EMS Community Council Minutes
November 20, 2024
Those Present: John Gillett, Steve Weller, Brooke Hallows, Angie Gerber, Teresa Hanks, Kacey Sorenson and Anne Olson
Welcome: Brooke Hallows
Music Christmas Concerts: Band - December 11th & Orchestra - December 12th
School Reward Activities: 7th & 8th grades - Attended MHS Play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Tuesday, November 19th. Students needed qualifying grades to participate and no discipline referrals. Sixth grade students will attend MHS “Radio Show” on December 13th.
School Safety: Mr. Gillett reported that safety glass protectant had been put on the windows on the front doors of the school and on the windows in front of the office. This safety feature has been done in schools in our district.
The school district is also installing safety features on entrance doors of schools. This has been done on the elementary school level. Middle schools will be next for this installation with high schools to follow. Doors will be locked but school employees will have a card to allow entrance. Students and parents coming to the school after school starts will need to alert the office by a buzzer and intercom to request entrance inside. School secretaries will be able to open locked doors from the office after verifying the person requesting entrance is okay to enter.
Meeting Minutes Approval: Members had previously read through the minutes from the Community Council meeting which was held on 10.16.24. Angie Gerber made a motion to approve the minutes and Kacey Sorenson seconded the motion. All members voted to accept this motion.
USBE Website: The training that members were requested to complete was discussed. John Gillett showed members where this could be found and completed. They were encouraged to complete this training.
Trust Lands Plan: Trust Lands plan is presented a year in advance. Mr. Gillett reported that we are on schedule as a school using this year’s plan. Ideas are coming together for next year’s plan. Committee members discussed their support for math helps to assist students and teachers with math curriculum and classroom performance. Plans were discussed in more detail at our last meeting.
School Report Card & Data Gateway: This report is based on last year’s test performance. It can be found on Data Gateway. The state has results broken down in different categories to show each school’s year to year performance. Results and growth can be compared in demographics as well. Ephraim Middle School was proficient in English at 53.2 %, Math at 42.7% and Science at 59.2%. They were above the district and state averages.
Goals/Ideas for 2025/2026 Trust Lands Plan: The committee discussed their interest to support teachers with professional development, programs and para professional help supporting teachers and students especially in all math subjects. Mr. Gillett will check with teachers for their input for their needs. Adjustments will be made to the plan as teachers need changes.
Connections: Mr. Gillett shared with members the district goals of connections for this year. He shared the importance of connecting with students, parents and teachers. When this is accomplished it benefits everyone. These connections even show up in test results, student performance and success.
The importance that connections make in our ELL community was discussed. Efforts will continue to strengthen and support them as well as our other students and parents.
Next Meeting: Community Council will meet again on February 5, 2025
Adjourn: Angie Gerber made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Brooke Hallows seconded the motion. All members were in favor and the meeting was adjourned until February.