Audubon officials greet Xiong Jun as she arrives in New Orleans. (From L to R:) Janice Dupuy (Principal/CEO), Xiong Jun (Mandarin Chinese teacher), Catherine Bricelj (French program director), Claudine Adams (elementary French teacher), and LaToye Brown (Assistant Principal).

Xiong Jun from China has been awarded a fellowship from the U.S. Department of State to participate in the 2014 Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP). She will teach Chinese for a full academic year at Audubon Charter School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Audubon Charter School has participated in a nation-wide competition in order to host a TCLP teacher and Xiong Jun is one of a total of 22 teachers who have been selected from China and Egypt for participation in TCLP.

Traffic Court Judge Mark Shea announced his re-election campaign with the endorsement of Mayor Mitch Landrieu, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, Sheriff Marlin Gusman and another 20 major endorsements.

Judge Shea will be seeking his second-term as Traffic Court Judge, Section C. Judge Shea has practiced law for nearly 30 years and was elected in 2009 to serve the unexpired term of Judge Paul Bonin who was elected to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal.

Do you know a student who might benefit from taking AP Calculus BC but doesn't have the course offered at their school? Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus BC is a full-year, university-level course. It covers more than the "AB" version and may be appropriate for very capable math students. Many schools are not able to offer "BC" due to limited demand. Now students can take a class they need online with a state-approved course provider and have the credit applied to their transcript. These courses are offered through the Louisiana Supplemental Course Academy, SCA (formerly "Course Choice").

Like many students in the state of Louisiana, Andrew Broussard is getting ready to head back to class. But instead of catching a bus, the 8th grader will be taking a different route.

Andrew will stay right at home and log on to his computer as a student of Louisiana Connections Academy, a free public virtual charter school open to students from every parish of the state.

It’s a back-to-school routine Andrew has followed for two academic years, since he became a completely virtual student.

WHAT: Representatives from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Jacobs Technologies, and the US Coast Guard will deliver a truckload of donated school supplies to the Einstein Charter School Extension on Wednesday.  The supplies were collected from a school supply drive held for tenants of the Michoud Assembly Facility.  Other donors include NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Big Easy Studios.

WHEN: Wednesday, August 6, 11:30am

WHERE: Einstein Charter School Extension,  5316 Michoud Blvd. in New Orleans East (behind Sara T. Reed High School)

WHY: Einstein Charter School and Einstein Extension are open-admissions elementary charter schools located in New Orleans East.  Einstein Charter is a “B”, "top gains" and "top performing" elementary school, serving grades PreK-8.  Einstein Extension has a 100% pass rate on the Algebra I EOC. Einstein provides a competitive education with a focus on science and math in a safe and nurturing environment, with a 100% promotion rate to 9th grade.

Einstein also offers an exceptional gifted and talented program, Special Education program and one of the largest ELL programs in the city.  For more information:   einsteincharter.org

Painting with a Twist, the largest paint-and-sip franchise in the U.S., will give back to the New Orleans community with help from 200 of the organization’s franchisees. To kick off the company’s annual conference, franchise owners from across the country will come together help with a fresh look at Young Audiences Charter School. Volunteers will paint the walls in vibrant colors, artistic designs, and encouraging quotes. Additionally, the team will re-stock the school’s library with the more than 800 books they have collected.

All Painting with a Twist locations across the country have made a commitment to give back to their local communities with monthly fundraising events. This special event unites Painting with a Twist owners from across the nation to give back to Young Audiences Charter School, a school that promotes art-driven curriculum for underprivileged students.