Student Council 28.01.13

AGENDA             

Pastoral Survey

New effort grade system

Predicted Grades

General House response to Night Van and Roommate Questionnaire

Use of Assembly

Post Check-in Social Activities

Night train

Selection process for AC (including Pre-IB)

 

Pastoral Survey –We discussed whether or not Houseparents should see the written results from the survey. We came up with two options to suggest to Nick Lush. 1) Email the survey before the Sunday so people have the chance to type their responses and spend time on the survey, if it is not completed by house meeting they will be expected to hand write it. 2) It is made clear to students that Houseparents will be seeing the results of the survey, not just the generalised version from Nick Lush.

 

New effort grade system – Clarification was asked for. These new letters are simply to make a greater distinction between students. Pupils should ask their teachers directly how to achieve the effort grade they want.  Effort grades are not sent to parents or universities, they are for personal improvement.

 

Predicted Grades – It might not have been entirely clear that second years have a second set of predicted grades next Monday which WILL be sent to universities however first years have been sent a program of when predicted and monthly grades  are distributed and therefore this confusion will be avoided in the future.

 

General House response to Night Van and Roommate Questionnaire – Most houses did not agree with the idea of a roommate questionnaire because It was felt that students should be challenged to live with people who are dissimilar to themselves.  However, for medical reasons or cases of multiple nationalities perhaps an extra question on the joining forms should be added.  For the Night Van it was agreed that it is probably not financially viable and that students can contact the school directly if they are stranded in Llantwit when there is snow or other bad weather.  The idea of a school sponsored bus back from Marcross was proposed but the discussion concluded that this would not be a responsible thing to ask the staff nor would the school want to come across as encouraging drinking etc.

 

Use of Assembly – To motivate the student body to attend assemblies it was said that announcements should be as creative as possible and for people to only speak up if there is something that can’ be said on an email.

 

Post Check-in Social Activities – Perhaps we can ask for a post-check in activity once a month. Social reps could organise this.

 

Night train – This will be discussed further at a later date however maybe we could have a trial weekend with this ‘night train’ in effect.

 

Selection process for AC (including Pre-IB) – It was suggested that the students should have a greater involvement in the selection of IQ students. Perhaps there could be an informal conversation, either face to face or via Skype, by a small committee of AC students so that we could get a sense of the personality of a prospective pupil.  That committee could then present a brief report to Nick Lush to help him make his decisions.

College Wide Meeting 23.01.2013

AGENDA

Pastoral Survey

Wi-Fi

Pre-IB

Community Engagement

 

Pastoral Survey- The pastoral survey is taken every two years and hopes to get the student views and opinions of how pastoral care is working.  The questions are generated by the pastoral committee and 18-20 conclusions were taken from the pastoral survey 2012, these are attached to the email.

We discussed the Health Centre and the ‘overuse’ of Paracetemol.  Nick made students aware that there are few other over-the-counter drugs that can be given to students and that maybe we are unaware of the proper procedures that are being followed by the nursing staff currently.  Maria and Alison will be sending us information either electronically or orally. 

Concerning food, Nick encouraged students to talk to their food reps and directly to the kitchen staff for changes.  The main issue with food is that there is not a lot of money going into that aspect of student life and this will be examined in the near future.  The main factor here is money so we need to look into the financing of food at the college.

Additionally, sports facilities were brought up in the questionnaire and it was discovered that a majority of students were keen to have some sort of exercise regime implemented from physical education teachers to mandatory sports.  This will be looked in to.  

Nick recommended that concerns over alcohol and antisocial behaviour in the house, including loud music at night and stealing, be discussed further in houses.  ‘Alternative Punishment’ such as cleaning or helping in the kitchen if caught drinking was dismissed because it could be demoralising for the staff doing these jobs to see that their work is a form of student punishment.

Nick addressed concerns over the code of conduct by telling students it would be reviewed in April, as it is every year.  Restrictors on windows was a major topic in the survey and Nick assured students that problems over ventilation in the rooms as a result of the restrictors would be solved. 

Finally, many of the other issues such as domestic problems, attitudes towards senior management etc.  were brought up by Nick.  He reminded students that his door and Dave’s door is always open for anyone to go and talk or discuss further concerns.

 

 

Wi-Fi- Following an extensive survey about I.T. and Wi-Fi at the college there have been preliminary decisions made by the I.T. department and the I.T. steering committee. We are going to be getting Wi-Fi around the school in the future, although the when’s and where’s have not been decided yet.  Staff are very careful to bear in mind the social effects of having Wi-Fi in specific areas of the college. Additionally,  there are points for consideration such as how long would Wi-Fi be available, would it be there at the beginning of the year, would there be an on/off point etc.

