Broad Creek Middle School

Advisory Council Recommendations

Name of School           Broad Creek Middle           School Year 2009-2010

Parent Advisory Council Minutes

March 25, 2009

 The Broad Creek Middle School Parent Advisory Council met on Wednesday, March 25^th, 2009, at 7:30 a.m. The following were in attendance:

 Cathy Tomon, Principal

Louise Mathews, Advisory Council Chairperson

Pat Lewis

Dorla Pake

Sandy Rickabaugh

Kim Vallone

 Mrs. Tomon called the meeting to order at 7:39 a.m. and welcomed the advisory council members.  Mrs. Tomon distributed the agenda and several handouts to each of the advisory council members.

 The minutes of the March 25^th Advisory Council meeting were approved unanimously as written.

 SCHOOL ACTIVITIES – Mrs. Tomon announced that Ryan Koczot, 6^th grade Social Studies teacher, has been asked by CNN to present a segment on videoconferencing at a technology conference in Washington, D. C. on April 1^st-3^rd.  He will videoconference with students at Broad Creek while he is presenting.  This is an exciting opportunity to showcase the use of technology in the classroom.

 Mrs. Tomon reported that the Broad Creek Battle of the Books team came in 2^nd place in the county-wide competition held recently at West Carteret.

 Mrs. Tomon asked Sandy Rickabaugh to report on the results of the Math Counts and Algebra I competitions.  Sandy reported that the Math Counts team came in 29^th of 57 schools at the state Math Counts competition at the N.C. School of Science and Math on March 20^th.  On Tuesday, March 24^th, Mr. Whitley’s Algebra I team of Mark R, Aaron McG, and Ryne W came in first place at the ECU regional Math Competition.  The team won first place overall and first place in the large middle school category in the Algebra I competition.  Mark Rcame in first place and Aaron McG came in third place as individuals in the Algebra I competition.

 Mrs. Tomon reminded the advisory council members that there would be a fund-raising pancake breakfast at Andy’s of Morehead City on Saturday, March 28^th from 7:00-10:00 a.m. to benefit the wrestling team as they work to raise funds to purchase a new wrestling mat.  Andy’s will also donate 10% of proceeds from sales on the second Friday of each month to assist the wrestling team in their efforts.

 The Broad Creek FBLA is conducting car washes to raise money for their upcoming trip to state competition on April 16^th-18^th.  A letter to the editor in the News-Times concerning the FBLA’s efforts to raise funds for competition resulted in a recent donation of $100 from a retired businessman from Emerald Isle.

 Mrs. Tomon reminded the members that yearbooks are still available for $25.00.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that girls track would begin this week and boys track will begin next week.  The tennis club has begun practices in the gym.  Parents stressed that clarification needs to be made with regard to practice times since there has been some confusion.  Mrs. Tomon stated that the school will set up the tennis club in the Alert Now system in order to get messages to the kids.  Baseball and softball are also underway.

 The SGA is raising money to purchase a new mascot uniform.  The approximate cost will be $800.

 Mrs. Tomon reported that the Croatan SGA will meet with 8^th graders this Thursday at 8:00 a.m. in the gym to begin elections for next year’s SGA officers for Croatan.  This will enable the officers to attend workshops/training during the summer before school starts.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that computer testing is being conducted this week.

 MISCELLANEOUS- Mrs. Tomon asked the advisory council members to think of ideas for the 8^th Grade Celebration.  The school would like to avoid a prom theme, dance, or formal.  The idea is to hold an event on campus, possibly on the last day of school.  The school commons could be decorated, food could be donated, and a talent show could be held.  Another idea is to have a field day that last Friday morning of school. 

 Eighth Grade Celebration will still be held at the Civic Center on Thursday, June 4^th around 10:00 a.m.  The Eighth Grade Awards Ceremony will likely be held on Wednesday afternoon, June 3^rd.

 Mrs. Tomon reminded Sandy Rickabaugh to add Laura Corraro, technology facilitator, to the email list for advisory council minutes.  Ms. Corraro can include the minutes on the school website.

 Finally, a representative from Lifetouch presented a powerpoint presentation on proposed changes in the marketing and design of school picture packages for the school and Mrs. Tomon asked for the members’ feedback.  Families will have the opportunity to preorder packages with a variety of poses and photo designs, before the pictures are actually taken.  The benefit of this will be faster turnaround time in receiving your order as compared to ordering after you receive the proofs of your student’s photos.  The ability to order after reviewing the proofs will also still be maintained.  The members’ reactions were favorable with regards to the new poses and background options, but members were more hesitant to accept that preorders would be a success, since most families would likely want to see their student’s photos before ordering.

 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING – The next Carteret County Board of Education meeting will take place on April 7th, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.

 ADVISORY MEETINGS – The next BCMS Advisory Council meeting will be held Thursday, April 30^th at 7:30 a.m.

 The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:30 a.m.

 February 26, 2009 

The BCMS Advisory Council met on Thursday, February 26^th, 2009, at 7:30 a.m. The following were in attendance:

 Cathy Tomon, Principal

Marylene Tootle, Assistant Principal

Louise Mathews, Advisory Council Chairperson

Ruth Daniel

Tina Kuklinski

Pat Lewis

Dorla Pake

Sandy Rickabaugh

Kim Vallone

 Parent Guests:

Laura Alexander

Ellen O’Connor

Jane Parrish

 Mrs. Tomon called the meeting to order at 7:35 a.m. and welcomed the advisory council members and guests.  Mrs. Tomon distributed the agenda and to each of the advisory council members. 

