Community Council

4- Community Council meetings- Meetings for the 2018-19 school year will be held on the first Tuesday of the month at 4:00

5-Nominations- This item was tabled till next month when more council members are present.

Fairfield Jr. High Community Council Meeting

October 2^nd, 2018

Attendees: Kreg Edgmon, Janalee Jones, Brooke Anderson, Tammy Egbert, Jay Nolan, Muriel Mann, Lindsay Baird, Rick Miller, Cynthia Johnson, Megan Clark

Absentees: Heidi Murdock, Kristen Sims, Emily King, Bryon Nielsen, Whitney Krahn

Fairfield Jr. High Community Council Meeting

November 6, 2018

Agenda

1-      Cell Phone Usage – Mr. Nolan

2-      Resource Officer update – Heidi Murdock

Community Council Members, 2018-2019

Community                                                     School

Heidi Murdock (2)                                          Bryon Nielsen, Principal

Kristen Sims (1)                                              Muriel Mann, Asst. Principal

Kreg Edgmon (2)                                            Rick Miller, Asst. Principal

Cynthia Johnson (2)                                        Tammy Egbert, Counselor

Janalee Jones (2)                                             Jay Nolan, Art & Photography Teacher

Brooke Anderson (1)                                      Whitney Krahn, French Dual Language Teacher

Lindsay Baird (1)

Emily King (1)

Megan Clark (1)

* The numbers in the parentheses indicate whether this is the first or second year of the two-year term for that parent representative.

• Studies show that those who put their cellphones away rather than keeping in their pocket did better than if they kept it in their pocket, because when they received notifications they could feel it in their pocket and it would cause anxiety.
• Our current school policy is that the cell phone is to be put away during class time and can be out in the cell free zone, during lunch. Which is a typical policy with other schools.
• Mr. Nolan has a lockbox in his class that is voluntary.  His students receive a candy when they put their cell phone in the lockbox.  He said it is working fairly well, he has taken away 2 cell phones so far this year.
• Mr. Dixon, has a mandatory lockbox, but he is still confiscating cell phones.
• Emily King expressed concern that the students during lunch and intervention are not interacting with each other because they are on their phones instead of talking with each other.
• Mrs. Krahn expressed that kids should be able to put their phone away for 1 1/2 hours a day while they are in class.
• Kristen Sims said that teachers have so much to do that they shouldn’t need to do one more thing.  She proposed we change the policy to be from bell to bell no cell phones.
• Mr. Nolan expressed that part of a teachers job is to manage whether it is a cell phone or something else.  There needs to be exceptions in place where a child could have their cell phone with them in class.  To take pictures of slides for note taking, looking up information, etc.  Some students have special needs that a cell phone can be beneficial for them.
• Kreg presented a handout, attached with minutes. He expressed that kids are not developmentally equipped to handle cell phones at school.  He was in favor of the bell to bell proposal
• Dr Mann expressed that it will be very hard to manage a bell to bell policy.  We should ban completely rather than try to manage. She suggested we leave the policy as it is.
• Ideas were suggested that the school purchase bags to keep the phones in during the day.  They have a lock with a key, they would be rented out to the kids.  Dr. Mann express that we do not have the personnel or the resources to manage such an undertaking.  Suggestions were given to ask parents to volunteer to handle this.
• Mrs. Egbert expressed that on a daily basis, she is dealing with mental health issues that are tied to cell phone usage.  She expressed that we should find funding to pay for, to install, and regulate a bell to bell policy.
• We proposed that Emily and Kreg would come up with a new policy to present to the community council at our meeting in January.  We would move forward from there.

2-      Heidi Murdock gave an update on our resource officer.  She talked to the assistant superintendent Davis School district.  He said that each junior high has a resource officer for 12 hours a week.  And this has been the case for the past 5 years.  The Kaysville police chief has said that they would hire 2 more officers this next year in hopes of have the resource officers in the schools for more hours.  Heidi and Janalee are going to meet with the police chief to clarify that this is the goal of hiring the 2 new officers.

3-      Brigit Gerrard – expressed her thanks for our service on the Community council.

