Diamond Ridge High School
School Community Council Meeting
February 11, 2025 5:00pm
Attendees
- Amy Boettger
- Cindy Krueger
- Kemi Sutton
- Angie Iacobazzi
Absent
- Bruce Macarthur
Minutes:
Minutes from November 19, 2024 – Reviewed and Approved
Welcome & Introduction
Cindy Krueger, new SCC member, introduced and welcomed.
Current Student Performance Data
- GPA decreased from last year
- Absences increased from last year
- Tardies increased significantly
- 10th graders struggling most:
- Lower GPA than 11th/12th grade
- More absences
- More missing assignments
- Multilingual learners performing on par with native English speakers
- Special education students performing similarly to general education
- Proficient readers show higher GPAs, better attendance
Mini-Term Schedule Proposal
- Landmark High School model: 8 mini-terms instead of quarters
- 5 classes per day instead of 7 periods
- Each mini-term is ~21 days vs current 40-day quarters
- Proposed class length: 67 minutes with 6-minute passing periods
- Extended lunch period: 52 minutes
- Students could earn 10 credits/year vs current 7 credits
- Would allow school to accept juniors with as few as 2 credits
- Landmark High School Teachers report mini-terms work better for struggling students
- Building Leadership Team met with Landmark HS to learn from their implementation
Strict Attendance Policy for Mini-Terms
- 4 absences maximum per class per mini-term (excused or unexcused)
- 3 tardies = 1 absence
- 2 late arrivals = 1 absence
- Students dropped from class after 4 absences
- Dropped students move to “GAP class” for credit recovery
- No F grades given for attendance drops – must retake class
- Guardian excuses count same as unexcused absences
- Schedule changes only allowed first 3 days of term
Implementation Considerations
- Would require full reapplication/orientation for all current students
- First year expected to be challenging with culture shift
- Plan to focus primarily on juniors/seniors initially
- Limited sophomore enrollment for fall semester
- Support from district leadership already secured
- Teachers would need to restructure curriculum units
- Would eliminate most credit recovery packets
- Could start implementation next year or following year
District Calendar Changes
- Proposal to end first semester before winter break
- High schools support the change
- Would require earlier August start
- Would finish before Memorial Day
- Teachers could submit grades during January in-service day
- Diamond Ridge SCC supports this change
Plan for Class of 2025
- Date: Wednesday, May 28 at 6 PM
- Location: Alta High School Performing Arts Center
- Graduation committee meeting this Friday
- Date confirmed with district
Review Final TSSP & Land Trust Reports from 2024-2025
Current TSSA funds support:
- Student advocate position
- Music program equipment
- Proposal to focus funding on attendance improvement
Additional $36,000 grant must be spent by June 1
Wrap-Up/Miscellaneous
N/A
