O’Rourke Middle School Building Council
Monday, March 23, 2009
2:45PM
 Library Classroom

Attendance:  Nancy Pearse, Patty Rakvica, Lori Moore, Judy Brinkman, Janet Bianchi, Robin Gawrys, Don Germain, Amy Clark, Karen Shipston, Penny McDonnell

1. Review of the Minutes:  The minutes from the February 23, 2009 meeting were accepted as written.
2. Standing Committee Reports:
   1. Character Education: 

·        The Core Values Vision and Philosophy statements that were presented to the faculty on March 9 were reviewed.  This document, designed to memorialize our core values and practicing beliefs, is a work in progress that will be addressed in detail at the summer Council retreat. 

·        The committee is hosting several spirit activities over the next few weeks:  6^th Grade Talent Showcase, Half Day Hat Day, and 7^th Grade Spirit Day, as a part of the campaign to reward students and improve the school climate.

2. Class Night: 

·        The awards ceremony venue has been finalized and will be held in the high school gymnasium to accommodate a greater number of participants. 

·        The members approved the use of the Winkflash website as a way of expediting the purchase and delivery of pictures to the students.  Concerns over security, privacy, and other related matters were discussed before this decision was rendered due to the fact that this is a secured site and is based on voluntary parent permission. 

·        A lengthy deliberation took place regarding the possession and use of personal cell phones and cameras at the Class Night Dance.  Due to some concerns over management issues, security, theft or loss, and privacy violations, it was agreed in principle to ban cell phones and cameras from the dance.  A document will be drafted to notify parents of the policy once the details have been worked out.

·        The theme for the dance chosen by the students is:  “Above City Lights”.  Supplies and decorations are being finalized to support this theme.

3. Health and Safety:  The Health and Safety Committee met to review priorities and receive updates on District initiatives, including the completion of the emergency management flip chart.
4. Academic and Personal Excellence:  The committee continues to work on the PDA Rubric with the hopes of presenting a final document to the staff, Cabinet, and Council in June for implementation in the fall of 2009.
5. Disconnected Kids:  This committee will meet again in the near future to discuss options for a spring tutoring program.  The Strive program has been put on hold for this year due to grant language that prohibits certain aspects of the proposal and the need to refine the program for our families, in a timely manner.
6. Construction:  Priority will be given to construction proposals that target building and district infrastructure needs.
2. Rube Goldberg Survey:  The Rube Goldberg survey presented to staff to gather information on influences that are affecting our delivery of service to children was briefly reviewed.  This information with be addressed in depth at the summer retreat session as a part of the goal development process.
3. Electronic Devices:  The increased use and abuse of electronic devices in the school setting, disrupting the educational climate, provoking privacy and security concerns, as well as academic integrity issues, had led the Council members to a discussion regarding strong language in the handbook to help to enforce expectations.  This issue will continue to be addressed throughout the remainder of the year and targeted for discussion at the summer council retreat.
4. Fund Raisers:  Several requests for fund raising initiatives were addressed by the Council members.  After some deliberation, the Honor Society Spirit Day event was approved with the following caveats:  the date for the event must be approved by the administration in consultation with the teaching teams and the expectations for student participation for the day must be clearly spelled out in advance.  The PTA coin drop was not approved.
5. Retirement Plaque:  A retirement plaque was presented to the building to potentially post the names of retiring staff members on.  The Council agreed that they did not want to take on the responsibility at this time for organizing and maintaining this plaque.  The Teacher’s Association would be consulted on the matter.
6. Open Agenda:  There were no items presented under the open agenda portion of the meeting.