ORCHARD FOUNDATION
1101 FOURTH STREET, ALEXANDRIA, LA 71301 theorchardfoundation.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA STUDENTS BY PROMOTING BEST PRACTICES; RECRUITING, RETAINING, AND REWARDING EXCELLENT AND INNOVATIVE TEACHERS; BUILDING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP; AND STRENGTHENING SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS.

THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION IS A NONPROFIT LOCAL EDUCATION FUND ESTABLISHED AS A RESOURCE FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA THAT WORKS WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BUSINESSES, AND COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN A NINE-PARISH SERVICE AREA: ALLEN, AVOYELLES, CATAHOULA, GRANT, LASALLE, NATCHITOCHES, RAPIDES, VERNON AND WINN. THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA STUDENTS BY PROMOTING BEST PRACTICES; RECRUITING, RETAINING, AND REWARDING EXCELLENT AND INNOVATIVE TEACHERS; BUILDING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP; AND STRENGTHENING SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS. THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION'S ACTIVITIES AS DESCRIBED ARE CARRIED OUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION, THE RAPIDES FOUNDATION.THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION IS A 509(A)(3) TYPE I SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION.

THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION'S WORK IN COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS ENCOMPASSES THREE AREAS - THE CENLA WORK READY NETWORK, COLLEGE AND CAREER COACHING FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND JUMP START PROGRAMS TO EXPOSE CENLA EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS TO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA REGION. THE CENLA WORK READY NETWORK IS A SYSTEM DESIGNED TO LINK EDUCATION WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS AND ALIGN THEM WITH REGIONAL ECONOMIC NEEDS. DURING 2019, ALL PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE FOUNDATION'S SERVICE AREA, CENTRAL LOUISIANA TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAMPUSES, AND REGIONAL BUSINESS AND CAREER SOLUTIONS CENTERS ACCESSED ACT'S WORKKEYS CURRICULUM, A CAREER TRAINING COURSE THAT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR CERTIFICATION WITH WORKKEYS ASSESSMENTS. WORKKEYS IS A JOB SKILLS ASSESSMENT SYSTEM MEASURING REAL WORLD SKILLS THAT EMPLOYERS BELIEVE ARE CRITICAL TO JOB SUCCESS. WORKKEYS ASSESSES THREE CORE AREAS: APPLIED MATHEMATICS; WORKPLACE DOCUMENTS; AND GRAPHIC LITERACY; WHICH DETERMINES A STUDENT'S NATIONAL CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATE (NCRC) LEVEL, AN OBJECTIVE DOCUMENTATION OF AN EMPLOYEE'S SKILLS THAT CAN BE ACCEPTED NATIONWIDE. DURING THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR, 7,105 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN ACT'S WORKKEY CURRICULUM TRAINING, AND 5,748 NATIONAL CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATES WERE EARNED BY CENLA RESIDENTS. IN 2019 THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE TO ASSIST EMPLOYERS IN UTILIZING WORKKEYS AND THE NCRC IN THEIR HIRING PROCESSES. ALL NINE PARISHES IN THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION SERVICE AREA ARE ACT CERTIFIED WORK READY COMMUNITIES: ALLEN, AVOYELLES, CATAHOULA, GRANT, LASALLE, NATCHITOCHES, RAPIDES, VERNON AND WINN. DURING THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR, THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION PARTNERED WITH CAREER COMPASS OF LA TO WORK WITH AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO PROVIDE COLLEGE AND CAREER COACHING SERVICES IN ALL HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE SERVICE REGION. THE SCOPE OF SERVICES INCLUDED ONE-ON-ONE COACHING WORK WITH 3,185 SENIORS AS WELL AS CAREER SEMINARS ATTENDED BY ANOTHER 8,763 STUDENTS. 92 PERCENT OF THE SENIORS COUNSELED APPLIED TO A POSTSECONDARY PROGRAM. THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION OFFERED SUMMER CAMPS FOR TEACHERS TO LEARN HOW TO TRANSLATE THE SKILLS NEEDED IN TODAY'S WORKFORCE INTO THEIR CLASSROOMS. THE WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE EXCHANGE (WEE) CAMP GIVES TEACHERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES TO LEARN HOW CLASSROOM CONTENT AND LEARNING STRATEGIES ARE APPLIED IN THE WORKPLACE. NINETEEN SELECTED EDUCATORS ATTENDED THE 3-DAY 2019 WEE CAMP, WHILE FIVE EDUCATORS TOOK PART IN THE IN-DEPTH WEE CAMP II EXPERIENCE, WHERE THEY SPENT TWO ADDITIONAL DAYS LEARNING THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS OF SOME OF THE REGION'S KEY MANUFACTURERS. IN LATE 2019, ORCHARD HELD ITS ANNUAL STUDENTS EXPLORING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES EXPO, A TWO-DAY EVENT THAT INTRODUCES 10TH GRADERS TO CAREER POSSIBILITIES. THE EVENT ATTRACTED 2,761 STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN INTERACTIVE, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES FROM 16 CAREER CLUSTERS DELIVERED BY 33 AREA BUSINESSES. THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION FACILITATED A CARPENTRY COURSE, WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF HANDS-ON AND TEXTBOOK INSTRUCTION AND UTILIZES TEXTBOOKS CERTIFIED AND APPROVED BY THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (NCCER) TO INSTRUCT STUDENTS. CO-SPONSORED BY A LOCAL EMPLOYER, IT IS DESIGNED TO HELP STUDENTS GAIN TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRIAL KNOWLEDGE AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO PURSUE A CAREER IN CONSTRUCTION. THE COURSE WAS OFFERED IN FIVE AREA HIGH SCHOOLS, AND AWARDED 102 NCCER CARPENTRY INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATIONS (IBCS) IN SPRING 2019. A WELDING CURRICULUM THAT PREPARES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR WELDING CAREERS IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIAL SETTINGS WAS OFFERED IN TWO CENTRAL LOUISIANA SCHOOLS. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES TRAINING IN INDUSTRY FUNDAMENTALS, PRINT READING, LAYOUT/FABRICATION AND THERMAL CUTTING. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE COURSE ARE REGISTERED INTO THE NCCER DATABASE FOR POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT IN WELDING. DURING THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR, 55 NCCER WELDING INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATIONS (IBCS) WERE EARNED. IN 2018, THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION PARTNERED WITH THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO FACILITATE A $1.95 MILLION, THREE-YEAR NEW SKILLS FOR YOUTH GRANT FROM J.P. MORGAN CHASE AND THE COUNCIL OF CHIEF SCHOOL OFFICERS. THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION SERVES AS FISCAL SPONSOR FOR THE GRANT WHICH ENDED SEPTEMBER 30,2019.

