The meeting was called to order at 7:25 a.m.

Minutes for SAC Meeting of 9-18-15

Ms. Nichols and Ms. Veliz welcomed returning and potential new members.

The minutes of the meetings for 5/20/15 and 5/29/15 were read and approved.

Principal’s Report –

  • Ms. Veliz thanked everyone in attendance and was particularly grateful to see so many fathers present.
  • Ms. Veliz reported that we have obtained a growth position, so an additional Kindergarten teacher will be hired. Fifteen students currently in other Kindergarten classrooms will be moved to the new class.
  • Ms. Veliz is applying to the district to have a dual language program at Mirror Lake.
  • A group of teachers from Mirror Lake attended the Gifted Symposium. They will come back to train the staff. Ms. Veliz would like to see an increase in our Gifted/High Achievers Program.
  • On Monday, Septermber 21, Peace Week will begin.
  • On Monday, October 5, there will be a Hispanic Heritage Celebration in the evening. Several groups of students will perform.
  • On October 22, Brothers, Uncles, and Dads (BUDs) have been invited to read to students at Mirror Lake.
  • Ms. Veliz has purchased the play “Aladdin”, which will be performed in the Spring.
  • On Saturday, October 7, Mirror Lake will have a campus clean up day sponsored by Lowe’s. All stakeholders are invited to participate.
  • The week of October 26 is Red Ribbon Week.
  • From October 12-23, Ms. Veliz will work with students to establish a Student Council. Elections will be held on October 26.
  • This school year, we will be reinstating quarterly awards assemblies. The first one will be November 17. Awards for students in K-2 will be from 8:15-8:45, and for students in 3-5 from 9:00-9:30.
  • Ms. Veliz has met with members of the City of Plantation to try to establish additional partnerships, and to take part in a career week.
  • More changes are forthcoming. Ms. Veliz reported that she wants to take Mirror Lake to the next level and have us be #1 in the Nation.

Title I Update –

  • Ms. Hafez distributed application forms for the Title I training workshops as well as the Annual Parent Seminar. The goal is for the attendees to come back and share what they learned. The trainings are held from October to May, and the Seminar will be Saturday, January 30, 2016 at the Signature Grand.
  • Ms. Hafez distributed a flyer for a presentation by Mr. Ty Allan Jackson. He is a motivational speaker, providing parents with strategies to promote Reading and Language Arts. Baby-sitiing is provided. The presentation will be held at Atlantic Technical College on Thursday, September 24, at 7:00 p.m.
  • Ms. Hafez reviewed scores for assessments taken in 2015 for the 2014-2015 school year. Results are in for Science, which is still using the FCAT Assessment and is taken by 5th graders. The scores increased 2% over the previous year. Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) scores for Grades 3-5 ELA and Math were to be released after September 1. We have not received them yet. School grades will be released in December.

SAC Bylaws –

  • Ms. Nichols explained that the template for the bylaws has not changed. In addition, as a committee, there is little that we can change from what is provided to us.
  • Ms. Nichols reviewed each section of the bylaws. Ms. Garcia moved to ratify the bylaws and the move was seconded. The bylaws were approved as of September 18, 2015.
  • The bylaws will be posted on the Mirror Lake website.

SAC Composition –

  • Ms. Nichols and Ms. Hynes explained the SAC Composition report and requirements. Ms. Nichols reviewed the required membership. Ms. Hynes explained the demographic section. We did not have a School Advisory Forum (SAF) representative, but one of our current members accepted the position. Due to several members resigning for various reasons, our demographics are not in full compliance, as we currently have more than a 20 point difference between the percent of Blacks on the SAC and the percent of Blacks in our school population. Ms. Nichols reported that we have put out feelers for additional members.
  • Ms. Veliz explained the difference between SAC and SAF, with SAF having to do with school-wide concerns, and SAC being entrusted with monitoring the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and monitoring use of Accountability Funds.

Nominations of Officers and Members

  • In compliance with our bylaws, nominations for officers were taken at this meeting. Ms. Nichols was nominated for Chair, and Ms. Powell was nominated for Secretary. There were no other nominations. Ms. Nichols and Ms. Powell were unanimously approved as Chair and Secretary for the 2015-2016 school year.
  • Ms. Nichols informed the committee that she and Ms. Powell would like members to think in terms of taking over these positions for the 2016-2017 school year. Both have been in the position for several years.
  • There were five guest attendees who expressed an interest in becoming members. As there was no opposition and no limit to the number of members, all five were voted in as members today. These names will be added to the SAC Composition report. The new members are Ms. Harris, Mr. Allen, Ms. Drullon, Ms. Falcher, and Ms. Hafez.

SIP Update –

  • Ms. Nichols informed the committee that the SIP is on the Mirror Lake website. Members were asked to review the goals in the current SIP in preparation for working on the 2015-2016 document.
  • Ms. Rosa, our Assistant Principal, will be attending an informational meeting regarding due dates and criteria for this year’s SIP.
  • Ms. Hafez reminded the committee that the SIP is a living document and can be changed throughout the course of the year.

Safety Update –

  • Ms. Veliz stressed that the safety of our students is our priority and reiterated that we are a closed campus.
  • Ms. Veliz informed the committee about the Active Killer Training that staff participated in on the first day of pre-planning. The training was put on by law enforcement groups from several Broward County municipalities. Suggestions were made on how to improve the safety of individual classrooms, including strategic placement of furniture.

Questions/Concerns

  • There were many concerns regarding school safety at arrival and dismissal times.
  • Ms. Veliz has spoken to our SRO for possible additional monitoring of cars on both sides of the street at the front of the school.
  • Parents are going in to breakfast without id’s. This issue is already being addressed.
  • Ms. Hafez proposed that we try to recruit volunteers to assist at dismissal and arrival. The question arose as to whether parents would respect other parents, but staff runs into the same problems, so additional help would be welcome.
  • The question arose about parents using cell phones while dropping off or picking up. There are “NO CELL PHONES” signs; SRO will be asked to monitor when he is present.
  • A parent member suggested that Mirror Lake shirts be worn, in addition to the id badge, when volunteering.
  • A suggestion was made that parents be required to sign a document regarding safety, similar to what they sign for Code of Conduct. This has been done at other schools.
  • A suggestion was made that teachers review safety tips with their classes, and encourage them to remind their parents.
  • Ms. Veliz explained that students are receiving dolphins when they know the word of the day. This is to encourage vocabulary development.
  • Ms. Veliz is using the parent link, and feels it has been successful in reminding parents of upcoming events.
  • In response to a question about the Spanish Club, Ms. Chevannes explained that she will be recruiting members for the Foreign Language Competition, which occurs in May, and that the students who participate will be the Spanish Club.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 a.m.