not be at Skaith on Mondays. (GS)

I could go with this idea. (CG) I love your ideas. I think that grade level bus rooms would be great. Grade levels could probably come up with their own rotation to use. Who are we thinking could cover loading busses? Are we thinking other classroom teachers not having bus room, special teachers or paras? (DF) My only concern is the time that it takes to get the kids out. When I taught at Hyde it took almost 30 minutes. I also worry about the delay caused by older siblings feeling that they have to pick up younger ones. Coleman does this procedure and it seems to work well. All walkers and car riders are dismissed first over the intercom and them buses as they arrive. (NK) I like the idea of grade level bus rooms also. As far as siblings are concerned, maybe they could just meet in the cafeteria before they get on the bus? Maybe have the siblings off to the side until they meet up? I'm trying to picture this in my head.. so the bus riders will go into a grade level room, then as the buses get there, each number is called.. will there be someone watching the halls? Maybe one teacher can stay in the room and one go with them to the cafeteria? I'm just picturing a rush of kids clogging the hallway as each bus is called ;-) I agree with Nancy as far as time being an issue because usually a few busses get there at the same time. (PS)

I love the ideas- just need to make sure my kindergarteners aren't getting lost in the shuffle- thats why we tend to dismiss a few minutes before everyone else so they don't get lost in all that goes on! (BP)

I would think the classroom teacher with bus duty could stand in their doorway and dismiss their kids. They could help monitor the kids in the hallway as they pass their room. I think having someone at the cafeteria door to greet kids would be good. Then we could have someone watching the kids load. I like Paula's idea of having students meet up with siblings in the cafeteria.I

I agree with grade level bus rooms. If there were teachers in the hallways to keep the kids moving, there wouldn't be kids lingering, or too many kids traveling at one time. (DJA) I was wondering...who is guiding the walkers/car riders out of the building and making sure that they leave with no problems? (SM) Susan- I think it would be the 3rd teacher (or other with 6th grade) who isn't handling the bus riders. We would do rotations within grade levels with what we've come up with so far, if I'm understanding this correctly (PS)

__Topic Three: Student Arrival in the morning, and Morning Duty__
Again, here's the issue -- Matt didn't create a schedule in the case that we want to try something different. I have some ideas, but would like to hear from you about issues and ideas surrounding this topic. Please share your opinion about the following: ===__What are the current issues with student arrival in the morning (on the playground)?__===

Once again, inconsistent expectations are an issue. Students don't know from one week to the next what they are allowed to do. Gayle

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Ditto Gayle! (sm) =====

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Also students arriving way to early (like before teachers) and roaming the hallways. (CG) ===== I agree with Gayle (BP) ===__What ideas do you have for changes that could be made to the way Skaith does morning arrival and duty?__=== I would like to see consistency with the expectations for the students. I would also like for students to meet outside the classrooms and sit along the walls. It would save time with getting started in the morning. We could make sure students have books to read, either in their backpacks or a book basket. I know many of the younger grades did this last year when we were inside and it helped with noise level. Teachers could still rotate the duty. Students would need to be trained to do this. Gayle I'm wondering about having the students come into the building in the mornings and sitting in the halls next to their classroom doors. They would have to sit along the walls, and staff would have to be on duty inside the building. Thoughts? (JP) I totally agree the playground in the morning is an issue either people are late for duty or forget which I am very guilty of, I like it better when they are inside I let them come in and then we start getting motivated and settled for the day!!! (SF) Ditto again ladies! Great points however, what do we do with the kids that get to school really early(either by bus or walking or dropped off)? There were issues with some students going into a classroom without the teacher being present-ex. she was at an IEP or steering meeting ?? Plus we need consistent expectations for proper behavior and consequences for poor choices in behavior!!!!!(SM) I too prefer them to line up inside. With the 1st, 2nd, 3rd hallway having eight classrooms do we need 2 people on duty in the mornings? (CG) I like the idea of lining up inside too. I think right from the beginning we need to be on top of the students arriving too early. We need to have a note sent out about times they can arrive and come into the building. Everytime someone arrives to early we need to be calling parents. Do you think this will really help them from being dropped off too early??? (DF) I like the idea of lining the students up inside also. Could this also be a grade level rotation? Just throwing an idea out there. Because I know with the 3rd/2nd/1st hallway, that is a lot of ground and a lot of kids for one person to handle? Or maybe 2 people per hallway, as Chris suggested. Because, as I think through this, I know some teachers may not agree to it or have other duties of a morning and I don't want any one grade level to not have a fair rotation. Hopefully if students (and parents) are trained, then we can cut down on problems and students arriving early. (PS) If the arrival time of 8:15 is very clear to parents and children, the sitting time for the kiddos in the hall is short and could be managed with reading a book. Some teachers like to have kids come in very early for tutoring, and when other kids saw that, they thought it was ok for everyone to come in early. Debbie--love the yellow, but can't read what you have written :) Dana I like having them inside due to the fact that when they are outside, they tend to get a little too excited at times and it can get the day started out crazy. However I have noticed that with them sitting in the hallway they are calmer and ready to focus on their day! (BP)

I called the bus company yesterday and adjusted the drop-off times in the morning. The first buses will drop off at 8:15 in the morning (the bus company had some set to drop off at 8:10 or 8:12). We would need to have someone available to meet the buses, and then staff on duty starting at 8:15. Is this the time your duty has started in the past? If we go with the idea of bringing the kids inside in the morning, which it sounds like is the majority vote in these comments, we will need to identify locations in the building for classes to sit and for staff to be on supervision duty. I will bring copies of the building floor plan to our meeting tomorrow for us to look at. (JP)