School Improvement Council (SIC)

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Sand Hill Elementary School
“Learn, Grow, Serve”
August 15, 2025
7:30am 

 

• Welcome & Open Comments
• Expectations for the Year
• SIC Checklist, Report Card, & Goals Review
• Dick and Tunky Riley Award for School Improvement Council Excellence
• Updates from the Principal
• Election for SIC Members
• Review of Decisions and Action Items

Meeting Minutes 

Attendees: Stephen Rabon, Steven Infinger, Kim Perry, Corine Horelback, Teneshia Slempa, Lisa Bailey-Peters, Melissa Young, Meghan Grady, Melissa Odom, Vincent Joy

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Welcome & Opening Comments

The meeting began with a report of a smooth start to the school year, noting significant improvements compared to the previous year. It was also mentioned that anticipated areas of concern were better than expected.

Teneshia Slempa offered to serve as a parent liaison, a role she currently holds at East Edisto Middle School. It was noted that Special Services are available to provide additional support to school families.

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Expectations for the Year

The council discussed its broad expectations for the academic year:

• Build upon the momentum established last year.
• Meet all state SIC expectations.
• Conduct the biennial review of the council's by-laws.
• Continue producing video recaps of meetings.
• Establish specific, actionable goals at a future meeting.

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Principal's Update

The principal provided several key updates:

• School Growth: The large student population of over 1,300 impacts the school's ability to host family events. Projections show an additional 200 students enrolling each year for the next two years, maintaining the school's status as the second-largest elementary school in the state.
• Survey Results: Last year's teacher and parent survey results showed positive improvements over the previous year.
• School Report Card: There is strong optimism that the school will earn an "Excellent" rating, or very close to it, on this year’s state report card.
• Assessments: MAP Reading assessments were administered on August 14, and students have already received their Lexile scores.
• Staffing: The principal expressed excitement regarding new teachers hired for the 4th and 5th-grade levels.
• Goal Themes: Key themes for this year's goals will be Academic Growth and Culture. Academic growth will be measured using MAP scores for more immediate data, while the culture goal will focus on improving teacher retention.

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SIC Member Election Process

The council must elect this year’s members by the October 15th deadline. The following process was agreed upon:

1. Stephen Rabon will draft the nomination process and timeline and send it to the council for review.
2. Once the group approves the process, it will be sent to Vince Joy.
3. Vince Joy will post a call for nominations on ParentSquare, with nominations directed to the official SIC email account.
4. Stephen Rabon will collect the nominations and create a Google Form for voting.
5. Vince Joy will distribute the voting form to the community via ParentSquare.

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Review of Decisions & Action Items

Decisions Made:

• The SIC will sponsor monthly "Power Hour" events to support parent engagement. The first Power Hour will be at 7:30 a.m. on September 5th.
• SIC meetings will continue to be held in the mornings.

Action Items:

• All Members: Brainstorm specific goals related to academic growth and teacher retention to discuss at the September meeting.
• Stephen Rabon: Draft the SIC nomination process and timeline for group review.
• Stephen Rabon: Distribute the current by-laws to all members for review throughout the year.

Next Meeting:

The next SIC meeting is scheduled for September 5th at 8:30 a.m.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Sand Hill Elementary School
“Learn, Grow, Serve”

 

• Welcome & Open Comments
• Power Hour Debrief
• SIC Checklist & Report Card Review
• Nomination & Election Process
• Goals Discussion
• Review of Decisions and Action Items

 

Meeting Minutes

Date: September 5, 2025

Attendees: Stephen Rabon (SIC Chair), Steven Infinger, Kim Perry, Corine Horelback, Teneshia Slempa, Matt Marous, Lisa Bailey-Peters, Melissa Young, Meghan Grady, Melissa Odom, and Vincent Joy (Principal).

Key Discussion Points
Welcome & Open Comments: The council expressed positive feedback regarding the school's new hires.

Power Hour Debrief: The council noted a successful Power Hour event with 25 attendees. Discussions focused on the process of student placement, and attendees were engaged and had many questions. The school is working on a strategic plan to accommodate continued student growth (currently 1,300+).

Principal's Update: Principal Joy shared potential solutions to address learning gaps and outlined the school's goals. The council decided to use MAP scores instead of SC Ready results to measure progress toward these goals, as this will allow them to determine if goals are met by the end of the school year.

SIC Checklist and Election Process
The council reviewed the SIC checklist and the upcoming election process.

Four nominations were received for the SIC. Three nominees accepted, and the council decided to use two newly elected officials to address the need for staggered terms.

