Hoover Site Council Minutes
October 1, 2012
6:00 PM

1. Welcome and Introductions

Dr. Cox welcomed 11 parents, 1 Hoover counselor, 2 assistant principals, and our Spanish language interpreter.

2. Parent/Teacher conferences
1. Tuesday, October 16 from 4:00 – 7:30 PM
2. Thursday, October 18 from Noon – 5:00 PM & 5:30 – 8:00 PM

Conferences are quickly approaching.  The format has changed slightly this year.

3. NO SCHOOL on Friday, October 19
1. Offices closed that day

No school on Thursday and Friday.  Offices are closed on Friday.

4. PBIS Halloween Dance
1. Friday, October 26
2. Contact Mrs. Willis to help out or donate items

More information will be coming shortly.  Contact Mrs. Willis by email or phone to help out.

5. 8^th Grade Dance
1. May 17, 2013
2. Parent Committees
3. Fines/Fees

Committees will get started after January 1

6. CTE demonstration (Room 107)
1. Mrs. Hill will share information first
2. Try a module and see what your student is learning

Mrs. Hill gave an overview of the Career & Technical Education exploratory class that she teaches.  Then, parents came to Room 107 and had the opportunity to try out some of the modules themselves.

7. Next Meeting:  November 5

Hoover Site Council Minutes
March 5, 2012

1.     Welcome and Introductions

Mr. Cox welcomed 7 parents, 2 teachers, 1 school counselor and the 2 assistant principals.

2.     Parent/Teacher Conference Recap

A parent suggested that the conference time slots be increased to 20 minutes rather than 15 minutes.  A concern is that it would decrease the number of overall conference time slots each teacher has available.  A second suggestion was to have a way for parents to schedule additional conferences in advance if they wanted to see more than one teacher.

3.     Renaissance Awards

The ceremony is this Thursday at 7:00 PM in the auditorium.  Dr. Kimball will be the featured speaker.

4.     Iowa Assessments

This is the new name of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills.  We will test during content classes (7^th & 8^th grades) the weeks of March 26 and April 2.  The 6^th grade will have a testing period in the morning.  All tests and make-ups must conclude by April 13.

5.     Master Schedule Changes

Mr. Cox explained the new system for exploratory classes for 2012-13.  All 6^th and 7^th graders will take 6 weeks of art, FCS, industrial technology, PE, and technology.  They will then choose one of the courses to take for the final 6 weeks.  All 8^th grade students will take one rotation of PE and then may choose to take any of the remaining courses for however many rotations they would like.  We want parents to assist their 8^th graders in making those selections.  This will allow students to go deeper into areas in which they have a strong interest so they can develop those skills and talents.  Mr. Morgan explained how it might work in his industrial technology class and the woodworking skills the students could develop.

6.     8^th Grade Party

“Twilight under the Stars” is this year’s theme.  Teesha Peters and Lena Simmons are co-chairing the committee.  The dance is from 6:30 – 9:00 PM.  It is not intended to be a prom for 8^th graders and very formal attire is not appropriate for the event.

7.     Other

On March 29 there is a Hoover/West jazz concert at West HS.

8.     Next Meeting:  April 2, 2012

Hoover Site Council Minutes
February 6, 2012
6:00 PM

Welcome and Introductions

Mr. Cox welcomed 11 parents, Dr. Debbie Lee, Sarah Stephan (Math Coach), and Ray Cole (Hoover Counselor).

Dr. Debbie Lee provided a one-hour overview of the new math curriculum and answered questions from parents.  Much of the information can be found at the Waterloo website http://www.waterloo.k12.ia.us/math-curriculum/ We also have brochures and handouts available here in the main office.

Next Meeting: March 5, 2012

Hoover Site Council Minutes
January 9, 2012
6:00 PM

1.  Welcome and Introductions

Mr. Cox welcomed approximately 20 parents and guests, not including the 10 members of the FLL team.

2.  First Lego League Demonstration (Room 103)

Mrs. Willis and the 10 members of the Bionic Bandits First Lego League team gave an overview of their work, followed by their official presentation that they would make at the state competition in Ames on January 14.

3.  Android Tablet / iPad Pilot Project

Mrs. Lalk showed a short video clip of the Android tablet pilot project at Hoover.  After the video she engaged parents in using the tablets.

4.  New Math Curriculum Update

Since the first two presentations lasted until about 6:50 PM, the math curriculum update was postponed until the February meeting.

5. 8^th Grade Dance

• May 18, 2012
• Parent Committees
• Fines/Fees

Teesha Peters and Lena Simmons have agreed to lead the committee.

6.  Other

A short Q & A over the music changes ensued.  Mr. Cox explained that the new music model (moving band out of 5^th grade, starting in 6^th grade, and having band every day) results in 90 MORE hours of instruction over the course of the middle school years than the format that has been in place.

7.  Next Meeting: February 6, 2012

Hoover Site Council Minutes
October 3, 2011
6:00 PM

1.  Welcome and Introductions

Mr. Cox welcomed 9 parents, 2 Assistant Principals, and a Hoover school counselor.

2.  Hoover Observatory

Mr. Landers took parents out to see the renovations and hear about future plans for using the observatory.

3.  8th Grade Career Fair Recap

Mr. Landers showed photos from the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) Career Fair on Sept 30 and talked about some of the sessions that the 8^th graders attended.

4.  PBiS

• Spirit Day on Thursday
  • Hoover T-shirts allowed
  • No hoodies
  • Dress code bottoms
• Upcoming Celebration on Friday

Mrs. Willis shared information about the upcoming dodgeball tournament this Friday.

• Page on our website

5.  Dress Code & Clothing Closet

Mr. Cox discussed the need for some gently used or new sweaters, sweatshirts, and fleeces for students who need to borrow one during cold weather.

6.  Hoover Website & Feedback

Mr. Cox showed the updates to the Hoover website.  Parents had very positive comments about the up-to-date information.

7.  8^th Grade Dance

• May 18, 2012
• Parent Committees
• Fines/Fees

8.  Other

Parents asked about having more teachers post weekly updates about class activities.  They suggested it be sent via Infinite Campus.  It could also be posted on the Hoover website.

Mrs. Willis shared that two Hoover classrooms will get either Android tablets or iPad2s as part of a technology pilot program.

Andi Sparks, PTO President at Kingsley, shared about an upcoming visit by Dr. Barry Wilson of UNI.