Unami Parent Council 06-07 minutes

The purpose of Unami’s Parent Council is for parents to share their ideas and voice their concerns.  Principal David Bolton and Assistant Principal Cheryll Dougherty preside over the meetings, with visits from Unami staff and district personnel.  Parents are able to keep in tune with what’s going on in the school and the district, and help determine expenditures. 

 For Info on the Unami Parent Council contact the Unami office.

Minutes from Previous Meetings (2006-07):

September            October            November         December           January

February                March               April                    May

Minutes from previous years:         2005-2006          2004-2005          2003-2004          2002-2003

Unami’s last Parent Council meeting of the 2006-2007 school year was held on Friday, May 18^th, in the Library.

Reports:

·         There was no Superintendent’s Advisory Council meeting. For information on previous meetings check http://www.cbsd.org/about/parentadvisory/index.htm.   

·         Treasurer’s Report – After all planned commitments are met, a balance of between expect $8000 and $9000.

During the meeting, a proposal for spending for a Health Fair of up to $1000 for the whole school was approved and seconded. Mrs. Kathy Houpert has proposed a theme of mental health to include topics such as dealing with stress from school and relationships and stress relief techniques. The Health Fair would also include some fun and active stations.

·         The Parent Council Meeting Minutes are posted on the Unami web site – see http://www.cbsd.org/unami  (if you are reading this, you are already there).

Unami Information:

·         Mr. Bolton introduced Mr. Jonathan Boyle as the Dean of Students for 2007-2008.  Mr. Cottman is stepping down.

·         Mr. Boyle took the opportunity to thank the parent council for the excellent staff appreciation lunch.

·         All 9^th grade students have successfully completed the Middle School Assessment.

·         Unami will be receiving a grant from Subway to purchase gym equipment / resources. The 8^th grade 4^th marking period art students submitted posters and there were two winners from Unami. A special assembly will be held to announce the winners and prizes.

·         Relay for Life at Tohickon track was held on May 19^th. Over 500 Unami students participated.

·         The Unami Book Fair will be held June 4^th through 8^th and parents were asked to help out for two specific time slots.

Evaluation and Discussion:

Mr. Bolton asked for input to an End of Year Evaluation. The major discussions were around communications and responsiveness to and from parents. Parents were asked for recommendations for improvements to the newsletter, to the website and in the ways information is communicated home. Also, discussed were the Parent Council formats. Some parents spoke about specific topics that were very useful at the meetings and others recommended specific types of information to be posted on the website.

This was the last meeting of the school year. Mr. Bolton thanked the parents for their support for Unami.

Unami’s Parent Council meeting was held on Friday, April 20^th, in the Library.  

Reports:

Stacey La Hoda reported on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council – The main topics were Internships for high school students and the elementary science program. The last meeting for this school year will be the next one in May. For additional information check http://www.cbsd.org/about/parentadvisory/index.htm.   

·         Treasurer’s Report - There is balance of approximately $10,000 with some of this to be used for completing the technology purchases, the Student of the Quarter end of year lunch and next year’s student Planners.

·         The Parent Council Meeting Minutes are posted on the Unami web site – see http://www.cbsd.org/unami.

 Mrs. Cheryll Dougherty and Mrs. Kathy Houpert gave an overview of the Peer Mediation process that is being introduced at Unami. There are over 20 7^th and 8^th grade students who have been trained as mediators to facilitate two students with an issue to come to a resolution. The presentation covered the two days of training the students went through, what a typical mediation would consist of and some of the ground rules the peer mediators learned. Mediators do not judge or agree to the resolution steps – that is for the students who have some difficulty to be resolved. Examples, of the types of issues that would go to mediation were given – for example, a social issue around two friends where one made a particular team and another did not and the resulting change in whose friends with whom; or a lost book / personal item that causes discord between two students who had been friends. Guidelines of what would never go to peer mediation where also given – any conflict around behavior, drugs, weapons, and similarly threats to the student population would still be handled by teachers and administration.

There was some discussion around peer mediation related to confidentiality. The participants and mediators sign a confidentiality agreement. During the process, an administrator is nearby but allows the students to follow the process independently of adult input. Some parents wanted to be informed if their student was involved in a peer dispute; however, that could eliminate some students asking for help through this process.

