Meeting Minutes – Hillcrest SCC
Date & Time: December 11, 2024, 5:00 pm
Location: ACR Conference Room (A129)
Attendees: Jeremy Hodgson, Brenda McCann, Rebecca Martin, Areli Nevarez, Alexandra Martinez, Elena Reyes, Eric Murdock, Stacey Timmerman, Melissa Hodgson
November 13, 2024 Meeting Minutes
- Small change that was sent prior to the meeting
- Motion to approve, seconded, and approved.
Agenda and Discussions
Cellphone policy
- Discussion of the committee established by the school to review policy, noting that some schools use pouches or bags to keep phones out of sight during class. The goal is to establish a consistent policy across all classes, with clear expectations and consequences for non-compliance.
- The committee is formed by volunteer teachers who meet once a month. They are evaluating the effectiveness of current cell phone policies in schools, including the use of pouches to store phones during class. While the current policy appears to be working well, there is a desire to gather feedback from teachers and potentially implement a more standardized approach. Additionally, there is a suggestion to survey parents and gather input from middle schools to understand the impact of cellphone restrictions on student behavior and social dynamics, considering that our feeder middle schools already have stricter policies in place.
- The committee will continue to discuss and refine the policy to ensure its effectiveness. A committee representative will join our February SCC meeting to bring up relevant details and insights from faculty. This discussion may include all electronic devices in addition to cellphones, like the use of airpods.
Hillcrest Field/East Parking Lot Construction
- Construction on the Hillcrest parking lot is underway (began Nov 18), with minimal impact on school operations expected. While project is behind schedule, the goal is to have it completed by football season, with a new digital scoreboard and improved parking flow.
- Contingency plans include bussing students to nearby schools for practice, especially for track teams which begin training in February.
Hillcrest free market
- An update on the Hillcrest free market program is provided, highlighting its success in providing food and essential supplies to students. The program’s impact on the community and the need for continued support are emphasized.
- While donations have slowed down, we do have a partnership with Savage and United Way, who supplement our program funding.
- There are 214 Hillcrest students using the pantry resources (food, hygiene items, clothes, etc.). This represents 9% of the student population.
Land Trust
- Further discussion will need to take place to decide how to best utilize increase in Land Trust budget approved in the recent election (amendment B, which went from 4% to 5%). Ongoing discussion will continue in January SCC meeting.
- Budget constraints need careful consideration of teacher allocation and class sizes, with seventh-period authorizations being a cost-effective solution. Accurate student enrollment data is crucial for determining staffing needs and avoiding overspending/overstaffing.
MAP replacing RI and MI
- Standardized test scores are being analyzed to determine how they will reflect student progress. The MAP test, a new assessment, is being administered to students for a second time (first time was in the fall to establish a baseline). Results are expected to be available soon.
- There are concerns that results from the first round of testing in the fall may be skewed by our learning curve in how to administer the test.
- Council will discuss relevant updates in the January meeting.
PTSA Update/Coordination
- No meeting in December.
- Blankets are for sale!
Other
- Attendance and absenteeism:
- The school is also addressing attendance issues, which have worsened since the pandemic and changes in legislature which removed consequences to students and parents for absenteeism. There are informal conversations at the district about absenteeism but no policies yet.
- There is also a growing concern about the potential impact of upcoming federal immigration policy changes which may impact students and parents without documentation, posing the risk of some students becoming unaccompanied minors.
- As a school, we cannot make decisions about this yet and may need more direction from the district. The district did send information to create awareness about this possibility.
- This topic will stay on the agenda to continue to monitor ongoing events.
- School fees and changes in legislation:
- A new law will go into effect next year which limits what fees can be charged to students. A fee cannot be charged unless the item was sent home (e.g. a “frog fee” cannot be assessed if the frog is not sent home to the student). This may limit intangible charges, like lab fees, performing arts fees, etc. More information will be coming next year.
- App class:
- The new rule about Monday homeroom app class, intended for academic improvement and relationship-building, is posing challenges for some students due to scheduling conflicts and limiting their opportunities to make up work in other classrooms. The change was implemented to refocus app on the goals of rigor, relevance, and relationships with teachers.
- Regional classification:
- The school’s 4A classification was also discussed, with a decision expected soon confirming our move to 5A.
Motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded, and approved.
Next meeting: Wednesday, January 8, 2024.