 SCHOOL ACTIVITIES – Mrs. Tomon expressed congratulations to the following students

for their achievement in the areas detailed below:

 Arts Council Awards (to be recognized on Thursday Feb. 26^th at the old Carteret County News-Times Building – Art from the Heart Exhibition):

 1^st Place - 8^th grader for a self portrait - $100 savings bond - Gabrielle K

2^nd Place - self portrait - Megan W 

2^nd Place Team in Math Counts Regional Competition (State Competition will be at the North Carolina School of Science and Math on March 20^th):

 Aaron McG (took 5^th place overall)

Mark R

Zach McV

Halley S

Ryne W

PoJo R

Mikala B

 FBLA Regional Winners (State Competition will be in Raleigh April 16^th-18^th)

 Business Math: 1^st Place – Mark R

                          2^nd Place – Aaron M 

Public Speaking: 2^nd Place – Cassie R 

                            3^rd Place – Sam O’Co 

Top 10 in Recognition Testing:

 Hannah C

Aaron McG

Kevin P

Mystic P

Mark R

 Allen A won the statewide investment essay contest.

 FBLA is selling Bulldog Pride T-shirts to help raise money for the state trip.  They will also be doing car washes at various locations to raise money to help defray the costs of lodging for the state competition.

 Geography Bee Finalists:

 Emma Grace T

Wade S

Jackson W

Kiley A

Joey R: 1^st Place Winner

Raif H

Dillon B

Mark R

Austin H

Callie C

 Young Writers:

 Brianna C (State finalist) 6^th  

Wade S (State finalist) 6^th

Lauren F (State finalist) 7^th

Hannah G (State finalist) 7^th

Eden S 7^th

Kimberly F (State finalist) 8^th   

Amy W 8^th

Summer M 8^th

Halley S 8^th

 Mrs. Tomon announced that Broad Creek Middle School had been awarded the Golden Apple Award from the North Carolina Center for Advancement of Teachers.

 Also, Mrs Tomon proudly announced that Ryan Koczot, 6^th grade Social Studies teacher, was named Region 2 Teacher of the Year from the N.C. Middle School Association and that Laura Corraro, BCMS technology facilitator, was named Region 2 Support Person of the Year by the same organization.  She stated that it is extremely rare for these two awards to be presented to people in the same school.  The awards will be presented to Mr. Koczot and Ms. Corraro on March 17^th in Greensboro.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that the BCMS wrestling team completed their 7^th consecutive season as conference champions and their 5^th consecutive season of being undefeated.  Andy’s of Morehead City provided free dinner to the wrestlers for their achievement and is also assisting the team in a fund raiser to raise money to purchase new wrestling mats.  On the second Friday of each month, Andy’s of Morehead City will contribute 10% of their sales to the wrestling team.  Andy’s is also going to sponsor a fund-raising breakfast for the team.  Tickets will be $5 each and will include pancakes, bacon, sausage and a drink.  Andy’s will keep the cost of the food and the balance will be donated to the school.

 Panera Bread donated 285 free dinners for students who made Principal’s List or Honor Roll.

 Mrs. Tomon stated that BCMS has adopted a new mission statement to reflect the school’s focus:

 Technology

Enhancing

Academics

Motivation

 Mrs. Tomon announced that the next early release day will be on Friday, March 6^th and that morning the school will have a Career Day with folks from the community coming in to talk to students about different career opportunities.

 Mrs. Tomon reported that the schoolwide Battle of the Books competition would be Friday morning, February 27^th, at 8:30 a.m. in the media center and that advisory council members were invited to attend.

 Mrs. Tomon asked Mrs. Lewis to provide an update of her work in the media center with labeling books with the new lexile numbering system.  Mrs. Lewis stated that the hardback fiction section is complete and that paperbacks are almost halfway done.  Mrs. Lewis was thanked for her job in the media center.

 MISCELLANEOUS- Mrs. Tomon opened the floor to questions/issues of concern to the parent advisory council members. 

 Kim Vallone questioned why sixth graders are not allowed to participate in sports.  Mrs. Tomon explained that decision was not a BCMS decision, but a statewide middle school decision.  Students making the transition from elementary school to middle school are often not mature enough to handle the adjustment from having one teacher to having multiple teachers with multiple assignments in addition to the demands of a team practice/game schedule after school.

 Dorla Pake asked Mrs. Tomon what budget cuts that BCMS might be facing in light of our current economic situation.  Mrs. Tomon stated that Mrs. Huntley had sent out a questionnaire about the use of teachers versus teacher assistants in the classroom.  Mrs. Tomon stated that non-certified teachers will not be placed in the academic classrooms, but that teacher assistants may be placed in other areas where cost could be saved by using them as opposed to certified teachers.

She also stated that classes at the high school level that have limited enrollment (i.e. smaller class size) may be at risk (for example: Honors or AP classes).  Mrs. Tomon also stated that no textbook purchases would be made this year.  She reported that the P.E. teachers have looked at the “new adoption” of materials and found that there were no real changes, so the school will not be purchasing those materials.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that 4 night classes will be held for parents in the upcoming school year.  In the first nine weeks, a class on internet safety will be led by Officer Rice, educating parents about Myspace, Facebook, and how to check behind your children’s text messaging, in addition to other topics.  In the second nine weeks, a class will be taught by an area social worker focusing on mental health services in the community and where to go for assistance with drug and alcohol abuse.  Officer Rice will also help educate about the “Why Try” program and the “GREAT” program.  In the third nine weeks, parents will be instructed about the CFNC (College Foundation of North Carolina) and the benefits that program can provide as students prepare for the future and for college.  Finally, in the fourth nine weeks, a class will be held offering safety topics and information to aid in preparing students for summer, such as babysiiting workshops, CPR training, and water safety classes.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that BCMS will be purchasing Rosetta Stone Spanish instruction software.  This instruction will be added to the X-Sail rotation for 6^th and 8^th graders, while 7^th graders will have instruction in American Sign Language.  The school will purchase 10 software licenses for $2700, so that 10 students at a time can be on the computer for instruction while the others in class will have workbooks and hard copies available for use.  No teachers will have to be hired for Spanish instruction, since 2 current staff teachers have expressed willingness to teach/supervise this class during X-Sail.  This will be a great way to integrate instruction with technology while utilizing existing teachers and holding down costs by avoiding the need to hire a Spanish teacher.

