Minutes Welcome Debbie Clary · 5/3/2020  · Adoption of Agenda with adoption Motion made by Betsy...

Minutes

May 3, 2020

Welcome – Debbie Clary, Chair called the meeting to order at 1PM.

In attendance via electronically: Debbie Clary, Wes Westmoreland, Betsy Harnage, Dr. Shelly Bullard, Pauline Cahill, Jeff Zeigler, Wendy Clary, Angela Brooks, Phyllis Nowlen, Mary Stockham, Jayson Philbeck, and Bobby Dearmin – Parent Liaison were in attendance.

Conflict of Interest Statement In accordance with the State Government Ethics Act, it is the duty of every board member to avoid both conflicts of interest and appearances of conflict. If any board member has any known conflict of interest or appearance of conflict with respect to any matters coming before the board today, please identify the conflict or appearance of conflict at this time, and refrain from any participation in the particular matter involved.

Adoption of Agenda with adoption Motion made by Betsy Harnage and 2nd by Wes Westmoreland, All Approved.

Approval of Minutes Wes Westmoreland made a motion to approve the minutes of the February April 2020 Meeting, Jayson Philbeck seconded the motion and the minutes were approved by the board.

AdministrationReports

DeanofElementaryEducationReportWendyClarypresentedthereportasprovided.

ActionItems:• None

Facility

• Furniturequotewassignedandreturned.• LibrarydrawingbyConnectingElementsdidnotreflectthechangesfromthe

drawings.Theyarereworkingthelibraryspace.• FlooringisscheduledtostartdemofirstweekinJunewithmaterialsarrivingthird

weekinJune.• Firstfloorinthenewadditionhassheetrock

Interviews

●AssociateDean○Weareinterviewing4candidatestheweekof4/27(oneoutsideofPCAand3in-housecandidates)

○Thereisonerepresentativefromeachgradelevel(K-3)alongwithBrooks,Bullard,andClaryservingontheinterviewteamforAssociateDean.○AdecisionwillbemadebyMay8,2020.

K-3Teacher-2

• Currently,wehaveonepositionpostedforaK-3elementaryteacher.○InterviewsarebeingconductedbeginningApril28th.○Thereisonerepresentativefromeachgradelevel(K-3)alongwithBullardandClaryservingontheinterviewteamforK-3teacherinterviews.RemoteLearning

• PacketPickUpdateshavebeenMarch18th,March30th,April20th,andApril27th.

• Remotelearningwillcontinuewithparentspickingup/returningworkonaweeklybasis.Teachersaregradingandgivingfeedbacktostudentsonreturnedwork.

• Teachersaremakingthemselvesavailabletoparentsandfamiliestoanswerquestionsandprovidesupport.ManyteachersareholdingZoommeetingswithstudentsandareguidingparentsthroughtheprocessoflearningathome.

• ThecontentisprogressingthroughCoreKnowledgedomainsandcontentthatstudentswillneedastheyproceedtothenextgradelevel.

KindergartenStudents

• Wewillbemailingoutalittlenoteandabooktoourincomingkindergarteners.• Thekindergartenteachershavecreatedvideosintroducingthemselvestoournew

studentsandtheirfamilies.• Therewillbealettergoingouttokindergartenstudentsalongwitha$10gift

certificatetotheuniformdepartmentatNorrisMerchandise.

IntermediateSchoolReport Dr. Tanya Watson presented the report as provided.

CurriculumandAcademics

• Teachersareprovidingfeedbackonpacketseachweek.ThisfeedbackiscommunicatedviaGoogleMeet,emails,andphonecalls.

• InstructioncontinuesthroughwrittenmaterialincludedinpacketsaswellasonlineviaGoogleClassroom,GoogleSlides,andteachervideos.

• TransitionmeetingswillbegininMay.Forexample,3rdand4thgradeteacherswillmeettodiscusswhatstandardsarelefttocoverin3rdgrade,andwhatconceptsarecriticalforstudentstoknowatthebeginningof4thgrade.Thiswillhelpusprioritizethecurriculumandfocusonessentialconceptswhennewmaterialisbeingpresentedviaremotelearning.

ProfessionalDevelopment

• MiddleschoolteachersmeeteveryweekviaGoogleHangouts.Teachershavealsocreateda6-12Hangoutthatstaysopen;theypostideas,resources,questions,etc.

