“SHAPING WALGROVE” COUNCIL

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

2:45pm ~ 5:00pm
Walgrove Avenue Elementary School
1630 Walgrove Avenue ∗ Los Angeles, CA 90066
Phone: 310-391-7104 ∗ Fax: 310-391-9809
http://www.friendsofwalgrove.com/

MINUTES SUBMITTED BY: JULIE DAIR (03/29/2011)

I. Greeting/Purpose: Arlene Fortier (Principal) / John Fischer (School Site Council

President)
A. Arlene: We need to speak and listen from the heart to each other at this meeting.
B. John: Education has become a free-market with survival of the fittest. Walgrove is
good, but how do we make it great? We are all working to make things better
and I
believe this meeting is the start of a life-changing process to make Walgrove a
model
of success.

II. Teacher Needs: Council led by Kate Lipkis

A. Let’s mix things up and talk to people we may not usually talk to. Please get into
groups according to the month of your birthday. (Everyone moves accordingly.)
B. We will now do a Council where each teacher responds to the prompt: “I need…”
C. Summary of Key Needs
1. Communication
a. Common definition of Core Beliefs and Goals
b. Clarification of Expectations/Roles of teachers, IAs, RTI, SST, students
c. Enforcement/Accountability for: Core Beliefs, Goals, Expectations, Roles
c. Organization of communications structure

2. Time for:
a. Planning
b. Collaboration
c. Mutual observation/mentoring
d. Reasonable pacing plans for students

3. Relationship-building with teachers/parents/students that have:

a. Respect
b. Validation
c. Support
d. Trust
e. Openness
f. Empathy
D. Teacher Responses: Please note that I have grouped the responses according to
grade level/specialty.
1. Grade K: Organization, Clarification, Respect, Support, Enforcement,
Communication, Core Values
a. Structure and organization throughout the whole school
b. Clarification of roles and responsibilities
c. More support outside of class
d. More understanding and less judgment for what happens in the classroom
e. To hear and respect children
f. To connect better with the 98th Street families and Spanish-speaking
families
g. Clarity on expectations
h. Enforcement of expectations from administration
i. Communication of Core Values

2. Grade 1: Respect, Support, Organization, Communication, Clarification,

Meaningfulness, Openness, Empathy, Core Beliefs
a. Respect for uninterrupted instructional time with students
b. To keep support of parents and be given a chance to work with them on
concerns/requests so that we fulfill a need to feel safe
c. For children to hear and respect adults
d. More organization – how about revisiting the Wednesday Communication
Packet for parents? Notices need to get to classroom early – late-day
notices don’t make it in to homework folders and I feel I get blamed
e. Better communication on every level – staff-to-staff, staff-to-
administration, staff-to-parents, administration-to-parents, parents-to-
parents
f. More clarification from administration on Core Beliefs for students at each
grade level that is consistent across grade levels
g. Meaningful meetings (sometimes feel my time is wasted)
h. Openness to bringing new ideas/strategies to the table
i. More empathy-related activities for students
j. More ways to help students with no home support

3. Grade 2: Key Words – Trust, Validation, Respect, Communication,

Clarification, Relationships, Time, Goals
a. A feeling that parents trust the teachers
b. Scheduled “down time” (ways to rejuvenate)
c. To people-please – hard because there are many different kinds of people
d. To feel that what we are doing is worthwhile
e. To be praised
f. To be treated with respect and hear things first-hand
g. To be liked by peers and thought of as funny
h. More time
i. Communication with staff about overall goals so that we can get on the
same page.
k. Clarification of goals
l. Time to build relationships with teachers/staff
 4. Grade 3: Key Words – Time, Planning, Communication, SST
a. Time to plan and execute without being centered around assessments
b. Everyone on the same page so that we work towards the same goal
c. Better implementation of SST (Student Success Team) system
assessments

5. Grade 4: Key Words – Time, Planning, Collaboration

a. More time to plan including across-grade planning
b. Time to collaborate (instead of 11pm e-mails)

6. Grade 5: Key Words – Consistency, RTI, Observe, Skills

a. To just be the fifth-grade teacher and not have so many other roles
b. Consistency of skill sets learned across grades
c. To look at RTI (Response for Intervention) use of IAs (Instructional Aides)
d. To look at a different model for meeting student learning needs across
grade levels -- perhaps based on skill needs/ability after school
e. To know how to ask for more help from parents
f. To observe classrooms at other grade levels
g. Better consistency on rules for student behavior and what everyone
enforces