 Mrs. Tomon stated that another way BCMS strives to manage budget constraints is by using the reallocation of staff when teachers are away for staff development or are away from the classroom for other demands.  BCMS only has a $3,000 budget for staff development, so the school does not use substitute teachers at a cost of $100/day.  Instead, students are reallocated among remaining teachers when one is away for staff development or staff is reassigned.  For example, when Mr. Whitley escorts students to the upcoming state Math Counts competition in March, Mr. Gurley of the CART program will take over Mr. Whitley’s Algebra and Math classes and Mrs. Styron will take over Mr. Gurley’s classes.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that all classroom now have telephones and that the school is working on making it possible for all classrooms to have mounted LCD projectors.

 Another means of cost savings has been recognized through the use of Smartboards in the classrooms.  Paper distribution had greatly decreased with the use of Smartboards.

 Mrs. Tootle discussed how her new role as Assistant Principal has been a learning experience and related the many challenges and difficulties of coordinating the buses and their schedules.  Students are often late due to problems with the buses and that has a trickle down effect with them being late for breakfast and late to class.  Mrs. Tootle has tried to use the Alert Now system for notifying parents of bus delays, but often runs into problems when phone numbers are not current and contacts cannot be made with the parents.

 Mrs. Tomon and Mrs. Tootle related that the problems with the girls bathrooms continue on a smaller scale.  Writing on the walls continues to be a problem, but instead of removing the doors and giving the girls the reaction they are seeking, the administration is just spray painting over the offenses on a regular basis.  Therefore, the “drama” is eliminated and the girls are not getting the desired reactions.

 Louise Mathews asked if there were any additional issues to be taken to the Board of Education meeting.  Mrs. Tomon stated that in the facilities report to the BOE that Mrs. Mathews could update them that BCMS has installed new toilets and urinals and that window tinting is underway to help with regulating the air conditioning.  Mrs. Tomon also stated that principals will be issued laser guns that they will be able to direct at walls and ceilings to obtain temperature readings that they can forward to the Central Office for monitoring since temperature regulation continues to be a problem.

 As discussed at the previous advisory council meeting, Mrs. Tomon reminded the members that Mr. Ray McClendon, 6th grade teaching assistant, is coordinating the development of a BCMS tennis team.  Brandywine has agreed to sponsor the tennis team if they were permitted to post a banner at the courts that says Proud Sponsor of Broad Creek Middle School Tennis.  Mr. McClendon will likely conduct tennis as an intramural sport, breaking the roughly 100 interested students into teams that will play round robin style.  He has written to Penn, Wilson and Dicks Sporting Goods for donations.  Mrs. Tomon stated that Newport Middle will soon have courts close by, so possibly they will develop a team for future competition.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that with softball and baseball getting ready to start, that the athletic director had asked for a scrimmage game.  Due to budget issues, there will be no paid referees available for that game.

 Mrs. Tomon stated that the area middle school principals would be having a meeting at the Central Office on Friday morning to discuss middle school athletics.  Later, there will be a meeting at Smyrna for middle school conference planning.  Mrs. Tomon stated that often sports teams help behavior and grades among participating students since they are motivated to stay on the teams.  Intramurals have been suggested to replace middle school sports due to budget constraints, but Mrs. Tomon is against this proposal because the kids love competition with other schools.

 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING – The next Carteret County Board of Education meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 3^rd, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. School Advisory chairpersons will meet with the Board from 5:00-6:00.  The Board will conduct a public comment forum from 6:00-6:30 p.m. that evening.

 ADVISORY MEETINGS – The next BCMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25th. (Please note that this is a necessary change from the original schedule!!)

 The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:30 a.m.

 January 15, 2009 

The BCMS Advisory Council met on Thursday, January 15, 2009, at 7:30 a.m. The following were in attendance:

 Cathy Tomon, Principal

Marylene Tootle, Assistant Principal

Louise Mathews, Advisory Council Chairperson

Ruth Daniel

Cindy Davia

Dorla Pake

Sandy Rickabaugh

Kim Vallone

 Parent Guests:

Ellen O’Connor

Jane Parrish

 Mrs. Tomon called the meeting to order at 7:36 a.m. and welcomed the advisory council members and guests.  Mrs. Tomon distributed the agenda and handouts to each of the advisory council members. 

 SCHOOL ACTIVITIES – Mrs. Tomon expressed congratulations to the following students who are the 2009 BCMS National Geography Bee Finalists: Emma Grace T, Wade S, Jackson W, Kiley A, Joey R, Raif H, Dillon B, Mark R, Austin H and Callie C.  The final competition will be following the advisory council meeting at 8:00 in the media center.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that seven students made All District Band.  Those students were: Makye S on trumpet, Nathaniel L on alto saxophone, Ronnie D on tenor saxophone, Jonathan H on tuba, James S on clarinet, Peyton L on clarinet, and Levi S on snare drum/percussion.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that Mr. Ray, 6th grade teaching assistant, had approached her about starting a BCMS tennis team.  Surveys were sent home with students and 100 7^th and 8^th grade students responded that they were interested.  Brandywine has agreed to sponsor the tennis team if they were permitted to post a banner at the courts that says Proud Sponsor of Broad Creek Middle School Tennis.  A parent has agreed to pay for this banner. ID badges will be distributed so that the kids can practice at any time.  Mr. Ray may organize the activity so that there will be no cuts and conduct it possibly as an intramural sport.  He has written to Penn, Wilson and Dicks Sporting Goods for donations.  Parents will have to transport the students to Brandywine.  Mrs. Tomon stated that Newport Middle will soon have courts close by, so possibly they will develop a team for future competition.