• ElementaryschoolteachersaremeetingeveryWednesdayduringtheircommonplanningtimeviaGoogleHangoutstotouchbasewithDr.Watson.Inaddition,theseteachersaremeetingwithintheirgradelevelseverydaytocollaborate.

• TeacherscontinuetousethechatfunctioninGoogleHangoutstoaskeachotherquestionsandshareimportantinformation.

• JosephHurdthascontinuedhisweeklyTechTalkTuesdayhangouttosupportteacherswithremotelearning.Thisallowsteacherstoaskquestionsabouttechnologyissuesthey’rehavingaswellasshareonlineresourcestheyareusing.

• Dr.Watsoniscreatingprofessionaldevelopmentonblockschedulingfor6-12teachers.Informationwillincludeeffectiveteachingstrategies,structuringthe90minutes,planning/pacinglessons,andstudentengagement.

Testing

• Allstatetestinghasbeencancelledforthisschoolyear:End-of-Grade(EOG),End-of-Course(EOC),NorthCarolinaFinalExam(NCFE),PSAT8/9,PSAT10,andSAT.

• APexamswillcontinuefollowingschedulebelow:

• Studentswillbeabletotaketheirexamsonanydevicetheyhave.

• Examswillhaveoneortwofree-responsequestions;nomultiplechoice.

• Mostexamswillbe45minuteslongandbeopenbook/opennotes.

• MakeuptestingisJune1-5.

ExceptionalChildren

• Dr.WatsonisservingasInterimDirector.Interviewsarebeingconductedtofindareplacement.

• WeeklyPLCmeetingsarebeingheldwiththestaff(specialed,speech,OT,Hearing)inadditiontoindividualcheck-ins.

• Teachersaredocumentingtheservicestheyareproviding(andtime)toensurecontinuationofservices.Wearestillabletoholdmeetingsandannualreviewsremotelyviaphoneconference,GoogleHangout,orGoogleMeet.

• Allnewreferralsthatwerestill“inprocess”areonhold.TheholddayswillNOTcountagainstthe90-dayreferralcompletiontimelimit.Re-evalsareonholdaswelliftheyrequireadditionaltesting.

HighSchoolReportAngelaBrookspresentedthereportasprovided.

ActionItems:• Noneatthistime.

Finance

• Theschool'sfinancialstandingisstrong.Thefinancialstatementswillbecomingatthemonthsend.

•

CurriculumandAcademics• Testing/Data

o APexamswillbeadministeredonline.HighSchoolteachershaveemailedstudentsaboutthetestspecifics.

§ CollegeBoardisprovidingfreeonlineresourcesforstudents. § Therearetwodifferenttestingdatesforeachexam.Theteacherswho

areteachingtheAPcourseshavebeenincontactwithstudentsabouttheseexamsandinformationtheyneedinordertocompletethisprocess.Dr.Watsonwillfinalizethisinformation.

§ Forthe2019–20examadministrationonly,studentscantakea45-minuteonlinefree-responseexamathome.Educator-leddevelopmentcommitteesarecurrentlyselectingtheexamquestionsthatwillbeadministered.

• HighSchool o Wearestillhavingschool!Teachersareemailingstudentsandfamilieseach

day.Teachershavemadepacketsforstudentstocomplete.ThesewillbepickedupeachMondayuntiltheendofschool.TeachersareofferingGoogleHangouttimesforstudentstojoinandaskquestions.Ourteachersaredoinganamazingjobduringthisdifficulttime.

o Sofartodate,theSeniorClassof2020has$3,409,368.00inscholarshipawards.Thatamountisanincreaseof$367,584.00fromlastmonth.Wearesoproudofthisfirstgraduatingclass.

o Dr.Martinhasstartedmeetingwithjuniorsandtheirparentsvirtuallywith

Dr.DavidParkertobegindiscussingplansforwhatstudentsplantodoaftergraduation.TheyarereviewingstudentsACTandSATscoresaswellastheadmissionsprocessforuniversitiestheyareinterestedin.

o HighSchoolRegistrationwillbegininMay.Dr.MartinandIwillbesending

informationtofamiliesaboutregistrationandwewouldliketohavestudentsregisteredforclassesbeforetheendoftheschoolyear.

