ESK Upper School Educational Council

Thursday, 8 October 2009

Main points discussed + decisions

Present: (to be verified)
Management: Mr. da Torre, Monique Delveau
Teachers: Mr. Singer; Mr. Cooke, Mr. Chabanis; Mr. Bugouis, Mr. Muller
Parents: Cindy van Velzen, Ana Gorey
PAS: Mr. Saidi
Students: Sebastian Sprinter, Aishe ?, Federik ?
Others: Jacqueline Riberiro,

Mr. Da Torre
Seconded posts – 4 unfilled – 2 Maths (BEL), Chemistry (IRE) and History/Geography (UK)
Year 6 – problematic year with a bad attitude. There is a need to address why this is. The Year 6 class trip should be used as an occasion for the teachers leading the groups to assess the problem outside the normal school environment and give feedback. Following the class trips there will be a meeting to see what can be done and a meeting with the students. Efforts should be made not to label students or a whole year as this can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Green security cards – Increasing tendency for parents to request a green card for Year 4 and 5.
Repeat rates – 4.5% did not pass the year. 78% passed with minimum grade 6. 17.5% had passed with 1 or more grades under 6.
Room improvements – 29 smart boards, 17 white boards, 9 beamers.
Smoking – too much smoking around the entrance. Use of the smoking area should be enforced even though not stricktly speaking on school property. Suggested improvements (bench, roof).

Teachers
Parents’ Association objectives – Teachers would be sending a letter of complaint. Parents’ Association pointed out that they had discussed these objectives with School Management on 11 September. They were discussed at the Joint Education Council following which they have been revised – particularly translations which had not reflected the original text very well.
School Photographs – Teachers feel this was too much work to do and many refuse. Again the Parents’ Association discussed the procedure with School Management before the summer. We are more than happy to organise this service to the school community but it can only work be in collaboration with class teachers. The fact that class teachers usually have no occasion to see their class also makes this dificult. Better internal communication was needed. Class teacher meetings with their students needed to be scheduled at least once a week for 15/20 mins.

Parents’ Association
Statement – teachers and staff are doing a terrific job and our children are privileged to be at this school. PA here to represent general and specific concerns of parents as well as to listen to teachers and school management. Better communication, better understanding urgently needed.
School Advisory Committee (SAC) - will surely help with this communication. All of us having to think about a school development plan together will give us mutual goals and help us work together to achieve them.
Parents’ Association objectives – Last year - Canteen, Communication and Community to be continued and improved. In addition, three more important issues we feel need further reflection - Languges, Lost hours and Lignes directifs.
Project days activities - 2000€ towards. Teachers invited to submit ideas and proposals.
Open Day prizes - 20 prizes to celebrate academic excellence. W Teachers invited to nominate 5 pupils for each subject, taking into account best qualities – team work, creativity, etc..
InterSport – EuroSport partnership - Karlsruhe Basketball basketball clinic for Eurosport Basketball teams.
Permanence – 200€ towards educational material on the walls, maps, the periodic table, posters of famous people, historical timelines, language tips, etc..
Your school activities – Teachers invited to send info for new Website and possible financing.
Administrative Board voting rights - loss of 1 out of 2 votes unacceptable. What are the teachers doing about their loss of votes?
Security – Securitas overzealeous. Need to see more human approach.

Students
Equipment – basket balls, footballs,etc. for break and spare time
Eurosport - great success - should already get teams together and practic so as to win next year.
AbilBall – would give more incentive to raise money for their own AbiBall and easier to organise with a budget at start of year.
ICT – rooms often in use. Wifi would help situation. All agreed that network needed to be improved.
Project days - In the last two years these were replaced by an open day. Asked to give tudents the opportunity to realise some projects with their teachers.
Permanence - is a learning room and could have more educational material in it. They would like a competition for students to give ideas and best one gets a prize.

Mr. da Torre welcomed everyone to the meeting and said that it wouldn’t be long.

Minutes of the last meeting were distributed as there were new people in the Education Council – The minutes were approved.

There are 4 missing seconded teachers:

2 Maths teacher - BEL
Chemistry – IRE
History / Georgraphy – UK (hours split amongst colleagues for history but not for Georgraphy)

- Some complaints about the Year 6 timetable.. as some pupils don’t have a lunch break. Students are able to choose all their options where as in other schools they have to choose by blocks.
- There is an unusual situatino in Year 6 with bad attitude of Year 6 this year – 4 pupils missed the geography test. No every student but a general attitude, missing lessons, bad attitude towards the work, club med, no work spirit.. plan to meet them section by section.
- 80 pupils in Year 6

What is foreseen for the Year 6 trip. it is part of the curriculum. Can we ask the teachers who are going on these trip to give some feedback. There will be a meeting following the class trips and they will come to some conclusions and solutions. Efforts should be made not to lable students or a whole year as this can agravate the problem.
The student
Rumour that year 6 is an easy year.
Italy –
Barcelona – Mrs. Rey
Poland.

Year 7, 6 and 5 have green cards.
Year 1, 2 and 3 – red cards and exception on request by parents a yellow card
Year 4 – yellow card

More and more requests for green cards by parents and Mr. da Torre agrees making it clear that the child is the parents responsibility.

Smoking – much more smoking going on around the entrance. There needs to be a clearly identified area for smoking.

City of Karlsruhe – benches and a roof.
Green card for 4th class – if we were selling snacks in school.
The number of new cards ..
Room improvements
9 beamer
17 rooms Smart boards
29 with white boards

4.5% no promoted..
95.5 passed
78% with all grades over 6…

17:24

Mr. Bougouis – a question for PA president - they will give us a leter.

Photographs.. to much work to do during the school. Refusal by teachers to do this.
Last year we had a lot of problems with the photos.. the photographer did not get his money. He explained how it works in other schools. We spoke to Mr. da Torre and Dana before the summer.

Mrs. Pap.. the secondary school can organise the photos so that the photographer can do the photos.. and the teachers can come with the pupils to buy the photos.

Cannot be done with the school photo.

Class teacher meetings at least once a week. 15/20 mins. Mme Delveau agreed totally.

Cindy.. a statement..

Students – than Mr. data torre they hada meeting and asked for some of the

Eurosport was a great success and we should start getting the teams together and start practicing.

Ailish - AbilBall – she was part of the social committee and felt - Framework

Sometimes the ICT rooms are often shut. Always supervised. The only times it can’t be used is when there is a class going on. Wireless would be a solution. Difficult because of the structure of the school. In the foyer and in front of the Library.

The network would need to be improved.

Project days in the last two years were replaced to to an open day and give the student the opportunity to realise some projects with their teachers.

Feedback from parents was very good.
80 different teacher you have 80 different opinions

Final point – permanence is a learning room – have a competition get a prize.. map of the world

7th year Common room – over half term it will be painted.
Years 1-4 – full time permanence supervision
15 mins.. five minutes between each lesson.. 6th period not a teaching period.. so it only 45 mins