Bonzie Allocco – President
Joe Walsh – Vice President
Diane Latessa – Secretary

• Mike Dutkin  
• Mike Tarjan                                                                                                                                              
• Vince Genualdi
• Dave Gurdak
• Pat Kelly
• Alison Selivon                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                      St. John Brebeuf School Advisory Board                                                                                                          

Minutes                                                                                                                                                                               

April 11, 2016

The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m.

Attendees:

Fr. Meany                                                                                                                                                                             

Fr. Samborski                                                                                                                                                                        Elise Matson                                                                                                                                                                  

Dave Gurdak                                                                                                                                                                   

Mike Tarjan                                                                                                                                                                   

Diane Latessa                                                                                                                                                                     

Joe Walsh                                                                                                                                                                         

Mike Dutkin                                                                                                                                                                        

Vince Genualdi                                                                                                                                                             

Bonzie Allocco                                                                                                                                                                   

Pat Kelly                                   Not present:  Joe Persivale

Guest Comments:

Sharon Ramski from the Fran Center was in attendance to discuss the development and introduction of new ELA curriculum to SJB teachers. Sharon noted the warm, welcoming climate, variety of teaching strategies, and good leadership at SJB. Ms. Ramski is working with staff to develop a new and better aligned ELA curriculum with a focus on the following:

• Increase focus on vocabulary
• Use of same language from lower to upper grades
• Better consistency
• Meets standards
• Explored the Sadlier Program with staff
• Exploring all options and possibilities

Pastor’s Report:

• Fr. Meany shared Renew My Church Update #2 with the Board.  The survey ends April 18^th with a continued push to get parishioners to fill out. All parishes will be part of a “grouping” for planning purposes.

• A grouping is a set of parishes that will plan together “Renew My Church”.
• For some groupings, the planning process will result in reconfigurations.
• All parishes in the Archdiocese will be in a grouping.
• 3-6 groupings could serve as pilots for the parish process in Fall 2016.

• Fr. Meany mentioned the Conference on Security of the parishes occurring in the coming months that will take place to extend the safety and protection of the parishioners and children, especially in emergency situations.  A handout was shared with the Board members.

 

 

 

Principal’s Report:

Marketing and Enrollment Update:

Our current enrollment is at 273.

• 14 new students registered for next year, and 87 returning students are registered.
• Beginning in May, we will target current families, alumni, and parishioners as an appeal aimed at sponsoring students for scholarships.
• Welcome Wednesdays and tours continue
• Testimonial videos will begin filming for the website
• Marketing meetings will continue within the next few weeks
• April 14^th – State of the School Presentation for SJB parents

Faith and Spirituality:

• Student readers began reading at masses
• First Communion will be Saturday, May 7^th. The 2^nd graders are well prepared for the sacrament.
• Students will receive spirit wear passes for attending upcoming Family Mass on 4/17.
• Mrs. Willert continues to meet with Jr. St. Vincent DePaul. They are planning a trip to Bernie’s Book Bank on Friday, April 15^th.

AdvancEd/Aspire Testing:

• Aspire testing is taking place this week
• Results will be sent directly to parents via PowerSchool in about 1 month.

Technology Update:

• LEAP training continued last week with 3 more meetings to come. We will be matched with a product on May 20^th that will focus on Reading/ELA in 4^th-8^th grade.
• Looking to update learning spaces and a minimal cost
• Continuing to incorporate more technology as we improve student learning

Teacher Professional Development:

• On April 22^nd, staff will work on curriculum mapping, standards, and vertical alignment.
• Working with Dr. Marciante on developing a concrete statement and brochure that will explain the Resource Program with adjustments by the end of April, beginning of May
• Focus for next year: develop Resource Program, LEAP, and ELA materials and curriculum

*Mike Tarjan asked Mrs. Matson where the school is at with extra-curricular programs. Mrs. Matson said she will be exploring options and may have some extra-curricular programs beginning in the fall of 2016.

Old Business             

• March minutes were approved with suggested corrections.
• Resource Program – currently being developed and will be brought to the Board for discussion and approval by the May Board meeting.

New Business

Staffing/Program considerations for the upcoming school year:

The Board brought to attention that there have been many changes with Spanish teachers over the last few years and whether there is a need to continue Computer class when technology is currently incorporated in the classroom. Mrs. Matson responded by saying  they may need to look at changing the schedule around to allow for Spanish 2 days per week, especially for upper grades. The administration is also recommending keeping Computer class (at minimum) for K-4. The lower grade students will need to learn keyboarding skills. The Aspire test has an essay portion and all students should learn keyboarding.