Next meeting January, 8, 2019

Meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Fairfield Jr. High Community Council Meeting

January 8, 2018

Agenda

1-      Digital Citizenship Training – Mr. Nielsen

2-      School Land Trust discussion and allocation – Mr. Nielsen

3-      Cell Phone usage proposal – Emily and Kreg

Community Council Members, 2018-2019

Community                                                     School

Heidi Murdock (2)                                          Bryon Nielsen, Principal

Kristen Sims (1)                                              Muriel Mann, Asst. Principal

Kreg Edgmon (2)                                            Rick Miller, Asst. Principal

Cynthia Johnson (2)                                        Tammy Egbert, Counselor

Janalee Jones (2)                                             Jay Nolan, Art & Photography Teacher

Brooke Anderson (1)                                      Whitney Krahn, French Dual Language Teacher

Lindsay Baird (1)

Emily King (1)

Megan Clark (1)

* The numbers in the parentheses indicate whether this is the first or second year of the two-year term for that parent representative.

Fairfield Jr. High Community Council Meeting

January 8, 2019

In attendance: Janalee Jones, Lindsay Baird, Cynthia Johnson, Emily King, Megan Clark, Mrs. Egbert, Mr. Nolan, Kreg Edgmon, Brooke Anderson, Dr Mann, Mr S. Dixon

Not in attendance: Mr. Nielsen, Mr. Miller, Mrs. Krahn, Kristen Sims, Heidi Murdock

1.   Digital Citizenship Training – Mrs. Mann

    a.       Janalee received an email from Natalie Gordon with online training information for the council.

               i.      The training can be found on the school board website under “Community Council”, “Training”, Training is named Digital Citizenship.

                ii.      Some council members have already viewed the training. Those who have not will need to review the training material.

     b.      Digital Citizenship for students is reviewed during 4^th and 8^th periods at the beginning of the year and during the new semester.

                i.      Students and parents sign computer acceptable use agreement.

                ii.      District monitors content.

                iii.      Teachers can see what has been viewed on student’s computers and other school devices.

      c.       Discussed the possibility of hosting a screening of Screenagers for students and parents.

                 i.      This would need to be prescreened and approved before students can view.

                 ii.      Kreg will follow up with pricing and possibility of prescreening.

2.      School Land Trust discussion and allocation – Mrs. Mann

         a.      Reviewed previous year goals and budget expenditures for the land trust.

         b.      Discussed how the 

expenditures last year improved student education.

         c.       Reviewed Sage scores for 2017 and 2018.

                   i.      New testing product will be used this year, the format is similar to the Sage testing.

3.      Cell Phone usage proposal – Emily and Kreg

          a.      Presentation by Emily with four options for cell phone usage by students.

                    i.      Council agreed to propose to administration the away for the day option.

                    ii.      Discussed community council’s role.

         1.      The community council is an advisory committee that can make formal recommendations to the administration on policy changes. It is then up to the administration to decide whether to adopt the recommended policy.

Community Council Members, 2018-2019

Community                                                     School

Heidi Murdock (2)                                          Bryon Nielsen, Principal

Kristen Sims (1)                                               Muriel Mann, Asst. Principal

Kreg Edgmon (2)                                            Rick Miller, Asst. Principal

Cynthia Johnson (2)                                       Tammy Egbert, Counselor

Janalee Jones (2)                                           Jay Nolan, Art & Photography Teacher

Brooke Anderson (1)                                       Whitney Krahn, French Dual Language Teacher

Lindsay Baird (1)

Emily King (1)

Megan Clark (1)

* The numbers in the parentheses indicate whether this is the first or second year of the two-year term for that parent representative.

