December 12, 2018 at 6:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Discussion:       President Gould called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said. 

Discussion:       All members were present.

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

Discussion:       Motion by Urbom, second by Black to approve the consent agenda as presented including the regular meeting minutes of November 14, 2018, December Financial Statement and December monthly bills.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Congratulations to Greg Wilmes on passing all requirements to drive a bus.  Thank you to everyone for their hard work in preparing for and carrying out the AdvancED visit.  A special thanks to the students who were part of the interview process.  Thanks to Marcia Herring with NASB for her presenting with us at the State Conference. She and her team have done a fantastic job with our 360 Evaluation. 

Discussion:       Superintendent Joel and President Gould presented an appreciation plaque to Susan Urbom for her 4 years of service as board member.

Discussion:       Bill Lange addressed the Board in regards to possible public involvement in enhancing awareness and promoting public school safety.

Discussion:  Submitted by Kolin Haecker, 6-12 Principal/Curriculum Director
     The first semester is coming to an end very soon and will conclude with finals starting on Wednesday, December 19 and ending on Friday, December 21.
     Ms. Osten is meeting with all 9-12 grade students to make changes in schedules for 2nd semester. We will also start pre-registering students for the 2019-2020 school year in February.
     The journalism class, Ms. Johnson, and myself met with Taylor Siebert from Class Intercom. Our journalism class will be able to post happenings at Raymond Central through our Twitter and Facebook account. We are also working to get Instagram in use as well. The students will be learning about branding and the many things you can do with social media. Our Twitter account automatically posts to the Website.
     Math Curriculum work on November 29 with the help of Gary and Kelly from the ESU. The conversations have been meaningful and we are learning as we go through the process.
     One-Act competed at the Conference meet on November 19, and earned a 3rd place finish. Outstanding Actors and Actresses: Eli Pickel, Colton Arias, Hunter Kohl, Lauren Prososki, Makayla Shultz, Ella Kehr, Grace Cadotte, Isaiah Enevoldsen, & Jade Matulka. One Act competed in Districts at Milford High School on November 30, and earned a 2nd place finish. Congratulations to Mr. Nelson, Mrs. Enevoldsen, and the students. Outstanding Actors and Actresses: Colton Arias, Hunter Kohl, Mikayla Shultz, Eleanah Enevoldsen, Eli Pickel, Ella Kehr and Isaiah Enevoldsen.
     The 6-12 Music concert will be held on December 11. Congratulations to Felicity Ramsey and Illiana Maxwell who were accepted to participate in Honor Choir this school year.
     I wish all of you a Happy Holiday Season.
Submitted by Greg Wilmes, Activities Director/Assistant Principal
     I had the privilege of taking nine freshman and sophomores to a Sports and Leadership Summit at Lincoln North Star on November 16.  Here’s some notes from the presenters:

• Mental Toughness - worry about WIN - What's Important Now - to help you regain and maintain focus when making a mistake
• Do teams grow stronger in the good years when talent and winning is there or during tough times when talent can be low and things don't come easy?
• Character and Integrity were mentioned as two of the main qualities a person can have.  Teach kids to have a good morale compass (will they admit to fouling a kid? Tipping a spike or ball out of bounds? etc)
• What is your focus and response to bad calls by officials?  What is your body language?  99.9% of the time the call/decision by a ref will not be changed, so focus your time and energy on the athletes and moving forward
• What is your focus and response to mistakes by yourself in competition? How will you keep your emotions in check?
• What is your focus and response to a crowd or student section razzing you?  Good teams and players play better in response to this pressure!
• There is no place for profanity - always another word you can use in place - you never know who is around, and cussing doesn't help any situation
• You really never truly have a bad day at the gym/field...think of those people who have lost a loved one, had an accident, are in a wheelchair, etc. - that's a bad day
• Separation within your team (cliques) means breakdowns within your team.  Find ways to have all kids interacting and working with each other
• What does the front porch of your school look like (gyms, teams...)?  First impressions last forever
• In education based athletics, the purpose of high school sports needs to be a positive experience

