November 2018

NAPAGE

November 19th, 2018

9:30 a.m. - Baierl Center

MEETING MINUTES


Next NAPAGE Meeting

Monday, January 14th from 1 to 3:00 p.m. in the Ponce Room at the Baierl Center


Upcoming Gifted Advisory Committee (GAC) Meetings

March 19, 2019

All meetings are held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Central Administration Office


Upcoming Events

  • Superintendent’s Coffee December 11, 2018 9:30 a.m. at Hosack Elementary School

  • Superintendent’s Coffee February 12, 2019 - 9:30 a.m. at McKnight Elementary School

  • Upcoming School Board Meetings - 7 p.m. at Central Office

    • December 5, 2018 – Reorganization Meeting

    • December 12, 2018 – (Combined Meeting) - Work Session/Regular Meeting

    • January 16, 2019 – Work Session

    • January 23, 2019 – Regular Meeting

    • To register to speak, please call the Board Secretary at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting at 412-369-5437. It will be necessary to give a topic, and you must be a resident of the District. When called upon to speak, the individual will be asked to give his/her name and home address.


  • NASH Counselor / Principal Coffees (third Thursday of month at 7 a.m. in Ponce Room) Slides available at link

    • December 20 - Scholarships, Financial Aid, and Smart Borrowing (Counseling)

    • January 17, 2019 - Principal Coffee

    • February 21, 2019 - 11th Grade Parents: Scheduling for Senior Year

    • March 21, 2019 - Career & Major Planning and Principal Coffee

    • April 11, 2019 - Finding the Right FIT College

    • May 16, 2019 - 11th Grade Parents: Summer To Do List (Combined High School Principals’ Coffee/Counseling Coffee)

  • NAI Principal’s Coffee - 1:30 p.m. at NAI unless otherwise noted

    • January 10, 2019

    • March 14, 2019

    • Thursday, May 16, 2019 - 11th Grade Parents: Summer To Do List (Combined High School Principals’ Coffee/Counseling Coffee) at 7 a.m. at Baierl Center

  • NAI Counselor Coffee/Cocoa Series Information


Updates & Reports by Officers & Building Representatives


From the Gifted Advisory Committee meeting

  • Mr. Christopher was unable to attend November GAC meeting. Middle school day presentation to occur in March 2019. Any changes would not take effect until 2020-21.

  • Reviewed gifted screening requirements, and discussed possible opportunities for improvements to the process.

EAC - Elementary Advisory Committee

  • Start of 2020-21 school year may be pushed back into September, after Labor Day due amount of construction to occur within the district. (Possibly 9/8 - 6/17) Board to vote within next few months on the upcoming school calendars.


Consumer Concerns

  • None

Below is a brief list of topics covered at the 11/19/2018 Meeting.


  • Middle School Day presentation to occur at March 2019 GAC Meeting. Some ideas to consider are longer course periods might equate to less homework. Discussion on current schedule vs. potential changes. Do these changes open the opportunity for differentiation in regular education classes - ie: honors classes in middle school. Any potential changes would take effect in 2020-21.

  • GOAL open houses currently at the beginning of the year, but perhaps there should be one mid-year as new students enter the program.

  • Sharing/promoting NAPAGE. The same message should be shared at open houses. Suggestion to send a flyer out to schools for posting in Peachjar.

  • Discussed the needs of middle school GOAL students. Their needs are not like elementary students. Middle school students explore their strengths and interests via IOs.

  • School start time to be explored again by the school board. Transportation runs highly optimized routes. Difficult to find more drivers. Trying to get creative to make some change in time, even if as little as 15 minutes.


Mission Statement:

NAPAGE is a parent support/advocacy group. We are the North Allegheny chapter of the Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE). PAGE is a nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to helping gifted learners, parents and educators. You can visit their website at www.giftedpage.org for more information.

NAPAGE’s mission is to advocate for and support gifted children and their families in the North Allegheny School District. We accomplish this by:

  • Providing parent representation to NA’s Gifted Advisory Committee (GAC and SEAC)

  • Sharing experiences, concerns and successes

  • Proactively addressing issues that arise

  • Encouraging the use of best practices in gifted education


District Gifted Education information can be found at:

https://www.northallegheny.org/Page/25870