School Board
The Cameron School Board met in regular session on Monday February 19.
High School Principal Brett Jones offered the board an update on End of Course preparation which teachers and students continue to prepare for. Testing formats for some subjects has changed so teachers are giving practice tests to assess students strengths and weaknesses and using the date to inform instruction. Stuco leadership has recently been leading Flight time activities and there was has been a lot of positive interactions according to Jones. The leaders have added opportunities to the activities for students to share ideas and grow from their experiences. Rosetta Stone on-line has been implemented for Spanish during the second semester and students seem to be doing well with the program. The high school is looking to continue the program next year, possibly opening up more foreign language options. District Basketball began on February 26; nine wrestlers competed at state tournament; and the school play 80’s Prom will run March 8-10 at Goodrich.
Principal Tiffani Collins shared some of the updates on Cameron Veterans Middle School with the board. Teachers at CVMS are preparing students for the MAP tests by conducting practice tests and applying test formats to content assessments. CVMS received the Sustaining Exemplary PLC School award at this year’s Powerful Learning Conference. Several of the staff of CVMS presented an interactive presentation at the conference highlighting how CVMS uses multiple data sources to make decisions – including staff surveys, student assessments, and data notebooks. CVMS is also working on developing anti-bullying programs – as part of that ongoing development, Lighthouse staff members met with Kristen Walker of the FranklinCovey Foundation to discuss goals to move forward with the implementation of Lead.
Cameron Intermediate School was to have Margaret Bangerter in the building to visit with each grade level math content team to review the MAP assessment format, review MAP practice assessment data, and curriculum implementation, according to Principal Laurie Mefford. The staff has also scheduled a meeting with Jane Jackson to further training using Daily 5 (guided reading) model with a focus on providing resources to teachers to align with the learning target. Acuity/Engrade assessments are being conducted at CIS. This year, they assessed students using Acuity/Engrade A and C, instead of using B, the staff utilized the Practice MAP assessment. The data will be used to compare results with the state and predictive scores, which may give some indication as to how students will score on MAP tests. Both Acuity/Enrade and the MAP practice assessment encompass all grade level standards students will be assessed on. There are currently 81 students enrolled in after school tutoring which is focused on essential learning standards. There are seven A+ students assisting with the tutoring. CIS will participate in the state-wide tornado drill on March 6.
Parkview Prinicpal Angie Ormsby presented updates to the board which included information on a guided math conference second grade teachers attended and the PLC Conference at Tan-Tar-A. Ormsby also told the board about the visit of Margaret Bangerter a math specialist who observed one math teacher at each grade level with the math curriculum team in observance. After the observation she met with the math team to offer feedback and the team worked on reviewing curriculum with Bangerter’s guidance. Read Across America week was being celebrated this week at Parkview with dress up days and daily activities to celebrate.
The Special Services team offered the board an update as the team met in January to develop strategies concerning their improvement plan and determining priorities as they move into the 2nd semester. Developing a plan for training new staff and increased professional development opportunities for paraprofessionals and special education teachers were identified as areas for emphasis going forward. Preschool screenings will be held March 19-22 and will be held at the Central Office. The general public can begin making appointments on March 5 by calling the Special Services Department at 816-882-1035.
Superintendent Dr. Matt Robinson presented the board with a tentative schedule for next year’s school year which included a slightly later than usual start date and a few more professional development days.
The next meeting of the Cameron School Board will be Monday March 19 at 7:00 p.m.
