October 10, 2022 at 6:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

STRIVE  -  COMMIT  -  SUCCEED  -  District Mission Statement

Schuyler Community Schools in partnership with parents, students, and the community is committed to educate students to become skilled, knowledgeable and responsible citizens in a global society - District Vision Statement

Notice of this meeting was given in advance according to State Law 84-1411, by giving notice of the meeting to the public.  Notice of this meeting was also given in advance to all members of the Board of Education

Rationale: 

This meeting has been preceded by advance notice and is hereby declared to be in open session.  A copy of the Open Meetings Act is posted in the front of the meeting room.

Nebraska Open Meetings Act:  http://nitc.nebraska.gov/documents/statutes/NebraskaOpenMeetingsAct_current.pdf

Rationale:  Discuss, Consider and Take Action on the consent agenda

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Rationale:  This committee is responsible for reviewing curriculum recommendations, textbook selection, requisitions/inventory, and instructional programs.

Rationale: 
Attached is the itinerary for the National FFA Convention along with the Board Policy addressing the request for board approval to attend the National FFA Convention.  See attached board policy and Itinerary information included below:

   

Rationale:  This committee is responsible for budget, finance, and contract negotiations with administration, certificated staff, and support staff.

Rationale: 
1.  Kailey Hanson:  Special Education Teacher SES
2.  Jared Severson;  FCS/FCCLA Teacher  SCHS

Rationale: 
1. Olga Castillo:  Custodian/Housekeeper SMS
2,  Alondra Catalan:  Para Educator - SES

Rationale: 

Preschool/SES 3-5 Principal's Report:  Mr. Comley
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  This month I would like to highlight Renee Miller at preschool. Mrs. Miller has/had received affirmations from administration and parents in the community for her kindness in the mornings. Mrs Miller has been a teacher for many years here at SCS and has taught so many children and, in turn, has made Schuyler a better place. Thank you Mrs Miller for all you do!!!!

SES K-2 Principal's Report:  Mrs. Keairnes
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  I would like to highlight Mr. Wehner. Mr. Wehner is one of our physical education teachers at the Elementary School. He does a great job of building positive relationships with students and is always willing to help other staff members around the building. He is passionate about creating a positive impact on the athleticism of our students and growing their excitement for being active. 

Dual Language, Fisher’s, & Richland Principal's Report:  Ms. Bebout
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  I would like to highlight Nestor Pelayo!  Nestor is the new music teacher in our district.  He teaches music to Richland and Fisher’s students along with many other students in the district.  Nestor has gone above and beyond in his position.  He is friendly and outgoing and has already built good relationships with his students.  You can also see Nestor at many SCS events supporting his students.  He really believes in Schuyler as a whole community and you can find him at community events.  It has been great to see Nestor really dive head first into the Schuyler School system, but also the community.  I look forward to seeing him grow in his new position. 

Middle School Assistant Principal's Report:  Mr. Banahan
Spotlight Staff: This month I would like to recognize the work of Mrs. Emily Steinhoff, SMS Instructional Coach. Mrs. Steinhoff, has been working very hard with Dr. Kathy Kennedy from KLK Consulting group to learn how to be an effective Instructional Coach. Over the past month and a half, Mrs. Steinhoff has done a great job of building positive relationships with teachers in the middle school, identifying strengths of the many teachers at SMS, so that she can effectively help all of our teachers to continue to grow in positive ways, by providing them with exemplary examples of teaching within our learning community. Mrs. Steinhoff also does a great job of sharing out instructional spotlight strategies with our staff, which allows them to challenge themselves in their ways of instruction, which continues to push the idea of a growth mindset amongst the middle school staff.
Spotlight Upcoming Event:  The Middle School Band and Choirs will be performing on October 17th with the bands starting at 6 PM followed by the choirs at 7 PM. We are excited to see our students perform in their first concerts of the year and hear the 6th grade band and choir in their first Middle School Concert!