Updates / Help Wanted

PSSA Science pilot test will be given on May 1^st to the 8^th grade. Next year PSSA Science testing will be given to additional grades.

Mrs. Dougherty asked for help for the Beautification Committee, Relay for Life and Freshman Day.

For Teacher Appreciation Week – May 7 – 11^th, particularly the luncheon on May 9^th some parents volunteered to help and bring soda / drinks.

Paper Plates are needed for the Relay for Life – please drop off at the office before May 18th.

Some upcoming Dates-to-Know were listed on the agenda and these are also in the Unami calendar at http://www.cbsd.org/unami/main/calendars.htm

Relay for Life – chaperone and parents meeting will be May 3^rd at 7 pm.

Relay for Life – at Tohickon track – May 19^th.

The last Parent Council Meeting of this school year will be May 18, 2007.

Unami’s Parent Council meeting was held on Friday, March 16^th, in the Library.

Reports:

Stacey La Hoda reported on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council – The 2007-2008 calendar is now available on the CBSD website. Most of the March meeting had focused on elementary subjects – math, drop-off procedures and the 6^th to 7^th grade transition. This last topic covered preparing 6^th graders for note taking, pace and organization skills, and the team approach between the cluster schools. Parent orientations are held in March. For Unami, 6^th graders will do a school visit and then the first day of fall classes is only for 7^th graders to help them get adjusted to Middle School.

Parent Council Agendas and meeting minutes are available at http://www.cbsd.org/about/parentadvisory/index.htm.  

·         Treasurer’s Report - Mr. Bolton stated there is balance of $23,000 with approximately $13,000 of this allocated. The musical will be returning approximately $1500 – due to the 3 sold out shows – leaving an estimated balance of $11,000. Mr. Bolton has already ordered some of the equipment for classrooms and presentation stations.

·         The Parent Council Meeting Minutes are posted on the Unami web site – see http://www.cbsd.org/unami.

The High School Musical leads sang one of the songs in appreciation and to thank the Parent Council for their support.

Mrs. Holly Kilpatrick gave an overview on “How do materials get selected for Unami’s library?” She showed some of the catalogs – both print and on-line – that provide reviews of books. There are several services available to librarians to help judge the quality, usefulness and appropriate age levels of books. Two such are Young Adult Library Services Association and Titlewave. Mrs. Kilpatrick demonstrated some of the on-line reviews available to her. Parents interested in young adult book reviews can frequently see some of the same reviews the librarians use via amazon.com.  Another way to check reviews is to use Access PA on the Unami web site.  Using a Bucks County Library Card, go to Access PA, click on Power Library, and then click on NoveList K-8.

She discussed the problem of having materials suitable for 7^th grade struggling readers through 9^th grade advanced readers and what might be appropriate for a 9^th grader may not be for a 7^th grader. Unami currently has 4045 fiction books. Also, she warned that some titles were very racy to encourage students to pick up the books; however, the actual books could be perfectly appropriate. Unfortunately, on the other hand, some seemingly appropriate titles can have no added value for a student or contain inappropriate content. If Mrs. Kilpatrick can’t assess the appropriateness of a book for Unami from the reviews offered, she will often wait to order it until she has read it and determined what grade level the book is suitable for.

Questions /Discussions

• Sports physical policy will be changing for the next school year.

Some upcoming Dates-to-Know were listed on the agenda and these are also in the Unami calendar at http://www.cbsd.org/unami/main/calendars.htm

Relay for Life – captain and parents meeting will be March 29^th at 7 pm.

Next Parent Council Meeting will be April 20, 2007.

The meeting was adjourned early with the announcement school would be closing due to the ice and snow storm in progress.

Next Parent Council Meeting will be April 20, 2007.

Unami’s Parent Council meeting was held on Friday, February 16^th, in the Library.

Reports:

·         Lauri Komita reported on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council – discussions were on the Advanced Placement and new SAT scores. Many students are only taking the SAT’s one time due to the length of the test. Enrollment in AP courses continues to increase. Also discussed was CB enrollment – it is still increasing; however, the rate is beginning to slow down. The average class size is 23.3. 

