The most significant topic was the proposal for a cooperative boys’ lacrosse team with the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School. The initiative comes in response to dwindling numbers on the current team, which had only 15 members last year, with five now graduated. The proposed co-op is seen as essential to maintaining a viable team and ensuring that students have the opportunity to participate in the sport. The charter school has shown interest, with around seven to eight of its students potentially joining. The committee emphasized the urgency of voting on the proposal to facilitate timely approvals from athletic directors. The proposed duration for the co-op is two years, which would help minimize administrative efforts in the future.

Another discussion centered around the school’s food services. The director of Chartwells provided an overview of the previous year’s successes, highlighting a significant profit of over $100,000. This financial success was largely attributed to the universal free meals program, which has notably increased participation rates. The sale of ala carte items surged by 35%. Looking ahead, the school plans to introduce a local fresh fruits and vegetables program, supported by a grant of over $155,000. Furthermore, there are plans to develop new menu options in collaboration with UMass’s nutritional department. Despite these successes, challenges remain, particularly in maintaining student engagement and addressing space constraints at the high school level. Staff recruitment in the food service sector continues to be a concern.

The committee also discussed the integration of the Second Step curriculum, which aims to enhance social-emotional learning in junior high health and wellness classes. The plan to fully implement the curriculum across grades seven to twelve has been postponed due to readiness concerns. Instead, the focus will be on introducing Second Step concepts in junior high for the remainder of the year, with a view to assessing the feasibility of broader implementation in high school. Confusion was noted around outdated documentation for the program, and the need for a clear implementation plan was highlighted. Budget considerations were also discussed, with the program initially supported by grants, raising concerns about future funding.

In addition, the committee discussed logistical improvements for the Junior/Senior High School activities account, approving a proposal to add Mr. Todd Dorman as an authorized check signer. This decision aims to streamline the process of signing student activity checks in the absence of the primary signer.

The meeting also covered the first reading of proposed policy revisions, which included updates to existing policies. These changes will be reviewed further before a vote is scheduled for the next meeting. The enrollment dashboard was discussed, noting five new enrollments for the month, which is a positive development amid capacity limitations in certain grades.

The discussion also touched on the proposed ski club for students, which involves costs for transportation, lift tickets, lessons, and equipment rentals. The committee expressed concerns about affordability for first-time skiers and highlighted scheduling conflicts with winter sports. A vote was suggested to approve the ski club, emphasizing that without approval, the program would not run this year, but the school could still consider future opportunities. The committee unanimously approved using an unused fund, known as “stien,” to support the ski club’s operations.

Superintendent updates included a collaborative grant with Hadley and Hatfield to support students who speak languages other than English. This initiative aims to help students take the AP exam and potentially earn a seal of biliteracy. Additionally, the director of student services reported on a recent PAC meeting about the new IEP process and improvements to the school’s website for better interactivity and social media connectivity.