Middle School Principal's Report:  Mr. Zavadil
Program Spotlight:  Our fall activities are wrapping up this week and it has been busy busy busy at SMS!!  A particular program that I would like to highlight is our school improvement team.  This year is the 5th year in our continuous improvement cycle and that means that our team has the added responsibility of compiling all the work that we have done towards our improvement goals for the past 5 years and preparing for the external visitation.  So far our team leader Mr. Policky and the rest of our team and jumped in and started working hard to fully understand the new process for Cogia and I am extremely proud of the work-ethic shown by our teacher leaders and our team leader, Mr. Policky.
Staff Member Spotlight:  This month I would like to highlight the exceptional work of Mr. Andy Hall.  Mr. Hall is a 6th grade math teacher at Schuyler Middle School and does an exceptional job creating a comprehensive lesson plan that prepares our students to have a thorough understanding of the state standards.  Mr. Hall comprehensively looks at student data, writes well-thought out activities to address the needs of his students and pushes his students to achieve rigorous work in his class.
Upcoming Events:  Schuyler Middle School is preparing for some very important work this upcoming week and that is our Fall professional development week and Parent/Teacher Conferences.  This is a great opportunity for our parents to come into the building and make a strong connection with our staff.  SMS utilizes our R-time teachers to convey the information for each student as the central point of contact for the parent.  If the parent would like to talk to other teachers we make arrangements to ensure that that can happen.  Professional development this month will be focused upon our continued work to ensure that our classroom instruction throughout the district is rigorous and aligned with state standards.  Our teachers do great work with instructional strategies in the classroom and it is a continuous process to ensure that those instructional strategies are leveled to the standards that are set forth by the state.  I am looking forward to this meaningful work with Dr. Gibbons and our staff.

High School Assistant Principal's Report:   Mr. Steinhoff
Program/Staff Member Spotlight: This month I would like to spotlight Ms. Flores. Ms. Flores does an excellent job teaching our English language learners.  She can relate to many of our students due to her own lived experience, which provides her with insights and empathy that she extends to students without compromising rigor. She establishes high expectations and builds meaningful relationships with students through her mentorship, which naturally translates to  high levels of engagement in her classroom. Ms. Flores seeks out opportunities for growth and is eager to participate in professional development.  She is always willing to take on extra responsibilities for the benefit of her students.  Ms. Flores is an incredible asset to our school and community, exemplifying the characteristics we value most in our educators. We are grateful to have her as a Warrior!

High School Assistant Principal's Report:  Mrs. Ladwig
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  I would like to highlight the work of Mrs. Staci Shonka. Mrs. Shonka is a math teacher at SCHS, and she works to hold all students to a high standard of learning in her classroom. From interactive activities to real-world application of learning, Mrs. Shonka makes math valuable for every student who walks through her door. Outside of the classroom, Mrs. Shonka serves as the NHS sponsor and is always looking for new ways to take the organization to the next level when it comes to leadership and service. Mrs. Shonka also serves as a teacher leader on our team by being part of both School Improvement and MTSS in our building. 

High School Principal's Report:  Dr. Lefdal
Program Spotlight:  I would like to spotlight Wade Brashear, Katie Bertrand, and Brandi Zavadil in our counseling and EL programming.  The three of them have been working diligently to help our students.  Our counseling team is an amazing group to work with!
Staff Member Spotlight:  I would like to spotlight the work of Sam Ladwig.  Mrs. Ladwig has done nothing short of amazing work for the district.  She is committed, dependent, professional, and a great team player for our admin group.  Her work with PLC’s, our instructional coach, and with teachers is nothing short of amazing.  We are so lucky to have her on our team.
Looking ahead:  I am excited to see the one-act play.  The students and coaches have been putting in some late nights and it is great to see so many students excited and engaged in the process.

Rationale: 

K-6 Youth Sports Director's Report:  Mrs. Keairnes
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  I would like to highlight our youth football and youth volleyball programs. We have wrapped up our fall youth sports and highlighted those athletes and coaches by hosting a pep rally at the Elementary School to celebrate everyone involved. 

Warrior Academy - ASP Director's Report:  Ms. Bebout
Spotlight Program: Red Cross CPR/First Aid Certification: This year, through a grant we received, we are able to have all of our afterschool program staff  become trained and certified in CPR and First Aid. Right now they are working on the online portion of the certification and will be finished with it on October 17th. On October 19th a trainer will come to the school and they will be officially certified! Having our staff certified will make sure of our After-School students' safety in case of any emergency.