Also discussed was the security update that had been emailed and distributed plus plans for upgrading entrances to schools. Unami will receive a new entry way over the summer that will channel traffic to the office. All schools, including Unami, have CERT teams – Critical Emergency Response Teams – to plan for emergency situations.

Parent Council Agendas and meeting minutes are available at http://www.cbsd.org/about/parentadvisory/index.htm.  

·         Treasurer’s Report - Mr. Bolton stated there is balance of $30,600 with $10,000 of this allocated for student planners, musical and student-of-the quarter luncheon.

·         The Parent Council Meeting Minutes are posted on the Unami web site – see http://www.cbsd.org/unami.

Mrs. Mandy Cammann, the 9^th grade guidance counselor spoke about Program Planning. 9^th grade starts after the winter break and is nearing completion; verification sheets will come home March 6th. 8^th grade verification sheets will come home on February 26^th. 7^th grade will start at the end of February with drag sheet day on March 1^st and verification sheets on March 5^th. On March 7^th, the verification sheets are given to the elementary schools for distribution to the 6^th graders.

Mrs. Cheryll Dougherty reviewed the Middle School Assessment- “Take a Stand”. This activity culminates in the 9^th grade presentation and is a required 0.5 point credit for graduation. Mrs. Dougherty summarized the when, what, why and how the students are organized to achieve the assessment. The timeline, mentoring and check points, and the presentation, including a sample video, were discussed. She walked through the rubrics for the management of time and task, collaboration, information processing and the presentation.

Social Norming – a survey will be taken by the 9^th grade on March 2^nd during Social Studies. This is a response to the Youth Survey results. People behave based on perceptions – it is important for a student to have his/her own perceptions and not a peer groups’ regarding behavior. CB Cares is providing funding for the survey – the results will be available in the fall. A letter will be coming home to the parents of the 9^th grade.

Updates / Help Wanted

Beautification Committee - Mr. Bolton asked for inputs and ideas to help the building look better. He would like to plan for next year.

Resource will be moving in the fall – either to after lunch or the end of the day.

Bells will be used to mark class changes after PSSA testing is completed.

Teacher Appreciation Week will be May 7 – 11^th with the luncheon tentatively set for Wednesday.

Request for Funds

Approved and seconded - $750 for the teacher appreciation luncheon.

Approved and seconded – Unami’s school nurse, Mrs. Kathy Houpert, requested $300 for a Resusci-Annie and 24 extra lungs – this is a CPR mannequin for use in Health classes.

Approved and seconded - $10000 for 10 Televisions, 10 VCR/DVDs, equipment for Presentation stations and some additional equipment to ensure all classrooms can be connected to the Unami TV station and have equivalent resources. Presentation stations are systems with a computer, internal DVD, speakers and portable smart boards.

Discussions

During Mrs. Houpert’s request, several questions and comments were raised:

• There was a discussion on why is the Health Fair every other year? The planning and efforts for this are huge. If parents were able to assist in this via a committee, could it be held every year? Or, would it be possible to expand it so every other class isn’t skipped? Mr. Bolton and Mrs. Houpert will discuss ideas. Indeed, Mrs. Houpert indicated to hold the Health Fair next year, the planning has to start now.
• There are 3 Defibrillators in Unami with directions posted. A parent suggested that perhaps an option for one of the fall clubs would be a CPR / defibrillator course.
• Unami has a diversity club with a purpose of recognizing differences and recommending tolerance for all.

Mr. Bolton, Mrs. Dougherty and Ms. Holly Kilpatrick thanked the Parent Council for the Poster Printer – they showed samples of the quality of the posters that can now be printed for classrooms and activities.

There were 3 handouts – one to follow up Cyber Bullying, one to follow up on Internet safety, and the Key Communicators email on Safety in the CB Schools.

Some upcoming Dates-to-Know were listed on the agenda and these are also in the Unami calendar at http://www.cbsd.org/unami/main/calendars.htm

Charity Dance – the date is February 23^rd. It is for 7^th and 8^th grade only. The PSSA dates are detailed on the Unami calendar now. 80% of the funds raised will go to Make-a-Wish and 20% to Manna.

