Students need supplies: Donation drop-offs being taken at several locations

-á-á

-á -á With September right around the corner, it's time to start organizing school supplies, thinking about class schedules and planning back-to-school shopping trips.

-á -á In the Monroe School District, classes are scheduled to start on Thursday, Sept. 10, but sixth- and ninth-grade students have the option of attending school that Wednesday, as a way of getting acclimated to their new educational environments.

-á -á Freshmen students at Monroe High School are mentored by older students serving on the school's LINK Crew, a program where peers mentor incoming students to help them navigate their new surroundings.-á

-á-á The LINK Crew has proven to be an effective way to help new students feel more at ease, said Monroe School District Director of Communications Rosemary O'Neil.

-á-á "They spend all day together learning about what it is to be a Bearcat, and all of the resources and opportunities that the high school has in store for them for the next four years,GÇ¥ O'Neil said. "It's been very successful.GÇ¥

-á -á Middle school students are mentored through a similarly structured program called Where Everyone Belongs (WEB). -á -á -á -á

-á -á In addition to helping students learn their way around, both the LINK Crew and the WEB program are meant to dispel back-to-school myths that can cause students to feel intimidated.-á

-á -á "LINK Crew and WEB are ways to really give kids the true facts, straight from the mouths of their contemporaries,GÇ¥ O'Neil said.

-á -á Regular school bus transportation will be provided on Wednesday, Sept. 9, for LINK Crew and the WEB program participants. -á -á

-á -á The district is also implementing the Kindergarten Connection program within its elementary schools, which is designed to enhance educational success for young students by facilitating productive communication between parents and teachers.

-á -á "Parents are their child's first teachers,GÇ¥ O'Neil said. "They have a wealth of information that can really help our teachers get to know these young people, so they can help them be successful in their first year of public school.GÇ¥

-á-á -á The Kindergarten Connection meetings will take place Wednesday, Sept. 9, through Friday, Sept. 11, and can be arranged by contacting the schools. Kindergarten classes officially begin on Monday, Sept. 14.

-á -á In order to help ensure students have access to the school supplies they need, Monroe resident Deb Rakow has begun organizing a school supply drive.

-á -á Donated supplies can be dropped during the month of August off at several locations, including Grow With Me Boutique, Myownly Boarding Kennel, Jump Rattle & Roll, Master Ji's Taekwondo Martial Arts studio, Fresh Start Floor Covering, Waeco Topsoils and Recycle, Armageddon Arms and Evergreen Mini Storage.

-á -á Monroe School District families who need school supplies for their kids can go to the Sky Valley Food Bank, which will distribute backpacks filled with items 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting on Monday, Aug. 17, and running through Friday, Aug. 28.

-á -á More information about Monroe Public Schools here.-á