SLLIS is ahead of the curve, and the rest of Missouri is catching up!
Check out this article by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) about foreign language and other classes taken by students in Missouri to prepare them for a more global future.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has invited first grade students from The French School and their teacher Madame Crance to address the state Board of Education during their monthly board meeting Thursday, February 18th. As many of you know Madame Crance came to us through the new Jules Verne program that places experienced, certified teachers from France in classroom placements abroad. Although she is very much a founder of our school, Madame Crance is still an employee of the French government and is on a special assignment at our school this year.
During this meeting the board will also teleconference with our colleagues from l’Académie de Lyon and discuss the benefits of a long-term partnership with our sister city through the proposed Memorandum of Understanding. The Memorandum of Understanding would support future pedagogy exchanges between Missouri public schools and public schools in Lyon.
Rhonda will distribute an information packet to the Board of Directors, make a brief presentation about our school model highlighting the ways in which language immersion instruction positively impacts English language vocabulary, and then Madame Crance and her students will give a 20 minute immersion demonstration lesson. After our presentation Representative Rachel Storch and Senator Joe Keaveny will introduce our students on the floor of their committee hearings in the Capitol building and, time permitting, we will take a guided tour of the Capitol building.
Adolfo Carbón, the Education Advisor of the Spanish consulate, visited The Spanish School last month and met with Arlene to discuss how to begin a similar exchange placement for visiting teachers for The Spanish School. We look forward to building an excellent relationship with this program as well.
Monday the St. Louis Post-Dispatch posted a brief about our schools opening. It seems to be a restatement of the original The Grade blog post based on our DESE authorization. All press is good press.
Académie Lafayette, the K-8 French immersion charter school in Kansas City, was one of 15 schools in the state to earn a Gold Star from DESE this year. It is the only charter school in the state to earn this honor. Kennard also earned a Gold Star. Read the full press release to see if a school in your district was honored.
Woooooooooooohooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!
We drove to Jeff City today for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education monthly Board meeting. It was interesting to see how those Board meetings run (there were at least 20 agenda items!) and to hear the questions, opinions and role clarification of this appointed group charged with overseeing education for the state. But mostly, it was nerve-wracking as we awaited our slot on their agenda. Our authorization was delayed until after the lunch break. And so with bellies full of cafeteria food we returned to the conference room at 1pm. The meeting resumed, Jocelyn Strand, A+/ Charter Schools Director for DESE, presented our school model with the recommendation for authorization. The Board asked her a few questions about our model that she answered gracefully. We’ve been working with Jocelyn since the fall of 2007 to make sure that our school model and charter were presented in an acceptable format. The Board asked a few questions that were outside of Jocelyn’s expertise and I (Rhonda) responded. The concerns were standard:
Where/how will you identify and train teachers of these less commonly taught languages?
Who is your target demographic?
How/when will you provide English instruction, particularly when so many of our children struggle with basic literacy?
How will you recruit/maintain your lower income population?
The Board moved to authorize our charter and that was it! As we walkedo ut of the conference room, Jocelyn could hear that they were still talking about our model, and favorably at that!
Woohoo!!!!!!!
Meeting Minutes
LOCATION:
St. Louis Public Library, Buder Branch
Large Conference Room
4401 Hampton Ave
St. Louis, MO 63109
314-352-2900
The regular meeting of the School Project Group was called to order at 7:00 PM on 12/10/2008 in Buder Library by Rhonda Broussard.
Introductions
Meeting participants introduced themselves and discussed their interest in SLLIS.
Updates
*Facilities: Rhonda Broussard updated group on status of SLLIS’ acquisition of a school building.
Two possibilities are pending:
1. SLLIS has submitted a bid to purchase a school building on North Jefferson and Market (the former A.G. Edwards Training Facility). Another bid has been accepted contingent upon financing. We may rebid if current purchaser is unable to obtain acceptable financing.
2. We will bid to lease (three, five-year options) a building at 4015 Papin. The space has recently been used as a warehouse and will require renovation to accommodate the school.
Both sites have challenges in terms of available greenspace and parking lots will need to be landscaped in order to create outdoor play areas and classroom space.
To this end:
1. SLLIS is consulting with architects at sites to help with school design and Rhonda Broussard will be involved in designing the interior space with SLLIS’ academic goals and philosophy in mind.
