• ELT committee met to discuss extended day starting/ending times. 

• The committee looked at the faculty survey and the higher percentage of faculty concerns was with time at the end of the day.  Although there was not a question on the survey about starting/ending times, the highest percentage of faculty had problems with activities that occur after school (child care was affected at both the beginning and the end of the day – but there were more end of the day issues such as coaching, second jobs, graduate school).  

• ELT committee members met with Mr. Devito to discuss the starting time issue that was raised at the meeting with Gerry Ruane. 

• Mr. Devito said he would look at the master schedule to see if an 8:00 starting time could even be considered.  Logistically, a later starting time isn’t a simple matter of shifting everything 15 minutes later.  Mr. Devito can better explain the ramifications of a later starting time, but he will look into it and report his findings at the April 4^th ELT meeting.

• All faculty/staff are urged to meet with a representative from the ELT committee (it does not need to be someone at your grade level) to express your ideas/concerns/preferences.

• The committee was concerned that the some faculty expressed that they felt they didn’t have a voice in extended day decisions/planning.  The committee tried to come up with ideas on ways of getting more input from the faculty.

• The committee has stated from the beginning that ELT meetings are open to everyone and the blog site is a place for faculty and staff to express their ideas and concerns.

• Staff who are having trouble posting to the blog site can e-mail any of the members of the ELT committee.

Today’s mtg. focused on looking at the submitted schedules by grade level. Mr. DeVito began by asking about comments regarding a 3:15 dismissal for students under an ELT plan. There were considerations on both sides but the majority of comments supported working with the 3:15 student dismissal.

• Bob Simpson spoke about integrating PBU work into the ELT plan based on data gathered through student surveys. Handouts were distributed listing some available PBU’s by grade level aligned to the National Educational Technology Standards. (See  below, use the slider to magnify the image)
  Julie Jones proposed exploring PBU’s during computer times during 2007/2008.
• Mr. DeVito will meet with exploratory teachers and look at their possible revised schedules under ELT
• More information will be shared during Monday’s staff meeting.
• Ideas, staggered block times, priorities (Reading Workshop,pull out times for Sped. and Title One teachers, lunch/recess/snack, enrichment choices….) may be topics for ELT committee and grade level input.
• Gerry Ruane will be here next Wed.@ 2:30 and will address some ELT questions.

ELT committee will meet next Wed. @ 3:00 PM 3/28/07.

Compiled by Pat Holland