Great Neck South High School

Shared Decision Making Committees

Year End Report 2015-2016

Committee Members:
Faculty & Administration: S haron Appelbaum, Chris Beaujon, Sheryl
Demetres, Jane Callaghan, Karen Cantor, Aeneas Carravetta, Lori Cresci, Karen
Cuchel, John Duggan, Susan Elliott, Christopher Erickson, Gerry Finazzo, Linda
Haase, Brad Krauz (Co-Chair), Donna Nystrom, Michelle Sorise (Co-Chair), Vicki
Solomon, Jennie Yi
Students: A
ram Bagdassarian, Andersen Gu, Caroline Hong, Azim Keshwani,
Macy Meng, Tina Pavlovich, Jacob Raphael, Haley Raphael, Megha Reddy, Lynne
Xie & Miranda Zhang, Josephine Zheng
Parents: Lisa Carbone (Co-Chair), Lily Cheng, Lisa Goodwin, Alina Hendler,
Michelle Hung Balkcom, Debbie Sossman, Barbara Sperling (Co-Chair), Debbie
Volk

Meetings:
The Committee meets on a monthly basis at 2:45pm and generally ends by 4:00pm.
9-21, 10-05, 11-02, 12-07, 01-014, 02-01, 03-14, 04-4, 05-02 & 06-06
 SCHEDULE CHANGE POLICY RECOMMENDATION

After much discussion and collaboration, it was agreed that consistency is necessary in the
procedures involved in schedule changes the week preceding the start of school. The attached
letter is the agreed-upon recommendation on the part of the committee to help ensure more
consistent practices with regard to schedule change week.

UNIFYING EVENT

As a continuation from the previous year, a goal to develop a unifying event has been
undertaken. Our objective is to involve students with varied interests and friendship circles in a
school-wide event in an effort to unify the student body and increase overall school spirit. A s a
committee, we agreed to expand upon an existing event rather than develop something new.
After review of the various events that take place during the year, the committee decided to
enhance South Highs Homecoming weekend with the hope of integrating the various social and
cultural groups, along with highlighting the various clubs, sports, and other extra-curricular
activities through a more inclusive event at the start of next school year. Friday, October 14th
and Saturday, October 15th will be designated as South Highs Homecoming weekend. In
coordination with the athletic department, as many athletic contests as possible will be
scheduled at South High. The Boys Athletic Association coordinates a pep rally to recognize
our student-athletes. This will take place at the end of the school day on Friday, October 14th.
Our goal is to coordinate with other extra-curricular groups to provide them an opportunity,
immediately after the pep rally, to help promote school spirit while promoting their own success.
In addition, the committee will be coordinating a faculty event immediately after school on Friday
(possibly a faculty volleyball game) for students to enjoy prior to the start of any athletic
competitions. Athletic contests will continue through Saturday, and after coordinating with the
Key Club they will schedule their dance for the evening of Saturday, October 15th. Our
committee will be focusing on publicity, entertainment, club coordination, sports team
coordination, and faculty event coordination as we look to have this ready for the start of next
school year.
 William A. Shine
GREAT NECK SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL
SHARED DECISION MAKING COMMITTEE

To Whom it May Concern:

After careful consideration, active discussion, and reflection on the current schedule change
procedures, the Shared Decision Making Committee would like to make the following
recommendations to ensure a more consistent practice in schedule changes for all students.

1. When informing students and families about schedule change week, please include the
following as acceptable reasons to request a schedule change meeting with guidance:
a. Requesting a change due to a students direct prior experience with a teacher.
b. Requesting a change to add a lunch period, schedule lunch at an appropriate
time or arrange a lunch period with friends.
c. Issues or errors in the schedule, including but not limited to:
i. Several major core courses in a row
ii. Course/ elective change (Example - AP Physics to AP Environmental,
Ceramics to Architecture, etc.)
iii. Course level change (Example- AP English to Regents English)
iv. Too many study halls
v. Individualized Education Program (IEP) changes
d. Any extenuating circumstance about a students schedule that is critical to
discuss with guidance prior to the start of school.

2. The following issues should be addressed during the student spring scheduling meeting
with guidance:
a. Requesting a particular subject to be in the morning or afternoon.
b. Having fall-back options available that would limit major changes to a students
schedule should a course need to be dropped or a level changed.

An ancillary point from this discussion was the importance of parity between grading practices
and course workload for students that take the same course but have different teachers. While
it is understood that students should not use teacher selection as a basis for a schedule change
request, it is our recommendation that efforts be made to create a more consistent educational
experience for students.