PSSA Writing was extended to February 20, 21 due to the snow day.

Middle School Assessment Presentations are Feb 27 – March 1 from 3-6 pm.

Unami’s High School Musical performances will be March 9 and 10.

Next Parent Council Meeting will be March 16, 2007.

The meeting was adjourned.

Unami’s Parent Council meeting was held on Friday, January 19^th, in the Library. The meeting started late due to the iciness of the roads from the light snow and freezing rain.

The main focus of the meeting was a presentation on Internet Safety by Mr. Jonathan Boyle who teaches the Computer Technology courses at Unami. He presented excellent material on safeguards, issues, concerns, statistics, and focus areas. There were two powerful videos included. Some of the information presented was from I-Safe, a non-profit organization with tools and materials to help parents understand the critical nature of safe Internet use. See http://www.isafe.org/. Some additional topics covered and discussed included:

Frightening was the concept that 55% of teenagers give information to strangers on-line. It is eye popping to realize how fast a predator can get names, phone numbers and street addresses from something as simple as an IM log on.  Click HERE to view part of the presentation.

Students are taught “Danger- Stranger” in elementary school and never realize that concept should be applied to the Internet.

There is appropriate behavior in the world and there is appropriate Internet behavior. Best example, bullying is unacceptable behavior and cyber bullying is also unacceptable behavior. But, cyber bullying is more prevalent and can be much more harmful than bullying. Again, students are taught to respect others in person and protect themselves and friends from bullying situations. However, it is very easy to “flame” someone in an e-mail or IM and do harm. (Flame = insult.)

Mr. Boyle answered questions and to the one on when is Internet Safety taught to the Unami students, he replied, “every time they take a computer class”. He also updates information and provides real-time instruction if he overhears of a situation that requires reinforcement of a respectful Internet behavior. He constantly updates the material, but it changes so quickly.

Parents are still the best defense – by limiting time on the Internet, having the computer in an open space in the home, reinforcing positive behaviors, knowing your students friends and maintaining communications.

Reports:

·         Parent Council Agendas and meeting minutes are available at http://www.cbsd.org/about/parentadvisory/index.htm. If you have questions on the topics for the next meeting in February, contact Stacey LaHoda.

·         Cheryl Walker reported there were no major changes to the Treasurer’s Report. Mr. Bolton reported that the Student Planners for the next school years have been ordered for less than the amount set aside.

·         The Parent Council Meeting Minutes are posted on the Unami web site – see http://www.cbsd.org/unami.

Mr. Bolton solicited parent comment on the Unami Wear – quality for cost and mentioned there will be a spring sale. He also asked for comments on using bells to mark the class periods and where should Resource be placed.

Some upcoming Dates-to-Know were listed on the agenda and these are also in the Unami calendar at http://www.cbsd.org/unami/main/calendars.htm

Other Calendar Notes:

Charity Dance – the new date is February 23^rd. It is for 7^th and 8^th grade only. (The district calendar lists an old date of March 2^nd.)

The PSSA dates are detailed on the Unami calendar now.

February 1^st is the 8^th grade parent meeting for 9^th grade course planning. See Mrs. Corr’s E-notes for additional information.

The meeting was adjourned.

Unami’s Parent Council meeting was held on Friday, December 15^th, in the Library.

Reports:

·         The Superintendent’s Advisory Council – the main topic discussed at the December meeting was Act 1 – Property Tax Reform. The CB School District is trying to determine a) if parents of students understand Act 1; b) know what it will mean to them in terms of taxes and affects on the schools; and 3) what is the importance of the referendum question to be placed on the upcoming primary ballot. A slide packet was reviewed and information summarized including on where the break even points between property taxes and Earned Income Taxes (EIT) occur. Mr. Bolton was interested in determining what the parents present at the meeting thought needed to be done to inform all parents. Some information is planned already. Over the next few months, look for information in your student’s backpack and opportunities to participate in discussions related to Act 1. Also, check the CB website, especially the parent advisory minutes for December 6^th for the slide presentation.