Voting will be communicated via Parent Square and conducted via Google Forms.

The council will select officers from the newly elected members at the next meeting.

The council currently has one appointed community member, C. Horelback, and will appoint at least one more by November 15.

Action Items and Owners

• Send write-up and election form to Principal Joy. (Stephen Rabon)
• Push out voting for SIC members via Parent Square. (Stephen Rabon & Vincent Joy)
• September 8-17, 2025- Select officers from the newly elected SIC members. (SIC)
• Finalize the SIC goals. (SIC)
• Appoint community members. (Joy)

Next Meeting: 

• The next SIC meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 2, 2025, at 7:30 AM. The date was moved from October 3 due to the school's Fun Run.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Sand Hill Elementary School-Media Center
“Learn, Grow, Serve”

• Welcome & Open Comments
• Power Hour Debrief
• SIC Checklist & Report Card Review
• Election of Officers
• Setting Goals
• Review of Decisions and Action Items

Meeting Minutes
Date: 10/2/2025  Time: 8:40 AM
Location: SHES PLR

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1. Call to Order

• Meeting called to order at 8:40 AM by Stephen Rabon.

2. Attendance

• Members Present: Vincent Joy, Nichole Crews, Melissa Young, Steven Infinger, Kim Perry, Stephen Rabon, Amanda Turner, and Meghan Grady
• Members Absent: Corine Horlback and Teneshia Slempa
• Guests: Nicolette McCall, Matt Marous, Caitlin Siracusa, and Lisa Bailey-Peters

3. Reports

• Principal’s Report: The morning’s Parent Power Hour (covering MAP testing) was well attended. The school report is expected to be released mid-month. This year’s focus will be on pursuing growth for all students.
• Committee Updates: Quick elections were held for board officers. Stephen Rabon was re-elected as SIC Chair. Kim Perry was elected SIC Vice-Chair and Publicity Officer. Meghan Grady was elected Secretary.

4. Old Business

• The council continued discussion of potential SIC goals for the year.
• Ideas included strategies to improve parent engagement and ways to encourage students to achieve beyond the average.
• Parent board member candidates and the election process were reviewed.
• The council also examined the school’s report card from last year in depth.

5. New Business

• The council discussed the impressive funds raised by the PTA.
• Members talked about continuing “Power Hours,” including potential future topics and events that align with SIC goals.
• The council agreed on a goal to increase growth among all students and identified ways to measure progress, including attendance, video views, and engagement during SIC events and communications.
• The council also discussed switching the SIC Facebook page to a Community or Business page in order to access Meta Business tools and gather helpful information about audience engagement.

6. Action Items / Next Steps

• Mr. Joy will appoint one more community member to the SIC board.
• Transition the Facebook page to a Community or Business page.

7. Next Meeting

• Scheduled for November 7, 2025, at 8:30 AM.

8. Adjournment

• Meeting adjourned at 9:20 AM.

 

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Sand Hill Elementary School
“Learn, Grow, Serve”

 

• Welcome & Open Comments
• SIC Checklist & Report Card Review
• Review of Bylaws
• Review of Goals
• Establishing Sub-committees
• Review of Decisions and Action Items

Time: 8:30 AM

Location: SHES PLR

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1. Call to Order

   • Meeting called to order at 8:30 AM by Stephen Rabon.

2. Attendance

   Members Present:

   • Nichole Crews
   • Melissa Young
   • Stephen Rabon
   • Amanda Turner
   • Corine Horlback
   • Teneshia Slempa
   • Eli Infante
   • Meghan Grady

   Members Absent:

   • Vincent Joy
   • Steven Infinger
   • Kim Perry

   Guests:

   • Nicolette McCall
   • Caitlin Siracusa
   • Raena Kempe
   • Lisa Bailey-Peters

3. Reports

   Committee Updates:

   Mr. Joy obtained a second community member for the board. We are happy to welcome Eli Infante as a community member on our SIC board.

4. Shout Outs

   • Big shout-out to our PTA for a wonderful Trunk or Treat event. It was very well organized, smoothly run, and had a huge volunteer turnout.
   • Ms. Bailey-Peters shared updates on the amazing Fine Arts team and the one-on-one interventions they have been providing in kindergarten to help target growth and build strong foundations with our youngest learners.
   • Another big PTA shout-out to Merry Market Chair, Raena Kempe, for completing the sourcing of inventory for this event. In addition, a big thanks to Ms. Young for assisting with scheduling and setup.
   • Our final shout-out goes to our wonderful community of volunteers for logging the most volunteer hours in the district last month. They truly go above and beyond.

