Castaic board to approve music, PE contracts
Several contracts with individuals for music and physical education at Castaic Union School District schools are expected to be approved at the district’s Governing Board meeting Thursday.
The first independent contract is with Think Ten Media Group which will provide music instruction to students at Northlake Hills Elementary School.
Think Ten Media Group will provide music instruction to students for 10 hours per week for 30 weeks from August 2017 to June 2018. Cost for the contract will not exceed $9,000.
The Governing Board is also expected to approve of an independent contract with Andrew Beeh who will provide music instruction to students at Castaic Elementary School.
Beech will offer music instruction to every class, from transitional kindergarten to sixth grade, for 30 minutes each week for 30 weeks from August 2017 to June 2018.
His lessons will be based on the current California State Standard for visual and performing arts and cost for the contract will not exceed $10,000.
The final music program approval is for preschoolers in the Castaic District who will experience shadow puppetry and music and rhythm through a partnership with the College of the Canyons PAC Arts and Education Outreach.
Preschool students will explore music with Tj3 Productions and the art of puppetry in four 45-minute sessions with instructor Pashyo Sarkin. Cost for the partnership is not to exceed $3,264.
Governing Board members are also expected to approve two independent contracts for physical education assistance instruction at Live Oak Elementary School.
Both Helen Alvarez and Rebecca Cowan will assist with instruction for students in kindergarten to sixth grade at the school for five hours per day for 32 days.
Costs for each contract are not to exceed $3,600.
Measure QS Citizens Oversight Committee
The Governing Board is also expected to approve the appointment of Measure QS Citizen Oversight Committee members who assist the district in reviewing the spending of bond funds as they occur.
At least seven members of the community serve on the Citizen Oversight Committee. As of July 13, 2017, members of the committee can now serve in their position for three, two-year terms instead of two, two-year terms.
The 2017-19 committee consists of three third term members, one second term member and three new members.
Members of the committee who will serve from 2017-19 include: im D’Addario, Marcela Kocen, Debbie Hawkins, Rodney Lots, Jeff Preach, Sandia Ennis and Vanessa Wooley. LACOE Partnership Board members are also expected to approve a Memorandum of Understanding with the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) to participate in the Universal Design for Learning Academy (UDLA).
The three-year, blended-learning professional development program aims to drive UDLA’s implementation at the school level.
UDLA offers a multi-tiered system of support to administrators and teachers that includes support to site leadership teams, professional development for additional teachers and individualized technical assistance.
Three elementary schools in the district will pilot the UDLA program and commit to three years of support as they move through the Explore Phase with a leadership team, a year-long Prepare phase and an integration phase before they reach an optimize phase.
School teams will be led by a team of four and will be provided with three full days of professional development as they work to improve student progress.