Parent Council Agendas and meeting minutes are available at http://www.cbsd.org/about/parentadvisory/index.htm. If you have questions on the topics for the next meeting in February, contact Stacey LaHoda.

·         Cheryl Walker summarized the Treasurer’s Report – A motion was proposed, seconded and passed to set aside $4500 for the Student Planners for 2007-2008.  This will leave approximately $20,000 after all commitments are met.

·         The Parent Council Meeting Minutes are posted on the Unami web site – see http://www.cbsd.org/unami.

The Librarian, Ms. Holly Kilpatrick, presented valuable information on the Unami Library and the online Resource data bases and search tools available to the students. Generally available Internet search engines are not highly reliable for student projects and can return websites that at the least may not be applicable or worse, inappropriate. The subscription online databases provided to the students access relevant reference books, magazines, newspapers, and other resource materials. She demonstrated how to logon and use some of the search engines and highlighted evaluation mechanisms for the resulting sources, where they were available. Students have been informed on how-to and can access this material from home via the following link: http://www.cbsd.org/unami/library

Unami Updates:

Unami placed 17^th out of 897 Middle Schools in the PSSA 8^th Grade Writing Scores. CB writing scores continue to improve and Writing scores are the one area of the assessments that increases as students progress through school.

Unami’s in-house television studio is nearing completion. $10,000 had been allocated to set up the studio. A wall needs to be moved in January and then the equipment can be ordered. There will be 4 channels and it is to be student run. Mr. Bolton foresees its use for running announcements throughout the day so there are fewer chances of students missing the one morning PA broadcast and for adding mobility and visuals to class projects. Currently, there is digital film capability in the school but there has been no continuous filming capability.

Mrs. Dougherty recruited parent helpers for the Unami Wear sale to help on the day of distribution which will be December 18^th, 19^th or 20^th. It was a very successful sale.

The 9^th grade Middle School Assessment is beginning. Students will choose their group and topic before the holiday break. There will be research time in classes and after the holiday break full scale research and weekly sessions with teams and mentors will occur. There are checkpoints and parent sign-offs leading up to the practice assessment. The formal presentations of the assessments are scheduled for February 27^th, 28^th,  and March 1^st after school.

A brief discussion was held on the subject of appropriate types of dancing in the Middle School. This was delayed from last month when an article was included with the agenda but time didn’t allow it to be reviewed. The article discussed how schools across the country were cancelling dances because of how inappropriate some forms of dancing known as freak dancing have become. One parent noted that Friday, December 15^th’s Intelligencer had an editorial related to this subject.

Some upcoming Dates-to-Know were listed on the agenda and these are also in the Unami calendar at http://www.cbsd.org/unami/main/calendars.htm One addition is the Curriculum Open House for 9^th Grade is to be held at CB South on January 11^th. A notice will be sent home indicating times to attend. IPRs will be distributed on Tuesday, December 19^th.

The meeting was adjourned with good wishes for happy holidays.

Next Parent Council Meeting – January 19th, 2006 at 9:00AM

Unami Parent Council meeting was held on Friday, November 17^th, in the Library.

Principal Bolton and Mrs. Lisa Corr, the 8^th grade counselor, started the meeting by presenting an overview to the data from the Pennsylvania Youth Survey. The PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency gives this survey and it samples 6^th, some 8^th and all 12^th grade students in CB. The survey is not given every year – 2005 was the most recent year for CB students. Questions related to students who may have tried alcohol, cigarettes, inhalants or marijuana were answered anonymously in the survey. Data was presented for CB district and then in comparison with the state and national averages. Also surveyed were the prevalence of anti-social behaviors and the average age of the onset of such behaviors. The behaviors included trying alcohol (average age to start trying in CB is 14.3 and in PA is 13.9), drinking regularly (CB 15.6, PA 15.4) and smoking (CB 14.1, PA 13.4). Males were more likely to exhibit these behaviors earlier and students with D’s and F’s were more willing to try them. Females showed more symptoms of depression. Further information on the statistics is available through the district or Mrs. Corr.

