Sankofa Montessori
Minutes
Academic Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday February 12, 2025 at 2:00 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. Allen-Thames (remote), E. Moore (remote)
Committee Members Absent
None
Guests Present
Parent (1) (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
Amendment rec for wording in Jan minutes.
D.
Leadership Team Updates
E.
Special Education
Discussion of Special Education
• Discuss student enrollment #/% of student population with suspected and/or
identified special needs
27 students total w/ IEP's (↓ 3%)- {K 7, 1st 8 (+3 from prev mth), 2nd 5, 3rd 7}
7 students w/ 504 plans (K-1,1st-3, 2nd-1, and 3rd-2
- Discuss ESOL- Total 4 students {K-1,1st-1, 2nd-1, 3rd-1}
- Any updates on staffing for Special Needs and progress of Special Ed
classroom- None
• Any updates on classroom integration of special needs and updates on external
supports for special needs (ie Speech, ABA, OT/PT)- 21 students w/ Speech services and 12 w/ OT
• Any updates on psycho-educational testing for students- plans/progress- None
F.
Gifted Student Services
Discussion of Gifted Services
Discuss student enrollment #/% of student population with suspected and/or identified
for gifted services- Gifted teacher contractor working with 2 students, but 5 additional recently qualified (=7) to receive services.
Discuss plans for data tracking/allocating #/% of students for appropriate funding per
student for special services or gifted services- 4 students currently in the process of testing for gifted services.
G.
SY 24-25 Goals
Any updates or changes to the short term and long term goals for this school year
School continues with priorities around Small Group Instruction, Students Receiving Feedback, Classroom Management. Short term goals around Math for each grade, prep for Interim 3 of Reading Remediation Pathway, Lexia reading intervention program, and prep for GA milestones. Students unable to complete K fluency passage ("A Fox") in grades 1-3, given word walls in classroom and sent home with high freq word lists for spelling and enrichment packets.
Any outstanding items from last year's committee- updates on grants/funding/external
partnerships- N/A
Leadership Team Updates (PPT presentation)
1. Enrollment status- current status & School Attendance
Enrollment w/ currently 125 students + 70 new applications= 195 total
Enrollment by grade: 47 K, 36 1st, 25 2nd, 19 3rd
Goal for SY25-26 of 200 students
Daily Attendance: K- 91.3% (↑2%), 1st- 94%(↑1%), 2nd- 91.2%(↓1%), and 3rd-93%(↓1%)
2. Personnel Updates- Updates on staffing and updates regarding professional
development of staff. 23 flight crew (9 flight captains,5 co-captains,4 staff support, 4 flight control, 4 contractors). Contractors: 1 recruitment, 1 SPED para, 1 gifted teacher, 1 ESOL teacher. Hiring for SY25-26 by adding 1 K teacher, 2 Lower El, 1 Upper El and 2 teaching assistants. Staff absences overall decreased
3. Updates on school suspensions/expulsions by grade
Out of school suspensions: 0 K, 0 1st, 1 2nd, 2 3rd w/ reason for suspensions as physical
assault
4. Standardized Testing and Screening Data Updates- Outcome data per grade for
the following fall assessments from August:
NWEA MAP (Math vs. Reading)/SELweb/Reading Acceleration Pathway/GKIDS for K only
MAP Fluency Reading Test
No updates on data. School preparing all students for Spring MAP and 3rd graders for GA Milestones in April.
5. Discuss School-Parent (PTO)- Currently, PTO helping school with parent communications and school wide events. Specifically, "Love day dance" and "Black Wall Street project"
6. Organizational Chart and Miscellaneous- No current SCSC metrics measure for Academics (3rd grade cohort pending metrics testing in Spring). 100 day celebration on 1/17 went well with lots of fun community activities. First school takeoff celebration on 1/31 around core value of Joy and introduced February value of Love (Chants, songs, and recognition of perfect attendance and Student of the Month).