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Student laptops to open new book in learning(Omaha World-Herald (NE) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 7--Eighth-graders at Westside Middle School are counting down to Nov. 12. That's the day the students will be issued their school-owned Apple MacBook laptops. It's the day, judging by research and experience at the district's high school, that will begin a new way of teaching and learning at the middle school near 86th Street and West Center Road. Middle school and district-level staff told the Westside Community Schools board Monday night that most students have passed with flying colors training on how to safely carry a laptop and protect it from spills. The training ends today. Later this month, parents of eighth-graders will have two opportunities to attend a mandatory evening meeting. The meeting times will be set by the middle school, and parents will be notified. The meetings will cover student, parent and school responsibilities and will give parents a chance to set preferences on their children's machine, such as times of day it can be used and which Web sites can be visited. Teachers at Westside Middle School largely supported the new middle school laptop program and for two years have undergone training in how to effectively teach with the technology. Students can expect many assignments to become paperless after the laptops are distributed. It also was announced at Monday night's school board meeting that the Westside Foundation has secured enough donations to move ahead with a portion of its planned Westside High School performing arts renovations. The district is contributing an additional $60,000, and the foundation is donating an additional $200,000. Also, $500,000 in private contributions has come in since September. The new contributions aren't enough to complete the project, said Sue Evanich, assistant superintendent. But they are enough, along with money previously raised, to renovate the auditorium and complete an addition for the vocal music room on the auditorium's north side, at a cost of about $1.3 million. A small theater, set construction space and other classrooms will be added south of the auditorium if more money is raised. In another building project, groundbreaking on the middle school's $6.9 million performing arts addition is set for Oct. 20. --Contact the writer: 444-1037, [email protected] To see more of the Omaha World-Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.omaha.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |