Wow, what a
birthday! Birthdays seem to come so fast anymore! Celebrating this
special day with family, friends and colleagues is really neat! My
birthday was last month and I received two very special “gifts”! The
first was my two year old grandson calling me on the phone and
singing “Happy Birthday” to “papa”! The second gift was the opening
of the Olathe School District's new Claire Alternative School on our
campus on my birthday!
This beautiful,
21st century school opened with nearly sixty students. Our joint
goal with the Olathe School District is helping each student to
succeed academically, personally and to become a productive citizen
in our community. In addition, the Olathe School District and TLC
are highly committed to making sure the Claire Alternative School
becomes a “best in the class” alternative education school. So, it
was quite a birthday for me! Finally, be sure and look for more
exciting announcements in our next newsletter and as always your
support is deeply appreciated! Take Care…Spring is coming!
Warmest personal regards,
Bob Drummond,
Ed.D
President and
CEO
CHANGING LIVES...
Claire Alternative School opens on TLC campus
It was a bright
day for students entering the classrooms of the Olathe School
District's newest alternative school building. The Claire
Alternative Learning Center, named for Claire L. Osborne, the wife
of R.R. Osborne, opened it's doors on February 21st. The 14,000
square foot building has 11 classrooms. It has a capacity of 120
students who are either enrolled in the Olathe School District or
are teens served through one of TLC's on-site programs.
This is a
wonderful new opportunity to provide students with a comfortable and
stimulating learning environment as a backdrop for the exciting
educational opportunities offered. The three alternative education
programs housed in this building will make a vital difference in the
lives of students who can benefit from innovative methods of
learning.
Project
Hope, the oldest program, began in January 1995, and opened
in the TLC boy's shelter in August, 1995. It is a day alternative
program serving long-term suspended or expelled students from the
Olathe School District. Since opening, Project Hope has served
nearly 500 students. The focus of the program is to keep students
academically proficient and attempt to influence attitudes and
behaviors that will assist them when they return to school.
Connections, is an alternative program aimed
at serving junior high school students. Since it began in its
present form in August 2001, this program has served nearly 75
students. The program's focus is to address academic, social and
behavioral concerns of students with the hope of their successful
return to a comprehensive school setting.
The TLC
Education Program has provided an alternative education
setting for hundreds of residents of TLC since 2002. For various
reasons, most teens who come to the TLC shelters are not able to be
in their home schools while they live at TLC. But while at TLC, they
are able to continue their studies and may return to their schools
with additional credits. The focus of this program is to assess the
academic needs of students who are very transient in nature and
provide educational continuity. The Olathe School District has
provided a special education teacher for this purpose.
The Claire
Alternative Learning Center will expand the existing programs
through a better use of resources, staff knowledge and support. In
addition to current staff, an art teacher and science teacher, along
with some enhanced social work services, will contribute to the new
programming.
Alternative
programs in Olathe have been focused around the following researched
practices:
•
Connections to competent, caring adults
• Focus on
student learning and breaking down barriers to learning
• Strong
community partnerships
These are also
practices embraced by TLC in their programming. TLC is eager to give
their residents access to the alternative education programming that
has contributed to increased graduation rates and decreased dropout
rates over the past 10 years in the Olathe School District. Facing
the challenges of closing the achievement gap and serving an
increasingly diverse population can best be addressed through
partnerships that reach all students.
Mark Crummey,
Administrator of Alternative and At-Risk Programs, in the Olathe
School District, says, “We are excited to continue the success of
Olathe 's alternative programs through the Claire Alternative
Learning Center and the opportunities this will bring for students.
These kinds of partnerships create vibrant experiences for students,
including availability of resources unavailable to school districts
or community agencies if they operated alone. Examples include
access to mental health, drug and alcohol interventions and federal
and foundation grant opportunities. The partnership with TLC is long
standing and has been the impetus for alternative program growth and
development, having been the original location for three of our
current programs. The opening of the Claire Alternative Learning
Center illustrates the belief of the Olathe School District and
partners like TLC that educating all of our community's children is
a top priority.”
Shaping the Future through Estate Planning...
Leaving a Legacy
Have you
considered leaving a legacy that benefits others? Your legacy can
positively impact the lives of children and youth for generations to
come. TLC stands ready to help you define and build that legacy.
Join others who have partnered with us to keep our mission strong
and vibrant.
 One of the
easiest ways is to include TLC in your will or
estate plan. A gift to TLC can carry on your
good works for
many
decades to come. We've made it easy
for you to build a
lasting legacy. The tools are included on
our web site. Click
here to explore
our Gift Planning website and see the
many options available to you. It doesn't take
much money - just the desire to make a difference
in the lives of kids. You might also discover
there are tax benefits for you
too. If legacy-building interests you,
please call or e-mail us today and
request a copy of our free
booklet Making a Difference – Creative Ways to Leave Your Own
Legacy.
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