3/28/2018 Parent Advisory Council Meeting Compliments, Comments, and Concerns

Special Education Questions - Mrs. Bridget Schiraldo

No Compliments, Comments, and Concerns

Kindergarten Questions - Mrs. Lauren Salko

  • If appropriate, I’d love to share that my son loved the author visit by Corey Rosen Schwartz. He also loved the program in the fall when the man came and used garage band to show the kids different music layering...these programs are awesome and much appreciated. Thanks for conveying this...again, if the opportunity arises. I’m new here so not sure! Thank you! :)
  • Thank you for the compliment. We have author visits in every grade level thanks to the generosity of our PTO.

1st Grade Questions - Mr. Chris McCombs

No Compliments, Comments, and Concerns

2nd Grade Questions - Mrs. Vanessa Lombardo

  • I had a topic for the PTO/PAC that I was wondering if could be addressed. It seems as though lately he lunch special on the calendar is often not served (another is substituted) or a portion is not available. For example last week I think it was Thursday it was advertised that it would be chicken parm but then they ended up serving pancakes. This past Monday it was chicken rosa pasta but the kids said it was only pasta and no chicken. The kids and I plan make selections on lunch choices for the week and use the menu as a guide to determine whether to buy or bring. We like to have a wide variety of well balanced meals with appropriate amounts of protein, dairy and carbs. Is there any reason why there are so many late changes and can this be expected long-term?
  • Mr. Tardibuono addressed this question at the March 22 PTO meeting where he was a guest speaker. These last-minute changes were due to the wave of snowing weather we have had over the last two months. The snow affects deliveries and sometimes necessitates using food on hand and a menu change ensues. These changes should not be long term with the coming spring. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Mr. Tardibuono at .

3rd Grade Questions - Mrs. Colleen Harris

No Compliments, Comments, and Concerns

4th Grade Questions - Mrs. Colleen Heinemann

  • Happy snowy spring. Another lost day of spring break. Wish they would have just waited until this morning and then they could have had an early dismissal day instead. I had a topic for the PTO/PAC that I was wondering if could be addressed. It seems as though lately he lunch special on the calendar is often not served (another is substituted) or a portion is not available. For example last week I think it was Thursday it was advertised that it would be chicken parm but then they ended up serving pancakes. This past Monday it was chicken rosa pasta but the kids said it was only pasta and no chicken. The kids and I plan/make selections on lunch choices for the week and use the menu as a guide to determine whether to buy or bring. We like to have a wide variety of well balanced meals with appropriate amounts of protein, dairy and carbs. Is there any reason why there are so many late changes and can this be expected long-term?
  • Mr. Tardibuono addressed this question at the March 22 PTO meeting where he was a guest speaker. These last-minute changes were due to the wave of snowing weather we have had over the last two months. The snow affects deliveries and sometimes necessitates using food on hand and a menu change ensues. These changes should not be long term with the coming spring. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Mr. Tardibuono at .

5th Grade Questions - Mrs. Inga Matukhina

  • Will the 5 graders (attending Jump Start Lite) be getting homework on the 9 days of Jump Start? They won’t be getting “home from school” until after 6:00 pm on these very long school days.
  • Jump Start Lite will meet for a total of 9 days after school in May and June. We will have Jump Start Lite on May 29, 30 and 31 and then again on June 4, 5, 7, 11, 12 and 14th. Transportation will be provided from Cedar Hill (following dismissal at 3:15) to William Annin Middle School. All students will need to be picked up by parents at 6 pm sharp.
  • Teachers will be aware of which students are attending Jump Start Lite and will handle homework concerns with each student individually.
  • Questions may be directed to Annin teacher and Jump Start Lite director Jen Marney at .
  • With the 5th graders transitioning to WAMS next year, one of the biggest changes they will face is having many different teachers in different rooms. I've heard from people in other districts, that their Fifth graders start to rotate classrooms, to get practice, toward the end of the Fifth grade year. I recall that our grade did this once earlier in the year. Are there plans to do this more this year? I think it's a great experience.
  • Our fifth grades across the district are exploring the idea of platooning or departmentalizing during the 2018-19 school year. This was mentioned at the March 26 BOE meeting during the curriculum committee report. Full or partial departmentalization has both pros and cons. Teachers are able to focus on single or less subjects, students have the opportunity to rotate among several teachers giving them the taste of a middle school schedule. At the same time, some of the closeness of having the same teacher all day can be lost in a departmentalized schedule. Cedar Hill, along with the other elementary schools have committees which are exploring piloting a departmentalized schedule next year in grade 5. Stay tuned for more information on this subject in the coming months.