Showing up is the first step and often the hardest part of anything. Today, Mr. Eddins and Mrs. Quick rewarded students who had 90%+ attendance first semester with RAS gear. As Mr. Rudicil often preaches to our students, "The habits you build now will stay with you as you get older. If you get in the habit of coming to school, you'll get in the habit of going to work." We are proud of the 33 students who prioritize school attendance! Keep it up!
Due to the predicted unsafe wind chills for tomorrow, RAS will have a remote learning day for Tuesday, January 21st. Teachers will be emailing students tomorrow morning with expectations, check-in times, and learning activities. Please email or text Kara Quick (kquick@rasblm.org/309-445-3539) if you have any questions. Stay safe and warm!
Friendly reminder: There is no school tomorrow, Monday, January 20th, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Spread some kindness in his honor.
Contract time-3:30
Q: What were FOUR RAS staff members doing at 5:15 on a Friday night?
A: Meeting with a family at their home for an orientation because that is what they needed.
Our whole child approach often means whole family. Mr. Eddins, Mrs. LaCroix, Mrs. Quick, & Mr. Rudicil were able to facilitate a different style of orientation than we typically offer, but our Digital Learning Lab (DLL) allows us to think about education in a different way. We're always here to meet the needs of our students and families!
Rental and Utilities Arrears Assistance for Township Residents
The City of Bloomington Township has funds available for rental arrears assistance and utility arrears assistance through March 31, 2025. Eligibility requirements are similar to the General Assistance/Emergency Assistance programs. Applicants must apply for General Assistance/Emergency Assistance as part of the process. Contact the City of Bloomington Township by phone at (309) 434-2730 or in person at 607 S. Gridley St., Bloomington.
Township will require applicants to provide proof of all income, assets and place of residency. Applicants who received HERE assistance in the past are ineligible to receive again. Maximum amount of arrears assistance is $3000.
Eastern Illinois Foodbank will be at Normal West High School on Saturday, January 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to distribute food. Anyone in McLean County is welcome to attend.
ROE 17 and RAS are thrilled to be in partnership with Lifelong Access And Chestnut Health Systems by receiving 21.7 million in healthcare transformation capital improvement grant funding. This partnership will lead to the purchase and renovation of the Pantagraph building to serve as a collaborative hub for multiple agencies supporting services in behavioral health, psychiatry, youth urgent care center, dental care, alternative youth education, supportive employment, and food security initiatives.
Due to forecasted inclement weather for Monday, January 6th, RAS-Bloomington Campus will have a remote learning day for students. You will receive communication from your student's homeroom teacher Monday morning with more information. Please email Kara Quick (kquick@rasblm.org) with any questions. Stay safe and warm!
We are thankful for local companies that offer grant funding for some of our smaller projects. We have been the recipient of multiple PNC First Grants which have provided funding for hands-on learning opportunities for our students. This year, Mrs. Quick applied for funds to add more apparel-making equipment to our sewing machines and Cricut. We are hoping to engage our students in designing and making RAS gear, while building skills they can carry with them outside our walls. Thank you, PNC, for being a contributor to our hopes and dreams!
Fall 2024 @ RAS-BLM Campus: According to the Numbers… ⭐️200+ Student and Family Orientations ⭐️24 OSHA Certifications earned by students ⭐️14 Food Handler Certifications earned by students ⭐️50+ ISU Preservice Teachers completed clinical hours at our campus (TCH & EAF) ⭐️1 Student Teacher ⭐️1 Full-Time Social Work Intern ⭐️2 Part-Time Social Work Interns ⭐️4 Vocational Field Trips (2xHCC, CornBelt, MWFB) ⭐️12 Weeks of Boys & Girls Club Thursday activities with our Middle School students ⭐️12 Guest Speakers (Tricoci, 2xISAC, 2xArmy National Guard, Army, Marines, MTI, OSF Community Resource Center, StaffQuick, Laborers Local 362, Project Oz) ⭐️3 AMAZING local church partnerships (FCC, Eastview, St. Mark) ⭐️2 REMARKABLE partnerships with local food banks (MWFB & EIF) to stock the RAS School Market ⭐️300+ people served each month through the RAS School Market ⭐️14 weeks worth of VR opportunities to work on vocational skill building (mechanic, HVAC, small engine, farm hand, etc) ⭐️5 trips to the RAS Community Garden ⭐️50+ future educators from Unit 5 visited our campus ⭐️16 weeks of visits from outside counselors (Project Oz, CHS, Court Services) ⭐️1 irreplaceable partnership with CareerLink leading to a part-time student custodian ⭐️20 local schools served to meet the needs of their students ⭐️11 local school districts providing transportation for their students to our campus ⭐️24 high school graduates ⭐️20 dedicated and caring staff (19 humans, 1 dog)
🎓⭐️🎉 🤗RAS-BLM Campus provided educational opportunities for 24 local students this semester who were able to complete their graduation requirements. These students came to us from six different high schools in our region, and because of our amazing staff and programming, we also made sure they completed post-secondary tasks to send them off into the real world with employability and life skills! Help us in congratulating them! 🤗🎉⭐️🎓
Happy Holidays!
As we 🎁 WRAP UP 🎁 first semester, the RAS Staff would like to thank the students, families, home schools, community partners, and ROE #17 for a great start to the 2024-25 school year! Our future looks bright 😎 and we cannot wait to continue to grow and serve more youth in our community in the spring semester and beyond! Happy Holidays from all the hardworking elves at RAS! 💚❤️
**THANK YOU** St. Mark Lutheran Church continues to provide Christmas gifts for our students with children!!! Each child received diapers, clothes, and a toy! We continue to be humbled by your generosity!!
We ❤️ our friends at First Christian Church! Our students will stay warm thanks to your kindness and donation of cold weather items!
RAS is grateful to be a recipient of the Personal Impact Initiative through Eastview Christian Church. Many hands make for light work, community support is integral to achieving our collective mission of educating and engaging youth in meaningful ways. Sincere gratitude to our friends at Eastview who are enriching the lives of students and families at RAS.
December Newsletter
Giving Shed and Giving Rack
MCCA continues to provide for the community with its Giving Shed and Giving Rack. The Giving shed is located on the west side of the MCCA building and is open and free to everyone in the community. The shed contains food items, some personal care items and books.
The giving rack is in the entrance area of MCCA and contains clothing items in very fine condition, which anyone may take as they wish and need.
RAS was fortunate to host Zoey G as a student teacher this semester in our high school classrooms. Zoey demonstrated all of the key characteristics that make a successful student teacher: positive relationships with students, thoughtful planning, collaboration with RAS Staff, and the ability to accept feedback and reflect. We will miss Zoey at RAS and wish her nothing but the best as she wraps up her college career and begins her professional career at Bridge Academy!
Sending well wishes to you and yours! 🦃🍗🍠🥧🍁
