Eight parents (one of whom is also a teacher) and one sixth-grade student attended, along
with Ms. Nutt and Ms. Bailey-Bowman.
CVCS Science Olympians came third in the state. This is
quite an achievement. Mary Nutt noted that the Albuquerque
homeschoolers' team took first place, followed (not terribly closely) by
Albuquerque Academy.
Spring break is next week.
The Accountability Committee had their first meeting last night. The Governing Council meeting is tomorrow night. It was suggested that a question about satisfaction with the dress policy be added to the annual GC questionnaire that will be distributed next month.
Ms. Nutt and Ms. Bailey-Bowman gave us a follow-up on the CVCS dress policy. A revised draft of the policy was handed out, which would take effect in August 2006, showing a few changes that were incorporated based on teacher comments and parent comments from the last meeting. The changes primarily consist of adding striped and plaid shirts and clarifying specific types of pants (e.g. blue denim, sweatpants, spandex, etc.) that are not permitted. The teachers felt they wanted to make changes gradually, so except for a couple of additional colors such as olive green, the code for pants/skirts/etc. remains the same. Outerwear is still free choice. There is another modification that prohibits "obvious" designs or logos. Parents pointed out that "obvious" is subject to interpretation, and if small logos are now acceptable, perhaps a specific maximum size should be given. The change was prompted by the fact that many of the polo-style shirts available in used-clothing shops are good brands but may have a small logo.
The stricter dress policy supplements the basic clothing requirements described in the CVCS Handbook, such as no baggy pants or pants that drag on the ground. Even on days when the supplemental portion of the dress policy is relaxed, these requirements still apply. A point will be added here to prohibit floppy sandals for safety reasons.
The student was representing the opinion of a number of his classmates who would very much like to see blue-jeans reinstated as permitted clothing. A couple of parents also agreed with this. Others, and the teachers, felt that doing so would open the door to a whole host of old problems because blue-jeans come in a much wider array of styles and decoration, and are used much more to make statements of various kinds (fashion trends, status, suggestive words), than other colors of denim. Ms. Bailey-Bowman pointed out that many otherwise-casual workplaces either do not permit blue-jeans or discourage them. Everyone present was very impressed that the student came to the meeting and actively participated in the discussion.
A few people commented on how charter-school students are recognizable outside of school by their clothing. While this is sometimes seen negatively, it can also have a positive effect: one parent noted that while in stores with her child in school clothes, people have asked her about CVCS. Ms. Nutt reiterated that the district is very interested in our experience and may consider a similar policy themselves. There was also some discussion on how the students' dress affects other people's perceptions of them.
Grades 1-3 Spelling Bee: The district-wide one will be on April 18. Each class will hold their own contest and select a couple of students to go.
Science Fairs: A science project informational handout came home in first grade yesterday, but had no indication of the date. Last year many K-2 parents received only a few days' notice of this, which ruled out a lot of possible projects and made things a scramble. Also, the kindergarten students (at least) were not aware that they would be expected to stand up and give a little presentation about it, and some of them were very nervous and upset when it was their turn. In all, it was neither much fun nor a particularly educational experience for quite a few students, which is definitely not the desired result. Ms. Nutt thinks that this year's is currently scheduled for the Thursday or Friday after spring break. Since many people will be away next week, this once again is very short notice. She will find out whether it can be postponed a couple of weeks and clearer instructions about the event can be sent home. Middle school is doing some science projects as well, although many students in these grades put a huge effort into Science Olympiad instead. Like last year, there are no plans to hold a science fair in grades 3-5. One parent commented that this is a bit unfortunate given that these are the grades where students should start to transition from simple experiments or demonstrations to a more thoughtful and methodical scientific approach, but they are not getting the chance to try.
Tuesday, April 4, 2006, at 6:30 p.m. (Mountain Daylight Time)