     Coaches are working on implementing a new weight lifting program this spring and offseason called TeamBuildr.  It will be specific to the athlete and their sport, in-season and off-season, and their season schedule.  Coaches are working on fundraising to put closed circuit TVs in the weightroom to show the workouts, as well as tablets or Kindle’s so kids can log in their activity electronically.  
     NCPA Academic All-State nominations for fall activities include the following:  Cross Country - Rylee Haecker, Emmett Gyhra and Logan Parde; Volleyball - Elissa Fredrickson and Kelbie Schnieder; Softball - Amanda Gyhra and Peyton Taylor; One Act - Colton Arias and Ella Kehr; Football - Josh Palensky and Kody Swartz.  All nominated students had to be on the varsity roster or an organizational leader and have a minimum GPA of 93% or 3.7.  
     The boys and girls basketball teams are both 0-2 on the season after losses at Aquinas and at home to Milford.  They will travel to Wilber-Clatonia on December 6 and Syracuse on December 8.
     Wrestling won their home triangular with wins over East Butler and North Bend Central.  They finished 3rd at the Lakeview Invite on November 30.  Individual placers included:  Easton and Mitch Albrecht - 2nd, Logan Bryce, McKay Bryce and Conner Kreikemeier - 3rd, Nick Springer and Gavin Soden - 4th.  They will host their dual tourney on December 7.   
     One Act finished with runner-up in the district competition on November 30.  Recognized for outstanding performances included: Colton Arias, Hunter Kohl, Mikayla Shultz, Eleanah and Isaiah Enevoldseh, Eli Pickel  and Ella Kehr.  Congrats on a great season! 
     The Superintendent's Advisory Committee composed of students from grades 7-12 met on December 6 to talk about how students can think about their strengths on a daily basis, and what strengths Raymond Central has that we can continue to promote!  Focus on the strengths a person has and you will be more engaged in your work and enjoy it more!
     Speech continues with invites at Lincoln High, Lincoln Southeast and UNL in the upcoming weeks.  
     The new facilities scheduler online request form is up and active on the school website.  
Submitted by Shelly Dostal, Elementary Principal at Valparaiso
     Curriculum/Instruction/Assessment - For professional learning time on December 5, Dr. Joel shared the External AdvancED Team exit report and commended the staff on their work. A huge thank you to the AdvancED committee: Chair Lori Maxwell, Steve Rose, Nikole Farr, Cindy Peterson, Pam Rasmussen, and Cailyn Johnson. Information about PLC work was also shared. The teachers spent the remaining time learning about the SOCS website and their own home pages.
     Preparations are underway for staff training on January 4 including information about 2017 NSCAS data and the "I Love You Guys" protocols. DIBELS data benchmarking will take place December 10-14 for the mid-year checkpoint to monitor student progress. Second quarter ends on December 21.
     Music Concert - The K-2 grade students presented a vocal Winter Concert on December 4, and the 5th grade band performed as well. Mr. Strouf and Mr. Luke are to be commended for their extra efforts. Thank you to the classroom teachers for helping too.
     Turkey Trot - Great job to the 4th and 5th graders for completing the Turkey Trot and to Miss Brannagan for organizing the event! K-3 students also completed some turkey trot physical fitness activities.
     The RC elementary libraries hosted a book fair at Barnes and Noble, South Pointe location, on December 1. Shoppers who mentioned RC during their transaction contributed a percentage of their sale to the RC elementary libraries. Thank you to Mrs. Haecker, Mrs. Rockemann, and Ms. Schiefen for facilitating the book fair, and thank you to all who purchased items at the book fair or on-line to support RC. Special thanks to K-1 Students and families for singing carols and to the teachers for assisting at the crafting station.
     RC PTO - The annual Holiday Shoppe will be held on December 13. Students will be able to purchase gifts for their families. The Cookie Dough sales were a great success. Thank you to everyone who ordered and to our volunteers for organizing and distributing on December 13. Proceeds from the cookie dough sales support class field trips. Homework Club continues to meet each Monday and Wednesday under the direction of Mrs. Kendra Carlson. Mustang Night Out at restaurants continue with Carlos O’Kelly’s on December 11. Spirit shirt day is December 14.
     Thank you to our many generous anonymous donors for providing Christmas gifts for families through the Angel Giving Trees. The families who participate in the BackPack Food Program each week will also be receiving food vouchers and gift certificates to purchase food supplies for the extended winter break as well as extra food. These vouchers, certificates, and food are provided by our local faith based organizations, food collections by RC clubs, and anonymous donors. Thanks to all!
     Winter holiday parties and end of quarter school assembly will be held on December 21. We will wear festive holiday apparel on December 19.
     The Valparaiso Staff would like to extend our best wishes to you all for a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Submitted by Ann Egr, Elementary Principal at Ceresco
     At our October/November awards celebration, the following students were honored for the MUSTANG award: Henry Bryan, Mason Simpson, Brennen Crees, Gage Haar, Jeffery Jones, Addie Miller, Caden Bass, Coleman Field, Kate Field, Aiden Powers, Hailee Benes, Henry Bower, Edward Cain, Allyson Tvrdy, Eli Zobel, Mason Mumm, Cooper Saf, Marissa Tvrdy, Isaac Zobel, Emma Dkesherer, Joshua Greve, Julianne Tvrdy.  P.O.P (Positive Office Pass) drawing recipients were: Kloe Naber, Kashdyn Novak, Maci Blank, Hudsen Heermann, Miley McCoy.
     The annual Turkey Trot was held on November 19. Ms. Brannagan changed it up this year to make it more fun and enjoyable for the students! The turkey trot was still a 1 mile run, but there were station activities and challenges throughout the course. The four stations included: Turkey Hats, Shake Your Tail Feathers, Turkey Take Down, and Winner, Winner, Turkey Dinner. The course was designed to promote interest in jogging and overall physical fitness along with some Thanksgiving spirit and fun. Ms. Brannagan did an outstanding job organizing this fun event!
     The elementary hosted a Book Fair at Barnes & Noble on December 1. The kindergarteners and first graders performed at the store! Proceeds from this event are going to purchase new books for the library. Thank you to Mrs. Haecker, Ms. Schiefen, and Mrs. Rockemann for organizing this wonderful event.
     Ceresco Elementary is set for the 2nd round of DIBELS testing starting December 10. The data is used in conjunction with other assessment tools to evaluate students’ reading progress to develop appropriate supports and interventions.
     The K-2 vocal music and 5th grade winter band concerts were held December 4 at 6:30 PM at the High School. Thank you to all who attended the performance and to Mr. Strouf and Mr. Luke for producing a fantastic event.
     The annual Holiday Shoppe is scheduled for December 13 at Ceresco. Students will have an opportunity to purchase items for their families. Also, a HUGE shout out for the outstanding support of the cookie dough sales! As a district, the sales were once again outstanding with a total of 667 tubs! The proceeds from cookie dough sales go towards classroom field trips. Thank you PTO for organizing this event.
     The staff at Ceresco would like to extend our best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Discussion: 
     Next month the administrative team will present student data and the annual report. We have had to wait as the data is currently embargoed until the end of the month. 
     The curriculum committee will have a meeting to discuss Vision 2025 to determine where we are currently and where we want to go. 