 Mrs. Tomon distributed a copy of a certificate that was awarded to Broad Creek Middle School by the United Nations Foundation for the “Nothing But Nets” Campaign.  The certificate was awarded in recognition of the work that Mrs. Blackwell’s students did to raise money to purchase mosquito nets for distribution in Africa.  Mrs. Blackwell’s O’ Ambassador’s next project will be to raise money to build a school in Africa.  The cost of this project will be $400.

 Mrs. Tomon asked the advisory council members for their input as Broad Creek considers the development of a new mission statement in conjunction with the school improvement plan that is being rewritten.  The goal is for a mission statement that is short and memorable to the students.  One idea that has been put forth through meetings with the teachers is “a great place to teach and learn.”

 Mrs. Tomon updated the advisory council on the recent Media and Technology Advisory Meeting. A handout was provided and recent hardware acquisitions were discussed.  The NEO 2 laptop cart provides many different functions including use for word processing, accelerated math, accelerated reading, and aiding students with special learning needs.  The Science teachers are all using the new Elmos.  Mrs. Blackwell’s students are researching and writing letters about colleges and then are using the Elmos to project the letters for analysis.

 MISCELLANEOUS – The advisory council members were invited to the February 3^rd Board of Education meeting to participate in the 5:30-6:30 public comment period.  The focus of the discussion will be the budget for the next school year.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that wiring has been done for the next set of surveillance cameras and that one wing of the school now has phones installed in the classrooms.  The remaining cameras and phones are still in the process of being installed.  The school buses will also have cameras installed.  If a bus driver is driving, he/she will have access to a button that will mark on the tape as to when an incident is going on so that the film can be reviewed later.  The school will be adding a new phone connection so that the office is accessible after 4:00 for bus related issues, without disrupting the homework hotline that begins on the existing office line at 4:00.

 Louise Mathews discussed issues that were brought before the BOE at the January meeting attended by advisory chairpersons.  She stated that vocational curriculum issues were brought up to the BOE, but that the budget will be extremely tight for the next few years, especially in vocational/arts curriculum.  She noted that the governor had declared a fiscal state of emergency yesterday.  Louise discussed our traffic issues related to BCMS exit on to Highway 24 and said that the Department of Transportation’s response was that there have not been enough accidents at that location to warrant further investigation at this time.  The Greenville office of the DOT will be sending an engineer down to review issues.  The signs will be changed and the traffic patterns exiting the school will be as well.  All local issues go through the Greenville office.  We may have to go to the Raleigh DOT office for approval to lower the speed limit to 35mph.

 Dorla Pake asked Mrs. Tomon to discuss why the doors had been removed from the girls’ bathroom stalls for a day.  Mrs. Tomon reported that the school was having a big problem with the girls writing on the walls, so the doors were removed for the day to address the problem.  Mrs. Tomon and Mrs. Tootle have been painting the walls to cover up the writing.  Teachers are now monitoring the bathrooms between classes.

 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING – The next Carteret County Board of Education meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 3^rd, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. The Board will conduct a public comment forum from 5:30-6:30 p.m. that evening, focusing on school system budget issues.

 ADVISORY MEETINGS – The next BCMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 26^th.

 The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:25 a.m.

 December 11, 2008

The BCMS Advisory Council met on Thursday, December 11, 2008, at 7:30 a.m. The following were in attendance:

 Cathy Tomon, Principal

Louise Mathews, Advisory Council Chairperson

Ruth Daniel

Cindy Davia

Tina Kuklinski

Pat Lewis

Dorla Pake

Sandy Rickabaugh

Beverly Sheppard

Kim Vallone

 Parent Guests:

Ellen O’Connor

Jane Parrish

 Mrs. Tomon called the meeting to order at 7:35 a.m. and welcomed the advisory council members.   Christmas cards and gifts of BCMS flash drives on lanyards were distributed to the advisory council members.  The members expressed great appreciation.

 Mrs. Tomon distributed the agenda and handouts to each of the advisory council members. 

 SCHOOL ACTIVITIES – Mrs. Tomon announced that Mr. Todd Williamson, seventh grade science teacher, has recently been recognized with National Board Certification.

 Mrs. Tomon reported that $40,000.00 in technology arrived at BCMS yesterday.  The delivery included 9 Smartboards, 7 Elmos, 3 Senteos, and wireless equipment.  Teachers from another area school will be coming to BCMS to receive technology training.

 Mrs. Tomon reported that she is a member of the Joint Legislative Technology Commissions.  The speaker for Friday’s meeting will be Michael Horn, co-author of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns.  This book is touted as “a well thought-through proposal for using technology to better serve students and bring our schools into the 21^st Century” by Joel Klein who is the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education and the rumored lead candidate for President-Elect Barack Obama’s Secretary of Education. Mrs. Tomon provided the advisory council members with a copy of the agenda for the meeting.

 The FBLA-sponsored Christmas Tree at the Festival of the Trees was a big success and the students adorned it with handmade ornaments.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that the Rotary Club took 6 needy students to Jacksonville shopping at the mall and provided them with $200 each of merchandise.

 MISCELLANEOUS – Mrs. Tomon reported that the Band Fruit would be delivered to the school on Friday, December 12^th for pick-up and distribution by the band students.  The BCMS Band Concert will be Thursday, December 18^th at 7:00 p.m. in the gym.  The band will also perform a concert and holiday program for the students on Friday, December 19^th at 8:30 in the gym.  The holiday program will include the distribution of Secret Santa gifts to random students based on Christmas Wish letters submitted by the students.  Some of the donated gifts that will be distributed include 3 longboard skateboards and a Christmas Tree.