A further issue is whether we will become a ‘laptop school’ or not (laptop school=every student gets a laptop upon coming to Atlantic College). Another point is that staff will be having a survey to discover what kind of software is used for their classes and where they would want Wi-Fi.

There was some discussion about basic computing for students, potentially students with the knowledge of programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, Adobe Photoshop and more could hold workshops for fellow students during the first weeks of term.  Many students wanted some sort of basic instruction on using the computers and software.

The main thing to bear in mind is that there should be a balance when it comes to Wi-Fi around the school between teaching, learning and the social environment at AC. If you have other questions direct them to your I.T. reps or Leila Clark and Michael Manning.

 

Pre-IB- Attached to this email is John Walmsley’s written answer to many of your questions.  At the meeting we talked about integration. An point that was iterated repeatedly was the fact that, at this point, we must have a positive attitude towards the future of the Pre-IB.  If our outlook towards this upcoming change is not positive it will be our negativity that affects the integration and success of the Pre-IB course. 

The admittance of students into this program will be based primarily on National Committees and then followed by interviews with Nick.  Bear in mind that no Pre-IB students will have automatic entry into Atlantic College. They will be applying through their national committees if they want to attend a UWC. Therefore the idea of a ‘clique’ of Pre-IB students coming into AC should not be a concern because Pre-IB students may not apply to the UWC movement and if they do they may be disseminated all over the world.

Dave wanted to remind students that we all contribute to the finances of the college and that the pre-IB students are not here simply as a source of income.  

The pre-IB students would have a different code of conduct and structure to their day than the Atlantic College students.  This is because of their age difference and the distinction between their program. 

The main point to take away from the coming of the Pre-IB is that there will be 24 more student with the same values, following the same UWC mission but will be taking a different course. Keep an open mind and continue bringing suggestions concerning integration etc. to Student Council and John Walmsley.

 

Community Engagement- One student brought up the integration of faculties to provide service and activities to the community on weekends. It was asked if there would be staff support for events on the weekends organised by students to integrate the community and to take advantage of the faculties. The staff are more than happy to support and help out with initiatives like this.  If you have any ideas you want to take forward in the way of community service and more, even if your idea doesn’t necessarily fall into your own faculty, please bring it to the head of faculty concerned or Nick.  They rarely say ‘no’ to suggestions and initiatives and may even provide a small budget, depending on the idea. These two years should not be wasted and if you plan big things you can achieve a lot.

 

Thank you for attending the meeting and for reading these minutes.  I hope you all felt that it was a productive meeting and gained a little bit more of an insight into how the college works and some of the reasoning behind decisions.

Student Council 21.01.13

AGENDA

Formal Replacement of House Reps       

Finance and Fundraising Committee

Roommate Questionnaire

Night Van

College Meeting

AC Newsletter

 

Formal Replacement of House Reps – It was decided that, in an effort to combat house reps missing Student Council and Staff-Student Council meetings, there will now be an automatic impeachment of a house rep who misses 3 meetings, without notice or reason,  during their term.  If the house rep is impeached a new rep will be elected however the impeached house rep may run again for election. The Vice-Chair is responsible for taking attendance and informing the reps in concern of their absence while the Chair is in charge of authorising absence.

 

Finance and Fundraising Committee – There was a discussion about who should be elected for the FFC and how but no conclusion was formed.  Mike, Corinne, Juan Jose and Tomas will be holding a meeting and discussing how the representatives for this committee should be chosen. Please email/speak to them if you are interested in having your opinion about the process.

 

Roommate Questionnaire – Hana Bracale wanted to collect a census of how students would feel about a form, along with the joining letters, that 0-years would fill out about cleanliness, sleeping habits, the nationalities students feel they truly represent etc.  The house parents could then use this after having chosen students to put people in dorms.  Some people disagreed with this idea stating that we are here to learn to live with people and cooperate however others believed that, medically, this could be quite important for people with sleeping disorders or other problems.  Nick Lush will be informed of this discussion.

 

Night Van – The idea of a free van from Llantwit during nights and when there is a gap in the bus/kitchen van schedule could be useful so students don’t have to call individual taxis or wait in the cold or walk back alone.  Some students felt this would be an inefficient use of financial resources while others decided that it could be a very useful and effective idea.  House reps will discuss this in house meetings on Sunday but if you would like to share your opinion speak to Hana Bracale.

 

College Meeting – TOMORROW 6:30pm.  The agenda has been sent out: Pastoral Survey, Pre-IB Implementation, Future of I.T. in the College, Community Engagement. Thank you for responding to the survey.   