Ideas on the Future of Gala Leadership:

Joe Walsh presented a document outlining Gala roles and responsibilities. Board members discussed ways to assist future leaders and chairs of SJB Gala committees. The Board discussed that volunteer responsibilities need to be presented to the new Gala chair. A more thorough document outlining roles and responsibilities will be developed for the new and future chairs. More discussion revolved around finding new chairs if the people in mind turn down the current offer.

Mike Tarjan motioned for the meeting to adjourn at 9:07, which Joe Walsh seconded.

 

 

 

 

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St. John Brebeuf School Advisory Board                                                            Minutes                                                                                                                                                                          March 14, 2016

Dave Gurdak called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.

Attendees:                                                                                                                                                                                      Fr. Meany                                                                                                                                                                      Elise Matson                                                                                                                                                                 

Dave Gurdak                                                                                                                                                              

Mike Tarjan                                                                                                                                                                  

Diane Latessa                                                                                                                                                                    

Joe Walsh                                                                                                                                                                       

 Mike Dutkin                                                                                                                                                                  

 

Vince Genualdi                                                                                                                                                                  

Joe Persivale         

Not Present:   Bonzie Alocco                                                                                                                                                             

Guest Comments                                                                                                                                                              

We had one guest in attendance, Pat Kelly, who is interested in the open Board position. Board members met and interviewed Mr. Kelly prior to the start of the meeting for the position.

Pastor’s Report

• Parish Lenten Reconciliation Wednesday March 16^th 7-9pm
• Holy Week – see Parish Bulletin
• Archdiocese Pastoral Planning
• SJB Church Celebration – April 16^th 5pm
• Carnival – Summer – July 7^th-10^th

• In front of school and on lawn
• May combine with picnic
• Beer tent, rides, cotton candy, popcorn, etc.,
• Community event
• Vince G. said he’d be helping with security for the event

• Renew My Church Initiative – Dave G. summarized the meeting for the Board which included possible plans to combine parishes and next steps going forward with the Initiative.

Principal’s Report

Marketing and Enrollment Update:                                                                                                                             Our current enrollment is 273.

• We have had 8 families for Welcome Wednesdays or tours. 3 of those families have registered.
• Our annual appeal did not produce the results we wanted. Fr. Meany suggested trying again after Easter and to ask specifically for donations to help sponsor student scholarships. The appeal will be launched again after Easter and will target current families, alumni, and parishioners.
• Next Welcome Wednesday is March 23^rd.
• We will continue to offer shadow days for students in K-7.
• We are working with the Marketing team to develop more ideas.

Faith and Spirituality

• We will begin to use student readers at the Thursday masses. We have a group who will begin readings this week. Many students have signed up and will be used at future family masses.
• Students will receive a spirit wear pass for attending family mass; this was successful at the last mass.
• Confirmation went very well. Mrs. VanTreese did a great job of preparing the students for confirmation.
• Mrs. Willert is continuing to meet with Jr. St. Vincent DePaul. They are working with Bernie’s Book Bank to collect books for the less fortunate and are planning a service trip to Bernie’s Book Bank in the middle of April. 30 students and chaperones are going.

AdvancEd/Aspire Testing:

• Aspire testing will take place the week of April 11^th.

Technology Update:

• We have had two personalized learning training sessions for our teachers, and we have learned how to start implementing strategies in our classes.

• We will begin creating our implementation plan for next year in the next few sessions.
• We will have access to a specific technology based learning program to help with our needs.

• Learner Focused – focuses on the needs of each individual student

• Paced for the Learner – Credit is based on proficiency – (Do students understand the material?) Pacing meets needs of the student.
• Led by the learner – students are more active in their own learning. They might design learning goals with their teacher, monitor own progress, and ask for help as needed.

Teacher Professional Development:

• Dr. Marciante completed a review of the Resource Program. He will be speaking to the faculty March 22^nd and will be working with us to help develop the Resource Program.
• Sharon Ramski will be in to discuss options for our ELA program. We will ask her about screening for our lower grades to help further develop our resource program. There is a need for more screenings and testing for the lower grades.
• Meetings with parents and teachers went well. After he speaks with our teachers, Dr. Marciante will work with us to help create the program. We should have something more concrete by the beginning of May.
• Our focus for next year will be developing our Resource Program, LEAP, and the new ELA materials.

