LRSD News

The Little Rock School District is in need of tutors to assist in the AVID program at seven schools. Tutors should possess the following qualifications:

Be a high school senior or college student
Have good academic standing of 3.0 GPA or better
Have reliable transportation
Have good written and oral communication skills
Have strong writing and math skills
Have a "clean" federal background check

Anyone interested in becoming an AVID tutor must attend a training on Saturday, September 25 , 2010 from 8:30 – 3:30 p.m. at the IRC Building, 3001 S. Pulaski Street.

If hired to tutor and after working for two weeks, tutors will be paid $10 per hour. Flexible scheduling is available for part-time positions.

If interested, please contact Laureen Isom with the Little Rock School District at 501-447-2971 or laureen.isom@lrsd.org.

Once again, the time has come for many students to begin thinking about college choices. The Little Rock School District will offer students and parents an opportunity to meet with many colleges, universities, technical schools, financial institutions, military representatives and more to help students make the right post-secondary choices.

College Night will be held on Tuesday, October 5, at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Financial aid sessions will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. and also from 7 to 8 p.m. All high school students are encouraged to participate.

This is a rare opportunity to talk to so many college representatives from all over the United States under one roof!

For more information, please contact Laureen Isom, Director of Counseling & College/Workplace Readiness, at 447-2971 or laureen.isom@lrsd.org. Colleges that would like to participate, who have not represented in previous years, are also encouraged to inquire.

You can help your child succeed in school by obtaining a tutor. Attend the Provider's Showcase on Monday, September 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Metroplex, located at 10800 Col. Glenn Rd.

Students eligible include those in grades 3 through 10 who attend the following schools and also are eligible to participate in the free/reduced lunch program:

Baseline, Franklin, Geyer Springs, Mabelvale Elementary, Rockefeller, Washington, Watson, Cloverdale Middle, Dunbar Middle, Forest Heights Middle, Henderson Middle, Mabelvale Middle and McClellan High School.

For more information, please contact the LRSD Grants/SES Department at 447-3373.

The Little Rock School District is pleased to announce the final scholarship award totals of the Class of 2010. Keep in mind that these are scholarships accepted, not simply offered.

More than 1,500 students graduated from LRSD's five high schools and the Accelerated Learning Center, and those students accepted more than 1,000 scholarships totaling an amazing $19.5 million! A school-by-school breakdown is below.

Central: 586 students graduated; scholarships totaled $10,727,257.

Hall: 252 students graduated; scholarships totaled $1,637,700.

J.A. Fair: 193 students graduated; scholarships totaled $908,054.

McClellan: 135 students graduated; scholarships totaled $1,066,154.

Parkview: 240 students graduated; scholarships totaled $5,224,193.

Accelerated Learning Center: 100 students graduated.

District totals: 1,506 students graduated; scholarships totaled $19,563,358.

Highland Valley United Methodist Church devised a great way to welcome back the students at Watson Intermediate School: they donated enough uniforms for every student at the school to have a pair of pants and two shirts each.

Highland Valley, soon to be a Partner in Education with Watson, began this uniform drive in mid-June and amazingly received enough donations from church members to be able to commit this amazing act of kindness.

Highland Valley’s generosity enabled students and parents to get the school year started off on the right foot.

It’s off into the wild blue yonder – and beyond — for students at the new Cloverdale Aerospace Technology Conversion Charter Middle School! The reconstituted school opened on August 19 with a new staff and a new curriculum. That’s not all: the school day at Cloverdale is extended, giving students an extra 30 minutes of instruction time each day. The biggest change, however, is the aerospace technology theme that is infused throughout the curriculum.

While Cloverdale's new curriculum leans heavily on aerospace technology and includes curriculum from NASA and its Partner in Education, Pulaski Technical College, the main emphasis is literacy and accelerated achievement for all students. Cloverdale has high expectations for everyone and will ensure that all students are computer competent.

Some of the specialized technology at Cloverdale includes space flight simulator programs which will enable students to feel as if they are actually flying an airplane or the Space Shuttle. Students also will participate in virtual field trips which will enable them to visit NASA and other places of interest without actually leaving their classrooms.

Photo: Cloverdale students consult with Aerospace Investigations teacher Lisa Mack about their class schedules.