o InordertoreachouttoallhighschoolfamiliesandstudentsIhaveprinted

postcardsandwillbemailingthemouttoeachhighschoolstudenttoletthemknowtheyarebeingthoughtabout.IjustwanttomakesuretheystillfeelconnectedtoPCAandtheyreceiveanoteofencouragement.

o Wehavetwoseniorswhoareinjeopardyofnotgraduating.Parentcontact

hasbeenmadeandwecontinuetomonitorthissituation.

o GradingPolicyChangesperStateBoardofEducation:

■Seniors

• FallCourses:Studentswillreceivegradesforfallcoursesasalreadystored,year-longandsemester.FallgradeswillcounttowardGPA.

o Foryear-longcourses,thefalltermgradewillbecountedintotheGPA.Directionsfromthestatewillbeprovidedatalaterdateforwhatthatwilllooklike.

o Forsemester-longcourses,thefinalcoursegradewillbecountedintotheGPA.

• SpringCourses:StudentswillreceiveaPass“PC19”orWithdrawal“WC19”basedontheirlearningasofMarch13forspringcourses.

• IfastudenthasanFasofMarch13forgraduationrequirements,Pinnaclewillprovideanopportunityforstudentstocontinuethecoursethroughremotelearning.

• Numberofcreditsneededforgraduation:InregardtothenumberofcreditsneededtograduatethestatehasallowedgraduatingseniorstopursuecreditsbeyondtheminimumStateBoardofEducationrequirementsbutmaynotrequiremorethanthestateminimumrequirementsforgraduationthroughJune30,2020.

• Forseniorscurrentlyenrolledandpassingelectivecourses

beyondstategraduationrequirements,creditcanbeawardedasdescribedinthisdocumentabove.

• TheCCPcoursesbeingofferedthroughCCCarestillavailablefor

studentstocompleteonline.Thiswillallowstudentsto6finishthesecoursesandpotentiallyearncollegecreditortheirAssociateinScienceDegree.

• HighSchoolStudents-Grades9-11

o Studentsingrades9-11andnon-graduatingseniorswill

choosehoweachfinalcoursegradewillappearontheirtranscriptfortheircurrentlyenrolledcourses,year-longandsemestercourses.Ifstudentscannotbereachedtomakeachoice,theywillbepermittedtodosoafterschoolbuildingsre-open.

o Option1:o Reportthenumericgrade,theirhighestgraderepresenting

eithertheirlearningasofMarch13orasimprovedthroughthesemesterasremotelearningcontinued.

o Studentswillreceivecoursecredit.o Thenumericgradeandqualitypointsforeachcoursewill

beusedtocalculateGPA.

o Option2:o ReportaPC19orWC19.o StudentsoptingtoreceiveaPC19willreceivecoursecredit.

PC19orWC19willnotimpactGPA.o WC19receivesnocoursecreditbutstudentscouldtake

advantageoffuturecreditrecoveryorrepeatingacourseforcredit.

CommunityRelations

• Wearelookingatwaystospotlightseniorsandtheiraccomplishmentsinvariousways.Someofthewayswehavedonethishaveincluded:

o SeniorDoorDecorations-WeaskedseniorparentstodecoratetheirdoorandsendapictureandwearepostingthoseonFacebook.

o SeniorSpotlightonFacebookbeganonApril23rd-thisisaslidepresentationthatgivesablurbonseniorsandshowcasespicturesfrombirthtopresent.

o SenioryardsignsthatwereorderedandplacedinsenioryardstheweekofApril27th.

o SeniorAcceptances-Dr.Martincontactedvariousuniversitiesthatourstudentshavecommittedtoandtheyhavebeensendingusvideosfromtheiradmissionsofficescongratulatingourseniorsbyname.Wearealsopostingthesevideosaswell.

o WeareplanningaSeniorparadeandhonoringeachofourseniorswithaspecialgiftbasketpreparedbyourstudentbodyandtheirparents.Weareaskingstudentstoprovidealistofitemstheylike,wheretheyplanonattendingcollege,etc.andthenwewillgivethemtheirgiftbasketontheparadedayfromtheirPCAfamily.

o Wearelookingathavingafewotherwaystocelebrateseniorsandwillkeepyouallinformed.

Extracurricular

• DuetoCOVID-19,wearepostponingPromuntilJuly.Wearewaitingtohearbackfromvenues,butwethinkitwouldbenicetohaveourstudentstogetherinarelaxingatmospheretohelpcloseouttheschoolyear.

