TAC Questions

Question

Could Paine have Thanksgiving lunch like the other elementary schools?

Response

We can explore this option for next year, but it will be more challenging because we have 200+ students in a single grade level. Space in the lunchroom and parking would need to be considered.

Question

Why are some parts of our school so cold...halls, lunchroom, gym, etc?

Response

Any issues with heat should be communicated to our head custodian, and he will submit a maintenance request if necessary.

Question

Is administration supposed to be at collaboration each week to answer questions and touch base with grade levels and specialists?  Why are all meeting on the north side? 

Response

Administration attempts to attend collaboration every Wednesday, but unfortunately discipline issues come up and many IEP meetings, parent meetings, may occur during that time. The North Collaboration room is our designated faculty meeting space and the only place with enough tables and chairs for our entire faculty.  The South space is used for students. 

Question

Will you please consider allowing at least one Wednesday a month for teachers to remain in their own classrooms and get done what we need to get done?

Response

Our collaborative efforts are so important for our continuous improvement and this is only required one day per week (Wednesday).   We will look for occasional opportunities to provide time in the classrooms.

Question

Why are ALL of our students not allowed to attend the Veteran’s Day Program like the other two elementary schools? What about students with a veteran who is no longer living? 

Response

We do not have a space that will accommodate 1,200 students, veterans, and their families.  If a student has lost a loved one who was a veteran, they may attend the program as long as a parent is present.

Question

Why are the doors to the library closed during the day?

Response

We have had to close them while students are entering the building upon arrival because there is not an adult in the library (and some items have been taken).  One door on each side will be opened at 7:45. One of the doors on each side is closed due to hallway noise disrupting lessons.   

Question

Could we swap Fall Festival with something more along the lines of what the other elementary schools around us are doing like “Trick or Treating through the halls”? Could we consider having the fall festival on a Thursday night?

Response

We continue to have a significant turnout for Fall Festival and receive positive parent feedback.  The funds we get from the baskets are crucial for us.  In addition, we want to be mindful that some families do not celebrate Halloween.  Everyone is invited to serve on the planning team for community events.

Question

No recess on Thursdays is very hard on elementary students so why can we not have 15 minutes to give them time to be children and play?

Response

This is a district guideline due to early dismissal on Thursdays.  We must meet our required instructional hours, and having recess and early dismissal on Thursdays would place us below that standard.  An in-class, brief brain break could be utilized on Thursdays.

Question

Why are parents not allowed to come to the Kindergarten feast?  Aren’t we supposed to encourage parent involvement?

Response

We did not receive a request for parents to attend the Kindergarten feast. If we do this in the future we will need to consider the location (everyone would not fit in the Kindergarten hallways) and the parking for 200+ parents.

Question

Why do we allow 200+ dads to come take up our parking lot and why are they not parking at Amerex or Faith? Why are moms or other parents/guardians, when we need their help in the classroom for activities, not allowed good parking?

Response

All Pro Dads is once per month.  We do not have a shuttle service to bring them from those locations.  The dads arrive and depart anywhere between 6:55 and 7:45. The term “good parking” is unclear; our goal is to have enough parking for our visitors.

Question

Could we have numbered spaces in the parking lot and allocated parent parking at the bottom lot that is enforced daily?  Can there please be reserved teacher parking signage visible so that we do not have parking issues when we have All Pro Dads, field trips or assemblies, etc.?

Response

We encourage parents to park on the bottom if they are here for programs, field trips, etc.  We will explore the option of having the top section reserved for faculty parking.

Question

Why is it taking so long to get programs up and running? Why isn’t our admin team delegating items in a timely manner?  What has happened to the Student Leadership team?

Response

More information is needed to answer the first two questions.  A significant amount of resources and focus went into our leadership team in the past (which was comprised of approximately 14 students).  They had designated field trips, meetings, etc.  This was managed by our former AP, and we determined there was a need to rethink the role of leadership team before starting it back up.  We would like to explore something that involves more students (a larger selection from 5^th grade).

Question

Why are we still doubling up on specialist classes to use substitutes or specialists for other class coverage?

Response

Doubling up a specialist class is a last resort that has occurred because someone has called in sick and a substitute did not pick up the job. 

Question

Is there any way that unused copies can roll over because there may be a month where we don’t use a lot of copies and then a month that we need more than our allotted number? To save teachers a lot of time and with the amount we are paying for copies, can the south side copiers please have staples in them?  

Response

We will see if this is an option.

Question

Why are we not approaching behavior and SPED needs proactively? How can we fix the problem of inconsistency with aides for students in need?

Response

We work closely with our Special Education Department to provide the necessary resources based on each student’s IEP.

