this page is for notes from the 01-22-04 parent meeting about the Mark's Meadow principal
Question 1: What are the qualities you would like to see in a Principal at Mark’s Meadow?
- Somebody with the ability to unite, support and build the Mark’s Meadow as a community (families, teachers, staff, kids, surrounding area)
- Supports the staff to create excitement about learning
- A person who can has a real understanding and can deal with all types of people in a tactful, appreciative and meaningful way. People from all ethnic, socioeconomic, nationalities, sexual orientation, education levels, of different abilities, etc.
- Advocates for the school in the district and knows what is going on with other schools
- Someone with sensitivity to special needs; supports new teachers;open to new ideas
- Someone who listens about how kids FEEL about being in school
- A sense of humor
- Humility, integrity and compassion
- A visionary – someone who aspires to creating in the school a microcosm of how society should work –(ie democracy, acceptance, creativity, etc.)
- A well balanced teaching theory – ie “alternative” methodologies combined with traditional methods. Be bold, a model, inventive
- Enthusiastic, energetic, warm and outgoing. Maintains the positive, friendly atmosphere where learning is exciting
- Someone who can resist pushes toward standardization
- Nurturing transitions (grade to grade and into the middle school)
- Understands leadership and management and willing to delegate
- Someone who can admit they don’t know
- Defines good teaching and can inspire both new and experienced teachers to teach their best to continue to grow and learn current pedagogy.
- Sees parents as the true partners
- Strong administration for likely hard budget times
- Committed to this job for a few years
- Experience as educator
Culture of transparency / access to info
- Committees, meetings times, membership
- Parents welcome to info
- Has a vision for implementing curriculum,
- Able to bring in new teachers, use experienced teachers as mentors, develop the next generation (getting best from new and experienced teachers)
- 3 R’s plus alternative ideas. Flexible with teaching modalities
- Commitment to art, music, plus other enrichment activities
- Values a variety of learning styles and creates an environment to embrace that throughout the school. Values a broad range of standards of excellence
- School wide survey
- Parent and kid involvement in teacher evaluations
- Include all the adults who work with children
Question 2: What do you like about Mark’s Meadow now?
- Art and Music programs are great
- Small size is excellent
- Teachers are dedicated and experienced
- Teachers/paras/support staff are generally high quality, caring, focused
- Open visitation policy (not some “visiting day”)
- Theoretical use of observation corridor (a great resource)
- Individual projects:especially ongoing relationships between older and younger classes
- Eating lunch in the classroom -- so many issues involved
- Integration of specials into classroom experience
- Try to provide help for people that need it
- Committed families –a real neighborhood feel
- After school program
- Sense of community
- Multicultural awareness
- Lots of resources –Title 1, Special Ed.
- Extra teachers in classroom.
- Positive atmosphere
- Involvement of parents
- Association with U Mass – brings in parents, students, theories, resources
- Work to get help for kids who need it
- After school program is wonderful and important
- Generally like the staff –teachers, lunchroom, and library
- Catch a Rising Star – acknowledge kids’ contributions / achievements –motivating
- Food events – community, diversity
- I feel like my kids are learning
- Teachers, staff, Sp Ed, -- very committed to bringing out the best in my child
- Principal is really involved with kids: Lunch with kids, Jokes
Question 3: What would you like to see done differently at Mark’s Meadow?
- More teachers of color /Diversify faculty
- More after school clubs
- Spanish during day
- Follow childrens’ interests within curriculum (Project based learning)
- more communications/partnership between parents and teachers about the values guiding education, strategies, programs, etc. (closer to co-management)
- Put the “T” in PTO .more parent/teacher interaction outside the classroom and better communication and morale amongst staff and teachers
- More use of UMass resources (Labs, students, on campus, formal lab school or not)
- Communication expectations for all classrooms (Appropriate baseline)
- Better and formalized communication between committees (Diversity, SGC, PGG…)
- Consistency in curriculum (2 same-grade classrooms, One grade to the next,
- Traditions to expect, Consistency of homework amounts, Education from start to finish)
- When there are two classrooms/teaching styles Better match kid <-----> teacher
- Develop critical thinking skills (Exercises in curriculum)
- Strengthen Math and Science
- Better job of older kids interacting with younger kids- Mentoring
- Address communication gap between teachers ,Sped teachers and parents
- Non-extreme Sped situations not attended to 504 plans give short shrift
- Consistency in field trips-Get out in field
- Boys’ vs. Girls’ learning styles-Recognition slanted toward girls
- More events like the multicultural fair and math night that allow families to connect
- Student leadership opportunities –students projects/community learning service
- More Drama!
- Reading workshops!
- Better, or more consistent teacher – parent communication
- Real, meaningful ways to use the school’s levels of diversity to teach all of us
- Public postings of committees –what committees do –agendas –meeting date – and standing invitations to attend these meetings. Institutionalize this
- Improved relationship of recess to classrooms. How effectively are group dynamics communicated to the classroom teacher, and dealt with?
- Embracing regular parent involvement in classrooms beyond field trip chaperoning, fund raising, and phone trees
- Less reliance on worksheets
- More integrated multiculturalism
- More diversity of teaching approaches, between classes and within classes
- More integrated learning
- More cooperative learning
- Have (even) more family nights and activities that help build our community
- Teachers working together again as a team
- Improve Sped / address special education issues
- More nutritious school lunches with more variety
- More outreach to families and community at large
Discussion on the topic of “Nick as our permanent Principal”
- Don’t change this year
- Does he want it?
- Give him time to think / compete
- Will we get pool next year?
- Another year of interim?
- Nick wants it?
- Jere wants it?
- We want it?
- Staff wants it?
- Great opportunity to see how current arrangement goes
- Decide in May – new in September ’04 or ’05?
- What do teachers think?
- Suggestion: Ask Jere when last chance is to decide this year
- Use a picnic to gather opinions March 5th?
- Re: NICK – Do not hire ANYONE until at least May/June, give Nick AND US time to THINK