2015 TVTimes

Planning can help save even more
LITTLE ROCK — Backpacks, school supplies, new shoes, uniforms or the latest outfits. Back to school shopping can take a huge bite out of your monthly bud- get.
Laura Connerly, assistant professor and extension personal finance educator for the University of Arkan- sas System Division of Agriculture recommends using smart shopping strategies to cut costs and reduce the burden.
“Plan ahead,” Connerly said. “Make a list of every- thing you’ll need. In addition to regular school sup- plies, you may also need items such as lunchboxes, art supplies, sports equipment or clothing. Making a list helps you avoid impulse buys.”
She also suggests comparison shopping. Check local sales ads to find the best prices. Often, dollar stores will carry supplies cheaper than larger retail stores. She also said second-hand stores are great resources to look to for gently used backpacks and school clothes or uniforms.
Coupons are also a classic-turned-trendy way to save a few dollars on back to school shopping. The Sunday newspapers contain coupons, as do store flyers and some store and free online coupon sites.
“Combine coupons with other sales and discounts when possible,” Connerly said. “There are also cou- pon apps and store apps. Consumers need to be real- ly careful about online sources of coupons and cou- pon apps. Some of these services charge a fee, and for most consumers, it’s not worth the cost. Check to make sure it’s a reliable resource before download- ing or providing any financial or personal informa- tion.”
And, most importantly, mark your calendars for the best time to shop this season.
“Shop during the first weekend of August,” Connerly said. “Tax exempt categories include clothing, clothing accessories or equipment, school supplies, school art supplies and school instructional materials. Clothing and shoes must be less than $100 per item to qualify. Clothing accessories or equipment must be less than $50 per item to qualify.”
For many families in Arkansas, these tips and strat- egies still won’t cover the financial burden this time of year brings. Help is always available for those who need it.
“Find assistance if you need it,” Connerly said. “If you qualify, and if you need it, check with schools and com- munity service agencies in your local area to find out if they provide school supplies.”
For more information on managing family finances, contact your county extension office or visit http:// uaex.edu/health-living/personal-finance/default.aspx.
EI Dorado School District
2015-2016 Smackover Elementary School Supply List
Get ready
for
Back to School 2015 TAX-FREE WEEKEND
Tax-free weekend helps Arkansas families
By Kaitlyn Tolleson
ktolleson@eldoradonews.com
As the school year rapidly approaches, many families are looking to begin back-to-school shopping for clothes and school supplies. For those looking for a break in price or to save a few bucks, your weekend is coming. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, and end- ing at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, state and local sales tax will not be collected on the sale
of clothing and footwear less than $100 per item, clothing accessories and equipment less than $50 per item, school supplies, school art supplies and school instructional materials.
“The biggest benefit is the opportunity to not pay sales tax during this two day peri-
od,” said Matthew Shepherd, state represen- tative. “It provides relief for families that are having to purchase many school supplies and clothes.”
This marks the fifth annual sales tax holiday in Arkansas.
The sales tax holiday legislation, House Bill 1369, Act 757, was brought up several times in the Arkansas Legislature under the spon- sorship of Shepherd. It finally became a law during his first term in 2011.
According to www.dfa.arkansas.gov, retailers are required to participate in the tax holiday if they sell merchandise that is eligible for the holiday exemption and may not charge tax on items that are legally tax exempt during the sales tax holiday period.
Shepherd explained that the bill has been good for the state of Arkansas because when other states surrounding Arkansas had a tax free weekend and Arkansas did not, con- sumers were taking their money out of state. “The business owners tremendously bene- fit from tax free weekend,” said Shepherd. “With Arkansas also having passed this bill, it has seriously leveled the playing field across the states.”
A list of items that are eligible for the
sales tax holiday can be found on page 2.
For more information, contact a customer service representative by phone from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at (501) 682-7104.
New technologies boosting students’ learning efforts
StatePoint
Picture a college student studying for an upcoming exam. If you’re envisioning her sur- rounded by marked-up text- books, you probably aren’t a recent graduate. These days, you’re just as likely to see the student with a tablet, smart- phone or laptop taking advan- tage of digital course materials — and student grades appear to be rising as a result.
New digital platforms are mak- ing a difference for students who have access to them. Students using a digital learning platform increased their grades by one
full letter, with more B students getting As, and more C students getting Bs, during an indepen- dent study of more than 700 stu- dents at six institutions, which was conducted by a member or- ganization of the Association of American Publishers (AAP).
Community college students participating in the study saw their graduation rates improve by 12.5 percent. A different inde- pendent study of another learn- ing platform by another AAP member found that students us- ing only the textbook improved 51 percent, while students who used both the textbook and the
digital learning platform im- proved 79 percent.
