Tips forGetting College Scholarships

Inside find out more about... Rogers Schools Fall 2007 Tips for Getting College Scholarships Meeting Each Child's Needs National Award-winning Staff Building Thinking Skills in Young Students Public where all belong, all learn and all succeed WELCOME to Rogers Schools 3 4 6 7 8 9 FEATURES Eastside Teacher Selected as State Teacher of the Year Meet the Principal Meeting Each Child’s Needs RHS Boys Team Wins Golf Championship REACH Builds Thinking Skills for All Children K-2 ACT Scores on the Rise The Rogers schools have so many wonderful and exciting opportunities for children. We are proud to share some of the latest news with you about the good things happening in our district. We have an outstanding staff that is recognized not only in the state for their excellence but also in the nation. Della Hutcheson, the state Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Teacher of the Year, and Margaret Lockhart, a National Educator Award-winner, are two teachers that were recently singled out for high honors, but they are just two of many who deserve high praise for their outstanding work. We are very pleased to have Karen Steen join the Rogers staff as the new principal for Rogers Heritage High School. I hope you enjoy finding out more about Mrs. Steen and the progress being made on opening the new high school next year. In this edition, we have also collected tips for parents on how to read with your child and also, for those looking ahead to college, some tips on applying for scholarships. We hope you will find these tips helpful. We are very proud of the academic success of our students on the ACT and on AP exams. This year we have 70 Advanced Placement Scholars. RHS students have shown they can excel at the highest levels. We are also proud of the good our students do throughout the year by giving back to the community. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the great things happening in the Rogers schools. With warm regards, Janie Darr, Ed.D. Superintendent 10 Students Learn to Lend a Helping Hand 12 Tip the Scale of Success in Your Child’s Favor 13 After-school Care Provides Fun, Safe Alternative 14 Lingle Teacher Earns National Educator Award 15 Rogers Students Excel in College Level Courses 16 Tips for Getting College Scholarships 17 Strategic Plan Update 18 Foundation Provides Extra Teaching Resources 19 Join the Key Communicator Network For questions or comments about this publication, please contact Ashley Kelley, communications coordinator for the Rogers School District, at 479-636-3910. 2 Rogers Public Schools State Teacher of the Year Eastside Elementary Teacher Selected for High Honor “If you’re going to do it, do it right,” Della Hutcheson told herself when she became a teacher six years ago. After following her own advice, Hutcheson was recently recognized for her outstanding work as a third grade teacher at Eastside Elementary School in Rogers. Hutcheson was named Teacher of the Year in Arkansas in the 12th annual WalMart and Sam’s Club State Teacher of the Year program. Hutcheson was surprised at a special ceremony, and in her honor the school received a $10,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation. “This award recognizes those teachers who go the extra mile for their students and instill a love of learning long after graduation,” said David Bayham, Rogers Neighborhood Market store manager. “The associates at our store honored Mrs. Della Hutcheson as a local Teacher of the Year winner in May, and we are so proud that she is being recognized as a state winner.” Hutcheson said her mother inspired her to be a teacher who really makes a difference. Hutcheson told the assembly of students that they are the reason behind everything she does. “I want to help you guys be the best you can be…so we can watch you walk across the stage at graduation and go on to college and be anything you want to be.” Robin Wilkerson, principal of Eastside Elementary, praised Hutcheson for her dedication and her willingness to always do more. “Della Hutcheson is an outstanding teacher,” Wilkerson said. “She is dedicated not only to the students, parents and staff of Eastside, but to helping teachers in the district, state and region develop effective educational programs with high expectations for all students, including English language learners. It is essential that teachers know Della Hutcheson (center), a third-grade teacher who teaches English language learners at Eastside, was chosen as the WalMart State Teacher of the Year. how to help students from various cultures and languages learn while keeping expectations high for all students. Mrs. Hutcheson is doing that willingly, enthusiastically and with a tremendous amount of success.” Rogers Mayor Steve Womack congratulated Hutcheson at the surprise ceremony and told the students at Eastside they were “lucky to hang out with the best teacher in Arkansas.” “But you know what kids… all the other teachers here are just as good. They are all here to give you a better opportunity,” Womack said. Hutcheson also thanked her fellow teachers and principal for being mentors and role models to her. “They took me under their wing and taught me what to do if I hit a bump in the road,” Hutcheson said. “This award is definitely for our school and because of who they are.” In addition to receiving a $10,000 grant for the school, Hutcheson also received a personalized Teacher of the Year leather tote, a crystal apple trophy, business cards, a Teacher of the Year certificate and a one-year membership to Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK), a professional education association and Wal-Mart’s partner in the State Teacher of the Year program. Representatives from Phi Delta Kappa selected Hutcheson from among teachers throughout Arkansas for her contributions to the field of education and to her school. Wal-Mart’s Teacher of the Year program is one of the largest teacher recognition efforts in the country, giving back more than $5 million this year alone to the schools of winning teachers. “Teachers today face many challenges as they work to educate our children,” said Dr. William Bushaw, executive director of Phi Delta Kappa. “Wal-Mart’s Teacher of the Year program gives the winning teachers recognition for a job well done and for making a difference in their students’ lives.” Fall 2007 3 Meet the Principal Steen Gets Head Start on Opening New High School and staffing plans. “The curriculum piece is coming together,” Steen said. “We will have strong careerfocused academies and a freshman academy.” The academy concept has been used for several years at Rogers High School and the Sophomore Campus as a way to make high school more personalized for students – building in more rigor, positive student-teacher relationships, and more relevance for students. “I’ve been places and have seen it work,” Steen said. “I am looking for teachers that support that.” Steen plans to have a leadership team for each academy that includes an academy leader, counselor, and assistant principal or other building administrator so it’s very clear to students and teachers who to go to if they need assistance. She is also researching successful models from around the country to help freshmen transition into a 9-12th grade high school. She is working with the principals of Lingle and Oakdale – schools with students that will go on to Rogers Heritage – to help plan for how younger students will begin the transition at 6th, 7th and 8th grades so they will be prepared when they enter high school. aren Steen is on the job early. The Rogers School District is in the midst of intensive planning for the opening of its second high school, Rogers Heritage High School, in August 2008. With much work already underway with construction of the facility, selection of boundaries, and committee recommendations for the opening of the school, the Rogers School Board advocated having the principal on board one year in advance to help prepare for all the transitions ahead. Steen joined the district staff in July and has not stopped running full steam ahead since. Steen worked in a neighboring