October 11, 2017 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

     President Gould called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said.

     All members were present.

     President Gould reminded the audience that the Open Meeting Laws are displayed in the back of the room for their review.

     Motion by Urbom, second by Black to approve the consent agenda as presented, regular meeting minutes of September 13, 2017, October Financial Statement and October monthly bills as presented.  RCV 6-0.

     There was no correspondence or recognition.

     There was no public forum.

Submitted by Kolin Haecker, High School Principal/Curriculum Director

     The end of the first quarter will be completed October 13.  MAP testing for grades 6-8 is finishing up this week.  All juniors will complete the ASVAB test on Thursday, November 9.  Thirty-three juniors/sophomores signed up and will take the PSAT test on Wednesday, October 11.  Our middle school teachers received more training and work time on October 4 with Study Sync thru the ESU.  Mr. Harrington took 5 students to Norfolk on October 6 for a construction career day.

    A Lancaster Co. Deputy will present to our students regarding dating violence on Tuesday, October 17 in groups of two classes: 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12.  This is one of the required subjects needed to be covered by state statute.  We will host our Veterans on Friday, November 10 at 10:00 AM for a Veteran’s Day Program to honor and recognize their service to our great country.

     School Counselor: Seniors applied to college on September 18. There was College Application/Scholarship work time in the library from 9:00-11:00 on Saturday, October 7. Students are not required but the opportunity is there for them to take advantage and we appreciate Ms. Osten giving a little bit of her weekend for the students to work on their future. 

     Wednesday, October 4, juniors took their college visit day using funds from the College Access Grant. They went to Beatrice in the morning for a College Fair and toured Doane Campus in the afternoon. Wednesday, October 18, the seniors will individualize their campus visit to what they are looking for next year.

     FFA District Contest was October 4 with 240 individual contestants and 42 total teams.  Individual State Qualifiers were 1st-Leah Bos, 2nd-Hunter Kohl, 3rd-Tucker Randall, 6th-Amber Heyen, and 10th-Emmett Hughes.  Team Results were 1st-Leah Bos, Tucker Randall, MaKenzie Isaac, Kody Swartz (SQ), 2nd-Amber Heyen, Taylor Nelson, Krystal Hall, Emmett Hughes, and 4th-Hunter Kohl, Sylar Sterns, Scott Tvrdy, Jack Nelson.

Submitted by Greg Wilmes, Activities Director/Assistant Principal

     Fall activities are getting close to finishing up.  This last week was a whirlwind with all the weather.  Softball finished in districts with a record of 22-9.  Due to weather, Thursday’s games were postponed, Friday’s games got moved down to Fairbury, and because we couldn’t get in enough games Friday to keep the double elimination format, we were eliminated with our earlier loss to Fairbury.  We were regular season conference champs with a 6-0 record (Syracuse game was cancelled). Several girls could get all-conference honors, and those will be released after the state tournament.

     Cross Country has continued their season with meets at Bennington, Malcolm, and our home invite. Rylee Haecker placed 3rd in the girls varsity race at our invite at Wildwood.  We were scheduled to host conference on October 5 but due to the rain, the meet was cancelled.  They travel to Minden for districts on Thursday, October 12, and state will be Friday October 20 in Kearney for qualifiers.

     Football has continued their season battling injuries and tough losses.  They are currently 1-6 on the season, with a long night last Friday at Milford/Concordia University due to lightning delay.  They will host Fairbury for senior night on October 13 before finishing up their season at Ashland on October 20.  JV will travel to North Bend on October 9 before finishing next Monday hosting Milford, numbers permitting.  JH football has had a good run and are currently 4-1 on the season.

     Volleyball is currently 4-17 with many games this month.  They are traveling in the conference tourney this week, Tuesday to Wahoo, and Thursday to TBD. They finish out the regular season with home games against Lincoln Christian and Louisville.  JH VB has had a lot of games in their short season. Almost all teams (C/B/A) have been able to have 3 games giving girls a lot of court time.  All teams have had some wins and losses, with their last game being October 10 at @ David City.  We will host a D1 sub-district for volleyball on October 30 and 31 while our girls will travel to Pius for their sub-districts.