The above data because of its alarming nature led to a discussion of “what next”? One of the most obvious answers is to stay in touch with what your student is doing in school and when they are with friends. Ask questions and listen. Also, engaging the students in activities seems to lessen the risks. In addition, Mrs. Corr spoke of the CBSD program START – the Student At-Risk Team – which is designed for identifying students who may need help due to showing behaviors of concern – specifically, drug and alcohol abuse or threatening behavior to themselves or other people. There are 5 objectives – identification, referrals, team intervention, aftercare and education. Mrs. Corr and Mrs. Dougherty described the process.

Mrs. Dougherty also noted that students did not indicate the drug and alcohol use was occurring at school. Rather, it is the non-school hours, particularly weekends, where the use occurred. This may be due to the patrol dogs that make unannounced appearances in the schools.  

Last month, Mr. Bolton spoke about changes for Honors Courses and Advanced Courses, which caused confusion for some parents. Currently, at Unami there are Basic, Academic, Honors and Special courses. The High School has Advanced Placement (AP) plus those 4 levels. At the Middle Level all Honors courses will be changed, in name only, to Advanced.  The current curriculum and selection process will not change.  At the High School level, all courses that meet the honors criteria (different and more challenging work, different text books, etc) will become weighted courses.  Presently, only AP courses are weighted but in the future Honors courses will be weighted .25 so that an A in an Honors course will equal 4.25. There are no weighted classes now and will not be next year for 9^th grade.

During a question and answer follow-up, Mrs. Corr indicated there would be an 8^th Grade Parent Meeting prior to student’s course selection so that parents would understand the planning required for high school course selection and curriculum choices. This meeting will be held after the first of the year.

Reports:

·         The Superintendent’s Advisory Council – the topics discussed at the November meeting were Rigor and Relevance in academic standards – that is, making the curriculum more intense and in-depth. Also, the PA youth survey was discussed with some additional numbers presented.  Agendas and meeting minutes are available at http://www.cbsd.org/about/parentadvisory/index.htm. If you have questions on the topics for the next meeting, contact Stacey LaHoda.

·         Mr. Bolton summarized the Treasurer’s Report – After all of the expenses are paid for the magazine drive including the $4000 that will go to the teams, there is a balance of $24,500. Approximately $9500 has already been allocated for activities and student planners, leaving a balance of $15,000 for expenses during the year. 

·         The Parent Council Meeting Minutes are posted on the Unami web site – see http://www.cbsd.org/unami.

·         Mr. Bolton summarized the staff changes occurring and pending. Current Unami enrollment is 984.

Safety – the intruder on campus drill that had just occurred and some of the lessons learned related to the drill were reviewed. Other drills will occur throughout the year.

Parent Help Needed

• Mrs. Dougherty recruited help for the Relay for Life – she would like to plan to make the collections easier and corral the paperwork.
• Mrs. Dougherty recruited help for the Unami Wear sale – orders will be due on December 1^st. Help will be required to do the orders and then on the day of distribution which will be about December 15^th.
• The Librarian recruited help for the Book Fair to be held from December 4^th through 8^th.

Several parents signed up for these activities.

Due to the lateness of the meeting it was mentioned that upcoming Dates-to-Know were listed on the agenda and these are also in the Unami calendar at http://www.cbsd.org/unami/main/calendars.htm

As a result of last month’s discussions, Mr. Bolton investigated why the cost of the German language workbooks are so much more expensive than the French or Spanish. He shared this information with affected parents after the meeting.

The meeting was adjourned.

The second Unami Parent Council meeting was held on Friday, October 20^th, in the Library. Principal Bolton started with a note that he would be skipping around the agenda to accommodate different speakers and attendees.

Mr. Bolton introduced Mr. Ed Kenna, the Sodexho General Manager and Food Service Administrator for Central Bucks School District. Mr. Kenna gave a short presentation on the CB food service program, nutrition goals, and the challenges to meet the Wellness policy, regulations and guidelines and still provide menus that appeal to students. Lunches are designed to meet certain minimum RDAs in protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C as established by the US government. Mr. Kenna provided some information on the numbers of students who buy lunch or snacks each day, how many times a year the food service is audited, improvements pending to help reduce line wait times, and what is included in an elementary lunch for $2.20. The MS tables are sanitized prior to first lunch each day. Between lunches or for accidents, there are water-filled spray bottles for spot cleanups. Mr. Kenna noted that the school menus can be found on http://www.cbsd.org/lunch.htm and that he can be reached through the website via email.

