Governor Beebe issues proclamation, Central Students present

Proclamation issued by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe naming January School-Board Member Appreciation Month.

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe issued a proclamation naming January as School Board Member Appreciation Month, and recognizing the efforts of the more than 1,470 volunteer school-board members in Arkansas. The proclamation emphasizes the important role school boards fulfill in their communities by acknowledging the “paramount importance (of education) to the future of the State of Arkansas and the Nation, with over 468,000 children attending public and charter schools in Arkansas.”

Beebe states in the proclamation that school-board members “must be committed to success, contribute countless hours fulfilling their roles, participate in annual training to enhance their knowledge, and receive no compensation for the time and effort they contribute on behalf of their schools.”

“[School-board members] must be committed to success, contribute countless hours fulfilling their roles, participate in annual training to enhance their knowledge, and receive no compensation for the time and effort they contribute on behalf of their schools.”

 - Gov. Mike Beebe, in his proclamation naming January School-Board Member Appreciation Month

Arkadelphia Public Schools’ Superintendent Donnie Whitten read Beebe’s proclamation as part of his Report of Excellence during January’s regular meeting of the APS Board of Education, and recognized the seven, elected members of APS’s board, thanking them for their dedication to providing Arkadelphia students with first-class education opportunities.

Following the Report of Excellence, Central Primary students presented a variety of projects to the board. Third grader Blaise Batson, CPS’s Early Act Citizenship Council President, recapped the EACC sponsored events this school year including organizing floats for the homecoming and Christmas parades, food drives for the Clark County Humane Society and needy families, and a week’s worth of activities promoting drug-free living for Red Ribbon Week, a Veteran’s Day celebration, and a collection for the Angel Tree.

Batson pointed out that during their EACC Christmas Party, officers gave gifts to the Angel Tree instead of to each other.

Coming up during the week of January 27, CPS’s EACC is sponsoring The Great Kindness Challenge, where students will attempt to complete 50 acts of kindness during the week.

According to CPS Principal Melinda Morris, a shift away from an “anti-bullying week” and instead toward positive acts of kindness is helping eliminate a focus on negative, bullying behaviors.

“This teaches the same core values and frames the same lessons in a positive manner. The research, and our own observations, show this to be a better approach.”

 -Melinda Morris, CPS Principal

 “This teaches the same core values and frames the same lessons in a positive manner. The research, and our own observations, show this to be a better approach,” Morris said.

Batson concluded her presentation saying that the EACC is keeping very busy “planning activities for Central students AND doing all we can to support our community.”

Central Primary second grader Christian Moore presents a research project about the Golden Gate Bridge, and below, Judsen Coon delivers his report on Teddy Roosevelt. 

CPS students Judsen Coon, Christian Moore and Carter Babb demonstrated current research tools and methods being utilized at Central with their presentations about Teddy Roosevelt, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Monster Glowing Squid. The three students researched and presented with the aid of classroom iPads and online search engines designed to provide a safe and reputable sources for classrooms.

District teacher of the year Britney Hickman showed several video clips of her students participating in a recycling project and demonstrating activity transitions in her classroom.

Board members along with Whitten recapped the highlights from their experiences at the Arkansas School Board Association annual conference.

“It’s a good opportunity hear from your peers,” Whitten said. “There isn’t an emphasis on guest speakers and the sessions that are available showcase tangible ideas for other districts to consider.”

APS Curriculum and Instruction Director Jeannette Turner described current professional development opportunities for faculty and said that a primary area of focus this year has been the new TESS (Teacher Excellence and Support System) evaluations.

Whitten added that APS faculty members are dedicated to professional development, often exceeding the required number of hours. According to Whitten, teachers who accumulate 30 additional hours of professional development, giving them a total of 90 annual hours, are eligible to receive a $500 stipend.

APS News Service

sean.ruggles@arkadelphiaschools.org

Peake Rosenwald receives grant from Alcoa Foundation

Students in Arkadelphia Public Schools’ PreK program at Peake Rosenwald pose with lead teacher Brenda Harmon (left) along with Kathy Combs and Britt Scheer of the Alcoa Foundation (right), which donated $20,000 to APS to use for improving student access to technology as part of the foundation’s ongoing efforts to promote the S.T.E.M. Initiative. A portion of this year’s grant was used to purchase the interactive Promethean board pictured with the students, as well as additional classroom and facility management software. Last year, the Alcoa Foundation generously supported the initiation of New Tech at Arkadelphia High School with a donation of the same amount, which was used to purchase laptop computers for AHS freshmen.

Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S., and for the past 60 years has sought to make a difference in more than 20 countries where Alcoa operates. In addition to addressing local needs in communities where Alcoa operates, Alcoa Foundation is focused on promoting environmental stewardship, enabling economic and social sustainability, and preparing tomorrow’s leaders through education and learning.

APS News Service

sean.ruggles@arkadelphiaschools.org

WATCH D.O.G.S. kickoff event

Attention all DADS of Perritt, Central, and Peake Students - ‘Dads and Kids’ Pizza Night! 