Committees

• Joe Walsh brought up the need to have more news about students, programs, and events in the newsletter and in the bulletin to market the school.
• Mike Dutkin asked about applying for Blue Ribbon status to market the school.  Mrs. Matson noted that qualifications for Blue Ribbon Status might change with the switch to Aspire testing, but we are making strides to improve in all areas to attain status.
• The need for more signage, news, and social media to market SJB was discussed.

Old Business

• February Minutes were reviewed and approved with suggested changes and edits.
• Resource Program

• Mrs. Matson and Dr. Marciante are working out program details. They will get the information out to teachers first, then to the Board and parents.
• The teachers will require training about the program.
• The Archdiocese has some resources available to us.
• The Program will need to be phased in.
• By the end of this year – explain to parents of the current students in the program the plan for the future of the program and how their children may be affected.
• LEAP Program could address the need for an accelerated program for some students.
• Focus is on struggling students first, then look at accelerated learners and LEAP Program.

• Gala

• Thank you notes went out; done tying up loose ends/business
• Next steps going forward: 

Find someone to chair next Gala.  A discussion revolved around ideas and options to find new Gala chairs.

• Board members Joe Walsh and Mike Dutkin agreed to stay on the Board for a second term.
• Budget – Mrs. Matson provided the budget to the Board. The proposed budget and tuition rates were reviewed and discussed.  After some discussion, tuition rates were voted on and approved by Board members. Scholarship and Tuition Assistance programs were also discussed.

New Business                                                                                                                                                                                    Fr. Meany will be taking a Sabbatical from 6/6-12/6

Joe Persivale motioned for the meeting to adjourn at 9:52, which Mike Tarjan seconded.

 

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St. John Brebeuf School Advisory Board                                                                                                         Minutes                                                                                                                                                          

January 11, 2016

Dave Gurdak called the meeting to order at 7:09.

Attendees:                                                                                                                                                             

Dave Gurdak                                                                                                                                            

Mike Tarjan                                                                                                                                 

Diane Latessa                                                                                                                         

Mike Dutkin                                                                                                                                     

Bonzie Allocco                                                                                                                                            

Joe Walsh

Not Present:                                                                                                                                                

Joe Persivale                                                                                                                                   

Vince Genualdi

Guest Comments:                                                                                                                                       

SJB parent Anson Henson was present for the meeting.

Pastor’s Report:                                                                                                                               

Fr. Meany was not present

Principal’s Report:

Marketing and Enrollment Update:

Our current enrollment is at 272. We had a new student in 4-year-old preschool and a new Kindergartener that began after the New Year.

? We increased marketing for Open House with many activities.

? Publicity

¦ Relevant Radio, Postcards for local businesses, Newspaper

Ads, Press Releases, Local Public Access Channel, Signs,

Chicago Parent Ad

? Open House

¦  Door Decorating Contest

¦ Visit from Skates - Gym

¦ Shoot the Puck Contest

¦ Name the Rink

? Jumping Jaguars will start again in February.

? Dick Barton is helping us with a potential press release to get the story of our school out to the media. Hopefully, it will be picked up by several papers. 

? SJB is launching an annual appeal during Catholic Schools week targeting alumni and

other stakeholders in the area.

? We are currently working on forming a team of parents to help us get the word out about

SJB at mass and in the community. It will launch after Catholic School’s Week to help us

continue the recruiting momentum.

 

Faith and Spirituality:

 

? 8th grade will travel to Mundelein Seminary for a tour/retreat and mass. This is sponsored by Fr. Samborski. 

? Students will receive an out of uniform pass for attending Family Mass and open house in January. They will get a Spirit Wear pass for attending masses after Open House.

? We are still trying to get help with readers. I will meet with Fr. Meany regarding this when he returns.  

? Mrs. Willert is continuing to meet with Jr. St. Vincent DePaul this week. The cards they created for patients in the local retirement home were greatly appreciated by the residents. We are going to try to work with some local groups

 

AdvancEd/Aspire Testing:

 

? Aspire testing will take place the week of April 11th.

? We are completing the next round of interim assessments this week and continue

analyzing student progress.