school district last year as the assistant principal at Bentonville High School and has 24 years of experience in education. At the end of each day, Steen says she asks herself, “What did I do today to make a difference in the opening of the school.” As part of her days, she is working closely with the architects to hammer out details about how to best make the school work for students and staff - eyeing up any unnecessary walls, planning for safety, and determining furniture needs. She is also very involved in curriculum K 4 Rogers Public Schools Karen Steen (far left pic, left) reviews progress on the construction of Rogers Heritage High School. Steen (left) fields questions from a reporter. Steen (below, left) worked with athletic director Mark Holderbaum on the unveiling of the school mascot. Secondary teachers throughout the district have filled out surveys about their preferences for where they would like to teach when the district changes to two high schools that serve grades 9-12 and four middle schools that serve grades 6-8. “In an ideal world, what the teachers want and what we need [for staffing] would match,” Steen said. Steen will be looking for teachers that support her vision of making student achievement first, noting that her definition of student achievement extends beyond just tests but to other ways students can show they are excelling as well. Steen is also looking to build a staff that embraces learning new instructional strategies and is open to innovative ideas for improving student learning. “I support professional growth to make us better than we were the day before,” she said. During her 24 years in education, Steen has been involved in the opening of two new schools both as a teacher and as an administrator. In 2002, Steen helped open Harney Middle School in Nevada as the dean of students responsible for the supervision of staff, student safety, student discipline, transportation and technology. In 1991, she also opened a new high school as an English teacher at Green Valley High School, a high school serving grades 9-12 in Las Vegas. Steen taught English at Green Valley for more than five years before she was recruited to be a magnet theme coordinator at Clark High School in Las Vegas where she was involved in restructuring curriculum, developing partnerships and internships, training business mentors, grant writing, administering funds and strategic planning for three new career academies. Her education experience also includes teaching psychology and gifted and talented students. Steen and her assistant principals – Larry Ben, Loyd Phillips and David Webb- are currently going through special training on building Advanced Placement programs so they will be highly prepared when students start registering for AP classes. Also, additional teachers have been trained to teach Advanced Placement courses in preparation for two high schools. The same courses will be offered at both Rogers high schools. “It is a priority to provide a rigorous curriculum – whether it is AP or not,” Steen said. “I expect the AP program to be a strong one and we will encourage students to go into that program.” Steen has been working not only with district administration but has also made a point to meet many teachers and students in the district as well as PTOs and community groups to share her plans to make Rogers Heritage a school with high quality instruction and very high expectations for students. “Karen Steen will bring a wealth of experience with opening new schools and developing strong academies to this new position,” said Dr. Janie Darr, the superintendent of the Rogers School District. “She has the enthusiasm and the vision to make Rogers Heritage High School a truly great school.” Steen earned a bachelor’s degree in education and psychology at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri, in 1983 and a master’s degree in instructional and curricular studies at the secondary education level from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas in 1992. She also graduated from UNLV with a master’s in educational leadership in 2002. During recent years, she has been a member of numerous professional organizations including the Association for Secondary Curriculum and Development, the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Academy Foundation Advisory Board Leadership Council. “Karen Steen is a bright and personable leader who has very high expectations,” said Dr. Jane Webb, assistant superintendent for human resources. “She is the total package of what you’d want in a principal, and parents, students and staff will be delighted to get to know her.” Fall 2007 5 Meeting the Needs of Each Student cross the Rogers School District, each classroom is filled with unique individuals – each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Some students are exactly on target to know what is expected at their grade level, some are advanced and some students are behind their grade level. For Pam Keith, a third grade teacher at Elza Tucker School, she can’t envision teaching to the whole class for the entire day as A many may remember from their own school days. In her classroom, she often provides the entire class with a “mini-lesson” on a topic but then breaks into small groups to reinforce those skills for students with different needs. In reading, for example, 13 of her students may be advanced, six on grade level and five below grade level. The goal of her lesson may be to teach students about compound words, but each of her four reading groups will learn Lucy Minardi works with small groups to target the specific needs of students in her class at Garfield Elementary. about compound words through literature appropriate for their grade and reading ability. “I’ve got to offer them quality literature that’s going to challenge them,” Keith said. During the hour devoted to reading each day, she will spend a portion of that time with each reading group to discuss what they are reading and work on skills they need. While she works with one group, other groups will be either reading independently, working on shared reading or discussing the book and the strategies they use to better understand the book like making predictions about what will happen and connecting the text to their own experiences. Some students also may be working on other assignments related to what they are reading. Writing is another area where instruction is very tailored to meet each child’s needs. Keith cited the example of a writing assignment she recently gave about a monster. Students start with drawing the monster, then they work on a pre-writing exercise where they describe what the monster would sound like, look like, feel like, smell like, and taste like. Using that information, they would then write a rough draft and meet with her individually to discuss it. “The one-on-one writing conference really helps me target the needs of each child,” Keith said. Whether it might be the need to work on spelling, punctuation, runon sentences or adding more detail to the story, Keith can address that with each child as other students work independently. “They do have responsibilities they have to get done,” Keith said. “It’s a busy place.” At Tucker, spelling is also tailored to students’ levels. After being assessed at the beginning of the year, all third through fifth graders are broken up into groups and each of the teachers take one group. Each group may have some combination of students in different grades but they will all be working on advancing their spelling. One advanced third grader is even working with the 6 Rogers Public Schools highest level of spellers who are currently learning Latin and Greek origins of words. “It’s not practical to give the whole class the same spelling list,” Keith said. “That one list might be appropriate for five kids.” At each school and in each classroom how the teachers “differentiate” or tailor instruction for students can vary. At Garfield Elementary, Lucy Minardi uses a variety of resources including four volunteers, aides, and a computer to help her meet the varying needs of students. Minardi closely looks at the