Fairfield Jr High Community Council Meeting

February 5, 2019

 Agenda

1-     School Improvement Plan – Mr Nielsen

2-     School Land Trust discussion and allocation – Mr. Nielsen

Community Council Members, - 2018 – 2019

Community                                                  School

Heidi Murdock (2)                                      Bryon Nielsen, Principal

Kristen Sims (1)                                          Muriel Mann, Asst. Principal

Kreg Edgmon (2)                                        Rick Miller, Asst. Principal

Cynthia Johnson (2)                                   Tammy Egbert, Counselor

Janalee Jones (2)                                        Jay Nolan, Art & Photography teacher

Brooke Anderson (1)                                 Whitney Krahn, French Dual Lang. teacher

Lindsay Baird (1)

Emily King (1)

Megan Clark (1)

·        The number in parentheses indicate whether this is the first or second year of the two-year term for that parent representative

Fairfield Junior High Community Council Meeting Notes

February 5, 2019

Fairfield Jr. High Community Council Meeting

March 5, 2019

Agenda

1-      Vote on School Land Trust Allocation

-          Next Community Council – April 9, 2019 – second Tuesday, due to first Tuesday being Spring Break

Community Council Members, 2018-2019

Community                                                     School

Heidi Murdock (2)                                          Bryon Nielsen, Principal

Kristen Sims (1)                                              Muriel Mann, Asst. Principal

Kreg Edgmon (2)                                            Rick Miller, Asst. Principal

Cynthia Johnson (2)                                        Tammy Egbert, Counselor

Janalee Jones (2)                                             Jay Nolan, Art & Photography Teacher

Brooke Anderson (1)                                      Whitney Krahn, French Dual Language Teacher

Lindsay Baird (1)

Emily King (1)

Megan Clark (1)

* The numbers in the parentheses indicate whether this is the first or second year of the two-year term for that parent representative.

Fairfield Junior High 
Community Council Meeting Minutes
September 6, 2017 – 4 pm

In attendance: Bryon Nielsen - Principal, TJ Strain - Asst. Principal, Kimberly Wagner - Chair, Scott Montgomery, Lynette Checketts, Rosie Chada, Tracie Mcewen-Garritson,  Heidi Murdock, Janet Loureiro, Chaleh Trujillo, Jay Nolan, Beth Williams, Michael Thomspon

Following brief introductions, the council was informed/reminded of the purpose and responsibility of community council, which is primarily to oversee the local distribution of the trust land funds and ensure that they are being used to help best meet our school goals.

The Fairfield Junior High school improvement plan is based on the school’s mission statement, which is to ensure high levels of learning for ALL students, and on the areas of focus for FFJH. Mr. Nielsen gave an overview of the current goals and action steps in place.

Goal 1 - 80% mastery of the curriculum. Last year FFHJ met that goal overall as a school with only 2 sub-areas not reaching that mastery level.
Goal 2 – To score above the Davis School District averages in all areas for the CRT testing (Sage). Those results will be coming in the next few weeks. Kimberly asked that we have that comparative data at our next meeting to evaluate if current efforts are being effective.
Goal 3 – Literacy, to have all students at or above grade level in literacy.

The 2017-18 Trust land budget was presented and explained by Mr. Nielsen.
    
7 productivity periods – $45,500.00 - Typical teachers teach 6 periods. FFJH added the option to teach a seventh (almost 4 are now doing so), which was less expensive than paying for another teacher and allows class sizes to decrease. These teachers still have a prep period (90 minutes) every other day.

Coordinators (labs, intervention, lunch and learning, volunteer, literacy) - $25,750.00 – These areas assist in supporting struggling students and reaching our school goals.

Professional Development - $8,750.00 – Used to send teachers to professional learning communities and conferences.

Literacy Coaches - $20,000 – Four people with a background in English have been hired to assist teachers in offering feedback to students on writing assignments. Three are used for Language Arts, and the other one is for all other subject areas.

A question was raised about new teacher orientation. The current procedure is that Dr. Mann meets monthly with the new teacher, the Evaluate Davis program is in place, and school and district mentors are provided. A conversation about Evaluate Davis ensued. Beth Williams suggested having 2 full class period evaluations rather than the four 20 minute evaluations and also suggested to eliminate the surprise element of the evaluation. 

We discussed the programs currently in place for at-risk students. A few of them include: Falcon Academy, Hope Squad, mindfulness groups, Peer Support, Read 180, Mr. Rosenberg’s “Guy Group,” and teacher tracking. These students are discussed by the grade level teams and have teachers have also met with the parents in the spring PTC. While the students’ grades did not dramatically change, it was still felt that the effort did have desirable results.
 
