Today was our first full day of the new school year with our students, and we’re thrilled that they are back! We’ve posted a few pictures of the 80 elementary school students who receive academic enrichment each day after school here on Bailey Avenue. But remember that our supporters have allowed us to reach more than  3 times as many children as last year by expanding our services into several schools throughout the Lanier Feeder Pattern! Look for more pictures soon.

Remember that today is the deadline to apply for the Administrative Assistant position at Operation Shoestring.

Operation Shoestring

Administrative Assistant

 Position Listing

7-2-10

 Operation Shoestring, a nonprofit social services organization founded in 1968 in Jackson, is looking for an Administrative Assistant (“AA”) to assist the executive director (”ED”) help maintain the smooth functioning of the administrative and office functions of the organization. The AA will be supervised by the ED, although s/he will also work closely with the deputy director, the financial director, and the development staff. This is a growth opportunity for the right candidate.

 Required Knowledge and Abilities

The AA must be extremely well organized and detail oriented in planning, managing and carrying out responsibilities. AA must be able to have the initiative to work independently when appropriate as well as collaboratively with others (must be a team player). AA must be able to handle multiple tasks in an efficient, effective, courteous manner; learn and become proficient at operating the Operation Shoestring filing system, computer system, and telephone system; have excellent written and oral communication skills and have strong computer skills using MS Word and Excel for PC; and have a valid Mississippi driver’s license, a good driving record, and reliable transportation.

 Basic Responsibilities/Duties Include:

providing clerical/communications support to the ED;

assisting with development and implementation of administrative policies and procedures;

managing human resources administrative functions;

working with financial director, deputy director, program directors and other staff to ensure that grant reimbursements, reports and correspondence are submitted in a timely manner, consistent with program and grant requirements, and that grant files are kept current and organized;

handling basic bookkeeping and financial management tasks;

managing the purchase and maintenance of supplies and/or services;

coordinating building maintenance efforts (and supervising related staff/contractors);

working with the deputy director, financial director, development staff, program directors and others to provide clerical support;

helping coordinate Operation Shoestring meetings, receptions, events, etc.; and

answering the telephone and receiving visitors.

 Education

Minimum requirement: college degree or equivalent work experience.

 Salary & Benefits

Full-time position with competitive salary. Benefits include paid leave and available health and dental insurance and retirement plan.

 To apply, please submit cover letter, resume, and three professional references with contact information to Executive Director, Operation Shoestring via email @ rlangford@operationshoestring.org. No calls or walk-ins please. Application deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, July 16, 2010. To find out more about Operation Shoestring, go to www.operationshoestring.org.

By teaching kids and inspiring families, Operation Shoestring ensures we all rise together.

Just posting some pictures taken in the past few hours on this warm Monday afternoon! We have  more than 75 children here at Shoestring enjoying arts, summer reading and reinforcement of the lessons they learned this past school year.  And children across the Lanier feeder pattern are enjoying similar activities thanks to the supporters of Shoestring. This is all in an effort to be sure that they ”stretch” their minds this summer and are ready to roll when school begins in August.  For more pictures, visit www.facebook.com/OperationShoestring

We are pleased to report Operation Shoestring is applying for a 21^st Century Community Learning Center grant. This grant is administered by the Mississippi Department of Education. If Operation Shoestring is selected to receive this grant, we will work to help students navigate the bridges from middle to high school and to the work force, post-secondary education and/or the Armed Forces. We will accomplish this by strategically providing a needs-specific array of academic and social dropout prevention. The target population of the grant program will be 9^th-12^th grade students at Lanier High School. Once the grant application is complete, we will post it for the community to view. Wish us luck!

Shoestring is grateful to 10 members of the Madison campus of Pinelake church who provided breakfast to our children recently. As you’ll see in the pictures, Pinelake also conducted a fun-filled and very interactive devotional. This was the second of four visits Pinelake will make this summer. EVERY WEEKDAY through mid-July, a different family or organization brings breakfast and leads a morning devotional.

We are very thankful to Charlie Mozingo, owner of Latham-Thomas, for donating some very fine apparel to the young men in our Youth Employment Program (YEP). These rising seniors are gaining real world work experience this summer at law firms, car dealerships, hospitals and other organizations thanks to the generous supporters of Operation Shoestring. We’ll post more information about this program soon. Thank you, Latham-Thomas!

You might remember from a recent email that Operation Shoestring was able to expand its reach this summer. To help students in our service area prepare for the upcoming school year, we established “summer transition camps.” These camps prepare elementary students for the upcoming school year at middle school and middle schoolers for high school. As I’ve reported to you before, summers are crucial for any child’s development. Studies show that without positive stimulation and challenges over the summer students can actually lose learning from the previous year. We can’t let that happen! Each weekday, our rising middle and high school students receive instruction in math, critical thinking, reading, the arts and music.

Speaking of music, we are very excited that our rising middle schoolers, who are enjoying camp at nearby Galloway Elementary, are able to participate – at no fee – in music lessons. Thanks to Bette Shornick and Music in Motion – in partnership with Jackson State’s Music Department – more than 30 children receive music instruction twice per week and they practice every day. Like visual arts, we know that music is important to a child’s development, confidence and academic performance. These are pictures taken just today.

Thank you for your interest in Operation Shoestring and the work we’re doing here on Bailey Avenue, throughout the Lanier High School feeder pattern, and throughout our the entire Metro-Jackson community. Come see us.

Casey Elementary, a school in the JPS district, has a great motto: Where the Arts Make Us Smart. At Operation Shoestring, we know this to be true! Thanks to a partnership with the Mississippi Museum of Art, we are able to provide professional arts instruction to our children twice per week each school week and throughout the summer.

Always among the highest expression of any culture, the arts teach us much about every historical period through its literature, visual arts, music, dance, and drama. Today it is recognized that to be truly well-educated one must not only learn to appreciate the arts, but must have rich opportunities to actively participate in creative work. The arts are languages that most people speak, cutting through individual differences in culture, educational background, and ability. They can bring every subject to life and turn abstractions into concrete reality. Learning through the arts often results in greater academic achievement and higher test scores.

These pictures show the talents our children possess and the care they put into their work. We are so proud of them – and so grateful that people like you have made it possible for us to care for these children and work with their parents to build well-rounded, curious and successful young people.