Reports:

·         The Superintendent’s Advisory Council held its first meeting to determine topics to analyze and review during this year. Also discussed were School Safety and the Tax Study committee. Topics for November include Rigor and Relevance in academic standards, enrollment growth and rules for use of facilities by outside organizations.  Agendas and meeting minutes are available at http://www.cbsd.org/about/parentadvisory/index.htm. If you have questions on the topics for the next meeting, contact Stacey LaHoda or Lauri Komita.

·         Cheryl Walker provided the Treasurer’s Report. After all the magazine drive expenses – cost of magazines, prizes, gifts to teams, etc. – are paid, it is expected there will be approximately $14,500 profit from the drive. With the carryover from last year, that gives the fund approximately $20,000 for this year.

·         The Parent Council Meeting Minutes are posted on the Unami web site – see http://www.cbsd.org/unami.

Beginning next year, all Honors courses in grades 9-12 will receive a .25 GPA weighting.  To qualify as an Honors course, the classes must be qualitatively and quantitatively different from the Academic course curriculum.  As these curriculum changes are being made, all courses in grades 7-9 that were called Honors courses will be called Advanced beginning next year.  When the Ninth grade classes are changed they will become Honors courses.

Abitibi, a Recycling Program for paper is being introduced into CB schools. Look for more information on disposing of paper materials soon.

Cheryll Dougherty thanked all the parent volunteers for the “best ever” Magazine Drive. Approximately 80 students took part in the Hummer ride to lunch. The Deal no Deal assembly will be held on October 27^th. Cheryll commented that there was great enthusiasm and support this year.

Request for Funds – Three requests were approved and seconded after a spirited discussion about use of the moneys available and some parent questions about other uses possible for the money. 

Musical – Mrs. Stacy Caldwell requested between $3000 and $4000 for the musical. Royalties alone are $2000, the students will do some fundraising and there will be some funds from ticket sales. Ms. Delia McCann and Ms. Denise Miller also aid in the production.

Dance Marathon – Ms. Beth Mattern requested $1000 to cover costs for the marathon so that all money students raise goes to the charity chosen.

Student of the Quarter – Ms. Abby McKellin requested $400 for an end of the year luncheon to recognize the students chosen as SOQs.

As a result of the discussions, Mr. Bolton is going to investigate why the cost of the German language work books are so much more expensive than the French or Spanish. He also noted that his budget is due in November – much earlier than other years because of the new tax laws.

Safety – Mr. Bolton and Ms. Dougherty reviewed the drills that occur yearly / bi-yearly for the middle school students so that students and staff are prepared in the event of an emergency. They talked about the training the staff receives each year on what to do for different incidents. Mr. Bolton discussed briefly the 3 year CB district-wide safety committee formed to address safety in our schools. It was noted that while it is a 3-year study, recommendations are being made and implemented along the way – it is not a wait until the committee is done and publishes a report. More information on the safety committee is available on the website.

At the end of the meeting, some upcoming Dates-to-Know were reviewed. These are listed on the Unami calendar.

The meeting was adjourned.

September

Over 30 people attended the first meeting of the 2006-2007 Unami Parent Council held on Friday, September 15, in the Cafeteria. Principal David Bolton welcomed everyone and introduced himself providing background information on his family, teaching career and principal responsibilities before coming to Unami. Throughout the meeting Mr. Bolton answered additional questions on his background and philosophy. He then introduced the following representatives who gave a brief summary of the responsibilities.

·         The Superintendent’s Advisory Council meets on the first Wednesday of each month with Dr. Laws to discuss topics of interest for all the CB schools.  Stacey LaHoda and  Lauri Komita will be Unami’s representatives this year. All agendas and meeting minutes are available at http://www.cbsd.org/about/parentadvisory/index.htm. If you have questions or topics you would like brought to the attention of the council, contact Stacey.