 

AC Newsletter – This will be implemented by the new Chair and Vice-Chair, potentially in April.

Staff Student Council 16.01.13

AGENDA

College Wide Meeting

AC Termly Newsletter

Marketing of AC and Pre-IB

College Wide Meeting-   23^rd January. We discussed what points should be raised at this meeting and a poll will be sent to students and staff asking for their opinions. On this poll students and staff will rate the importance of each potential issue to be discussed and from this information an agenda will be formed. People must bear in mind that some points could be better suited for smaller meetings, some points should just be raised for the sake of information so collaboration and solutions can be formed at a later date. People should also be questioning the purpose of the meeting e.g. is it for establishing a communication route and information channel or is it a forum for discussion and problem solving. This will be yours to decide when the survey comes out. Note that this is the first meeting for our year group and the programme should be kept open and flexible. Feedback about the effectiveness of this event will be taken after the meeting.

AC Termly Newsletter- Over the winter break Tomás (Belón) came up with an idea of a termly newsletter that would be given out to staff, students and perhaps parents. It would be in a similar format to the termly report the Tim and Shanna send to the governors.. The initiative aims to improve communication and awareness around the college and the purpose of the newspaper is to provide a serious, student council and school issue focussed discussion forum. Statements and information would be taken from the principal, members of senior staff, the Chair and Vice-Chair and students regarding anything from previous meetings, college wide meetings or recent debates. Additionally, the newsletter would look to congratulate and appreciate the positive changes or acts that have taken place during a term and commend specific groups, students or members of staff.  There was a small debate about who would edit such a document and it was concluded that it could be mainly student council based however there could also be the opportunity for joint editing with members of staff. A formal proposal of the idea is attached to this email

Marketing of AC and Pre-IB- Students have been concerned that the focus of the Pre-IB and perhaps of AC in its advertising is too much on academics and grades. Mostly this point was meant to imply that the school should be aiming to advertise the fact that Atlantic College, and potentially a Pre-IB course, aims to have an important social and cultural impact on its students. As John Walmsley stated during the meeting, our high IB average and academic standards are in addition to, if not aided by, our important co-curricular pursuits. The mentioning of universities visiting the school is meant to indicate that top ranking colleges validate our co-curriculum and learning methods and this should be the factor drawing prospective students in. On a separate note, the date of the commencement of the pre-IB course will be released soon.

Student Council 14.01.2013

Welcome back! Last term was very hectic and full of debate, what will happen this term? We hope it will be an exciting and productive few months for Student Council and we are getting ready to welcome the successors for Chair and Vice Chair...

AGENDA

Wi-Fi Survey

Termly Newsletter

College Wide Meeting

Financial Committee

Calendar

Tracking System

 

Wi-Fi Survey – The I.T. reps have condensed the Wi-Fi survey results (Leila has even compiled the standard deviations!) and will be distributed in the form of pie charts, potentially in INK, soon.

 

Termly Newsletter – Over the winter break Tomás (Belón) came up with an idea of a termly newsletter that would be given out to staff, students and perhaps parents following  on from the report we send to the governors once or twice a term. A formal draft of the idea will be sent  out to all soon and discussed in the Staff-Student Council this Wednesday. The idea is to get statements and information from the principal, members of senior staff, the Chair and Vice-Chair and students regarding anything from previous meetings, college wide meetings or recent debates.

 

College Wide Meeting – This was requested by you and will take place Wendesday 23^rd January. We want this meeting to be productive but also act as a communication meeting, as opposed to a question and answer session. Several potential discussion topics were brought up such as the Night Train, school organised after check in activities and ore IB and more. We will be asking at staff-student what teachers would like to discuss and send a survey where you will get to rate the importance of each point.

 

Financial Committee – This committee is focussed on finance, fundraising and understanding the accounts of Atlantic College. John Walmsley hopes for 12-15 members, Corinne and Mike are looking into  who these people should be and how they should be chosen. They will be speaking to Nick Martin soon for further information.

 

Calendar – Before the end of last term Nick Lush sent out the Spring calendar that describes events, national evenings and meetings for the upcoming months. This can also be found on mackerel resources – calendar, timetable and schedules – 2013-2014 – Draft Calendar…

 

Tracking System – A poll survey has been made and will be sent to Nick Lush regarding the confidentiality of the tracking system and your views on who should see what information. This will be available for voting soon.

 

Staff Student Council TOMORROW NIGHT. All are welcome!

