It is noted that the pledge of allegiance was omitted due to location of meeting site.

L. Leonard noted that the board held an executive session on June 22, 2016 from 6:00 to 6:30 to discuss personnel matters.

In my last Board Meeting as Director I ask you to allow me to express my gratitude for the opportunity to work at Vida and to illustrate some of my accomplishments. I would like to look ahead and offer some ideas of what Vida keep focused on in the coming year.
Choosing to be on a member of a non-profit board is a mostly thankless job that is done as a civic duty and to give back to the community. I am continually thankful for all of the hours that Board members dedicate to Vida and the school’s success. A special “hats-off” to:

•  Mandy Kittelberger for her two years as president. Mandy has held a high bar for Vida and due to her high expectations and support the school is on the path to increased student improvement. Her work on Academic Excellence last year ushered in a new era of student growth and success.
• Lynn Leonard has held the position of treasurer for the past two years. Her dedication to fiscal responsibility is impressive and has been critical to Vida’s improved governance following last year’s re-charter. Lynn’s willingness to attend to minutia is critical to taxpayers and she’s great at digging in to make sure every penny is accounted for!
• Sue White’s continual work and dedication as Secretary has made the board transparent and able to respond to inquiries from the community without a problem.  Like Lynn, the work she’s done for Vida has helped us improve our administrative practices and governance.
• For the past two years Cindy Bowen’s experience in elementary education and quiet strength as Vice President has been a helpful addition wherever she was needed.
• Josef Brandauer has jumped right in this year. His co-leadership on the Governance Committee was instrumental in ensuring we had qualified candidates for the last Board elections.
• Knowledge and experience is what Don Marritz has brought to the Board. His background in law and service has been abundantly helpful over the past year.
• Melissa Rosenberger has a deep passion for Vida. She is never afraid to speak up and question what is being done. This is good thing on a Board.  We need to recognize differing views.
• Mauricio Novoa has often been quite busy and unable to attend all of our meetings, but when he does, his contributions are refreshing and worthwhile.
• Jeanne Arnold, though just joining us two months ago, is already contributing to our work with her depth of knowledge about how Boards are run and her extensive knowledge in Human Relations.
• I am thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Diaz to the Board and am confident that the members of the Board will welcome her contributions and her perspective, both as an HR professional and as a Latina.
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• A deep well of gratitude is what Vida and I extend to the Board of Trustees. Without you all, Vida would not and could not function. I always tell my students to reach around and give themselves a pat on the back; please do the same! You deserve it.
• In reflecting upon my own time at Vida, I am amazed at all we were able to accomplish in the last two years. One of my goals for Vida was to increase student achievement. This can only be done if we have reliable criteria to measure how students are learning. I was able to bring the NWEA and CPAA test to Vida to measure student achievement. I was also able to hire a Data Coach who could compile the data and who helped teachers to see how to use data to guide interventions and instruction.
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  I added Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) to the teacher’s schedules. This gave them time to look at data to decide how to best serve students who were struggling or needed extra instruction. I re-implemented and re-trained staff to use the Cooperate Team process which had been disbanded by the previous Directors. Vida is moving towards a Response to Intervention (RTI) model.  The revised CT process brought staff together as a cross-curricular group to study data-based decisions and set measurable goals for student growth. I also trained our Guidance Counselor to lead the CT meetings because shared leadership and shared ownership for student learning is a hallmark of successful schools.
   
  I created the Vida Leadership Circle to encourage Teacher Leadership within the school. I also asked teachers to let me know what leadership contributions they could bring to the Leadership Circle. This opened the Leadership Circle to all teachers and employees and it created a reward for teachers and staff who expend extra efforts in leading a particular aspect of the school.
   
  I brought the school’s technology up to 21st century standards. Vida is a one-to-one school in grades 3-6 now. When I arrived, students couldn’t get an Internet connection in the classroom and teachers couldn’t depend on using the computers. Teachers and students are now able to use the Internet at any time, and we have a teacher acting as the Technology “first responder.” We also have a contract with the LIU to provide technology support and guidance. This dependable support helps keep Vida up to date with technology, and is a trustworthy source of guidance for the Board.
   