Indeed, a digital learning rev- olution is well underway in col- leges and universities across America — and the benefits are even extending to student and parent pocketbooks.
concept of textbooks and course materials through content and technology innovations,” says David E. Anderson, Executive Director of Higher Education with the AAP. “Interactive mate- rials can now be used on virtual- ly any device, including a laptop, tablet or smartphone, making it easy for students to study when- ever and wherever they like.”
coursework and in the class- room. The learning experience, in turn, has become less static and more interactive.
Beyond making learning more engaging, the materials are help- ing customize the learning ex- perience for each student. The latest materials use artificial intelligence to focus on those areas where individual students need the most attention.
Professors can employ re- al-time monitoring to determine how individual students and whole classes perform, adjust- ing their lessons to better meet the needs of the class.
Though the cost of college tui-
tion has been steadily rising, the
student cost of coursework has
stayed flat. The money saved Digital learning materials have
by shifting from print to inter- active digital platforms in the classroom can be as much as 60 percent.
“For more than 10 years, pub- lishers have been redefining the
evolved way beyond their ori- gins as a simple PDF copy of a textbook. These advanced edu- cational platforms now include quizzes, tests and games to help better engage students in their
2015 - 2016 Supply Lists
Third Grade
24 #2 Pencils
2 Boxes Crayola Crayons (16 Or
Kindergarten
2 - 24 pack Crayola skinny crayons
1 - pack skinny Pencils
1 - pair Fiskars scissors
1 - pink Block eraser
8 - Expo dry eraser markers (skinny, low oder)
1 - plastic supply box
2 - Plastic folders
1 - box of Kleenex
1 - Backpack
1 - 4 oz. Elmer’s glue (for Art class)
1- Headphones (may purchases on own or at school for $2)
Boys - box gallon size Zip-Loc bags
Girls - box quart size Zip-Loc bags
PLEASE DO NOT LABEL SUPPLIES
1st Grade
2 - bottles of Elmer’s glue 1 - Supply box
2 - boxes 24 ct. Crayons
1 - pkg. 4 ct. Block erasers 1 - pkg. Crayola markers
1 - pair Scissors
2 - Pocket folders
1 - pkg. (72 ct.) Pencils
2 - Spiral 1 subject notebooks 2 - Pencil bag with 3 holes to fit in binder
1 - pkg. Styrofoam or paper plates (for Art class)
3 - boxes of Kleenex
1 - pair Earbuds (may purchase on own or at school for $2)
PLEASE LABEL SUPPLIES WITH CHILD’S NAME.
2nd Grade
4 - 16 ct. packages of #2 pencils
2 - pkgs Cap erasers
1 - pair Fiskars sharp point scissors
1 - 24 ct. Crayons
1 - small Elmer’s glue
1 - plastic School supply box 6 - Single subject wide-ruled notebooks
2 - boxes of Kleenex
1 - roll Paper towels
1 - pkg. Post-It notes
1 - pkg. Sandwich size Zip- Loc bags
1 - 10 pk. Clasic Crayola washable markers (NOT fine point for Art)
2 - Pocket folders
1 - pair Earbuds (may purchase on own or at school for $2)
24 Count) GradesK-6 4GlueSticks
Kindergarten
12 #2 Pencils
4 Boxes Crayola Crayons (24-count) 8 Glue Sticks
2 Antibacterial Waterless Hand
Cleaner
1 Pkg. 9” x 12” Construction Paper 3 Boxes Kleenex
1 Supply Box
1 Fiskars Scissors
1 Box Crayola brand markers
1 Box Gallon Ziploc Bags
2 Single Subject Wide-Rule Spiral
Notebooks
First Grade
24 #2 Pencils
3 Boxes Crayola Crayons (16 or 24
Count)
4 Glue Sticks
2 Antibacterial Waterless Hand
Cleaner
1 Pkg. 9” x 12” Construction Paper 3 Boxes Kleenex
1 Supply Box
1 Fiskars Scissors
2 Boxes Crayola Brand Markers
1 Box Gallon Ziploc Bags
4 Single Subject Wide-Rule Spiral
Notebooks
Second Grade
24 #2 Pencils