? Parents should receive the latest round of scores with report cards, but possibly

earlier than that.

 

Technology Update:

 

? We have applied for acceptance to a program that will train our teachers to further personalize learning for students. The goal of potentially participating in this program is to train our teachers to further individualize and personalize learning for students. This should help all students by teaching teachers how to creatively meet the needs of each student in the classroom.

? Our 1:1 program will help us continue to be innovative in our teaching, and this new program would help us take the next steps to continue to individualize learning for our students.

 

Teacher Professional Development:

 

? Dr. Marciante completed a review of our Resource Program.

? Sharon Ramski, a Reading Specialist and consultant with the Fran Center is reviewing our ELA program. We should hear more about this analysis in February.

 

 

Old Business:

• Approval of Minutes – December Minutes were approved and will be posted to the website.
• Resource Program - The Board discussed Dr. Marciante’s report on the current Resource Program and asked questions about the current and future of the program.  The Board suggested that Mrs. Matson send home a letter to the families whose children are in the current Resource Program to explain that the school is forming a committee consisting of staff, Board members and parents to help with the process of reviewing, re-defining, and upgrading the program to best meet the needs of the SJB student students who are properly identified as needing resource interventions.
• Gala Results/Plan Moving Forward
  • Final numbers from Gala are in; waiting on the approval from the Parish office before going public.
  • Some discussion occurred on future POUNCE ideas.
  • A brief discussion occurred about spaces around the school that may need money for future upgrade.
  • Gala wrap-up party was held and some discussion was had at this party/meeting about the need for more help and new volunteers to keep Gala going.
  • Not having a co-chair this year was difficult; having a Chair/Co-Chair works best
  • Bid-Pal helps a lot; makes auction easier.
  • Packaging was more concise and worked well this year.
  • Discussion continued on the importance of volunteers, more are needed, but not enough stepping up to assist.  Currently, there are no Chairs for next year’s Gala.

New Business:

• Budget/Costs Necessary to Continue to Fund Technology

• Will look more into the Budget at next month’s meeting

• New Members

• The Board has 2 members who have fulfilled their first three year commitment; those members will let Dave know if they are interested in remaining on the Board in the next month or two.
• We are still seeking one person to fill vacant position; Anson Henson (guest at the meeting) has expressed interest.

Mike Tarjan called for the meeting to adjourn at 9:22, which Joe Walsh seconded.

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St. John Brebeuf School Advisory Board

Minutes

December 7, 2015

 

Dave Gurdak called the meeting to order at 7:02.

 

Attendees:

Dave Gurdak

Mike Tarjan

Diane Latessa

Mike Dutkin

Bonzie Allocco

Vince Genualdi

Joe Walsh

Joe Persivale

Elise Matson

Fr. Meany

 

Guest Comments:

No guests present

 

Pastor’s Report:

No report

 

Principal’s Report:

 

Marketing and Enrollment Update:

Our current enrollment is at 270. We had one student join after Open House, and another withdrew due to a move. We had 4-5 prospective families at the Fall Open House.

?We have 6 students in Jumping Jaguars and will run more sessions after the New Year.

?An advertisement will be placed in Chicago Parent Magazine to give us more exposure.

?We continue to update social media, and will begin a print and sign campaign leading up to open house.

?Marketing is meeting with Dick Barton to discuss strategies as we enter the recruiting season.

?SJB is launching an annual appeal during Catholic Schools week targeting alumni and other stakeholders in the area.

?We are currently working on forming a team of parents to help us get the word out about SJB at mass and in the community. It will launch after the New Year.

 

Faith and Spirituality:

?Students received Advent wreaths this week to decorate either at home or in school.

?The Advent committee is working on a whole school Advent calendar for everyone to participate.

?We are still working on getting volunteers to help with readers. Hopefully, we will be able to meet again regarding this in January.

?Students will receive a spirit wear pass for attending Family Mass starting in January.

?Mrs. Willert is going to lead Jr. St. Vincent DePaul with meetings starting this week.

 

AdvancEd/Aspire Testing

?Aspire testing will take place the week of April 11th.

?The next round of interim tests will take place the second week in January.

?Teachers are currently reviewing the first round of Aspire testing data and helping students with skills they need for future tests.

?Teachers are aligning curriculum to Arch Standards and using additional classroom assessments.

?Options to measure grades 1-2 after the first of the year.