The school dress code was next addressed. The administration is considering sending a survey monkey to parents to see if the policy is in line with what our community deems to be important. The conversation included: dress code prepares students for real life; there is a correlation between behavior and performance and dress and grooming; kids should be allowed to express themselves in dress, it if is appropriate; students don’t always know when they choose their clothing that it is inappropriate; and that we should narrow down the code and simplify it. Perhaps with education and input there would be more support from the parents. The conclusion was for the administration to consider whether or not to do the survey with the support of the council.

Finally, it was noted that we need additional parents on our council. Of the three feeder elementary schools, (Morgan, Creekside and Layton), there is no representation from Layton Elementary. Chaleh Trujillo said she would reach out to PTA volunteers from the Layton Elementary area to see if they are interested. The teachers mentioned that some faculty members live in that area and have students at FFJH and they may be interested in being involved or nominating someone.  Mr. Nielsen said that a special election would not be necessary, the parent could be appointed. 

Our meeting schedule was adjusted to the first Monday of every month at 4 pm.
Next meeting will be Monday, October 2, 2017.

Meeting was adjourned at 5:10

Fairfield Junior High 
Community Council Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 2, 2017 – 4 pm

In attendance: Bryon Nielsen - Principal, TJ Strain - Asst. Principal, Kimberly Wagner - Chair, Scott Montgomery, Lynette Checketts, Rosie Chada, Tracie Mcewen-Garritson,  Janet Loureiro, Chaleh Trujillo, Jay Nolan, Beth Williams, Michael Thomspon, Cynthia Johnson, Kreg Edgmon, Janalee Jones

Two new parent representative members of the FFJH Community Council were introduced. Welcome Cynthia Johnson and Janalee Jones. 

SAGE data
Mr. Nielsen explained the results of the Sage testing for last year. Our school performed best in the math testing at 61%, which is above both the state and the district averages. Our science score, 54%, is slightly below the district average, but is above the state average. The language arts score is 45.3%, which is below both the district and the state. Mr. Nielsen stated that our goal to improve literacy is well placed and should help to address this issue by adding readers (literacy coaches) who will give students live feedback and more opportunities to write.

When asked what was working so well for the math department, Mr. Nielsen remarked that they work together well as a department and have aligned curriculum. The science team is working toward this same goal. In addressing the language arts strategies, Mr. Thompson commented that language arts spans all disciplines, and that there is a difference between making people write and teaching writing. Kimberly mentioned that our plan (adding readers) reflects a good direction of focus, but that it will take time to see quantifiable results.

Standards-based grading
We next discussed standards based grading. The department heads commented on this issue pointing out that in exact disciplines (math and science) this method can be effective. Whereas in the arts and parts of English there is an interpretation factor that needs to be considered. The administrators mentioned that each department will need to find what fits best, that it will take time, and reiterated that the goal is proficiency in the subject material.

National Junior Honors Society standards
Mrs. Garritson addressed her desire to adjust the school’s GPA standards for NJHS. Currently the requirement is for the students to have a 3.75 gpa each term. It was decided to maintain that GPA, but change to a cumulative GPA. The service requirements and citizenship standards will remain the same, with the exception of adding specific language about truancy and plagiarism being unacceptable. The council approved the recommended changes.

Parent volunteers
Kreg Edgmon next discussed his desire to have more parent involvement at our school. He sent a myth/fact informative paper in advance to the council looking for feedback. Some of the group mentioned a little confusion in the specific role of the volunteer, whether we were looking for specific duties or just a presence at the school. Mr. Strain mentioned that he disagreed with some of the myths and suggested it be reworded before presented to parents. It was asked if our school has a drug/gang/or bullying issue that would require additional support from parents. Mr. Nielsen said that while he is sure drugs and gangs and bullying is part of our school, there is a very low presence and that the faculty and administration work hard to identify at-risk students and work with them. Bullying is a tricky issue, but also has protocol in place when properly identified. Mr. Nielsen mentioned that an additional adult presence usually has a positive impact on behavior and is helpful before school, during lunch and after school.  Mr. Strain pointed out, though, that parents have no authority, which can potentially cause problems. He also mentioned that having adult men “hang out” at lunch with young girls is not a great idea. They both mentioned that it is quite an imposition on parents to come just to stand around for such short periods of time. 

