Meeting Minutes

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    Diman Parent Advisory Council Meeting

    April 8, 2020

    Due to Covid-19, No formal meeting had taken place

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    Diman Parent Advisory Council Meeting

    March 11, 2020

    I. Call to order The regular meeting of the Diman Parent Advisory Council was called to order at 6:40 PM on 3/11/20 at Diman RVTHS, RM 251. Kelly Duarte, CO-Secretary took attendance. Those in attendance included: Kimberly Barnwell, Interim President; Carmen Rego, Treasurer, Ann Aguiar, Co-Secretary, Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liaison; also in attendance Jeannine Carreiro

    II. Meet & Greet Officer Michael Fogarty, Diman’s School Resource Officer, reports he is pleased w/Diman’s commitment to safety. He is looking forward to his continued work with administration and security staff in maintaining a safe campus.

    III. Title 1 & Current Initiatives Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liaison presented

    a) School Initiative Project

    *email and contact distribution list will be revisited

    b) Upcoming Parent Forum

    *Meet and greet with newly appointed Principal Mr. Rebello immediately followed by forum on vaping. Forum to be held on April 4, 2020 from 9-11 AM in Diman’s Room 251

    c) Updates from Supervisory

    *Previous interest in live Facebook forums may be piloted at next forum.

    IV. Unfinished Business Minutes submitted by CO-Secretary Kelly Duarte for February 2020 meeting were approved

    V. New Business

    a) Civil Rights Audit Update- Kimberly Barnwell, PAC Interim President

    *Parents voiced inconsistencies in discipline between feeder schools

    *Earlier outreach to middle schools to promote Diman as an option for high school

    *Parents are pleased with Diman’s current methods of operation

    b) Recent improvements update-Kimberly Barnwell, PAC Interim President

    *school phone directory has been changed to include a direct line for absences and dismissals (option 2)

    *Web page updated to be more mainstreamed

    c) School Opportunity Act Meeting-Kelly Duarte Co-Secretary

    *The Massachusetts House and Senate approved a bill, referred to as the School Opportunity Act. The bill will infuse $1.5 billion into school districts over the next seven years. The bill hopes to tackle inequity in how funds are directed to districts across the state by requiring more funds for school systems with higher percentages of low-income students and English language learners.

    * Parents were invited to meet with Dr. Ferreira to discuss and to have input on the School Opportunity Act. Administration has also polled students and teachers to gather input as to where they feel money would be best allocated. Parents expressed interest in using funds for sports, tutoring and life skills classes.

    d) Open parent discussions/questions

    *Diman’s incoming Freshmen class acceptance night has been canceled until further notice. There has been a declared of State of Emergency due to concerns of Corona virus.

    e) Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, 2020

    f) Adjournment Kimberly Barnwell, Interim President, adjourned the meeting at 8:30 PM, motion to adjourn was seconded by Carmen Rego, Treasurer

    Minutes submitted by: Kelly Duarte, Co-Secretary

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    Diman Parent Advisory Council

    Meeting February 12, 2020

    I. Call to order The regular meeting of the Diman Parent Advisory Council was called to order at 6:40 PM on 2/12/20 at Diman RVTHS, RM 251.

    a) Kelly Duarte, CO-Secretary took attendance. Those in attendance included: Kimberly Barnwell, Vice President; Carmen Rego, Treasurer, Ann Aguiar, Co-Secretary, Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liaison; also in attendance Judy Davis

    b) Minutes submitted by CO-Secretary Kelly Duarte for December 2019 meeting were approved

    II. Title 1 & Current Initiatives Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liaison presented

    a) School Initiative Progress Update

    *parent article: possible future topic: pros and cons of GPA/ranking on report card

    *participation in development for parent forums

    b) Diman will be part of a civil rights audit. Lois Miller of Guidance and Dr. Ferreira are looking for three to five parents to participate. Parent portion of the interview will take place on Thursday, March 5 th from 1 pm to 2:30 pm. Interested parents should contact Lois Miller or Dr. Ferreira.

    c) Officer Michael Fogerty, Diman School Resource Officer was not able to attend due to illness. Invitation for meet and greet is still extended at his convenience.