Discussion:       On Wednesday, Nebraska Council of School Administrators hosted a legislative preview conference in Lincoln. It was a great day for learning, networking and raising fears for the future of school funding. I look forward to the proposal from Nebraskans United Coalition in regards to property tax reform as another ballot initiative looms in 2020 that would create a $1 billion deficit in the state budget. The NE economy is struggling and we are not in a recession. There will be a big push for finding additional revenues to decrease the over reliance on property taxes.
     Bus Radios - Phil and I met with FirstWireless today to talk about upgrading our analog radio system to digital. Part of this upgrade will include a new antenna with an additional 16 ft, new radios with GPS, handheld radios, and a repeater (allows two simultaneous conversations and drivers to hear all conversations). We will test a digital repeater next week to see the difference before purchasing.
     Wellness Committee Update - The website has been updated! The committee is working on updating the new school website with resources for students, parents, and staff.   
      Student Superintendent Advisory Committee - Mr. Wilmes and I had a great meeting with students. We have completed our StrengthFinder assessment and looked through the results. Each student has a better understanding of their strengths and knows the importance of "why" we took time to do this. We have transitioned into identifying the strengths of Raymond Central and how we can focus on them to be a better school district. This will be the next step in our learning process.
     Vision 2025 Campaign - As a result of several conversations with Dr. JoAnne Nauslar-Owen and Dr. Gould, a new campaign idea has been formed around our vision for the district. We spend a lot of time talking about the strategic plan and the everyday work of our amazing school district. This year, we have created and opened committees to students, community members, and business leaders. It is important we continue our transparency and engage multiple stakeholders as we look into the future. Vision 2025 is still in development, however, as we meet with different stakeholders, the question of "what do we want RC to look like in the year 2025" will be asked. It is important to connect a vision with the great work around our superintendent evaluation model, continuous improvement, student learning, etc... We know as a district we are engaged in the right work, but what do we want the outcome to look like in 2025?
     Superintendent Joel reviewed the progress of his goals.

