💈It was great having Bloomington Normal Barber College students and owner, Cassius C., back on our campus for the second year in a row. Cassius spoke with some students about the barber college program, while others received free haircuts and hair lining from Gage and Alan. Thank you, Mr. Eddins, for setting up this experience for our students. We appreciate this community partnership with BNBC and Cassius! We encourage all who are interested in learning how to become a licensed barber to contact Cassius at 309-828-1234. www.bnbarbercollege.com 💈
The "Before" and "After" pictures of the RAS Community Garden show the progress that has been made! We have about 10 hours worth of clearing, tilling, more clearing, fencing, planting, and watering complete. Currently there are 22 vegetable plants in the ground that began as part of our "Seed Starting Project" in April. We are looking forward to watching them grow all summer and harvesting them for our families in the fall.
Students and Staff had fun making masks in Art with Mr. Thornton! Can you guess the Masked Staff under Mrs. Potato Head, the purple elephant, and the giraffe? 🥔💜🐘🦒
This morning RAS students had the opportunity to visit the Workforce Development Center at Heartland Community College and work with the faculty there. Students toured the welding and technology labs and got to practice their skills using the awesome training equipment. This was a great experience and gave the students an idea of what Heartland has to offer after high school.
This week four students in Mr. O'Kraski's Career Readiness program were awarded $250 "Ready to Work Scholarships" from our friends at StaffQuick Hiring Agency in Bloomington. The scholarship money will be used to help these graduating seniors prepare for the world of work after high school.
A great communal partnership was on display Monday, April 17th at RAS. We owe a special THANK YOU to our friends LaToya Carter and Diamond Stewart for leading a Natural Hair Workshop . Participants learned about caring for natural hair and were provided with a personal hair care kit.
United Way of McLean County (UWMC) and Women United, are pleased to announce the introduction and launching of a Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL) for families in McLean County. This nationally renowned program will provide one book a month to McLean County children from birth to age five with engaging, high-quality books, delivered directly to their home, at no cost to families.
You can sign your child up to participate here:
https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/ILMCLEAN/?chkAvalAddressData=eyJjYWxsYmFjayl6dHJ1ZSwiYWRkcmVzcyI6eyJjb3VudHJ5ljoiVVMilCJ6aXAiOil2MTcwMSIsInN0YXRIIjoiSUwilCJjaXR5ljoiQmxvb21pbmd0b24iLCJjb3VudHkioiJNY0xlYWilCJzdHJIZXQioilifX)%3D
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The mission of SAAM is to increase public understanding of sexual assault and educate communities on how to prevent it. YWCA McLean County will celebrate Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) throughout the month of April 2023.
There will be few program highlights throughout this month, i.e., Clothesline project, teal chair project, survivor love letter and final steps awareness walk. Clothesline project is a visual display bearing witness to violence against individuals. Teal chair project reminds us that no one has to go through the aftermath of sexual violence alone. Teal chairs also remind us that happens right here in the McLean County. Survivor Love Letters is a public art exhibition displaying letter of love, support and solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. Final Steps Awareness Walk is a peaceful and accessible walk around the pond at Miller Park in support of survivors and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
April 7, 2023 (5pm to 8pm) | Clothesline Project @ McLean County Museum of History
April 8, 2023 (10am to 2pm) | Survivor Love Letters @ Illinois Art station
April 9 to April 14, 2023 (5pm to 8pm) | Clothesline Project @ Heartland Community College
April 15, 2023 (10am to 4pm) | Clothesline Project @ Uptown Normal
April 17, 2023 (9am to 2pm) | Clothesline Project @ Illinois State University
April 29, 2023 (10 am to 12 noon) | Final Steps Awareness Walk @Miller Park
All month Team Chair Project Various Local Business
Please visit the link https://www.ywcamclean.org/saam/ for additional details
📣Reminder📣
Wednesday, April 12th: SAT @ 7:45
*Remote day for non-test takers!*
Thursday, April 13th: PSAT @ 7:45
*Remote day for non-test takers!*
Emails have been sent to students who are testing and their parents. Robo calls have also been made. Please call the school if you have any questions 308-828-5807.
For our Triple I activity this week students used some practical geometry and measurement skills while woodworking. They built wooden racks that will be used to store fresh fruit and vegetables in our school market.
Science is alive all around us.
As we've investigated different kinds of animal behavior in our zoology unit, students had the opportunity to discuss interactions between zookeepers and their animals. Our guest speaker from Pathful Connect, Carie, was a zookeeper for many years. She gave the students insight on how animals are raised, bred, and enriched. Students saw examples of enriching Giraffes, Red Pandas, Tigers, and Deer. Towards the end, students got to ask Carie about animal stories and job opportunities within Zoology and even at our local zoo: Miller Park Zoo!
RAS students had the opportunity to visit the Midwest Food Bank in Normal today and spend some time with a great community partner. Every month MFB provides RAS with incredible food donations for our school market. It was great to work along side some amazing volunteers during their distribution day!
A heart-felt THANK YOU to our friends at First Christian Church for providing our staff a "Pick Me-Up" Lunch of Italian Beef w/peppers, salad, pasta, garlic bread and other assorted goodies. We appreciate your intentionality in lifting our spirits :)
The City of Bloomington Township is offering an additional assistance program to help those facing an eviction, mortgage default, or utility disconnection.
Available Funding: Lifetime maximum limit of $3,000.00 per individual/family.
Some qualifying requirements include, but are not limited to:
-Must be a resident of The City of Bloomington Township
-Must have at least 30 days worth of documented income at time of application
-Must have a late payment or eviction notice including documented payment history from property manager and/or late payment/disconnect notice from utility company
-Must be first vetted and determined for General and Emergency Assistance
-Those receiving SSI, SSA, SSDI may qualify
-Those with a Class X or Class 1 Drug Felony Conviction may also be eligible
How To Apply:
Contact COBT at 309-434-2730 to begin the application process by completing a quick questionnaire
Huge THANK YOU to our gracious friends at Eastview Christian Church who let our students utilize their facilities this past Wednesday. They even provided us with some delicious breakfast!
RAS was pleased to meet with Chad Kahl from the Voter Services Committee of the League of Women Voters of McLean County. Mr. Kahl assisted students who turned eighteen years old during the school year to become registered voters online. It is always a great day when students begin to exercise their right to vote!
Monday evening March 6th RAS hosted IWU's Project LEAD (Leaders in Education Advocating for Diversity). Project LEAD was able to tour RAS, have a Q &A with staff as well as have discussion on pedagogical practices within an alternative learning environment.
Reminder: Friday (2/17) and Monday (2/20) are non-attendance days for students! If you have a student-led conference set for tonight or tomorrow, please bring your child with you to the meeting. Enjoy the long weekend!
Another successful III Day in the books! Students visited different stations in the Flex Space and created various ❤️Valentine's Day❤️crafts. Students worked on nail string art, decorated sugar cookies, used the tape resist method to paint with watercolors and made heart tassels and homemade bath bombs. Students were able to leave with their masterpieces to give to a loved one or keep for themselves. L❤️VE is in the air at RAS!
We love free money! Well, we have to put some work into it, but grant writing is a quick win for us! And let's be honest, it's much easier than asking the government for more
money! PNC is a bank which offers annual grants for local schools and Mrs. Quick has been a recipient THREE times now! She plans to use this round of $750 for a three compartment sink to properly wash, rinse, and sanitize dishes during her cooking lessons. And clearly, Dash is our #1 employee and always looking for a photo op!
