Minutes from 11/4/25 Meeting

 

Attendees:

• In Person: Ashley, Jen, Allen, Angie, Terri, Edna

• Online: Elizabeth, Liana, Kathy, Laura, Hong, Nikat

Action Items:

• Put together a list of things parents can ask at elementary teacher conferences for newsletter

• Action Item: Amity will visit with Sara (Maywood Teacher) and Sonia on concerns with the rift between gen Ed and HiCap kids

• Action Item: Amity will ask teachers to send out info (if they have it) for when screening is happening ahead of time.

• Action Item: Allen to look into accessing the family iReady report and see how it works

Discussion Topic: Preparing for parent teacher conferences

• Davidson Institute - Parenting Tips on Educational Advocacy

• NAGC TIP sheet - Classroom Advocacy

What info can we give to parents in NSD to help them prepare for parent teacher conferences?

• No conferences with math teachers, but always reach out if you have concerns and set up times outside of conference times

• Ask about writing skills. 

• What can “we” do to help them with writing. 

• What have you found works in the classroom.

General Discussion

Concern - Maywood Hills math. With only 10 hicap math kids split between 2 of the 3 2nd grade classes, hicap kids are getting math from a certified teacher only half time and are being taught by someone else the other 3 days (recess teacher/cert staff)

• During math time, the 10 math kids get together in a single class.

• This teacher has to split her time between the hicap and gen ed parents

• Gen ed parents are complaining because their students don't get a full teacher the whole time. So concerns they're blaming the hicap kids

• Background Information

• Maywood lost a 0.5 instructor during the start of the school year. A recess teacher was used instead. Teacher teaches content, recess teacher supervises kids during practice while teacher teaches the other group.

• Principal blaming HiCap program for the issues too (i.e. quoted as saying if there were concerns, then to ask the district to not offer HiCap services at Maywood)

• Why are there so few math HiCap students in Maywood?

• Less HiCap students at Maywood compared to previous years due to the new math test (previous IOWA test was easy to memorize answers and prep)

• Action Item: Amity will visit with Sara (Maywood Teacher) and Sonia on concerns with the rift between gen Ed and HiCap kids

Parent feedback - can 1st and 5th grader teachers be asked to give parents a heads up on their class’s screener date?

• Can always ask teachers to do that.

• Action Item: Amity will ask teachers to send info

Parent feedback - this is the first year that 4th grade (with more compacted math curriculum) is doing walk-to math. We are hearing that students are struggling, maybe more than before, esp with the loss of a few minutes of math time as they transition.

• Not the first year for all schools. A couple of elementary schools started 4th grade walk to math last year.

• Struggling depends on a lot of factors including allotted math time, transition times, etc.

Question - what happens to kids who qualify in math in 5, 6, or 7th grade? Are they placed in a more accelerated class due to qualification? Or not since that would mean missing curriculum?

• It's always parent/student decision

• Qualifying in 5th grade going into 6th = have the option skip PreAlgebra 1, but not skip PreAlgebra 2

• Can also offer a summer school if they want to

• Qualifying in 6th or 7th grade = get the designation but cannot skip PreAlgebra 2

• Qualifying in 5th grade is the last year to accelerate math

Question - lots of chatter in person and on social media about different math methods (building thinking classrooms, edgenuity, “new” curriculum, learning online). Review different math methods?

• Savaas (new Algebra 1 curriculum). District hoping to purchase Geometry + Algebra 2/Trig this year

• It is a far more challenging curriculum compared to the previous curriculum

• Previous curriculum is very old

• Needs to be shifts for students prior to Algebra 1. Will affect any new K-5 curriculum builds towards the new baseline.

• Edgenuity: Not a good option for all students

• Building Thinking Classrooms: depends on how it's implemented. Can work for some but not everyone.

Question - BSD is switching to full time walk-to Edgenuity for 5th grade. Are we concerned that NSD may go this route esp with budget concerns?

• No. This will not happen.

Council Business

Budget Updates

• $2248.75 is our balance

• Have a surplus now so consider putting on more talks

• 
  

Committee plans - Nov newsletter

• Tips for parents on preparing for conferences

• Including instructions for accessing IReady reports if parents want to beforehand

• Action Item: Allen to look into accessing the families iReady report and see if it works

• ELA guidance? (note to NSD- many parents wish they could have a conference with their kid’s math teacher too). 

