EV-Auschuß-Sitzung – Mittwoch, 1. Dezember 2010

Anwesend: Cindy van Velzen, Nathalie Beroard Barth, Fotini Morakis, Valerie Dujardin, Veronique Needham, Michel Messmer, Anja Buhner, Ute Schmidt Rohr, Thorsten Reineke, Sarah Winthrop, Jacqueline Ribeiro, Debjani Basu.

Cindy begrüßte alle Anwesenden zur ersten Sitzung mit den neuen Ausschuß-Mitgliedern.
Als erstes wurde dann die Wahl des Vorstandes (Vorsitzende(r), stellvertretende(r) Vorsitzende(r) und Schatzmeister(in)) durchgeführt – mit folgenden ergebnissen:

Frau Cindy van Velzen - Vorsitzende – einstimmig gewählt
Frau Nathalie Beroard Barth – stelvertretende Vorsitzende - einstimmig gewählt
Frau Ute Schmidt-Rohr - Schatzmeisterin - einstimmig gewählt

Weitere Aufgaben wurden einvernehmlich vergeben:

Cindy van Velzen – SWALS-Vertreterin
Nathalie Beroard Barth – Vertreterin der französischen Sektion (Oberschule) und der ESK für Französisch
Sarah Winthrop - Schriftführerin (Kommunikation), Vertreterin der englischen Sektion (Oberschule), Interparents
Ana Gorey - Interparents, Kantinenausschuß, Vertreterin der englischen Sektion (Oberschule)
Anja Bühner – Außerschulische Aktivitäten, Vertreterin der deutschen Sektion (Oberschule)
Michel Messmer - Vertreter der französischen Sektion (Grundschule), Transportausschuß
Flemming Merrild - Transportausschuß
Thorsten Reineke - Kommunikation, Transportausschuß
Jacqueline Ribeiro - Vertreterin der deutschen Sektion (Oberschule), Kantinenausschuß
Veronique Needham - Vertreterin der französischen Sektion (Grundschule), Außerschulische Aktivitäten
Debjani Basu - Vertreter der englischen Sektion (Grundschule)
Hamid Betani - Kantinenausschuß
Fotini Morakis - Veranstaltungskoordinatorin
Valerie Dujardin - Vertreterin der französischen Sektion (Oberschule), SEN-Themen
Letizia Dalle Donne - Vertreterin der deutschen Sektion (Grundschule), EuroBoutique

Der Vorschlag, den Aufgabenbereich “Kommunikation” der Schriftführerin des EV-Auschusses zuzuordnen, wurde angenommen; die Position eines Schriftführers/einer Schriftführerin war in den vergangenen 2 bis 3 Jahren unbesetzt geblieben.

Mitgliederliste
Ute Schmidt-Rohr und Thorsten Reineke werden versuchen, eine geeignete Verwaltungssoftware zu finden, die eine effizientere Verwaltung der Mitgliederliste ermöglicht, und die direkt mit Zahlungseingangs- und Bankdaten verknüpft werden kann.

Blasinstrumentenprojekt in Klasse 1 OS
Dieses Projekt läuft bislang sehr erfolgreich. Die Finanzierung der Instrumente wird durch einen Förderverein der Eltern kontrolliert, der ausschließlich diesem Zweck dient. Die ersten Konzerte sind bereits geplant. Herr Klages, der Musiklehrer, hat bei der EV einen Zuschuss für t-Shirts beantragt. Das ITU hat seine Unterstützung bereits zugesagt (250,- Euro). Der EV-Ausschuß stimmte zu, sich an den Kosten für die t-Shirts zu beteiligen, vorbehaltlich einer Kostenschätzung durch die Euroboutique.

Projekte der Grundschule – Anträge auf Zuschüsse
Kunst mit Naturelementen, €300,- beantragt
Der Ausschuß benötigt weitere Informationen über das Projekt bevor über einen Zuschuß entschieden warden kann (Ute kümmert sich darum)
ESKADO
Diese Projekt wird unterstützt werden, aber es werden noch weitere Details benötigt; der Zuschuß wird auch von den wirklichen Kosten abhängig gemacht werden. (Ute kümmert sich darum)
Kunst-Stück
Diese Projekt erhält bereits einen Zuschuß in Höhe von € 15.000,- von einem anderen Sponsor, deshalb hat es die EV abgelehnt, dieses Projekt zu fördern. Die EV bietet an, stattdessen bei der Vorbereitung einer Abschlussvorführung zu helfen (Ute kümmert sich darum).
Frau Haberland
Wir haben diskutiert, ob das von Frau Haberland vorgeschlagene Konzept mit dem Ziel die Textbücher für die 2. Sprache Englisch preiswerter zu machen, wirklich sinnvoll ist.
Entscheidung: Wir denken, dass es vermutlich einfacher ist, wenn die Eltern die Weitergabe von Büchern selbst organisieren – der Zuschuss wurde abgelehnt.
Bemerkung: Die Vergabe eines Kredits wäre aufgrund der Statuten der Europäischen Schulen nicht möglich gewesen.
Känguru-Wettbewerb
2010 hat die EV den Wettbewerb mit insgesamt etwa 350,- Euro gefördert; dabei wurden die Kosten für die Grundschüler komplett übernommen und die Oberschüler erhielten einen Zuschuss.
Entscheidung: Auch 2011 wird die EV den Känguru-Wettbewerb unterstützen.

