Independent School District No.492.
Austin High School.
301 Third Street ANW .
Austin. Minnesota 55912
(507)433-0408. Fax (507) 433-0403.
J Douglas Myers. Ed.D.., Superintendent of Schools
 
 

 ROYCE R. HELMBRECHT
Assistant Principal  AUSTIN AREA LEARNING CENTER
301 3rd Street N.W.
Austin, Minnesota 55912
Phone: 507-433-0406
Director: Royce R. Helmbrecht

 The mission of the Austin Area Learning Center is to empower
every individual to acquire knowledge, skills, and a positive
attitude toward self and others.   The aim is to enable every
student to solve problems, think creatively, continue learning,
and develop maximum potential for leading a productive,
fulfilling, and contributing life in a complex and changing
world.

MIDDLE LEVEL AREA LEARNING CENTER

 We offer one class at the Austin Middle School for students
who are experiencing difficulty in one or more subjects and who
appear at-risk of falling behind their grade level.  The class
has about twelve students at any given time, with one teacher and
one aide assigned to the room to give as much one-on-one
assistance as is possible.   A counselor is also assigned to this
group to work on their social skills, in order to help the
students be more successful in their regular classes.   Students
are transitioned back to a full mainstream class assignment, as
the teacher sees the student being successful in the ALC
classroom.   This program was introduced in the second semester
of the 96-97 school year and served 30 students by the end of the
school year.   All but two of these students were placed in a
full mainstream schedule for their ninth grade year and are doing
fine.

HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL AREA LEARNING CENTER

 The goal of the high school level ALC program is to offer
students the opportunity to brush up on their basic skills, with
the goal of transitioning them into the mainstream high school
classes as soon as they as ready to do so.   We offer students
three time periods to participate in our ALC program, and they
must pick one of them.   One set of classes is offered from 7:55
- 11:45 a.m., while another set of classes is offered from 11:15
- 3:00 p.m.   These two time periods meet Monday through Friday.   A
third time period is offered from 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., and this
class meets Monday through Thursday.   All time periods offer the
student twenty hours of instruction per week.   In addition, the
student must find another 10 hours of instruction per week via of
one of the following options (or combination of these):
A) We offer a Work Experience program.   A seminar offered
at the ALC, combined with a job that the student works
at for at least ten hours per week provided the student
with the extra 10 hours of instruction we require.

B) We offer community service programs that allow the
student to perform community service for at least ten
hours per week.   This program, combined with the Work
Experience seminar offered in the ALC, satisfies the
10 additional hours of instruction.

C) The student can enroll in one (up to four) mainstream
classes, in addition to the ALC classroom instruction.
Each class enrolled in can provide five hours of
instruction per week.   This classes can be taken at
the high school level, or if the student qualifies, can
be taken through the Post-secondary Enrollment options
Program at an eligible college.

 All of our classes offer the Work Experience seminar, while
three of the four classes also offer Special Education services
for those students in need of this (our evening class does not
offer special education services).
 One of our morning classes and our evening class meets at
Riverland Community College, while the other morning class and
the afternoon class meet at the high school    Although not a
requirement, most students who are enrolled in mainstream classes
attend the ALC at the high school, while students enrolled in the
Post-Secondary Options Program attend the ALC classes located at
the college.  This arrangement is made to make the transition
from one location to the other more convenient for our students.
The classes at the college have the additional benefit of having
a guest speaker each week, from one of the technical areas
offered at Riverland Community College.   This program allows
students to explore occupations that they may not have been
familiar with.
 In cooperation with our local Community Services program
and with Riverland Community College, we also offer a daycare
program for our teen parents.   The infant and toddler programs
are located at the high school, while the pre-school program is
located at the college.   Transportation is provided to help our
students better meet their daycare needs, while providing them
with an opportunity to finish their high school education.   A
parenting class1 offered at the high school, is required of every
student who uses our daycare facilities.
 The staff at the Austin Area Learning Center works very
closely with the staffs at our Middle and High School to assure
that the students in our ALC are afforded the same education as
the students in our mainstream classes.   We continue this effort
of cooperation as our district works toward implementation of the
graduation standards.   In addition, our staff works with the
high school counseling department to provide our students with
career development plans.   We have several computers in our
career center that allow the students to explore several occupations of their choice.
 The goal of the high school program is to offer our students
an opportunity to continue their education in an environment that
is supportive and caring.  To this end, the student is in one
class only for their instructional time, with one teacher and one
aide, along with up to twenty-one other students.   This affords
the teacher and the student the time to develop this supportive
and caring relationship.   We strive to assist our students not
only in their academic work, but in other areas of their lives
where they are experiencing difficulties.  To this end we develop
a plan for each student that is taylor-made to make them a
successful student and a productive member of our society.
During the 96-97 school year we had the privilege of serving 271
students in the high school ALC program.
 If you have any questions about our program, please contact
Royce Helmbrecht, ALC Director, at 507-433-0406.   It would be
our privilege to work with you in determining which program would
best serve your needs, while completing your high school diploma
requirements.
alccon97