El Dorado School District

Destinee Rogers, former EHS basketball coach and current Arkansas State head women's basketball coach, brought a message that the entire audience could connect with at today's Academic Signing. Thank you, Coach, for encouraging the Class of 2022 to work hard, focus, and never give up on their goals or themselves. We know they'll remember #netsaintfree for years to come! ESD would like to extend a special thank you to the Murphy Oil Corporation for their continuous contribution to our students' education through the El Dorado Promise. ESD truly is #thepromisingchoice.

Congratulations to Barton Junior High basketball coach Andrew “Rudy” McDaniel for being awarded the 2021-2022 Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association (ArBCA) Junior High Coach of the Year! We are proud that your hard work and dedication has been noticed!

Are you a grandparent in a parent/guardian role? Check out this great resource--a partnership of the Share Foundation, Union County Violence Intervention Plan, and F.A.C.T. Inc. The next meeting is tomorrow, April 20th at 12:30pm.

Happy Easter, ESD families! We are thankful for the hope and beauty of springtime and the promise of brighter days! PS. We hope you aren't too eggs-hausted to come to school tomorrow!

Academic Signing will take place next Wednesday, April 20th at 1pm in the Wildcat Arena. ESD looks forward to welcoming back former teacher and coach Destinee Rogers to speak to the Class of 2022!

Today, we celebrate Barton Junior High librarian Carson Keith and the positive impact she makes each day! BJHS staff member Sandra Jamerson says, “I nominate this young lady, because she is very creative and incorporates fresh ideas into her library. The students love coming to visit the library, because there is always something exciting to do and see. I especially like the idea of “a blind date with a book” and “the book tasting event.” It was just different and sweet. She's friendly to the staff and enjoys her students. We love having her at Barton!” Thank you, Mrs. Keith, for everything you do to make the library so welcoming! If you’d like to nominate a staff member, visit bit.ly/ESDWildcatImpact.

Reminder: No School on Friday, April 15 in observance of Good Friday.

Tab Bledsoe, teacher at El Dorado High School, attended Southern Arkansas University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science with a History Minor and a Master in Education. Coach Bledsoe currently teaches girls’ health and strength & condition, as well as coaches both the varsity cheerleading sideline and competition teams. Coach Bledsoe chose to attend SAU, because it was close to home and gave her the opportunity to cheer in college. One of the things that made her experience special was being a founding member of the SAU’s girl’s golf program. As a freshman, she was the only girl on the men’s golf team. She redshirted that year, but continued to practice until her sophomore year when they had enough girls to field a full team. She played two more years and really enjoyed her time as an SAU athlete. Thank you, Coach Bledsoe, for sharing about SAU! If you are interested in learning more about Southern Arkansas University, visit https://web.saumag.edu/.

The Wildcat Wellness Center is offering free sports physicals for ESD athletes in grades 7-12 in the coming weeks. The clinic will be closed on these dates. For more information, contact your coach. We are so grateful for this partnership with Cabun Rural Health Services!

The El Dorado School District Job Fair scheduled for April 30th has been moved to El Dorado High School. The times remain the same. Pre-register now at https://bit.ly/ESDJobFairSpr22.

Several events between this week and next, starting with the ESD Boarding Meeting tonight at 6pm The meeting will be held in the Central Office Board Room. The public is invited to attend.

El Dorado School District is blessed with some of the best educators! This week is National Assistant Principals Week, and we happen to know we have some amazing assistant principals! To our APs, we appreciate all that you do every day. Thank you!

Thespian Troupe 42 is hosting a Parking Lot Sale, and YOU are invited! Tomorrow from 7am-3pm in the EHS auditorium, you can find tons of gently used home items and clothing at knock out prices! All proceeds will benefit the Thespians with offsetting costs associated with plays, sets, and induction. We hope to see you there!

It's been a busy week for Mrs. Michaels and the El Dorado Orchestra program. On Tuesday, they held a recruiting concert for 4th grade students across the district. Today, the EHS Orchestra heads to White Hall for the Region III Solo & Ensemble Festival. Good luck, Cats! Headed to WMS next year? Want to join them? Tell your 4th grade teacher or reach out to Mrs. Michaels at jennifer.michaels@esd-15.org.

Today, we celebrate El Dorado High School Special Education teacher Heather Craig and the positive impact she makes each day! Several parents have nominated Mrs. Craig, and the consensus is the same: Mrs. Craig goes “above and beyond” for her students. One parent said, “She has always been my go-to person for any question I’ve had about my son’s education or any school related issue or event. If she doesn’t know, I can always trust her to find out! She advocates for my child and the other students in her special education classes, helping them to be successful in their general ed classes.” Another parent commented, “She's sweet, and she goes the extra mile for her students. Keeps me informed. She's a God send!” Several others echoed their sentiments. Thank you, Mrs. Craig, for everything you do for our students! If you’d like to nominate a staff member, visit bit.ly/ESDWildcatImpact.

ATTENTION 4TH GRADE GUARDIANS: The district April Newsletter incorrectly stated that 4th graders would attend the WMS conference. We apologize for the confusion. 4th graders completed their schedules during their parent/teacher conferences and will not attend. They should report to school as normal on Tuesday, April 12th.

Today is Paraprofessional Appreciation Day! A special thank you to the wonderful people who work alongside our teachers each day for the betterment of our students! We see you, and we appreciate you!

The SHARE Foundation is currently conducting a community needs assessment across the county to determine the real-time needs and issues of families that live here. This is an effort that happens every 4-5 years to update the direction of current prevention efforts and works to build collaborations in areas identified. Please consider completing this brief survey to provide input on the needs you see on a daily basis from our students and their families. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UnionCountyNeedsAssessment2022 The survey deadline is Friday, April 8, 2022.

Mark your calendars! Academic Signing Day has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 20th at 1pm in the Wildcat Arena! More details to come soon!

Our deepest sympathies to our neighbors at Camden Fairview School District. The loss of a student is never easy. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families during this difficult time.