Tucson High To Train Families on Loaner Laptop Use

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Estella Zavala, 225-6437 
Posted on: December 12, 2005

In their ongoing efforts to improve student math achievement and increase communication with families, the Tucson High Magnet Grant Staff of teachers will train 22 students and their parents on laptop computers they will borrow for the rest of the school year from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 13 in Tech Building Room T-302 at Tucson High Magnet School, 400 N. Second Ave.

Training will include instruction on operating a laptop computer, previewing installed mathematics software, and setting up an e-mail account for the parents and for the students. During the training session on Tuesday, students will help out by tutoring their parents as the lessons are presented. Parents will also receive assistance in setting up a TUSD Parental Access Account for retrieving information on student grades, attendance records, and test scores.

Supported by a federal magnet assistance grant, this laptop computer loan program requires parents and their children to attend a training session before receiving their laptops which are equipped with a Windows XP operating system as well as MS Office software. Each has a Verizon wireless broadband connection card that has been donated to TUSD for this program. This will afford connection to the internet without tying up the family’s telephone line.

Students were selected based on one or more of the following criteria:

• in 9th or 10th grade 
• currently without a computer in the home 
• have siblings attending TUSD schools who also could benefit 
• recommended by their teachers for their character and responsibility 
• in need of assistance in mathematics 
• in good standing in the area of attendance 
• willing to participate in the training with their parent 

Sixty more families will be selected to participate in the program this year with a long-term goal of recruiting 200 additional families within the next year and a half.

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