3/30

Agenda: 3/30/2012

1. Approval of Minutes
2. Reports
3. Class Withdrawal Motion
4. Test Preparation Motion
5. Second Semester Pass/Fail Motion
6. Closing Debate Motion
7. Notes & New Business

"Leaders need to be optimists. Their vision is beyond the present." ~Rudy Giuliani

Council Minutes 3/16/2012

1.         Approval of Minutes

2.         Reports

• [Mod]: We may have to do recycling the week after March Intensive. 
• [Sec]: Junior alternate can vote.
• [Treas]: Motion: I move to allocate $133 to the Broadside.
• [Ms. D'Amato]: We received a grant several years ago that has paid for many of our printing costs, we didn't realize that we received less money from Council last year. As a result, we need to pay off some outstanding printing costs.
• Clarifying Questions:
• How much money do we have?
• We have $950 in co-curricular account, $3000 in the Council account.

Debate closes.

Motion passes.

• [Admin]: We discussed the Test Preparation Motion with the faculty on Wednesday, we are also sending out a staff survey. We will be discussing this in Council after March Intensive.
• [Curric]: We sent out a staff survey on the Class Drop Motion: 4 supported the motion, 24 opposed it. 15 teachers supported a potential pass/fail option, while 13 opposed the idea. The motion as it stands appears to have several issues with enrollment numbers, so we will recommend failing the original motion and we'll bring back a new pass/fail motion later.
• [OEC]: Please submit any Council pictures you have for the kickoff video.
• [SA]: We are discussing plans for the Winter Carnival pizza party for seniors.
• [SL]: After MI we will look at the data for the Freshmen Off-Campus Motion so we can bring it back to Council. We'll also discuss the Delayed School Start Time Motion.
• [Ms. Addante]: We had our organizational meeting, Carey Callaghan is the new chair, Kari Asmus is the vice-chair. The Code of Conduct will be presented to the Board at the end of this month, March 27th. 

3.         Broadside Money Allocation

• Motion: I move to allocate $1025 to the Broadside.
• [Ms. D'Amato]: It's really difficult for us to raise money because of our core staff, when we do, it's not really worth it - a four-page issue costs $325 to print, a eight-page issue costs $375. The paper is really for the good of the community, and students like to read the paper copy, not online. This money would cover our minimal costs for the end of the year.
• Clarifying Questions:
• Have you looked into securing fundraising?
• We were told we were not allowed to fundraise because the Broadside is free, so we try to avoid it. In addition, we don't really have time to do that at this point.
• Have you looked at the number of copies you print?
• We usually print about 300 copies. Unless we print over 700 copies, the price remains the same.
• Motion: I move to table the motion until we transfer appropriate funds to the Co-Curricular account.

Debate closes.

Motion (to table) passes.

• Motion: I move to move $500 from the Council fund to the Co-Curricular fund.

Debate closes.

Motion (to move money) passes.

• Clarifying Questions (continued from the original motion):

• Does the administration has some funds that can be used for this? Maybe they could meet us halfway?
• At the moment, it would be difficult to find funds for this.
• Debate (on the original motion):
• Since the Broadside will be run differently next year, and since the school benefits so much from the Broadside, we should give them the full amount that was requested.
• In most schools, the school newspaper is funded by the school itself - it's a public service that's distributed throughout the community, it would be unwise to not fund this.
• This benefits so many people, we should go ahead and support it.

Debate closes.

Motion (to allocate $1025) passes.
4.         Test Preparation Motion (coming next meeting)
5.         Notes & New Business

• Motion: I move to amend the Student Handbook to read "Students may drop the second semester of a full year course with no penalty. Students wishing to make such a change must first discuss the change with their guidance counselor, as well as with the teacher of the course that they are dropping."
• [Melanie]: This was the original motion that was referred to us, we recommend failing it.
• Clarifying Questions:
• Was the staff surveyed at all?
• Yes, Curric's earlier report summed that up.
• Debate:
• I don't think the staff survey represents the staff's ideas, but this is coming from the students - we don't need to like what the staff says.
• The pass/fail motion addresses the issue better, let's fail this.

Meeting adjourns.

3/16

Agenda: 3/16/2012

1. Approval of Minutes
2. Reports
3. Broadside Money Allocation
4. Test Preparation Motion
5. Notes & New Business

"Everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear." ~George W. Bush

Council Minutes 3/9/2012

1.         Approval of Minutes

2.         Reports

• [Mod]: This year's Council is coming to a close, so think about things you might want to get done before the end of the year.
• [DSB]: The budget passed, but the teacher's contract failed. We'll be having an organizational meeting on Tuesday.
• [Sec]: Senior and Junior alternates can vote today.
• [Admin]: We're on the staff agenda for next week; hopefully we'll have a discussion with staff and we can bring a motion back to Council next Friday. 
• [Curric]: We discussed the restitution motion, and we'll be looking at the NEASC survey results.
• [OEC]: We're making sure the Handbook matches up with the motions Council's passed. We're also working on the Council election kickoff video.
• [SA]: Motion: I move to allocate $150 to SA for the Winter Carnival pizza party.

Debate closes.

Motion passes.