5. Checklist Items

   • We are in full compliance with the state’s required checklist items due November 15.
   • The Report to Parents is a future checklist item scheduled for April.

6. Report Card

   The report card is still being updated with the most current data. We should have all information ready by the December SIC meeting.

7. Bylaw Review

   • This was a general review of the SIC bylaws, which were last revised on December 7, 2023.
   • All amendments are designed to align with our five-year improvement plan, driven by the school report card.
   • The Read to Succeed Act requires each South Carolina school to have a plan and scope for reading instruction, along with plans for any reading interventions needed.
     • Ms. Bailey-Peters will follow up at the December meeting to provide more information and understanding of this program and how it is implemented.
   • Mr. Rabon made a motion to change the deadline for the appointment of community members to the SIC from October to November 15 to allow for more time given the busy start of the school year. The motion was seconded and will be formally amended at the next meeting.
   • All SIC communications—including meeting agendas, notes, and election information—are stored in a Google Drive connected to the SIC Gmail account.
   • We will add an SIC communication piece to the weekly newsletter, distributed by Ms. Infante, to capture more engagement opportunities for our target goal.
   • A question was raised regarding Section 7, Part C, Item 3, about where official agendas and minutes are stored. Are we compliant by posting them on the SIC website? It was also asked whether we need to retain these items from previous years.
     • Mr. Rabon will follow up on this.
   • A helpful reference resource for School Improvement Council information can be found at https://www.sc-sic.org/quick-references.

8. Goals

   • We are compliant with our minimum goal of completing the required state checklist.
   • Our stretch goal is to earn an “Exceptional” school rating.
   • Our target goal was adjusted from 20,000 engagement points to 25,000.
     • We will measure this through the events we sponsor or participate in, Parent Power Hour attendance, recap video views, and potentially newsletter engagement.
   • Our focus this year has shifted from community and teacher satisfaction to driving academic growth among students.
   • Other ideas to continue or introduce include the Teacher Encouragement Note Campaign and partnering with an anti-bullying campaign. (Happy students = better performance!)

9. Subcommittees

   • Parent Power Hour
   • Supplemental Curriculum
     • Discussion was held about bringing back Sleep Tight Sundays and rebranding it to be fresh, new, and SIC-hosted.
     • A motion was made and seconded to make Sleep Tight Sundays its own subcommittee.

   Sleep Tight Sunday Subcommittee:

   • Members: Nichole Crews, Teneshia Slempa, Raena Kempe, Amanda Turner, and Lisa Bailey-Peters
   • The chair of this committee will be decided at the December meeting.

   Pep Rally Subcommittee:

   • A motion was made to establish this as a subcommittee.
   • Members: Teneshia Slempa, Eli Infante, Nicolette McCall, and Corine Horlback
   • The chair will be decided at the December meeting.

   Podcast:

   • The idea was discussed as a subcommittee, but the general consensus was not to move forward at this time.
   • We will revisit this topic next month in consultation with Mr. Joy.

   Proposal for a Pie Day Event by the SIC:

   • Raena Kempe will bring materials and additional information to provide the council with a full proposal for this potential event.

10. Adjournment

    • Meeting was adjourned at 9:32 AM.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Sand Hill Elementary School
“Learn, Grow, Serve”

• Welcome and Open Comments
• SIC Checklist and Report Card Review
• Amendment of Bylaws
• Read to Succeed Presentation
• Dick and Tunky Riley Award for SIC Excellence
• Sub-committee Follow Up & Timelines
• Pi Day Proposal
• Review of Decisions and Action Items

Sand Hill Elementary

School Improvement Council

Meeting Minutes

Date: 12/5/2025 Time: 8:35 AM

Location: SHES Cafeteria

1. Call to Order

   • Meeting called to order at 8:35 AM by Stephen Rabon.

2. Attendance

   • Members Present: Vincent Joy, Steven Infinger, Kim Perry, Melissa Young, Stephen Rabon, Teneshia Slempa, Ely Infante, and Meghan Grady
   • Members Absent: Nichole Crews, Amanda Turner, and Corine Horlback
   • Guests: Raena Kempe, Melissa Odom, and Lisa Bailey-Peters

3. Shout Outs

   • SIC parent members and staff members recognized students’ growth on the winter MAP assessment and how well students were tied to their goals and making progress on their winter benchmarks.