     Cross Country has continued their season with meets at Bennington, Malcolm, and our home invite. Rylee Haecker placed 3rd in the girls varsity race at our invite at Wildwood.  We were scheduled to host conference on October 5 but due to the rain, the meet was cancelled.  They travel to Minden for districts on Thursday, October 12, and state will be Friday October 20 in Kearney for qualifiers.

     Softball finished in districts with a record of 22-9.  Due to weather, Thursday’s games were postponed, Friday’s games got moved down to Fairbury, and because we couldn’t get in enough games Friday to keep the double elimination format, we were eliminated with our earlier loss to Fairbury.  We were regular season conference champs with a 6-0 record (Syracuse game was cancelled). Several girls could get all-conference honors, and those will be released after the state tournament.

     Believers and Achievers nominees for the school were Brandon Unverferth and Cicely Pickel. The NSAA has announced that Brandon Unverferth will be one of 48 recipients of the award in the state!

Submitted by  Shelly Dostal, Elementary Principal at Valparaiso and K-5 Curriculum Director

     The School Improvement/AdvancED group met on October 3.  Agenda items included: Professional Learning time on October 16, planning for Professional Learning time the rest of the semester, SMART goal planning, and surveys for stakeholder groups.

     Mr. Haecker and I are planning to share the Raymond Central NeSA and ACT results from spring 2017 at the board meeting, however, at the time of this report data is still embargoed.  NeSA individual student assessment results have not arrived from the Nebraska Department of Education.  Results will be distributed Parent-Teacher Conferences if we have them in time.  Students in grades 3-8 completed fall NWEA MAP testing on-line.  Mr. Steve Rose and I will attend training in mid-October to find out more information about how the state will use the new assessment system and vendor NWEA.

     On September 27, elementary teachers participated in technology training for the new Wonders ELA curriculum materials.  Professional learning on October 16 will be led by Dr. Gary Nunnally with a focus on a definitional investigation about differentiation.  ESU #2 Student Services Director, Dan Bombeck, will also present information about meeting student needs.  Grade level teachers continue to develop curriculum maps to align ELA standards using new curriculum resources with assistance from ESU staff.

     I will attend a state Curriculum Directors meeting on October 5-6.  Ms. Nikole Farr was the RC representative who attended the bias review assessment workshop in September.  Each district across the state was requested to send a teacher to participate in this work.  I also attended an EnVision math workshop at Ashland-Greenwood Public Schools to help support RC K-1 teachers using these new materials.

     Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on October 18-19.  Parents will sign up for conferences via an on-line program.  You can go to https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Raymond_Central to see how it works.  First quarter Report Cards will be given to parents at the conferences.

     Fall fundraising items will be delivered soon for distribution during conferences.  All students who sold 20 or more items were in a drawing for an Android tablet.  Kindergarten student Kennedy Wright was the winner at Valparaiso.  Thank you to all who ordered and purchased items from the fundraiser! The PTO hosted a "Raising Cane’s" night in September and will host a "Runza" night on October 24.  The PTO earns a percentage of the sales (10-20%) at these restaurants during set hours.  A family game night is planned for elementary families on October 12 in Valparaiso from 6:00-7:30 PM.  Meals will be provided to teachers the evenings of Parent-Teacher Conferences.  The PTO is planning a Multi-Cultural Night for November 3 in Ceresco from 5:30-7:30 PM.  Girls on the Run continues to meet each Monday and Wednesday at Valparaiso.  A new club, Girls with Ideas, is slated to start soon with Dr. Harriet Gould leading the group in Ceresco.  The PTO is providing funding to have a water filter system installed at the front drinking fountain for all to use.  Thank you to our amazing PTO for all they do!

     Fire Prevention Week is October 9-13.  Students will participate in an afternoon of activities facilitated by the Valparaiso Rural Fire District station on Friday.  A big thank you to Fire Chief Dallas Fletcher and all the volunteer firefighters for helping our students learn about fire prevention and safety.

