Regional Alternative School

Please excuse our tardiness with this post, but are we actually AHEAD of schedule since the new school year hasn't even started? ❇️🙌📚The 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ Spring Semester at RAS was one for the books!📚🙌❇️ ❇️ 98 new students enrolled this semester + 236 enrollments from the fall = 334 students had the opportunity to be successful at RAS this year ❇️ 65 high school graduates + 23 fall graduates = 88 total graduates ❇️ 30+ preservice teachers assisted in our classrooms ❇️ 1 ISU ELA/STEM student teacher ❇️ 1 ISU BSW intern ❇️ 3 IWU Psychology interns ❇️ 4 IWU Nursing students ❇️ 13 VR trade skills activities with 45 student participants (machinist, welding, farm laborer, carpenter, robotics technician) ❇️ 4 Guest Speakers from MTI, Lincoln Tech, Navy, & YWCA ❇️ 10 members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council presented on their participation in historically Black fraternities and sororities ❇️ 30 students participated in youth mental health activities with Project Oz ❇️ 1 Senior Trip to Heartland CC ❇️ 2 digital field trips to the Milwaukee Zoo with Mrs. LaCroix ❇️ 6 8th graders attended the BCA Career Expo ❇️ 5 trips with 20 RAS students to FCC for the Helping Shelf Pantry ❇️ 9 trips to MFB ❇️ 10+ weeks of food deliveries by EIF ❇️ 2,200+ people served by our school market ❇️ Numerous donated items for our classrooms, hygiene closet, and coat and clothes closet ❇️ 1 ROE 17 podcast with a former RAS student ❇️ 1 volunteer translator for Student Led Conferences ❇️ $5,500 in grants through Corn Belt Energy and the John M Scott Health Care Trust ❇️ 7 times local agencies, partnerships, and individuals brought in snacks for staff ❇️ 1 all-staff tour to view the progress of our new facility ❇️ 4 student custodians learning valuable job skills through 1 irreplaceable partnership with CareerLink ❇️ 15 weeks of visits from outside counselors (Project Oz, CHS, Court Services) ❇️ 19 students earned Career Safe Employability Skills certifications ❇️ 2 students earned for Certified Manufacturing Associate (CMfgA) from Tooling U-SME certifications ❇️ 2 days of professional learning opportunities for staff at ICEARY ❇️ 21 caring staff members and 2 support animals who showed up to love, serve, & care for our students and families

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🥳🎓🎯✅👏8️⃣4️⃣👏✅🎯🎓🥳 🗡️They slayed... 🥘They cooked... 💪They crushed... 🔥They were fire... 🔐They locked in... 💰They secured the bag... 🍽️They ate and left no crumbs... ⭐️RAS⭐️ was able to help 🎓8️⃣4️⃣🎓 students earn their high school diploma through their home schools during the 2025-26 school year❗️ That, folks, is a RECORD. We may have had to ⛽️gas them up⛽️ but 👏THEY👏did👏it👏 Many congratulations to our graduates and their families!

💜💛🍭🍫🍬Step into our Week of Pure Appreciation!🍬🍫🍭💛💜 We take this week to celebrate ALL of our amazing staff members at RAS. We all serve the role as educators to each student who walks in our building, whether it's through content, social and emotional support, food, or just plain life lessons. Thank you, Action Wellness and Dr. Katie, for spoiling staff with chair massages! As Willy Wonka said, "A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men." Enjoy our nonsense! 💛🍫Day 1: The Golden Ticket Launch 🍫💛

Digital Field Trip Part 2 was a wild success! From African ecosystems to the Open Aviary, DLL Students dove into conservation topics like population control & habit fragmentation at Milwaukee County Zoo-- perfect timing on Earth Day! 🌍🦒🦜 Thank you, Mrs. LaCroix-DLL Instructor, for providing this opportunity for students and staff!

See you all on Tuesday!

💰💡⚡️🦺Congratulations, Mrs. Jenkins, for being a recipient of the Corn Belt Energy Education Grant! RAS will use these funds to cover the cost of OSHA certifications for our students who are close to graduating. This certification is a HUGE résumé boost and allows our students to have an advantage when applying for jobs after graduation. Thank you, Corn Belt Energy, for your continued support and generosity! 🦺⚡️💡💰

Yesterday, our students at RAS had a fantastic opportunity to sit down with Megan from Midwest Technical Institute (MTI) in East Peoria. Finding the right path after graduation is all about knowing your options. Megan shared some great insights into MTI’s hands-on programs. A huge thank you for visiting us and showing our students how they can turn their passions into a professional career.

RAS staff members from our Bloomington and Livingston County campuses are participating and presenting at this year's ICEARY Conference in Normal. Never stop learning!

