Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Minutes from 9/16/25 Meeting

HiCap Parents Council Meeting Agenda

September 16, 2025

District office + Zoom


Attendees:

In-person: Mairead, Ashley, Jen, Amity, Angie, Laisha

Online: Hong, Elizabeth, Elisa


Action Items:

  • Ashley to break down the survey results and share it

  • Maireed and Ashley to put together a screening and assessment guide to post. Amity good with it but just wants to check it for accuracy.

  • All reps- please send a headshot/pic to Ashley if you haven’t already

  • Laisha to ask her NCHS high school student about what advanced math class option was given for the seniors

  • Ashley to reach out to Skander about wanting to continue to do the VP role

  • All reps - put an intro into the FB group

  • Allen - send email of how to use Kit to Mairead and Jenn




Discussion Topic: 




Amity’s Updates

  • Proctor information

    • Moving platform from Pearson to MHS.

    • 6 returning proctors

    • Always can use more proctors 

  • Bond and levy campaign

    • New bond and levy campaign being prepped for February

    • Board is still deciding what to ask for

  • Grades 2 and 3 Math Expressions workbook

    • Scope and sequence workbooks for specific hicap math 2nd and 3rd graders in walk-to-math

    • 2nd/3rd grade math workbooks for hicap 2nd graders

    • 4th/5th grade math workbooks for hicap 3rd graders

    • Some schools have a very small hicap 2nd graders and will walk-to-math for 3rd grade class for math

  • Resource Page

    • External resource page for HiCap parents

    • What would parents want to see

    • Example ideas

      • Informational websites

      • Scope and sequence (syllabus) for all grades




Council Business

  • Overview of spring survey

    • 65% of respondents were for grades 1-5

    • 73% had dual qualified

    • 16% single qualified

    • Parents pretty satisfied for math instruction

    • Parents disappointed in ELA instruction overall

    • What other cuts or questions should we look at?

    • Unclear to parents what ELA services they should be getting

    • Helpful to have a parents guide to screening and assessment (info is on district website but parents aren’t always finding it or reading it)

    • Parents didn’t know the testing dates for screening and guidance

      • Too many logistics for district to know what the exact testing date is (coordination with school, etc)

      • Parents should ask their teacher about when testing occurs as it gets closer

      • Usually scheduling requests from schools begin after October 10th (referral timeline)

  • Efforts to get the word out about the Council’s email list?

  • Skyview update - AAP vs integration

    •  Integrated science and social studies classes for 6th and 7th

  • NCHS update - students who wanted a 3yrs advanced math option other than AP stat for their senior year

    • Unclear what the resolution was (district thought they would share a math class with Woodinville)

  • HiCap students in splits - is there districtwide guidance?

    • Ask that hicap students be the younger student for the split

  • Treasurer's report - Jen

    • Jen will need to prepare a yearly budget for us. Most expenses are fixed. Do we want to budget some money for events?

  • Discuss board positions

  • 2025-2026 goals - Remember our mission statement: to advocate, to educate (about hicap students, their needs, programs available), to build a strong community of families that represents our diverse population, to collaborate between school + community, to provide resources. 

  • Reps please do an intro in our FB group

  • Monthly newsletter including our council reading, timely updates (testing FAQs, deciding classes, deciding whether to take the hicap spot)

  • Become more visible district-wide - maybe organize a group to attend Dr. Irish’s What Matters Most event on 9/18?

  • Building community - In the past the Council has hosted social events like game nights. 

  • FAQs document on screening and assessment?





Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Minutes from 6/3/25 Meeting

 6/3/25

Attendees: Jen, Maireed, Terri, Ashley, Allen, Amity, Angie, Elizabeth, Hong, Amity, Carson, Gomathi (Zoom), Laisha (Zoom)

  • Discussion Topics

    • James and Susie

  • Amity Updates

    • Senior Survey Updates (~100 respondents)

    • Considering asking 8th grade survey additionally since that's the formal end of HiCap services

    • Gomathi: some seniors pursuing MarketSquare outside classes because they have to take a particular class to be a part of clubs

    • Parent survey handled in Alchemer (hosted by HiCap Parents Council but sent out by District via ParentSquare)

    • World Language (4th year) and Calc 4 Updates

      • Meeting with department heads, students, and teachers from 4 schools

      • Discussed different methods (hybrid, bussing, online)

      • No love for any option

      • Not a credit issue. Students wanting to be in cohort with each other.

      • Issue for the next couple of years due to funding.

    • Send out the survey this week

    • No new CBA until next year

    • Single subject math kids at 3 elems do not get offered to be transported to a school with walk-to-math model. Wellington is offered an online option at 4th grade

  • Action Item: Ashley to send Elizabth the Parent Survey Link

  • Appointment of Liana Stein (Arrowhead) - voted and approved

  • Superintendent session with Ashley and Carson

    • Useful to ask questions and understand the HiCap issues/concerns

    • In session with SPED PTA and PTA

  • Playdates

    • Smaller attendance last year

    • Also costs $35/school to reserve the school playground

  • Other Ideas to Engage families?

    • Westhill having HiCap infomeeting next week with Champions childcare

    • Attend PTA meetings and introduce ourselves

  • Westhill: two teachers came to Carson bringing up concerns about kids having low self esteem about not being a part of the walk-to-math and not being able to switch classes if they were ready, but not having a designation.

    • Action Item: Hong to connect with Carson about Westill Teacher concerns.

