March 1, 2017 at 6:30 PM - Regular Board of Education Meeting

Rationale: 

Please note the personnel report as you will find updated employee information reflected in it.

Please take note of the March enrollment report. We have a total of 1311 students enrolled.

Congratulations to the LOLHS Art Department who for the fourth year in a row was named the recipient of the Judy Streeter Outstanding School Award by the Shoreline Arts Alliance.

The budget edition of the Focus will go out in the mail this month. We will also present our budget to the OL BOF and the Lyme BOF in April. 

Per my email from last week, our AP scores place us at number two in the state in terms of performance and number five in terms of participation.  This is an amazing feat and something for which we can all be proud.

On Tuesday the CSDE released the 2015-16 Next Generation Accountability System results for schools and districts in Connecticut.  Both Lyme and Mile Creek were recognized as Schools of Distinction based on their high performance on state accountability measures.  Congratulations to both.

In our continued response to parent concerns over homework and AP course requirements, Lyme-Old Lyme High School will host an Advanced Placement information night on Thursday March 7 in preparation for the 2017-18 course registration process in late March.

At our April meeting, we will have an official vote to set a date for graduation as prescribed in statute. Assuming no more closures beyond the one we have already had, the last day of school will be June 14, 2017.  

The month of March is Connecticut Board of Education Member Appreciation Month. I will take a moment to recognize all of our Board members for their dedicated service to our communities.

Rationale:  Mrs. McCalla will provide a year to date budget status report as well as a contingency fund report.

Rationale: 

Mary Seidner of the LYSB will be present with a youth prevention group (REACH Club) who have been working on a project regarding their new social marketing campaign.

 

Rationale:  As the boathouse nears completion, I am looking for volunteers from the Board to join me in reviewing the lease agreement with the town prior to the consideration of said lease by the full Board.  This committee would also take part in the review of the proposed agreement with the Old Lyme Rowing Association.  This is an informational item only and does not require Board action.

Rationale:  While this concept and discussion of such is not new to the Board, the proposed policy and regulations are new.  Therefore, this will follow our normal first read process and discussion.  As such, no action is required at this time.

Rationale:  Section 10-215f of the Connecticut General Statutes requires that each local board of education or governing authority for all Connecticut public school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) must take action annually to certify whether all food items sold to students will or will not meet the Connecticut Nutrition Standards. This includes all NSLP public schools, regional educational service centers, the Connecticut Technical High School System, charter schools, interdistrict magnet schools and endowed academies.

Rationale: 

The following is the background information on this trip supplied by Bill Derry:

The FIRST robotics team will be seeking to go the World Championship in St Louis, MO in April 2017. We would leave early in the morning on Wednesday, April 26, as teams are allowed to unpack their robots and go through tech inspection that evening. The competition continues on Thursday, April 27, through Saturday, April 29. Then, Sunday, April 30, would be our day to travel home. So, a total of 3 school days are missed.

The cost for airfare, hotel, mass transit to/from the airport and dinners with the team is usually between $900-$1000. Students share accommodations in order to keep the costs down, and there are usually four in each room. We have held two fundraisers to lower the cost of the trip. The percentage of savings will depend on the number of students that attend.

Many of our students are preparing to take multiple AP classes in late April, and our students bring their review packets with them on the trip and work on them while traveling or during down-time when it’s available.

We usually take about 20-25 students and the adults who go usually include Mr. Derry, Mr. Goss and Mr. Gentry from our staff, as well as at least six additional adult mentors. These adults include parents and mentors who have been with the team for many years.

As this is the World Championship for FIRST robotics, the opportunities available to our students are numerous. They collaborate and compete alongside students and adults on teams representing many countries. The students also visit tables at the convention center staffed by representatives from highly-competitive colleges and high-tech companies.

In addition, the students experience representing themselves in a trade-show setting by staffing a team “pit” and a Hall of Fame booth. The handful of teams who have been Championship Chairman’s Award winners in previous years are expected to have a presence in the Hall of Fame and automatically qualify to attend the Championship each year based on that accomplishment.