/Board_Minutes_2011-11-15

Trustees OPEN Meeting INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF KRAKOW 5:00p.m. November 15, 2011

Present: Anne Braghetta, John Lynch, Barbara Myrczek, Joerg von Weiler, Allen Haberberg, Elysa Sicard Ex Officio: Mamie Heard, Piotr Buczkowicz, Katarzyna Kuzniar, Malgorzata Gonet-Mroczka, and Barbara Kotarba (note taker) Absent: Allen Greenberg, Eric van der Steen, Jaroslaw Janeczko Visitors: Mr. And Mrs. Smolarski, Alex Dudhia In the absence of the Chairman, the meeting was chaired by Allen Haberberg and was attended by five voting members, the quorum was secured.

Allen Haberberg motioned to accept the agenda as written. Motion was seconded and passed.

Allen Haberberg motion to adopt minutes from previous meeting. Motion was seconded and passed.

The Board received the final report from the October Board Retreat, and was very satisfied with the training.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT TO THE BOARD -For the second year, ISK was the site for the celebration of Dignity Day on October 20th.

A special thank you goes to John Lynch who assisted Ms. Benedict Rousseau and Ms. Malgosia GonetMroczka in coordinating the activities for our students in grades 6-8. The guest speaker was Dr. Alexander Skotnicki, Professor at Jagiellonian University and author of several books on the Jewish people of Krakow.

Our students were very engaged in preparation for Dignity Day by creating posters demonstrating what a dignified life means to them and also by asking Dr. Skotnicki thought-provoking questions. Posters were displayed in the MPR. -The ISK has been in occasional contact with the Taylor International Academy in Detroit, Michigan. After some discussion, the Board decided to withdraw from a sister-school agreement with this school, as there have been no benefits of cooperation for ISK students. John Lynch made a motion to withdraw from the cooperation. The Director will notify Taylor Academy via mail of the Board’s decision. Motion passed.

-As part of the Safety and Procedures, Senior Leadership Team has conducted two emergency drills on Tuesday, October 18th (announced) and Wednesday, November 9, 2011 (unannounced with two exits blocked).

All faculty and students exited the buildings and were accounted for in less than 3 minutes.

- Several parents approached the Director with safety concerns regarding the school taxi service. The Director met with the drivers and implemented a set of guidelines and procedures to ensure the safety of students by establishing guidelines, procedures, and consequences. The Director has received very positive feedback from parents.

-Special recognition goes to faculty members David Prouse, Jacek Guzik and ISK students for exemplary work on the first ISK newsletter for this year.

-Early Years family fun afternoon and performances, Middle School Student Council sponsored dance, and Early Years and Elementary Halloween parade allowed us to channel ISK school spirit just before the holiday.

-Below the Director’s Report is divided into specific areas of the school: student, faculty, facilities, curriculum, technology and school-wide events.

Students · Enrollment: Malgosia Gonet-Mroczka, Director of Admissions, prepared up-to-date admissions information for the Board. · CEESA Middle School Speech and Drama Competition in Moscow and High School in Budapest: Paul and Lisa Lucas are taking a group of 8 middle school students will travel to Moscow for the regional competition on November 16 – 20, 2011. Brian Peariso and Kasia Kuzniar are taking 4 high school students to Budapest on November 17 – 20. · Standardized testing program: 1. MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) - Testing Coordinator, Erik Lutley, has reviewed results of the recent MAP testing with faculty, presented to the School Board, and will be sending out to parents the week of 14th. (Attachment #6 MAP Testing). Eric Lutley MAPP testing coordinator prepared a presentation on the testing to the Board explaining all about the process and grading.

2. SAT (Standardized Achievement Tests) were administered by Malgosia Gonet-Mroczka on November 5th to a total of 17 students. · First Quarter Reports: First Quarter Reports (hard copy) sent home to parents of students in grades 0-12 on Wednesday, November 16th. These reports are reviewed and signed by parents. · Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.