IN 2019 THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION CONTINUED ITS WORK TO SUPPORT THE RAPIDES FOUNDATION'S (ITS SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION'S) EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS INITIATIVE BY CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. DURING 2018-2019, THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION COORDINATED KAGAN INSTRUCTIONAL INSTITUTES FOR 283 AREA EDUCATORS. THE INSTITUTES FEATURED HANDS-ON CURRICULUM AND MATERIALS THAT ARE ENGAGING, RIGOROUS AND MOTIVATING FOR STUDENTS AND THAT CAN IMMEDIATELY BE BROUGHT BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM AND IMPLEMENTED IN A COOPERATIVE LEARNING MODEL. ORCHARD ALSO HELD TRAININGS FOR NEW AND ASPIRING LEADERS IN AREA SCHOOLS. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED FOR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS OR TEACHERS WHO ARE DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE BEST PRACTICES IN INSTRUCTION AND LEADERSHIP. 88 PARTICIPANTS WERE TRAINED IN THE 5 DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING FRAMEWORK BY THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE AND OBSERVE OTHERS TO DEVELOP THE EXPERTISE NEEDED TO RECOGNIZE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION. THE LEADING FOR BETTER INSTRUCTION PROGRAM ALLOWS PRINCIPALS TO DEVELOP THEIR LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN GUIDING AND SUPPORTING TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. 120 ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND PRINCIPALS WERE ALSO TRAINED IN THE 5 DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING AND 4 DIMENSIONS OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP. A DISTRICT LEADERS' NETWORK WAS ESTABLISHED TO PROVIDE SESSIONS FOR SUPERINTENDENTS AND KEY CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERS, FOCUSED ON THE ROLE OF CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERSHIP IN DEVELOPING AND SUPPORTING PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP. 49 LEADERS PARTICIPATED.

IN 2019 THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO ADMINISTER SCHOOL READINESS INSTITUTES FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA PRE-K, HEAD START AND CHILDCARE PROVIDERS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA'S EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY NETWORKS. THE NETWORKS SEEK TO EXPAND ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY, PUBLICLY FUNDED EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS. ORCHARD ADMINISTERED 31 TRAININGS IN 2019, REACHING 444 EDUCATORS AND PROVIDERS. TO EXPAND THE REACH, ORCHARD PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BECOME CERTIFIED AS MAKING THE MOST OF CLASSROOM INTERACTION (MMCI)/CLASS GROUP COACHING INSTRUCTORS THROUGH TEACHSTONE. IN 2019, SEVEN INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED THEIR CERTIFICATION AS MMCI INSTRUCTORS, 5 IN PRE-K AND 2 IN INFANT/TODDLER. ORCHARD HAS TRAINED A TOTAL OF 30 MMCI INSTRUCTORS FOR THE REGION. 28 IN PRE-K AND 2 IN INFANT/TODDLER. THE READ TO SOAR EARLY LITERACY PROGRAM WAS LAUNCHED IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA COMMUNITIES DURING 2019. DEVELOPED AND ADMINISTERED BY THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION, READ TO SOAR IS A FREE, 8-SESSION WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN AGES 5 AND UNDER AND THEIR PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS. SESSIONS HELP DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN A CULTURE OF READING AT HOME BY EDUCATING PARENTS, BUILDING A CHILD'S HOME LIBRARY AND INCREASING AWARENESS ABOUT COMMUNITY RESOURCES TO HELP ENSURE THE CHILD HAS THE TOOLS FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS. IN 2019, ORCHARD LED 29 READ TO SOAR WORKSHOPS, REACHING 335 CHILDREN FROM 254 FAMILIES. 7,490 BOOKS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO PARTICIPANTS.

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