The recruitment of bilingual in Spanish and English-speaking staff and appropriately certified staff has been a huge part of my personal mission as director. I was able to find, recruit and retain high quality, committed, bilingual staff who are either appropriately certified or are working under a plan to become so within the three years the state of PA requires. These recruiting practices encourage all of our teachers to have the most current teaching practices and educating teachers raises the bar for students!
 
To make progress in Dual Language Education at a 50/50 school like Vida, the most important foundation for learning is a schedule that really ensures sufficient time is spent in Spanish. The creation of a new master schedule, through the Academic Excellence Committee in 2014-2015, was critical in raising Spanish up as a partner language and not allowing it to appear as a foreign language. The schedule re-design also helped teachers see what they are responsible for teaching. English teachers are now responsible for Math instruction and Spanish teachers for Science. Responsibility helps raise the bar for teachers to ensure student success.
 
Through the school’s leadership committee we examined the Curriculum at Vida and make sure it was aligned to the Common Core. Vida now has a curriculum that is aligned and available for teachers to use and refer to throughout the year. They are able to see what the teachers before them have covered and what the teachers after them will be teaching. This inter-connection is critical to make sure students get what they need, and not just what a teacher would like to teach.
 
Honestly, there is more work to talk about but this is getting very long:

1. Responsive Classroom for the whole school.
2. Words of Wisdom and announcements by the students.
3. Monthly Assemblies and Monthly All-school Morning Meetings.
4. Art and Music Teachers integrated into the instructional program.
5. PE and/or movement daily.
6. A longer school day, adding educational time so that students have more time to learn.
7. Tracking data, and use of a centralized area for recording data.
8. Student Management System (previously much was done by hand!)
9. Smoothing out relations with the Gettysburg Area School District: we have a productive relationship and I will be introducing Martha Davis to Dr. Redding before I leave.
10. The possibility of a Dual Language pre-school partnership to begin in the fall.
11.  Discussions with the Gettysburg District to offer Spanish language arts for students after they leave Vida.
12. Hiring a Business Manager who is responsible for everything on the Business-side so the Executive Director can focus on being the Instructional Leader.
13. Creating a Lead Teacher position so that there is someone to collaborate with the ED on best instructional practices.
14. Working with the Guidance Counselor to be a thought leader at the school.
15. Creating a positive place for students and staff to be through our shared book readings: How Full is Your Bucket and Are You Fully Charged? Both by Tom Rath.
16. Weekly Professional Development and weekly letters to staff that were organized and positive about what would be happening that week and in the coming weeks.
17. An online Observation system that was accessible and transparent for teachers and, importantly, included teacher reflection and input.

Looking forward to next year I see that there is - of course - more to be done. The three big areas for focus I encourage you to keep in mind are:

• Professional Learning Communities: Really use these groups to focus staff on data and how it informs student growth and improvement. Strategically using the CT/RTI model.
• Continue to work for differentiated instruction for all students in all classes, even going as far as striving for personalized instruction.
• Continuing to market Vida and to grow the size of the school. More students are needed! Staff and families need to be POSITIVE to attract new students.

Reflection and recognition – by all - that Vida is a precious gem for bilingual education in Adam’s County and South Central PA. KEEP WORKING TOGETHER!
 

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There are none.

The 6-20-16 Finance Committee Minutes are incorporated herein.

There is no treasurers report this month due to time constraints,

The new lease for the Eisenhower Center has been approved by GASD at their Monday, June 20, 2016, regularly scheduled meeting and is presented for Vida Charter School's signature. C. Maldonado noted that Brad Hunt, Business Manager was very pleased with the removal of modular units and return to original condition of parking lot, etc.

The second reading of the Uniform Grants Guidance Policies is noted.

It is noted that Forrest Haffey resigned verbally on June 2, 2016 and provided a screen shot of his e-mail to staff to C. Maldonado as his written resignation.

The board thanks Elizabeth Diaz for her service and welcome her to the board.