?Continue working on school improvement throughout the year.

 

Technology Update:

?We are working individually with teachers on Google Sites, Docs, and Classroom. They are up and running and enthusiastic about using the technology.

?The technology team is helping us look at any enhancements we might need for upcoming years.

?Students are up and running with Chromebooks and tablets. They are completing several activities using IXL and Google Docs, especially for writing, composition, research, and Math.

?Tablets are being used for centers and other supplemental learning activities.

• A discussion occurred about the need to have some teachers become Google Certified.

 

Teacher Professional Development:

?Dr. Marciante from the Fran Center completed a review of our Resource Program after meeting with some Board members, parents, and staff members. He provided a full report for administration and the Board to review before the next meeting. Going forward, the plan is for Mrs. Matson to develop a plan to re-structure the Resource Program and present next steps to the Board. The Board will provide feedback and ask questions at next month’s meeting. The Board suggested that a plan get started and communication occur immediately with the parents.

?Sharon Ramski, a Reading Specialist and consultant with the Fran Center is reviewing our ELA program. She will do some classroom observations and provide feedback and suggestions about our ELA (English Language Arts) program.

?Teachers are attending workshops on reading and math – more to follow next month.

 

• Members discussed ideas to better market our next Open House in January.  Ideas such as better/bigger signage, get information out to other pre-schools in the area, and deliver speeches at SJB and other parishes.
• It was also suggested to have the Fran Center represented with other groups and clubs at the next Open House.

Committee Work:

 

Vince Genualdi suggested the “Run, Hide, Fight” Video for staff and teachers and a discussion was had about the security on campus.

 

Spiritual Committee:

Diane Latessa mentioned to Mrs. Matson that she is willing to work with Mrs. Matson to get readers and help with Family Masses. Diane is also will to help Mrs. Willert with Jr. St. Vincent DePaul as needed.

 

Old Business:

Gala:

• Fire sale through this week
• Numbers (amount raised) not finalized yet, Dave Gurdak is working on it and will make public when finalized
• 385 in attendance
• BidPal’s website was slow make the end of the night difficult. Mike Tarjan had a phone conference with the VP – they were trouble-shooting as much as they could and the staff was working hard to solve the issues. BidPal had several other events going on at the same time. The company has offered to give a credit or a discount for next year. After a discussion, the Board decided to ask Bidpal to cover the remainder of the bill. Mike will discuss with them and report back.
• A discussion was had about the need for new volunteers to help run Gala as the volunteers who have been running it the last 5 years are hoping for new help.

 

New Business:

 

• Open House will be on Jan. 31^st.  More details and information to come.
• The budget process will begin soon
• Gym Floor Maintenance: 

• It was discussed that the floor needs to be cleaned and dusted regularly
• Scuff marks and blood should be removed
• More than one dust mop is needed and replaced regularly

• Polish School/Religious Education – a discussion occurred about the need to improve measures to have property in the classrooms respected and taken care of by all parties who use the school and the classrooms.

 

Joe Persivale motioned to adjourn at 9:03 which Diane Latessa seconded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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St. John Brebeuf School Advisory Board 

October 5, 2015

Attendees:                                                                                                                                                

Dave Gurdak                                                                                                                                                

Mike Tarjan                                                                                                                                                   

Diane Latessa                                                                                                                                                 

Mike Dutkin                                                                                                                                                   

Bonzie Allocco                                                                                                                                                

Vince Genualdi                                                                                                                                                  

Joe Walsh                                                                                                                                                            

Joe Persivale

Guest Comments:                                                                                                                                               

No guests present

Pastor’s Report: 

• Protecting God’s Children Intake Form (new) – for all volunteers and employees of SJB School and Parish to have a record of people who have been approved and what organization they belong to.
• Oktoberfest – great turn-out on Saturday, there were many alumni groups.
• Archdiocese will be addressing challenges facing the church, such as lack of pastors and priests, too many churches in some areas, and not enough in others.
• Annual Report Meeting coming up on October 14^th; all are welcome to attend.