• Weareexcitedtocelebrateourseniorsandtheirupcominggraduation.WearedevelopingaplanforpostponinggraduationandseniorawardsnightuntilJuly.WearelookingtosendinformationhometoparentsandstudentsabouttheseeveningsatthebeginningofMay.

ClassicalFoundationProgramDr.Zieglerpresentedthereportasprovided.

AspartoftheClassicalFoundationsProgramapprovedbyPinnacleClassicalAcademy’sboardofdirectorsatitsMarchboardmeeting,theschoolwillhostaClassicalFoundationLectureandDinnereachfallandspring:

Eachfallandspring,therewillbeaClassicalFoundationLectureandDinner.LectureswillbearrangedinconjunctionwiththeFoundationforEconomicEducation,unlesspreviouslydecidedbytheFoundationchairmaninconjunctionwiththeschool’sadministration.LectureswillbearrangedbyJune30oftheprecedingschoolyear.Duringthetypicallecture,anaccomplishedscholardeliversaninformativeandengaginglectureonafoundingprincipleorprinciplestohighschoolstudentsduringtheschoolday.Thelectureisfollowedbyameetingwithfacultyandstaffafterschooltodiscusspertinenttopicsinhistory,economics,andeducation,andthenfollowedbyaninvitation-onlydinnerwithlocalpolitical,community,andindustryleaders.

Duringthe2020-21schoolyear,DavidBobbhasagreedtobeourfallspeakeronNovember16,andLilyTangWilliamshasagreedtobeourspringspeaker(dateTBD). DavidBobb’sbiography(https://billofrightsinstitute.org/about-us/team/institute-team/david-bobb-president/):

DavidjoinedtheBillofRightsInstituteaspresidentin2013andhasworkedfortwentyyearsattheintersectionofcivicengagementandeducationreform.HavingtaughtcoursesinAmericanpoliticsandpublicpolicyinthehistoryandpoliticalsciencedepartmentsofBostonCollegeandHillsdaleCollege,hewasalsofoundingdirectorofanationalciviceducationprogramforhighschoolteachersatHillsdaleCollege,aswellastheAllanP.Kirby,Jr.CenterforCitizenshipandConstitutionalStudies,inWashington,D.C.Davidhasdesignedonlineeducationalprogramsusedbymorethanhalfamillionparticipantsandisanationally-recognizedproponentofciviceducationthatengagestheheartsandmindsofstudents.AuthorofHumility:AnUnlikelyBiographyofAmerica’sGreatestVirtue(HarperCollins,2013),DavidhaswrittenfortheWallStreetJournalandFastCompany,amongmanyotherpublications.HeearnedhisPh.D.inpoliticalsciencefromBostonCollege,wherehereceivedfellowshipsfromthePew,Earhart,andBradleyFoundations.

LilyTangWilliams’sbiography(https://epcconference.org/speakers/lily-tang-williams/):

LILYTANG-WILLIAMSwasaChineselawyerandlawassistantprofessorwhobecameanAmericanbusinesswomanandlibertyactivist.Borntoilliterateworking-classparentsinChina’swesternSichuanprovincejustbeforetheCulturalRevolution,LilyTangWilliamsdirectlywitnessedChairmanMao’stakeoverandthehorrorshisregimeinflicted.Shegrewupexperiencingextremelypoorlivingconditions,foodrationing,politicalandsocialchaosand,ofcourse,Communistindoctrination.Eventually,shegraduatedfromFudanUniversityinShanghaiwithanundergraduatelawdegree.Aftergraduation,shewasselectedtocontinueaspartofthelawschoolfaculty,aswellaspracticecorporatelawinShanghaiasChinabegantorebuilditseconomy.In1988,LilyTangWilliamsdecidedtostudyintheU.S.,

leavingherpositionwithonly$100inherpocketand$1200indebttoherAmericansponsor,aFulbrightprofessorattheUniversityofTexasatAustin.ThoughshecouldnotspeakEnglishfluentlyshewasdeterminedtoachievesuccessinthiscountry,earningaMaster’sdegreeinAdministrationandPlanningfromtheSchoolofSocialWorkattheUniversityofTexasatAustin.ExperienceintheAmericaneconomycontrastedsharplywiththeCommunistindoctrinationsheenduredinChina.Shebecameanavidstudentofliberty,freemarketandfreeenterprise.LilybecameaU.Scitizenandforthefirsttimeinherlife,shevotedin2000.