7. Special Ed: Pacing plan, Collaboration, Mentoring, Observing, Field

Trips,
Communication
a. A pacing plan for the special ed children that is not abusive
b. More time for collaboration and mentoring/observing others
c. Collaboration time
d. Field trips
e. More time to co-plan with mainstream grade-level teachers
f. More collaboration – specifically, brief dialogue-type collaborations (do
not like to be “talked at”)
g. Need for more information on why things are done – why were we not
counted as a class that needs music? Didn’t know that EE class was in
music with another class
h. More time to plan

8. Resource: Key Words – Time, Pacing plan, Communication

a. Time for children to internalize concept skills before moving on – better
pacing plan
b. To be “cloned” to reach all students that need help
c. To be told if specific programs are not available that day – better
communication of schedule

9. Computer: Key Words – Planning, Core Beliefs, Communications

a. Planning time to meet with teachers
b. A common definition of Core Beliefs
c. A common vision regarding computers
d. A central place for communications to get school information
 10. Physical Education: Key words – Consistency, Communication
a. Consistency in communicating rules to children so they don’t stop
listening to adults

11. Studio: Key Words – Planning, Documentation, Communication,

Collaboration, Observation, Mentoring, Respect, Core Beliefs
a. Space
b. Freedom
c. More planning time between teachers and Studio teachers
d. Time to document Studio for parents
e. Time to communicate with parents
f. Time to collaborate/observe/mentor each other
g. More involvement from BIs/IAs
h. For students to respect adults
i. For practical steps in implementation of Core Beliefs and goals – what
does it
look like in steps/in practice?

12. Kate Lipkis: Key Words – Communication, Ideas

a. To have more e-mails about questions/concerns for Council
b. To have more e-mail requests for more ideas, that’s why I’m here for you

II. Parent Speed Round – Areas of Improvement: Council led by Kate Lipkis
A. We will now do a speed round, when each parent gives a kind of “Haiku Response,”
although it isn’t technically a haiku. Here’s the prompt: “Five words or less that are
priority areas for improvement…”

1. Communication to parents
a. Communication structure needs to be overhauled – have a group whose
sole focus is on communicating for both Internal Communication
Processes and External (Public) Communications
b. Communication needs to be organized
c. Communication needs to be cohesive
d. Need for Spanish/English interpreter at parent meetings
e. Need for more parent volunteers
f. Address retention of families

2. Consistent interpretation of Core Values – revisit to have more buy-in

a. Shared vision
b. Teamwork
c. More adoption
d. Connect the Core Beliefs to what goes on in school
e. Commitment to the process of collaboration
f. True openness for true collaboration, not just personal agendas
g. What is the mechanism for problem-solving?
 3. Needs of students
a. Covering the basics
b. Higher expectations for standards, behaviorally and academically
c. Better Implementation of SST (Student Success Team)
d. Fluency among grades
e. Continuity through grade levels
f. Students needs should be the highest priority
g. All students getting the attention they deserve
h. Needs of students are similar to the needs expressed today – we need to
shift paradigm to see that (time/order/plan)
i. Joy for learning, inspired in children, guided by adults, modeled by parents
and teachers
j. Arts (music, theater, dance)

4. Needs of teachers
a. We need more communication regarding what is going on in the
classroom so that parents can support the teachers more
b. More opportunities for the community to support the teachers

5. Needs of teachers and students

a. Need to meet the needs of teachers and students
b. Mutual respect/accountability/acknowledgement
c. Accountability from students and teachers
d. Compassion
e. Love
f. Sensitivity

IV. Structure for Greatness: John Fischer (School Site Council President)
A. Below are some options for school structure – where are we?
Name
Independent Charter
LAUSD Affiliated Charter
LAUSD Pilot
UTLA Pilot
“Deasey” Pilot
Think Tank Model (EVTF is here)
Hybrid Steering Committee Principal/Selected Teachers & Parents
Teacher Steering Committee Principal/Selected Teachers
LAUSD Legacy Principal + Teachers + FOW

V. Closing: Kate Lipkis

A. Do people want to meet again like this? YES! We will set up another Council.