2. Broussard toured New City and College Schools and found that they held in common both structured (climbing equipment/play structures, blacktop features, outdoor classroom space) as well as unstructured outdoor play space. For example, the schools had features such as a sandbox area with a variety of simple digging tools for free play and other natural features without designated activities.
Meeting participants offered their own suggestions and ideas for creating and funding the SLLIS greenspace, including:
1. A tour of Shaw Nature Reserve‘s outdoor play space and classroom. Grants are available for the creation of these spaces.
2. The Soulard School‘s Pirate Ship play structure.
3. A Seattle school had a fundraiser to create a community playground in for which interested members of the community purchased leaf-shaped stepping stones to help fund the construction of the site and also volunteered to help in its construction. A city grant also paid for the space.
*Sponsorship: Rhonda Broussard updated the group on the SLLIS Charter Sponsorship and described the roll the sponsor will play:
1. Webster University turned down our request for sponsorship in July 2008.
2. SLLIS requested sponsorship from various universities and both St. Louis University and the University of St. Louis, Missouri came to the table.
3. In November, the SLLIS Board decided to pursue sponsorship from UMSL
4. The contract is currently with the UMSL General Counsel and is awaiting authorization from DESE.
5. We anticipate approval by the end of February and we will open the enrollment period at that time.
Rhonda Broussard explained that the sponsor holds SLLIS publicly responsible for what SLLIS promises in the Charter. The Charter will be posted on the SLLIS Blog. Broussard also stated that SLLIS has been making partnerships with local universities, recruiting advocates for SLLIS and advertising SLLIS to alumni, faculty and staff.
*Outreach Rhonda Broussard opened the discussion of our outreach efforts and described SLLIS’ recent promotional and recruitment efforts, including:
1. Presentations at local preschools. Broussard has been making presentations to families at local preschools with children entering Kindergarten and First Grade 2009-2010. She has been presenting at parent meetings, Kindergarten roundtables and pick-up/drop-off time tables. She asked for parent volunteers to accompany her at presentations to preschool programs. She encouraged parents to be SLLIS’ “ambassadors” in their own communities.
2. “St. Louis Kids Magazine” full-page magazine advertisement was circulated to the group.
3. KDHX interview “Topic A” with Amanda Doyle will be available for podcast download from www.sllis.org soon.
4. “Off the Wall at City Hall” will be hosting our table on 12/13/2008.
Upcoming events were detailed in table on the reverse of the Agenda.
Members of the group brainstormed other outreach and marketing possibilities, including:
1. Pursuing advertising on KWMU.
2. Contacting Channels 2 and 11.
3. Advertising in a local Latino newspaper. Broussard mentioned that we will advertise in “El Mundo Latino.”
4. A review of the Gymboree Moms magazine for working moms, and consider advertising at the Black Cat Theatre.
5. One parent will take brochures to Kindercare on Hampton.
6. Investigate prices for ads on streaming radio such as 102.5 FM as they are less expensive than broadcast radio ads.
7. One parent offered to help with a table at Childgarden.
8. Post a flier and put a stack of brochures at Local Harvest Grocery and Bakery on Morganford.
9. Targeting “ethnic” and local markets, such as Latino stores in the Cherokee Street area or Jay’s in Tower Grove or elsewhere.
10. Continue to perform outreach to a more diverse group (lower socio-economic strata).
11. Rhonda Broussard said that SLLIS Marketing Committee Chairperson is coordinating outreach at churches.
12. One parent suggested that St. John’s on Arsenal has a large West African congregation.
13. Contact the International Institute at St. Louis University and Rhonda Broussard informed the group that we have a Board member from the Institute.
14. One parent suggested contacting Parents as Teachers. Rhonda Broussard noted that PAT is run through the school districts and our Charter school status may present a conflict for the local PAT. Broussard is going to try to arrange something with the national PAT. One participant offered to contact a parent at her preschool who works with PAT and may give us some insight into PAT’s position.
15. Rhonda Broussard suggested that we make the School Project Group meetings more accessible by providing both childcare and food as well as scheduling them for earlier in the evening.
*Enrollment Timeline: We anticipate approval of our Charter by the end of February and we will open the enrollment period for 2009-2010 at that time.
Brochures:
*Brochures: Rhonda Broussard distributed brochures from our most recent run, including English, French and Spanish Versions. One participant requested that Kirsten Hebert send her 50 to 100 of each English and Spanish.
