Admissions

•  2023-24 School year update 
  • K-1 grade lottery: 
    • Kindergarten has 141 seats filled; 3 open to be filled from waitlist 
      • Total 482 applicants for 144 spaces
    • 1st grade has 144 enrolled for the new school year
      • 4 newly enrolled
      • 165 applications
  • 2-5 grade admissions - STAMP testing used during admissions for students to qualify after lottery selection
    • 2nd - No open seats; 79 applicants
    • 3rd- 3 new enrollments; 41 applicants
    • 4th - 4 new enrollments; 48 applicants
    • 5th - 1 new enrollment; 28 applicants
  • 6th grade lottery and middle school applicants
    • 132 total applicants; 96 seats filled; over by 13 students no open seats
    • Only 96 seats available 6-8 grades
    • 7th grade - 30 applicants; no open seats
    • 8th grade - 12 applicants; 4 open seats
    • Primarily Spanish speaking ESOL students were admitted based STAMP scores for MS in 2022-23 school.

• 4.2 Strengthen & Build Capacity to Implement Student Behavior Plan (Leads: LC-Kim, UC-Joan)
  • Structured tracking at both ES and MS campuses.
  • Strategic Planning chair had a brief meeting with LC AHOS and UC AHOS (partially attended); not much headway has been made in new developments but reiterated that especially with the future development of ES and MS campuses, that at present, the same structured tracking happening for K-3 should be the same that is in place for 4-5 at the UC. 
  • Request and recommendation for both AHOS to meet/work together to make sure there is a comprehensive plan in place to 1) track ALL disciplinary actions in ES & MS, 2) provide gap analysis to determine how the current system can be improved, and 3) have a tangible tracking method in place for both campuses (grades K-8) by the start of Fall 2023.
  • UC AHOS gave an update and trying to determine "how" to bring this together for UC.
    • Social interaction and mediating conflict may be problematic but needing some intervention.  Tracked via IC for code of conduct.
  • How are we tracking non-COC behavior?
    • File kept by AHOS that includes student account, counselor account, and administrative account.  Need to determine the best method for tracking.  There may need to be some advice and guidance here.  The Executive Director and HOS should help to guide this process.
    • Categorize behaviors, add demographic information, grade level, narrative for conduct.
    • Ultimately a plan to needs to be in place -A Teacher’s Full Guide To Student Behavior Tracking -skolera
• 4.5 Strengthening Diversity in Advanced/Gifted Cohorts (Leads: Denise P. & Lois H. (Math Specific), Gifted: No Lead at Present)
  • Advanced Math Cohort - Direct update via email I received from Denise:
  • Strategic Planning chair notes: This is something that requires a good bit of research to understand what truly works - what is research-proven. There are two things we need to do as a school: 1) work harder at eliminating gaps in K and 1 and 2) provide struggling students with high-dose, small group tutoring.
    • Research shows that when math gaps are eliminated in K/1 they remain "eliminated". If they are not eliminated, they persist. So getting to them early is key.
    • Strategic Planning chair is currently enrolled in Math Recovery course that addresses assessment in K/1 to identify and address issues early. She is also also communicating with Sabrina Manns (LC Data Coach) to see how we can pilot a way to push in to assess K students. This is a work in progress. 
    • A more difficult path lies ahead for providing high-dose small group tutoring. 
      • Possible solutions: 
        • Carve out ARPA funds to be able to do this next school year. A more sustainable option needs to be address before the ARPA funding cliff. 
        • UC AHOS, Joan Marks: has been hard at work creating a schedule at Upper Campus which will provide additional intervention time for our most vulnerable learners - whether it be EIP, REP, ESL, or Gifted. 
          • UC- Starting in 2023-24 school year 4th and 5th grade What I Need (WIN) Block- small group tutoring for kids' enrichments and intervention. Carved out 45 mins for ES.  For MS, trying to have regular advisor in a WIN block as well as small group tutoring, athletes, etc.  Also, a rotation in connections for enrichment and intervention. Like double dosing to help close the gaps.
          • Would move from 7 periods to 8 periods but would not extend the school day. 
          • Language teachers will offer AP tutoring for language students in MS. Using LSAs and TAs to do this.
          • Looking to expand blended learning classes for self-paced learning (example is proposed coding class).
          • Physical fitness enrichments proposed also. 
        • Georgia Numeracy Project (GNP) materials to assess the 4th grade EIP math students. The GNP is a source of information for assessing and remediation. Strategic Planning chair informed the Executive Director of GNP in hopes the ED would get the information about the project out to staff. Confirmed at least 2 UC teachers - UC ESL teacher and the MS math IEP teacher - have begun rolling the assessments out with their students in Spring 2023 looking to expand in the WIN Block.
  • End of year testing showed students were successful with algebra. 
  • DEIBA committee recommends the school look at how there can be small group tutoring (at no cost) to students needing this support.  
• Gifted Cohorts (K-5 and 6-8) No updates to report. 
  • No Lead at present; no update

• 4.3 Implement “Strong Start” School Culture Process 
  • No Lead at present This item is tagged as being re-integrated into the next strategic plan so that it doesn't disappear.
• 4.4 Develop Staff DEI Competencies 
  • Lead: Christina Catinella - Added to her after the completion of 4. No changes or updates. Next steps are to create a committee to work on integrating vision/mindsets/competencies into the VTE. 

No updates from ED regarding dress code.

DEIBA in communication materials: flyers/marketing. 

• Jabari Clark brought it to the attention of the SP committee that the "profile of the globe graduate" that is on the website has some issues (image included).
• During a SP Design meeting, they briefly discussed it and plan to find better and more appropriate imagery/clip art to use, as it was mentioned about the hands being different sizes, and the colors represented as well.

Renaming Facilities and Transportation Committee

• Updates transportation: Committee working on a pilot plan to prioritize transportation from underserved areas first but have several points to determine before presenting more information.
• Other Update: New Director of Operations: Jenn Parker