Faculty · Professional Development: October 24-25th – Efrain Diaz, English Language Specialist, USA, presented a workshop on Project-based learning (PBL) and ELL (English Language Learners) Best Practices. Five ISK teachers attended. Note time for workshop is after school hours. · SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats): Individual meetings with families in Nursery through Grade 12 completed on Tuesday, November 15th. Ten families have either re-scheduled or canceled appointments. A final report will be compiled and presented to the Board at the December meeting. · Financial Status of the ISK: As requested by the Board in the Executive Session at the October School Board Meeting, the Director presented the Financial Status of ISK to the Faculty and Staff.

Facilities · Construction of steps leading down to the security fence around the Pre-school playground completed by Abbott House to be constructed. · Sports Field House – Bids on cleaning and floor covering are in process with the goal in mind of using this facility for the Winter National Production. · Abbot House – Elementary Principal, Brett Elkei, has asked Piotr Buczkowicz to prepare an estimate on the cost for taking out the walls dividing the office on the 2nd floor in order to provide an additional classroom. · Floriana Street improvement project – Piotr Buczkowicz has sent another letter to the Mayor of Mogilany requesting an update on the completion of the paving of the street. No response to date.

Technology · Teacher Information on ISK website: The information has been uploaded on the website since November 1st.

Special thank you ISK Website Manager, Radek Brzezowski, for his work on this project.

Curriculum · Teacher-In-Service in October focused on 2 things: Learning about different aspects of art and using art as an entry point for students to explore different subject areas, and also using rubrics as another assessment tool in the classroom. · Standards have been revised and posted to the Rubicon parent website in all subjects except Social Studies.

These are grouped in categories that match the simplified report cards which were just sent out, and are much more easily accessible to parents. Vertical alignment subject grids have been updated in most subjects and posted on the same website.

Upcoming Events for November and December November 15 School Board Meeting Open Session at 5:30 in MPR November 16 Parent Teacher Conferences at 4:00 to 7:00 pm November 17-20 CEESA Middle Speech and Debate Tournament in Moscow CEESA High School Speech and Debate Tournament in Budapest November 28-30 Holiday Market organized by PTA in Library December 3 SAT Exam at ISK December 6 PTA Coffee Morning at 9:00 in MPR December 13 School Board Meeting Open Session 5:30 in MPR December 16 Winter National Show (time and place to be announced) FINANCIAL COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE BOARD -Joerg von Weiler spoke of the position of Business Manager and the need to outsource accounting to support the multiple tasks currently assigned to Piotr Buczkowicz. Much of the critical analysis of the accounting position description was done by Eric Vand der Steen.

- The FC is seeking another bank offer in order not to have all money in one bank. Mr. Smolarski advised that PKO BP is a trustworthy bank secured by the Polish State.

- Piotr Buczkowicz explained tuition payment procedures and total income gained by ISK from tuition payments vs. expenses for teacher and staff salaries.

- The Board discussed loan payment scenario and figures due by 2021. The Board answered bank loan questions asked by parent visitors to the Board meeting.

- Joerg von Weiler stressed the need to start creating buffer reserves fairly soon.

- The ISK needs a cleaning machine for the sports field house.

Elysa Sicard made a motion to authorize the purchase of cleaning machine for zls 8,000. Motion passed.

PTA COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE BOARD Mr. Tomasz Smolarski spoke of the leadership changes in the PTA, new ideas, goals, and a new Steering Committee of the PTA, composed of the following members: President: Magda Brzeska Vice-Presidents: Heidi di Fazzio, Alex Dudhia and Tomasz Smolarski Secretary: Barbara Kent and Anita Strachota School Rep: Mamie Heard and Malgosia Gonet-Mroczka Treasurer: Ida Novotna MARKETING COMMITTEE -The Director informed the Board that marketing committee will go under the Director’s guidance. The committee will work on increasing enrollment and spreading the word about the ISK.

The meeting adjourned at 18:30.