 Mrs. Tomon provided the advisory council members to order embroidered BCMS clothing and accessories available from a new vendor at the discounted staff pricing.

 A dance, sponsored by the Art Department, will be held Friday afternoon, December 12^th.

 As a follow-up to the discussion of traffic concerns at the previous advisory council meeting, Mrs. Tomon and advisory council chair, Louise Mathews, reported that Croatan High School has asked for the speed limit on Hwy. 24 to be changed to 45 m.p.h. in front of the school and in front of Bogue Sound Elementary.   The members discussed having BCMS join in that effort.  As a result of our previous discussion, signs have been ordered to reflect the re-routing of traffic patterns at the school.   We are currently waiting on the highway employees for installation of these signs. Louise Mathews has drafted a letter from the Advisory Council to the D.O.T. requesting this re-routing and the changing of the speed limit sign to reflect the necessary slower speeds during the periods of 7:00-8:00 and 2:30-3:30 instead of the current 7:30-8:30am and 3:00-4:00pm.

 Mrs. Tomon reported that the HVAC Bond system is now complete.  This work only encompassed dehumidification issues.  Temperature control problems have not been addressed as these are considered to be 2 separate systems.  BCMS will continue to work on the temperature problems.

 Mrs. Tomon asked advisory council member Sandy Rickabaugh to discuss the upcoming trip of her son, Mark R.  Sandy reported that as a result of Mark’s nomination in sixth grade by his Social Studies teacher, Ryan Koczot, to attend a JrNYLC conference and his resulting participation, that Mark has been invited to attend the JrPYIC conference and be present for the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama.  His activities during the conference which will be held from January 17^th-21^st include hearing keynote speakers Eric Weihenmayer, mountaineer and author of Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See, Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and former Vice President, Al Gore.  The scholars will be present on the National Mall during the Inauguration, Oath of Office, and Inaugural Address. The day will end with an inaugural ball for the scholars at Cole Field House at the University of Maryland.

 Advisory council members were asked to share/discuss any concerns at this point in the meeting.  Dorla Pake asked why chorus is not available to the students and why so much emphasis is placed on technology and its funding.  Mrs. Tomon explained that there was no funding for chorus and that the funding for technology came from a different pool.  She also stated that funds for equipment and supplies in the budget cannot be transferred to salary line items like a chorus teacher.  Budget requests will continue to include items like music/chorus teachers.  A grant is being written to request funds for Rosetta Stone Spanish training.

 Mrs. Tomon also reported that there is a concern as to whether Life Skills, a vocational subject, will continue at BCMS.  If Mr. Schroeder retires, the school may not be able to replace him since vocational funds are no longer available.  If the school loses the teacher, they lose the position.  Vocational funds are separate from technology funds as well and come from the state level.  Dorla Pake and Louise Mathews reiterated that there appears to be an imbalance between funding for the arts/vocational courses as opposed to technology.

 The discussion returned to facilities maintenance and concerns over heating/air problems, especially after the completion of the big bond program.  Mrs. Tomon explained that the focus was on mold and air quality when the bonds were approved.

 Jane Parrish and Ellen O’Connor reported that Mr. Day, the band director, has started a Band Booster organization.   They expressed concerns about the challenges that the new band director is facing on his own, as opposed to the team effort of the previous directors, the Aldredges.

 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING – The next Carteret County Board of Education meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 6^th, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. The Board will meet with Advisory Council chairmen from 5-6 p.m. and conduct a public comment forum from 6-6:30 p.m. that evening.

 ADVISORY MEETINGS – The next BCMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 15^th.

 The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:30 a.m.

 November 13, 2008

The BCMS Advisory Council met on Thursday, November 13, 2008, at 7:30 a.m. The following were in attendance:

 Cathy Tomon, Principal

Louise Mathews, Advisory Council Chairperson

Ruth Daniel

Pat Lewis

Sandy Rickabaugh

Kim Vallone

 Guest:

Max Pruzan

 Mrs. Tomon called the meeting to order at 7:43 a.m. and welcomed the advisory council members.  

 Mrs. Tomon distributed the agenda and handouts to each of the advisory council members. 

 SCHOOL ACTIVITIES – Mrs. Tomon reported that the eighth grade students were currently involved in computer testing, with the test being administered on Nov. 12^th and 13^th.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that the O Ambassador organization led by Mrs. Blackwell had recently conducted a canned good drive and were able to collect 200 cans to donate to the Hem of His Garment.

 Mrs. Tomon stated that the NEO2 system has come in and it will soon be decided as to how the components will be distributed for use.  The system components may be allocated by teams or may be based in the Language Arts department of the teams.  An accelerated math program may be added to the NEO2 system to enrich learning opportunities for “at risk” students.  This includes both “low” and “high” achievers.

 Officer Rice will be receiving training for the GREAT Program which is similar to the D.A.R.E. program, but geared toward middle schools.

 The FBLA organization at BCMS needs donations of the following items for the Christmas Tree that they will be sponsoring at the Festival of the Trees in December:  silver and blue ribbon, blue and white lights, glitter, pine cones, tinsel, and clear glass ornaments.  Advisory council members were asked to spread the word to interested parents and friends who might be willing to make these donations.

 Mrs. Tomon announced that there will be a “Toys for Tots” project at BCMS this holiday season.  Two Lance Corporals from Camp Lejeune showed up recently at BCMS and left 2 boxes for the collection of new toy donations for needy children.

