Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

New Stadium Discussed (cont)

ling in the third grade, and reading.

A two-day math retreat has been planned for the instructors, who will also be staying late Tuesdays. The instructors will be given more planning time for class work, while a Math made easy program will be instituted for grades 1-4.

Childres said the core subjects will be taught in the morning, with no recesses allowed until after lunch.

The phonetic approach will be used for spelling as well.

Smithson said a technical grant the district is in line for could add 20 new computers to the primary school. A new computer lab is needed at GPS, he said, and this will help greatly.

A new accelerated reading program will be instituted at Gurdon Middle School, with students being given more time on task to get their work done. Grade level meetings will also be held to help improve test scores.

In social studies, students will be given more information on civilizations, comparing the rights of others to the rights enjoyed by people in the U.S. Maps and charts will also be used to chart the changing patterns of immigration.

For English class, students will practice punctuation, contractions, possessives, dialogue, compound sentences and focus on capitalization of proper nouns.

More time on task will be given to math students as well, while outside class activity will be limited. Students will be grouped according to their abilities, while tutoring will be done during recess for those who need help.

Daily, weekly and chapter tests may be given, with the testing done by method of multiple choice, along with open ended questions.

The district will also be applying for a Kids Under Construction grant. Should this grant be obtained, architects and contractors will be invited in to help at-risk students with their math and reading.

This program will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. on specific days, with students picked on the basis of need. It will not cost students or their families anything.

Overall, fewer interruptions will be sought at GMS for the students, while grades will be organized to skill levels. Schedules will be reworked so other activities don't interfere with class work. A longer school day has also been considered.

The board agreed to remain with the Arkansas School Board Association (ASBA) as its insurer for both buildings, equipment and vehicles. It will cost the district $3,328 for its policy.

The concession stand in the gym has changed hands, so to speak, with the Basketball Booster Club taking over.

Smithson said the booster club was given the profit from the Stephens game. The school will get the money from the gate for tickets, while the club will retain the profit from the concession stand.

Smithson said it will take most of the money from the gate to pay for the teams heading to the regional tournament in Centerpoint and the state tourney in Flippin.

Should anything be left over, he said, it will be used to pay for spring sports. Spring sports, golf, tennis, baseball and track, generate no revenue.

Smithson also said First State Bank agreed to pay $25 for each touchdown scored by the Go-Devils during the recent football season. This money will go to the band, athletic programs and cheerleaders.

In addition, he said, the district was lagging behind in what it paid cheerleader sponsors, as compared to other districts in the area. Other districts, he said, were paying their senior sponsor $1,008, while the junior sponsors were receiving $795.

Gurdon had been paying both sponsors $750 for the work they do with the cheerleaders. This issue was tabled until the February meeting, as the board member who originally brought it up was not in attendance.