Sankofa Montessori

Minutes

Governance Committee Meeting

Date and Time

Thursday January 9, 2025 at 10:30 PM

Location

Meeting ID: 601 495 1069

Through a culturally responsive, child and family-centered Montessori education, Sankofa Montessori ensures that all of our students develop the knowledge, skill, and agency to have a life of purpose.

Committee Members Present

A. Nash (remote), E. Moore (remote), K. Karacalidis (remote)

Committee Members Absent

None

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

K. Karacalidis called a meeting of the Governance Committee of Sankofa Montessori to order on Thursday Jan 9, 2025 at 10:30 AM.

C.

Approve Minutes

E. Moore made a motion to approve the minutes from Governance Committee Meeting on 12-12-24.
A. Nash seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

D.

Executive Director's Corner

Staffing updates

from December

20 flight crew members

Recruitment contractor

1:1 sped para 

gifted teacher

ESOL teacher

 

Transitions

Self contained teaching assistant (effective January)

Might lose one of our lead teachers due to commute

 

Hiring

Part time CNA (9-1; M-F)

Self contained teaching assistant

Art/Science teacher (right now there is a long time sub); decided combine the position after the transition of the science teacher

 

Staff attendance

Decrease in absences for flight captains

Slight increase in co-captains, but decreasing in January

Front office-1 absence

Flight control-5.5 absences

Absences have not had a negative impact-most of the absences have been planned

Absences trending down

 

Culture Data

K-2 OSS (same student)

1-3 OSS (2 same student)

2-0 OSS

3-2 OSS 

Suggestion: either identify by number of suspensions or number of students 

 

Special Ed data

total 24 kids with IEPs

total students with 504 plan: 7

Services

  Speech: 21 kids (decrease 2)

  Occupational therapy: 12 students

 

ESOL students: 4

# of students in MTSS process by grade level

total #of students 12 students

 

Gifted students

 

Enrollment/Recruitment

Pending 3rd grade app

K-47

1-37

2-25

3-19

 

Need

K-5

1-0

2-0

3-11

 

Applications in the pipeline for K, but still need more for 3rd grade

 

Student attendance

Average daily attendance 91%-1% increase from last month

December 1-20

 

Updates

Recruitment for SY 25-26

  Goal +160

  Current: 22

Going forward will be sharing out number of applicants who have submitted everything

 

Strategies 

  Marketing pivot-video identifying clearly who we are 

  Field work (canvassing, events)

  Virtual marketing

  Engaging prospective families in current school wide events

 

Federal monitoring

Working through it and will bring things to the Board to vote on as needed before our official monitoring date in March

Recommendation: bring policies to both January and February meetings so that we can vote on everything timely before March

 

External Partnerships

 SWEM school

 Hand, Heart and Soul Program

 Exploring partnership with K Piano for next school year

 Exploring partnerships for After School Extracurricular activities-adding upper elementary

 

EdTech-waiting on response from our legal counsel, but ready to move forward

 Sarah will be following up

 

Board transitions and school transitions--needs to be discussed at next meeting

 

 

 

 

II. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 11:22 AM.

Respectfully Submitted,
K. Karacalidis