Principal’s Report:

Marketing and Enrollment Update:

• Enrollment at 270, 1 exchange student from Cambodia has started
• Jumping Jaguars starts in early November
• Welcome Wednesdays will start in December
• Social media going well, getting more traffic on Facebook page
• Annual Appeal will launch during Catholic School’s Week

Faith and Spirituality Update:

• Weekly mass and buddies had first split mass
• Teachers will be working on different ways to incorporate prayer and service into school day
• Hoping to get a group of parents to help with family mass from both school and RE
• Discussing incentives to encourage more families to attend family mass

AdvanceEd/Aspire Testing:

• Aspire testing will take place the week of April 11^th
• Interim tests were ordered and testing will begin in mid-October, November, and in January – a letter will go home to explain testing purposes.
• Options to measure grades 1-2 (next year).
• Continue working on school improvement throughout year

Technology Update:

• We are working with individual teachers on Google Sites, Docs, and Classroom. Parents can see Classroom when students sign in to the program.
• Continuing to investigate other software
• Students are up and running with Chromebooks and tablets. They are completing several activities using IXL and Google Docs, especially for writing, composition, research, and Math.
• Tablets being used for centers and other supplemental learning activities

Teacher Professional Development:

• Focusing on technology this month
• Teachers attending workshops in reading and math
• All teachers will attend a spiritual conference for Catholic Educators on November 13^th

Share 911:

• We continue to test Share 911 campus wide. Continuing to conduct several drills using the system over the next few weeks.

Old Business

• Board Vacancy – so far, we have no interest. We will continue asking around.
• Spring Rummage Sale – Joe Walsh continuing to look into and discuss this fundraising idea. Possible dates of 4/8-4/9 were mentioned. Fr. Meany got some information from his sister about the amount of money and details on running a rummage sale since she has been doing them for several years. Continue to explore this option.
• Oktoberfest – The rain on Friday may have kept some people away. Saturday - great turn-out. It gets better each year. Committee needs more help with set-up next year and will work on getting sponsorship. Would like to have more ideas on how to make it better next year. A few options and ideas were discussed by the Board.
• Gala

• Invites went out to 800 people and to those who donated $500 or more in the past
• 30 or so tickets have been sold on-line
• Carrie and Natalie doing a great job with getting auction items
• Using Bid Pal
• We have a 7 night stay in Hawaii w/o airfare, working on getting more trips to Napa Valley, San Francisco, and Orlando
• Will be working on the video soon
• Volunteers will be needed soon to help with decorating PMC; Julie is ordering supplies
• Unsure how raffle ticket sales are going; we have the Game Truck as incentive for selling $100 in tickets
• Down on sponsorships compared to last year at this time
• Pounce ideas were discussed at length at the meeting. Mrs. Matson discussed the need for a new reading series. The current reading curriculum is 10 years old and not aligned to the Common Core standards. It was discussed and decided that Pounce would focus on the 3 R’s (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic).

New Business

• Resource Program

• The Board had a discussion about the purpose, format, and goals of the Resource Program. It was discussed that there is a dire need to re-evaluate and create a new outline or plan to enhance the program to meet the needs of all of the children who are identified as needing resource help. It was also discussed that the re-organization and goals need to be communicated with the parents as soon as possible.

Mike Tarjan motioned for adjournment at 9:08, which Joe Walsh seconded.

 

 

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St. John Brebeuf School Advisory Board Minutes                                                                                                                                            September 15, 2015

Dave Gurdak called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

Attendees: 

Fr. Meany                                                                                                                                                               

Mrs. Elise Matson                                                                                                                                           

Dave Gurdak                                                                                                                                            

Mike Tarjan                                                                                                                                                       

Diane Latessa                                                                                                                                                   

Mike Dutkin                                                                                                                                                    

Bonzie Allocco                                                                                                                                                 

Vince Genualdi                                                                                                                                                     

Joe Walsh                                                                                                                                                            

Joe Persivale

Guest Comments:                                                                                                                                      

• No guests present

Pastor’s Report:

• SJB Oktoberfest this weekend 9/18-9/20
• Speaker Series begins this Thursday Sept. 17^th 7pm
• Sound system has been approved, will be moving forward soon on this project
• Bleachers have been sanded and re-varnished by teens from the SJB community

Principal’s Report:    

Marketing and Enrollment Update:

• Current enrollment at 270
• Increasing partnerships with other businesses/organizations in Niles
• Jumping Jaguars – will launch in the Fall 
• Welcome Wednesdays will occur again this year
• Working on Open Houses (Retention - October 18^th, Recruitment – January 31^st
• Increasing Social Media presence
• Will be updating website with more recent pictures
• Working on reaching out to alumni and updating alumni contact list
• Will be launching an annual fund during Catholic School’s Week

Faith and Spirituality Update:

• Weekly masses with Buddies has been successful so far
• Teachers working on ways to incorporate prayer and service into school
• Family Mass will look different this year
• Meeting October 1^st to form a new committee led by Fr. Meany to bring school and RE families together to plan family mass.  Hoping to have room ambassadors and volunteer parents help in organizing students and to encourage attendance.
• Planning to incentivize more families to attend mass; teachers working on ideas.

