IHS Site Council Meeting: March 13, 2012

IHS Site Council Meeting: March 13, 2012

Present: Craig Wiebe, Jesse Fornick, Kaycee Schoellhorn, Susan Ventura (recorder), Wade Powell, Christine Pettingill (facilitator), Peggy Farris, Joanne Moorefield, Deon Saraceno, Rebecca Hammons, Courtney Leonard, Lisa Albrich. Guest students: Jin and Selena.

February minutes approved with one adjustment/correction.

Reports

Students: Friday, March 16th, Movie Night at Churchill. Mulan and Mean Girls. Student group profits from fundraisers will now go half to local causes and half to global causes. This year they will give $500 to global and $500 to a local cause. Each year the profit recipients will be discussed and rethought. IHS will host their dance on April 21st at the Boys and Girls Club. Parent help still needed at dance.

Parent Meeting: There was a Parent Meeting set up on March 2nd to discuss the HS schedule changes It was well attended (50 plus.) Good turn out and intriguing questions and comments. Concerns or comments: What are the pluses and minutes for each school and how will IHS’s fit within that school? How will a student be able to sustain a year long elective? Concern expressed about the value of a 90-minute block of time. Is that too long? How will the immersion schools work within either schedule? What will be the long-term implications for IHS was a continuous concern.

8th Grade Informational Night Report: Rebecca shared that these were well attended and there was strong interest in IHS. This was encouraging. . At the Sheldon meeting, Superindent Shelly Berman showed up and later reported that it helped him understand the value and uniqueness of IHS. He stated that after this presentation he could better understand the need for an AB schedule overlay to maintain IHS current program and the full IB level program.

Enrollment projections were reviewed and discussed. What do we need to know to maintain healthy, sustainable numbers in IHS? What impact would the change to a 3 x 5 schedule have on IHS, since this schedule really complicates the IB program? Also makes senior quite intense.

Further concerns were raised regarding the enrollment projections,

Smaller classes unlikely. There would be 27/28 sections. The caps and limit on what percentage IHS each host school can take from each region impacts enrollment. Numbers will be high in each HS but Churchill would end up with largest class sizes per section. As yet the Immersion projection numbers are unclear. 3-year trend in projections is troubling.

Proposed common schedules impact on IHS and the integrity of the IB program was discussed at length. Work group is split 12 supports the 4 x 4 and 14 supports the 3 x 5. Consensus must be reached at the next meeting. School board meets on Wednesday. Questions: How do we design the full IB program in either of these models? We need to now how each schedule will impact IB within the confines of the IB testing schedules. Can we fit CAS into Projects during the regular day? Does IHS pick up more staffing with either of these schedules? (This is under discussion- effected by high need indexes and how each campus defines “full schedule”) Many concerns were raised about the intensity of the senior year schedule outlined in the 3 x 5 model. In order for students to have enough instructional minutes in Eugene HIS, start times may be earlier than regular host schools and class periods will be longer than 70 minutes. Year long electives will be difficult without additional time consideration (language for example.)