Discussion:       In the December newsletter, a request went out asking stakeholders to be part of a community facility committee. We have had a few respond and hope more will come in. The purpose of the committee will be to review the current facility strategic plan and begin conversations around Vision 2025.

Discussion:       We had over 100 parents complete the survey along with 90%+ of students grades 3-12. The Technology PLC is in the process of scheduling a time to review the results with BrightBytes. 

Discussion: 

• One Act placed 3rd at Conference and placed 2nd in their districts
• FBLA attended the Path to Success Conference
• Journalism students spoke with Taylor Siebert about starting to use Class Intercom to allow students to post on Twitter and Facebook as well as Instagram.
• Girls basketball picked up a win vs. Wilber Clatonia
• Students attended County Government Day with Mr. Rasmussen
• Wrestling won their first home triangular vs. East Butler and North Bend
• Wrestlers won the dual tournament finishing 5-0 at the Mustang Tournament
• Nick Springer got his 100th win!
• The December Newsletter is out and on the website
• Finals begin Wednesday, December 19th and continue thru Friday, December 21st
• Student Council made an inspirational poster for students during finals week
• FFA competed at LDE’s in Columbus
• Ms. Dannelly is working with the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders on the Golden Sower
• Challenge and making tracking charts

Discussion:       Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Urbom to approve Raymond Central's membership in NRCSA (Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association) which is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of rural schools and communities at a cost of $850.00 for one year.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Marcia Herring and Kori Stanosheck from NASB, presented results of the Superintendent 360 Evaluation to the Board of Education on December 12.  President Gould highlighted the conversation and reported that overall results were very positive.

Discussion:       Motion by Black, second by Breitkreutz to approve the Memorandum of Understanding from Southeast Community College and authorize a minimum annual payment of $1000.00 from the general fund to receive the services provided by the SENCAP Program.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Blanchard, second by Urbom to allow the Board of Education to handle early graduation requests from students on a case by case basis.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Springer, second by Breitkreutz to approve Whitney Lehn as Ag Teacher and FFA Advisor.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Black, second by Urbom to approve Taylor Wusk as a substitute teacher and Brittany Burton as a substitute cook.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Urbom, second by Springer to approve the Cash Rent Contract with Kyle Schwarting.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Black, second by Springer to approve the addition of our Superintendent 360 Evaluation to Policy 2120.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Springer, second by Urbom to approve the first reading of Memorial Policy 1320.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Urbom, second by Black to approve the next regular Board of Education Meeting on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 6:30 PM.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Gould to adjourn the meeting at 7:57 PM.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.