Manor Elementary PTA
General Meeting Minutes
February 6th, 2019
Attendees: Peg Minicozzi, Meredith Williams, Shannon OLeary, Minna Kim,
Elizabeth Davis, Brook Wilkinson, Christine Trychin, Chelsea Fiore, Erica
Tanamachi, Molly Casey, Renee Eshoo, Sara Ferner, Martha Martin, Andrea
Haberlein
Welcome and introductions
Approval of minutes of January meeting
Motion: Chelsea, Second: Christine
Focus Group: EL Education at Manor with Martha Martin, Manor’s EL School
Designer
(See Rough Notes at the End of minutes)
PTA Business:
Thanks to:
Minna Kim for stepping into the parent-ed coordinator role gracefully and
smoothing the way for our event with Joanna Ho Bradshaw
Events:
2/13: Walk & Roll to School Day
2/14: Lost & Found Clear-Out Deadline
2/14: Valentine’s Day Staff Appreciation Lunch, provided by 3rd, 4th and
5th grades
2/18-22: Mid-Winter Break: NO SCHOOL
2/27: Parent Education: Part 2 on Restorative Parenting and Authentic
Consequences with Joanna Ho Bradshaw, 6:30-8:30pm
3/13: Walk & Roll to School Day
3/23: Manor Family Dance, 5:00-8:00pm
4/4: Variety Show
4/17: Walk & Roll to School Day
Late April or May: Maker Night with Golden Gate Learning Center, 5:30 or
6:00pm
5/4: Parent Education: Anya Maynes: Topic TBA, 6:30-8:30pm
5/8: National Bike to School Day
6/3: Lego Night with Playwell, 5:00pm
Updates:
Safe Routes to School—Brook
need table volunteer
May 8th: International Walk/Roll DAy
Children for Change—Brook
Film and banquet coming up, Feb food drive at Manor ongoing,
Next focus: homelessness
YES—Christine
YES: participation is down.
Emphasis on participation or amount?
Performance w/ tip jar?
Kids perform at end of year fiesta?
Online auction is coming up!
Tonight is Manor Night at L’Appart
Battle of the Bands Mar 30 — buy your tickets
Maker Night:
will require 12 volunteers
Date to be pushed out…late April
Break into 2 groups like Manor Art night
Garden Club update:
Feb 26 tuesdays through 5/21
Garden Club cleanups
Seasonal Newsletter for Garden — seasonal focus
Teachers take over boxes
2 beds: pollinators & medicinal
Campus Beautification Update:
Wooden sign for front of school is in progress; 5th grade class contribution
(Like last year’s acorn)
Lapathon Update:
Coordinator needed;
Workload:
Connect w/ Marssie to get online, Balloon arch, Letter update, Coordinate
Tshirts
Next Meeting: Tuesday, 3/5 at 6:30pm in the Library
FOCUS GROUP: EL MIDYEAR REVIEW (Rough Notes on Discussion)
Intro by Martha Martin and Peg Minicozzi:
We are doing a Midyear Review: An Opportunity for EL to take a look at
workplan goals, what evidence can we collect for progress monitoring in
these areas: Mastery of Knowledge, Character, High Quality work, Student
Achievement Workplan, Faculty Targets
Conversation: Let’s look at where we are, if adjustments are needed
EL does a big observation / walkthrough in classrooms in 2 groups, looking
for Learning targets, character traits, student learning on the walls
Tools: Student Survey, Staff Survey, Focus groups (including Focus Group at
today’s PTA meeting); Later today: Teaching Workplan models to staff
Sarah & Nate Warner (Regional director), Erica (Senior Director) lives in
SF
End of yr: Implementation Review
Assessment: How is Manor (staff) doing implementing EL? A Very specific
survey of core practices is conducted. Manor is not expected to be
perfectly implementing everything.Peg, Sarah & Martha are always checking
in with each other. Martha is also available to answer any parent questions
Q&A:
Martha: What aspects of EL do you see VISIBLE (in the classroom)
Parent Comments:
–Cougar Code, Character, Resilience, Perseverance,
–Circle crew
–Kids don’t feel insecure about joining groups (C4C),
–Experiential projects
–Kids are comfortable doing drafts, having peers look at their work
–A theme continues across all parts of school — field trips, art,
classwork
— Parents see language to use w/ kids: Parents can use the growth mindset
language, learning targets
–Integrity; kids learning to do the right thing (Integrity) and keep
trying (Perseverance)
Parent Question re: Learning Targets
Based on knowledge, skill, reasoning, character traits, craftsmanship of
high quality learning.
What’s the rationale of “I can” language?
I can language = for kids to have ownership and agency vs an intention
Kids are leaders of their learning, doing self-assessment for daily
instruction; Kids learn to be metacognitive. Sometimes there’s no learning
target b/c kids are grappling w/ a topic.
Kids not just “doing” school; we want them to learn how to learn; it’s OK
to be HERE as long as we’re moving towards HERE…
Focus Group Question: Implementation to IMPACT (What are we seeing in kids?
What do parents want to see?)
Parent Comments:
–want to see kids outside in the morning
–Kids being more drawn to learning vs. being told to do another report
–More flexibility with time in order
–More differentiation for high learners
Discussion on differentiation (w/ feedback from staff)
–Parents can check in with teachers, Talk to your teachers…
EL facilitates deeper learning (supporting all students); doesn’t always
mean going to the next level; Kids can be challenged.
It’s really difficult to differentiate, especially in Math
Peg Minicozzi is interested in working with a group of parents and teachers
on this topic.
(We just introduced a new Math program (Bridges) and small things are
happening; teachers are adding in elements as they master the new program).
We have lots of Resources:
Julia Wolcott – curriculum —
Jo Boler (Stanford) developing Number Sense
Teacher Resource area
Ideally kids can follow their own interest, if we’re building a boat, we
want to measure…
With EL, Students become Leaders of their Own Learning — EL has a great
book on student engagement. Need to lean in together. EL is all of the
progressive research-based best practices combined.
Reminder: Changes may not be as visible to parents.
Parent Comments:
–Want to see kids outdoors more, expeditions, curiosity based, in the
dirt…
–Parents curious about the big expeditions…
Reminder: expeditions usually don’t happen for 3 yrs…
Martha Martin insight:
Manor EL is in a Building phase, Teachers are learning so much, adoption
of EL is meant to be gradual. Back in the day, schools would just jump into
expeditions. But there were no standards; want kids to be meeting
standards, expeditions that are rigorous and challenging
Peg is excited about the changes — so much has happened since 2014!
Q: If you ask your child, what did you do at school? What would you hope to
hear?
Parent comments:
…I took the initiative to help a child
…I made a connection with my teacher
…digging deeper (I saw a worm,
…I made a mistake, it was OK
…we started a cool project and we came to a decision as a group
… Crew : how to have a conversation;
Q: What have teachers been noticing?
Children have sense of crew; spirit and culture; student leadership & peer
mentorship’ classroom instruction is aligned but not cookie cutter
Denver site visit to Fox Creek was inspirational — this is what it can be!
but it did not feel unachievable. Teachers want to spend more time working
together to build depth.
Q: What about parent involvement? A focus on shifting parent involvement;
not turning it away…
EL Implementation — working on scaffolding, more aligned framework, more
lesson- and project-building (eg 3 case studies within each expedition)