San Antonio Schools Address Nutrition Problem By Patricia Hawke

Every day children show up to school tired and hungry. I’m not talking about homeless or abused children. But kids from loving homes near the San Antonio Schools whose parents don’t understand the impact of nutrition and a good night’s sleep on a student’s ability to focus and learn. Good nutrition is a necessity of life. A healthy diet enables the body to work more efficiently, improves mental health, and makes learning possible. A person who does not eat well tends to be more sedentary, depressed, and uninterested in learning. San Antonio Schools are not only providing their students with good, healthy meals, but also offer various opportunities and tips for students and parents to learn more about healthy eating.

Thousands of students enrolled in San Antonio Schools depend on free breakfast and lunch at school as their main source of nutrition. In the summer months, San Antonio Schools students can continue to enjoy these meals at no charge. As part of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s “Seamless Summer Nutrition Program”, San Antonio Schools campuses that are hosting summer school programs will offer anyone 18 years old and younger one breakfast and one lunch through Aug. 9, free of charge, regardless of ability to pay.

The “Seamless Summer Nutrition Program” is required by law in San Antonio Schools where large numbers of students receive free meals during the school year, such as those who attend San Antonio Schools. Participants are eligible regardless of whether they are enrolled in a summer program and no application is required.

How many children would have better focus if they ate a healthy breakfast, and stopped living on a sugar high? The mission of the San Antonio Schools Food and Child Nutrition Services is to enhance the learning and health of children by nourishing their bodies and minds through healthy, nutritious meals that meet or exceed the Federal requirements set forth by the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. It’s about time that districts recognize that holistic health impacts learning.

The San Antonio Schools nutrition department partners with the USDA in offering these tips for healthy eating:

1. Make half your grains whole
2. Vary your veggies
3. Focus on fruits
4. Get your calcium-rich foods
5. Go lean with protein
6. Change your oil
7. Don’t sugarcoat it

Tips offered for San Antonio Schools students who want to get active:

1 Set a good example: Be active and get your family to join you.

2 Take the President’s Challenge: As a family, track your activities at
http://www.presidentschallenge.org.

3 Establish a routine: Adults need at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week; and children should exercise 60 minutes everyday or most days.

4 Have an activity party, such as skating or bowling.

5 Set up a home gym; use canned foods for weights and the steps as a stairmaster.

6 Move it! Instead of sitting through TV commercials, get up and move.

7 Give activity gifts

San Antonio Schools are working hard to give their students good nutrition when they are on campus and good education about nutrition, healthy eating habits and exercise tips for when they are off campus. Go San Antonio!

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=173103&ca=Education

Portland Schools Exceed Budget By $ 1.7 Million By Patricia Hawke

Superintendent of Portland Public Schools, Mary Jo O’Connor announced that the Portland Schools have exceeded their $81.7 budget by about 2%. This is despite $500,000 in cuts made in May of 2006. O’Connor explained that the increased spending was due to factors beyond the control of Portland Schools officials.

Unavoidable Increases for Portland Schools

O’Connor stated that the deficit was “regrettable but unavoidable”. Federal and state education mandates, increased utility costs, and collective bargaining agreements were cited as causes of the huge deficit. Portland Schools has seen significant increases in energy costs and health insurance costs since the budget was first approved. Portland Schools say that all looked good with the budget until the end of May 2007, when forecasts projected the year-end deficit. What happened?

In the fall of 2006 the Portland Schools approved the hiring of over 7 new Special Education positions to fulfill state and federal mandates. Also, in November the Portland Schools Committee approved a collective bargaining contract at 3%, rather than the projected 2.5%. The figures show that Portland Schools spent an additional $625,000 meeting the Special Education requirements. That number includes transportation services and out-of-district fees. The collective bargaining increases added an extra $675,000 to the Portland Schools budget. Electricity increases, higher than expected bus maintenance, and increased health insurances costs added up to $625,000. Finally, the cost of purchasing software to comply with updated standards from the Maine Department of Education added $80,000 to the Portland Schools budget. Balanced with under spent funds the district ended up overspending about $1.7 million.

Mandates Cause Deficit for Portland Schools

The Portland Schools have been challenged to use existing funds to meet No Child Left Behind mandates along with district and state polices. When the Portland Schools committee initially voted to reduce the budget by $500,000 in April of 2006, there was expected debate over where to make the cuts. Reductions resulted the following areas: professional services $30,000; transportation and travel expenses $85,000; books and supplies $165,000; oil and natural gas conservation measures $65,000; audiovisual and computer supplies $65,000; and deferred capital equipment purchases $60,000.

Despite the publicity over the exceeded budget, the Portland Schools have seen many positive outcomes result from changes over the last few years. The Maine Initiative requiring all students to take the SATs in their junior years raised the bar for graduation requirements. And the Maine program that provides Apple laptop computers to middle school students has been widely successful. Still, the Portland Schools will face increased pressure to insure that the budget numbers are aligned for the coming school year. According to the Superintendent, “It is now our task, on behalf of our students, parents and taxpayers to balance the realities of limited financial resources with the goal of providing quality education….”

