Vacancies

• Math (1 MS)
• ENL teacher
• Science (1 MS)
• Humanities (1 HS)
• Sp. Ed. ( 1 Math, 1 S.S.)

New Hires for 24 - 25

• Potential ENL and HS Humanities teacher 

Enrollment

• 266, with several migrant families being displaced over the past month
• Marketing 
  • Ads on radio on 94 the Block, 107.5, 97.1 to begin in January
  • Facebook lead ads already running
  • VistaPrint mailer went out the first week of December to 5000 families
  • Vanguard (DOE Vendor) mailer to be delivered to approximately 11,000 families in January
• Recruitment Events
  • Parent Meeting at Hyde Charter School  in January to speak with 8th graders looking for a high school
  • Clinic with Champions for 5th & 6th graders to attend a basketball clinic facilitated by our Championship Team (Jan. TBA)
  • Esports Tournament for 5th & 6th graders across the school district (Feb. TBA)
  • Principal’s Breakfast with District Elementary Principals to focus on longitudinal planning.  The goal is to expose them to Summit (Jan. TBA)

Authorizer Visit

On December 11th we were visited by our DOE Authorizers. The purpose of the visit was to observe actionable items that were cited in our renewal conditions as they look for evidence of progress. In addition, to lend support in key areas of the school community that address deficits in teacher effectiveness and student achievement.

Here are the key takeaways and observations made during the visit:

• Classroom planning and teacher collaboration were evident in some, but not all, classrooms visited. Further development of co-teaching structures is necessary.
• As a schoolwide initiative, classrooms should be more student-centered and less teacher-directed.
• The instructional focus which is writing across all content areas, was evident in classroom instruction and student work on bulletin boards.
• Teachers need to review and develop better questioning techniques using structures such as Bloom’s Taxonomy.
• In some classes, there was more active engagement and students' voices. This needs to be a part of all classes for all scholars.
• The school has a plan in place and data in regards to our RTI initiative in MS and the rollout of HS RTI will be in a few weeks.
• Teachers need to ensure that data-driven instruction is implemented to assess and understand student learning.

Overall the meeting was positive and they offered their support to Summit as a partner who can support and assist in our efforts to ensure that Summit Academy Charter School thrives. They cited that there is a need for Summit in this community where there a limited choices for young people in terms of school choices.

Here are some of their suggestions:

• Our educational partner, Lavina should conduct PD’s with our staff in regards to teacher pedagogy and best practices
• SOLVED, must provide more concrete support in terms of Professional development now that we have a plethora of school data. Possible PD sessions should include data driven instruction, differentiating based on data, concrete data analysis, and looking at student work using protocols through the lens of data,

They want to schedule another visit in February and we are looking at possible dates. On  their next visit they informed us as to what they would like to observe when they return. The requested the following:

• Written feedback and agendas from Lavina, including the teachers they have been working with and next steps
• Written feedback from our instructional coaches, including agendas and next steps
• Any teacher improvement plans for teachers
• The use of SOLVED data to drive instruction. How is it used for daily lesson plans and to differentiate for students?
• The plan for ENL students. More specifically the support they will receive throughout the school year (academically, socially, emotionally, parent outreach and communication, etc.)
• ENL teacher expectations (room environment, schedule, opportunities to differentiate)
   

As of  November  19, we have settled our account with Peapack Gladstone Bank with $1,050,000.00- all funds are Fully Liquid, and FDIC insured.   

• Checking account - where we will maintain $10k (No interest). 
• 1 interest-bearing checking account that will gain 4.75% interest. 
• Rates and funds will be liquid, keeping $240k in the account. 
• 1 Fully FDIC insured account, called R&T Account), the interest rate is 4.55% - all extra funds in excess of the $250k will automatically go into R&T account. 

We currently have 104. 2 days of cash on hand. Our next per-pupil deposit will be deposited into our account before 12/31/24. 

McCants has focused on ensuring the board complies with the DOE renewal.

• Board training based on the survey on board on track
• Board members have been accessing Board training through the DOE
  • Four one-hour sessions, virtual and pre-recorded.
  • Board members can submit documentation to recognize the completion
  • All DOE reporting is complete

Dr. Tomlinson is unable to join the call this evening but has been engaged with school leadership regarding the DOE visit.

Discussion with Dr. Sleet about taking on the role of Development Chair for the Board.

• The board will set a financial goal for the board to support the school financially.
• Plan to launch this committee for the upcoming school year
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