results of her student assessments for individual students who may not have learned a concept as well as for class trends. “I try to address any deficiencies as soon as I see them,” Minardi said. “If I see the whole class has a problem, I review it.” If Minardi pulls together a group to review, other students may be working on an on-going project, reading with a volunteer to develop fluency and expression, or reviewing an assessment with an aide. Minardi also gives special assignments to her advanced students to challenge them. If students are expected to be able to locate a river, she will add an additional assignment for advanced students to research a river on the Internet and then share what they learn with the group. Minardi said she tries to have the students challenged in all the core areas including math, social studies, language arts and science. She tries to find the opportunity for each student in her class to shine in an area of their strength. Minardi said she learns a lot about her students’ interests through their journals and notes they give her in the class mailbox. If she learns a student has a special interest in World War II, she will find a way to incorporate that into the student’s assignments. By using flexible groups and differentiating instruction, teachers are able to meet a wide variety of needs in the classroom, target individual problems as needed and keep each child moving forward. “The class has responded very well to the little groups,” Minardi said. “I feel like I know each child.” ACT RISING Scores for the Rogers Public Schools on the ACT college entrance exam climbed again in 2007. The composite score for the district was 22.0 compared to the state average of 20.5 and the national average of 21.2. The ACT is a set of curriculum-based tests of students’ educational development in English, mathematics, reading and science. The test is designed to measure the skills needed for success in the first year of college coursework. “We are so pleased that our students continue to excel on the ACT and show they can compete with students from across the country,” said Jim Johnson, assistant superintendent for secondary education. “We keep student achievement at the forefront and we will continue refining our curriculum to ensure it is rigorous and relevant for students as well giving teachers the support they need to make even further gains.” Johnson said he was proud of the work of the students, teachers, staff and administrators whose hard work had contributed to these advances. Rogers High School principal Bill Stringer was also pleased with the ACT results, noting the positive upward trend over the past three years. “A lot of that has to do with the hard work of the counselors,” Stringer said. Counselors at Rogers High School have offered special college entrance exam preparation at lunchtime during the school year and also in an intensive summer course. In 2005, Rogers students averaged a 21.2 composite score and in 2006, a 21.8. Students in Pam Keith’s class at Elza Tucker School practice “skip counting” in pairs as she circulates among them. Fall 2007 7 REACH Builds Thinking Skills for All Children K-2 ogers Public Schools is focused on helping each child reach his or her highest potential. For gifted and talented students, there is extra enrichment, rigor and challenges that are incorporated for students in grades K-12. Many families may be familiar with the REACH program and special classes for students in grades 3-7 and Advanced Placement and Pre-AP for junior high and high school students. But some may not realize that all kindergartners through second graders receive special enrichment to encourage their creativity and high-level thinking, too. The district offers special R lessons each week for each kindergarten, first grade and second grade class. In kindergarten, the enrichment lessons are often literature-based. In these lessons, the regular classroom teacher or the school’s REACH teacher will read a story to the class and then use that story to stretch the children’s creativity or deepen their thinking skills. Christie Price, the REACH teacher at Reagan and Jones elementary schools, recently introduced the book Where the Wild Things Are to kindergartners and then used that book as a jumping off point for students to imagine their own creature, build it with modeling clay and Faith Schoonmaker (above), the REACH teacher, questions first-graders at Northside Elementary to help build their critical thinking skills. Regina Jones (lower left), introduces Sybil the Scientist to her first grade class. share their “wild thing” with the class. With kindergartners, teachers are working to develop their productive thinking, communication skills, forecasting abilities, decision-making and planning abilities. “I believe there are some gifted behaviors in every child and the more we nurture that, the more it’s going to help them throughout their lives,” Price said. In first grade, the district uses a research-based program called Primary Thinking Skills, or PETS for short, that helps further develop students’ critical thinking. It helps them develop the ability to synthesize, analyze, apply knowledge and evaluate. Those concepts are introduced through fun characters like Sybil the Scientist. Through the character, the students learn how a scientist observes and analyzes. The children help Sybil sort wild looking creatures by their attributes like the length of their neck or the number of legs they have. “Many times in the younger grades a lot of what they learn is on the knowledge level, and we want to bring their thinking up to a more analytical level,” said Faith Schoonmaker, the REACH teacher at Northside and Garfield elementary schools. As part of their lessons, they will use critical thinking skills like deductive reasoning as well as creativity skills like fluency, flexibility and elaboration. “We have to challenge them to think deeper and think better,” Schoonmaker said. The lessons for second graders focus on extending what they have begun in the earlier grades with hands-on, inquiry-based lessons. “It’s a completely engaging 30 minutes that they’re there,” said Beth Carnes, the director of the Rogers gifted and talented 8 Rogers Public Schools Congratulations to the Rogers High School Boys Golf Team for winning the state championship. Team members include Jake Rylee (left), Jes Sanders, Coach Marcus Alexander, Matt Keller, Slade Hames, Hunter Mobley, and West Loveland. Way to go Mounties! Kindergarten students at Jones Elementary stretch their creativity by building their own “wild things” as part of their gifted and talented enrichment lesson. “The teachers practice giving lessons using the Bloom’s higher-order thinking skills, then enrichment isn’t an isolated activity once a week,” Schoonmaker said. K-2 enrichment is an important part of the gifted and talented program – both to help the young children stretch their imagination and thinking skills and to help identify children who would benefit from the next level of REACH classes that begin at third grade. “I think we can reach more children if we work with them early,” Price said. Fall 2007 9 program. “We build those lessons with the multiple intelligences in mind.” This includes students who learn better visually, musically, kinesthetically, logically, verbally and through other ways. Many schools use the regular classroom teachers to help provide the weekly gifted and talented enrichment lessons in addition to the REACH teacher. One benefit of that structure is that it reduces the student-teacher ratio. Learning about what techniques and strategies help students think at higher levels also assists the regular classroom teacher in incorporating those techniques throughout the rest of the week. Students Learn to Lend a Helping Hand he children in the Rogers Public Schools feel fortunate to receive the support of the community in so many ways from volunteers, donations for scholarships, and special programs as well as through tax dollars that provide quality facilities and staff. Many of them are also learning to give back to the community through school service projects. This