4. Report Card

   • Joy and Rabon will update the school report card to reflect the information and scores from the previous school year.

5. Bylaw Review

   • The council voted to adopt the amendment to the bylaws to change the required number of meetings to 8 per year with the elected or appointed board members.

6. Special Agenda Item: Read to Succeed Presentation

   • Ms. Bailey-Peters presented information to SIC to help educate and inform the council about Read to Succeed. Read to Succeed is part of the state-mandated requirements to deliver, monitor, and support literacy instruction for students.
   • Action Item: Ms. Bailey-Peters and Ms. Grady will collaborate to secure community volunteers to read with students.
     • Bailey-Peters will speak with staff about their needs and availability.
     • Grady will prepare an informative statement for potential volunteers outlining their roles and responsibilities.
     • Once these items are completed, the SIC reading pal volunteer opportunity will be shared with all Verified Volunteers.

7. Dick and Tunky Riley Awards

   • We are applying to be nominated for this state award in recognition of our work and efforts during the 2024–2025 school year.
   • Many thanks to Ms. Wilde and a 5th-grade student for writing letters on our behalf about the benefits and impact our committee made on the school community last year.

8. Subcommittee Follow-Up and Timelines

   • Sleep Tight Sunday Committee
     • A plan, schedule, content outline, and list of needed resources must be established for the Jan. 9th SIC meeting for us to move forward.
   • Pep Rally Committee
     • Stephen Rabon appointed Ms. Grady as the pep rally chair. Mr. Joy volunteered to assist as well.
     • An outline needs to be prepared with deadlines for organizing the pep rally, purchasing items, and planning the “skits.”

9. Additional Items

   • Ms. Perry shared information on our social media engagement numbers. While videos are being watched, most viewers stop watching after about 2 minutes.
     • The committee discussed breaking recap videos into shorter 2-minute segments in hopes that all information will be viewed by our audience.
   • The Pi Day proposal was moved to the January agenda.

10. Adjournment

    • Meeting was adjourned at 9:25 AM.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Sand Hill Elementary School-PLR
“Learn, Grow, Serve”

• Welcome & Open Comments
• SIC Checklist & Report Card Review
• By-Law Update and Proposal
• Sub-committee Follow
• Review of Decisions and Action Items

 

 

Sand Hill Elementary

 

School Improvement Council

 

Meeting Minutes

 

Date: 1/9/2026 Time: 8:35 AM

 

January 9 Sic Meeting Minutes

 

Sand Hill Elementary School Improvement Council (SIC) Official Meeting Minutes

 

1.       Call to Order          
   • The meeting was called to order at 8:33 AM
   • A discussion was held regarding adjusting future SIC meeting start times to better accommodate members. The council unanimously agreed to move future meetings to 7:30 AM
2.       Attendance       
   • Members Present: Vincent Joy, Dr. Micah Behrens, Nichole Crews, Raena Kempe, Melissa Young, Teneshia Slempa, Corine Horlback, Stephen Rabon, Meghan Grady, Lisa Bailey-Peters
   • Members Absent: Steven Infinger, Kim Perry, Ely Infante, Amanda Turner
   • Guests: Raena Kempe
3.       Shout Outs                 
   • December accomplishments were highlighted, including strong student growth on MAP assessments.
   • The success of the Merry Market was recognized.
   • The opening of the new school building was celebrated.
   • Appreciation was extended to teachers for successfully completing the move into the new building in one day and demonstrating flexibility.
   • Students returned from winter break in positive spirits.
4.       Staff Pulse Check          
   • Staff morale was discussed and reported as positive at this point in the school year.
   • Appreciation was expressed for the staff breakfast provided.
5.       School Report Card            
   • The school report card has been updated to reflect the most recent student performance data.  
   • Continued emphasis will be placed on student progress and academic growth. 
6.       School Climate          
   • School climate initiatives are in place and are being consistently maintained.
7.       Goals Review               
   • Minimum targets and stretch goals were reviewed.       
   • Progress toward goals was discussed.       
   • The importance of student goal setting was emphasized as a key component of academic and personal success.
8.       Bylaws and Amendments          
   • Bylaws adopted at the previous meeting were officially incorporated into the governing documents.
   • Amendments provide additional time for the appointment of community members.
   • A proposal outlining seven full-council meetings per year, with a recommended total of nine meetings including partial council meetings early in the year, was reviewed.
9.       Subcommittee Follow-Up and Action Items          
   • Sleep Tight Sunday Committee
     • Due to time and organizational constraints, the committee determined that the initiative would not be feasible during the current school year.
     • The council agreed to redirect efforts towards a tutoring program.
   •  Tutoring Pilot Program 
     • Students in need of additional reading support will be identified using existing data. 
     • Volunteers may be sourced from local high school students, Rollings Middle School 8th graders, community partners, and NHA.
     • Intentional student-volunteer pairing will be prioritized.
     • The pilot program will focus on grades 3–5 for the current school year.
     • The program will aim to provide consistent weekly support.
10.  Power Hour           
    • Power Hour is scheduled for January 15, 2026, from 6:00–7:00 PM.
    • Promotion will occur through school and community social media platforms.    
    • A $50 Corner House gift card drawing will be offered to encourage attendance and engagement. 
11.       Additional Items      