Q&A:
*Q&A Broussard opened the discussion to Q&A.
Q: How will SLLIS would sustain financial viability and what funding sources SLLIS rely upon?
A: Our State funding request is for $7,000/pupil. We also have grants from the Federal government, from the Walton Foundation and other private and public organizations. We do not receive money for facilities in addition to the $7,000/pupil as do District schools and so we need to do fund raising. Broussard then outlined faculty and staff requirements and described how enrollment and funding are linked to the enrollment levels.
Q: Will funding for meals would require the acquisition of food and services from designated vendors? There is concern about the nutritional value of some of the food currently provided by these vendors.
A: Currently SLLIS will allow outside food, but family-style meals (breakfast, lunch and snack) with discussion directed by instructors will be provided for all students. Further, we will be able to organize our own food service and we are currently taking bids from vendors.
One member suggested contacting Kelly Bock at the Soulard School as a resource.
Q: Will SLLIS make accommodations for children with food allergies?
A: Broussard said that she had observed several ways of accommodating students with food-allergies. She noted that this would be a continuing topic of discussion.
Q: Will there be food service for the free lunch program?
A: There is a budget line item for funding the free lunch program based on students participating.
Q: Will there be Special Education services?
A: SLLIS will have money for a full-time Special Education teacher and are writing a cooperative grant proposal with other schools to bring on more staff. Broussard also described funding sources and allocations for special-needs children.
Q: Is there was a way to assess what SLLIS needs before opening?
A: SLLIS will have a policy of admitting all children and providing a supportive environment for all learners regardless of learning challenges.
Q: How many students to we need for each school to assure funding?
A: We have a goal of 120 for each school (80 for K, 40 for 1st) in both the French and Spanish Schools). We can start with less but it affects how many teachers we will have. We have scaled down our budget to 50% capacity.
School Project Group Priorities:
*Marketing/Outreach See “Updates”
*Heads of School Interviews Rhonda Broussard discussed the numbers of applicants and interviews of the top five candidates. She described the interview process, including site visits, panel interviews and reception and their role in the selection process. Roundtable interviews will be set for mid-January followed by a reception in February. Broussard asked if members would be interested in attending receptions for interviewees. The Heads of School will begin working for SLLIS in the Spring. Various candidates were discussed.
Discussion Teacher qualifications were raised as a topic and Broussard described the kinds of applicants for which we are hoping and gave an overview of the types of applicants we are receiving.
Questions were asked about the curriculum and offered the Montessori Method and Core Knowledge Program as examples for comparison. Rhonda Broussard provided a brief history of the beginnings and an overview of the philosophy of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. She covered issues such as curriculum, assessment process, development program and school certification process. Broussard offered that the professional development program for teachers and assistant teachers will aid in ensuring effective coordination and presentation of curriculum topics.
A questions was raised about meeting the needs of gifted students. Rhonda Broussard discussed how the IB program is suited to the special needs of these students.
*Home Stays Rhonda Broussard asked that families consider hosting a teacher intern beginning in March 2009 and to put out feelers for other host families. Each intern will stay with a family for three months. They will need a room, access to a bathroom and dinner. SLLIS will provide breakfast and lunch at the school and activities and entertainment will be arranged by SLLIS. The interns will be coming to us from their home institutions to act as “language ambassadors.” The program will allow us to lower the teacher-student ratio.
Set Dates for School Project Group Meetings January-March, 2009:
Not discussed.
ADJOURNMENT:
Meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM by Rhonda Broussard.
Minutes submitted by: Kirsten Pourroy Hebert
Approved by: Rhonda J. Broussard
Posted in The French School, The Spanish School
Tagged DESE, Facilities, interns, school project group, slu, UMSL
If you already know how charters work in Missouri, you’re likely wondering who our sponsor is. For those new to the charter conversation, charter schools must have the approval of a sponsoring institution when applying to DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) for the authorization to recognize the charter and operate a school. In Missouri those sponsors are limited to:
We spent most of the 0708 school year in conversation with Webster about sponsoring our charter. When Webster officially declined to sponsor our charter in July (the university has not yet sponsored any charter), we regrouped and resubmitted our charter to other potential sponsors. Potential sponsor #2 is currently reviewing our charter and as soon as we have a firm commitment for sponsorship, we’ll let you know.
Optimistically.