 Mrs. Tomon also announced that Mr. Todd Williamson, 7^th grade Science teacher, has received a Bright Ideas Grant that will enable him to purchase Science Probeware and the following related equipment: barometer sensor, relative humidity sensor, temperature sensor, heart rate monitor, motion sensor, and link adaptors.  These items will be linked to a computer for analysis.

 Mrs. Tomon reported that the school was in the process of putting lexile scores into all of the reading books in the library.  The lexile range has not been marked previously in the books and this is a very time consuming process.  Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Simms will help volunteers learn how to mark the books with the lexiles and asked the advisory members to recruit volunteers to assist in this process.  Louise Mathews suggested contacting the Friends of the Western Carteret Library to see if they might be interested in assisting.

 MISCELLANEOUS –Panera Bread has donated gift certificates for a free meal for each of the 347 students who made Honor Roll or Principal’s List for the first nine weeks.

 Mrs. Tomon reported that there will be a memorial service for Mr. Sneeden on Sunday, November 23^rd at 3:00 at Glad Tidings Church in Morehead City.  Mrs. Sneeden and both children will be speaking.

 Mrs. Tomon also shared that Tabbie Nance at the Central Office is asking the community to participate in the recruitment of a new County Schools superintendant and that  a survey can be completed and submitted listing the qualities we feel are needed for a successful administrator.

 Ruth Daniel inquired as to whether the Reading EOG scores had been received yet.  Mrs. Tomon reported that they have indeed come back but have not been distributed due to the current administration of the computer tests.  Copies have been made and the teachers will receive them soon for distribution.  Mrs. Tomon noted that the scale has been completely changed and that the new formula does not reflect where we are in a national comparison.  Based on the new guidelines, the teacher bonuses will be greatly reduced compared to the past.  Mrs. Tomon stressed the importance of testing and accountability for covering the N.C. Standard Course of Study, but also reinforced Broad Creek’s focus on technology so that our students will graduate to be competitive in the marketplace.  She also shared that Croatan High School ranked 4^th in the state.  As a side note to this great news, Mrs. Tomon stated that the Feed the Feeders day at BCMS was a big success with the schools who thoroughly enjoyed the technology showcased through various activities that day.

 Louise Mathews discussed topics that were discussed with the Board of Education when the advisory chairpersons met with them recently.  Traffic concerns at Croatan and Bogue Sound were discussed, which led to a lengthy discussion of our concerns at Broad Creek.  Office Rice was invited to join the meeting at this point and the members discussed options for improving the traffic patterns at Broad Creek since the left turn out of the parking lot to travel east on Hwy. 24 is so inherently dangerous.  After much discussion,  Officer Rice recommended routing all of the traffic out of the parking lot travelling west on Hwy. 24 and then cars could turn down George Taylor road to get back east, rather than fighting the oncoming cars attempting to enter the turn lane at the same time cars are trying to leave campus.  Louise Mathews will draft a letter from the Advisory Council to the D.O.T. and Mrs. Tomon will draft one from the school, requesting this re-routing and the changing of the speed limit sign to reflect the necessary slower speeds during the periods of 7:00-8:00 and 2:30-3:30 instead of the current 7:30-8:30 and 3:00-4:00.

 Mrs. Tomon stated that with the opening of MacDaddy’s Bowling Alley, reward field trips may be scheduled there in the future, since bowling is part of the P.E. curriculum.

 A local writer, Kay Salter, visited this week and met with students discussing the two books she has written.

 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING – The next Carteret County Board of Education meeting will be held Tuesday, December 2^nd, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. 

 ADVISORY MEETINGS – The next BCMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 11^th.

 The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:26 a.m.

 October 30, 2008

The BCMS Advisory Council met on Thursday, October 30, 2008, at 7:30 a.m. The following were in attendance:

Cathy Tomon, Principal

Marylene Tootle, Assistant Principal

Laura Corraro, BCMS Technology Facilitator

Louise Mathews, Advisory Council Chairperson

Ruth Daniel

Cindy Davia

Tina Kuklinski

Pat Lewis

Dorla Pake

Sandy Rickabaugh

Kim Vallone

BCMS Parent Guests:

Ellen O’Connor

Jane Parrish

Mrs. Tomon called the meeting to order at 7:40 a.m. and welcomed the advisory council members.   Introductions of the council members and guests were made.

Mrs. Tomon distributed the agenda and a packet of handouts to each of the advisory council members. 

Mrs. Tomon expressed much grief and sadness at the loss of Mr. Sneeden, Superintendant of the Carteret County Schools, who passed away unexpectedly during the previous week.  She stressed what an innovative and flexible leader he was and also complimented the openness with which he communicated with our school administrators.  She emphasized how deeply the loss would be felt at Broad Creek Middle School.  Mrs. Tomon reported that Jeanne Huntley has been named the interim superintendant.  The State Board of Education will conduct a search for the new superintendant with a January deadline for applicants and a projected April date for hiring.

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES – Mrs. Tomon reported that the Region 2 Middle School Association would be meeting at Broad Creek today at 4:00.

Mrs. Tomon reported that Feed the Feeders would take place on Friday.  The students have an early release day and will celebrate their end of the 9 weeks in the morning by watching movies  related to their curriculum and doing field day activities.  Upon their noon dismissal, staff members from White Oak and Bogue Sound Elementary Schools have been invited to take part in a cookout luncheon in the courtyard, departmental meetings, and a variety of work sessions showcasing the integration of technology at BCMS.  Croatan High School passed on the invitation to attend at this time.  The goal of Feed the Feeders is to aid in the transition of the students from 5^th to 6^th grade, as well as 8^th to 9^th grade by opening up information and discussion between the feeder schools.  All teachers will be looking at the vertical alignment of their curriculum, share best practices and be involved in sessions that will incorporate technology in their lessons.  A large variety of work sessions will be provided with integrated technology activities including the use of GPS systems, Senteos, Smartboards, Elmos, Blogs, Podcasts, Webpages, Powerpoint, My Writing Web, and the Wii.  It was reported at this time that BCMS would be acquiring 30 NEO 2’s on a cart for use in the classrooms.  These will provide access in the classroom to the Accelerated Reader program for testing as opposed to the tests only being taken in the media center.