  • Training for new walk-to-math teachers is coming for Summer Institute (Core Focus) in mid August 

  • Email this week about new council and upcoming student survey

  • Updates to webpage with council members with email and images

    • Action Item: New Council Members to send headshots and confirm email address

    • Action Item: Council Members to post an intro post in August on FB post

  • Budget

    • Jen meeting with Lynn to discuss the transition and handing things over.

    • Negative by September at current spend rate

    • Domain is on GoDaddy

    • Migration to Kit (ConvertKit) to save money

      • Action Item: Ashley to get the GoDaddy login info and send to Allen

    • Terri looking into Menchie's Fundraiser

  • 2025-2026 Goals

    • More parent talks

      • SAT testing

    • Push for more SAT availability

      • Money and logistics (disrupting school day)

      • Possible goal for a high school committee

    • Elementary grade bands

    • Monthly Emails

      • Communicate resources

      • Maireed offered to run and Jen offered to help

    • ELA vision and goals

      • Curriculum is nuanced and difficult to tell whether students are being accelerated.

Action Items

  • Action Item: Ashley to send Elizabth the Parent Survey Link

  • Action Item: Hong to connect with Carson about Westill Teacher concerns.

  • Action Item: Ashley to get the GoDaddy login info and send to Allen

  • Action Item: New Council Members to send headshots and confirm email address

  • Action Item: Council Members to post an intro post in August on FB post

  • Action Item: Maireed to look into putting together a monthly newsletter


Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Minutes from 5/6/25 Meeting

HiCap Parents Council

May Meeting

05/06/2025 - 10 AM - 12 PM

In Person Attendance: Liz P, Amity, Angie, Elizabeth, Carson, Ashley, Holly, Allen, Jen, Mairead, Elisa

In Person Late: None

Zoom Meeting Attendance: Sean, Beth, Terri, Nikhat, Terra, Imen

Zoom Late: Hong Zhu, Aishwarya, Terri, Jenine Fisher

Secretary: Liz P.

Zoom Liaison: Mairead

Next meeting dates: Tuesday, May 27th 6 - 8 pm Bothell Library; June 3 10 am - 12 PM at District Office


Discussion: 

  • Podcast - Executive Function Delays and How to Work Through Them : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/neurodiversity-podcast/id1338562905?i=1000671820376

    • Parents provide the gates/brakes/boundaries for the kids who need it (ex. Screen time limits)

    • De-stigmatizing the needs of neurotypical learners and the strategies/hacks they need

    • There is a link between the discussion of this population and the discussion around the education needs for HiCap learners

    • If we don’t meet these needs, students begin to dislike learning

      • School avoidance podcast from the same program: https://neurodiversitypodcast.com/home/2025/4/23/episode-268-why-school-refusal-may-not-be-what-it-seems-and-what-to-do-instead

      • Terra’s resource: https://www.schoolcantaustralia.com.au/

  • Senior Survey Results

    • 103 responders out of 500

    • Universal screening started in 2018; these students would have been universally screened in 5th grade

      • Many kids first year of EAP/AAP was 6th grade for this cohort

    • Survey PDF will be coming from Amity

  • Westhill math assessment make up was not until February. Some of those qualifying student family’s would like to access New Family zoom. 

    • Elizabeth will send info to Hong; it is also on the website

    • If the families have additional questions, they can email the council.

  • North Creek update: meetings are scheduled

  • Building Thinking Classrooms

    • Facebook group discussion, including Austina DeBonte, where feedback was solicited.

    • Issues seem related to math classes. Particular complaints were 9th grade PreCalc at Woodinville HS

    • WHS math department has adopted this on the whole.

      • Teacher success is variable.

      • There are other policies that vary that also affect success (ex. Ability to correct work for a grade boost)

      • We want to bolster kids’ confidence in math

    • As we move toward more of these style of classrooms, where kids are in small groups all day long, we are layering on social group dynamics. 

      • We may be leaning into this way too much; does this add an additional challenge for kids, especially those that are neurodiverse?

Note: Cottage Lake, Woodin, and Wellington will not have HiCap services in 25-26 year

Council Questions/Updates

  • Election

    • See time line and responsible folks in Action items below

  • Fundraising Event - May 8th

    • Going well

    • Elisa & Carson will be at 6 PM; Jen and Beth will help us at closing 8:15 PM

  • Questions for superintendent 

    • Question needs to be very HiCap specific 

Action Items

  • Amity will bring comments from Senior Survey to next meeting

  • Amity will send Senior Survey PDF slides

  • ALL, please update election info on this table

    • if you are concluding your two year term, put your name on the Nomination sheet

    • If you are in only the first year of your term and are not returning, please alert immediately

  • ALL anything that you found helpful when joining council put in this Google Doc; Carson will compile for the May 27th transition/new Rep meeting 

  • Allen looking into new mailing list programs/websites

  • Election dates and to dos

    • 5/7 - Ashley to send Nomination Form Email; she will mention mandatory Bothell library meeting on 5/27; Holly to facilitate by creating Nomination form and opening form

    • 5/12 AM - Ashley email reminder for end of day

    • 5/12 at 8 PM - Holly closes nomination 

    • 5/16 - Ashley to send voting email; Holly to facilitate by creating election form and opening form

    • 5/21 AM - Ashley email reminder for end of day

    • 5/21 at 8 PM - Holly closes voting

    • 5/24 - By this date, Holly notifies winners/new reps

    • 5/27 - New reps meeting at Bothell Library 

    • After 5/27 - Email to community with new reps and new board

Next month Agenda/Meeting

  • Amity to provide update on North Creek math course selection

  • Superintendent Search Discussion/Updates

  • November meeting work groups discussion