year, every class or grade at Russell Jones Elementary has chosen a service project to support. “Every teacher, every grade level, every kid is involved,” said Traci Sickels, a first-grade teacher at Jones. “We wanted to be good citizens of the community.” Kindergarten classes are collecting “Pennies for Pets” to help the Rogers Humane Society buy food for animals at the shelter. Special education students are working with Friends House to help support its adult daycare program. Several grades including second and thirdgraders and the pre-kindergarten students are giving back the Rogers police and fire departments by sending them cards and snacks as well as stuffed animals to give to children involved in an emergency to help comfort them. Some fourth- and fifth-graders are sending notes of thanks and appreciation to the nurses and medical staff at Arkansas Children’s Giving Back T Jeremy Garcia and his mother Janet (above) thank Kirksey Middle School students for their letters and support as he battles a brain tumor. Dr. Chris Johnson, a parent volunteer, coaches Frank Tillery students as they plant red tulips on the school grounds in honor of Red Ribbon Week which discourages students from drug use. Students at Russell Jones Elementary (upper center) show off their contributions to the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry. 10 Rogers Public Schools Hospital to let them know how much their work is appreciated. Another fourth grade group has adopted a local nursing home, Heritage Park Nursing Center, and will send cards and visit residents this year. Several staff members involved with reading and literacy have adopted the Benton County Women’s Shelter as their project. First graders have partnered with the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s food pantry and have collected nearly 600 non-perishable food items to donate. The students are also donating toys to the pantry so kids who come in with their parents can take something of their own home. When the first grade decided to work with the pantry, several students shared that they had received food from that pantry when their families had been in need. “The kids are excited,” said Casey Wolfe, a first-grade teacher at Jones. “They realize it will help families that don’t have food.” At Jones and every other district school and building, staff and students also raise money for the United Way, which supports so many programs that touch the lives of students - from youth programs to shelters, food pantries, and free clinics. Last year, the Rogers Public Schools was recognized with a special award for raising more than $70,000 for the United Way. At Grace Hill Elementary, students have taken on the “Go Green” initiative to try to do something good for the environment. “One of our third-grade rooms is trying to recycle as many cans as they can get their hands on,” said Ryan Finley, a teacher at Grace Hill helping spearhead the project. “Ms. Donaldson’s room has collected over 5,000 cans to date.” The staff and students in third through fifth grade are also involved in recycling 20 oz. soda bottles for TerraCycle, a worm fertilizer company. The lids to the bottles are reused for art projects, games, math manipulatives and anything the children can dream up. The school is also participating in the Wal-Mart Plastic Bag Challenge to recycle plastic shopping bags. Anita Brown, a guest speaker from GreenSpace Bags, visited the school to share how using reusable shopping bags can help eliminate the waste produced by millions of shoppers worldwide. “Our students and parents have already begun to change their shopping habits by using these reusable shopping bags,” Finley said. The students are also taking on many other educational “green” projects by experimenting with making their own paper as well as composting and conserving energy. “We will post our school’s energy consumption by month in graph form on the wall of our cafeteria where all students and staff can see,” Finley said. “My hope is that through education and environmental awareness, we will be able to see our energy consumption drop throughout the year.” Finley sees the steps they have taken at Grace Hill this year to educate and build awareness as a small part of what can happen in the future. “This is just the beginning,” Finley said, “the foundation of something wonderful! Every great endeavor needs a solid foundation, and the faculty, staff and students of Grace Hill are that foundation.” At Kirksey Middle School, teachers and students also have given back in a special way to a former student at the school who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Jeremy Garcia was a seventh grader at Kirksey two years ago, and in between seventh and eighth grade year was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Kirksey teachers saw Garcia’s mother on a news program pleading for help because their insurance would not cover a treatment he needed and rallied the staff, PTO and students around his cause. This school donated the proceeds of its Fall Festival, more than $4,000 including donations from Eastside Elementary’s and Kirksey’s staff and students, to help Garcia. Jeremy Garcia and his mother recently returned Grace Hill teacher Ryan Finley (upper right pic) works with students on the school’s “Go Green” initiative. (Above) Russell Jones students and staff raise money for United Way with their annual pumpkin decorating contest. to Kirksey to thank the school, particularly for all the letters of support they had sent. The support helped bolster Jeremy and his family during a difficult time. Kirksey principal Roger Hill applauded the students for their thoughtfulness. “Reading is important; math is important. But how we treat each other is also important.” Fall 2007 11 Reading Tips to Tip the Scale of Success in Your Child’s Favor By Pat Lewis - Reading Recovery Teacher, Old Wire Road Elementary with enthusiasm and with a focus on what your child does well. Praise him for things that look approximately right, too! Tip 9. Provide opportunities for strengthening small motor coordination: Play-Doh, building blocks, crayons, markers, sidewalk chalk, and scissors all help develop small- motor coordination which is important for writing. Kindergarten, First Grade and up Children are developing a greater sense of story, knowledge of letter-sounds and recognizing their names along with some other frequently-used words. Very early reading often looks like memorization. This is a part of the process and should be valued. Your child will gradually begin to see more letters Tip 5. Begin making regular trips to the and words that he recognizes within text, and public library from now on. There are special will begin to rely less and less on memory. story times for babies and children of all ages, Children should be listening to themselves as in addition to many wonderful age-appropriate they read, so they can notice when something books. Children who visit the library begin to doesn’t make sense. When they realize there see themselves as readers. is a mistake, they should stop and try to fix it. Tip 6. Give books as gifts and rewards. Students will begin to see that what they think, Kids need to be immersed in print-rich they can say and what they say, they can write, environments. Keep children’s books and and what they can write, they can read. magazines handy in your car, diaper bag, Tip 10. Let him look at the pictures office, briefcase, travel bag and business. before and while reading the story, since the As children grow, they will become more illustrations help with understanding. Let him aware of the sounds of language, rhythms of use the pictures to predict what he thinks might stories and poems, and sounds within words. happen on the next page, and to confirm his They often like to have their favorite stories attempts in text reading. read to them repeatedly. While the rereading Tip 11. Help your child to match text to may become boring for the adult, the child spoken word by pointing to the first letters really is enjoying and benefiting from it, so of words in easy books. Pointing to the first keep