Ute Schmidt-Rohr schlägt vor, zukünftig ein Formblatt für die Beantragung von Zuschüssen auf der Webseite der EV zur Verfügung zu stellen, wie es teilweise schon für Projektwochen verwendet wird. Ute wird eine erweiterte Version erstellen, die dann in Deutsch, Englisch und Französisch für alle Lehrer und Schüler verfügbar ist.

MEET
Das Thema wurde auf das nächste Mal verschoben – Cindy wird Informationsmaterial dazu verschicken.

Weihnachtskonzerte, Grundschule (Organisation)
Am Dienstag (7. Dez) werden Cindy, Véronique, Debjani, Fotini und Nathalie (erst später) anwesend sein, am Mittwoch (8. Dez.) Anja, Nathalie, Fotini, Michel und Thorsten.

Kantine
Jacqueline informierte über die „Geschichte“ und den Stand des Kantinenausschusse (KA).
In Anbetracht der veränderten Situation mit dem neuen Catering Service (MediRest) steht die Frage im Raum, ob der KA in der jetzigen Form noch sinnvoll ist, oder ob er durch eine alternative Konstruktion ersetzt werden sollte. Zu den rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen gab es bereits erste Kontakte zu einem Rechtsanwalt.
Entscheidung: Es wird so bald wie möglich eine gesonderte Besprechung zu diesem Thema geben, Jacqueline wird dazu noch Material verteilen.

SAC-Treffen
Sarah gab einen kurzen Bericht über die Vorschläge der EV (Annex 1).

Interparents
Ein kurzer Bericht über das letzte Treffen in Karlsruhe wurde an alle Auschußmitglieder verschickt (Annex 2)

Abendessen (EV-Klassenvertreter-Schulpersonal)
Es wird auch 2011 wieder ein Abendessen der EV mit den Klassenvertretern und dem Schulpersonal geben, die Schulleitung wurde bereits gebeten, mögliche Termine zu benennen.

Termin für das nächste Treffen der EV mit den Klassenvertretern
Ein Termin steht noch nicht fest, wird aber für Januar geplant.

Verschiedenes
Nathalie wird sich mit Frau Brun treffen, die im Auftrag des Schuldirekktors ein Konzept entwickeln soll, wie mehr französische Kategorie-2-Schüler geworben werden können. Die EV wird dabei helfen. Nathalie wird nach dem Treffen berichten.
Thorsten weist daraufhin, dass es aufgrund fehlender Aufsicht in einigen Bahnen und Bussen zu Konflikten zwischen den Schülern gekommen ist, bei denen zumeist die jüngeren Schüler die Leidtragenden sind.
Entscheidung: Thorsten wird sich direkt an Frau Meier wenden, zusätzlich wird Flemming informiert.
Ute spricht das Thema der Fehlstunden, die durch häufige Abwesenheiten von Lehrern verursacht werden, an.
Entscheidung: Jacqueline und Ute werden sich um einen Termin mit dem Direktor der OS bemühen, um das Thema zu besprechen.
Jacqueline berichtet von ihren Aktivitäten, Möglichkeiten für Ferienfreizeiten für die ersten drei Wochen der Sommerferien zu finden. Ein erstes Angebot des „Familienservice“ liegt ihr bereits vor, ein weiteres Angebot von der AWO wird noch angefordert. Als Nächstes ist ein Gespräch mit dem Familienservice und/oder der AWO geplant, um die Einzelheiten zu klären. Parallel sollten möglichst schnell die Eltern (über die Klassenvertreter) über die Pläne informiert und um eine Rückmeldung gebeten werden.