• This is logistically difficult and a bargaining decision due to the extra time teachers would have to allocate for conferences.

Committee plans - brainstorm events for the school year

• Check in on prep for Jan parent ed evening with Emily Kircher Morris

• Talk by council members like we did at McMenamin’s last year?

• Parent ed talk by Austina?

• The reluctant writer talk by Austina (Elizabeth sent over email). Recording available for $25

• Presentation about the transition to middle school and Q&A

• Every school is different

• Maybe facilitate a Q&A for 5th graders and 8th graders transitioning to middle schools specific for HiCap kids

• Possibly after the middle school / high school open houses

• Social event for kids/teens?

Committee plans - discuss possible points of advocacy

• **What Matters Most evening with Dr. Irish? Ashley has reached out to try to schedule an evening event. Waiting to hear back.

• More days and locations to take SATs?

Our next meeting is December 2 from 10:00-12:00.

Minutes from 10/14/25 Meeting

 

Attendees:

• Live: Ashley, Angie, Jen, Mairead, Amity, Terri, Allen 

• Online: Laura, Elizabeth W, Liana, Gomathi, Hong, Elisa, Elizabeth R

Action Items: 

• All council members to respond if they would like to help out in other ways for the council

• Ashley to send out the slides from Spring 2025 survey for everyone to review and discuss at next meeting

• Amity to coordinate with Skyview team to come to a HiCap Parents Council Meeting to talk about science/social studies integration 

• Allen to Put together an interest form for the parent night with Emily Kircher Morris to go out in the next newsletter

Discussion Topic: 

• Neurodiversity Podcast Ep 129: Our Bright and Complex, Twice Exceptional Kids

• Emily Kircher Morris Coming Jan 5th for a parent meeting

• Can move from the board room if there’s more people would attend

• Appreciates having questions ahead of time

• Definitely want HiCap parents there

• Action Item: Council to put together an interest form for the parent night

• Interest Form - Google Form

• Need someone else 

• Jan 6th PD with Emily Kircher Morris

• Schools will be the first year of integration grades/elementary 

Amity’s Updates

• Middle School Task Force Update

• Finished 10/7/25

• Recommending having social studies and science become integrated

• Why integration?

• Scheduling is more difficult to have separate AAP 

• Helps balance those with needs to cluster and have their needs met

• Math acceleration has been an issue (whether it’s too accelerated or not). But no changes to the math track are planned or recommended.

• ELA

• Recommendation is to keep it AAP

• Writing is the biggest concern from teachers

• Need to pilot a new ELA curriculum in the next couple of years

• Data science is a new math option

• Family communication

• Any ideas from the council to better communicate with families

• Update regarding grade level meetings

• Talked about how to engage kids with math (explaining thought and not just an answer)

• Strategies for writing and small group instruction

• Possibility of having Skyview teachers talk with Council?

• To discuss integrated social studies and science classes service model

• Council agreed it would be good to have them come.

• Action Item: Amity to coordinate and schedule a time for them to come.

General Questions

• Question on Class Size

• Arrowhead = Integrated classes very large (45 students)

• Some schools can be flipped where the HiCap math classes are much smaller.

• Depends on the school decision and staffing

• Staffing will continue to be an issue for class sizes

• Can teacher recommendations be used for HiCap?

• Not all teachers understand HiCap

• Not all teachers like the HiCap program

• Would not give accurate or good recommendations

• Also impractical to read through thousands of recommendations

• Appeal process can be used for exceptions

• What happens if students max out iReady

• iReady does not allow students to move to the next tier (i.e. 5th grade students who max iReady cannot have access to the 6th grade/middle school)

• iReady Pro was launched this year for middle school (more flexibility and autonomy)

Council Business

• HiCap Parents Council board positions

• Skander has been unresponsive to email

• Motion to remove Skander as VP passed

• Motion to put Mairead as the new VP passed

• Motion to appoint Nikhat as Ruby Bridges rep passed

• Deep dive into spring survey

• 1400 responses

• Parents indicted poorer understanding and satisfaction with ELA services in the integrated model.

• Action Item: Ashley to send out the slides

• Budget update - Jen

• $2168.75 is our current balance

Next Meeting: November 4 from 10-12

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: 

• How Can So Many Students Be Invisible? Reading from Johns Hopkins Institute for Educational Policy

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?