reading! You can always include a variety letters of words reinforces that individual of newer stories in addition to the ones the words, as well as text in general, also are read child loves. Maintain enthusiasm! from left to right. Tips for preschoolers Tip 12. Help your child to see letters or Tip 7. Read Mother Goose Nursery words he knows within his favorite stories. If Rhymes, ABC books, and books with he knows “the” play I Spy with “the” in his repetitious language patterns, such as Brown favorite book. Find words that begin the same Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric as his name. In spelling, say a word from his Carle. Let your child hold books and turn spelling list, and ask him to find and point to pages. that word within the list. Look for and point Tip 8. Ask your local elementary school out spelling words in new places such as for a copy of their letter-formation guide for billboards, marquees, menus, and road signs. handwriting and teach your child how to hold Tip 13. Independence breeds confidence. a pencil. By teaching him to correctly form As he reads, give your child time to try new the letters in his name, in the same way that words by himself. If he cannot figure out a his future school teaches handwriting, you word, and has made a quick attempt or two, will make writing easier for him in the long simply tell him the word. While independence run. Again, this should be done in small doses, Continued on page 13 The late Dr. Marie Clay, world-renown literacy expert, spent a lifetime researching how children learn to read. She defined reading as a “message-getting, problem solving activity which increases in power and flexibility the more it is practiced.” Dr. Clay recognized the importance of being a careful observer of the child and his learning, avoiding frustration, and of linking instruction to what the child can already do well. This complex learning begins before the child enters school. It may begin before birth, when the fetus is able to recognize and show a preference for his mother’s voice. It expands as the child listens to books being read and to conversations. It continues as he learns to speak and becomes able to articulate an ever-increasing vocabulary. His attitudes toward reading begin to develop as he enjoys his parents reading to him, and as he observes them enjoying books, too. Tips for babies and toddlers Tip 1. Read to your child every day, several times a day, for short periods as you go about your day. Talk with your child. Talk about everything you’re doing together, explaining and describing at every opportunity. Discuss the illustrations in picture books, describe family photos, including time, place, and other background information. These activities should be fun, normal parts of every day. Be dramatic; read expressively. Books such as Pat the Bunny would be enjoyed. Keep the story times short, but keep reading to him every day. Reading is also a great time to snuggle and to help your baby feel loved. Tip 2. As your child begins to talk, simply model the use of complete sentences for him. If he says, for example, “Bird,” your response could be, “I can see the blue bird, too!” or “Yes, there is a blue bird in that tree!” Tip 3. Teach your child how to turn pages. And as you read to him, point under the words. By doing this, you will be silently demonstrating that text is read top-to-bottom and left-to-right. Tip 4. Encourage story-writing. At the earliest levels this will consist of mainly pictures. Let your child explain his story to you. His writing may include scribbles or resemble actual writing. Let your child dictate stories to you and then read the story back to him. Greet his “writing” with enthusiasm. 12 Rogers Public Schools is good; frustration is not. Keep the reading easy, so he can enjoy the story! There should be a little problem-solving or word-work to do, but not so much that the story gets bogged down. Rereading and rereading familiar books solidifies new learning and aids in developing fluent, expressive, reading, which in turn helps with comprehension and enjoyment. Tip 14. Continue to expand your child’s speaking vocabulary by occasionally and casually restating their comments with the addition of a couple of interesting and useful words. Tip 15. Keep in touch with your child’s teacher and follow through with suggestions she may have for helping your child. If you have questions or concerns about how to help, or about your child’s progress, please ask. Ask for a booklist of appropriate reading for your child and take it with you when you go to the library or bookstore. Tip 16. Make time for reading and do not allow it to be optional! During the summer, make a checklist for your child of “things to do today,” and include time, 15-30 minutes, for reading. Increase the time a little as the child’s age increases. Keep the levels of the books easy. Set goals and give little rewards when the goals are met. Make sure reading happens. Tip 17. Ask your child to retell or summarize the story in the order that the events happened. Ask him to tell you about the characters, and where and when the story took place. Together you can compare stories written by the same author, or discuss how the movie was different from the book. Tip 18. Have a dictionary available and encourage your child to look for words that are new to him. Notice when he’s using new words in his own speaking vocabulary. Tip 19. Trade books with other families. If you are blessed to have many books in your home, consider donating books. Tip 20. Volunteer to listen to children read. The best way to improve reading is by reading. Continue to have your child reading at home, on the weekends and over the entire summer. Kids lose reading skills that are not practiced and used. Celebrate successes as they come. Reading milestones or benchmarks that are reached successfully should be celebrated with at least as much enthusiasm as a homerun, a touchdown, or winning a game! The love of reading is one of the best lifetime gifts that parents can give to children. After-school Care Offers Kids Safe, Fun Alternative Looking for a way for your child to spend the afternoon instead of going home alone to an empty house? Rogers Public Schools offers after-school care at a minimal cost for working families. Space is still available at some schools for families who would like to have a safe and wholesome environment for their children in kindergarten through fifth grade to be creative, have fun, play outdoors and have additional learning opportunities after school. The after-school program is available at all elementary schools in the district until 5:30 p.m. A benefit of having it at every building is students do not have be picked up or transported to a different site. The Rogers program, known as Kid’s World, is licensed by the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Each of its staff members has undergone background checks and are CPR-trained. After undergoing a thorough review for health, safety, training, curriculum and environment, the program has achieved “Quality Approval Status” from the state which means parents can claim a state income tax credit. The program also participates in the state child-care voucher program which allows lower-income families to have all or a portion of the fees paid for through the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Each day children can participate in a variety of activities including * arts and crafts, * board games, * sports and recreation, * science and nature activities, * computer time, * homework, * shared reading, * independent reading, * listening centers, * drama and theater, * blocks and construction, * music and movement. “This is our second year in Kid’s World and we are very pleased with the program. The activities are great,” said Kari Jo Douglas, a parent of a first-grader who attends afterschool care. “Our son loves it and is always disappointed when we pick him up early. He has great teachers that really care about him. It is nice to have peace of mind that your children are in such good hands.” Children also receive a nutritious snack, which meets USDA