AdvanceEd/Aspire Testing:

• Aspire testing will take place the week of April 11^th
• Aspire takes the place of Terra Nova and will include 8^th grade. It might be tricky because many 8^th graders will also be taking high school placement exams.
• Interim tests were ordered, students and teachers will have an opportunity to practice and adjust instruction if necessary.
• Teachers are aligning curriculum to Arch Standards which are linked to the Aspire test.
• There will be options to measure grades 1-2.
• Plans to continue to work on school improvement throughout the year.

Technology Update:

• Receiving very positive feedback about Science curriculum. 
• Audiobook option may help some students read at their own pace and answer comprehension questions.
• Students are up and running with Chrome books and tablets. They are completing several activities using IXL, and Google Docs, especially for writing, composition, research, and Math.
• Tablets are being used for centers and other supplemental learning activities
• Some questions have come about insurance on devices. Some policies have been purchased by families.
• Other insurance options were brought up and discussed as well as the need for administration to clarify insurance policy for parents.

Teacher Professional Development:

• Observations to focus on Math and Reading/Language Arts curriculum and align to standards. Future observations will focus on Science and Technology.
• Teachers are attending technology training, and professional development at the end of the month will focus on technology.

       Share 911: 

• In August, the SJB staff was trained in the use of Share 911 (Emergency Communication Mobile Device System,). This browser-based web application will notify staff and local law enforcement authorities when immediate action is needed via alerts, i.e. medical emergency, lockdown, shelter in place, evacuate, and severe weather. This is done via text, email and/or desktop computer.
• Continuing to test Share 911 campus wide and will be conducting several drills using the system over the next few weeks.
• Discussed the importance of having AED devices on hand. It was mentioned that the Niles Fire Department offers training on the use of AED.  Administration will look into it and believe that these devices are important to have in the buildings.

Discipline Policy and Handbook Changes:

• New Discipline system up and running with clearer consequences in place.
• Dr. McEvoy will speak to students and parents on the day and evening of Wednesday, September 24^th. The parent session is in the PMC at 7pm.

Contest:                                                                                                                                                      

• School won $5000 through a contest with Teacher List (site used in the past for school supplies)

Old Business:

Board Vacancy:                                                                                                                                       

• Vacant Board position should be posted in the newsletter and church bulletin until filled. 

       Committees Update:

Committees discussed and decided on membership:                                                         

Planning – Tarjan/Gurdak                                                                                                                

Spiritual – Latessa                                                                                                                       

Maintenance and Safety – Dutkin/Genualdi                                                                          

Public Relations/Marketing – Persivale                                                                                   

Institutional Advancement and Development – Allocco/Walsh                                                     

Finance – Gurdak/Tarjan

Oktoberfest:   

Getting a lot of positive attention and feedback; the word is getting out in the community. An all-class alumni reunion will be held on Saturday evening, planning to get contact information from all alumni in attendance. 

New Business:

• A Spring Rummage Sale was brought up and discussed.  Volunteers needed to help with planning, organizing, and running it to be successful.  Space also needed to store items. Will continue to research and discuss this fundraising idea.
• Organization Day – approximately half of the families attended the event.  Having registration and paperwork available on-line was discussed as a possible way of replacing Organization Day. Moving Back to School Night and expanding it to take care of some of the business and questions is a possibility.  A suggestion came up to ask the teachers/staff to have “more polished” and informative presentations for Back to School Night.

Gala 2015:

• Invites are going out to 800 households plus all school families via mail. There was a discussion about mass texting people to invite them to Gala. Posts will be made of Facebook to encourage families and others to attend.
• Continue to emphasize that money raised will support our technology program.
• Pounce ideas were discussed and will be finalized by the October Board meeting. 
• Fr. Meany mentioned that the donated playground equipment is outdated and would cost $15,000 to install. The possibility of getting something newer and more suitable was discussed.  P/SA has offered to help offset the costs of installing a playground.
• People are needed to make calls for auction items.  Sign-up Genius was sent out, received some help with calls and pick-ups, but will need more help.
• Gala committee does not have any volunteers to co-chair the event. The difficulty of getting volunteers to chair Gala was brought up and a discussion was held about the possibility of the chairpersons receiving a stipend or tuition reduction of some kind in the future.