    III. Unfinished Business The school is not ready at this time to have social media/live clinics.

    IV. New Business

    a) Approval of Interim President position, Kimberly Barnwell, Vice President, will serve as PAC Interim President

    b) Recent parent concerns-Kimberly Barnwell, PAC Interim President *question if there are women’s options for Dickies for school uniforms *at first parent/teacher conference, can Freshman shop teachers be at one specific site to make it easier for parents to meet with them vs going shop to shop due to time/conference appt constraints. *question ways to raise awareness/interest in who/what the PAC is/does. There will be one table for Diman parent groups. This will keep all pertinent information together. The table itself needs a poster of some kind.

    c) Parent Awareness Articles-currently there are no new articles for submission at this time

    d) Open parent discussions/questions *when or does guidance meet with students regarding career choices/co-op employment? *how are job fairs advertised for potential employers for our students? *does/can the school accept donations of gently used uniforms, work boots in particular as these are most expensive?

    e) Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, 2020

    V. Adjournment Kimberly Barnwell, Interim President, adjourned the meeting at 8:00 PM, motion to adjourn was seconded by Carmen Rego, Treasurer

    Minutes submitted by: Kelly Duarte, Co-Secretary

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    Diman Parent Advisory Council Meeting

    December 11, 2019

    I. Call to order Jeannine Carreiro, President, called to order the regular meeting of the Diman Parent Advisory Council at 6:44 PM on 12/11/19 at Diman RVTHS, RM 251.

    a) Kelly Duarte, CO-Secretary took attendance. Those in attendance included: Jeannine Carreiro, President; Kimberly Barnwell, Vice President; Carmen Rego, Treasurer; also in attendance Sheril Silva.

    b) Minutes submitted by CO-Secretary Kelly Duarte for November 2019 meeting were approved

    II. Title 1 & Current Initiatives Jeannine Carreiro, President, presented and read aloud resolutions to November business/concerns submitted by Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liason (see attached)

    III. Unfinished Business Jeannine Carreiro gave update on web page calendar, and question to have calendar format to include parent/teacher conference date

    IV. New Business

    a) Upcoming events-Jeannine Carreiro, PAC President *presented Chromebooks Agreement that was given to Freshman class. Sheril Silva, parent, read aloud voicemail by Dr. Ferreira regarding Chromebook. Parents not able to attend informational session at the school over Christmas break can make appointments with Dr. Ferreira *updates to school calendar and school dismissals, the following changes have been made: Last day of school will now be June 18, 2020 with dismissal time of 11 AM (date may change if there are more snow days) also changed are June 16th and June 17th now have a dismissal time of 11:58 AM *District Administration office currently on the first floor of the building will be moved to 1082 Davol Street. Reason for move is Administration is utilizing budget money to accommodate student growth/need for more space until a new building is constructed. Anticipated use for this space is for the history department.

    b) Recent parent concerns-Kimberly Barnwell, PAC Vice President *at recent Open House brochures were distributed to those in attendance which outlined information about trades/jobs/opportunities and misc information regarding trades. Question if this brochure should also be made available to incoming Freshmen classes to help them make better decisions in shop selection. *with administration office moving out of the building, question as to where payments and monetary transactions will now take place.

    c) Parent Awareness Articles- Kelly Duarte, CO-Secretary Open discussion on potential different topics. Sheril Silva will submit an article regarding helping your child advocate for themselves.

    d) Open House Outcome-Carmen Rego, Treasurer Carmen was able to speak with a representative from In Plain Sight (drug prevention) regarding potentially presenting to school and or PAC. Contact information for representative will be given to Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liason, to follow up.

    e) Vote All in attendance voted unanimously to not have a meeting January 2020

    f) Vote All in attendance voted unanimously to extend invitation to the new School Resource Officer, Officer Michael Fogerty, to be guest speaker.

    g) Open parent discussions/questions

    *When calling the school to report absenteeism, who specifically do you speak to. ‘Question if there should be a direct line specifically for call outs. Update handbook with this information.

    * When calling the school, Dean of Students is still a prompt. There is no longer a Dean of Students. Question updating the phone prompting/directory. Update handbook with this information.