SMS Activities Director's Report:  Mr. Banahan
Program Spotlight:  I would like to highlight our MS Cross Country Program, and Coaches Adam Robinson and Mike Baptiste. These guys have done a great job of building up a very successful Warrior Cross Country team over the past three years! This year has been nothing short of a spectacular season as well. The teams have competed in 6 meets so far this year heading into the State meet on Saturday, October 8th. In those meets, the boys finished 1st in 3 meets and 2nd in 2 meets, while 1 meet wasn’t a team-scored event. The girl's team finished 2nd, 6th twice, and 4th once in the meets. In all, they have qualified 8 boys and 8 girls for the Middle School State Cross Country meet in Papillion. The teams have gone up against some of the best competition in the state and we look forward to seeing how they compete at the state meet.
Staff Member Spotlight:   I would like to spotlight Mr. Chad Wiseman. Mr. Wiseman plays a key role in the development of our student-athletes here at Schuyler Middle School. He brings many years of coaching experience into his roles, and provides our students with excellent knowledge of the game, as well as the skills they need to improve upon to be successful, not only as athletes but as young men and women in our community! Mr. Wiseman has taken the helm of middle school football and middle school boys basketball this year, and will continue to work with various athletes, but specifically hurdlers during the middle school track season! It is awesome to see Mr. Wiseman as he builds and continues to improve the relationships he has in the classroom with the students on the playing fields. Thank you Mr. Wiseman for all of your hard work and dedication to Warrior Athletics!
Spotlight Upcoming Event:  Winter sports seasons will be getting underway soon here at SMS with girl's basketball and wrestling starting up competitions the first week of November. We are excited about getting this season underway and look forward to seeing the success our Warriors will have this winter!

SCHS Activities Director's Report:  Mr. Steinhoff
Program/Staff Member Spotlight: This month I would like to spotlight Mr. Niedbalski, Ms.Semerad, Mr. Pelayo and the SCHS music department. Last Wednesday, the SCHS marching band competed at the Pierce Marching Band competition and received a superior rating, which is the highest honor.  The band has also been an integral part of creating a positive atmosphere at our home athletic events as well. This team has invested an incredible amount of time and energy into developing our music programs. We celebrate their success, which reflects the intentionality of their efforts.  Nice work!   

Special Education Director's Report:  Mrs. Vrba
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  I would really like to "shine a spotlight" on Angela Schwarte-Rouch! Two years ago, she joined us from Dubuque, Iowa, where she was the H.E.A.R.T. SpEd teacher and SpEd/Work Experience Coordinator. She agreed to become our 3rd grade special education teacher, but the whole time she had her hopes and dreams set on her dream job...SCHS Special Education teacher. Angela is a true advocate for each one of our Special Education students. I think some of our students were a little taken-back when they saw Angela come through the doors of SCHS. She has lightheartedly labeled and portrays herself as "Mama Bear" to all of the SCHS Special Education students. With that being said, Angela has shown her students how to use their own skills to be a self-advocate, to build their own level of determination, so they may succeed in our classrooms, and how to have the fortitude and bravery to be themselves.

Curriculum, Assessment, & Instruction Director's Report:  Dr. Gibbons
Program/Staff Member Spotlight: One of our strategic plan actions last year was to implement supplemental programs in elementary reading to meet the needs of the foundational reading standards that were adopted by the State Board.  We purchase Heggerty Phonics for K-2 and Sadlier Grammar for 3-5 to meet those needs.  Online PD was available for teachers to help them implement those programs and there will be a session on Wednesday, Oct. 19, to help teachers implement them even more effectively.  Curriculum - The full curriculum adoption cycle is still being considered but an examination of materials for 6th - 12th grade math is underway because the subscription of our current online materials through Discovery Education will expire this year.
State Assessments - Students in grades 3-8 completed the Language Arts and Math NSCAS Fall Assessments.  We believe that having students take the Fall and Winter NSCAS assessments will best prepare them for the Spring Assessment, which will determine proficiency levels.