Next, Mrs. Tomon provided an overview of the new technology purchases made at BCMS.  The highlights included 9 Smartboards, 20 Whiteboards, 3 sets of 32 Senteo remotes, 7 Elmos, a 30 laptop NEO 2 Cart, 30 wireless adaptors to make the Smartboards wireless, 10 wireless presenters, etc.  The council members were pleased and impressed with the continued focus on integrating technology into the educational experience for the students.

Mrs. Tomon reported that a chapter of the Future Teachers of America has been established at BCMS.  Mrs. Guthrie and Mrs. Hawks will be advising the members of this organization.

Laura Corraro, BCMS Technology Facilitator, provided a presentation on Quest Atlantis for the advisory council members.  All sixth graders have been set up with Quest Atlantis accounts, as well as the EC students.  Quest Atlantis is an educational project available at BCMS through a partnership with Food Lion and the University of Indiana.  Quest Atlantis engages students academically with their gaming and has been proven to raise reading levels by 4 grades in one year.  The project is aligned with the N.C. Course of Study.  The students are provided with generic log-ins and their passwords are the same as assigned for their other computer log-ins.

Mrs. Corraro provided a demonstration on her laptop of the virtual environments that come up for the students to navigate and gather information.  The students have to use character education skills for mediation of relations with the characters in the different environments.  One of the most exciting aspects of this project is that BCMS students are serving as pilots with the University of Indiana and are providing input and suggestions for the programming of Quest Atlantis.  Mrs. Corraro provided the following link to the members so that Quest Atlantis could be accessed by their students at home: atlantis.crit.indiana.edu/ and instructed the parents to go to the home page, click on Explore Quest Atlantis, and click on Download Game.

During the discussion of Quest Atlantis, Mrs. Corraro stated that the quests lead to the students’ pursuit of lumins.  The lumins enable the students to make purchases or to make donations in the environments where they are working.  This led to a side discussion concerning a parent’s suggestion made to Louise Mathews.  The suggestion involved encouraging the children to bring in change, for example 25 cents/week to donate to charities.  At this point, Mrs. Tomon provided the council members with a copy of a new policy for fundraising guidelines in the schools dated 10/9/2008.  Fundraising emphasis should not be on competition for participation or any other method that results in social pressure.  Fundraising that involves students should be restricted to money raised to support the school and fundraising for outside causes should be the exception and not the rule.  So, during this difficult economic time, BCMS will adhere to the policy and revisit these issues in the future.

Ms. Corraro also reported that a chapter of Future Business Leaders of America has been established at BCMS.  Andi Cochran, a Croatan student, is working as an intern with Mrs. Corraro and is assisting with the activities of FBLA.  The organization’s first project involved assisting with the Halloween Carnival put on by the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Dept.  Thirty-two students showed up to help and the organizers were most impressed with their work in assisting with the carnival.  The next FBLA project involves sponsorship of a tree at the upcoming Festival of Trees.  The tree will have a blue and silver theme and leadership skills will be represented in the decorations on the tree.  Mr. Cassara has volunteered to help the FBLA members in making these decorations.  The FBLA will meet next on Monday, November 10^th from 3:00-4:00 for a planning meeting.  On Monday, November 17^th, the group will meet in the Art Room from 3:00-5:00 to make clay ornaments.  Ms. Corraro reported that there will be a competition in January at Croatan High School for FBLA organizations with events including public speaking, business math, and the FBLA Creed.  An FBLA Dance will be held in January to raise money to defray travel costs for the State FBLA Competition that will be in Raleigh.  Other upcoming events include decorating the tree at the Civic Center on December 3^rd and working at the “Breakfast with Santa” put on by the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Dept. on Saturday, December 13^th from 9:30-12:30.

 Ms. Corraro and Mrs. Tomon reported that the “Live Broadcast Room” is getting closer to being a reality.  Time Warner has come to BCMS and run the wiring and now we need a new camera and computer to run the broadcasts.  When the equipment is in place in the near future, the BCMS morning news and announcements will be “seen” as well as “heard”.

 MISCELLANEOUS – The BCMS Book Fair is underway and will continue until November 4^th.

 Louise Mathews provided a report from the Board of Education meeting.  The most exciting news was that the Croatan High School Auditorium should be constructed and ready for our students by 2010.

 Parent guests in attendance at the advisory meeting asked how parents can get in touch with advisory council members.  Mrs. Corraro set up a link on the BCMS website to Louise Mathews’ email address so that she will be able to receive messages from parents.

 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING – The next Carteret County Board of Education meeting will be held Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 6:30 p.m.  This meeting was changed from the originally scheduled date of November 4th, due to the elections.  There will be a public comment period between 6:00 and 6:30. 

 ADVISORY MEETINGS – The next BCMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 13^th.

 The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:45 a.m.

Parent Advisory Minutes

Broad Creek Middle School

Parent Advisory Council Minutes

September 18, 2008

 The BCMS Advisory Council met on Thursday, September 18, 2008, at 7:30 a.m. The following were in attendance:

 Cathy Tomon, Principal

Ms. Tootle, Assistant Principal

Mindi Waterman, AIG Specialist

Louise Mathews, Advisory Council Chairman

Pat Lewis

Beverly Sheppard

Tina Kuklinski

Dorla Pake

Cindi Davia

 Mrs. Tomon called the meeting to order at 7:38 a.m. and welcomed the advisory council members. Council members introduced themselves.