guidelines. The cost of participating in Kid’s World includes a $10 annual fee and then $35 per week for after-school care. For more information about enrolling, parents can call the program office at 479-631-3696. Fall 2007 13 Rogers Teacher Receives National Educator Award Rogers teacher recently received one of the most prestigious awards for the teaching profession – a National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation. Gov. Mike Beebe and Arkansas Education Commissioner Dr. Ken James surprised Margaret Lockhart, an English teacher and literacy coach, with the award at a special assembly at Lingle Middle School. After the state officials encouraged students to do their best in school, Lockhart was recognized for representing excellence in the teaching profession. Lockhart was instrumental last year in implementing a mentoring program for Lingle students performing below grade level. The program helped many of them reach proficiency on the state Benchmark exam and is now being adopted by other schools to help struggling students. “She’s transformed their school into a model school,” Beebe told the crowd gathered at the special assembly along with 800 Lingle sixth and seventh graders. “She’s elevated the performance of these youngsters to a level they never thought they could achieve.” Beebe called teaching a “profession of the highest calling”. A Lifetouch “(Your teachers) believe in you and they believe in what they do,” Beebe told the students. “They all work together to make this school and this district (one) of excellence.” The award took Lockhart by surprise. “This is a big honor,” Lockhart said. “But there is one person missing.” Lockhart said she wished her brother, who died of cancer this year, could have been there to celebrate with her. She said she knew he would have been proud of her, but she knows his love lives on because of the words in his letters and notes she has kept. Overcoming her own tears, Lockhart encouraged the students to write to someone they are proud of – a family member, a teacher or someone else – and tell them they are proud, so that their words will leave a lasting mark. Then she had the students make a triangle with their fingers. One of the bottom angles, she told the students, represented their teachers, the other their parents and both of those groups worked together for the kids – who are at the top of the triangle. “I want you to know we work together,” Lockhart said. “What we do … everything is because of you.” The Milken Family Foundation started this awards program in 1985 to recognize, celebrate and attract the highest caliber school professionals. The foundation has given more than $54 million in cash prizes to more than 2,100 educators since the program began. This year 100 prizes are being given around the country – with only one other being awarded in Arkansas to a Conway teacher. As part of the honor, Lockhart will receive $25,000 and will be recognized at a national gala and awards ceremony in the spring. As a National Educator Award-winner, Lockhart will also become part of the Milken Educator Network, a coalition of educators who help serve as resources for other teachers, schools and policymakers developing innovative programs to improve schools around the country. In addition to being a nationally award-winning teacher, Lockhart was also named state Middle School English Teacher of the Year in 2005 and received her national board certification in 2004. Lingle Middle School recognized 478 students for scoring advanced or proficient on the literacy and math portion of the spring 2007 Benchmark. These students were invited to have “Breakfast with the Principals” to celebrate. 14 Rogers Public Schools Lifetouch Advanced Placement Rogers Students Excel in College Level Courses At Rogers High School: Robert March, Andrea Samuel and James Whitmore qualified as National Scholars after earning a grade of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on eight or more AP Exams. Fourteen students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are Anna Alderson, Sachi Edwards, David Fryauf, Melody Hill, Melanie Kyles, Robert March, Thanhloan Nguyen, James Pappas, Chad Peachey, Travis Rose, Andrea Samuel, Natassia Taylor, Caleb Villanueva, and James Whitmore. Fifteen students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Lana Allen, Heather Buttram, Daniel Dutcher, Keely Dye, Alex Dyer, Margaret Elenbarger, Kelsi Johnson, Tiffany Kelley, Rachel McDowell, Roy McKenzie, Kyle Moix, Michelle Shepherd, Alexis Stephenson, Stephen Turner, and Seth White. Forty-one RHS students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Carlos Belnap, Brian Besel, Miles Bowlin, Kathryn Cario, Kolten Carpenter, Amber Conner, Jacob Dufour, Courtney Edwards, Stephen Ehret, Dianne Eppley, Trevor Evans, Antony Floyd, Emily Gilbertson, Samantha Herrera, Emily Hile, Charley Jenkins, Sarah Johnson, Angela Kathman, Sarah Keith, Lindsay Macaskie, James McGuire, Angela McKenna, Sarah Mead, Kyla Morinini, Dustin Rapier, Heather Rasnick, Jasmine Rea, Ashley Reece, Jared Sederholm, Charles Skinner, Cameron Smith, Katherine Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Heather Stout, Erin Taylor, Edwin Velasco, Sierra Warner, Laura Weiderhaft, Mara Whiteside, Rachel Whitsell, and Nathan Williamson. Of this year’s award recipients, 21 were juniors this spring. These students have another year in which to complete college-level work and possibly earn another AP Scholar Award. Most of the nation’s colleges and universities award credit, advanced placement, or both based on successful performance on the AP Exams. Rogers High School currently offers 19 AP courses in a variety of areas from science to foreign languages, history, music, English and art. Seventy students at Rogers High School have earned the distinction of AP Scholar for their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams. The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. Rogers High School students are among the top 18 percent of the more than 1.4 million high school students in more than 16,000 secondary schools worldwide who took AP Exams and performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar. “Rogers has an outstanding AP program and these RHS students have distinguished themselves by taking very challenging courses and scoring among the top students from around the country on this college-level material,” said Bill Stringer, the principal of Rogers High School. Students took the AP Exams in May 2007 after completing rigorous courses at their high schools. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on student’s performance on AP exams. Fall 2007 15 Looking Ahead – Tips for Getting College Scholarships s a college education becomes more and more expensive, parents and students need to begin planning in advance for how they are going to gain entrance and pay for it. For some it may seem out of reach, but on a recent visit to the Rogers School District, Gov. Mike Beebe encouraged middle-school students at Lingle Middle School to pursue more education after graduation. “Education opens every door,” Beebe said. “If you think college is not for you, think again. The opportunity to have the life you want to have…will be dependent on the quality and extent of your education.” Figuring out how to pay for college will pay big dividends down the road. The average annual income for someone with a high school diploma is $37,051. For someone with an associate degree, it is $45,982 and with a bachelor’s degree $65,008 – nearly double the income of a high school graduate each year. Rogers students interested in applying for scholarships can take some early steps before they get to their senior year to increase their chances for success. 