Question

Why do we constantly have a shortage of teachers and aides? It is obvious day-to-day that there is a shortage, so how can this be fixed?

Response

There is a teacher shortage across the state of Alabama; there is a state task force to address the problem.

Question

We need more clarification on an item discussed at a recent faculty meeting.  May we have specific examples pertaining to “Anything about school posted on your personal Social Media account becomes property of the school”?  Most of us have children who attend school here and we post about their school days, etc. What exactly does this mean?

Response

If something is posted about our district, school, or students it could be subpoenaed if ever necessary.

Question

If classroom volunteers are not allowed to work in our classroom during instruction, or to see students’ grades or information, or when students are working, why is there a volunteer working weekly in the library?  

Response

We must adhere to FERPA requirements for student educational records (ie, grades, etc.).  We want to protect classroom instruction so it is free from disruptions.  The volunteer in the library helps with the book circulation so our Media Specialist can work with students.

Question

Why is there not a teacher selected leadership team that meets monthly with the administrative team so that our school can operate in a unified and transparent way? 

Response

We do plan to form a school leadership team beginning next semester.

Question

Could assemblies be based on trimester rather than monthly?

Response

We receive mixed feedback on monthly versus trimester.  We will send out a survey for next year to determine the preference of the majority.

Question

Could we return to having specials five days per week?  Could we go back to rotating specials?

Response

Our anticipated growth will require us to explore changes to our master scheduled for next year.  These ideas will be considered in the process.

Question

Why is our administration team unable to cover classes in emergency situations or offer personal assistance in classes that are shorthanded, or work alongside teachers to see first-hand the challenges teachers are facing?

Response

The primary administrator responsibilities are outlined in the administrator job descriptions on the TCS website. Addressing the challenges faced by teachers is of vital importance to our administrative team, and we are always available to problem solve with you.

Question

Could we rethink and reorganize EnRich? Could you give us more time to work on our schedules?  Why isn’t our Differentiation/EnRich leadership team involved in decisions?  Response

We want a process for continuous improvement with EnRICh.  Our EnRICh Precept Team did take the lead on determining the EnRICh sessions for students and making decisions related to these offerings.   Our Precept Teams are new this year, but it is our goal that they become the leaders in our school in their designated areas, and therefore a key part in the decision-making process. 

Question

How could we improve the communication from administration regarding student behavior/consequences?  Could teachers receive an email or some type of communication after sending students to the office?  Could the teacher be involved in the decision to make it an official office referral? 

Response

Assistant Principals provide the yellow copy of the office referral to the teacher.  Guidelines were provided at the opening faculty meeting on what constitutes an office referral.  Any questions or concerns about specific situations should be discussed with your designated AP.  We will follow the TCS Code of Conduct.

Question

What’s being done to protect our students and faculty from students who have physically violent outbursts and incidents of yelling disrespectful language at those trying to help them?

Response

We work closely with our Special Education Department to provide the necessary resources and training to ensure we are equipped to handle these situations.  We regularly consult with certified behavior specialists on the more complex situations.

Question

Why is information so slow (last minute) to get to our teachers?

Response

We put all pertinent information in the blog as soon as it becomes available for communication. 

Question

Could we share choir and choral shows with the entire student body, even if we have to do it over several days? 

Response

We do not have a space to invite everyone to a “single” show, and offering this over multiple days would require program participants to miss instruction.  We record all of these programs and place the videos on the music webpage for anyone to view.

Question

Can you please remind teachers not to be late when picking up their students from PE?

Response

This reminder will be communicated.

Question

Why are some TAC concerns left off the list or altered without the knowledge of teachers and TAC members? Does this not go against the purpose of TAC?

Response

TAC questions are not left off the list, but may be consolidated if there is more than one question asking the same thing.   Lengthy questions may be condensed to reflect the bottom-line question.

Question

Why are administrators not present for the departure and arrival of field trips?

Response

Administrators typically arrive each day at 6:30 am and leave around 5:30 pm-6:00 pm, and always have their phones on.  If anyone needs an administrator here outside of those times, please let us know and we will be here.

Question

Why are some emails to administration going unanswered or unacknowledged?

Response

Administrators receive a significant number of emails, but work hard to respond within 24 hours.

Question

Could we consider moving school pictures to the specials time?

Response

We try to complete pictures as quickly as possible and having to wait on the specials time to call the next group would slow down the process.  The photographer’s schedule is another consideration.  In addition, our specialists have designated standards to teach.

Question

This is a question for the district. Can the visitor request form be lifted for the holidays? 

Response

Parents are welcome to share their craft with students, but for school safety reasons, administration awareness, and protecting instructional time, parents will become accustomed to volunteering their time 2 weeks ahead.