Rationale: 
1.  Threat Assessment:  Four board members, four counselors, Chief of Police, and County Sheriff have all been given access to the Navigate 360 training.  Each building has a threat assessment team and the district leadership team serves as the district team.  This district team meets on the first Monday of the month to review information from each building. 
2.  Certificated Staff Negotiations:  According to state statute, certificated staff negotiation teams must hold their initial meeting prior to November 1st each year.  The Association (SEA) is requesting Monday, October 17th at 7:00PM for the first meeting.  Included below is an overview of the 2022 NASA/NASB Labor Relations Conference held October 5-6.  The finance committee will need to meet following the October School Board Meeting.
3. Vape Detection:  I have a new quote for 18 vape detection devices from Soter Technologies.  These devices will be installed in unsupervised areas at the middle and high school buildings.  There will be additional costs for installation and, if necessary, we can purchase additional devices to buildings in the future.
4.  Education:  In addition to detection, the school buildings have committed to additional education for staff and students.  Our first speaker is scheduled for Monday, October 17th. 
5.  Classroom Supervision:  With the installation of vape detection devices, other schools found that vaping incidents moved to other places both inside and outside of their buildings.  These systems are only successful if EVERYONE, (staff, parents, administration, etc...) increase their awareness and efforts to manage this situation.
6.  Safety:  Our schools are safe places for our children and staff.  The district's commitment to safety, programs, facilities, protocols, training, etc... demonstrates the board's commitment to this issue and our staff's work to continually practice safety, build relationships, provide support for struggling students/families, provide additional professional resources, and work with community and area professionals to ensure safety is a priority in our school and community.  Our safety review  professionals  from Nesbitt and Associates are scheduled to be in our district on October 28th to review all facilities, protocols, and safety programs, review parent/staff input on ThoughtExchange, and consider updates for 2023.
7.  Communication:  We have been working for the past year with our  website company, Apptegy, to expand  our  communication system with our  students, parents, and community patrons.  The system, tied to our school app, is called ROOMS.  This system supports multilanguage interactions and facilitates communication in a safe and secure environment.  This system will be introduced to parents at our 1st quarter parent-teacher conferences and will be deployed over the next two months.  Our hope is that parents will participate in this program and that it becomes a great communication tool for the second semester.

Rationale: 
1.  Foundation Meeting:  See website for updates:  Brian Vavricek and Alejandra Lanuza

2.  NASB Board Notes:
Below is the link to the latest Board Quicks, a monthly quick-glance update with key information for you and your Board.
Board Quicks Link - October 2022 e-update
https://nasb.enviseams.com/docs/default-source/board-quicks/board-quicks---october-2022fe74ffca-77e1-43ce-9134-bf600fa74467.pdf?sfvrsn=6bc58781_5

This month’s edition features:

• NASB Board Candidate Webinars
• Labor Relations
• NASB Legislative Meet & Greet in Blair
• NASB Member Virtual w/ Gubernatorial Candidates Blood & Pillen
• NASB Video Quick Q&As with the State Board of Education Candidates
• State Education Conference
• NASB Delegate Assembly
• New Board Member Workshops
• 2023 Legislative Issues Conference
• And more ...

As always, Board Quicks, and other links can be found under the ‘News & Resources’ section of www.NASBonline.org, tweeted at www.twitter.com/NASBonline, and on The Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NASBonline
Matt Belka
Director of Marketing, Communications & Advocacy
1311 Stockwell Street
Lincoln, Nebraska 68502
402-423-4951
800-422-4572
www.NASBonline.org
www.twitter.com/NASBonline
www.facebook.com/NASBonline 
NASB’s VIDEO LIBRARY

The Nebraska Association of School Boards provides programs, services, and advocacy to strengthen public education for all Nebraskans.

LEADERSHIP - INNOVATION - VISION - ENGAGEMENT - #liveNASB  #weLIVEhere

Mark Your Calendar

LABOR RELATIONS
October 5-6 - Lincoln

NASB BOARD CANDIDATE WEBINARS
October 5 - Noon to 1:00 PM CT
October 5 - 7:00 to 8:30 PM CT

UPCOMING NASB LEGISLATIVE LUNCH MEET & GREETS
Blair

NASB MEMBER VIRTUAL W/ GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES PILLEN & BLOOD
October 17 - 12:00 to 1:00 PM CT

STATE EDUCATION CONFERENCE
November 16-18 - Omaha

Learn more and register at www.NASBonline.org