The following points are portions of our ensuing conversation. Mr. Nolan addressed his concern that Fairfield did not seem to have a strong community and culture element. He feels that this is the pride that is displayed after school at extracurricular events and wondered if there could be some activity to promote more school spirit. Beth Williams suggested that it perhaps is the duty of the faculty and administration to determine their needs/desires first before we organize a volunteer force. Cynthia Johnson shared her perspective that she would always support a request from her child first, then from the teacher, and lastly from an outside group. Mr. Thompson mentioned that high schools have booster clubs that are run by groups and perhaps that would help bolster school spirit. The connection was then made that these groups are rarely parent appointed, but that the coach or adviser typically solicits the support and then parents volunteer where they are able. Kimberly asserted that this conversation was helpful and that we needed to further clarify our role before proceeding.

Lunch staffing
We briefly discussed the length of the lunch lines and learned that the lunch room in understaffed. It was brought up that perhaps this could be a good use of a volunteer, but that they would need to have certain qualifications.

Finally, Janalee Jones volunteered to be the Vice Chair for the Community Council. Thanks Janalee!
 
Meeting was adjourned at 5:15

Fairfield Junior High 
Community Council Meeting Minutes
Monday, November 6, 2017 – 4 pm

In attendance: Bryon Nielsen - Principal, TJ Strain - Asst. Principal, Kimberly Wagner - Chair, Scott Montgomery, Lynette Checketts, Janet Loureiro, Chaleh Trujillo, Jay Nolan, Michael Thomspon, Cynthia Johnson, Kreg Edgmon, Janalee Jones

Approval of minutes – Motion made by Cynthia Johnson and seconded by TJ Strain

Parent Involvement - There was a discussion on parent involvement at the junior high level and the specific needs at the school. Kreg mentioned that his goal is to not have volunteers be a burden for the school, but that parent involvement was critical for students during junior high years. He mentioned that this is a time when students with appropriate support can self-correct. We then discussed what “involvement” looks like at this stage for families.  Mr. Nelson submitted that to have parents who monitor homework and make sure their student is at school would be beneficial. Mr. Strain mentioned that monitoring social media would be beneficial. Mr. Montgomery suggested that our attention on involvement should be on things that are presented as needs. If teachers or programs need help, then supportive parents can volunteer. 

Dad’s and Donuts and FFJH newletter- It was determined that we use Dad’s and Donuts and a school wide newsletter to inform parents of good things that are happening at the school as well as upcoming activities. This could be the means to also communicate volunteer needs, and to educate families on ways they can best support their student. Kreg volunteered to lead a group of parents to collaborate on a quarterly newsletter. Mrs. Loureiro mentioned her concern that the newsletter be supervised and disseminated through an official FFJH medium. Chaleh agreed that the PTA could be that source. Kreg agreed to send someone from his committee to the PTA meetings.

The Science Olympiad team was discussed briefly. The school has appointed a parent volunteer to stand as the school employee to oversee Science Olympiad in order to be in compliance with school rules for clubs and organizations. Kimberly mentioned that she felt that Science Olympiad adds much to our culture as a school.

We discussed the current programs funded by the community council. 

Readers - Mr. Thompson reported that there are 4 “readers” who can get up to 6 hours a week and that it was starting to be used more throughout all the departments.

Lunch and Learn - Lynette Sealy has been hired to run the lunch and learn program. Students are invited to lunch and learn if they fall behind in their classwork due to “will” issues, and not “abilities.” While there are reported kinks to be worked out, Mr. Thompson mentioned that last term he was able to see significant improvements in 12 of his 9th grade English students because of this program. 

Chaleh introduced the council to the Leader in Me program, which is based on the 7 Habits for Highly Successful people. Mr. Nelson felt it could be beneficial but hesitated to ask teachers to add material that would take away from the class work. It was agreed that is was worth an investigation. 