     Author Trudy Ludwig presented to students in grades K-2 in the morning and grades 3-5 in the afternoon on October 11.  Presentations were held in Ceresco with students from Valparaiso bused to the event.  Ms. Ludwig also had a special presentation for teachers after school.

     The Scholastic Book Fair will be at school from October 13-19 in conjunction with Parent-Teacher conferences.  Thank you to Trisha Fletcher, Kristine White, and Steve Rose for facilitating the book fair.

     Student Council members will be attending the Student Leadership Conference hosted by Region I Principals Association at Doane College in Crete on October 17.  The PTO is sponsoring registration fees.

     The Raymond Central Food Bank BackPack Committee will host its annual fundraiser on October 28.  The Hustle run/walk and pancake feed raise needed funds to provide backpacks filled with food for student families on the weekends.

     We will be observing Red Ribbon Week the week of October 23-27.

     Fall/Halloween Class Parties will be held October 31.

     The Homework Club is meeting each Tuesday and Thursday in Valparaiso with Mrs. Kendra Carlson as the sponsor.

Submitted by Ann Egr, Elementary Principal at Ceresco and Director of Special Education

     School Fundraiser: The students did a fantastic job with the fall fundraiser.  The estimated total participation for both buildings is 45.9%.  Thank you PTO for all that you do for our students!

     NWEA MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) wrapped-up this week. MAP provides educators with detailed information they need to build curriculum and meet their students’ needs.

     Fire Safety is October 10.  The Fire Fepartment will present fire safety information to each of the classrooms.  The 4th and 5th grades will walk to the station, try on the gear, and put out fires.

     Both elementary schools participated in a coin drive for the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.  Students in Ceresco contributed $133.00.

     Parent/Teacher Conferences at the elementary are scheduled for October 18-19.  The elementary schools will continue to use the online system, PT-Fast, for scheduling.

     The 8th annual Hustle run/walk and pancake feed is scheduled for Saturday, October 28.  Registration was due October 4.  Thank-you, in advance, to all the volunteers!

     Trudy Ludwig is coming to Raymond Central Elementary on October 11.  Trudy Ludwig is an award winning author.  She addresses bullying and has received national praise for helping children cope with and thrive in their social world.  Mrs. White’s efforts for her organizing and the PTO’s sponsorship of this program is appreciated.

     On Thursday, October 5, Dr. Joel and myself attended a KSB School Law Conference in Fremont on teacher evaluation process.  The conference was sponsored by The Nebraska Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council and its statewide network of regional service units.

     Ceresco is proud to announce a new pilot program, Girls with Ideas, which started October 5 and will run through December 7.  This is a 20-lesson program for 4th and 5th grade girls that will provide the tools to leverage their innate creativity, kindness and confidence to solve problems for life.  This is a pilot program that Dr. Gould will lead.

     The Nebraska Paraeducator Conference is October 10 in Kearney.  Raymond Central will be sending four paraeducators to this conference.  This conference is sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Education and Project PARA, University of Nebraska and supports Rule 51 (51-010.03c) requirement that paraprofessionals shall be appropriately trained.

Mr. Haecker presented results from SAT scores last year with 38 students taking the exam.

 Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association Meeting 

• Superintendent Joel attended the annual NRCSA fall meeting Wednesday, October 4 at the Nebraska Council for School Administrators. NRCSA has collaborated with Farm Bureau and is working as part of the Nebraskans United for Property. The core values of this group are to ensure schools are adequately funded (it is not a spending issue) and reduce state reliance on property taxes (not just for ag). This group is committed to finding alternative ways to fund education including: raising the sales tax one cent, increasing the price of cigarettes, freeze Nebraska Advantage Program...
• One option being discussed is to create a refundable tax credit on property tax that goes to schools. While this is relief for property owners, I have not heard of a way to "backfill" the money spent by the state on the refunds. Essentially, the schools would lose even more money as a result. NRCSA said they are committed to the modernization of the school aid formula, which is around 30 years old.
• It is speculated that when the legislature convenes in January the first order of business will be to cut over $50 million and half of that may come from state aid to schools. That would mean $25 million taken out of state aid, which we are only receiving $100,000 at this point.