Nächstes Treffen
Mittwoch, 12. Januar 2011, 19.00 Uhr

Sarah Winthrop
Thorsten Reineke
3.12.10
 

Annex 2

Interparents Draft Report for ESK PA

Interparents (IP) met in Karlsruhe and there was a Roundtable session on SAC on the afternoon of Monday 29th Nov and the full meeting on Tuesday 30th November 2010. All 14 schools were represented at the meeting.
SAC Roundtable
Tom Hoyem was invited to address the meeting and to give his opinion on the SAC.
He said that all the European Schools have individual profiles and the schools should not remain a privilege for just a few EU families. In his opinion, problems are mounting for directors and the sensible way forward is to take autonomy seriously - ESK takes this seriously. If SAC is done properly it gives headmasters more power and becomes central to school’s success. Workshops have been arranged for directors and common templates have been developed.
In the IP workshop, participants emphasised that the SAC should not replace the educational councils as these deal with actual pedagogical issues. In the SAC, the school has the opportunity to reach a common position internally and with external stakeholders without interference from the commission and Central Bureau.
The SAC priorities do not influence the total budget allocation, however the Admin Board determines where the money should be channeled. Everyone who participates in the SAC, can make proposals, and set priorities, but in the end it is the Director who has final decision on the priority. Many decisions should now be taken at the Admin Board of each school and these should reflect the needs of that school. It is important for the PA to ask for a vote for every decision so that it is quite clear what has been decided and it is formally minuted.

The SAC is very important because the school can come to a conclusion, set priorities and make decisions. Because of consensus of all the stakeholders, the school has more power to defend the position at the Board of Governors. Autonomy goes together with accountability - this is the idea behind the MASP and ASP.
To date - this does not seem to be the case, for example the creating of classes still is strictly controlled by the central bureau. Many Schools are experiencing similar problems with SAC procedures so far - last minute, ad hoc meetings, lack of information, lack of clear structure, inconsistent participation by stakeholders, poor understanding of the meaning of strategic proposals relevant for the SAC forum.

Recommendations from the participants of the Roundtable include:

• Reflect carefully on the differing roles of the Educational Councils and the SAC
• The Director needs to have a clear focus on STRATEGY and to look after the big issues to keep SAC objectives at the forefront of discussions.
• The PA must be well prepared because even though this 1st year is a learning process, schools can quickly side-line parents.
• Make sure that the minutes are formal documents and there is effective feedback and follow up so that stakeholders remain engaged in the discussions.

Main meeting

Ana Gorey, president of Interparents welcomed everyone and started the meeting with an up-date on the IP’s perceived corrosion of the Board of Governors’ authority in the central bureau. A parent from Brussels with legal experience, has helped draft a letter to Mr Barosso in the European parliament outlining IP’s concerns in procedural matters and corresponding interpretation by various parties of the rules and regulations. Ana Gorey reported that she was very disappointed in the official response to the IP letter, and now she was seeking agreement from IP to get legal advice on how to proceed. In IP’s opinion, the governance of the European School System (ES) system is under threat and this may impact directly the spirit of the reform of the European Schools with the aim of giving schools more autonomy.
The Board of Governors’ meeting is being held on Wed, 1st Dec and Thursday 2nd Dec. and IP has two representatives in this meeting with specific voting rights. The draft agenda for the enlarged meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Schools as attached for your information. Also attached are some of the documents that were discussed. IP spent most of the first half of the meeting scrutinising the agenda and related documents, to come to a consensus over the interventions that need to be made on behalf of IP. The interventions are usually in the form of objections to policy, objections in wording, highlighting omissions and errors and objections to procedure. It is very important that IP goes through the preparation process thoroughly as the IP representatives represent the 14 ES Parent Associations, who in turn are the voice of the parents of the ES and it is important that the IP representatives in the Board of Governors have the mandate to give opinions and challenge proposals in the meeting.
IP discussed the ever-present demand of cost cutting activities. It was recognised that due to missing seconded teachers, there are even more chargé de cours (locally recruited) teachers whose wages take up the main bulk of the budget. One area that savings can be made is in cutting seconded teachers’ salaries, and understandably this is a most sensitive area. A new salary scale is being proposed for all new teachers, with lower starting salaries, and new criteria for grading experience. This will bring the salary scale in line with EU commission employees. IP are aware that these changes are very significant to parents as it may result in younger, less experienced teachers being selected, and this will affect the high teaching standards demanded of the ES. IP also expressed concerns over who is deciding on issues such as the level of experience. IP fears that the eventual outcome of such cost cutting measures will weaken the pool of teachers applying for seconded teaching posts, and that the involvement of EU member states will diminish. Up to now this has been the strength of ES. European school system is opening up to Type II and Type III schools and these schools do not have seconded teachers from the member states. ES already are facing the problem that chargé de cours teachers are not inspected as member states do not recognise this as their responsibility. Lack of inspectors for chargé de cours teachers is of major concern to IP.
An area that also has been impacted by cost cutting demands from the central bureau is the creation of classes and class size. Ana Gorey asked all IP reps to review the situation with classes and class size in their school and to report back so that there is an overview of the situation in all 14 ES. Chapter 19 (where it lays down the rules for creating and splitting classes) is being revised and IP feel that the revisions are far too restrictive. As schools are being encouraged to be autonomous, this is an area where the director should have the discretion to create or split classes according to the school’s needs. There are huge consequences for schools if main subject classes in a language section are forced to close as this threatens continuity of education for pupils and sends out negative messages to future parents. Interparents insist that pedagogical consideration should be paramount in taking budgetary decisions and the value of the European spirit should not be undermined.