Meeting adjourned – 5:05

Fairfield Junior High
Community Council Meeting Minutes
Monday, January 8, 2018– 4 pm

In attendance: Bryon Nielsen - Principal, Kimberly Wagner - Chair, Scott Montgomery, Lynette Checketts, Janet Loureiro, Chaleh Trujillo, Jay Nolan, Michael Thomspon, Cynthia Johnson, Kreg Edgmon, Janalee Jones, Beth Williams; Tracie-McEwen-Garritson

Approval of minutes – Motion was made by Chaleh and seconded by Kimberly

LEADER IN ME – Corbin White presented on the Leader in Me program. Mr. Birch, Creekside Elementary’s principal, also spoke to the benefits of this program as it relates to his school. It is based on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and the program incorporates those habits into the vernacular of the classroom and the whole school environment. Mr. White reported that Leader in Me schools are seeing great improvement in behavior and student performance.

Teachers would be involved in 5 days of training (3 during the summer) in the first year. There would be a gradual transition (over a period of 3 years) that would involve coaching and training for the faculty and staff and also available for parents.

Some of the issues that could create problems include a change in principal and the cost.
The funding details are: $47,989.95 for the start-up year; $17,700 for year 2; and $17,754.69 for year 3. Each ongoing year would be $11,239.12 .
The Community Council is authorized to allocate 5% of the budget for leadership. The additional funds would likely come from donations or fund raising.

Chaleh is checking with the private donor who has sponsored the Creekside program to see if there is an interest in continuing this program at FFJH.
Kimberly encouraged everyone to investigate this opportunity before the February meeting where we will have a more educated discussion. The Leader in Me book will be available to any who would like to look it over before the February meeting. All are invited to attend The Leader in Me seminar on March 22.

Parent Involvement – We briefly commented about the newsletter that Kreg had put together. It contained information about the PTA Reflections winners and resources for parents as well as upcoming events and new teacher spotlights. Many had seen the newsletter and were happy with the information.

Mr. Nelson and Kimberly both mentioned that they would like to see more recognition for individual students in this newsletter.

Meeting adjourned – 5:05

Fairfield Junior High Community Council Meeting Held on February 5, 2018
In Attendance:
Bryon Nielsen, Principal
Muriel Mann, Asst. Principal
Tracie McEwan-Garritson, Counselor
Janet Loureiro, Teacher
Jay Nolan, Teacher
Michael Thompson, Teacher
Kimberly Wagner, Chair
Lynette Checketts (Excused early)
Kreg Edgmnon
Cynthia Johnson
Beth Williams
Chaleh Trujillo

1. “The Leader in Me” program was discussed and reviewed.
a. The cost of the program is a concern. There may be a possibility that some funding could be obtained from the same person who is funding it for Creekside Elementary. Council funds for leadership are limited and would not come close to covering the cost. Mr. Nielsen mentioned that the cost for the first 3 years is more than $80,000.

b. Also, there was discussion whether we want to implement the program. Some of the teachers at Fairfield already implement the ideas found in “7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.” There was some discussion about whether the “Leader in Me” program was very different from the concepts found in the “7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.” Also discussed was the possibility of implementing the ideas without adopting the program. The phrases and buzz words used in the “Leader in Me” are protected by intellectual property and cannot be used without proper licensing.

c. Discussion of whether “Leader in Me” has been implemented in Junior or Senior High Schools in our area. Suggestion was made that we look at website and other resources specifically for Junior High Information.

d. Several Council Members wanted to read the book associated with the “Leader in Me” program and continue to evaluate the program.

2. High Honor/Honor Roll - We discussed whether there should be some recognition for those students who are performing well academically. Chaleh suggested that a list of High Honor/Honor Roll students be posted. Suggestion was made to put it behind glass or on a window, so that other students cannot change it.

a. If students earn a 4.0 gpa or have outstanding citizenship they get a doughnut

b. If students improve their gpa by.5 they get a candy bar and entered into a drawing to get taken out to lunch.

c. High Honor Roll students would have a3.7 gpa and Honor Roll students would have a 3.5 gpa for the term.

d. We discussed the possibility of putting a link in the newsletter as well to recognize students.

3. The Newsletter – Science Fair Winners will be listed in the February Newsletter. Suggestion was to include Art Show Winners and Solo and Ensemble winners.