1. Take rigorous courses. Taking tougher classes will help students be better prepared for college entrance exams like the ACT and for higher education in general. “Parents need to start giving this thought when they’re helping their children choose classes,” said Kathleen Riggs, a counselor at Rogers High School. Students are encouraged to take four years of math including Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II and another higher level of math such as Calculus, Trigonometry, Statistics or Advanced Placement Mathematics. Students also need four years of English, three years of Social Studies, and three years of Science, which could include Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry or Physics. Students who do not take the recommended core courses score on average at least 1 point lower on the ACT and sometimes have to pay for remedial classes when they reach college if they are not prepared for college level work. 2. Take grades seriously beginning in your freshman year. Rogers scholarship coordinator Sharon Schrantz recommends that students take their grades seriously. A student’s cumulative 16 Rogers Public Schools A Sharon Schrantz, the scholarship coordinator at Rogers High School, talks about potential scholarship opportunities with an RHS student. GPA begins in the 9th grade, which is what will be looked at when student are applying for colleges and competing for scholarships. Sometimes when students are in 9th grade in a junior high school they do not take their grades as seriously as they should because they do not fully realize the importance of that year for their future. Rogers hopes to raise awareness about the importance of the freshman year as the district converts to a 9-12th grade configuration for high school next year. “That’s one of the real positive points of having students in grades 9-12 in the same building,” Schrantz said. “Grades start counting from 9th grade on.” 3. Get involved. The Rogers High School staff recommends that students really consider getting more involved in volunteering in the community and their school. That involvement pays off not only in personal growth for the student, but it can also be a plus when applying for colleges and scholarships. It’s not just transcripts and test scores that are important these days. “More and more colleges want to see students involved in their community or school,” Schrantz said. Colleges have found that students who have shown they can handle more than just school tasks are better able to manage their time and to be successful in college. “The students that have been involved and balanced their time are happier and more productive,” Schrantz said. 4. Take on leadership roles. As students get involved in clubs, activities and community projects, counselors encourage students not just to accumulate a long laundry list of groups but to focus on certain groups and take on leadership roles in their favorite group. “It’s not just the number of organizations that students are involved in, but the depth of their involvement,” Riggs said. 5. Take a practice ACT or SAT. RHS staff recommend taking the college entrance exam in the spring of the junior year after students have completed Algebra II and then taking it again as senior to see if they can increase their score. Counselors at Rogers High School offer special preparation classes at lunchtime and an intensive summer course to help students become familiar with what to expect on the test and how to do their best. Students who earn a 19 or higher on the ACT and have a 2.75 or 3.0 in a certain group of courses are eligible to apply for an Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship and receive almost $12,000 over four years for college. 6. Visit colleges. RHS staff members also recommend visiting colleges to learn more about which ones may be of interest because often students are limited in the number they can apply to by the cost of the application fee. 7. Seek advice and assistance from high school staff. Rogers students are always welcome to seek the advice and assistance of their counselor, the scholarship coordinator, teachers and other staff members about applying for college and Continued on page 17 Continued from page 16 for scholarships. Some teachers ask students to write a college application essay as an exercise to help them better prepare for the sometimes difficult task. 8. Apply for scholarships. After taking some of these important early steps, the time to apply for scholarships begins during the senior year typically between December and February. Schrantz encourages students to consider applying for local scholarships in addition to those offered by universities and across the state and nation. “This is an incredibly generous community,” Schrantz said. The graduating class of 2007 received $381,134 in local scholarships from more than 140 individuals, foundations, civic clubs and school employees. Approximately 211 students received scholarships ranging from $100 to $12,000. Major donations included those from the Buck Family Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, the Bill Fleeman Memorial Scholarship, the Wal-Mart Foundation, the Rogers Noon Rotary Club and the Rogers Athletic Booster Club. The Buck family gave out approximately $200,000 in scholarships. Twelve of their scholarships were based on merit. Of those, seven were given to 2007 RHS graduates and five to former RHS graduates currently in college. In addition, the Buck Family Foundation gave 33 scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $4,000, to RHS graduates who had previously received a local scholarship to help them continue their college educations. The foundation also gave six scholarships to RHS alumni pursuing graduate degrees. Several organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Hispanic Women’s Organization of Arkansas, and Higher Education for Migrant and ESL Youth (HEMEY) donated money to help assist Hispanic students with their college education. In total, RHS students received more than $3.2 million in college scholarships in addition to the local scholarships. For more information, parents and students are encouraged to visit with a counselor or the school’s scholarship coordinator. Strategic Plan Update The Rogers Public Schools is committed to continuous improvement. There is no guide or map for school improvement; each school district and each school is unique. However, without a long-range plan and a direction it is impossible for us to know if we are really making a difference. We need a plan if we want to go from “ good to great to extraordinary.” We call our plan “The Strategic Plan”, and it is organized into five domains - Leadership, Data, Communication, Curriculum, and Professional Development. Each domain is dependent on the other. Every year with input from administrators, parents, teachers and students, the Strategic Plan is updated. Inside each domain are objectives. The objectives are specific areas targeted for improvement. Each objective also has at least one action step that describes what is to be done. There is always a person or persons responsible for getting the action step complete, a timeline for completion, and data used to measure whether or not the objective has been accomplished. Mark Sparks, deputy superintendent, has overseen the implementation of the strategic plan and has helped track how the plan is helping the district progress. “I think we’re more focused,” Sparks said. “We’re always looking for ways to make things better.” Each year the district takes on many initiatives to make improvements. This year our focus is the Curriculum domain. However, this focus is also reflected in our professional development schedule for next year. One curriculum objective for 2007-08 is to “create a seamless K – 12 curriculum that supports each student’s advancement to the next level to maximize student achievement.” We want to support this objective through meaningful professional development. This will be a long-term objective and will require many hours of work, but it is the most important work we do. In What Works in Schools, R. J. Marzano wrote, “A guaranteed and viable curriculum has the greatest impact on student achievement.” Curriculum work began in our district in-service days at the beginning of the school year and we devote the second Monday of each month to district curriculum work as well as other days. Our goal is to help clarify “what” to teach so that teachers may focus on “how” to teach. “When teachers clearly