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=171598&ca=Education

Raleigh Schools Continue Transition To Year Round Schools By Patricia Hawke

Since 1989 the Wake County District of Raleigh Schools in North Carolina have been experimenting with year round schools. In the Raleigh Schools, a year round school requires that children attend the same 180 school days, but on a non-traditional schedule. Rather than the conventional September to June calendar, with a long summer break, students and teachers in Raleigh Public Schools year round program attend on a continuous cycle of 45 days on with 3 week breaks between. While the concept of year round schools has been approved by educational experts for decades, resistance from many parents and teachers has the prevented the concept from becoming as wide spread as many would like. But Raleigh Schools’ gradual implementation of the concept is gathering many devotees.

From 1992 to 2004 the district added 13 more year round schools. In the 2006-2007 school year, another 5 were added. And 2007-2008 will mark the fastest growth ever when the Raleigh Schools will add 26 more schools to its year round model. 4 of these will be brand new and 22 will be transitioned over. Parents and teachers are coming to accept and enjoy the flexibility of the year round model. And the benefits to the district are meaningful.

Benefits of Year Round Raleigh Schools

Cost savings are the biggest benefit to the administrators of the Raleigh Schools. By rotating groups of classes in and out of buildings throughout the school year, the district can accommodate up to 33% more children, and save on both construction and operating costs. Here’s how it works.

A typical year round school may have 4 separate tracks of students and teachers, all on separate schedules. So three tracks will begin the school year on July 10th, while the fourth track will be on their break and have the first day of school on July 31st. Because the tracks will rotate into a different classroom each time, the school uses less classroom space, and even needs fewer school buildings to accommodate the students. While cost savings vary based on capacity and enrollment, the Raleigh Schools have experienced average savings from 20-33%. These savings roll over to books, materials, and other equipment.

What about benefits for families and teachers of the Raleigh Schools? Many are surprised by how much flexibility the schedule allows. Families love the ability to take vacations during less popular travel times. And the biggest concern- childcare, is proving manageable for most. The Raleigh Schools have lists of day care providers who accommodate the year round schools. Another benefit is that students retain information better than over the long summer break. Raleigh Schools also provide remedial and enrichment tutoring during students’ break time. Of course, there are challenges.

Challenges of the Year Round Raleigh Schools

The greatest challenges to the Raleigh Schools have been cleaning and maintenance scheduling, siblings on different tracks, the initial work of finding day care, make-up weather days that must be held on Saturdays, and interference with traditional summer activities. In spite of these challenges, the program is gaining in popularity. Many educators in the Raleigh Schools feel that the biggest challenge is getting families to give the new model a chance. As the nation calls for sweeping educational reform, Raleigh Schools think that year round schools may be the future of education.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=171599&ca=Education

Finding Science And Art In Phoenix Schools By Patricia Hawke

Many, many programs are available to students throughout all Phoenix Public Schools districts. Sensing the constant need for improvements, and to keep up with national and global standards, Phoenix Schools are meeting these demands head on. For example, some Phoenix Schools have implemented innovative Science, Art, and IB (International Baccalaureate) programs.

InnoWorks, a new science program available to underprivileged Phoenix Schools middle-school students, was implemented in February 2007 by Grace Hsieh, a junior at the University of Arizona. Hsieh was looking to start a peer mentor and tutoring program when she came across a website detailing the program InnoWorks, which had its beginnings at Duke University.

Phoenix Schools middle-schoolers take part in a free science camp organized and run entirely by UA undergraduates. Twenty-four students from six Phoenix Schools were selected for the camp. InnoWorks’ leaders hope that by exposing underprivileged Phoenix Schools students to college campuses and science research, more students will be inspired to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

'Immediately it was easy to recognize what a great program it was, in its philosophy and vision,' Hsieh said.

Hsieh has gathered about $20,000 in donations to fund the program, recruited about 20 fellow students to work as mentors, and sought out campers by calling Phoenix Schools counselors and teachers.

Explorer Middle School recently received the Mayor's School of Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts Education. Integrating arts into their academic classes is one thing that makes this member of the Phoenix Schools unique.

Principal Marianne Bursi believes that the appreciation of art relates to all fields of study.

'We find students learn more by doing,' said Bursi. 'The brain remembers more with visuals rather than just looking at plain old text. The [students] discover [they have] many hidden talents because art is incorporated into all their academics.'

Each quarter, seventh-graders are encouraged to take chorus, visual arts, world languages and applied technology courses. Once they are in eighth grade, these Phoenix Schools children can then choose which they prefer for the year

Phoenix Schools are beginning to offer children in Grades K-10 an opportunity to learn via the International Baccalaureate program. This is a teaching model used around the world that pushes students to become proficient in at least two languages, think critically and learn from a global perspective by studying other cultures.

Mesa Public Schools could soon become the first school district in Phoenix Schools, and one of only a handful nationwide, to offer an IB program to students from kindergarten through the end of high school.

Gregg Good, is the IB coordinator for one Phoenix Schools high school which began offering the program last year. Administrators are still determining the best way to test young Phoenix Schools elementary students in a 'culturally neutral' way to decide which children will participate in the rigorous IB program for the 2007-2008 school year.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=171595&ca=Education