School Community Council Meeting Minutes:
September 2nd, 2025
Attending: Shelly Karren, Zac Watne, Patrick Latimer, Amy Shaw, Beckie Comer, Rochelle Griffin, Becca Van De Graaff, Tonya Rauch, Lora Lyon, Mindy Cupello
Agenda:
- Welcome and introductions (Rochelle)
- Roster updates, etc.
- School Updates
- Construction:
- Band and Choir room construction is going well.
- The choir room should be finished in the next 4-6 weeks.
- The band room will have a lot more space for storage and for sound distribution.
- Students have been very flexible with adjustments for both band classes (in the KIVA) and choir classes (in the Warrior Room)
- Mission Statement:
- We wanted our mission statement to feel more human, emphasize connection and look at the values that our staff thinks are important
- We wanted to be more intentional about our mission and vision and how it guides our teaching and learning.
- Enrollment & Staffing:
- Fully staffed
- We welcomed a new Chinese DLI teacher, new 6th SPED teacher, new PE teacher
- Enrollment – is strong at 1100 students
- Policies: cell phone, school-wide disclosure, attendance
- Cell phones:
- Implementing the new policy based on legislation;
- Phones are “off and away” from bell to bell; students can bring phones but they must be “off and away”; students are doing really well with the new policy
- Encourages students to be engaged with each other during lunch time
- School-wide disclosure:
- Continued with the school-wide disclosure.
- Major change is the late work policy is now a 5-day grace period (changed from 7)
- Attendance:
- Adjustments to the attendance policy.
- Continuing to work on chronic absenteeism but added our new intervention process to address tardies.
- Intervention process is triggered at the 5th tardy in any one class (does re-set each term);
- Mrs. Vickery will assist in the implementation of the intervention process.
- Cell phones:
- Tech use updates:
- Concerns about restrictions on Chromebooks in the MS
- Parents can adjust the restriction level on their student’s Chromebook
- Filter will catch certain key words (i.e. violence, self harm, etc.) and notify parents. This is a new process.
- Mr. Watne shared that he had experience with the increased restriction levels and it worked well.
- Mrs. Rauch shared that she had contact with a parent who had received an email alert about their child playing a game on their Chromebook.
- Cell tower fund approval for 2025-26:
- Thank you for approving our cell tower funds for staff dinner at Back to School night and Parent/Teacher conferences
- The principal discretionary fund is not being replenished by registration fees.
- Ms. Karren will be asking for additional usage of the funding for meals and small gifts at Christmas for the staff.
- Mrs. Griffin makes a motion to use Cell tower fund monies for staff meals and staff gifts.
- Mrs. Cupello seconded the motion.
- The motion was approved unanimously.
- Mrs. Cupello asked if there were any fees this year – there are fees for specific classes but the registration fees have been eliminated.
- Construction:
- PTSA Updates:
- Mrs. Lyon attended the secondary PTSA meeting.
- PTSA is teamed up to implement Canyons Safety Squad pillars.
- PTA participating with the “Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary” – wants to solicit pictures, events, etc.
- First meeting is Sept. 8 at 9:00 am at IHMS
- New business: Approval of 2025-26 budget, date approvals
- Wants to award teacher grants but teachers’ must be members of PTSA
- Already earned an Early Bird award for membership; still would love to have more join PTSA
- New IHMS swag is available – extended sizes are available
- Tuesday, Sept. 23rd – PTSA will provide a meal for the staff
- Theme for PTSA Reflections is “I belong”
- Hoping for more student involvement this year
- Students can earn awards and scholarships
- Student Club first meeting: Monday, Sept. 15
- Hoping to increase the number of students (goal is 40 students)
- Need to invite legislative representatives to come to the school for a visit, class discussions, eat lunch with our PTSA students, etc.
- Counseling Center Updates:
- Counselors have been in 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes to show them how to use the Wellness Center.
- Just finished their 6th grade check-ins: meet with all the 6th graders either individually or in small groups.
- Will be meeting with all 7th graders soon.
- Counselors will be in 6th grade classes quite a bit here in the beginning (i.e. lessons on how to start a conversation; stress management).
- Lunch bunch will start this month.
- For students who have a hard time making friends, struggle socially.
- Teachers or counselors can invite students.
- Mrs. Leete is in charge of the lunch bunch.
- Walking club will start next week for all students who want to be active during both lunch periods.
- Data project: Increase the number of students who access the Wellness Center.
- Mrs. Griffin asked if 8th grade students get some of the social lessons like the 6th graders.
- Mrs. Van de Graaff shared that most of the 8th graders get more of the College and Career Readiness lesson.
- Mrs. Van de Graaff shared that 7th graders get lessons on stress & coping, “snapshot” (CCR);kindness, motivation.
- Mrs. Van de Graaff shared that the counseling department would send a parent survey this year to get feedback on what students need from the Wellness Team.
- Additionally our students receive a Thrive Time lesson each week.
- Mrs. Griffin asked how the Thrive Time lessons are deployed in the classrooms.
- Mrs. Shaw shared that the lessons are structured so that they can work through the lesson as a whole group as well as in small groups.
- SCC District Training Dates (see info below on side 2)
- Anyone who hasn’t been to training should plan on attending.
- Mrs. Karren and Mrs. Griffin are planning on going at 9:00 am on Sept. 9th.
- Meetings for SCC for this year:
- Sept. 2nd, 2025
- Oct. 7th
- Nov. 4th* (Election day—move?)
- Dec. 2nd
- Feb. 3rd
- March 3rd
- April 14th
- Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 7th
- Digital Citizenship, Safe Walking Routes, School Climate Data*, etc.
Canyons District School Community Council Training Dates
The SCC Training for the 2025-26 school year begins soon. All meetings will be held in the Canyons Center at 9361 S. 300 East, Sandy.
- September 9, 2025
- 9:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.
- October 1, 2025
- 9:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.
- October 2, 2025
- 10:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.
All members are expected to attend one session; the principal and chair are required. The training will last approximately two hours, hopefully less.