Walsh School Governance 
Council

This page will be used for any messages, notes and minutes from the Walsh School Governance Council (WSGC).

Group/Team:		Walsh Elementary School Governance Council Meeting
Location:	Miss Lillian’s room		Norms Reviewed:		yes      no X
Date of Meeting:		6/5/19		Start Time:		5 p.m.
Minutes Prepared By:		J. Lillian		Finish Time:		5:30 p.m.

            NORMS:

< >Put children first.Be a team player.Conduct council business according to Roberts Rules of Order.Follow the School Governance Code of Conduct at all times.

Meeting Notes, Decisions, Issues

< >Mrs. Lubus reviewed the norms for meetings, according to Robert’s Rules of Order. 

< >Smarter Balanced testing was smooth this year and there were no security breaches. Students were well prepared for the testing because of additional classroom practice.  

< >195 students transferred out of walsh this year, and 145 students transferred in, huge increase from previous years. 

< >15 K students being retainedHuge attendance issues; we are at 20% chronic. A lot of attendance appeals have been happening this week. 

< >We will continue to work on addressing attendance and transiency issues throughout the next school year, especially in relation to reading improvement. 

< >Ms. Kelly reported that Class Dojo has been an extremely helpful tool for helping both of her children.  

< >End of year activities include student vs teacher basketball game, field day, 5th grade celebration, spring music concert. 

< >Friday, June 14 is the last day of school. There is a 12:00 dismissal.  

< >Welcome to new teacher and parent members! 

Meeting Minutes guidelines:

< >Publish Minutes within 48 hours of any meetingMinutes available to all stakeholders (e.g., binders, shared drive, e-mail, website)Send Minutes via email to all team members

Group/Team:		Walsh Elementary School Governance Council Meeting
Location:	Miss Lillian’s room		Norms Reviewed:		yes      no X
Date of Meeting:		4/3/19		Start Time:		5 p.m.
Minutes Prepared By:		J. Lillian		Finish Time:		5:30 p.m.

            NORMS:

< >Put children first.Be a team player.Conduct council business according to Roberts Rules of Order.Follow the School Governance Code of Conduct at all times.

Meeting Notes, Decisions, Issues

< >Mrs. Lubus reviewed the norms for meetings, according to Robert’s Rules of Order.1. Parent Conferences:

< >Parent conferences will be held on April 10. Teachers have sent home sign up forms. Please return to set up a meeting with your child’s teachers. The event will take place at Acts 4 Ministry.  

< >Translators will be available upon request on the evening of April 10. 2. Upcoming Events:

< >The book fair will take place next week.  

< >Smarter Balanced Testing will begin on Monday, April 22 

< >The student/teacher basketball game will be taking place in May. 

< >Second, third and fourth grade will be attending field trips before the end of the school year. Kindergarten trip is still being planned.  

< >On April 13 the Rivera Memorial Foundation will be providing prom dresses and tuxedos. Please donate gently used items!3. Fundraiser:

< >The popcorn fundraiser needs to be submitted by Friday, April 8. Money will be used to benefit Field Day. 

4. Attendance:

< >There have many recent incentives to encourage student attendance including raffles and pizza parties. We are working to make sure students and parents understand how important it is to attend school regularly. 5. New Members for next year:

We are seeking new members for school governance, including teachers, parents and community members. Members can serve for four years. All are welcome!

6. Last meeting:  May 15th tentatively

Meeting Minutes guidelines:

< >Publish Minutes within 48 hours of any meetingMinutes available to all stakeholders (e.g., binders, shared drive, e-mail, website)Send Minutes via email to all team members

Group/Team:		Walsh Elementary School Governance Council Meeting
Location:	Miss Lillian’s room		Norms Reviewed:		yes      no X
Date of Meeting:		3/6/19		Start Time:		5 p.m.
Minutes Prepared By:		J. Lillian		Finish Time:		5:30 p.m.

            NORMS:

< >Put children first.Be a team player.Conduct council business according to Roberts Rules of Order.Follow the School Governance Code of Conduct at all times.

Meeting Notes, Decisions, Issues

< >Mrs. Lubus reviewed the norms for meetings, according to Robert’s Rules of Order.Past events

< >Winter Concert and Black History Month Assembly was a success.There were also many guest readers for Black History Month, as well as student readers for Read Across America Day. Profits from Valentine’s, 100th Day, and Dr. Seuss Day, will go into student activity fund. Book Swap

< >We have not had much activity yet with the book swap. If you have books you would like to swap out, please send them in!Upcoming Events

< >Hockey Game has been paid for by Donors Choose. Students in fifth grade, as well as some third graders, will be attending. Parent Conferences will be in April. Teachers will send home letters, so that parents can sign up for conferences. Translators will be available the night of the conference. The Spring Scholastic Book Fair will be in April. We will be selling popcorn to support Field Day. We will be accepting cash orders only, with cash matching the order. If the money does not match the order, it will be sent back home. Reading night will take place this spring. Stay tuned for more information!Students will be attending more field trips throughout the spring. There are currently three students with artwork on display at the Mattatuck Museum. There will be a citywide art show and talent show this spring. More info will be coming.

Next Meeting

Date: 

April 2019

Time: 

5 p.m.

