November 8, 2010 at 7:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  If any board member is absent, there will need to be a  motion to excuse the absence.

Rationale:   

It is the vision of the Norfolk Public Schools to actively engage all students in learning
through a relevant and comprehensive standards-based curriculum that integrates
 21^st century skills, tools, context, and assessments.  

• Goal #1:  All students will succeed at each grade level and graduate from high school well-prepared for a variety of post-secondary pursuits.

• Goal #2:  All students will feel connected with the school and the learning process.

• Goal #3:  District resources, programs, and departments will be aligned to attain high levels of student achievement and instructional excellence.

• Goal #4:  The community will be engaged to support high levels of student achievement.

  The mission of the Norfolk Public Schools is to prepare studentswith the skills and knowledge to meet the challenges of a complex, global society.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rationale: 

Policy 405.6 aligns policy with administrative regulations developed by the board and professional growth committee.

Rationale:  In regard to 603.3 LB 403 states:Every contract between a public employer and public contractor shall contain a provision requiring the public contractor to use a federal immigration verification system to determine the work eligibility status of new employees physically performing services within the State of Nebraska.

Rationale:  Policy 606.2 specifies in policy criteria to assist in meeting requests for public records.

Rationale: 

The Board has approved payment of General Fund bills for November totaling $407,918.12.   Bond fund payments due in December are $1,487,321.25 for regular bonds and  $382,778.75 for Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking bonds.  The bond payments will be held and mailed prior to the payment due date. Special Building Fund bills were approved for payment totaling $108,234.30.  The Annual Financial Report was due November 1st and the District Audit Report was due November 5th.  Both reports were filed on time. 

The Audit report will be emailed to Board members sometime next week and on the agenda for their approval at the December meeting.  The audit went well and there were no findings. 

The District will be requesting  proposals for District Property and Casualty Insurance coverage and also for the District audit services.  The ads for Requests for Proposals will be published in the Norfolk Daily News on Wednesday, November 10th.  Bids will be accepted until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 8th. 

Business services personnel will begin requesting reimbursement for the first quarter expenditures for NCLB grants and any additional ARRA grants that may have had activity.  We are currently working on requesting reimbursement for the ARRA dollars due to the renovation of SPED classrooms at the high school and Lincoln Elementary.

Rationale: 

Assessment / Curriculum

 

Science Curriculum Development

 

The State Board of Education recently adopted a newly developed set of science standards.  This then will lead to our district entering into the curriculum revision process for science.  The science standards adopted by the state are a bit different than those adopted for language arts and mathematics.  The primary difference is that the science standards have been developed in grade bands instead of for grade levels.  The grade bands that have been defined by the state are K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.  This will require us to more specifically define the standards and apply concepts and objectives contained within the standards to the grade level we feel is most appropriate.  Creating this break-down becomes a bit more complicated due to the upcoming NeSA-Science test that will be administered.  Until we are sure which standards will be addressed by NeSA-Science, it is difficult to determine where to place concepts.  We hope to begin our curriculum development during either December or January and will use the talents and expertise of our science teachers throughout the district to guide us through this process.

 

Professional Development

 

Friday NET/PLC Meeting Update

 

To date, the district has held three NET/PLC sessions on Friday afternoons. 

·         October 22^nd—No School for Staff or Students

·         October 29^th— Elementary teachers met as grade-level teams.  Team norms were reviewed and groups began to work on the PLC question #1, “What do we want our students to learn?”  District department PLC meetings were held with PE, music, art, and media.  Junior High and High School staff members had building-level meetings.

·         November 5^th— Building NET/PLC sessions were held.

Rationale: 

   

School	Fall 2008	Fall 2009	Fall 2010
Bel Air	99.6%	98.7%	100%
Grant	99.6%	100%	97%
Jefferson	99.0%	99.5%	99%
Lincoln	97.5%	98%	100%
Montessori	100%	100%	With LN
Washington	96.6 %	97.1%	98.3%
Westside	97.4%	93%	95.3%
Woodland Park	99.6%	98.6%	99%
Middle School	74.2 %	60%	92%
Junior High	75.5%	67%	73%
Senior High	80.4%	72.6%	71.7%

Parent/Teacher Conference results from October are noted above.  These are a three year comparison; but remember this year’s results are the first conferences under the new grade level reconfiguration.

Norfolk Elementary 4^th grade students attended a theatrical presentation of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” on November 1^st at Carson Theater.  The production was hosted by the Norfolk Arts Center and was sponsored in part by the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment Center.  Norfolk first graders will have the opportunity to see a Children’s Theater production on March 31, 2011 entitled “The Berenstein Bears in Family Matters.”

Winter sport practices have begun so be sure to check your school calendars for upcoming activities and performances.

 

Rationale:  The district will release a RFP (Request for Proposals) for district property and casualty insurance.

Rationale:  The district will release a RFP (Request for Proposals) for district auditing services.