St. Vincent Health System recently made a three-year, $150,000 financial commitment to expand the O.K. (Our Kids) Program in the Little Rock School District. The O.K. Program is a law-enforcement-based mentoring program that fosters partnerships between police agencies, schools, community members and the faith-based community to provide guidance and support to young African-American males. It is designed around a high school and the local middle school(s) that feed into it. Hall High School and Forest Heights Middle School are included in this phase of implementation. Central High School and Dunbar Magnet Middle School were the first schools to participate in the program in 2007, and other schools will follow in the future.

The O.K. Program’s goals include:
-- Reduce high incarceration rate of African-American males
-- Reduce the homicide rate of African-American males
-- Reduce gang affiliation
-- Reduce gun violence
-- Educate students about police procedures
-- Provide role models with strong, positive character
-- Enhance individual self-esteem and self-confidence
-- Enhance academic performance
-- Enhance individual and civic responsibility
-- Promote healthy lifestyles
-- Prevent substance abuse
-- Reduce teenage pregnancies
-- Develop responsible citizens.

The first installment of $50,000 to support the LRPD’s involvement in the O.K. Program was made to Little Rock’s City Manager, Bruce Moore, and the LRPD at a press conference at Hall High School.

In addition to the funds from St. Vincent, the Fox Family Foundation also donated $25,000 to the program. Melanie Fox is a member of the LRSD Board of Education, and her husband, Jeff, is the CEO of Convergys Corporation. Melanie Fox made the announcement of the donation at the same press conference.

“St. Vincent Health System has long supported youth and education in our community,” said St. Vincent Health System President Peter D. Banko. “We see the O.K. Program as a vital link in providing guidance and support to young African-American men with a focus on education, crime prevention and self improvement.”

Dr. Fitz Hill, President of Arkansas Baptist College, also is optimistic about the program. “We are confident that, through [St. Vincent’s] support, the next three years will bring us closer to our goal of reducing crime and bringing about positive change in our community.”

Also on hand for the check presentation were Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola; LRSD Superintendent Dr. Linda Watson; LRPD Chief Stuart Thomas; LRPD Sgt. Willie Davis (O.K. Program director); LRSD staff, parents and students; and many others who are committed to the success of the program.

Founded in 1990 in Rancho Cordova, California, the O.K. Program now has its national headquarters on the campus of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock.

The Little Rock School District continues to utilize available federal stimulus funds to make improvements and upgrades throughout the district.

This summer, for instance, the district began a project to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) security systems on many LRSD campuses.

Installation of CCTV systems has been completed at the following sites:

Adult Education,     Booker,     Dunbar,     Felder,     Forest Heights,     Hall,     Hamilton,     Mann,     Quigley Stadium,     Terry,     Washington,       Williams

Work should be completed on the CCTV systems at these locations by fall:

Baseline,     Carver,     Central,     Cloverdale,     Dodd,     J.A. Fair,     Fulbright,     Geyer Springs,     King,     McClellan,     Otter Creek,     Romine,     Watson

Work on the following schools should be complete by October:

Bale,     Brady,     Gibbs,     Mabelvale Elem.

Leroy Harris, ARRA Coordinator, and Heath Ingram, CCTV Coordinator in the Safety & Security Department, spearheaded this project. The LRSD will have spent approximately $672,000 when all work on the CCTV installation project has been completed.

Five... four... three... two... one... ignition... takeoff! Yes, Cloverdale is ready to take off into the wild blue yonder and educate students in a completely new way!

To help prepare for the new school year, Cloverdale Aerospace Technology Conversion Charter Middle School teachers and staff volunteered their time and expertise on July 24 at the Annual Community Festival in Southwest Little Rock. More than 30 Cloverdale volunteers gave back to the community at the festival; other civic groups from the neighborhood and around the city were represented as well.

The activities were part of the annual Community Festival which furthers the district's goal of educating the public about its new conversion charter school and to promote community awareness and pride in the Cloverdale community.

Cloverdale has been working with residents and community leaders in the Cloverdale community on a number of issues and concerns. The Little Rock School District, in conjunction with the Arkansas Department of Education, has made significant investments in the community as part of its new aerospace technology program at Cloverdale.