Location: 

Miss Lillian’s room

Agenda 

1. Parent Conferences

2. Upcoming Events

3. Fundraiser

4. Attendance

Meeting Minutes guidelines:

< >Publish Minutes within 48 hours of any meetingMinutes available to all stakeholders (e.g., binders, shared drive, e-mail, website)Send Minutes via email to all team members

Group/Team:		Walsh Elementary School Governance Council Meeting
Location:	Miss Lillian’s room		Norms Reviewed:		yes      no X
Date of Meeting:		12/19/18		Start Time:		5 p.m.
Minutes Prepared By:		J. Lillian		Finish Time:		5:30 p.m.

            NORMS:

< >Put children first.Be a team player.Conduct council business according to Roberts Rules of Order.Follow the School Governance Code of Conduct at all times.

Meeting Notes, Decisions, Issues

< >Mrs. Lubus reviewed the norms for meetings, according to Robert’s Rules of Order. 

Safe Child

< >75 Safe Child forms were returned. Therefore, Walsh will be receiving $75 for Student Activities. Past events

< >The translator for Parent Conferences noted that the school was very welcoming. Rivera Memorial Foundation had 26 families sign up for Christmas present assistance, helping about 75 kids. Book Swap

< >We have not had much activity yet with the book swap. If you have books you would like to swap out, please send them in!Upcoming Events

< >The Walsh School Music Concert will be performing School Wide and Parent Performance on December 20. The chorus performed for senior citizens as well as for the Mayor’s Office. The student/teacher faculty game will be on February 8.The 5th Grade Hockey trip to the Sound Tigers will be in April. We will be creating a Donors’ Choose account to help raise money for Field Day and the Sound Tigers Field Trip. Mrs. Ocasio reported on the upcoming testing including Mclass testing in January and Smarter Balanced in the Spring. Students in grade 3-5 are taking practice tests, IABs, to practice the format of the Smarter Balanced Tests.

Next Meeting

Date: 

March 2019

Time: 

5 p.m.

Location: 

Miss Lillian’s room

Agenda 

1. Parent Conferences

2. Upcoming Events

Meeting Minutes guidelines:

< >Publish Minutes within 48 hours of any meetingMinutes available to all stakeholders (e.g., binders, shared drive, e-mail, website)Send Minutes via email to all team members

Group/Team:		Walsh Elementary School Governance Council Meeting
Location:	Miss Lillian’s room		Norms Reviewed:		yes      no X
Date of Meeting:		11/28/18		Start Time:		5 p.m.
Minutes Prepared By:		J. Lillian		Finish Time:		5:30 p.m.

            NORMS:

< >Put children first.Be a team player.Conduct council business according to Roberts Rules of Order.Follow the School Governance Code of Conduct at all times.

Meeting Notes, Decisions, Issues

Safe Child

< >There were around 100 Safe Child Forms returned. Parents can continue to return forms, and will be made available during parent conferences as well. Book Swap

< >Mrs. Lubus is testing a book swap within her cluster. Mrs. Paolino suggested a school wide book swap for conferences.  

< >Students can bring a book from home to swap with a book at school, or just take a book. Teachers and parents, please donate unwanted books!Upcoming Events

< >Parent Conferences are next Wednesday. Please schedule an appointment with your child’s teacher! Letters were sent home by teachers. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teachers.  

< >Pajama Day will be December 21st. If anyone knows of any organization that would like to donate pajamas, please let us know! 

< >Currently, we do not have enough parent volunteers to support a PTO organization. If you are interested in helping establish a PTO, please let us know. Mr. Foote will be taking Chorus Students to Abbott Terrace on December 18.The Winter Concert will be on December 20.Friday, December 21 is a full day of school. School resumes on January 2.  

< >We did not have a quorum, so we could not vote or approve any minutes.

Next Meeting

Date: 

Dec 19th

Time: 

5 p.m.

Location: 

Miss Lillian’s room

Agenda 

1. Parent Conferences

2. Upcoming Events

Meeting Minutes guidelines:

< >Publish Minutes within 48 hours of any meetingMinutes available to all stakeholders (e.g., binders, shared drive, e-mail, website)Send Minutes via email to all team members

Smarter Balanced-- 4 and 5 done except some make ups. 3rd grade starting now. Results come next year.  5th graders will be sent in the mail.  They went well, 3rd grade going well, kids a little nervous.

Book Fair--went well. Thefts not an issue this time. A lot of kids bought books, parents coming in to give more money. Did not make money money off this,  but we got free books to give out to kids.

Wendy’s night--around $300 made. Went better than last year! A lot of family’s went to support Walsh.

Upcoming events--Community Day at Bucks Hill May 23 bus leaves Walsh around 4/430. Frankies will be there this year. Smile builders and a book event plus sports activities.

May 31st grades 2 and 4 going to Beardsley Zoo; 3rd grade going to White Memorial. Only grade K did not have a field trip this year. 5th grade celebration 6/20 at 1:30pm Students must be in dress code or they cannot participate. Field day June 8th. Shirts for field day will be sold around $4. Chorus concert will be on Flag day. Last day is June 21 will be a half day. 5th graders must attend that day to receive their gift.

Attendance- huge issue this year. After 20 days out students can and will be retained. We offer parents services to help get kids to school. Doctor notes will excuse absences.

Mrs. RIvera will start in Sept 2018 as our new community member.

Will need a couple new parent members next year.

First meeting next year will be in the beginning of October.

Fac motion to end / Evelyn seconded.

Meeting Minutes guidelines:

• Publish Minutes within 48 hours of any meeting
• Minutes available to all stakeholders (e.g., binders, shared drive, e-mail, website)
• Send Minutes via email to all team members