NEXT MEETING: March 5, 2018

Fairfield Junior High
Community Council Meeting Minutes
Monday, March 5, 2018– 4 pm

In attendance: Bryon Nielsen - Principal, TJ Strain – Assistant Principal, Muriel Mann – Assistant Principal, Kimberly Wagner - Chair, Scott Montgomery, Lynette Checketts, Janet Loureiro, Chaleh Trujillo, Jay Nolan, Michael Thomspon, Cynthia Johnson, Kreg Edgmon, Beth Williams; Tracie-McEwen-Garritson
Approval of minutes – Motion was made by Lynette and seconded by Kimberly

TJ presented information about the school improvement plan for the past year, the current year, and the proposed plan for the upcoming year. The plan is broken down into goals. Last year there were 5 specific goals and Fairfield achieved 3 of the 5 and was close on the other two.

This year the goals were condensed into 3. 
TJ reported on our current progress toward achieving these goals:
Goal #1 – Raise SAGE writing scores by 3 points. The baseline assessment was made through a Utah Compose writing sample. Kimberly addressed the concern that we have had in past meetings that this test is not always an accurate evaluation of the students’ skills. Mr. Nelson agreed but pointed out that it is an affordable and easily accessible test. To help us accomplish this goal, we have implemented the RACE strategy (Rewrite – Answer – Cite – Evidence) and we have funded paper readers. These readers have used established rubrics to provide support for teachers and have also given good formative feedback. Mike said that in the 9th grade English the students are getting approximately 2 papers evaluated per term. These readers are primarily used by the English and Social Studies departments.

Goal #2 – Achieve 80% mastery of 80% of the curriculum. Our school is currently at 77% and moving toward this goal.

Goal #3 – Score above district averages in standardized test scores in the SAGE testing. Fairfield has consistently scored above district standards in most areas. Later in the discussion we briefly talked about the lower science scores. Mr. Montgomery suggested that they could be a result of teacher turn-over and students adjusting to the new learning style method.

Next year’s proposed plan:

Goal #1- 80% of the writing scores will increase by 20% - or a 1 point increase. It was proposed that FFJH continue the RACE strategy for informational texts, including science and math. The paper readers will be used to get the baseline data with a 5 point rubric, as opposed to using Utah Compose. Mr. Thompson and Mr. Nelson reported that we are seeing improvement in the goal to have every student writing proficiently. We currently are using 4 paper readers. The proposal is to keep these 4 readers at $18,000.

Goal #2 – 88% of 9th graders will leave with 7 credits. We are currently at 77%, which represents 37 students with fewer credits. The proposed action is to identify these students and invite them to meet with the administration, teacher teams, and counselors. Opportunities are always available to remediate credits. Tracie pointed out that this is complicated by the fact that there are typically attendance issues with these students. The proposed action plan is to continue the lunch and learn program and intervention (addressing Will and Skill issues). This cost is $4,500.
Currently FFJH has 22 productivity periods – making class sizes smaller. Productivity, Falcon Academy, and remedial services will cost $75,000.

Goal #3 – 80% of students will have 80% competency. FFJH is currently at 77%. The proposed action is to continue to send 4-5 faculty members to PLC conferences. Those teachers then train other faculty. Departments work together to determine teaming and standards based grading. The cost of this would be $8,500.

Our total projected budget is $106,000. The total funding we are expecting is $108,491. The DSD will provide 213 chrome books next year. FFJH will need to purchase 6 carts for approximately $7,500 total. This will continue for the next four years with the district goal to have 1 tablet per student. FFJH will likely have classroom sets as opposed to assigning them to individual students, but this will necessitate purchasing more carts in the future. It was suggested that if the PLC conferences are local, that expense will be less and this amount may come out of that budget.