Working Groups

Reform of the Baccalaureat
The Baccalaureat is currently being reformed for introduction in 2012 or 2013. The Bac report for 2010 was highly commended for the in depth statistical information and review. IP agreed that this document should be analysed by all teachers in every school. There needs to be complete transparency of grading levels. IP agreed that the current deliberation process for students with a pass mark that is no more than up to 0.3 below 6.00 should be maintained despite arguments against as there is a risk of an increase in the number of post Bac appeals. IP accepted that the fee for the Bac exam will be increasing in line with inflation, however there seems to be some confusion as to the amount, as in one document version it states 50 Euros, and in another 80.32 Euros. Other main issues involving the reform of the Bac includes the change from 5 written exams and 4 orals or 6 written exam and 3 orals to 6 written exam and 3 orals only. IP have insisted that pupils should have the right to choose and that if there is to be no choice, the savings of the change must be proven to be significant. There is still much discussion needed to resolve many issues related to the Bac reform.
SEN
The Commission have stated that the costs of SEN need to be brought “under control”. This seems to be expressing itself as a requirement for schools to cut costs in their SEN programme. Although this has been denied by the Board of Governors, IP representatives have reported actual evidence of cost cutting activity in their schools. Ana Gorey has requested that each IP rep send in their comments so that an ES comparison table can be drawn up and used to write an IP position paper on this topic. The Secretary General has been requested to advise on the procedures for ES to create a post for SEN assistants in their school. The new procedures for SEN pupil integration still need to be examined. The IP rep on the SEN Working group has made the following points:

• When a potential SEN student is being tested, the educational psychologist doing the test must have the same mother-tongue.
• All teachers must receive in-service training to recognise pupils who may have SEN issues.
• Gifted children are often over-looked as possible SEN candidates if they present specific problems, for example in behaviour.

Careers Guidance
All teachers involved with career guidance (this includes preparation and application for Universities throughout Europe) are highly commended for all the hard work they do for the students. It is recognised that this work takes up many hours and the current discharge for teachers involved is insufficient for the amount of work they are actually doing. To cover the cost of the service, three alternative proposals have been put forward in the Working Group:

• All class 7 parents pay extra for the careers guidance service
• Only parents of pupils who need the guidance pay for the service
• Free for the parents and the extra cost is born by the school and/or Board of Governors.

IP supports the final proposal pointing out that nationals get this service free in their home countries (eg UK and France), and the European Baccalaureat certificate still needs explanation to outside institutions and this should be of concern to Board of Governors.

Length of School Year (180 school days)

IP have always held a very strong position on this topic. Schools are sending secondary pupils home early (in Brussels up to 2 weeks and in Karlsruhe 4 days) so that the Bac oral exams can take place during the last week of term. This is done to ensure quiet in the secondary building, and because many teachers are involved in the oral exams and are not free to teach a normal timetable. IP have challenged the legal right for ES to allow this and the conclusion of the Board of Governors is simply to “change the rules” and to condone directors’ decisions to send all secondary pupils home early.
IP will consult a lawyer about the right for ES to provide fewer than the 180 day stipulated and also to confirm in IP’s justification to demand that appropriate alternative activities, free of charge to the parents, are provided by the school at the end of the Summer term. Brussels II has already sent a legal, formal letter of complaint to the Board of Governors on this matter.

New Calculator for Maths in classes 4 and 6 OS

ES have introduced a new maths syllabus that is interdependent on a TI maths calculator that parents are obliged to purchase at great cost. Despite formal objections from Interparents, individual PAs and some Maths teachers on the way the calculator and syllabus have been rushed through to start in Sept 2010, the Board of Governors have gone ahead with the project. Various problems have since arisen in some of the ES and the IP reps have been requested to do a review of the situation in their school so that IP can produce a position paper on this topic. Luxembourg has written a formal letter about this issue, and requests that IP support their position to the Board of Governors. IP have requested that the Board of Governors make a detailed evaluation of the Maths performance/grades/calculators in class 4 and 6 after the first year of use.

Early Education

A web-based curriculum is being introduced in September 2011 for Kindergarten pupils. There will be workshops held in Summer 2011 for various representatives, including IP reps. Further information will be forwarded soon as there was no time to discuss this development thoroughly at the meeting.

The full official minutes of the Karlsruhe meeting and all documents relating to Interparents are available on the Interparents website.

Sarah Winthrop
1.12.10