     Vince Genualdi motioned for meeting adjournment at 8:45, which Diane Latessa seconded.

 

ST. JOHN BREBEUF SCHOOL ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES

FEBRUARY 9, 2015  

Lorna Chevlin called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M.

Attendees:
Fr. Meany
Elise Matson
Mike Tarjan
Dave Gurdak
Mike Dutkin
Joe Walsh
Bonzie Allocco
Diane Latessa
Rosann Parra
Lorna Chevlin
Not Present
Vince Genualdi

Guest Comments:

 There were no guests present during the meeting for open comments.                                                                                                                               

Pastor’s Report: 

Father Meany expressed his gratitude for the efforts put forth towards the success of the recent Open House.  

Faith and Spirituality

Archbishop Blasé Cupich Welcome Mass is to be held at St. John Brebeuf Parish on Thursday, February 12, 2015, at 7 P.M., with reception to follow.  Father Meany advised that it would be best to arrive prior to 6:45 P.M. to secure seating.  

Confirmation is scheduled for March 21, 2015, at 1:30 P.M.  The Sacrament is to be presided over by Bishop Andrew Wypych. 

Lent – Prayer, Fasting and Works of Charity

Father Meany advised that the various events and activities are designed to encourage strong family participation throughout the Lenten Season.

Ash Wednesday is February 18th

The Stations of the Cross will be held every Friday during the Lenten Season at 3:15 P.M. and 7:00 P.M.

The schedule for the upcoming Fish Fry events will be set forth in the Church bulletin.

The Festival of Forgiveness will be held from noon on Friday, February 27, 2015, through noon on Saturday, February 28, 2015.  Reconciliation will be available, and there will be an Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

The duration of Parish Lenten Mission Weekend will be from February 28th through March 1st.    There will be ongoing activities from Monday through Wednesday, March 2nd through March 4th, from 7 P.M. until 9 P.M.  

There will be continuing events for Uncle Pete’s Ministry, and GLADD will be available to help with any special events.

Through all of the various events, participants will have the opportunity to put into practice the themes of Prayer, Fasting and Works of Charity in our own back yard at St. John Brebeuf.

Educational Opportunities

The Concert Series at St. John Brebeuf has the following events:  (1) Jack Cimo, Sunday, February 15th at 3 P.M.  There is no fee for the event, but donations will be accepted; and, (2) Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Faurw’s Requiem, Sunday, March 29th at 3 P.M.  The event will include a professional orchestra and soloists led by Marek Rachelski. There is no fee for this event, but donations will be accepted. 

Principal’s Report:

Marketing and Enrollment Update:

Our enrollment has remained steady so far. We will likely have another 3 year old student beginning school with us soon.  Our current enrollment is at 287.  

Open House was successful this year! We had 23 prospective families visit, and 2 have already registered for next year. New registrations have been ongoing.   

Follow up e-mails went out last week. The marketing team is meeting this week to discuss other follow up strategies.   The upcoming agenda includes a focus on welcoming new families, particularly those from schools in the process of closing.

The intended goal of the team is to increase enrollment by at least 5%.  

Welcome Wednesdays begin this week. Prospective parents will get information about the school and a tour during the school day.  

Jumping Jaguars also begins Wednesday, February 11th, and will be led by Mrs. Willert and Mrs. Mahoney.   The activities include library and craft time.  

We continue to put announcements in area church bulletins and with closing schools.  The ongoing interaction with St. Peters has been excellent, and they have expressed a high interest in being kept abreast of any upcoming events.  

Media coverage over the past few weeks has been excellent. Thank you to Dick Barton and Fr. Meany for their help and support. 

Marketing will continue investigating more “word of mouth” strategies to help recruitment. 

We are investigating the possibility of hosting a small summer camp for students.  Mr. Henderson has offered his assistance in rejuvenating the use of the TV studio.  There is also ongoing discussion of instituting after-school clubs.  A survey will be sent out to gauge the interest in instituting a summer camp program.