The attending council members signed the proposed school improvement plan. It will be finalized at the Learning First planning day on March 29. Kimberly will be the parent representative attending that meeting. The proposed plan may be adjusted at that meeting. The council will be notified about any changes made.
School Safety

The FFJH administration has proposed enclosing the front entrance to reroute all visitors through the office during school hours. They have also proposed the northwest doors, leading to the seminary, be automatically locked and unlocked between class periods. Beth asked if this was a funding issue. Mr. Nelson felt it was more of a man power issue.
Curriculum

Kimberly had heard that biology may not be offered in the future. Tracie told the council that Layton and Davis councilors have passed on the concern that students who take biology as 9th graders are then often taking chemistry before they have taken the appropriate math. The Regents Scholarship requirements are also changing this upcoming year to also have a financial needs component. This may cause demand for this hard course (a 10th grade level course) to go down. She also mentioned that Earth Systems is not offered at the high schools and that a majority of the science section of the ACT is based on the material from that course. The attending parents voiced hope that FFJH would continue to offer biology for the accelerated students.

Parent Involvement

The committee thanked Kreg for his recent newsletter with his professional insights and also for acknowledging the honor roll students. The parents also appreciated getting information about the upcoming play.

Meeting adjourned – 4:50 GO KIMBERLY!

Fairfield Junior High
Community Council Meeting Minutes
Monday, April 9, 2018

In attendance: Bryon Nielsen - Principal, Muriel Mann – Assistant Principal, Kimberly Wagner - Chair, Lynette Checketts, Janet Loureiro, Chaleh Trujillo, Brooke Anderson, Janalee Jones, Michael Thomspon, Cynthia Johnson, Beth Williams; Tracie McEwen-Garritson

Approval of minutes – Motion was made by Kimberly and seconded by Cynthia

School improvement plan - Mr. Nielsen briefly updated us on the trust land funds budget for the upcoming year. He said that $7,200 was moved from Professional Development to pay for technology carts.

Presentation on social media safety – Mrs. Egbert gave a presentation she had previously shared with the JSSC (Joint Staff Student Committee) regarding technology and the junior high population. Some of the major points made were that technology is often designed to get individuals “hooked;” there are no stopping cues; and they tend to lead to addictions of the dopamine generated when they are used.
Researchers have further identified the following related negative effects:
1. Physical – relating to lack of sleep, which can lead to anxiety and depression.
2. Mental – there are impacts on functional skills abilities.
3. Social – lack of appropriate social skills.

Mrs. Egbert suggested that parents put off getting smart phones for their children as long as possible, and that total device time be limited to 2 hours a day. The school is sponsoring a contest with students voluntarily turning in their phones in the first hour to receive a prize. Kimberly requested that the presentation be sent to parents through the administration.
Leader In Me – FFJH has been moved to the top of the list for a grant for the next five years to run the Leader in Me program. The grant would cover approximately $70,000 to $85,000 of operating and licensing fees, leaving FFJH to cover the annual $7,500 and to invite the staff to attend a five day training outside of the school year. The council wondered if maybe community involvement would be able to raise the additional funds. Mrs. Loureiro and Mrs. Garritson mentioned a concern that this was too focused towards elementary level students. Mr. Thompson suggested that the whole faculty see the program before a commitment could be made. He mentioned that his classroom is full of posters from programs that were introduced but lacked faculty long term buy-in. Mrs. Jones suggested we take a step back in order to assess teacher interest. Chaleh said we would need to commit by the end of June. It was also suggested that the Leader in Me program make a presentation to the staff about current junior highs where this program is being used and is successful. While there was a noted hesitation from the committee council, Cynthia made the suggestion that we take time to consider this, as the council represented a very small sampling of parents and faculty to walk away from such a generous offer. However, in the end, it was decided that even though the grant money is generous, we would not be able to implement Leader in Me at this time.

Away for the Day - The next item was only briefly discussed and will be on the agenda for next month. Mrs. Emily King has asked the council to consider banning cell phones from the school. Discussion about whether it is the school's responsibility to monitor cell phone usage or the parent's and student's responsibility. There were several comments made regarding the use of cell phones in the classroom when there are not enough computers. Mrs. Loureiro said that she utilizes
them in her classroom. A Shakespeare book costs $50 per book, but the same book is available free online. Other classes also use these to supplement when there are not enough books. This will be addressed further in the final council meeting on May 7, at 4 pm.

Finally, several parents on the council are in their second year. We will hold an election next the fall to fill those openings. Those interested are welcome to run for another term on the council.

Final Meeting – May 7, 2018 at 4 pm