The 2010-2011 school year will have many new improvements to focus on furthering student achievement.
One of the newest changes that will affect all students and staff of the Ava R-1 School District is the new district-wide early release.
In order to provide teachers professional development time during the contract day to better prepare for and collaborate toward student success, Ava R-1 will be releasing students 30 minutes early every Wednesday.
This change means that students who ride the bus will be arriving home approximately 30 minutes earlier than normal every Wednesday.
However, the regular after-school care program will be extended to meet this earlier release time, and aides will be available for after-school tutoring.
Student-athletes will be offered a supervised study hall until their practices begin as coaches become available.
This collaborative time, often focused on district PLC (Professional Learning Community) groups, has been successful in both Ava Middle School and Ava High School, yet only the high school used the late-start/early-release concept.
Late-start Mondays have been in effect in the high school for the past two years, but will now not be used in favor of the district-wide early release Wednesday.
This time for teacher collaboration and planning will allow teachers and staff to have conversations about student achievement, which teaching strategies are most effective, and how to best ensure the success of the students at Ava R-1.