Ms.WilliamswillspeakatPinnacleClassicalAcademyincooperationwiththeVictimsofCommunismMemorialFoundation(https://www.victimsofcommunism.org/),anon-profitorganizationauthorizedbyaunanimousActofCongressin1993.

HeadMasterReportDr.ShellyBullardpresentedthereportasprovided.

ActionItems:

• None

CurriculumandAcademics:

• Teachingandlearningisstillhappeningduringthisunusualtime.Ourteachersareincontactwithstudentseachday.WecontinuetosendpacketshomeeachMondayandreceivecompletedworkatthatpickup.TeachersareofferingGoogleHangouttimesforstudentstojoinandaskquestions.Ourteachersaredoinganamazingjobduringthisdifficulttime.

• Wehavetwoseniorswhoareinjeopardyofnotgraduating.Wehavesentnumerousemailsaswellasphonecallsandletterstotheirphysicaladdress.Wearecontinuingtomonitorthesestudentsandtheirwork.

ProfessionalDevelopment:

• Mr.Hurdthasstartedanonlinetechmeetingonceaweekwithteachers.TechTuesdayshavebeenatimeforhimtohaveadiscussionwithteachersabouttechideasaswellasatimetheycouldaskhimquestionsaswearemovingtoremotelearning.Mr.Hurdt,Mr.Putnam,andtheteachershavebeensharinggreatideasandwehaveadjustedsomebasedontheirfeedback.Thesessionsareverywellattendedandseemtobebeneficialtothestaff.

Legal/DPI:

• SubmissionsforthePerformanceFrameworkweresubmitted.SubmissionsforAprilinclude:

o FireandHealthInspections

o CivilLiabilityInsurance

o CriminalBackgroundCheckPolicy

CommunityRelations:

• Wearecontinuingtocommunicatewithourparentsandfamilies.WeareworkingtomakethistimeasspecialaswecanforourSeniors,engageandwelcomeournewkindergartenclassandkeepincontactwithourcurrentstudents.Weareutilizingsocialmedia,ourwebpage,email,phonecallsandmailingstokeepourfamiliesconnectedtoPCA.

Testing:

• UpdateincludedinDr.Watson’sreport

ExceptionalChildren:

• UpdateinDr.Watson’sreport

HighSchoolGuidanceCounselor

• Reportisattached

• Highlightsincludethatourscholarshipnumbercontinuestorise.Ourcurrentscholarshipsare$3,409,368.00inscholarshipawards.Thatisanincreaseof$367,584.00fromlastmonth.

HumanResources:

• TheAdministrativeteamhasstartedattendingjobfairsandconductinginterviewsforthe2020-2021schoolyear.Wehavealreadyinterviewedseveralqualifiedandspectacularcandidates.Wewouldliketoproceedwithhiringthemostqualifiedcandidatesoncenewpositionsareapprovedsothatwearewellonourwayfornextyear.

• WehavehiredMissSavannahTerryforourHighSchoolEnglishposition.

• Wehavemadeotheroffersandarewaitingtohearbackfromapplicants.

Finance:

• UpdatefromMrs.Brooks

Athletics:

• PleaseseeattachedAthleticDirectorReport.

• WewouldliketoaddCrossCountryfornextyear.WewouldonlyhostonemeetbuthavealotofinterestfromthesuccessoftheRunningClub.

EnrollmentReport

• ProjectedEnrollmentNumbersfor2020-21

●CurrentEnrollment

• Currently,wehave947studentsenrolled.Wehavehad1studentwithdrawinthelastmonth

●Enrollmentat20thday○Asofthe20thdayofschool,wehad988studentsenrolled.

BoardUpdates

MiscellaneousBoardUpdatesPCAEFUpdate–scholarshipsupdateNewBusiness–

• discussiononnewmarketingideasandopportunitiestocongratulatePinnacleSeniorseachdayandtoadvertisethegreatsuccessofPCA.

• DiscussiononavenuestotrackandkeepintouchwithgraduatingSeniorsandtheirsuccessaftertheyleavePinnacle.

• Dr.BullardwillberepresentingPCAontheStateCoalition.

OldBusinessAdjournmentBetsyHarnagemadeamotiontoadjournandWesWestmorelandseconded.Meetingwasadjourned.