3 Boxes Crayola Crayons
(16 Or 24 Count)
4 Glue Sticks
2 Antibacterial Waterless Hand
Cleaner
1 Pkg. 9” x 12” Construction
Paper
3 Boxes Kleenex
1 Supply Box
1 Fiskars Scissors
1 Box Gallon Ziploc Bags
4 Single Subject Wide-Rule Spiral
Notebooks
3 Pocket Folders (Solid Colors) 1 Pkg. Loose Leaf Paper,
Regular Rule (100 Sheets)
1 Pkg. 3x5 Index Cards (100 Count) 1 Pkg. Red Pens - Girls Only
1 Pkg. Blue Pens - Boys Only
1106 N. West Ave. El Dorado • 862-0014
2 Antibacterial Waterless Hand Cleaner
1 Pkg. 9” x 12” Construction Paper
3 Boxes Kleenex
1 Zipper Supply Bag
1 Fiskars Scissors
1 Box Gallon Ziploc Bags
4 Single Subject Wide-Rule
Spiral Notebooks
4 Pocket Folders (Solid Colors) 2 Pkg. Loose Leaf Paper,
Regular Rule (100 Sheets) 1 Pkg. 3x5 Index Cards (100
Count)
1 Pkg. Red Pens - Girls Only 1 Pkg. Blue Pens - Boys Only
Fourth Grade
24 #2 Pencils
1 Box Crayola Crayons (16 Or
24 Count)
2 Glue Sticks
2 Antibacterial Waterless Hand
Cleaner
1 Pkg. 9” x 12” Construction
Paper
3 Boxes Kleenex
1 Zipper Bag For Binder
1 Fiskars Scissors
1 Box Crayola Brand Markers 1 Box Gallon Ziploc Bags
4 Single Subject Wide-Rule
Spiral Notebooks
4 Pocket Folders (Solid Colors) 4 Pkg. Loose Leaf Paper,
Regular Rule (100 Sheets) 1 2” 3-Ring Binder
1 Pkg. 3x5 Index Cards (100
Count)
1 Pkg. Red Pens - Girls Only 1 Pkg. Blue Pens - Boys Only
Washington Middle School Grades 5 & 6
No white-out/No rolling backpacks 1 Pkg. Of #2 Pencils
1 Pkg. Colored Pencils
2 Antibacterial Waterless Hand
Cleaner
1 Sketch Pad (9”X12”) Prefer
Spiral Bound
3 Boxes Kleenex
1 Composition Notebook
1 Blunt-Nosed Student Scissors
(No Sharp Points)
1 Pkg. Grid (Graph) Paper
2 Spiral Notebooks, 1 Subject 3 Pkgs. Loose-Leaf Paper
5 Pocket Folders For Binder
2 (2”) 3-Ring Binders
1 Pkg. Of 3x5 Index Cards (100 Count)
2 Red Pens
2 Blue Pens
rd
3 Grade
4 - 16 ct. packages of #2 pencils
1 - pair Fiskars scissors 1 - 24 ct. Crayons
1 - small Elmer’s glue 1 - School supply box 2 - Boxes of Kleenex 1 - Pocket folder
1 - pair Earbuds (may purchase on own or at school for $2)
1 - 10 oz. bottle Germ-x
4th Grade
3 - pkg. Wide-rule notebook paper
2 - packages of #2 pencils 3 - boxes of Kleenex
1 - Blue Wide-rule spiral notebook
2 - Red Wide-rule spiral notebooks
1 - White Posterboard
1 - 24 ct. Crayons (for Art class)
1 - pair Earbuds (may purchase on own or at school for $2)
1 - 10 oz. bottle Germ-x
th
5 Grade
3 - plastic 3-prong folders with pockets
3 - pkgs. Pencils (NO mechanical)
1 - pkg. Cap Erasers
2 - pkgs. Wide-ruled notebook paper
1 - 3 or more pkg. of FINE point Sharpies (for Art)
1 - pkg. Index cards
2 - boxes Kleenex
1 - pair Earbuds (may purchase on own or at school for $2)
El Dorado NEWS-TIMES – Friday, July 31, 2015 – 1
Advertiser index
B3 Training................2 Bravo Dance
Centre ........................3 Charlie's Corner
Hair Designs..............4 Classic Creations .....4 Clements Family .......4 Crotty Casing Crew ..2 Dance Connection....5 East Main Kindergarten .............4 Ellen's Airbrush
& Signs ......................5 Executive Dance
& Fitness ...................4 F.A.C.T. Inc.................5 Kinder College Learning Center ........5 Maria's Hair Stop ......3 McDonald's
Grocery ......................2 North College
Salon ..........................5 Quality Lube..............1 Sassy's ......................4 Smackover
Motors Inc. ................1 South Arkansas Community College..6 Sports Alley ............................4, 5, 6 Tucker's Truck...........3 Walmart Supercenter...............5 West Side
Christian School.......3,5
4355 Smackover Hwy. Smackover, AR 7250-3951
(New Toll Free) 1-866-725-3961
143630
James Langley’s
43
143467