• [COI]: We decided on the way that MI will be graded. Make sure people attend their MI!
• [Exec]: Remember that even though the Council year is winding down, remember that as Council members, you are still representing others and setting an example for others.
• [Rachel]: Bylaw notification for next week - this would make it such that Council members would be ineligible to run in the next Council elections unless they attended at least one school board meeting per year.
• [Gabe]: What happened to the Google Doc admin was supposed to work on?
• It should be out soon.
• [Mr. Smith]: Please remember to do a good job recycling when it's necessary.
• [Ms. Addante]: We need to make sure the handbook/bylaw consistencies are ironed out.
• [Ms. Doyle]: Make sure your CG signs up for the Haiti Club presentation next Thursday!

3.         Class Withdrawal Motion

• Discussion:
• Sometimes students really need to suck it up. We're not forcing students to continue taking their classes if it is really negatively affecting their health, etc. Students should do research before enrolling in a class.
• The school does work really hard to accommodate students with legitimate needs, there are also programs for students to try new things (Senior Bridges, etc.)
• This is not a selfish motion; we're just trying to get the best education possible. You shouldn't have to 'suck it up.'
• This seems like it's an issue more with band and chorus, maybe we should consider them separately.
• We should pass this motion and look into setting up waiting lists for classes.
• Making this an easy process might cause trouble for students and staff.
• We should consider pass/fail at the second semester point in the year.
• This really should be the student's decision.
• We have a good process in place to make decisions before/after a student is enrolled in a course, but a pass/fail motion at second semester is intriguing.
• I think the 'suck it up' approach is good, to a certain extent. Since when is perseverance a dirty word? Doing research beforehand is important; teachers expect you to be in class during the second semester of a year-long class.
• Motion: I move to refer this motion to Curric.
• [Rachel]: We've had a good discussion on this, but we need more discussion.
• This is about quality of education, this discussion should go beyond Council.
• Motions do tend to get lost in committee, we should just make a decision now.
• This body is capable of making this decision on its own, we can make informed, represented decisions without referring this to committee. 
• More input would be helpful.

                Debate closes.
        Motion passes.
4.         PR Bylaw Revision

• Motion: I move to add the following to the PR person's responsibilities: Is responsible for maintaining and regularly posting updates to the Council Facebook and Twitter pages.
• [Gabe]: This would be a great opportunity to reach out to others.

                Debate closes.

                Motion passes.


Meeting adjourns.

3/9

Agenda: 3/9/2012

1. Approval of Minutes
2. Reports
3. Class Withdrawal Motion
4. PR Bylaw Revision
5. Notes & New Business

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." ~Abraham Lincoln

Council Minutes 3/2/2012

1.         Approval of Minutes

2.         Reports

• [Mod]: Welcome to our visitors from Lebanon! After the meeting today, we'll have pizza and other food - please attend if you can! I'd like to refer to Ms. Gillespie
• [Ms. Gillespie]: Last night we nominated and elected the new principal, Mr. Justin Campbell. He comes highly recommended and I think he'll connect well with students and staff!
• [DSB]: We met twice this week and we discussed goals. Two board members retired, and the Code of Conduct with the Student Handbook will be coming to their next meeting. We also went over the budget ($23 million) and voted on the board salaries. If you're interested in becoming DSB rep, you may want to attend a few meetings this month. 
• [Sec]: Senior and Junior alternates may vote today.
• [PR]: I'm making a bylaw notification. Next week, I will bring a motion to have the PR rep and OEC be responsible for maintaining a Council Facebook and Twitter account.
• [Admin]: We have been trying to make it to a staff meeting to update them on the Test Preparation Motion so we can come back to Council with a more-supported motion.
• [Curric]: We discussed Dmitry's restitution motion.
• [OEC]: Leadership, please send us a photo of choice for the Council video. Next week, we'll be making sure the Handbook lines up with the motions we've passed this year.
• [SL]: We're discussing the Delayed School Start Time Motion and we're considering different timing options.
• [Rachel]: We're looking for a student to lead the school-wide pledge next year.
• [Henry]: Town meetings are next week, so attend those! Also, Spirit Club will be organizing a dance sometime in the near future.

3.         Class Withdrawal Motion

• Discussion:
• We've already  changed the drop period from one week to a month, which seems to be suitable time for a student to make up his/her mind, but for a year long course, this does not happen before the second semester. 
• By signing up for a full year course, you have an obligation to stay in that class.
• A student really has no idea what a class is going to be like two or four months down the road.
• When you're in a difficult class and you're not performing very well, it certainly lowers your self-esteem. It can really wear on a student if s/he can't drop a class.
• If you sign up for a course and drop out later, you may be taking a spot away from someone else.
• Making this an option would create a slippery slope, it could be dangerous to enrollments and scheduling, especially with a mass exodus second semester.
• Would it be an option for a student to switch to pass/fail second semester? That might be something the consider.
• Someday, in real life, you may have to endure an academic experience you don't enjoy. We've talked about making second semester more rigorous to keep students focused to the very end, but I would caution the Council in looking at this.
• This motion could use some more specific wording - there are some really good results of this, but some of the possibilities aren't as good.
• The original intent of the motion is good, but we're trying to cover too many bases. Failing this and coming up with a better solution would be a good idea.
• This really is an individual student problem, this motion would have too many holes. The pass/fail option at the beginning of second semester seems like a good idea.
• In the event that a student is overstressed or a special scenario arises, there is an informal group that can make decisions concerning withdrawals without formal policy.
• There's a lot of choice for students as to what classes they can take in a particular subject as it is. This motion seems to be self-serving, a student should be handle this on his own.

Meeting adjourns.