🚨RAS students will work remotely March 5th & 6th!🚨

🫶🏿🫶🏾🫶🏽🫶🏼🫶🏻March is National Social Work Month. RAS would be LOST without this amazing team! The theme this year is Uplift.Defend.Transform. and these five individuals do that every.single.day. Collectively, our Social Work Team sees each student, each day in a variety of ways that help meet individual needs. From counseling to providing basic needs to helping our students and families access outside community agencies, they do it all! 👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿

Yesterday, RAS middle school students enjoyed a valuable opportunity to engage with local businesses and skilled trades at the Bloomington Career Academy 8th Grade Career Expo.

Throughout the event, students explored various career pathways, engaged in meaningful dialogue with industry representatives, and participated in dynamic, hands-on demonstrations. Events like these are essential for bridging the gap between the classroom and the workforce, allowing students to visualize their future potential.

Learning can happen anywhere, and today, it happened at Milwaukee County Zoo with Mrs. LaCroix and our DLL students! We explored great apes and monkeys, amphibians, fish, reptiles, sea lions, and elephants. We met zookeepers and learned about conservation, habitat loss, animal identification, breeding programs, geography, sign language, poetry from a Navajo member, and how even reading food labels can help protect wildlife. Students also got a behind-the-scenes look at so many cool careers like zookeeper, veterinarian, architect, chef, animal care, landscaping services, and more, while seeing how zoos are designed so animals often have more space than humans. We talked vet care, zoo trading, fun animal facts, and what it really takes to care for animals every day. Final fun fact: elephants are like us and have a preferred side, and the tusk they use most is always shorter, so next time you see one, check their tusks to see if they’re a lefty or a righty! 🐘

It has been a great two days connecting and reconnecting with students and their families. Student-led conferences allow our students to self-reflect, lead the discussion about their learning, and take ownership of their choices and overall academic engagement. We appreciate the time and support our families gave to us to continue to foster the partnership between home and school! 🏠🔁🏫 A future educator from ISU, Mr. Tamayo, volunteered his time and interpreter skills to help us communicate more effectively with families. We were happy to welcome him back into the building! 🙌🗣️ As always, our friends and First Christian Church made sure the staff was well-fed to help us get through the longer days! ❤️

🗣️🗣️🗣️We will be hosting Student Led Conferences tonight from 3:30-7 and tomorrow morning from 7:30-noon. Please call the school if you still need to schedule yours! ☎️309-828-5807☎️

Due to inclement weather, RAS-Bloomington Campus will have a remote learning day on Monday, January 26th. Students should check their RAS email for further information from their teachers. Please email kquick@rasblm.org if you have any questions or concerns or call 309-828-5807.

Due to inclement weather, RAS-Bloomington Campus will have a remote learning day on Friday, January 23rd. Students should check their RAS email for further information from their teachers. Please email kquick@rasblm.org if you have any questions or concerns or call 309-828-5807.

Phew! Fall semester flew by and felt like a blur, but were we BUSY! 📌240+ students enrolled in our program=240+ student & family orientations 📌23 high school graduates 📌50+ preservice teachers assisted in our classrooms 📌1 Art Ed student teacher 📌1 BSW intern 📌1 Criminal Justice intern 📌 6 VR trade skills activities with 49 student participants 📌5 Guest Speakers from MTI, Lincoln Tech, Navy, YWCA, & A to Z Catering 📌30 students exposed to Botvin Lifeskills 📌1 Senior Trip to Heartland CC 📌4 Trips to FCC for the Helping Shelf Pantry 📌7 trips to MFB 📌Numerous donated items for our classrooms, hygiene closet, and coat and clothes closet 📌1 trip to St Mary's to help with landscaping 📌Multiple staff & student trips to the community garden 📌1 visit from a local politician 📌1 community volunteer provided professional training of our student custodian 📌11 times local agencies, partnerships, and individuals brought in snacks for staff 📌1 Golden Hammer event to mark the beginning of our journey to a new facility 📌10+ opportunities for professional development of RAS staff 📌Countless learning opportunities tor students, in & out of the classrooms 📌20 caring staff members and 2 support animals who showed up to love, serve, & care for our students and families

🎓👏🥳 We had 2️⃣3️⃣ amazing youngsters complete their graduation requirements with us during the fall semester! We wish them well as they enter the workforce, pursue certification in the trades, and/or take courses for college credit. Congratulations! 🥳👏🎓

🎓👏🥳 We had 2️⃣3️⃣ amazing youngsters complete their graduation requirements with us during the fall semester! We wish them well as they enter the workforce, pursue certification in the trades, and/or take courses for college credit. Congratulations! 🥳👏🎓