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Sand Hill Elementary School-Cafeteria
“Learn, Grow, Serve”

February 6, 2026

Welcome & Open Comments
SIC Checklist & Report Card Review
Fit Night Booth
Parent Power Hour
Riley Award Round 2 Submission
“Taking Flight” Pilot Group
SC Ready Pep Rally
Review of Decisions and Action Items

 

SIC Meeting Minutes

February 6, 2026

In attendance:

• Stephen Rabon
• Steven Infinger
• Meghan Grady
• Amanda Turner
• Eli Infante
• Kim Perry
• Teneshia Slempa
• Melissa Odom
• Melissa Young
• Jen Herold
• Nichole Crews

Encouraging Stories:

• Infante shared his experience as a Teacher of the Year judge. He enjoyed going into classrooms.
• Crews mentioned sharing the Diaper Drive so more diapers can be donated.
• PTA just purchased new playground equipment. Possible installation will be around spring break.

SIC Checklist Review:

Reviewed checklist. We will update the report and brochure at our next meeting.

SIC Goals:

Target goal- Points of engagement. Rabon will post videos on SIC Facebook page to review goals and increase engagement.

FIT Night:

• Perry and Grady represented SIC at FIT Night on February 5th.
• Grady mentioned creating a QR code for SIC Facebook page to increase followers.
• Crews mentioned having PTA and SIC as required stations for special events may help increase engagement and exposure.

Agenda:

• Welcome & Open Comments
• SIC Checklist & Report Card Review
• Parent Power Hour
• “Taking Flight” Update
• SC Ready Pep Rally
• SIC Annual Report
• Review of Decisions and Action Items

SIC Meeting Minutes

3.6.26

7:30-8:30am

In attendance:

Stephen Rabon, Steven Infinger, Meghan Grady, Amanda Turner, Corinne Horlback, Melissa Odom, Melissa Young, Raina Kempe, Vincent Joy

Welcome and Open Comments:

Mr. Joy shared a few data highlights.

Target Goal Progress:

1. Taking Flight: We have over 50 SHES students enrolled in the tutoring program, and we’ve offered 80 sessions so far. High School tutors are building relationships with our students and working on targeted skills. Ms. Grady has done a great job launching the program. Ms. Infante has been overseeing the sessions in the designated classroom. Scheduling has been challenging, but we appreciate everyone’s flexibility. Additional support is needed for sourcing materials. Ms. Odom recommended creating a team of teachers who could help plan materials for the program. We could possibly offer comp time for teachers who help plan content for this program.
2. Points of Engagement: We need 8,000 more points of engagement.

Parent Power Hour:

Next Power Hour~ March 13 at 7:30am- Extracurriculars and clubs at SHES

Final Power Hour~ April: Superintendent Chad Daughterty will be on campus for a Q & A session with families. Brian Bohannon has also been invited to attend, and we are planning to live stream. We are brainstorming the best ways of live streaming.

SCREADY Pep Rally- “Up, Up, Up”

Mr. Joy has some skit ideas. Grady purchased bracelets yesterday since they were on sale. Lowcountry Party Mom is planning on doing a balloon arch for us as a backdrop. Mr. Rabon is willing to MC the event again. The “Call to Response” posters went well last year! We need to determine pep rally student helpers. Ms. Odom recommended that each teacher select five students per class who would be Pep Rally participants for skits, games, dances, etc. We will explore items to purchase (i.e., pom poms, wigs, etc.) We will continue brainstorming ideas from now until our next meeting in April.

Annual Report Review:

We reviewed annual report drafts and discussed tweaks for this year’s publications. Ms. Young will update the annual report drafts and will share the drafts with SIC.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30am. Our next meeting is scheduled for April 10th at 7:30am in the PLR.