Mentone Elementary Receives State Recognition
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
According to Mentone Principal Catherine Miller at the Tippecanoe Valley School Board meeting Monday, Mentone was selected as one of six finalists in the state under the category of High Performing Title I Schools for the National Title I Distinguished Schools Recognition Program for the 2006-07 school year.
Before the school year started, Miller said she received notification from the state that Mentone was a candidate for being a Title I outstanding school. During the first week of school, she conducted a telephone interview with the state. The telephone interview went well, and Mentone was selected as one of six finalists.
Ten schools statewide competed for the two categories of awards, including High Performing Schools and schools that made the most progress in significantly closing the achievement gap between student subgroups. The top schools chosen in each category go on to represent Indiana at the national level.
Representatives of the state visited the school Sept. 5. On Sept. 20, Miller said they were notified Mentone was not selected to move forward for an award, but were awarded a grant of $2,000. Miller said to get this recognition from the state was exciting for the school.
School eligibility for the award included student achievement data, meets or exceeds Adequate Yearly Progress, poverty data of 40 percent or higher and phone interviews. The two schools ultimately selected will be recognized at the National Title I Conference in Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 31-Feb. 3.
Title I of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed to provide financial assistance to local education agencies serving areas with high concentrations of children from low-income families. The intent was that those agencies would expand and improve their educational programs that contributed particularly to meeting the special needs of educationally disadvantaged children.
Assistant Superintendent Brett Boggs gave the school board a report on Valley's official enrollment as of Sept. 14. Valley's enrollment is 2,199 students, down from 2,218 during the 2006-07 and 2005-06 school years. In 2004-05, school enrollment was 2,192.
Boggs said this was the first year Valley had a drop in enrollment since the 2001-02 school year.
Enrollment at each school includes 477 students at Akron, up 10 from last year; 532 at Mentone, down 47; 475 at the middle school, up 13; 715 at the high school, including 115 at Burket, down from 720 in 2006-07, including 135 at Burket.
In other business, the school board:
n Approved personnel matters, including the retirement of Helen Norman as a custodian at Akron Elementary School. Norman has been a custodian at the school since March 1979. Boggs thanked her for her years of service to Akron and Tippecanoe Valley.
"She's going to take some time and enjoy being a grandmother," Boggs said.
n Approved a request by Brad Hagg, technology director, to attend a STI user conference in Springfield, Ill., Dec. 12-14. STI Office is software used by Tippecanoe Valley Schools to maintain student records, print reports including grading cards and submit educational data to the Department of Education.
n Heard from parent Chris Morehouse about a program called "Be the Change."
After discussion at the September meeting about the Burket alternative learning center, Morehouse said that while she thinks Burket works really well for the school system, she tried to think of ways to get parents to keep students from having to go there in the first place. She discovered "Be The Change" program, and wanted to talk to someone about maybe starting it at Valley.
It would be a year-round program for Valley students, ending with a assembly at the end of the school year. In the program, students would be grouped together and have discussions about every day life.
Boggs said he would meet with Morehouse to talk more about the program and how to implement it at Tippecanoe Valley Schools.
According to the Web site www.challengeday.org, "The Be the Change Movement inspires people to notice what's happening in the world around them, to choose actions that create positive change, and to act as a living example of the power of contribution and compassion."
n Held the first reading of a revision to the school board policy regarding salary and fringe benefits. Boggs said the change is necessary for Valley to be in compliance with the Internal Revenue Service. At the November meeting, the policy will be approved.
n Announced the next meeting dates of the school board will be Nov. 12 and Dec. 10, both at Mentone Elementary School at 7:30 p.m.; and Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m., at Burket Educational Center.
School board members are President Mark Wise, Vice President Hal Hoffman, Secretary Dave O'Brien and members Rod Eaton and Bryan Murphy.[[In-content Ad]]
According to Mentone Principal Catherine Miller at the Tippecanoe Valley School Board meeting Monday, Mentone was selected as one of six finalists in the state under the category of High Performing Title I Schools for the National Title I Distinguished Schools Recognition Program for the 2006-07 school year.
Before the school year started, Miller said she received notification from the state that Mentone was a candidate for being a Title I outstanding school. During the first week of school, she conducted a telephone interview with the state. The telephone interview went well, and Mentone was selected as one of six finalists.
Ten schools statewide competed for the two categories of awards, including High Performing Schools and schools that made the most progress in significantly closing the achievement gap between student subgroups. The top schools chosen in each category go on to represent Indiana at the national level.
Representatives of the state visited the school Sept. 5. On Sept. 20, Miller said they were notified Mentone was not selected to move forward for an award, but were awarded a grant of $2,000. Miller said to get this recognition from the state was exciting for the school.
School eligibility for the award included student achievement data, meets or exceeds Adequate Yearly Progress, poverty data of 40 percent or higher and phone interviews. The two schools ultimately selected will be recognized at the National Title I Conference in Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 31-Feb. 3.
Title I of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed to provide financial assistance to local education agencies serving areas with high concentrations of children from low-income families. The intent was that those agencies would expand and improve their educational programs that contributed particularly to meeting the special needs of educationally disadvantaged children.
Assistant Superintendent Brett Boggs gave the school board a report on Valley's official enrollment as of Sept. 14. Valley's enrollment is 2,199 students, down from 2,218 during the 2006-07 and 2005-06 school years. In 2004-05, school enrollment was 2,192.
Boggs said this was the first year Valley had a drop in enrollment since the 2001-02 school year.
Enrollment at each school includes 477 students at Akron, up 10 from last year; 532 at Mentone, down 47; 475 at the middle school, up 13; 715 at the high school, including 115 at Burket, down from 720 in 2006-07, including 135 at Burket.
In other business, the school board:
n Approved personnel matters, including the retirement of Helen Norman as a custodian at Akron Elementary School. Norman has been a custodian at the school since March 1979. Boggs thanked her for her years of service to Akron and Tippecanoe Valley.
"She's going to take some time and enjoy being a grandmother," Boggs said.
n Approved a request by Brad Hagg, technology director, to attend a STI user conference in Springfield, Ill., Dec. 12-14. STI Office is software used by Tippecanoe Valley Schools to maintain student records, print reports including grading cards and submit educational data to the Department of Education.
n Heard from parent Chris Morehouse about a program called "Be the Change."
After discussion at the September meeting about the Burket alternative learning center, Morehouse said that while she thinks Burket works really well for the school system, she tried to think of ways to get parents to keep students from having to go there in the first place. She discovered "Be The Change" program, and wanted to talk to someone about maybe starting it at Valley.
It would be a year-round program for Valley students, ending with a assembly at the end of the school year. In the program, students would be grouped together and have discussions about every day life.
Boggs said he would meet with Morehouse to talk more about the program and how to implement it at Tippecanoe Valley Schools.
According to the Web site www.challengeday.org, "The Be the Change Movement inspires people to notice what's happening in the world around them, to choose actions that create positive change, and to act as a living example of the power of contribution and compassion."
n Held the first reading of a revision to the school board policy regarding salary and fringe benefits. Boggs said the change is necessary for Valley to be in compliance with the Internal Revenue Service. At the November meeting, the policy will be approved.
n Announced the next meeting dates of the school board will be Nov. 12 and Dec. 10, both at Mentone Elementary School at 7:30 p.m.; and Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m., at Burket Educational Center.
School board members are President Mark Wise, Vice President Hal Hoffman, Secretary Dave O'Brien and members Rod Eaton and Bryan Murphy.[[In-content Ad]]
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