know what kids need to learn, the better the kids learn it,” Sparks said. Sparks gave the example that everyone wants children to learn to be good citizens but what does that look like at each level. We start with a broad idea of what we want to achieve and then break that down into what happens at each grade level with specifics and details, he said. It is also a change in mindset in education. Teachers don’t just focus on teaching to the middle and move on to the next topic. “We want to change the focus and talk about what the students have learned,” Sparks said. “We look at what the kids know and can do (after a lesson) – not just saying, ‘Well, the teacher taught it.’” There are many more objectives in the Strategic Plan. You may read the plan in its entirety on our webpage at www.rogers.k12.ar.us. Also, please feel free to contact Mark Sparks or to make suggestions. Remember, the Strategic Plan is each of our stakeholder’s plan and we need your input to make this district a place where we provide the best education to all students in Rogers. Fall 2007 17 Foundation Enhances Teaching Resources E The Rogers High School Jazz Band (above) helps entertain more than 1,500 guests at the annual Celebration of Children Festival - a fundraiser of the Rogers Public Education Foundation. Garfield Elementary students (upper right) investigate the properties of different rocks and minerals in a lab supported by funds from the Rogers Public Education Foundation. ach year the Rogers Public Education Foundation works to promote and enhance academic programs in the Rogers Public Schools to help make additional materials and resources available to teachers through grants. The foundation awards nearly $20,000 in grants to teachers and staff each year. Foundation funding impacts almost every program in the schools including Advanced Placement (AP), special education, English for Speakers of Other Languages, physical education, gifted and talented, science and art classes. Recently, the foundation helped provide $500 for special books recorded on MP3 players, known as Playaways, to help promote literacy at Westside. Cheryl Rosenbaum, the media specialist at Westside, polled all of the parents of fourth and fifth graders at her school to gain permission for students to check out the devices. Rosenbaum thought there would be some interest in the books on MP3 players but was surprised when 90 percent brought back the form to participate. Similar to books on tape, a single book is recorded on a simple MP3 player – easy enough for young children to use to listen and read along with a book. “A lot of children – especially children who are learning English as a second language or struggling students – have such a hard time reading on grade level. With this, they can read along with what the other kids in their grade are reading.” Rosenbaum said children read along in the actual book as they listen and help build their listening and reading skills to a higher level. Westside focused on purchasing classics like Charlotte’s Web, Where the Red Fern Grows, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Secret Garden as well as nonfiction books about sports, history and other topics with the grant money, which was also partially funded by the Rogers Early Risers Rotary Club. Now, Rosenbaum’s only problem is she can’t keep any Playaways in stock. An empty rack sits waiting for when there might be one that is not checked out. Rosenbaum worried aloud one day that she might need a second rack to hold them all if they were ever all checked back in, but laughed when her aide reminded her how 18 Rogers Public Schools unlikely that was to occur because of their popularity. “I’m hoping to get another grant,” Rosenbaum said, looking at the empty rack. “Obviously, we’re going to need more to meet the demand.” The Rogers Public Education Foundation has also funded many science resources through the years, including digital microscopes with projectors for classrooms, and most recently a special grant for Garfield Elementary to equip a room for hands-on science experiments. Third graders in Donna James’ class at Garfield recently investigated a variety of rocks and minerals and along the way made predictions about whether rocks would float or would be affected by the acid in vinegar. They also examined each rock’s special qualities with magnifying glasses. “I think the kids learn so much when they are learning in this discovery mode,” James said. The A Westside student enjoys listening to Chargrant, which was also provided lotte’s Web on a Playaway, an MP3 player with in part from the Rogers Public Education Foundation and the one recorded book on it, as she reads along. Rogers Early Risers Rotary Club, minnow racing, a sand dig and a bubblealso helped provide the supplies for another blowing contest. Children could also play investigation into owls and their prey. Earlier various carnival games sponsored by schools this year, Garfield students examined owl and parent-teacher groups, companies and pellets looking for bones that would give organizations. They were able to have fun with clues to what owls eat, bringing a lesson on the Family Zone’s inflatable sports games and vertebrates and invertebrates to life. “We’re growing as a foundation,” said Paula Daisy’s airgun target practice and check out the Benton County Sheriff’s helicopter and a Wilson, the foundation’s executive director. Rogers Fire Department ladder. In addition to “We’re there to enhance the education in the games and activities, the $5 entry fee paid for Rogers School District beyond just the nuts lunch and four hours of fun entertainment. and bolts. We’re there to provide those extra The children enjoyed live entertainment from resources that makes Rogers students stand groups such as Oakdale Jr. High School’s hip out from other students in the region or the hop dance team, the Rogers High School Jazz country.” Band, and children performing a scene from To raise the money for such projects, the the Rogers Little Theater’s recent production of foundation relies on individual’s donations “Annie.” as well as its new fundraiser, the Celebration Wilson said she was most impressed with the of Children Festival, designed especially more than 300 volunteers, most of whom were for children and families to enjoy together. high school students, who came out to support Held Oct. 7 in the courtyard of Rogers High nd School this year, the 2 Annual Celebration of education and gave of their own time on a Children Festival featured more than 50 booths Sunday afternoon. “It shows we are doing something right in – each with a unique activity for children to our community,” Wilson said. participate in. Some of the favorites included Join the Key Communicator Network The Rogers Public Schools started a special program in 2005 to keep district residents and business people informed about school news and initiatives and to invite feedback about how we can serve our students and community better. So far more than 250 people have joined the network, and we appreciate their interest and support for education. The district also welcomes you to become involved in the Key Communicator program. It is simply a network of people who are interested in the public schools and frequently talk about them. Dr. Janie Darr, the district’s superintendent, sends members updates about school news and asks them to share that information with friends, family, neighbors and contacts they have throughout the community. Network members, and anyone who wishes, are asked to let us know about any comments or suggestions they have gathered. We hope the Key Communicators program will be another way that we can have a conversation with our patrons about how we can provide the best education possible for our students. Communication is primarily through e-mail although we will be happy to fax or mail information to those who prefer it. We invite you to join the network and learn more about the Rogers schools. Please send your contact information to Ashley Kelley, program coordinator, at 500 W. Walnut St., Rogers, AR 72756 or e-mail it to akelley@rogers.k12.ar.us. Fall 2007 19