    *Question implementing a direct line for anonymous reporting of bullying concerns/incidents

    *Question what to do when you attempt to schedule parent/teacher conference and no time slots are available. Resolution: Parents can call/email teacher and set up a date/time if no times are available

    h) Next meeting scheduled for February 12, 2020

    V. Adjournment Jeannine Carreiro, President, adjourned the meeting at 7:58 PM

    Minutes submitted by: Kelly Duarte, Co-Secretary

    Resolutions submitted by Mary Elizabeth Perry

    *Accounts for ID money At this time Administration recommends buying an extra ID and having your student keep it in their locker.

    *The first offense should not be a detention and it is possible if they pay before the end of the day that their detention would be lifted?

    *Who to speak to to keep funding for co-teaching? This would be the town/city administrators, the communities themselves have not backed increased budgets for this and other academic issues.

    *Summer reading books, can there be more than one option? Dr. Warren explained that all teachers, including Special Education, weigh in on the book selection and write the tests/units that start the year using the book selected for that particular grade. (After discussion, Dr Ferreira said he thought they could take into consideration having two books with a common theme to increase choices for the students).

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    Diman Parent Advisory Council Meeting

    November 14, 2019


    I. Call to order
    Jeannine Carreiro, President, called to order the regular meeting of the Diman Parent Advisory Council at 6:35 PM on 11/14/19 at Diman RVTHS, RM 251.

    a) Kelly Duarte, CO-Secretary took attendance. Those in attendance included: Jeannine Carreiro, President; Kimberly Barnwell, Vice President; Carmen Rego, Treasurer; Ann Aguiar, CO-Secretary, Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liason; also in attendance were Tracy Kettle, Sheril Silva, Judy Davis.


    b) Minutes submitted by CO-Secretary Kelly Duarte for October meeting were approved


    II. MCAS & School Accountability presented by Dr. Katie Warren, Assistant Principal of Academic Affairs.


    III. Title 1 & Current Initiatives presented by Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liason

    a) Previously canceled Cooperative Education Forum will take place on 11/16/19 from 9AM to 11AM as previously scheduled.


    b) Parent newsletter submitted by Kelly Duarte, CO-Secretary was approved by Dr. Elvio Ferreira and will be posted to parent page of school website.


    c) Kimberly Barnwell, Vice President, is working/researching possibility of having interactive questions answered on line on parent page.

    IV. Unfinished Business


    a) Web page is still a work in progress, there are still some technical difficulties

    V. New Business


    a) Upcoming events-Jeannine Carreiro, PAC President
    *presented calendar for November/December
    *college access pathways information handout was given to attendees


    b) Recent parent concerns-Kimberly Barnwell, PAC Vice President
    *ways to improve academic/events calendar
    *question if web page should have a welcome/introduction for new staff
    *ways to make announcements more understandable/effective (this is work in progress)


    c) Parent Awareness Articles- submitted by Kelly Duarte, CO-Secretary was approved by Dr. Elvio Ferreira and will be posted to parent page of school website. (submitted articles, after admin approval, will be posted on school website under parent to parent tab)

    d) Open parent discussions/questions
    *How to handle lost student ID badges and need to have a clearly outlined policy and procedures in student handbook.
    *Parents concerned that there is not enough time between classes for access to lockers
    *Policy of back packs not allowed in lunch room reviewed
    *Summer reading: some students find it difficult to get through summer reading assignment. Question possibility of students being able to choose between perhaps two books in order to encourage reading/completion of summer assignments.


    e) Next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 11, 2019

    VI. Adjournment


    Jeannine Carreiro, President, adjourned the meeting at 8:39 PM
    Minutes submitted by: Kelly Duarte, Co-Secretary
    Minutes approved on December 11, 2019 by Jeannine Carreiro, President, seconded by Carmen Rego, Treasurer

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    Diman Parent Advisory Council Meeting

    October 9, 2019

    I. Call to order

    Jeannine Carreiro, President, called to order the regular meeting of the Diman Parent Advisory Council at 6:43 PM on 10/9/19 at Diman RVTHS, RM 251.