Arkadelphia High School, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Nov. 4, 2013

On Monday, Nov. 4 from 5:30-6:30 p.m., we will hold our annual “Dads and Kids Pizza Night” beginning in the Little Theater at Arkadelphia High School. Perritt, Central and Peake are joining together to make this easier on all you busy dads. A presentation will be made about our WATCH D.O.G.S. ® program, and then FREE pizza and drinks will follow. The WATCH D.O.G.S. ® program is an excellent tool being used by schools across the country, which helps them to be positively impacted by the committed involvement of fathers and father figures in their children’s lives. The goal is to have these men spend at least one day a year at the school to be an extra set of eyes and ears and a positive, male role model.

Moms, here’s your chance not to cook that night! Send your husband out with the kids. Dads, granddads, uncles, step-dads and dad friends, please be a part of this life-changing program that is designed to help reconnect dads with kids, and kids with dads.

Flyers were sent home requesting R.S.V.P. for Pizza Night, but if you did not receive yours from your child's school, contact the office where your child attends school to inform them of your plans to attend Pizza Night and of your interest in participating in the WATCH D.O.G.S. program. If you are representing children from more than one school, you only need to R.S.V.P. once.

Perritt Primary: 870-246-2260
Central Primary: 870-246-2872
Peake Elementary: 870-246-2361

Parent/Teacher conferences & Echo training at AHS

2013 fall parent/teacher conferences

Parent/teacher conferences are a crucial part of staying involved with your child's education. Please make plans to attend if you have not already. Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 24, from 2-7 p.m. district wide. In order to meet with your child's teacher at Perritt Primary, Central Primary or Peake Elementary, please make an appointment in advance. Goza Middle School and AHS conferences are drop-in. Classes will not be held on Thursday or Friday, including the PreK program at Perritt Primary. APS's Early Childhood Centers at Gum Spring and Peake Rosenwald will be open as usual.

Echo Parent Training 

Conference Day, Thursday, October 24, 2-7 p.m. 

Echo is an online learning platform used to organize daily instruction, track student grades, and to share documents and resources. Echo training will be provided during Parent Conferences. Please join us in the Hub for one-on-one or small group training.

What to Expect:

• Receive an Echo account and login information 
• Learn how to check your child’s progress and grades
• Find out how to review assignments
• Understand School Wide Learning Outcomes and Grading system

SIMPLE Giving

Students lend a hand to help sort donated food items into backpacks, which will be sent home with needy students for weekend use. Pictured above helping with the SIMPLE Giving effort are, clockwise from front-left, AHS students Cadet Captain and senior Moises Carrillo, Cadet Private and sophomore Logan King, Cadet Corporal and sophomore Landon Simmons, Lieutenant Colonel and senior Army instructor Michael Shepherd, Goza Middle School counselor Vanilla Hannah, Cadet Private and freshman Jordan Martinez, Cadet Private and freshman Stephany Quintero, and Cadet Private and sophomore Nigel White.

SIMPLE Giving

Charitable giving made simple is the goal of the northwest Arkansas non-profit Champions For Kids, and their SIMPLE Giving program provides donations for children in our community. From late August to mid-September, patrons of the local Arkadelphia Walmart purchased 885 food items and placed them in the SIMPLE Giving donation bins. At the conclusion of the donation period, students in Arkadelphia High School’s JROTC program organized and packed the donated items into backpacks for needy students to take home for weekend use. Many students depend heavily upon school meals for nourishment and don’t eat regularly when out of school. Donations to individual students at each campus in the Arkadelphia Public Schools was determined by referral from each schools’ counselor.

The APS Wellness Committee, chaired by Dr. Virginia Anderson, officially accepted the donated items and said that the community will have another chance to participate in the SIMPLE Giving program.

 “Thank you, not only to the local Walmart and Champions For Kids, but also to our community for purchasing and donating the food,” Anderson said. “We really appreciate this generosity.”

According to Champions For Kids, the purple, SIMPLE Giving donation bins will be back at Walmart from October 28 through November 11 to collect personal care items such as soap, shampoo and deodorant.

For more information regarding SIMPLE Giving or Champions For Kids, visit championsforkids.org. Contact Anderson regarding the APS Wellness Committee and other ways of helping APS students in need by e-mail at virginia.anderson@arkadelphiaschools.org.

APS News Service 

sean.ruggles@arkadelphiaschools.org

AHS senior, Seth Daniell, named as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

AHS senior Seth Daniell

AHS senior, Seth Daniell, named as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

Congratulations to Arkadelphia High senior Seth Daniell on being named a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. Daniell is one of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 59th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Daniell was chosen as a Semifinalist out of 1.5 million high school students who entered the competition as juniors in 2012, according to a news release from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. He was selected based on his 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores. Daniell and his fellow Semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of the U.S. high school seniors. The Semifinalists include the highest-scoring entrants from each state with the number of Semifinalists being proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

“To proceed in the competition, the Semifinalist and their high school must submit a detailed scholarship application with information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received,” the scholarship program’s release states. In addition, a Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

The National Merit Scholarship program expects approximately 90 percent of Semifinalists to advance to Finalist level. The students will be notified in February of this designation. Awards totaling $35 million will be divided among the most deserving 8,000 students between April and July 2014. Those awarded the scholarship will join more than 300,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.