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ALIGNMENT ROCKFORD NEWS 
AUGUST 2016

2016 ACADEMY EXPO!
There's still time to register:


Alignment Rockford invites you to host a booth at the 2016 Academy Expo at no charge, to discuss your career with 9th grade Rockford Public Schools students, and help them to make their College and Career Academy selection for 10th grade. This year's Expo will be held  Thursday, September 29, 2016 .


Career Booths Needed In:
  • Accounting & Finance
  • Architecture & Construction
  • Armed Services
  • Fitness & Wellness  
  • Graphics & Media Production
  • Health Care Associates  
  • Information Technology  
  • Modern World Languages & Communication
  • Performance Production 
  • Studio Art
  • Transportation Technology
           
           Volunteers Needed In:
  • Load-in (setup on September 28th)
  • Load-out (tear down on September 29th)
  • Food service (organize and deliver box lunches)
  • Registration 
  • Booth judging






CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER

Please help us by forwarding on!
 
FACES OF ALIGNMENT ROCKFORD
Each month we feature one of our Alignment Team members in our series, Faces of Alignment Rockford. This month we introduce you to Jacob Bradt!  
Jacob Bradt
Founder & CEO, Rockford Buzz
BAMIT Academy Support Team Member, East High School

As a local entrepreneur and community activist, Jacob Bradt, is an inspirational role model for the students with whom he often shares his experience and talents. After 10 years experience, Jacob left the IT field to go into business as founder and CEO of Rockford Buzz, a free community resource featuring a calendar of events, positive news, local business directory, and functioning as a low-cost advertising solution for the local small business/non-profit community. 

Jacob has been involved as an Academy Support Team member within the College and Career Academies of Rockford since they began.  

Click here to learn more about Jacob and his involvement with the College and Career Academies of Rockford and Alignment Rockford. 
"The future of Rockford lies within our community's children and any way we can make a positive impact in their lives makes Rockford better as a whole. A person doesn't have to be highly dedicated or come to every meeting to contribute. All it takes is an hour of a single day to come in and speak with some students. A lot of people all doing a little makes for big changes within our community."  -Jacob Bradt
ACADEMY NEEDS:  

Want an easy way to support the Academies? Check out the list of Academy Needs below to see if you or someone you know might be able to help out! 

Click on the need to see a detailed description.  





Informational materials related to Health Sciences Careers
Materials for building raised gardens and a bench for the atrium
Nook replacements (10) for Deaf and Hard of Hearing classes
Vectric software experts (VCarve and Aspire)
Car kits for a Pinewood Derby project
Health Sciences Professionals (Veterinarian, RN, chiropractic, sports med)
 Engineering and civil engineering Industry Experts 
Performing Arts Theater and Performance Production (music and/or theater) Professionals
 Snow Sculpting Materials
Industrial Trades and Manufacturing experts
 Studio Art Professionals 



Computer Coding and Hardware Professionals

Don't have time to join a team but want an easy way to help out?
ACADEMY SUCCESSES

Thank you to our our community partners investing in our schools and students!
Auburn High School Capstone student, Brad Foster, presented to SwedishAmerican Foundation about his Capstone project which involved research into a new method for treating non-small cell lung cancer. To help him do the research, SwedishAmerican sponsored the purchase of a protein analyzer (silencing ribonucleic acid), which destroys all of a single protein in a cell. The product costs about $400 Click here to see them purchasing the protein analyzer. Click here to read more about Brad's project.


Deputy Chief Michael Dalke with the Rockford Police Department, and Alignment Rockford Operating Board member, answered a call for community assistance with an interdisciplinary crime scene project at Guilford High School during the first 2 weeks of April. Deputy Chief Dalke recruited detectives and investigators from the Rockford Police Department to spend several days walking students through real-world crime scene investigation techniques. Read more   from the RPS blog.   Check out this RPS video   showcasing the project.




Thanks to the work of two Academy Support Team members at Jefferson High School, Media Production students have had two project-based case learning experiences. Kathy Olson with Crusader Community Health wrote a grant to Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation to sponsor three public service announcements produced by students on oral and dental health.  Click to view.   

 
 
Ashley Burks with United Way of Rock River Valley commissioned Jefferson High School Media Production students to produce a documentary on the Midtown District as part of the Strong Neighborhoods Series.

 
Chet Parker with the Rockford Park District, and Alignment team member, provided supplies and designed and built raised garden beds for Roosevelt High School. The raised beds will be used in a school wide project across all Academies involving a farm to table theme.

Becky Costello with Rasmussen College, and an Academy Support Team member as well as a College & Career Readiness Council member helped to secure a donation from Rasmussen College to provide Roosevelt High School with 150 thumb-drives to assist students in saving pertinent information such as resume, cover letter, and student portfolio work. The staff at Rasmussen recorded inspirational quotes on each of the drives. Click here to see them. 

 
Home Depot has been a great partner to Guilford High School donating additional supplies with their orders to support student projects and storing their lumber for them until they are ready to use it.

Habitat for Humanity in Rockford is working with Guilford High School's Orientation to Construction classes which are building the pre-fabricated walls for a home this year to be assembled for a Rockford family. They are working to arrange a partnership where next year's Construction class (3rd year), will go offsite to assemble a Habitat for Humanity home including, electrical, plumbing, etc. Click to read more



Rockford Fire Department worked with a Guilford High School student who designed banners for the Fire Department providing a work-based learning opportunity for the student as well as an addition to his resume.  Click to view the banners .

OPEN INVITATIONS TO PARTICIPATE (ITP)™


Ready, Set, Kindergarten!
 
The Healthy Starts team has developed community-wide messaging for all families with students going into kindergarten.The Ready Set Kindergarten! materials are aimed to ensure parents have a common understanding of the skills children need to be successful in kindergarten.

Services Needed from the Community:
  • Place the provided brochures and posters in a waiting area or employee break room
  • Include the information in your company newsletter (digital information provided)
  • Include the provided information in your church bulletin
  • Have brochures available for interested families to pick up
  • Display the information on your digital billboard or monitor
  • Promote the information on your social media sites
  • Provide brochures to patients or clients with young children
  • Sponsor or donate printing services
To respond to this invitation to please
click here . You must be logged in to respond.
Join the Excitement!

As we begin a new school year see how you can get involved in all of the exciting things happening in our schools!

Click the image to the right to see your best fit in Alignment Rockford and Academy team involvement.



Support Alignment Rockford by shopping! When you shop with AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate to Alignment Rockford. Amazon supports us every time you shop. Click this link to begin shopping now:  Amazon Smile 


Alignment Rockford is a collective impact organization whose mission is to align community resources in support of public school strategies to raise student achievement, improve the health and happiness of our children, and advance the economic and social well-being of our community.