Bus Rebate Program

• Superintendent Joel is in the process of applying for a grant to replace bus #99A and #95. If selected, the United States Environmental Protection Agency National Clean Diesel Rebate Program will award us $40,000 to the purchase of two new buses. We would then keep one of the new buses for activities and rotate one route bus out to keep it as a backup.  

Main Entrance Sign: Wednesday of last week the MAIN ENTRANCE sign was installed at the jr/sr high school. This will provide direction for school and activity visitors. Attached is a photo.  

Ceresco Library: Ceresco has lost 1,046 books due to mold. Later this evening we will discuss and take action on the Davis Design Contract. 

Security Cameras: Superintendent Joel met with SEi last Friday to go over locations at each building. Ceresco elementary will get two cameras - one over the front entrance overlooking the playground and one to view the south entrance. Valparaiso will get three cameras - one in the gym, one overlooking the south entrance to the gym, and one on the front of the building to monitor the front door and parking lot. The jr/sr high school will get two cameras- one overlooking the gas pump, pump house, north basketball court, and preschool entrance (multiple lenses) and one that will overlook the preschool playground. SEi will also update our software and upgrade the number of cameras we have on our server. 

With all of the rain last week, we found 5 leaks at the jr/sr high school building. Work is underway to fix them by the end of the week or early next week. 

     Cicely Pickel reported that students have been busy.  One Act and Speech will be starting soon.  Fall sports are coming to an end.  Football has a record of 1-6 with 40 players and several injuries.  The volleyball girls are 4-17 with 24 players.  Softball had 16 players and ended their season at 22-9 and 5^th in power points.  Cross country will have districts this week and state next week.  Homecoming was celebrated on September 22 with a dance in the commons area.

BrightArrow

Mr. Marsh is in the process of completing the order for our PowerSchool communication. Once complete, we will create a plan to train teachers with the new features. I am excited to have the ability to send district-wide communication via email, text, and phone calls. 

2015-2016 REAP Grant

• We got a call on Wednesday in regards to an unspent balance for the 2015-2016 REAP Grant. I have been working with Jim to spend $43,772 in the area of technology. The due date is today, Friday, September 29th! A few items that will be purchased with the newly found money:
• 30 Chromebook Carts for each building... plus an additional 10 Chromebooks
• Two 3 3D printers for the Jr/Sr High School w/ material
• Software for Mr. Marsh to manage multiple computer logins from one place - instead of 6 locations
• Four desktop computers
• STEM teacher resources for Mrs. Trautman

2017-2018 REAP Grant 

• Mr. Marsh has started the process of determining need areas to invest this years $38,0000+ dollars to make sure we do not miss any deadlines in the future. 

Dr. Gould will provide an update and next steps in the 360 evaluation process. 

NASB sounds like they may be interested in partnering with us in the creation of a 360 evaluation. Dr. Joel will be making a call tomorrow to determine next steps. 

Our current option enrollment policy needs to be reviewed and updated. After speaking with the school attorney, we must choose either option 1 or option 2. Depending on what option we choose, other small edits need to be made. The current policy states both. Essentially we need to decide if we are going to waive the option enrollment period, follow the option enrollment period, or define the months we will accept option students. We do not need to make a decision tonight, however, I wanted to begin conversations around the topic. 

     Motion by Urbom, second by Springer to approve teaching substitute Reesa Eisler and support staff substitute Allie Mastera.  RCV 6-0.

Motion by Black, second by Blanchard to approve Engineering Firm, Davis Design, to complete an air quality study for Ceresco Elementary not to exceed $5,900.00.  RCV 6-0.

     Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Urbom to adjourn the meeting at 8:18 PM. RCV 6-0.