 Mrs. Tomon distributed the agenda for the meeting, which is the first for 2008-2009. The members were given a packet of handouts, Faculty Handbook and a 2008-2009 Planner.

 Mrs. Tomon asked the council to open the Faculty Handbook and Update names, email addresses etc…

 Odyssey of the Mind – Mindi Waterman told a bit about her new position as AIG Specialist at Broad Creek Middle School. Mindi has about 7 years experience with Odyssey of the Mind, which BCMS participated in for the first time last year. Mindi shared that she wanted to help the coaches by sharing her experiences if teams were to form for 2008-2009.  Tina Kuklinski and Cindi Davia, (OM coaches 2007-2008) were encouraged by this and will be meeting with Ms. Waterman about the possibilities of coaching another team.

 It was discussed that OM is for all students, not just AIG students.

 The new school budget cannot provide the OM entry fee of $300.00 this year, so another approach for funding will need to be found. Mention of a Parent Advisory Council Team was made.  As of now, there is not a set date for the Eastern Region OM Tournament. The Math Counts schedule could be a conflict.

 O Ambassador Program – Mrs. Tomon shared that Ms. Blackman (a BCMS 6^th grade teacher) found and applied for the O Ambassador Program. BCMS was selected as one of 1000 schools to participate.  The Program is about Global Community involvement, the BCMS O Ambassadors will choose one of 5 World regions to support. They will explore poverty, education, health and sustainable development. This program will be available to the 6^th grade students and will go along well with the NC Standard Course of Study.

 NASA  - Mrs. Tomon shared the great effort it took for BCMS to get involved with the Aerospace Education Services Program.  Scheduled for this summer, 2 teachers from BCMS and others around the nation were to meet at Langley, Va.  However, many of the teachers backed out of the program and NASA did not see reason to continue. After a call from Mrs. Tomon, expressing great interest in the program, BCMS was lined-up with a lesson plan and a visit from Ms. Dynae Fullwood.

 Ms. Fullwood was sent the NC Standard Course of Study and a wish list from BCMS teachers. From there she put together a lesson plan with activities. Ms. Fullwood with be at BCMS on September 22^nd and 23^rd, working with grades 6, 7 and 8.

 New Technology – 10 more Smart Boards will be available at BCMS. Also, 7 more Elmo’s (document cameras) and 1 more Sentios will be available for each grade.

 - There will be a renewal of the subscription of “My Writing Web”.

 - Quest Atlantis-  Based on scores and growth, BCMS will be a pilot school involved with the program. Mr. Koczot has volunteered to form a focus group at BCMS. November there will be a discussion about saving the Croatan National Forest.

 E-grades - will also be available again this year.  The “No 0” Policy will be continued and INC will be in place.

 New Web Pages and Email – Staff email addresses have been changed. They are now…. first name, dot (.) then last name. Followed by @carteretk12.org.                                                                          Example: Cathy.Tomon@carteretk12.org

 FBLA -Ms. Corraro wants to advise an FBLA program. There are no funds available for this, so students that want to be involved will need to help with funding. Meetings will be Monday’s after school and available for all grades.

 Xsail Rotations - Spanish, Sign Language and Communications will be added to Xsail.  Art will be added to the rotation as an option for all band students.

 Donors Choose/Audio Books –  (Donorschoose.com) Ms. Blackwell has received grant money for Audio books, this is the second year she has received this grant.

 County Wide Discipline Plan – Mrs. Tomon shared a handout of the new county discipline plan. A consistent plan will be used by all county schools.  Individual cases will still be recognized. Also, cell phones will be confiscated if used during school hours and parents will need to pick them up.

 Classscape – Mrs. Tomon shared information about a new program to BCMS called Classscape.  This is a student assessment program that will show areas of opportunity and focus.

 Feed the Feeders – October 31^st – There will be a cookout for teachers of BCMS, Croatan High School, White Oak Elementary and Bogue Sound Elementary, so they can discuss books that are available to the students of these schools.  They will be reviewing types of books available to the students and hope to insure the students will not have to repeat reading certain books. 

Communities in Schools - The County Newspaper will be available for the students to share and learn from. Also, the Stuff the Bus program was made available again.

 Bond and Maintenance Improvements – (HVAC/Fence) – A new fence is on the football field, it runs along with sidelines. The HVAC improvements are almost complete.

 Miscellaneous – Louise Matthews asked about communication with parents.  It was discussed that maybe the school webpage could host a “Parent’s Corner” where announcements can be made and where the Parent Advisory Board minutes can be shared. Tina Kuklinski volunteered to make contact with Ms. Corraro about putting the Parent’s Corner together.

 Ms. Tootle had the idea of having the Alert Now system call out to sub-groups.  Example: If bus travel will be delayed, only the bus riding students would be called by Alert Now.

 - MCAS Cherry Point will not offer Toys for Tots this year; this has been available to BCMS for several years now.  There was mention that Camp Lejeune may be sponsoring this program.

 - Field Trips will probably be curtailed due to fuel cost. 

 - 16 new Security cameras (and possibly more) will be available for BCMS.

 Board of Education Meeting – The Board will meet with the Parent Advisory Chairman at the October 7, 2008 Board meeting from 5:00 – 6:00 pm. This will be an introductory meeting only and the chairmen will not be expected to report from their schools. Mrs. Neagle will explain procedures to the chairmen and introduce the Board members. The Chairmen will be asked to introduce themselves. Any other advisory members are invited to join, if they can make it.

 Next BCMS Advisory Meeting – The next Advisory Board meeting will be October 23^rd at 7:30 am in the conference room.

 The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:48 a.m.