 

Love,

Student Council xx

 

Student Council 03.12.12

AGENDA

Honour Code

Student Police

Gwynedd Alarms

Tice Door

Window Restrictors

Pre-IB

Attendance Records

ICT Steering Committee

Finance and Fundraising Committee

Pastoral Survey

 

Honour Code – There was an enormous amount of discussion about this ranging from having a school based, unwritten honour code to a house specific honour code. The final ideas that were decided upon for further debate were; a house based code, a school wide code, a combination of both house and school based codes or have the houses come up with their top ten values for an honour code and create a school wide honour code based on the values which are the same for each house.

 

Student Police – David Lankes will be describing this idea at 5pm in the Great Hall. Please attend to be informed because there will be a vote on this next term. Isaac Urner will also be there to talk about the Honour code.

 

Gwynedd Alarms – The pitch is ridiculously high and the volume too loud. Students have complained and we will be bringing this to staff-student council tomorrow.

 

Tice Door – Students argue that the back door to Tice should be un-alarmed as it is the only house with apparent justification for this. Nick Lush has already spoken to Tice house about this issue however the students feel that the decision is unfair. It will be brought to staff-student.

 

Window Restrictors – After complaining that the window restrictors did not allow enough air it has become clear that no course was taken to relieve this discomfort relating to lack of air flow. Tim and Shanna will see John Walmsley to get some action about this problem.

 

Pre-IB – Our response to this program and John’s information email will be dealt with at a later date.

 

Attendance Records – Some students would like the attendance records on reports to be more clear and state exactly what code/activity/service session was missed. The arguments for this are that we need to make sure teachers are completing the attendance records correctly, there should be more transparency and parents should be aware of what their children are missing. This will be brought to staff-student.

 

ICT Steering Committee – This body is formed with Dave Booker, John Walmsley, Sally Norris, Margot McIntyre and David Hills. It deals with technology issues around the school. The minutes are available on mackerel, see Michael Manning’s email.

 

Finance and Fundraising Committee – Corinne and Mike spoke to John about this idea. He outlined a committee of 12-14 members who would attend 2 meetings a term with senior management. They would be trained by Nick Martin to understand the necessary economic terms. The committee would discuss finances, potential donors to the college and look to inform the student body about what the money the college receives goes towards.

 

Pastoral Survey – There was a lot of confusion about what this survey would be used for, where it would go, who would read it etc. Some students didn’t feel entirely comfortable knowing their house parent may read their comments and therefore could not be completely honest. Students also felt that we have the right to review the survey to ensure it is not biased of looking for specific answers. We will ask about this at staff student. It was also noted that the survey only happens every two years and perhaps it should be more frequent. We would like to be informed of the general results of the surveys e.g. are students happy with health centre?

 

Staff-Student Council will be tomorrow at 9pm in the Great Hall, anyone is free to attend.

 

Love,

Student Council xx

Staff Student Council 14.11.12

AGENDA             

AC Community Engagement Activity

Honour Code

UWC Exchange Program

Pre-IB Response

Small issues with alarms

Tracking System

 

AC Community Engagement Activity- This activity will be proposed next term and may work with current systems. The idea is to encourage and implement student responsibility within the Llantwit community. The activity would write letters, organise community events and offer help for general requests such as gardening.

 

Honour Code – Isaac Urner has brought this to the council. The concept here would be that the students would abide by a ‘moral code’ which would act below the code of conduct. It could change the mentality and culture of AC regarding certain issues and allow positive peer pressure to be applied. There are concerns that the group would become too ‘police’ like or that it would be difficult to impose however the suggestion has been met with general positivity and will be looked into further.

 

UWC Exchange Program – Phillipa Hawke and Ricardo Tuma are looking for ways to increase communication and relationships with other UWC’s so as to encourage interaction and support the ethos. Potentially, students would visit other UWC’s either during term time, project week or holidays. The students would pay for the experience themselves and may have to undergo an application process. The issue here would be the practicality of missing school and the effect therefore on the students IB. The idea will continue to be developed and a formal proposal will be written.

 

Pre-IB Response – There is a split among the students between those who have accepted the Pre-IB program but who would like to ensure we are deeply involved in its inception and those who oppose the idea entirely. We, as the Student Council,  will be forming a document that expresses our main concerns with the course (e.g. integration, teaching time) and express how we would like to see the program develop.

 

Small issues with alarms – Difficulties with the alarms such as beeping throughout the night, arriving to school from holiday very late in the evening and contacting the night porters from outside the houses to open the doors will be looked into.

 

Tracking System – Students wanted clarification about what information was seen on this new tracking system. Dave and Nick have explained that every student has an individual profile where information such as attendance, grades, reports, medical files and more are stored. However, certain information can only be accessed by specific people therefore keeping what should be confidential private.