    a) Kelly Duarte, CO-Secretary took attendance. Those in attendance included: Jeannine Carreiro, President; Kimberly Barnwell, Vice President; Carmen Rego, Treasurer; Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liason; also in attendance was Tracy Kettle.

    b) Board Member Introductions

    c) No new member introductions necessary

    d) Minutes submitted by CO-Secretary Kelly Duarte for September meeting were approved

    e) Current Initiatives reviewed by Jeannine Carreiro, President. Fundraising opportunities were discussed. Late bus schedule, Diman News, Important Dates were reviewed. Those in attendance were given handouts* that correlated what was reviewed. All handouts are available on school web page as well (*correction of date: Parent Forum for 10/10/19 should be 10/12/19, also Forum for Cooperative Education scheduled for 11/16/19, has been canceled/postponed, no date yet available)

    II. Title One Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liaison, discussed Title I resources and how school is looking at ways to make AP classes affordable to all students.

    III. Unfinished Business

    a) Discussion on progress of web page. Mr. Nate Byrnes is working with members of PAC to make changes to web page. Parent page is accurate and is updated often. Web page improvement will be ongoing. Jeanine Carreiro, President, will be managing Parent web page.

    IV. New Business

    a) Parents have called school with concerns as to make up of AP classes and whether or not they are being integrated with honors classes due to lack of students participating in said classes. Administration is aware and looking into these concerns.

    b) Discussion on subcommittees to achieve PAC initiatives or to continue to work as a group. This is the PAC’s freshman year and parent participation outside of PAC leadership group has been limited thus far, but expected to grow. Need for subcommittees to be determined.

    c) Discussion on potential speakers for PAC group and what focus of speakers should be. Dr. Warren has expressed interest in speaking at November meeting.

    d) With recent resurgence of STD’s reported, question if school is addressing this topic in health classes. This could also be a good topic for parent newsletter.

    e) Parents discussed if there is an alternative for parents of children who do not carry cash can purchase safety equipment and misplaced badges. Currently school has a cash only at time of sale and a detention can be served if not prepared. Question alternatives such as an account/tab set up for parents/students.

    f) Parents question if there are college night events that parents can attend with their student. Current college events are held during school days* and parent availability to attend may be restricted by parent’s work/personal schedule. Perhaps attending/sharing events with other schools can be beneficial for families. *Colleges determine their availability.

    V. Adjournment Jeannine Carreiro, President, adjourned the meeting at 8:10 PM

    Minutes submitted by: Kelly Duarte, Co-Secretary

    Minutes approved on November 13, 2019 by Jeannine Carreiro, President, seconded by Kimberly Barnwell, Vice President

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    Diman Parent Advisory Council Meeting
    September 11, 2019


    I. Call to order
    Jeannine Carreiro, President, called to order the regular meeting of the Diman Parent Advisory Council at 6:35 PM on 9/11/19 at Diman RVTHS, RM 251.

    II. Roll call
    Kelly Duarte, CO-Secretary took attendance. Those in attendance included: Jeannine
    Carreiro, President; Kimberly Barnwell, Vice President; Carmen Rego, Treasurer; Ann Aguiar, CO-Secretary, Mary Elizabeth Perry, Parent Liason; also in attendance were Rachel Connell, Debra Lopez, Sheril Silva, Kimberly Silva and Tracy Kettle.

    III. Council was formally introduced to those in attendance, council bylaws were handed out and reviewed

    IV. Open issues
    a) Discussion on difference between PTO vs PAC, parents were given a handout w/description of both
    b) Mary Elizabeth Perry discussed parent involvement, Title I resources and use of school website with attention to PARENT tab
    V. New business
    a) Concerns regarding communication from school after bus accident will be brought to attention of administration
    b) Question if daily school announcements can be put on school website for parents to access and to make available to students who are on co-op and may not be present for important information
    c) Continue to work on ways that school web page can be improved upon
    d) Discussion of forming future subcommittees to be able to work on tasks/projects more efficiently

    VI. Adjournment

    Jeannine Carreiro, President, adjourned the meeting at 8:02.
    Minutes submitted by: Kelly Duarte, Co-Secretary
    Minutes approved on 10/9/19 by Jeannine Carreiro, President, second approval by Kimberly Barnwell, Vice President