Birch Implementation Team Meeting

Date: 5/26/16
Time: 1:36-
2:21
Location: Room
304
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Meeting Called by: Ms. Phillips and the Administrative Team Type of Meeting:
Birch Implementation
Facilitator: Note Taker: Ms.
Sadrianna
Time Keeper:
Attendees: Ms. Pelan, Ms. Sencion, Ms. Fermin, Ms. Macauley, Ms. Cape, Ms. Sadrianna

________________________________________Minutes________________________________________
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Agenda Item: Review of Wednesdays After School Meeting (Advanced/Birch Trainees)
Presenters: Ms. Pelan and Ms. Sadrianna

Discussion:
We began the meeting by greeting one another and brainstorming different
objectives for our time together. Ms. Sencion suggested that the members who attended
the meeting afterschool on Wednesday share any discussions or developments that may
have occurred.
Since Ms. Pelan and Ms. Sadrianna attended the previous meeting, they began to
update the group on one of the Wednesday groups primary conversations: the
possibility of structuring departmentalization through collaborative/team teaching. In
this team teaching model, one teacher could teach two subjects and then switch classes
with a teacher who teaches the alternate subjects. For example, a 6-1-1 teacher who
teaches ELA and Social Studies could swap his/her 6-1-1 class with a 6-1-1 Science and
Math teacher. This model would provide the students with two content area teachers; as
opposed to four different content area teachers, which could be overwhelming. This
model scaffolds the departmentalization process for both, staff and students. Another
consideration made on Wednesday was the need to structure teacher teams with similar
student populations, ELL statuses and ages.
Ms. Pelan and Ms. Sadrianna also shared about the Wednesday groups perspective
on team meetings. In the Wednesday group, we discussed structuring team meetings as
both, common planning time between the teacher teams and content area planning
within populations (example: All 12-1-1 social studies and ELA teachers may meet
together).
Our group agreed that team/collaborative teaching, as well as, common planning
time sound like viable options for structuring departmentalization.

Agenda Item: Ideas for Birch Implementation into Departmentalized Structure

Presenters: All members

Discussion: We began discussing how structure teaching may look for the different
populations; including 12-1-1 and 12-1-4.
To incorporate developmentally appropriate possession cues (also referred to as
transition cues when used for schedules) into departmentalization, Ms. Macauley shared
her idea of giving each student a school ID card that they carry around with them from
class to class. They could possibly put their card in a receptacle upon arriving to class or
maybe put it on their desk to serve as a possession cue.
To incorporate developmentally appropriate schedules, Ms. Sencion shared her
idea of giving each student a planner; as opposed to a wall or a pocket schedule. This
type of schedule is travel friendly, promotes independence and can additionally be used
to help students organize homework and afterschool activities. Ms. Cape and the other
group members agreed that a planner is developmentally appropriate for middle and
high school students.
We briefly discussed what individual work station may look like in both the 12-1-1
and 12-1-4 setting. Ms. Sencion shared that the 12-1-1 classrooms would need a few
independent work stations each. Ms. Sadrianna commented that small groups would be
enhanced if students were grouped heterogeneously (t1, t2 and t3 at each table) instead
of homogeneously (t1 at one table, t2 at another table and t3 at the third table). We
also started to wonder and discuss what independent workstations in the 12-1-4 may
look like. Ms. Sencion commented that even if students are able to drop something into
a container independently or hit a musical instrument, those actions could be considered
independent tasks if aligned to IEP goals.

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Agenda Item: Itemized Donors Choose Wish List of Structured Teaching Materials
Presenters: All members

Discussion:
We then began compiling a list of structured teaching materials that we would need and
would possibly be able to ask Donors Choose to donate to us.

The current list is as follows:

-Educational Games
-Planners
-Velcro
-Laminating paper
-Laminating machines
-Color Coded Bins
-Cardstock
-File Folders
-Boardmaker
-Tape
-Munipulatives (Numbers, Legos, US currency, coins, letter/word blocks)
-Containers
-Loose leaf
-Notebooks
-Cubbies
-Fidgets/Sensory Objects

Possible Next Steps: Collaborate with other Birch Implementation Teams, Discuss
unification of Icons, possibly begin creating materials and/or writing Donors Choose
proposals.