December 16, 2004

Prepared by Lora Griff, PTA Secretary

The PTA meeting took place in the SCES Media center.

1. Call to Order/President^Òs Report ^Ö Cindy Terrell

· Call to order 7:13 pm
· Current Issues:
· The parent body approved spending $500 for translation equipment that
would allow for instant translation from Spanish to English at the PTA meetings.
The equipment will be shared with SSIMS (Silver Spring International Middle
School).
· The parent body approved spending $500 for cafeteria improvements.
· There will be no general PTA meeting in January. The Executive
Committee will meet in January to discuss fundraising and the PTA budget. All
PTA members are welcome to attend the meeting.

2. How SCES is preparing 5th graders for Middle School:

· Diantha Lay, SCES Principal: SCES provides a rigorous program to the
5th grade students. They are academically prepared for middle school. The
children's concerns are more social and emotional than academic.
· Ms. Greco, SCES counselor: Ms Greco reported that the 5th grade
students spend the year preparing for middle school including role-plays,
answering student's questions, and building self esteem and self respect. She
is in contac t with the middle school counselor.
· Laura Mansueti, 5th grade teacher: She reported that the teachers
emphasize independence, responsibility, and organization. The students learn
about switching teachers and ways to cope with transitions.

3. Overview of SSIMS and Special Programs:

· Cynthia Best Goring, SSIMS Principal: The Principal reported that
the goals of the school are to build academic rigor and to strengthen the IB
Middle years Program, to strengthen the language immersion programs, and to
nurture a caring and positive environment. She reviewed aspects of the school
including the floor plan with grades 6, 7 & 8 on different floors in the school.
Diversity is the strength of the school as it develops more citizenship with the
students.
ORIENTATION SCHEDULE:
· January: There will be a Parent Orientation Mtg. For incoming 6th
graders on January 6, in the evening.
· February: the 6th grade counselor comes to SCES to talk to current 5th
graders about course selection and middle school issues. They will receive
a course selection booklet with sign-up sheet.
· March: Team of teachers talk with elementary school teachers to
confirm course selection.
· June: They students will receive a list of 7 courses that they will
take in the fall.
· Questions can be taken to the 6th grade counselor at SSIMS.
· Additional info: There are honors options in Math and English.
Student input: 3 SSIMS students came to the meeting and they said that the
hardest part of middle school is using lockers and finding classes on first day
of school.
4. Middle Years Program (MYP) Coordinator: Mrs. Lis Caison:
· Immersion issues: In 6th grade the language and world studies classes
are in the immersion languages.
· Class size: Math and English are capped at 28 students; some
immersion classes are smaller.
· IB Program: The International Baccalaureate program has 8 classes
including Math, Language A, Science, Social Studies, PE/health and Reading.
There are also Music and arts options. The 8th class is a Technology class th
at
focuses on problem solving and/or computer based projects in other disciplines.
Specialized classes continue in 7th and 8th grades.
· The MYP Program is different because: it has interdisciplinary themes
;
it makes connections, communicate about connections, and promotes understanding
of culture; it applies learning to students lives and the greater world; and
has increased rigor marked by assessment and teaching of critical thinking
skills and arts, A pamphlet of the MYP program is available at SSIMS.
· Meeting Adjourned 8:40 PM