May 20, 2004

From the RR-II School Superintendent, El Dorado Springs, MO. by Greg Koetting

It is not too late to enroll your children, or visiting grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. in the Newton Learning Summer Adventure (summer school). There are already 500 students enrolled in the June 1- July 2 session, which runs daily from 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Along with non ElDo students being eligible, incoming kindergarten students may attend and it is an excellent way to get them ready for “the real thing.” Core classes (math, communication arts, science and social studies) were selected based on skills needed for MAP.

There are some new elective classes - Wright Flight, Wood Crafts, Journalism, Stacking Madness (problem solving) and Sea Crafts. There will also be some new remedial-type reading classes, with a 15-student limit, to focus on students with reading needs. Some favorite repeat classes are Go-Karts-Go, Rockets, Summer Sauce and Computers.

As in the past, there are some great prizes for incentives for both attendance and attitude. There will once again be four bus routes being run, so you may need to meet a bus somewhere in route to take advantage of that service. Contact Janice Nelson at the Apple Bus barn. The state does not provide any reimbursement for summer transportation (vs almost half during the regular), which is why we are not providing the usual number of routes.

Speaking of money, the state pays double for summer school attendance and that is why there has been such a growth in summer school programs in the last 10 years. This was done because most schools in the USA do not attend as many days as some of the nations whose students score better on standardized tests. People had a difficult time accepting a mandatory longer school year, so the state of Missouri made it a financial incentive to hold and/or attend summer school. Most kids do not work on farms anymore, so sitting in front of a television for three months made the first part of the next year a remedial effort. Contact Anita Troth (elementary) or Mike Durnell (secondary), via the element

ary office, for more information.