·         A Treasurer’s Report is presented each month showing the status of fund expenditures and profits from the various fund raisers.  Cheryl Walker will provide Unami’s Treasurer’s report this year.

·         The Parent Council Meeting Minutes are a summary of the meetings and are posted on the Unami web site – see http://www.cbsd.org/unami. Karen Fein will record meeting minutes.

Principal Bolton introduced Ms. Barbara Gross of the CB Cares organization. CB Cares was formerly known as the Central Bucks Healthier Community Team. Ms. Gross spoke about the goals, activities and resources available to parents through CB Cares. The Backpack Newsflash is a monthly newsletter detailing the current and upcoming activities and is sent home from school but is also available on-line. Ms. Gross detailed several upcoming events, such as Positive Coaching workshops, parent rap sessions, “A Day to Eat Dinner with your Family” and service days with further details available on-line at www.cbhct.org.

Mr. Bolton reviewed the Unami Building goals, including the Unami Vision Statement. And, he spoke of his theme for the year, “Expect Great Things”.

·         Unami’s Vision Statement – In pursuit of academic excellence, Unami Middle School will keep the student as the center of learning. We will educate the “whole student”. We will celebrate success and recognize individual differences. Respect is the key to our community.

·         Unami’s Goals 2006-2007:

1.        Provide in-depth training to support district initiatives.

2.        Help students to understand and practice the concept of respect.

3.        Promote the emotional, physical, and social well-being of Unami’s staff.

4.        Along with academic success we will promote emotional, physical, and social well-being of our students. Every member of Unami’s community should feel:

·         They are known

·         They have value

·         They are supported.

Unami Good News

An overview of the PSSA scores was provided. Unami is 19 out of 865 middle schools in Pennsylvania; that is in the top 2.2%. Individual score reports will be mailed soon.

Congratulations to Mrs. Pam (Sime) Cummins, 7^th grade science teacher, who the Horace Mann, NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence.   She is also one of five finalists for the national award that will be awarded in February.

In October, a National Heart Association / National Football League Commercial will air featuring several Unami and other CB district students. The theme of the commercial is, “What Moves You”. It was filmed at CB West. It will also be shown at the Eagles home games and Regal Cinemas this fall.

Dates to Know

·         Back To School Nights

o        7^th Grade – Wednesday, September 20.

o        8^th & 9^th Grade – Thursday, Sept. 21.

·         7^th Grade Welcome Dance – Friday, September 22^nd, 3-5pm

·         7^th Grade Sniff dog orientation assembly – October 5^th

·         Picture re-takes – October 10^th

·         8^th/9^th Grade Welcome Back dance – October 20^th, 7:30-10pm.

·         Parent Conferences – November 20^th, 21^st, 12:30-8:00 pm.

·         PSSA dates – Please avoid scheduling appointments or vacations for the following times:

o        February 12-23, 2007 – 8^th grade PSSA Writing

o        March 12-23, 2007 – 7^th / 8^th grade Reading & Math

o        April 23-May 4, 2007 – 8^th grade Science pilot

The following Questions were answered during the meeting:

·         The Science Research project is no longer a requirement. However, for those interested, meetings will be held after school to help prepare for competitions.

·         There are currently 984 students enrolled at Unami.

·         The 9^th grade assessment will start in December with the bulk of the work performed in January and February. Students will then present in early March.

The Magazine Drive is underway with kickoff assemblies on September 15th. Assistant Principal Cheryll Dougherty explained the drive and the turn-in dates. Ms. Dougherty asked for assistance on the three drop off days and several parents did volunteer to help.

The Unami Wear Sale is to help foster school spirit by displaying the Unami name. Forms will be sent home in a few weeks and the apparel comes home – in time for the holidays. There is a try-on day so the students can determine proper sizes. Annette Girona volunteered to lead this task with help from an additional parent.  Comments were made on improving communications with the vendor as there were some cancelled dates and difficulties last year.

Mr. Bolton thanked everyone for coming and asked that anyone he had not met should stop and introduce themselves.

Meetings are held the 3^rd Friday of the month and the next meeting will be at 9 am on Friday, October 20^th, 2006.

Meetings are generally held the 3^rd Friday of the month.

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