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School Board members approved the 2011 levy Thursday, Dec. 15, prior to the Cambridge School Board meeting.
During the meeting, the levy was adopted. It includes a tentative tax rate of $4.784 per $100 assessed valuation, unchanged from last year according to Tom Akers, Cambridge School District superintendent.
The board also approved moving $20,304 from the working cash fund to the education fun and transferring the accumulated interest from the working cash fund to the education fund.
School board members also got their first look at the school improvement plan, CAM - 12, written by Cambridge Jr./Sr. High School principal Robert Reagan, Cambridge Jr./Sr. High School guidance counselor Lisa Miller and teachers Dawn Lewis, Sara Solberg, Kim Janson and Deb Schumaker.
The team conducted a careful review of the current math program at the school because of the concern with the lower math scores on standardized state testing.
They decided to incorporate math everyday at the high school and junior high level, to begin the math sequence with algebra at the eighth grade level, to align math curriculum to common core standards, to require math teachers to participate in professional development activities and workshops and to increase technology usage in the math classrooms.
Based on a survey, the team also recognized the need for more drug/alcohol education. Anne Wood, counselor, will provide an expanded Project Alert research-based curriculum to provide drug/alcohol education for all seventh graders and each student will take the class for one quarter.
Additional classes will include home improvement, We Will Exceed, life skills, accounting and more.
After board members looked at the plan, board member Blake Reed, said “this is one of the best plans I have seen since being on the school board the last 10 years.”
School board members also listened to a presentation by Kevin Coffee, a fourth grade teacher at the Cambridge Elementary School. Coffee’s room has been talking with a class from Germany through Skyping. They have also been exchanging letters. The students they have been communicating with are students who are currently taking English as their second language.
“The students, here in Cambridge and Germany, are very excited about this,” Coffee stated. “It has also improved writing skills for all students as well as they learn about each other’s culture.”
The project began because one of Coffee’s best friends is working at the school in Germany as part of his schooling.
School Board members approved the 2011 levy Thursday, Dec. 15, prior to the Cambridge School Board meeting.
During the meeting, the levy was adopted. It includes a tentative tax rate of $4.784 per $100 assessed valuation, unchanged from last year according to Tom Akers, Cambridge School District superintendent.
The board also approved moving $20,304 from the working cash fund to the education fun and transferring the accumulated interest from the working cash fund to the education fund.
School board members also got their first look at the school improvement plan, CAM - 12, written by Cambridge Jr./Sr. High School principal Robert Reagan, Cambridge Jr./Sr. High School guidance counselor Lisa Miller and teachers Dawn Lewis, Sara Solberg, Kim Janson and Deb Schumaker.
The team conducted a careful review of the current math program at the school because of the concern with the lower math scores on standardized state testing.
They decided to incorporate math everyday at the high school and junior high level, to begin the math sequence with algebra at the eighth grade level, to align math curriculum to common core standards, to require math teachers to participate in professional development activities and workshops and to increase technology usage in the math classrooms.
Based on a survey, the team also recognized the need for more drug/alcohol education. Anne Wood, counselor, will provide an expanded Project Alert research-based curriculum to provide drug/alcohol education for all seventh graders and each student will take the class for one quarter.
Additional classes will include home improvement, We Will Exceed, life skills, accounting and more.
After board members looked at the plan, board member Blake Reed, said “this is one of the best plans I have seen since being on the school board the last 10 years.”
School board members also listened to a presentation by Kevin Coffee, a fourth grade teacher at the Cambridge Elementary School. Coffee’s room has been talking with a class from Germany through Skyping. They have also been exchanging letters. The students they have been communicating with are students who are currently taking English as their second language.
“The students, here in Cambridge and Germany, are very excited about this,” Coffee stated. “It has also improved writing skills for all students as well as they learn about each other’s culture.”
The project began because one of Coffee’s best friends is working at the school in Germany as part of his schooling.
Shelly Logston, Cambridge Elementary School principal, said 25 families and 77 students were helped through the Caring Hearts Program this holiday season.
“I want to thank everyone in the community for stepping up and helping these families in need,” she stated.
Beth Smith, the Bright Beginnings teacher at the school, thanked Logston for her countless hours towards the project.
“This wouldn’t be possible without your guidance,” she stated.
Logston also reported that there were over 400 grandparents who attended Grandparents Day before Thanksgiving and that the numerous Christmas concerts were successful and well attended.
Bob Reagan, Cambridge Jr./Sr. High School principal, reported the junior class won the National Honor Society Food Drive for the Cambridge Food Pantry.
He talked about State Senator Darin LaHood’s visits to junior high students and sophomores. LaHood is from Dunlap and serves the 37th District.
He said 62 homemade scarves will be sent to Special Olympics for athletes who are participating in the event, a project sponsored by J. Kyle Braid students. Reed offered to pay to have the scarves shipped.
A special thank you went out to Don Hulin, Harry Nicodemus and Jeff Hannam for helping get the gym ready for the holiday concerts.
School board members also talked about their trip to the Illinois School Board Convention in Chicago Thursday, Nov. 17, through Saturday, Nov. 19.
All of the board members thought the convention was very beneficial.
In other business, the board:
Approved the reading of Policy 7:305 IHSA’s Concussion Policy.
Accepted a letter of resignation from Luke Johnston as varsity football coach.
Heard a presentation from Coffee about the possibility of starting a wrestling program for Ridgewood co-op. He currently has 15 young men from Cambridge interested in the program. Coffee gave the board an estimated cost to get the program up and running, the mats being the biggest expense.
Approve bids for diesel and gasoline fuels from GoldStar FS through Feb. 1, and decided to join a coop with some other schools and companies for a better rate after that.
