Ramsey Resident - 1985 - September/October

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,.J I r , I , I.. I I i il' I I II -J'- ---- Adventures Plus Registration Now Open Registration is now open for Adventures Plus, a latch key program that provides before and after school care to young- sters, kindergarten through grade four. The program will expand this year to serve students from Champlin, Dayton and Ramsey schools. Adventures Plus, which is a service of the Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 Community Education Department, was piloted last year at Eisenhower School, Coon Rapids. It served not only Eisenhower students but those (!.t Sorteberg. and Sand Creek schools as well, providing shuttle bus trans- portation in between the schools. The program at Champlin will serve Dayton School students through a similar arrangement. Adventures Plus provides a variety of planned activities for children from as early as 6:30 a.m. until school starts and then again after school until 6 p.m. It is open nonschool days as well. "The program provides peace of mind for working par- ents," said Mary Lou Gorski, coordinator. "Parents know their child gets to school and they know they are well cared for after school. The best thing, though, is how well the kids like it." Participants in the program have a voice in planning ac- tivities, which include such things as field trips, talent shows and weeks with special themes in addition.to arts and crafts, drama, sports, cooking, movies, games and more. "The program is similar to a day care center, but because the ch i1dren are older, it offers more independence," said Gorski. EBCE Honors Rick Wood .;- Rick Wood, owner of Rick's Union 76 service station in Anoka, was recently honored for his work with students through the Experience Based Career Education Program (EBCE). Wood has served as a re- source person since the EBCE program was initiated in Anoka-Hennepin School Dis- trict 11 eight years ago. In those eight years he has work- ed with over 125 high school juniors who were interested in exploring a career in auto me- chanics. ' School Board member Jon Stonecash presented Wood with a plaque in recognition of his outstanding work with stu- dents in EBCE. The EBCE program offers high school' juniors from Blaine and COOf} Rapids High School the opportunity to try out a wide range of careers u from county government, to child care, to computer science u by spending several days to several weeks observ- ing and learning in local busi- nesses, industries and offices. Students spend four days a week at a career site learning from a resource person such as Wood, and one day in their home school working on aca- demics with their EBCE learn- ing coordinator. "You just can't say enough Children in Adventures Plus can participate in other com- munity school activities ifthey wish. They check in with the Adventures Plus staff before going to the activity and then go back to Adventures Plus when it's over. The program is staffed by a coordinator who is experienc- ed in either education, recrea- tion or child care, a site leader who plans activites and takes responsibility for care of the children, plus an aide who assists in direct care. The staff ratio is one adult for every 15 children. Nutritious snacks are pre- pared by the school food ser- vice staff for all children in the program. . Adventures Plus is support- ed by parent fees. Fees are $2 per hour for under 15 hours per week, $32 for week for over 15 hours. The charge of non- school days is $10 per day. A discount is given when more than one child in a family is en- rolled in the program. To register or for more infor- mation, contact Mary Lou Gor- ski, 755-8220, ext. 321. 1985-86 School Year Budget Anoka-Hennepin District 11 School Board adopted a budget for the 1985-86 school year call i ng for expenditures of $119,138,620 offset by revenues of $119,917,659. The school district expects to spend $82.7 million in the general funds, which pays the basic costs of education -- staff salaries, textbooks, supplies, etc. The budget approved includes the cost of additional teachers needed to reduce class size at the junior high level. Although junior high enrollment will be down somewhat next year, the school district plans to retain teaching pOSitions that would normally have been cut with reduced numbers of students. In addition, the district will hire teachers to reduce class size even further in the junior high grades across the school district. The budget also includes funds for resource teachers for the Effective Schools/School Improvement Process. Resource teachers will assist other teachers in instructional matters related to the Effective Schools process. Elementary schools will each have one half time resource teacher; secondary schools will have two half time.resource teachers. The school district currently uses resource teachers in the program for gifted and talented students. These teachers con- duct workshops on effective teaching strategies and then model those strategies in the classroom for other teachers to observe. cash register, how to deal with' The general fund budget also includes funds for several addi- customers, how to get along tional special education staff to teach adapted physical educa- well with co'-workers and even tion and to work in programs for students with emotional/ how to dress properly," said behavioral disorders and physical and other health impairments. Johnson. "He also em- .The general fund budget does not include the cost of salary phasizes with them the impor- increases for employees whose contracts have not yet been set- tance of academics. Rick is tied. very active in the community The community education budget includes funds for expan- and he teaches kids about how sion of the Adventures Plus program which currently provides important that is too." before and after school childcare at Eisenhower School on a fee For some students Wood is basis. This year the program will be extended at Ramsey, a counselor as well as a teach- Dayton and Champlin Schools. Jim Stewart, community educa- er. "Kids feel free to open up tion director, told the school board that fees paid by parents with him and talk about their should cover the total cost of providing the Adventures Plus pro- problems. He is just wonderful gram. with them." Because the state legislature has not yet passed the bill that funds public education, some revenue and expenditure figures are only estimates according to Roger.Giroux, director of plan- ning/evaluation. "Our revenue projections are based on our best estimates," said Giroux. "Our principal concern in the area of revenue is a cap on special education reimbursement. It looks as if the cap is up over what we had been hearing before and there is some discussion of allowing districts a levy to make up the dif- . ference. " School districts currently receive a 70% salary reimburse- ment for special education teachers. The legislature has con- sidered plac,ing a cap on the dollar amount of the reimburse- ment. The legislature is also considering, for 1986-87, a transfer to school districts of retirement costs now paid by the state. .Giroux will present a budget revision in early October that will include the adjustments needed for actual enrollments and con- tracts settlements as well as legislative action. . Following is a budget summary: ADOPTION DRAFT SUMMARY,OF EXPENDITURE BUDGET BY FUND 1984.85 1985.86 $ 77,267,592 $ 82,777,197 5,193,457 5,721,900 6,534,525 7,011,492 2,089,851 2,380,367 mental/public relations direc- tor for the school district, ex- pects funding for this project to be $12,000. The project began in September. The second grant will pro- vide a Native American spec- ialist for one year to work with the school district's curricu- lum consultants in adapting the curriculum to include Native American materials and viewpoints. The school district request- School board member Jon Stonecash, right, presented Rick Wood with a . plaque in recognition of eight years of work with students in the Experienc. ed Based Career Education Program. good things about Rick," said Irene Johnson, 'student plac13- ment coordinator for EBCE. "His is probably the most popular site; with both girls and boys. "Rick has been witl:1 EBCE from the very beginning and he has never turned us down when we asked to place a stu- dent with him. Often he has had more than one student at a time." Wood teaches students a lot more than auto mechanics, according to Johnson. "Stu- dents learn how to operate the District Awarded State Grants' Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 was selected to receive two grants for curri- culum projects. A State Special Block Grant will allow the foreign language department to adapt the dis- trict's - foreign language curri- culum to meet standards set forth in the National Profici- ency Guidelines and those currently being adopted by local post-secondary institu- tions. . Janet Davenport, govern- ed $26,933 in its grant pro- posal, but because of uncer- tainty with the legislative allocation, Davenport expects funding to be $16,850. "The possibility for full funding still exists, however," she said. She noted that Anoka-Henne- pin's proposal was one of just a very few in the state to re- ceive funding through the Min- nesota Department of Educa- tion Indian Language and Cul- tural Grant program. - -'~- _--::- ------ Fund General Food Service Transportation Community Service Continued on page 23 ::